Opponents of a proposed change in Plant City’s alcohol policy say city commissioners saved the very heart of the community when they opted not to allow beer and wine to be sold at events held at McCall Park and the newly named Robert W. Willaford Railroad Museum.
Twenty residents, business owners and church leaders spoke during the commission’s Dec. 9 meeting against the ordinance change, which would have given non-profits and charitable organizations an option to sell beer and wine at their fundraisers. Before a standing-room-only crowd that spilled out into the hallway of the Nettie Berry Draughon Municipal Building, they begged commissioners to see the proposal not as a simple change in city statutes but rather as a strike against what makes the community great in the first place.
Chaplain Ret. Maj. Daniel Middlebrooks, who returned home to Plant City a year ago following 25 years serving in the military, said the proposal was a threat to what makes Plant City so special.
“The heart of Plant City is up for bid tonight,” Middlebrooks told the commission. “I ask for you to consider, that in the midst of many voice that you hear tonight … that you would hear, simply, one voice, and that is the voice of history.
“Not just of past history but of future history,” he said. “In five years, will that voice speak kindly of you tonight? Will it say that you stood and defended the heart of Plant City by saying the hard, ‘No,” rather than the easy, ‘Yes?’”
Dub McGinnes said the idea of adding alcohol to Plant City events is one he has considered as a member of the board of directors of both the South Florida Baptist Hospital Foundation and the Florida Strawberry Festival. Ultimately, he and his fellow board members always opted to keep their events dry.
“For the festival, there’s a temptation for a significant amount of money that the festival could have, perhaps from beer distributors,” he said. “However, I’m happy to say that our board has voted this down and, indeed, entrenched in our bylaws the fact that we want a family atmosphere at our festival without any alcoholic beverages. … I agree: We are different. That’s not who we are. This is not hometown. The downtown park is special to me. Let’s protect the heart of our downtown.”
The proposal came at the request of 10 Plant City-based civic organizations, whose leaders argued that the sale of beer and alcohol at select events would help generate additional fundraising revenue.
Noon Rotary Club President Aaron Davis, Daybreak Rotary Club President George Banning, Greater Plant City Chamber of Commerce President Marion Smith and Plant City Photo Archives & History Center Executive Director Gil Gott all spoke in favor of the ordinance change, saying it would allow them to raise greater funds that, in turn, would help the city.
“The intent of the proposed change … is two-fold,” Gott said. “One is to attract more people to Plant City. … And two, to accommodate those people who do attend these special events. There are many cities in Florida that have wonderful outdoor special events, festivals and shows, and they provide for a non-profit organization to sell the beer and wine. The clientele who attend these events are not your typical ruffians.”
Smith agreed and said the chamber-run Pig Jam, which does sell beer, never has had an alcohol-related incident in its 11-year history.
“I hate to think that we’re not willing to try something new to promote our downtown area that has been proven successful elsewhere, because of the fear of the unknown,” she said.
Perhaps the most persuasive speaker against the ordinance was Charles McCall, son of Theodore Jeffers McCall, for whom the park was named.
“My dad served this city, faithfully and honorably, for 41 years, 27 of those years as city manager,” he said. “I sacrificed a father for this city. He put his family behind the city. He was so dedicated to making this city what it is today.
“I come to you, pleading and begging, to turn this proposal down … not only for me and my family but for all these wonderful people, these citizens of Plant City, who sit behind me at this very moment,” McCall said. “If you really want to give us a Merry Christmas, then turn this proposal down.”
Following public comment, Mayor Mary Thomas Mathis, Vice Mayor Rick Lott and commissioners Mike Sparkman and Bill Dodson all said they would vote against the ordinance. Any agenda item needs to earn a motion to approve and a second vote. Because Commissioner Billy Keel was the lone commissioner supporting the motion, the motion died before ever coming to a vote.
“There are good people on both sides of this issue,” Keel said. “We have events in this community that already serve alcohol. Many of these events are very successful … and are applauded by the commissioners you see right here.
“This is a really restrictive ordinance,” Keel said. “I personally think that the way the ordinance was proposed by the (city) staff, it was fine. I think the events would have been fine there. … I could have easily supported the ordinance.”
However, his fellow commissioners felt otherwise.
“This has been kicked around now for seven or eight years,” Lott said. “I’m going to vote against this. … There’s something I sense here tonight: Plant City is fighting to keep its uniqueness alive. Whether you agree with the ordinance or not, a lot of us are here, a lot of us are raising our kids here, and a lot of us do business here, because of that uniqueness. … I still believe we are better off keeping that uniqueness in McCall Park that has been there since we created it.”
As proposed, the ordinance contained several stipulations, City Manager Greg Horwedel said. Among them:
• Only religious, charitable or non-profit organizations would have been allowed to sell only beer and wine — and only in conjunction with a special event permit received from the city.
• The organizations would have had to hold the appropriate state beverage license; must have indemnified the city; and must have complied with all applicable laws and ordinances.
• Organizations must have had a $1 million insurance certificate and named the city as an insured.
Contact Michael Eng at meng@plantcityobserver.com.
