The downtown landmark will become the Bill Dodson Fiscal Center, bringing drive-thru utility payments, expanded customer service and breathing room for a growing City Hall.
Before long, Plant City residents will be able to do something they probably never expected: pay their water bill through a bank drive-thru, and even weigh themselves on the building’s vintage scale before heading home
City officials closed on the 7,605-square-foot former SunTrust bank building that sits on 1.26 acres at 201 W. Reynolds St. on May 14. The purchase was made with $1.7 million in cash from the city’s general fund with plans to convert it into the Bill Dodson Fiscal Center, creating a one-stop location for many of the city’s financial services while easing overcrowding at City Hall.
For many longtime residents, the building is a familiar landmark. It traces its roots to Hillsboro Bank, one of Florida’s oldest state-chartered banks, which served the community for more than 80 years before being acquired by SunTrust in 1982. The downtown branch remained open for decades before banking operations moved to James L. Redman Parkway. Following SunTrust’s merger with BB&T in 2019 to form Truist Financial, the building eventually became vacant.
For residents, the biggest change when the new fiscal center opens will be convenience.
“We’ll have two drive-thru tellers, and possibly a third,” City Manager Bill McDaniel said. “The first two pneumatic tubes work. You’ll be able to stay in your car and pay your water bill.”
The city also plans to keep one of the building’s nostalgic features.
“We’re keeping the old scale at one of the entrances,” McDaniel said. “People can come pay their utility bill and check their weight.”
McDaniel said the building was almost tailor-made for the city’s needs. “I pursued that building for eight years,” he said. “It was obviously perfect for the city because of its location, capabilities and structure. We were the perfect buyer, and this was the perfect building.”
The space also gives City Hall room to grow. About 30 employees will relocate, allowing the city to reclaim office space that had been created by converting storage rooms and closets into work areas. “We’ll be able to turn those rooms back into storage,” McDaniel said. “This additional space gives us breathing room for quite a few years to come.”
The current Utility Billing payment office, located on City Hall’s ground floor, will be converted into a larger meeting space. This expansion will comfortably host large crowds during City Commission meetings, eliminating the need to relocate overflow gatherings to the Trinkle Center.
The building’s former bank vault will also remain in use, though not for cash. “We will remove most of the safety deposit boxes, but we have historical documents, some going back to the founding of the city, that need to be kept safe, and we’re thinking this may be a good place to store them,” McDaniel said. “The vault is fireproof and waterproof, so that’s really a bonus feature for us.”
City crews, including the Facilities Maintenance Department, are handling much of the renovation work themselves, upgrading lighting, repainting the building, installing a new computer network and modular workstations, refreshing the landscaping and preparing the property for occupancy. McDaniel estimates the total project, including renovations, will cost about $2.2 million.
The city hopes to have the Bill Dodson Fiscal Center open by Sept. 1.
Beyond improving customer service, McDaniel said putting the vacant building back into use will also strengthen downtown. “Derelict properties are not good for downtowns,” McDaniel said. “Repurposing it means our downtown looks better. We’re putting a beautiful building back into service.”
