U.S. Ag Secretary visits Florida Strawberry Festival
Sonny Perdue, the United States Secretary of Agriculture, visited the Florida Strawberry Festival on March 6 for a luncheon, a roundtable discussion with local strawberry growers and a quick tour.
Perdue was joined by Representative Ross Spano (FL-15) and Representative Greg Pence (IN-6) of Indiana. He was asked about topics like the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, H-2A-related losses and immigration issues, school lunch options and more. The hottest topic of the day was about negative effects imports from central Mexico have had on Florida’s berry market, which has led local growers to feel they operate at a disadvantage despite being based in the United States.
“If we can hear these things, if I can hear them, I can take them back and it empowers us to go back to our colleagues both in Congress and in the administration and advocate for those policies that make sense for you all,” Perdue said.
After finishing the roundtable discussion and posing for photos with many who attended the luncheon, Spano and Florida Strawberry Festival directors led Perdue and his group on a quick tour of the festival grounds. Perdue visited the Florida Strawberry Growers Association’s display and sat on their iconic porch. He chowed down on a strawberry shortcake from St. Clement and got one of their signature stickers to wear at his next few stops for the day. He visited some of the FFA booths to talk to students and teachers and pose for photos, then visited the Smithfield Entertainment Tent and chatted with members of Transforming Life Church before leaving Plant City around 12:30 p.m.
Perdue said the USDA will host a public hearing regarding USMCA seasonal provisions in Plant City on April 7 at a location and time to be determined, though he won’t be there.
Curtis wins local YMCA Volunteer of the Year award
Plant City Family YMCA volunteer Bruce Curtis was presented with the local branch’s 2020 Volunteer of the Year award at the March 5 Community Impact Dinner.
“The primary reason is that I strongly believe in what the YMCA represents to the local communities,” Curtis said. “Having prior memberships in other health clubs, I felt these organizations were self-centered and not really interested in helping the community. As an active member of our Y, I strive to be an extension of the staff and be an ambassador helping to serve the needs of the Plant City members and community.”
The Plant City Y and all other branches of the Tampa Metropolitan Area YMCA network honor their Volunteer of the Year selections at the annual dinner in Tampa. At this year’s dinner, Hillsborough County Public Schools Superintendent Jeff Eakins received the Tampa Metropolitan network’s Community Impact Award and Bob Sierra won the Red Triangle Award for leadership, service and dedication to the YMCA mission.