Non-profit lifts downtown activities.
Florida Secretary of State, Cord Byrd, honored Historic Plant City Main Street (HPCMS) with two prestigious awards at the July Preservation on Main Street (POMS) conference in Fernandina Beach.
POMS is an annual conference co-organized by Florida Main Street and Florida Trust for Historic Preservation. It aims to bring together preservationists and Main Streets to show that historic preservation and economic revitalization are interconnected. Among the hundreds who went to the event were City Commissioner Mary Thomas Mathis and Vice Mayor Jason Jones.
Of the 16 Main Street awards given out in the state, HPCMS won three of them and was also honored for its 40-year anniversary. “We celebrated statewide recognition, taking home top honors in the Secretary of State Awards, affirming our mission to preserve the past while forging an exciting future for Plant City,” Dawn Hyatt, HPCMS Executive Director, said. “These achievements are not just milestones; they are the heartbeat of a community working together to make downtown Plant City a thriving, welcoming destination for all.”
One of the wins for Plant City was the “Budget Hawk” award. HPCMS won this award for the inaugural Strawberry Drop. This New Year’s Eve celebration brought more than 10,000 people to downtown Plant City for live music, local vendors, and to view a huge, lighted, musical strawberry that dropped to count down to the new year. Vendors and food trucks sold out that night.
Another win was the “Celebrating Main Street” award. HPCMS won because of its Main Street Kids program, which seeks to foster a love and strong connection to downtown in kids who live in Plant City. Every major celebration last year featured a kid zone with games, interactive experiences, and keepsakes, all at no cost to families.
The third award Plant City won was the “Four Point Warrior” award. This award is given based on a proven strategy that strengthens economic vitality for long-term success. HPCMS’s sign grant program made it rise above the competition. The point of the program is to support businesses adding high-quality, striking signs to attract more customers. Among last year’s sign grant recipients were Posh Petals, Visiting Angels, and Propagation.
“These awards belong to everyone who contributed their time, talent, and heart to making downtown Plant City an incredible place to live work, and visit,” HPCMS Board Chair Karen Knox said.
As Historic Plant City Main Street celebrated its 40th anniversary, by meeting rigorous performance standards during the year, it also gained designation as an accredited Main Street program. The HPCMS annual performance was evaluated through assessments conducted by personnel, the board of directors, and Florida Main Street in six areas: broad-based community commitment to revitalization, inclusive leadership and organizational capacity, diversified funding and sustainable program operations, strategy-driven programming, preservation-based economic development, and demonstrated impact and results.
“We are proud to share that Historic Plant City Main Street has once again achieved the honor of being a Main Street America Accredited program; the highest level of recognition within the national Main Street movement,” Hyatt commented. “Accredited status is awarded to programs that demonstrate a steadfast commitment to excellence in revitalizing their historic downtowns. It reflects a proven track record of planning, implementing, and measuring impactful results that align with the ‘Main Street Approach,’ a time-tested framework for community transformation.”
To receive this top-tier designation, programs must meet a comprehensive set of baseline requirements and show continued success across six accreditation standards.
“This recognition is a direct reflection of the hard work and dedication of our staff, board, volunteers, downtown businesses, community partners, and supporters,” Hyatt continued. “Together, we are preserving Plant City’s heritage, supporting local enterprise, and building a vibrant, resilient future. We are honored to be part of a powerful national network that is transforming communities from the inside out. Thank you for believing in the heart of Plant City. Thank you for being part of the story.”
Historic Plant City Main Street is a nonprofit organization committed to preserving, promoting, and revitalizing the historic downtown district. Through community events, business development and preservation of initiatives, the organization enhances the cultural and economic vitality of Plant City’s historic core.
