As Hurricane Ian ripped a destructive path through Florida and powerful winds in excess of 50 mph battered Plant City, it became unsafe for rescue vehicles to be dispatched to assist residents with their emergencies. However, just because it was unsafe for emergency vehicles to be deployed didn’t mean that residents stopped requiring assistance. Plant City Police Department deployed its Bearcat to help those in need. After the storm, while many Plant City residents were still without power through the weekend, Danny McIntyre of iImpactPC and pastor Calvin “Pee Wee” Callins of Greater New Hope Anointed Ministries sprung into action to provide warm meals for those in need this past weekend.
As residents were cleaning up after the storm, the Plant City Police Department deployed four officers to North Port to help with the aftermath of Hurricane Ian.
The storm caused high school football games to be rescheduled. When the games resumed play, Durant played Sumner and eked out a 14-13 victory. The team would also go on to beat Sickles, Newsome and Riverview in October but fell to Gaither. The Cougars then hosted Newsome and scraped through with a 34-33 win in overtime to claim their first victory over the Wolves in four years, along with their first district title since 2014. Plant City beat Alonso 37-12 early in the month but suffered losses to Plant, Armwood and Strawberry Crest. Strawberry Crest’s football team put up a good fight but lost to Plant, Middleton, Alonso and Riverview but won 14-6 against its matchup with Plant City.
Twenty five years ago the Plant City Strawberry Classic Cruise-in rolled into downtown for the first time. Presented by The Greater Plant City Chamber of Commerce, the third-Saturday monthly event celebrated 25 years of bringing classic auto collectors and enthusiasts together to share their passion for vintage rides.
Plant City’s annual Halloween party moved to larger digs. Sponsored by Plant City Parks & Recreation Department, the event was a spirited cauldron of fun featuring trunk-or-treating, a scare zone, games, food and more.
In Strawberry Festival news, the 2023 theme was announced: “We Have a Winner.”
A Hillsborough Circuit Court Judge Anne-Leigh Gaylord Moe invalidated the November ballot question seeking to levy a one percent sales tax for 30 years so no tax increase for transportation this year.