On Friday, Laurel Lee, U.S. Congresswoman for the 15th District, came to town to host a ceremony honoring Plant City’s Fire Rescue at Fire Station #3 on N Park Road. From 2013 to 2019, Lee served as a Circuit Court Judge in Florida’s Thirteenth Judicial Court in Hillsborough County—from 2014 to 2017 she sat on the bench in Plant City. Then from 2019 to 2022 she took on the role of Florida’s Secretary of State. She was sworn into the U.S. House of Representatives in 2023, and is a member of the House Judiciary Committee, and Energy and Commerce Committee. She lives in East Hillsborough County.
On December 19, Congresswoman Lee read praise for Plant City Fire Rescue into the U.S. House of Representatives Congressional Record. Which, in part, stated, “Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of Plant City’s Firefighters, a group of incredible individuals who have dedicated their lives to serve our community….I extend my deepest appreciation to all the men and women of the Plant City Fire Department. You are the first responders we turn to when disaster strikes, and you show up without hesitation. During Hurricane Milton, we saw the true extent of your dedication as you worked tirelessly to protect our residents, secure our neighborhoods, and help our community. On behalf of the people of Florida’s 15th District, I want to say thank you. Thank you for your service, your sacrifices, and your unwavering commitment to our community….”
“I wanted to recognize the extraordinary contributions of the Plant City firefighters, and everything that they do to keep our community safe,” Lee commented after the presentation on Friday. “This year in particular, as we experienced Hurricane Milton, so many in our community relied on our first responders to rescue them in their time of need, and it is an opportunity for us to come back and thank them for the work they have done. Plant City is the heart of Florida’s 15th Congressional District. It is such a wonderful community with such a sense of shared values—family—and people who really care about each other. To get to represent this community is so special to me. One of the things that is a priority for us is to support our first responders, small businesses, and the families who are a part of this community. We have been involved in legislation that affects the agricultural crops of Plant City. In particular, legislation that relates to our strawberry farmers—everything from artificial intelligence to ensuring that we are supporting our growers and producers with the research and technology that they need to succeed….With respect to first responders, we’ve supported a number of endeavors to study and review the needs they have related to equipment, recruiting, and also their health care.”
Representative Lee’s proclamation also recognized Captain Jason Mesa as Firefighter of the Year, and Battalion Chief James Wingo for 30 years of exemplary service.
Mesa has served with Plant City Fire Rescue for 24 years. Other firefighters nominated Mesa for his hard work, and for making himself available to train the firefighters to be better. “Honestly, it’s really huge because I put myself out there and always try to be in the front,” Mesa said. “When command is looking for someone to do the job, I always try to be there. I always want to be in the forefront. It isn’t for the award. I just want to be there. I love to do the work—every aspect of the job. So, to be noticed was really special. I have always been a little bit on the wild side. Once I found out what the job entails, it really struck me…It is exciting.”
Wingo grew up in Tampa, but had never set foot in Plant City until he applied for fire service here. “The biggest thing is I like the small town feel,” he said. “This is a great department. We’re a small family. There is a closeness that kept me here.”
The fire service across Florida is experiencing a recruitment and retention shortage. There are about 4,000 vacancies, but the fire academies graduate only about 2,500 students per year. “We are running at a net deficit—that makes fire departments very competitive,” Fire Chief Jeremy Sidlauskas said. “Small cities….we have to find unique ways to make sure we are staying competitive and retaining the talent we have. I am blessed to have these amazing people that work here. They do some heroic things. I couldn’t be more proud of these guys—more proud of Chief Wingo—he’s like a rock here. He’s been a mentor to just about everybody in this department. He is our most senior guy. I look up to him as a leader myself. Captain Mesa leads these crews and trains our people.”
Plant City Fire Rescue operates from three fire stations, and is responsible for 28 square miles. Fire fighters and paramedics respond to an average of 20 calls daily. The department has 48 firefighters and paramedics. Teams work 24-hour shifts at each station, and are ready day or night to respond at a moment’s notice.