Sadye Gibbs Martin is a name Plant City will remember for years to come. A pioneer in her own right, Martin is being honored once more by the city after commissioners unanimously agreed Monday evening to name the new community center after the former mayor.
For those who knew Martin, the proposal was an unexpected but widely supported choice. Several in the commission meeting stood to offer their thanks to commissioners for the decision, voicing their adoration of Martin during their public comment.
“As I undertook the city commission’s assignment to come up with a proposal for naming the new center, I entered a moment of reflection and realized the city has a tradition of naming after community leaders,” City Manager Bill McDaniel said when explaining his suggestion for the name.
McDaniel went on to add that Martin was known to all as a leader who dedicated her entire life to ensuring Plant City was a welcoming and wonderful place for everyone to call home. Many in the community grew to love her when she was an educator. Commissioner Mary Mathis fondly reflected on having Martin as her first-grade teacher and shared a brief story of her impact on local education.
Following the end of her time in the education system, Martin set her sights on digging into the core of the city and entered the field of politics. She broke multiple glass ceilings during her ascent and her impact is still rippling through the community today.
Martin was the first woman to become mayor of Plant City and was the first female African-American elected mayor of a major city in the entire state of Florida. She served as mayor for seven terms and as vice mayor for four terms, sitting at the dais for a total of 15 years.
Her passion for her community led her to get involved in a variety of organizations across town and, despite her busy schedule, she was always seen with a smile and had a hug for those she held dear. She served in several organizations including the Children’s Board of Hillsborough County, Florida League of Cities, the Florida Strawberry Festival and was responsible for the establishment of the Plant City Boys & Girls Club.
In 1999, city commissioners designated the city commission meeting room as the “Sadye Gibbs Martin Auditorium,” but McDaniel said they finally have the opportunity to name something even larger in her honor.
The city will transfer the honorarium for Martin from the auditorium to the community center at its dedication. The center is set to be completed in May 2020 with the ribbon cutting in June 2020.
But McDaniel didn’t stop there. During the meeting, he laid out a four-part plan. First, he wanted to propose the name of the center be established to honor Martin. Then he wanted to recognize the recreational space that lies between Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Park Road, Maryland Ave. and the southernmost city-property line of the complex as the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Recreation Complex.
Though many referred to the old recreation center site as the MLK Complex, it never formally had been clarified as that in writing and McDaniel said it was time to get that straightened out.
He also wants to erect two large signs up at the complex to indicate what the facility is and what its history is. Increasing signage at city projects has been a pet project of his for the past year and the city has received many positive reactions from the community toward the initiative.
The last part of the plan ties back into item one. The final step would include transferring the Martin name from the auditorium to the building during the center’s dedication. This would mean the auditorium would then be called the City Hall auditorium or the city commission auditorium. It would also open up the possibility of the city one day renaming the space in honor of someone else should the time ever come where they felt it was necessary.
“It’s always great to hear about the folks that came before us and to remember that we’re in a great place right now in Plant City because of the hard work of people that have been here for decades, and it wouldn’t be the city it is right now without (Martin’s) efforts and the efforts of a lot of people,” Vice Mayor Nate Kilton said. “To remember that and to give honor to that, I think this is very appropriate.”