By Matt Mauney | Associate Editor
At 43, Billy Keel, the newest member of the Plant City Commission, is also the youngest, but with many years spent in community service and a strong business background, he plans to effectively serve the city where he grew up.
A five-year member of the Plant City Planning Board and a former chairman, Keel was appointed as interim commissioner for the remainder of Florida state Rep. Dan Raulerson’s term.
Keel says he has had waited for many years for an opportunity to serve on the commission.
“I have had an interest and have looked for an opportunity to run for city commission, but it’s rare to have an opening, and I’ve been a little reluctant,” he says, noting that he has been longtime friends with most of the commissioners. “It’s something where you don’t want to run against someone that’s a friend, so I’ve waited around for an opportunity to come about.”
Keel had planned to run for a commission seat when Raulerson’s term ends June 3, regardless of whether he was appointed as the interim.
“Either way, I would still be running in the spring,” he says.
These next few months will give Keel more experience.
“The commission looked for someone that they thought could step in and do the job, and I’m certainly thankful that they chose me,” Keel says. “I certainly see getting started and getting some experience as the interim as a positive thing, but it is a short period of time, and there is an election that’s going to be held right away, so I don’t see it as a huge advantage.
“But I do see it as a positive thing, and I appreciate the opportunity to serve,” he says.
HOMETOWN MAN
Born and raised in Plant City, Keel knows the area as well as anyone. After graduating with a business finance degree from the University of Florida in 1991, he returned to Plant City and immediately became involved with community service.
Keel served on the Plant City Chamber of Commerce Board, where he held positions for 10 years, including treasurer and, eventually, chairman in 2001.
“That’s where I really got my start and got a feel for community service and working to make our community a better place,” he says.
Keel also has been involved with several other organizations and service clubs throughout his life, including the Lions Club of Plant City and, recently, as treasurer of the Plant City Booster Club. He also has been a member and associate director of the Florida Strawberry Festival for 13 years and serves as the president of the Plant City Rotary Club. Keel is also a member of the Police/Fire Pension Board.
Keel says he had the opportunity to go anywhere after college and start his career, and although he never had planned to return home, he’s happy his life has brought him full circle.
“I love this community, and it’s been one of the best decisions I’ve ever made to come back here,” he says.
Plant City became the place where he started his career, married Donna, his wife of 20 years, and started his family. Billy and Donna have two sons, Justin, a freshman at Sante Fe College, in Gainesville, and Bryson, 13, a student at Tomlin Middle School and a member of the local pop singing group Next Radical Generation.
BUSINESS SENSE
Keel was one of three partners who started Matrix Medical, a medical equipment supply company that has seven offices throughout Florida. Its original location and corporate headquarters is located on North Alexander Street next to Hole-in-One Donuts.
Keel was one of the two first employees who opened the Plant City location in 2004, and since then, the company has grown and expanded throughout the state.
Keel also owns Oracle Home Healthcare, a company that specializes in in-home nursing, along with a company that has several rental properties in the area. He also has spent time in the employee leasing business for Employer’s Alliance.
“I appreciate the hard work and effort it takes to build a company, and I also appreciate the economic impact that a small business can have on a community like Plant City,” he says. “Creating jobs in a community is what makes it grow and (become) vibrant, so anything I can do in that regard is something that I’m very interested in.”
TASKS AT HAND
One of Keel’s main focuses as a commissioner is helping to promote economic growth.
“I would like to see us promote business activity any way we can,” he says. “Bringing jobs to our community is a positive for everyone.”
Keel also noted he is a proponent of first responders and wants to keep the local police and fire departments operating at a high level.
After only a few weeks in the interim position, Keel says it has “felt pretty natural” and that he was familiar with the items discussed from his time on the Planning Board and other committees.
“I was really already up to speed on the business at hand,” he says.
Keel hopes to remove the “interim” label off his title following the election in April and looks forward to using his skills to help his hometown prosper.
“Are there other people in this community (who) are qualified? Certainly, but I feel like I’m qualified, and I’m looking forward to serving,” Keel says. “Hopefully, I can prove to everyone that I’m able to serve.”