Mayor Rick Lott has had his fair share of sleepless nights over the past few weeks, lying awake consumed with thoughts revolving around how best to protect his city and his community from the COVID-19 pandemic.
He’s worked around the clock both locally and as a member of the Hillsborough County Emergency Policy Group to get accurate information, protect local businesses and also put policies in place to keep residents safe. There’s never been anything like this in living memory and with that new territory comes an added layer of responsibility. There’s no one to learn from, no routine in place to follow. So our elected leaders must pave the way and will inevitably write the playbook for any other pandemic that could come our way.
“This is something that, personally, I’ve had to dig down deep on who I am, what I believe in, what my strengths and weaknesses are and, at the end of that evaluation, the stress of trying to make sure that these decisions are affecting people’s lives in ways I never dreamt I would be affecting them when I got elected to office,” Lott said. “You know you’re going to deal with services and taxes and hurricanes, but never do you dream you will be dealing with a pandemic that would have this magnitude on society. For me, I’ve surrounded myself with those individuals who have greater knowledge in areas than I have, and to be a student of the facts and to search for the facts and to ask everyone that you possibly know that has information in different areas of our government, our business community, then take all that advice and when we go into a meeting lean on what your beliefs are and those facts are and stand behind your decisions. Then also look for balance that is good for Plant City, but is also good for the greater region because we are all interconnected.”
Lott is a man of the people. It’s easier to find his cell phone number than it is to track down a manager at any of the local corporate stores. And he joked that his phone has been ringing off the hook from residents wondering what they should do. Anything from “Can I ride my motorcycle?” to “Do I have to close my business?” has come his way and he said he doesn’t take the responsibility to act as the bridge between the quickly changing times and his constituents lightly.
Lott connected with the Plant City Observer to discuss some of the topics on everyone’s minds and gave us a peek behind the curtain at what our elected officials are doing in this time of crisis to minimize COVID-19’s effect on the community. Some answers have been edited for length.
What does your day-to-day look like now?
Lott: The commission and I are working with the city to make sure we have the resources in place and the necessary services up and running so that our community can function. I’m also working hard with the Emergency Policy Group. Each day, we are taking the latest facts and data and looking at projections, and then we meet twice a week virtually to discuss the next steps… The third thing is I’m spending a lot of time answering questions from the public. Emails, phone calls, texts, our community is getting information from all different angles. Some are factual, some aren’t and I think what I’ve really noticed is people want to do the right thing.
You mentioned the topic of mental health in the last EPG meeting. Can you elaborate on that concern?
Lott: There has to be a balance in all of our lives and people are really struggling right now to find that. Social distancing equals isolation and I’m really hoping people are practicing social distancing skills, but aren’t so isolated that their mental health suffers… I know we have seen a major spike in Baker Acts. That concerns me greatly. I don’t want anyone in our community to suffer because they are practicing safe isolation. So I’ve asked the EPG for more information regarding that data.
As we’ve mentioned, this is a situation no one on the EPG has ever been through before. How do you even begin to tackle this in meetings?
Lott: I have a policy I follow at these meetings. I want to hear everyone’s views and I want to hear everyone’s thoughts. That’s a lot harder when we aren’t meeting in person because you can’t see their facial expressions, you can’t watch as they get animated and see what they’re passionate about. You have to leave everything up to tone. I think all of us have important roles and viewpoints for the EPG and, for me, I am trying to look for the unintended consequences. Every time we make a decision, there’s unintended consequences. I believe all eight people on the EPG are trying to make the best decision for the community. We have to just look ahead and strategize to make sure that from the first domino until the last domino falls that we are covering any gaps and making sure this goes successfully. In my opinion, the EPG is a great example of how democracy works. Representatives of different agencies, of different cities, who all have different problems and goals at the end of the day are coming together to do what’s best for everyone as a whole.
I want to just kind of share something with you that I’ve really been focusing on. I think there’s a balance we are all fighting to maintain. We have to balance our family, our faith, our government, our schools, our medical community and our businesses. Every decision we make affects all of those areas and we know that. We are doing our best to protect all of those areas as much as possible.
How do you stay informed when data and policies are changing so quickly?
Lott: We are very fortunate in Plant City that City Manager Bill McDaniel is such an investigative genius. He has turned me on to so many informative websites that have answered practically every question I had. I’ve also been in frequent communication with Congressman Ross Spano and State Representative Lawrence McClure and Senator Tom Lee as well as officials from the county. We are all trying to figure out and understand what’s coming next.
Let’s take a moment to discuss the now six confirmed cases from Plant City. As the mayor, what is your response to knowing that COVID-19 is absolutely here?
Lott: Whether those cases are from people in the city limits or from the unincorporated area, they are still our community. Obviously we try to be an example as a city to our local businesses. If people can work from home, let them work from home. People still need services, they need their water to be on, they need police and fire and likewise there are some jobs that people have to keep doing. So we are hoping we set an example on how to do so safely. I’ve been visiting businesses in the community and I’m really proud of what I’m seeing. They are taking this seriously and in many cases they are stepping up to the plate to help those in need.
We are also working very closely with our county health department because those patients are under the health department’s control from the time we believe they were exposed to the virus until they recover. The fact is, the city is not medical. But what we can do is make sure we provide all the resources they need for them to be able to do their jobs and for us to be able to do our jobs for our citizens.
I know last week the EPG was strongly urging churches to practice safe social distancing despite the fact Governor Ron DeSantis said they essentially don’t have to. Now that a weekend has passed, what are your thoughts there?
Lott: Every pastor I’ve talked to has continued to look at different ways to meet the spiritual needs of the community. They’re podcasting, broadcasting, doing live streams, drive-up churches, drive-through churches — every pastor I’ve talked to is protecting their congregation. There is not a single church that I know of that held a service on Sunday that had more than 10 people. And you have to look at the facts. The multiplier for this thing is every person that’s a carrier is infecting an average of five people. Right now as a community, as long as we obey the guidelines and are practicing safe distancing, we can really keep this thing from spreading. I’m thankful that from what I’m seeing, people are taking it seriously.
As for the community, what is the one thing you want to say to them?
Lott: I want to thank them for being a caring community and I want them to know the love and respect they are showing for one another under such stressful times is evident. On behalf of the commission I want to thank them. We want to keep everyone safe, but we can’t do that if people don’t take this seriously and make the decision to be safe as well. I totally understand the pain and agony of the stress. My father just came home from the hospital. We have had to deal with the stress of finding help to come and assist us, and we know the worries you all have for your loved ones.
I understand this stress, the loss of incomes, the hurdles for our students. I have a senior graduating this year from high school and last weekend was prom night. I think our schools are doing everything they can, but we feel that loss. The medical community, you have to admire how they’re prepping for the worst to come and converting floors to isolation rooms.
This is something we have never seen before. All of us are going through this together and I have been inspired by how our community has responded. Our business owners have done what was best for their employees and their customers without complaint. They’ve stepped up to help the medical industry if they can. Our nonprofit and faith-based communities have gone above and beyond to serve and help those in need.
I think the best of us comes out in the worst of times. We’ve seen that here in Plant City.