Observer Staff

Plant City kicked off 2023 with a month chock full of events. Martin Luther King Jr. Day events kicked off on Jan. 13 with opening ceremonies at the Sadye Gibbs Martin Community Center. The event featured keynote speaker Reverend Maxi Miller of New City Church of Plant City and presentations by Lincoln Elementary Magnet School’s […]

The excitement didn’t slow down in February. The Greater Plant City Chamber of Commerce held their Annual Chamber Gala and it was an 80s-themed event. In addition to parachute pants, teased hair, and awards, the outgoing Chairman of the Board, Irene Castillo passed the gavel to the 2023 Chairman of the Board, Wesley Joyner.  Rick […]

Of course, the month of March kicked off with the Florida Strawberry Festival! This year the event drew record crowds with 606,116 visitors. The last Saturday of the event saw 103,000 people enter the gates making it the largest single-day attendance in its history. In addition, the Festival held its first-ever Special Smiles Day, inviting […]

In April, incumbent city commissioner Michael Sparkman, won another term, besting newcomer Jeremy Griner.  The city got a bit more colorful as the Trash Can-Vas Project brought public art to downtown. Artist Courtney Dodson transformed a new dumpster into a work of art. The dumpster is located in the parking lot off Palmer Street and […]

In May, Florida Commissioner of Agriculture, Wilton Simpson, stopped in Plant City to speak at the 41st Annual AgriTech Trade Show, held by the Florida Strawberry Growers Association. Plant City Fire Rescue added a new state-of-the-art fire truck to their fleet and Kyle Robinson took over as the Florida Strawberry Festival President.   Plant City […]