Dear Editor: I am pleased to see the action of the City Commission with regard to hiring a search firm to recruit candidates for police chief and city manager. Plant City residents remember when Troy Surrency retired as chief of police, a search firm brought several well qualified candidates to town for interviews. The commission […]
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MY VIEW: Midtown redevelopment offers fresh vision for city
As a lifelong resident of Plant City, I am watching with satisfaction as we develop our new Midtown section. The spirit of renewal this brings to our special corner of America feels refreshing and revitalizing. The space already packs the potential for further beautification of this town we love. It seems that towns go through […]
Continue ReadingIn defense of the WLCA
Dear Editor: With respect to Don Marshall’s letter, “WLCA running low on mulligans,” in the March 27 edition: It’s always interesting with today’s “shoot-from-the-hip” mentality that critics come crawling out of the woodwork to slam the Walden Lake Community Association board. Even more interesting is that these folks generally have misinformation, feel they have better […]
Continue ReadingMY VIEW: More focus required on dental health
By Jamie McGrogan One year ago, 100 children from Bryan Elementary School had lots to smile about. The Suncoast Community Health Centers, dentists and volunteers had provided dental care to these children who needed it the most. Dental-health providers are taking a step back from political aspects of service by giving of their time and […]
Continue ReadingLESSONS FROM THE FIELD: Take time to hear life’s simple sounds
The morning is cool, and the sounds of the day begin. These are not the usual sounds of trucks, buses and the multiplicity of car horns barking, “MOOOOOOOOOOOVE IT!” The sounds I am referring to are the ones that come from the agricultural building at the Florida Strawberry Festival fairgrounds. The roosters that awaken the […]
Continue ReadingFAITH MATTERS: Something far greater
“God will never give you more than you can handle!” The woman before me proudly proclaimed this truism with great confidence, knowing that her wisdom had been derived directly from the Bible. One problem: It’s not in the Bible. More than that, I would submit it is contradictory to the Bible, and, I would suggest, […]
Continue ReadingLETTER: WLCA running low on mulligans
Dear Editor: Six months ago, the Walden Lake Community Association board was called out for a lack of transparency, consistency and objectivity regarding meetings between WLCA directors and Visions Golf LLC to discuss Visions development plans (see “Is WLCA out of bounds?” in the Sept. 18, 2013 edition of the Plant City Times & Observer. […]
Continue ReadingLETTER: Fireworks frighten animals, residents
Dear Editor: New Years Eve and the Fourth of July are two very terrifying days/nights of the year. Why? Because of general citizen use of fireworks. It used to be in this county and city that you traveled to a central location to watch a civic display of fireworks. Now, aerial fireworks are in every corner of the […]
Continue ReadingLETTER: Cone Ranch development will damage small-town feel
Dear Editor: We are Plant City. We’ve chosen — not an accident but chosen — to raise our families here. Why? Because there are few rural small towns left, and it is a beautiful land. Real Floridians have seen the rape and loss of our natural landscape by this exact thing all over the state. […]
Continue ReadingLETTER: Search should be national for city manager
Dear Editor: I trust a good search committee and a recruiter will be put on this to locate a solid replacement (for City Manager Greg Horwedel). With the interconnectivity of the Internet, a suitable replacement need not come from Florida but could be found virtually anywhere in the United States. Best wishes to the search […]
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