The City of Plant City held its annual Service Awards Ceremony at the Sadye Gibbs Martin Community Center on January 23. The awards mark anniversaries in five-year increments. Forty-nine employees made it to five, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, and 45 years of service during 2024. Note the 40 and 45 years that top this list.
City Manager Bill McDaniel has worked for the city for 40 years. “I came to work here because this is my hometown and I love it,” he said. “I was very happy to be selected to work here in the police department many years ago. I have enjoyed working for the city, and I have made a 40-year career out of it.” McDaniel began as a police officer, then was promoted to sergeant, then captain. He spent 28 years in the Plant City Police Department (PCPD), the final 16 as chief. After his years in the PCPD, he worked as an assistant city manager for seven years. He took on the role of city manager on January 23, 2018. In Plant City’s form of government, the City Manager leads operations.
“I am proud to have served, and to serve my community,” McDaniel added. “This is my hometown and it means a lot to me. I bring a certain personal touch to it because this is the place where I grew up. It is the place I live, and my family lives. I think I am most proud to have been able to serve in my hometown.”
When asked about his future plans, McDaniel responded, “I love doing what I am doing. I love serving the city, and I intend to continue doing it for as long as I feel that way.”
Assistant City Manager Jack Holland earned the 45-year-award. Jack was born at South Florida Baptist Hospital and is a fourth generation Plant Citian. Holland worked for two years blowing a whistle part-time for the Parks and Recreation soccer program. He entered a full-time role on June 1, 1979. His journey as a city employee led him to work in special events, summer programs, and sports. He served as Director of Parks and Recreation from 2004 to 2021.
“The city has treated me well,” Holland commented. “It’s a great place to work. I was very fortunate to get into Parks and Recreation, which, not only is a job, but it is also fun. We get to meet a lot of people, and get to impact young people’s lives along the way. It is very rewarding when kids come back to you year after year, and they remember your name, and they are glad to see you decades later. People grew up in our programs—I have a handful of them that I would say would either be in jail or probably dead if it weren’t for the programs we did for them to keep them on the right track. I feel like we have a very strong impact on the community through the Parks and Rec programs. It has been very fulfilling for me over the years. The city manager felt I was doing a good enough job with Parks and Rec for that long of a period, he said, ‘Why don’t you come up and help me out at City Hall?’ That is why I have been up here for the past three-plus years.”
In his current role, Holland oversees eight departments, Planning and Zoning, the Building Department, Engineering, Streets and Stormwater, General Services, Traffic, Solid Waste, and Utilities.
When asked what he is most proud of, Holland responded, “Impact to the community—through programs we have been able to provide, and also facilities we have been able to provide. I am very proud I was involved with building the Sadye Gibbs Martin Community Center from inception to completion—and developing our sports complexes. It’s a huge impact to our community—the things we were able to do, and the things we are continuing to do. We try to set a high bar in all of our facilities and programming. We are very well respected in the community for the programming that we put out there, and our facilities.”
When asked about his future plans, Holland commented, “I will retire from the city at some point. I turn 67 in May. I don’t see myself working into my 80s, but as long as I can make a positive contribution, I want to continue helping.”