A congratulations is in order for Plant City’s own Jack Holland.
He was named as the Outstanding Citizen of the Year for the 63rd Annual Awards Luncheon, on Wednesday.
Around town his name has been synonymous with the Parks and Recreation Department and the fun activities that come along with it. Holland has served that department for 45 years.
Last December the Plant City City Commission voted him into a new position – assistant city manager. He now serves alongside Plant City City Manager Bill McDaniel.
Holland began his career with the Plant City Government as a part-time soccer official with the Recreation Department in 1977.
Holland then joined the department as a full-time employee in 1979, first working as a recreation athletic manager and later serving several different positions within the department. He ultimately became superintendent of the Recreation Division in 1997 when the Recreation Department merged with the Parks Department. Holland held the position of superintendent until his appointment to Director of Parks & Recreation in 2004, a role that he has served in since.
In addition to his work as a city employee, Holland has also volunteered in a number of capacities throughout the years, including past and current tenures with the Optimist Club of Plant City, the Plant City Area Soccer Club Lancers, the Greater Plant City Chamber of Commerce, the Friends of Recreation & Parks Corporation, the Alliance for Lupus Research, the Plant City Family YMCA and the Plant City High School Business Advisory Board.
He was instrumental in constructing the Sadye Gibbs Martin Community Center after the former Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Recreation Center suffered damage during the aftermath of Hurricane Irma in 2017.
Last year the City of Plant City received an accolade for revitalizing the community with the Sadye Gibbs Martin Community Center. The city commission credited Holland for helping the new recreational center gain recognition.
Now having transitioned into a new city department, he will take on a different role, but will still serve his community nonetheless.