A fundraiser for the South Florida Baptist Hospital Foundation could end up cutting into proceeds instead. After this year’s Romp in the Swamp mud run, equipment belonging to South Florida Baptist Hospital was stolen. It will cost the hospital more than $6,000, if staff decide to replace it.
Each year, the 5K course is full of natural and man-made obstacles, and many participants run in costumes. This year’s event was Saturday, Nov. 1, at 2302 Henderson Way, a field owned by Sunrise Homes.
When hospital staff went back to the site to collect equipment the morning of Monday, Nov. 3, they discovered that a Husqvarna ATV was missing, along with some batteries that had been on the water truck. The water truck belongs to Wetherington Tractor Service, but the hospital had owned the ATV.
“Everything was locked up,” said Beverley Littlejohn, a spokeswoman for the hospital. “The site where the event took place covers hundreds of acres and it’s locked and gated, and so they don’t know how the perpetrators removed the items from the site.”
The police report from the incident describes the vehicle as a hard top cab with a light bar on top. It was painted orange with a blue tailgate, and the word “security” in white.
According to the police report, the ATV’s value was estimated at $6,000. Insurance covered liability for participants, but it did not cover equipment.
Littlejohn said staff had not yet calculated how much money Romp in the Swamp had raised for the hospital.
“The hospital is going to decide at a later date whether or not to replace the four-wheeler,” Littlejohn said. “They’re waiting for the police to finish the investigation and see what comes of that.”
The hospital will have to reimburse Wetherington Tractor Service for the missing batteries, however. No police report was prepared regarding the batteries, and staff at Wetherington Tractor Service were not sure how much the batteries were worth.
Employees of Sunrise Homes did not have any additional information about the incident.
If you have information regarding the stolen equipment, contact the Plant City Police Department at (813) 757-9200.
Contact Catherine Sinclair at csinclair@plantcityobserver.com.