MAYOR KILTON FOLLOWS THROUGH FOR POLICE DEPARTMENT.
Last year at an Eastern Hillsborough County Law Enforcement Appreciation Dinner, Mayor Nate Kilton and a Plant City Police Department (PCPD) officer were joking around about tazing each other. “I said, ‘This sounds like a fundraiser.’ Alan Kicklighter, Friends of the Plant City Police Foundation board member, and owner of CIF Distributing, recounted. “I let Gary Pike (Chairman of the Foundation) know about that….as you know, when Gary gets ahold of something, it’s shoot it to the moon as fast as you can get it there, and it is going to be as big as he can make it be. So this is a lot more than Nate anticipated it to be. It is not the grandstand that he wanted. But he is going to live up to his honor and his name and do what he stepped up to do. I appreciate everybody supporting the foundation. This is going for everybody in the city. It is not just for the police department. It is going to help everybody in the city become better citizens.”
So, Mayor Kilton agreed to a challenge that he would allow himself to be tazed if the foundation brought in more than $100,000 in its first year. The final tally the foundation raised is $139,000. A portion of that final number came from Alan Kicklighter when he bid $2,200 to be the one to taze Kilton. After a dinner Thursday at the Plant City Elks Lodge, the time came.
“He did say, ‘If we raise $100,000 in the first year, I will be tazed,’” Pike commented while speaking to the group who gathered for the tazing. “It was a quote that seemed off-the-cuff and insignificant at that moment in time, but over the year has developed into something substantial, noteworthy, and sprinkled with some controversy that added a layer of intrigue. Many would have tried to weasel out of this, but not Nate Kilton—a man of honor and integrity, and true to his word. The foundation has realized well over $100,000 the first year, but the city of Plant City has fully realized the true character of the man that has led our city, and we want to say thank you.”
“Every single person on the executive board donates their time,” PCPD Chief Richard Mills said. “They take time to help us out. That means more to me than words can express. So, a heartfelt thank you to everybody that is a part of the foundation who has made it so successful in such a short period of time.”
When Kilton speaks to people about the challenge, he continually makes the point this isn’t about him, it is about the foundation, and ultimately PCPD. “It’s an opportunity to give support to the people we care about,” Kilton said on Thursday evening. “Five seconds of discomfort – nastiness – is a small price to pay to raise $139,000 for this foundation. It’s not about me. I feel a little awkward, actually. This has turned into a little bit of a spectacle, and I am uncomfortable about it. My only intent with this was to make sure I give a grand gesture for the people that we care about. So, I am going to go through with it. Gary, what you and your board have done is nothing short of phenomenal. It takes a lot of work to stand up a board, and raise that amount of money in the time you have done it.”
Kilton knelt on a mat with someone supporting him on both sides. Kicklighter sent the voltage for five seconds, but he looked away. The onlookers applauded for Kilton, and a moment later he stood up, tazed, but not confused about his commitment to make Plant City the best place it can be.
Friends of the Plant City Police Department Foundation is a 501(c)3 non-profit, with the purpose and focus to serve the PCPD by raising money through tax-deductible donations and community events. The foundation’s vision is to enhance collaboration between Plant City’s residents and law enforcement by fostering a sense of security, respect, and shared responsibility. Its mission is to enhance financial support for Plant City’s law enforcement and build stronger relationships with the community.
