The secret is out: Plant City’s 2013 Citizen of the Year is Joseph E. Sedita.
And he almost missed his own ceremony.
Sedita had planned to go out of town for a short vacation in Tennessee the day of the ceremony. His partner, Nate Kilton, at Sedita Kilton & Co. told him he had to stay for the awards ceremony, because one of their clients was being honored.
But, Sedita still wanted to go out of town. So Sedita’s wife, Paula, who also knew of the award, helped him pack the car. They were scheduled to leave after the ceremony.
Little did Sedita know that not only was he the recipient, but also family members flew in from as far away as Boston and Minneapolis to be here.
“I had shaking knees, but it is a great honor,” Sedita said. “It’s kind of overwhelming.”
Sedita said he had no idea he was set up.
“I can’t say it didn’t seem fishy, but I took it at face value,” Sedita said.
Before the announcement, his family waited backstage to surprise him with their arrival.
“Joe is someone that I’d have to say I’ve admired my whole life,” Fran Parnell, his sister, said. “I always went to him for advice and encouragement.”
Parnell, wife Paula, brother Frank Sedita, mother Dolly Sedita, sons Jeff Sedita and JP Sedita and their wives, Meghan and Elizabeth, all were present for the ceremony.
“He’s a quiet, humble man of integrity and wants to help others be all that they can be, an encourager,” Paula said.
Sedita is a first-generation American who moved to Tampa when we was a toddler from Gary, Ind. His father, Joseph Sedita, immigrated to the United States from Alessandria Della Rocca, Sicily, when he was 3.
After graduating high school, Sedita continued his schooling at the University of South Florida, earning a degree in accounting.
In 1977, Sedita opened Joseph E. Sedita & Company, in Plant City. Later, he added financial services to the firm’s offerings. He earned his certified financial planner designation in 1985. He also earned his personal financial services designation from the American Institute of Public Accountants.
When Kilton joined the firm as a partner, the name changed to the current title, Sedita Kilton & Co. Kilton purchased the firm in 2012, but Sedita continues to actively serve his clients, community and colleagues.
In addition to his professional accolades, Sedita has been involved in many community organizations, including the South Florida Baptist Hospital Foundation, Jackson Elementary PTA, Boy Scouts of America, Plant City’s Toastmasters International, Boys and Girls Club, and a member of the Greater Plant City Chamber of Commerce.
He has received other awards, including Jaycees Outstanding Young Man Award, in 1979, Paul Harris Fellow Rotary Foundation Award and Trail Blazer Award from 1st Global Capital Corp.
Contact Amber Jurgensen at ajurgensen@plantcityobserver.com.