U.S. SENATOR AND CONGRESSWOMAN SPOKE AT THE EVENT.
On Monday, the Florida Strawberry Festival held its annual Governor’s Luncheon at the Trinkle Center on the Hillsborough Community College campus in Plant City. After the lunch, a law enforcement honor guard marched in with the U.S. and Florida flags. Pew Wee Callins, pastor of Greater New Hope Anointed Ministries, gave an invocation, followed by the National Anthem, then the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag. Local elected officials including Mayor Nate Kilton, Vice-Mayor Jason Jones, City Commissioners Bill Dodson, Mary Mathis, Mike Sparkman, and County Commissioner Christine Miller, joined the event.
After opening comments, new State of Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier spoke from the podium. He thanked the Strawberry Festival for hosting him. “I am very blessed and honored to be your new Attorney General. “As I am traveling the state, I am often reminded I have very big shoes to fill,” he said, referring to his predecessor, Ashley Moody, Plant City native, and former Strawberry Festival queen, who is now U.S. Senator. “Which is true. And that certainly hits home here more than anywhere else. I am not a Strawberry Queen, and I will never be one.”
After Uthmeier left the podium, the emcee invited Laurel Lee, U.S. Congresswoman for the 15th District to speak. Lee served as a judge in Florida’s 13th Judicial Court and sat on the bench in Plant City from 2014 to 2017. She and her family have made coming to the Strawberry Festival their annual tradition. “It is sure a pleasure to be home,” she said. “I want to thank you all for having us here today to celebrate one of the most cherished traditions of this community. It is so good to be here today with Mayor Kilton, the city commissioners, and so many of our local, and state, elected officials. I want to particularly thank Danny Coton, Kenneth Parker, and the Florida Strawberry Growers Association, and all of the volunteers who make this Festival possible every single year. It takes an extraordinary amount of effort to plan and execute an event of this quality on this scale, and we all appreciate so much what you do for our community every year. Plant City is the heart of my congressional district. That is not just because of its agricultural roots, but that is because of the people here. This is a place where faith, and family, and hard work aren’t just words, they are a way of life. Our farmers and our growers are the best in the business, and thanks to them, our strawberries are known around the world. I know we can all agree there is nothing sweeter than a Plant City strawberry….There is one more reason that we have to be grateful to the good people of Plant City—and that is because you sent us our newest U.S. senator, Ashley Moody. We are so thrilled to have her in Washington to join us in this fight. Thank you for letting me be a part of this wonderful festival….May God continue to bless Plant City and the State of Florida.”
In an unanticipated part of the luncheon, the emcee then asked Ashley Moody to say a few words. “So, I surprised everybody by showing up today….my father certainly didn’t know, and he was mad at me when I walked in because I didn’t tell him—so—sorry Dad,” she said laughing. “I was not planning on speaking. But I must say, it is always such a pleasure to see all of my friends from my Strawberry Court Days, from my elementary school—Bryan Elementary—100 years next year. It is such a special treat to be here, and I think what is so touching about the Strawberry Festival, what sets it apart from all other festivals around the nation, all other festivals and fairs within the State of Florida, is that it is largely driven by volunteers from our community. Not just our directors that walk around big and bad with their red coats—I always wanted one of those red coats. Now my brother has a red coat and I am jealous every time I see him—But, also all of the volunteers from the booths, to the greeters that welcome people. You made it. There are over 2,000 volunteers. I am asked by various people around the nation, ‘How do you do that? How do you get people to come out and volunteer? We can’t make it happen.’ Well, they are not from Plant City. This is such a special place. I am so proud to be from this city. I owe everything to my God, my city, and my family. Thank you for supporting me for so many years. I promise you I will do you proud in our nation’s capital as your newest United States senator.”
The emcee thanked everyone in attendance for coming to the luncheon. Then he informed those who would be taking part in the parade, including Grand Marshal Mike Sparkman, that there was a police escort outside to whisk them through barricades and the resulting heavy traffic, to get them to the parade launch point so it could commence on time.
