City commissioners presented their priorities for 2015 at the Hillsborough County Legislative Delegation Thursday, Dec. 11. Representative Dan Raulerson was the chair of the event this year.
Many of the items on the list related to economic development, which City Manager Mike Herr has declared a priority since he came to Plant City in September.
“The first area of importance, I think, for us to address, is economic development and redevelopment, and we’ve been focusing heavily on business recruitment and working to attract new businesses to our city,” Herr said.
When Herr was a county manager for Polk County, he used “aimed” and logical strategies to market specific areas of business in which the county could be most successful. He expects to use this same approach with Plant City, focusing on areas of business, such as manufacturing, distribution and logistics, information technology, and agribusiness.
At the delegation, the commission stated its priority to support the creation of a State Enterprise Zone, which is a specific geographic area targeted for economic revitalization by offering incentives for businesses, encouraging private investment and increasing employment opportunities.
The Hillsborough County Planning Commission’s proposed Enterprise Zone for Plant City is about four square miles total, mostly covering areasbetween Interstate 4 and U.S. Highway 92, but also a mixed-use area along South Park Road.
Portions of Thonotosassa Road and North Alexander Street are within the Enterprise Zone. These are commercial corridors for Plant City and a focal point for Herr.
“I think that beautifying some of are entrances to the city, some of our gateways, is important,” Herr said. “Your commercial corridor has held its own. There’s not a lot of decay, it looks good. … Spruce them up, and make them look better, you’re going to be preserving a lot of your appearance as you move through the corridors, and that’s important.”
Some of the commission’s additional goals for are to support legislation that will strengthen Florida’s economy through the creation of jobs and to support legislation allowing municipalities to create and effectively use Community Redevelopment Agencies, like Plant City has down for Midtown.
At the city commission meeting Monday, Dec. 8, Herr introduced a “road map” for commissioners and other city officials to follow this year. Though it will change over time, it provides helpful details on the direction in which the city should generally be heading, he said.
Herr said he hopes to revitalize some of the buildings and facilities that are assets to the town but are currently empty.
“When you think of Plant City, in my mind, I used to think of the Red Rose Inn because of driving down the interstate,” Herr said. “But there’s a lot more to Plant City. So hopefully we’re going to get a new business in there that’s going to occupy that hotel.”
He also said guiding a new business into the former Post Office would be a way to bring more people back into the downtown area, and the softball stadium is an opportunity for more revenue if it is well-promoted.
Mayor Rick Lott appreciated Herr’s road map.
“In a very simple, bullet-point way, we’re able to see what’s important to us and what’s going to impact our community,” Lott said.
Contact Catherine Sinclair at csinclair@plantcityobserver.com.
