Plant City Police Department Hosts Community Meeting
Almost two dozen residents showed up at Plant City Police Department headquarters for a community meeting where residents shared concerns with their staff, a representative from HCSO and city employees. Police shared information with the community about local policing efforts, including a focus on safety in school zones, a request for citizens to be alert and proactive when it comes to locking up guns and keeping them out of sight and a reminder to park vehicles in a garage (or lock them if you don’t) to avoid vehicle theft. Residents shared their concerns about speeders on local streets, including MLK, Laura, Lake Ball and Franklins streets and Maryland Ave. and the possibility of installing speed humps on these streets. “It’s a racetrack,” one citizen said. Traffic Operations Manager Fred Baxter said the city, who has a long-standing policy against speed humps, said a new policy, that is under review, has speed hump verbiage in it. Police offered to install speed trailers in the troubled areas, which can detect how many cars are speeding and which times of the day are most problematic. “We’ll take what everyone has shared today and form a different plan of attack to get some more enforcement there,” police said.
Nominate an Outstanding Young Student for the YEA! Awards
Each year, Hillsborough County recognizes the many positive contributions made by young people in the community through the Youth Excellence and Achievement Awards (YEA! Awards). Nominations for the awards are being accepted now through 9 a.m. Monday, Sept. 18.
YEA! Awards nominations can be submitted for both middle and high school students in each of the following categories:
Leadership – demonstrating positive impact on others in an ongoing endeavor, such as sports, academics, or the arts.
Success Despite Difficult Odds – overcoming tremendous personal difficulty to attain success and make a positive impact on others.
Volunteer or Community Service – allocating discretionary time to help others or complete a project that has improved the community.
Nominations will be reviewed by the Hillsborough County Commission on the Status of Women (COSW). The COSW was created to study and make recommendations to the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) on issues pertaining to the status of women, including discrimination, employment, education, day care, and health care and is comprised of BOCC appointees and representatives from women-serving groups in Hillsborough County.
The YEA! Awards were created in 2010 to recognize Hillsborough County students for making a difference in their community. Students honored show initiative, innovation, and a commitment to themselves and others, while pursuing excellence in a leadership capacity. This can be demonstrated in academics, community service, athletics, performing arts, conservation, or other areas. The YEA! Awards will be presented by the Board of County Commissioners in June.
For additional information on the YEA! Awards or for a nomination form available for submission online, visit HCFLGov.net/YEA.
Plant City man sentenced for assaulting law enforcement during Jan. 6 Capital Riot
Michael Perkins, 40, of Plant City was sentenced in the District of Columbia earlier this month on five offenses, including assaulting law enforcement, related to his conduct during the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol breach.
Perkins was originally arrested by FBI agents in Plant City on June 30, 2021, and found guilty on March 15, 2023, of assaulting a federal officer with a deadly or dangerous weapon and civil disorder, both felony offenses. Perkins was also found guilty of offenses of entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds, and acts of physical violence while on the restricted Capitol grounds. He was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Carl J. Nichols to 48 months in prison and 36 months of supervised release.
The case was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia and the Department of Justice National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section, with valuable assistance provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida. The case was investigated by the FBI’s Tampa Field Office and Washington Field Office, with assistance provided by the Metropolitan Police Department and U.S. Capitol Police.