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A Look Back At 2007

The Tribune, Scott Iskowitz

An official looks over an Amtrak train that derailed Tuesday July 17, 2007, in Plant City, Fla. A truck driver was killed Tuesday when the Amtrak passenger train collided with his vehicle east of Tampa and then derailed, authorities said.

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By JAN HOLLINGSWORTH, GEORGE H. NEWMAN and RAY REYES, The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 29, 2007

PLANT CITY - The year was a busy one for Plant City. It was a year of losses and triumphs, of celebration and sacrifice.

Here's a sampling of some of the top headlines in 2007.

A Fallen Soldier

Plant City lost a native son when U.S. Army Sgt. Cory Clark was killed by a suicide bomber in Afghanistan on Aug. 28. The 2000 Durant High School graduate, who also fought in Iraq, was 25.

Clark was at least the fifth Plant City area member of the military to die in a battle zone since the war on terrorism began. He had expected to return stateside in February to his wife, Monica, and four young children.

Clark, with the Army's 585th Engineer Pipeline Company, was killed with two other members of his unit in an attack while they were crossing a bridge, according to the Department of Defense.

Following the news of his death, the Clark family, who lives in Plant City, received an outpouring of community support. City officials offered their condolences and held a ceremony in front of city hall, lowering the flag there to half-staff in honor of Clark. A local support group for military families delivered breakfast to the family at their Jenkins Street home the day after his death was publicized.

Clark, who was buried in Garden of Peace cemetery in Plant City, was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart and Bronze Star.

Christmas Celebration Turned Solemn

The festive mood of the 24th annual Plant City Christmas parade ended abruptly with the death of a 9-year-old Inverness boy who was killed in a church float accident.

Everything wonderful about the coming of Santa changed in a heartbeat as Jordan "Booka" Hays took a misstep near Laura and Collins streets and fell under a trailer used by the Greater Heights Family Worship Center in the Dec. 7 parade. Hays was gathering candy from the float to distribute to the crowd along the parade route when his foot got caught under a wheel, police said.

His funeral in Floral City was attended by almost 300 people, including Plant City Mayor Rick Lott, other city commissioners and officials, Fire Rescue Chief George Shiley, members of the Plant City Police Department and many Plant City residents.

City Manager David Sollenberger asked the police and fire chiefs and the Christmas parade committee to make recommendations to raise safety standards for future parades.

Tragic Anniversary

Thirty years have passed since an Amtrak train slammed into a pickup truck at Turkey Creek Road, killing six adults and four children in what may have been the deadliest train-vehicle wreck in state history. Six of the victims - three generations of one family - were buried in the tiny community cemetery of Clay Sink in Pasco County. The catastrophic accident was Oct. 2, 1977.

Tracks Still Fatal

Despite improvements in railroad warning systems since the 1977 train wreck, trains and vehicles remain a deadly combination.

On July 17, truck driver Michael Hill, 34, of Plant City, was killed when he crossed in front of a westbound Amtrak train east of Park Road. It was the second fatal vehicle-train collision near the Polk-Hillsborough county line in 24 hours and the third major crash in the area in 45 days.

In the July 18 crash, at least 15 of the 133 passengers and 11 crew members aboard the Silver Star, including the engineer, were taken to hospitals with minor injuries. The train derailed, and the tracks had to be repaired.

Blood And Money

The son of a strawberry grower killed in 2006 in his Dover farmhouse pleaded guilty to the theft of $309,000 from his parents' bank account.

Michael White, 36, was sentenced in January to 60 months' probation and 100 hours of community service. White's mother, Francis, declined restitution of the money stolen in a period of months from the joint account she shared with her husband, Bruce. She also hired an attorney to represent her son and filed an affidavit asking that all theft-related charges against him be dropped.

Francis White was home in January 2006 when Bruce White was gunned down in the foyer of their home in the predawn hours. She said her husband had responded to someone who came to the front door, but she didn't see who it was.

No one has been charged in connection with the slaying.

Dicks Leaves Office, Seeks Office

John Dicks stepped down from the city commission June 12 after serving nine years, three of them as mayor.

Dicks said he accomplished every goal he had set out to do when he was first elected in 1998. Those included his contributions on such issues as managing growth and improving the city's infrastructure, the expansion of city parks, establishing the Plant City Tennis Center at Ellis-Methvin Park, opening the new police headquarters and city hall, and keeping the city's property tax relatively low.

Accountant Dan Raulerson, who ran unopposed in the April elections, took Dicks' seat.

Dicks, who works on an "of counsel" basis with a local law firm, is running for the seat held by U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis.

New Tweaks In City Budget

The state's property tax reforms left an indelible impact on the city's budget for fiscal year 2007-08. The budget featured a change that has not been seen in nearly 20 years: a lower city property tax rate.

The rate of $4.17 per $1,000 of taxable, assessed value on property was unanimously approved by commissioners Sept. 24. The old rate was $4.70 per $1,000 of assessed revenue and was lowered because of state reforms.

The tax reform will reduce the city's general fund by $1 million. To offset the losses, a total of $322,290 was saved by eliminating six vacant full-time positions and one part-time engineering position, among other measures.

In another first, the city posted the proposed 2007-08 budget on its Web site in August, one month before the budget hearings.

Tougher Laws For Adult-Themed Businesses

New laws that strengthened and refined existing codes regarding sexually oriented businesses were unanimously approved Dec. 10 by commissioners.

The laws effectively ban total nudity and lap dances in adult-entertainment establishments. There are no such businesses within city limits but officials sought updated ordinances in case one opens.

Scott Bergthold, a lawyer who specializes in helping local government draft ordinances pertaining to sexually oriented businesses, called the updated regulations "state-of-the-art."

The regulations ban patrons and employees in sexually oriented businesses from being nude. Dancers at clubs or bars, who can perform seminude, must remain at least six feet from any customer and on a stage at least 18 inches from the floor. The 6-foot buffer effectively bans lap dances, which involve physical contact between the dancer and the customer.

Shorter Signs On I-4

The city approved regulations Dec. 10 that prohibit new signs taller than 45 feet along Interstate 4.

The eight signs in the interstate corridor that exceed that limit are allowed to stay unless they are destroyed by a hurricane or other disaster, officials said. Commissioners sought "a balance of aesthetics and visibility" in setting the 45-foot limit, Assistant City Manager Greg Horwedel said.

Five signs at Plant City interstate exits, erected before the adoption of a 1990 ordinance or allowed through a variance, tower more than 100 feet, according to a city staff report. The McDonald's restaurant sign is the tallest at 130 feet, and the Waffle House sign nearby is 125 feet.

Other tall signs include: Starbucks, 120 feet; Outback Steakhouse, 110 feet; Red Rose Inn and Suites, 110 feet; Carrabba's, 84 feet; Fleetwood, 75 feet; and Bill Heard Chevrolet, 65 feet.

Among other amendments to the code, the ordinance limits signs to 350 square feet and restricts I-4 corridor signs from being within 200 feet of any cemetery, public park or residential district.

Commissioner Apologizes For Affair

Vice Mayor Robert Brown made news when he took time at a July 14 city commission meeting to make a public apology to his wife, Wendy, for having an extramarital affair.

"I apologize for my behavior and the hurt I caused," Brown said.

He then reached under his desk to reveal a dozen red roses he bought for his wife of 25 years, who was at the meeting. In front of the commission's dais, Brown gave her a kiss and said, "I love you," before rejoining his fellow commissioners.

Brown said he felt compelled to make the public apology because he wanted to let his wife know he was "committed to rebuilding our relationship." He added that he wanted to clear the air of rumors and let the commissioners and the city's staff members "know what was going on."

Show Pigs Slain

Two baby pigs being raised for the 2008 Florida Strawberry Festival were found slain in their pens Oct. 20.

The case of Rebel and Dixie, owned by 13-year-old twin sisters Lindsey and Leann Farkas, gained statewide attention when the Humane Society of the United States offered $2,500 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of anyone involved in killing the animals. The Farkas family had collected $500 from the community, raising the total reward to $3,000.

According to police, the sisters went to feed the 6- to 8-week-old pigs about 8:30 a.m. Oct. 20 when they discovered someone had broken into Rebel and Dixie's locked pen overnight and killed the small animals. The pigs appeared to have been stabbed and mutilated, police said.

Although the family ran a half-page ad in the Plant City Courier & Tribune on Nov. 21 announcing the $3,000 reward, no suspects have been identified.

Donkey Disappears

Pokey, a 4-month-old burro that disappeared in June from a pasture off Knights-Griffin Road, remains missing. The cream-colored donkey with the black stripe down his back weighed 70 pounds when he vanished. He's likely full-grown by now, said his owner, Crystal Noriega, who believes he was stolen.

"I just hope that whoever took him wanted him bad enough that they'll take good care of him," she said.

Anyone with information about the donkey, who is marked with what Noriega describes as "a perfect cream-colored circle" inside his left ear, is asked to call (813) 986-5611.

If It Wasn't Nailed Down

Soaring metal prices led to a rash of thefts at commercial, industrial and construction sites where pipes, wiring, air conditioners and other components containing copper or brass could be stolen and recycled for cash.

This year, strawberry farmers became entangled in the modern day metal rush when thieves plucked thousands of sprinklers from freshly planted beds. The sprinkler heads, which cost growers about $20 each, were taken at a critical time, when daily water was needed to establish the young berry plants. Authorities made at least three arrests in connection with the thefts.

Silence At The Opry

The curtain did not open for what would have been the 10th season of the Florida Opry.

Myrle Henry, a local pharmacist and community leader, founded the country music concert and variety series as a means of bringing entertainment and visitors to his hometown.

Henry said he tried, without success, to find someone to take over the Opry, which had come to consume too much of his time and energy. For now, the brightly painted stage backdrop will remain stored at the East Hillsborough Historical Society headquarters in the 1914 Plant City High School Community Center, where the event was staged each winter.

Screen Goes Dark

Lake Walden Cinema 8 closed in March, leaving Plant City without a movie theater since the 1920s.

The owner, Carmike Cinema, never publicly explained why it closed the movie house that opened in 1992.

Changing Of The Berry Guard

An educated farm boy whose roots run four generations deep in Florida agriculture was selected early this year to replace Chip Hinton as executive director of the Florida Strawberry Growers Association.

Shawn Crocker, also serving his third term as president of the Hillsborough County chapter of the Florida Farm Bureau, was the unanimous choice of board members who dismissed Hinton in November 2006 with little explanation.

Linda Lawson Retires

Linda Lawson retired as executive director of the United Food Bank & Services of Plant City on Dec. 3.

At a party celebrating the organization's eighth anniversary, Lawson said she felt it was time to move on so she could spend more time with her family.

Kelleigh Klein, a member of the food bank's board of directors, was appointed the new boss of the nonprofit that Lawson founded eight years ago. Klein, known for her professional and volunteer work, was once an aide to former House Speaker Johnnie B. Byrd Jr.

Klein said she plans to continue the work Lawson began, such as expanding the food bank's role to help with the community's educational needs and finding a bigger facility for the organization.

Lawson founded the food bank to consolidate efforts of local churches and other organizations that wanted to help the needy. Since then, it has distributed more than 1.6 million pounds of food to about 46,000 people.

Plant City High Gets New Principal

Colleen Richardson, who began her teaching career in 1984 at Plant City High, was named the school's first female principal.

Richardson was serving as the school's assistant principal of curriculum when principal David Steele was appointed director of secondary education for the county.

She served as acting principal until the school board made it permanent in January.

Hospital Appoints New Leader

A 1991 graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy and veteran hospital administrator was appointed after a nationwide search to take the helm at South Florida Baptist Hospital.

The hospital announced the appointment of Stephen A. Nierman as the chief operating officer of the 147-bed hospital in September. Nierman was CEO at Spring Hill Regional Hospital in Hernando County. Previously, he was CEO at Memorial Hospital in Tampa. He also worked at other hospital groups, including Humana.

Nierman replaced Bill Ulbricht, who left in April. Ulbricht, a longtime community leader, became president of St. Anthony's Health Care in St. Petersburg, which is part of the nonprofit BayCare Health System.

Evangelical University, Seminary

A school of Christian studies, including what's believed to be the area's first Christian seminary, opened its doors in the downtown area.

At the September dedication ceremony, officials of the Evangelical University and Seminary announced that about 50 students had registered for the first semester of classes. Trustees, educators, staff members and guests gathered at 105 E. Baker St., the university headquarters on the campus of the First Baptist Church of Plant City, where the classrooms are located.

Former Mayor John Dicks, a longtime member of First Baptist, spoke at the dedication ceremony.

New Era For The Courier

On May 16, The Courier, a weekly Plant City newspaper for 123 years, was merged with The Tampa Tribune's Plant City section to become the Plant City Courier & Tribune.

It is published Wednesdays and Saturdays. The Courier was the second-oldest continuously produced newspaper in Florida, second only to the Florida Times-Union in Jacksonville.

Several other former Sunbelt newspapers in Hillsborough County were merged with other Tribune sections.

Visions Of The Future

The landscape of the city is expected to change dramatically within 20 years because of two growth-management plans that came before the commission this year.

A conceptual plan for midtown, an 85-acre sector south of historical downtown, was approved July 9. With the plan as a guide, officials hope to redevelop midtown from a light industrial district into a mixed-used community of town homes, outdoor cafes and boutiques.

A master plan for areas that include tracts annexed into the city and portions of unincorporated Hillsborough County also was approved by the commission and sent for final review to the state's Department of Community Affairs in October.

That plan was designed to guide growth in a 12,000-acre sector primarily northeast of the city. Like midtown, mixed-use was the commission's preferred development pattern for the northeast.

Although the concepts for midtown are complete, the final version of the northeast plan is months away, officials said.

Cork Development Abandoned

When a developer who wanted to build 450 to 715 houses in a prairie north of the city decided to abandon the project in August, residents of the rural Cork area rejoiced.

"We're very happy," said community activist Charlotte Butler-Nelson, who lives on property adjacent to the 288-acre Cork Prairie. "Had we not opposed it so vehemently, I really think we wouldn't have stood a chance."

Developer Rich Sacchi, president of Peninsular Properties, cited the slumping housing market as one reason why he withdrew his land-use application for Cork Prairie.

City and county officials said Peninsular Properties faced a challenge because there is a lack of adequate road access in the area.

The current road network, city officials said, would not be able to handle the increased traffic that hundreds of houses would bring.

Cow Cavalry Controversy

An outdoor display depicting a member of the Civil War-era Cow Cavalry caused a stir between at least one commissioner and members of the East Hillsborough Historical Society days before the memorial was unveiled Nov. 17.

City Commissioner Mary Yvette Thomas Mathis objected to the project when she told the commission, "This is a Confederate soldier we're putting on city property."

The bronze memorial, paid for by the Plant City chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy, features a rifle-toting man standing guard in front of a horse and cattle. The Cow Cavalry protected cattle from Union troops and helped supply Confederate soldiers with beef. Supporters of the monument say the figure on the memorial depicts a cowboy, not a soldier.

The display was unveiled during Pioneer Heritage Day outside the 1914 Plant City High School Community Center, which is owned by the city but maintained by the historical society. The society has its archives at the building at 605 N. Collins St.

Amid the controversy, the commission approved a resolution Dec. 10 that requires the historical society to seek city approval at least 90 days in advance before it installs permanent monuments on the grounds of the former school.

The city and the society have also started talks that may transfer ownership of the red brick building to the society.

A Favorite Teacher

Isabel Preacher, a local educator remembered by the students at Turkey Creek High School as a community icon, died Nov. 15 at age 96.

A life member of the East Hillsborough Historical Society who taught history for nearly half a century, Preacher encouraged members of the school's alumni association to fight the demolition of the historical brick building that housed the former strawberry school.

The building, which is on the Turkey Creek Middle School campus, has been restored and is slated to serve as a community library. Preacher's former students hope to see it named after their mentor.

A Princess In Waiting

In the final days of Carrie Ann Meadows' life, the little girl with the inoperable brain tumor could no longer speak. Yet her ability to galvanize a community spoke for her.

Plant City businessman Ed Verner, Philip Balliet, manager of Verner's City Properties, and DeeDee Coile, owner of Berry Patch Kids, worked together to grant the plucky 4-year-old's last wish: securing a purple princess dress for her burial.

Carrie Ann died days later, June 20. More than 200 members of the community attended her funeral. Many more sent flowers.

Teenager Loses Battle

Allie Prescott lost a lifelong battle with a rare disorder. She was 17 when she died June 28.

The community rallied around Prescott and two other sick girls, Megan Carpenter, who died in 2006, and Brandi Redmond. A fundraiser at Bill Heard Chevrolet in fall 2006 raised more than $52,000.

Prescott had mitochondrial disease, a genetic disorder. She died in her mother Stephanie Knox's arms at St. Joseph's Children's Hospital.

She was a religious girl who sang the words to a favorite Christian song, "I Can Only Imagine," in her final days. The song is about what life must be like in heaven, and she told her mother of a dream where Carpenter promised to be her best friend in heaven.

The 'Draft Board Lady'

For generations of area men, military service began with a trip to Nancy Moody Rollyson's office.

Rollyson, who died June 29 at age 86, ran the local draft board office for years and was known as the "draft board lady." She was also one of the last surviving residents who could recall the first Florida Strawberry Festival in 1930. She saw the festival take shape outside of her classroom at Jackson Elementary.

The First Queen

Many Plant City girls grow up hoping to some day be queen of the strawberry festival. Charlotte Rosenberg was the first.

Rosenberg, who died Oct. 17 at age 93, was crowned queen of what was then called the Plant City Strawberry Festival in 1930.

A striking 16-year-old, Rosenberg bested a field of 36 candidates. She always enjoyed talking about her claim to fame as the first festival queen and frequently checked on how the festival went from her Tallahassee home.

First Female City Commissioner

Betty Barker Watkins, who died July 10, was a trailblazer, as a missionary and later as a politician.

She made history in the late 1960s when she won a seat on the city commission and is thought to have been the first woman elected to office in Hillsborough County.

She was a former missionary, a musician and had a 37-year teaching career. About three months before her death, she received a heritage award from the Plant City Photo Archives.

Family Matriarch Remembered

The life of Dorothy "Dot" Iris Prichard Knox, 90, was celebrated at her Oct. 6 funeral service at First United Methodist Church of Plant City.

Knox, born in Wall Springs, moved to Plant City with her family in 1920. She was a graduate of Florida Southern College and began her teaching career at Mount Enon School, northeast of Plant City. Knox retired after teaching more than 30 years at Jackson Elementary. Her late husband, William Glenn Knox, was principal at Springhead Elementary.

Royal Flush

The 2007 Florida Strawberry Festival queen and her court were chosen Feb. 2 at Tomlin Middle School auditorium in front of a sold-out crowd.

Summer Pippin was chosen as queen, with First Maid Alexandra Watkins, Tara Parker, Kyndle Hampton and MacKenzie Clark making up the court. Pippin and her court reigned throughout the year, starting with the strawberry festival, and made dozens of personal appearances throughout the year.

Relay For Life Big Success

Each year the American Cancer Society's Relay For Life is a smashing success in Plant City.

This year was no exception, with about $200,000 in donations.

More than 70 teams participated in the event May 4-5, with about 60 teams and corporate sponsors setting up campsites inside the track at Plant City High School.

Event coordinators said more than 200 cancer survivors participated.

Bing House Work Nears Completion

The open house for the Bing House, the segregation-era boardinghouse named after its former owner, was tentatively scheduled for this month, but it has been delayed pending restoration work.

State and federal grants have helped to finance the extensive renovations. The Plant City Improvement League is the owner of the structure at 205 S. Allen St.

Once completed, the Bing House will become a public museum used to present artifacts from the segregation era and other related memorabilia. Cost of the renovation has exceeded $300,000.

HCC Looks For Expansion

Forty acres adjacent to Hillsborough Community College's Plant City campus have been used for city recreation activities for 26 years, and city commissioners want it to stay that way for as long as possible.

HCC officials announced this year that within 10 years those 40 acres east of the campus will be needed for new classroom buildings and other facilities.

"We are the victim of growth and our own success," campus President Felix Haynes said.

To attract HCC into establishing a campus in Plant City, commissioners agreed to donate 80 acres at Park Road and Cherry Street to the college in the mid-1970s. The college is using only half of the land. The other 40 acres is being leased to the city for recreation facilities. That lease, signed in 1981, runs out at the end of 2030.

More than 6,000 students are enrolled at the Plant City campus. Haynes said the population is expected to double in 10 years. To accommodate increased enrollment, the college will need an additional 370,000 square feet of classroom and supporting space by 2017, said David Cabecerias, HCC's director of facilities, planning and construction.

The city will continue to discuss plans with the college to find the most suitable solution, officials said.

Reporter Dave Nicholson contributed to this report. Reporter Jan Hollingsworth can be reached at (813) 865-4436 or jhollingsworth @tampatrib.com. Reporter George H. Newman can be reached at (813) 865-4451 or gnewman@tampatrib.com. Reporter Ray Reyes can b

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