Durant High School Wins First Place For FFA Exhibit
There are many sights to see at the Florida Strawberry Festival, from steer to swine, famous performers to elephant ears. This year, a visit to the Parke Building will have folks seeing something they don’t see every day. Dancing animatronic strawberries.
The Parke Building is where local school FFA clubs create educational exhibits that tell a story about the diverse areas of the agribusiness industry and feature agricultural industries prevalent in the area. Sponsored by Suncoast Credit Union, booths were scored on their ability to hold interest and have educational value.
Durant High School FFA’s dancing berries kicked their way into a first-place win for the chapter. In addition to a blue ribbon, the school won $1,000.
“We went with a Broadway theme and the kids did not disappoint,” said Durant Ag teacher Thomas Sturgis. “The dancing strawberries were a tribute to the Rockettes.”
Rounding out the top three winners were Marshall Middle School, who won second place for “The Stage is Set” theme with a large, crowned strawberry as its centerpiece and Plant City FFA won third place with a brightly colored exhibit featuring a constructed stage, a large strawberry decked in a cowboy hat and FFA jacket and flat of strawberries proudly displayed on the runway.
Property Appraiser-
Hillsborough County
Hillsborough County Property Appraiser Bob Henriquez is launching a groundbreaking partnership with Tyler Technologies, a globally recognized leader in mass appraisal. This strategic collaboration is designed to revolutionize the way commercial property assessments are conducted, ensuring taxpayers receive faster, more efficient services while driving down costs. By teaming up with an external provider to enhance the development of commercial property valuations, Hillsborough County is setting a new standard for accuracy and quality in its assessments. This public-private partnership is projected to generate significant savings, with an initial forecast of nearly $300,000 in the first year and an estimated $1.1 million by 2030. “This collaboration exemplifies how public-private partnerships can deliver superior results for the community. It will reduce costs for taxpayers, enhance the precision of our assessments, and streamline our processes,” said Bob Henriquez, Hillsborough County Property Appraiser. “As we look toward the future, this strategic partnership represents a model for how Property Appraiser’s Offices can innovate by working with private industry to drive meaningful change.” This partnership reflects the Property Appraiser’s focus and efforts to assure effective governance through working smarter, not harder, and recognizing that bigger isn’t always better. Thanks to this initiative the Property Appraiser’s Office will not only reduce its budget but also reinvest the savings into other critical public services. This partnership underscores the office’s unwavering commitment to delivering maximum value to taxpayers and its forward-thinking approach to governance.
FATAL MOTORCYCLE ACCIDENT
IN PLANT CITY
According to Sergeant Steve Gaskins, Public Affairs Officer for the Florida Highway Patrol, on February 28, a Ford Explorer driven by a 21-year-old Dover woman was traveling northbound on SR-39. A Honda motorcycle, operated by a 55-year-old Lutz man, was traveling southbound on SR-39. At the intersection of Charlie Griffin Road, the Ford Explorer turned left into the path of the motorcycle, which crashed into the Explorer. The motorcyclist suffered fatal injuries at the scene of the crash, while the driver of the truck was not injured during the incident.
CITIZEN BOARDS OPEN SEATS
APPLICATIONS DUE MARCH 12.
Hillsborough County Commissioners are seeking residents to serve on several County citizen advisory boards and councils. Residents interested in seeking appointment must reside in, and be registered voters in, Hillsborough County. These are voluntary positions, and members serve without compensation. Applicants may apply to more than one board but may only serve on one board at a time unless specifically approved by the Board of County Commissioners. Citizens interested in being considered for appointment must submit a completed application/questionnaire and a standards of conduct form. Incomplete applications will not be considered. Applications are due by close of business on March 12.
Open seats are on boards include Code Enforcement, Public Library, the Commission on Human Trafficking, and Land Use Appeals.
For more information, go to:
