At the City Commission meeting on Monday, Nov. 9, commissioners unanimously approved the rezoning of the eastern half of 2011 N. Wheeler St., formerly the Red Rose Inn & Suites.
The City Commission approved the rezoning of the former inn, located on just over 8.39 acres, from the Neighborhood Business District to the Planned Development District. The eastern half of the facility will be used as a drug and rehabilitation center by Florida Rehabilitation and Recovery Services. The western half of the property will be used as administrative offices, and as a motel for clients’ family members.
The City of Plant City’s Planning and Zoning Board first approved the rezoning plans for the center at a Thursday, Oct. 8, meeting. Before making the decision, the board consulted with law enforcement officers and evaluated the impacts on infrastructure and the environment. The center was found to be compatible with the existing nearby areas.
“Every community needs an organization like this in their community,” Mayor Rick Lott said. “This is a good example of what we want to see here in Plant City.”
Located just off of I-4 and minutes away from Plant City’s Historic Downtown shops and restaurants, the former inn first closed years ago when the owners, Batista and Evelyn Madonia, faced financial difficulties. Since then, no buyer has shown interest in bringing the inn back to what it was in its prime: a 270-room motel that was host to the finest events Plant City had to offer.
But the new plans for the drug and rehabilitation center will offer something else: help to those who want it.
THE FACILITY
The eastern half of the facility will be transformed from a former inn to a rehab center with video surveillance and 24-hour monitoring. Recovering alcoholics and drug addicts, who can only come to the facility voluntarily, will be busy from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. in a program that is estimated to take 30 days. The facility will create an immediate 100 jobs, including positions for psychologists, nurses, behavioral help technicians and janitorial staff.
“All the exits are alarmed,” Bob Gannon, of Florida Rehabilitation and Recovery Services, said. “They do not go through that front door again until they are released.”
In addition to client monitoring, video monitors will be at all the hallways and meeting rooms. Behavioral service technicians, many who have been through recovery themselves, will be responsible for up to eight patients during their shift. The facility will utilize 80 rooms for patients, and will have a maximum of 150 patients at a time. Family members who wish to visit patients would stay on the western half of the property for up to seven days at a time.
“We believe that this is an appropriate use of the property … that would otherwise go unused,” Russell Ottenberg, vice president and principal planner of Planeng Inc. said. “The Red Rose, for all intents and purposes, no longer exists.”
Infrastructure improvements will be made to the building, including replacing a chainlink fence on the perimeter of the property with a solid fence that will be between 6 and 8 feet high. West Hillsboro Street, adjacent to the center, will also undergo improvements. About $500,000 has been budgeted for improvements to the existing buildings.
Though the Commission unanimously approved the rezoning decision, Plant City residents had differing opinions about the proposed facility.
THE FEEDBACK
Steve Wyman only had two questions for the proposed rehabilitation center. He wanted to know what percent of clients would be locals that had lost their way, and what percent of clients would come from other areas — and where they would go once they were released.
“I’m trying to raise my children and grandchildren in the community,” Wyman said.
Because of the voluntary nature of the facility, it could not be determined how many clients would come from Plant City and how many would come from elsewhere. However, Gannon said, clients are not free to roam once they are released from the facility. They are transported to and from the rehabilitation center following the start and completion of their program. Additionally, the center follows up with clients once they have completed the program to determine if they stay sober or not.
Others were in favor of a facility, so long as it wasn’t located in Plant City. Robert Willaford believed the former inn should have a different purpose.
“There are other places for it,” Willaford said. “It’s been a cloudy issue. This is not the place to put it.”
Most questions residents had were answered by Gannon and Ottenberg, but they weren’t given hard data about the facility’s expected success rate. Even so, many spoke in support of the facility’s plans.
Walden Lake resident Carrine Narey sees a need for the facility. Twenty-five years and ten months ago, she was checking herself into one.
“I am a grateful alcoholic,” Narey said. “The best day of my life was when I checked into a rehab facility.”
Narey, who has been sober since she completed rehab, paid out of pocket for her program and recovery. Most clients at the facility would pay out of pocket, although many insurance providers do cover such programs.
“I’m very happy that I spent my money in a meaningful way,” Narey said. “Am I cured of alcohol? No. I’m very proud to have been through the experience that I went through. There are many of us that do make it, and I’m one of them.”
Others like Narey also spoke in favor of the facility: children who had parents that were recovering alcoholics, fathers who had lost their daughters in drug-related deaths.
Barbara Swain spoke in support of the facility. The recovering addict has lost many of her friends to drugs and alcohol who didn’t receive help.
“I’m tired of losing all my friends,” Swain said. “We really need this.”
With the approval from the City Commission, the next step is up to Florida Rehabilitation and Recovery Services. The company is expected to submit an application for proposed improvements to the property in before the end of the year, or in January 2016.
For our full City Commission story, check out our 11.13 issue.
Contact Emily Topper at etopper@plantcityobserver.com.