A new vocational career and training center may be one step closer thanks to city commissioners approving a resolution authorizing City Manager Bill McDaniel to execute a Letter of Intent with Hillsborough County Schools to explore the proposed land swap arrangement in support of the center. The resolution also authorizes McDaniel to execute all other documents related to the due diligence process in support of the proposal.
Hillsborough County PublicSchools officials are seeking a site in Plant City for the new center, which will not be a high school but a smaller, vo-tech focused educational facility.
A letter of intent from the School Board to Plant City commissioners dated March 7 laid out the details of a proposed land-swap agreement, with the School Board acquiring approximately 16.29 acres of city-owned vacant land on Park Road from Plant City (the desired site for the center) in exchange for an equal amount of property the School Board owns on Mud Lake Road, south and west of the Walden Lake area.
“While a high school is a longer-term project, in the interim the School District wants to build a vo-tech center here in Plant City,” said McDaniel.
The terms and conditions of the proposal are subject to the execution of a formal property exchange agreement that must be formally approved by the School Board.
Mayor Nathan Kilton considers the plan a creative solution to meet the needs of local students. “I’d also like to recognize Yvonne Fry who’s been a champion for this type of work in Plant City and recognizing there’s a need for this education facility,” he said.
Although the proposal is in its earliest stages and details are yet to be worked out, the School District will work with McDaniel and other business leaders to determine which careers are most in-demand in the community to determine which types of training will be offered at the center.
McDaniel recognizes the importance of young people graduating with the skills they need to excel in the workforce or apprenticeship programs. “We need to give young people an entry into plumbing, electrical and logistics jobs we have right here in Plant City in great numbers,” he said.
A School District representative said the project is in the initial planning phase and have contracted with engineers and a construction manager about the center. The expectation is for the educational facility, which has yet to be named, will open in 2025.