 A Railroad – The Beginning of Plant City Henry Plant was a successful businessman who had worked in the railroad industry before the Civil War. Plant was in the business of buying distressed railroads after the war. In 1883, his investment company acquired a seven-month charter to build a railroad from Kissimmee to Tampa. This section of railroad completed a cross-Florida rail transportation system from Sanford to Tampa. By 1883, the rail system passed through this area, then known as Hichipucksassa. Plant City was established next to the railroad and incorporated in 1885. Although the town was named in Mr. Plant’s honor, no record exists to indicate that he ever visited here. By 1890, Plant City’s population had reached approximately 350, and the town was starting to take shape with thirteen general stores, four hotels, three sawmills, a few churches, and a post office. The combination of good transportation, fertile soil, and proximity to shipping provided everything needed to make the area prosperous. Cotton, lumber, fruits, and vegetables were shipped daily, by rail, through the city’s depot. Today, more than a century later, most of these same elements are fundamental to retaining local businesses and enticing new ones to Plant City. In 1909, Union Station Depot in the heart of Plant City was completed and used by passengers and for mail transport as well as for Western Union telegraph service. The station was a place to greet friends and family as they arrived and bid them farewell as they departed. In addition, it was the perfect gathering spot for locals to catch up on out-of-town news or to simply socialize. Today, Union Station serves as Historic Downtown Plant City’s Welcome Center and Railroad Museum. Although the structure was recently renovated, visitors enjoy seeing the original building – including windows, doors, ticket counters, and some flooring – as it was in 1909. Railroad memorabilia and a model replica of downtown Plant City, as it was in the mid-1960s, are also on display. The model, featuring miniature buildings, was artfully crafted through the use of period photographs found in historical archives. With the help of docents, visitors learn about early, as well as current, railroading in Plant City. Strawberries Reign SupremeFew towns in Florida enjoy a more glorious year-round climate than Plant City. Summer days average 82 degrees moderated by regular afternoon showers, while winter temperatures average 72 degrees with only an occasional cold day. Rarely does the thermometer dip to 32 degrees and, even then, for only a short time. Annual rainfall averages 57 inches. This mild subtropical climate encourages gardeners to experiment with a variety of vegetables and flowers. Crops of all kinds flourish throughout the year in this climate, with strawberries reigning supreme in winter. Introduced to the region in the 1880s, the strawberry is the icon for Plant City. Begun as a garden crop by early residents in the area, the succulent fruit became so popular in local gardens that surplus was sold, and an industry was born. The strawberry farms around town developed through the 1890s. Shipping techniques improved over time, ensuring that the tender berries arrived in good condition at distant markets. Because of our bountiful harvest, Plant City became known as the Winter Strawberry Capital of the World. From December through April, the sweet scent of strawberry blossoms fills the air, as the town is busy picking, packing, and shipping. While other types of agriculture, phosphate mining, manufacturing, and shipping industries grow and prosper, the strawberry remains king. The FestivalOne of our town’s annual highlights is the eleven-day Florida Strawberry Festival®, which dates back to 1930 when members of the newly organized Plant City Lions Club conceived the idea of an event to celebrate the bountiful strawberry harvest. The Lions Club and other civic organizations have participated in the Florida Strawberry Festival® throughout its history. The American Legion Post #26 is also recognized for its effort in reactivating the festival in 1948, following a six-year hiatus during and immediately following World War II. This successful event now ranks among the top 30 such events in North
America. Each year, at the height of strawberry season, over 500,000
celebrate with us in fine southern style at this event. Young and
old alike enjoy the best strawberry shortcake on earth; a variety of
outstanding entertainment; rides ranging from those in a “kiddy
corral” to those for the more adventuresome; and exhibits including
agriculture, commerce, education, industry, livestock, fine arts, and
horticulture. Future festival dates are:
For further information, contact the P.O. Drawer 1869 – Plant City, FL 33564-1869 Plant City comfortably blends the past and present in her quiet neighborhoods. Historic dwellings near the center of town and the new lifestyle development at Walden Lake are complimentary in nature. Picturesque turn of the century architecture in the historic district contrasts with modern golf course villas and single-family homes in new developments. Tree-canopied streets in the older parts of town give way to broad fairways in the newer Walden Lake development. Despite expansion, Plant City remains a close-knit community with a high quality of living. Art, theater, history – all are alive and thriving here. Monthly, the Arts Council exhibits works of local artists at the Chamber. In addition, the Council annually sponsors a concert by the Imperial Symphony Orchestra, a Children’s Fun Festival, creative painting demonstrations, dance demonstrations, other musical performances, and an Art & All That Jazz event, combining the visual and performing arts. Scholarships are awarded to young people pursuing degrees in the arts. Plant City Entertainment stages regular productions of Broadway-style plays and musicals at its new home, located at 101 North Thomas Street, in Historic Downtown Plant City. The East Hillsborough Art Guild hosts an Art Show at the Florida Strawberry Festival®. The Guild also sponsors scholarships to encourage our youth to consider art as a career. The Henry B. Plant Railroad Historical Society maintains a railroad museum at the 1914 Plant City High School (PCHS) Community Center. The East Hillsborough Historical Society maintains a museum and Archive Center in the 1914 PCHS Community Center and sponsors Pioneer Heritage Day in November, which features day-long entertainment, food, exhibits, and arts and crafts. Additionally, the Society often schedules tours of homes in the historic district. As part of its diverse culture, the City of Plant City hosts the annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Cultural Arts Festival, a four-day event held in January. For 25 years, this festival, rich in tradition, has promoted the contributions of African and Hispanic cultures in the areas of art, dance, music, and other fine arts. Residents and visitors alike enjoy a statewide middle school and high school step team competition, a carnival, midway, concerts, and a Leadership Breakfast. The diversity of Plant City businesses today provides the basis for the 21st century. Manufacturing rivals mining in its contribution to the economy. Processing adds value to the food produced on local farms and ranches. After strawberries, ornamental foliage plants, vegetables, aquaculture, and citrus are major contributors to the area’s economy. Opportunity seems to have no limits as the city progresses. Long a shipping center for locally produced farm and mineral goods, Plant City is also a major distribution center for paper, fertilizer, and produce as well as other food products. The ideal location to the deep-water port at Tampa, Interstate Highways I-4 and I-75, and the CSX railroad contribute to our economic base. Industrial parks and manufacturers are choosing Plant City as a place to relocate, in part, because of the advantageous transportation infrastructure and proximity to other growing population centers in the state. Over 60 trucking firms serve local industry, and three truck terminals are located here.
Plant City’s airport has a paved runway, 3,950' x 75' with beacon, lighted windsock, AWOS (frequency 120.025), and GPS/VOR instrument approaches. KPCM CTAF/UNICOM frequency is 123.05. The airport has 36 T-hangars, 10 shade hangars, 3 bulk-storage hangars, and 49 tie-down spaces. Onsite pilot amenities include a weather computer, pilot lounge, and pilot supplies. Additionally, the airport provides flight instruction, airplane rental, fuel, and sightseeing tours. Mileage to Other Florida Cities
GOVERNMENT Plant City has a commission-manager form of government with five elected commissioners and an appointed city manager; one commissioner serves as mayor. Commissioners are elected for three-year staggered terms. Regular meetings are held on the second and fourth Mondays at 7:30 p.m. in the Sadye Gibbs Martin Auditorium at City Hall. The mayor or any of the other four members of the city commission may call special meetings. Hillsborough County, too, has a commission government but with seven commissioners, and one of the seven serves as chair. The administration is under the direction of an appointed county administrator. County commissioners are elected to four-year terms. Regular meetings are held every first and third Wednesday at 9:00 a.m. in Tampa. County government offices are located in Tampa; however, an annex of the county courthouse is located on Michigan Avenue between Baker and Reynolds Streets in Plant City. A new courthouse has been under construction and is scheduled to open this year. TAXESIn 2010, City of Plant City residents in the Alafia River Basin District were taxed at a rate of 19.39210 mills; those in the Hillsborough River Basin District were taxed at a rate of 19.40580 mills. A homeowner is entitled up to a $50,000 homestead exemption on his or her owner-occupied home. Hillsborough County has a 7% sales tax, with food and medicine exempt. Florida imposes no personal income tax. SCHOOLSPublic schools in Plant City are administered by the Hillsborough County Public Schools. Within the city limits, Plant City has six elementary schools, two middle schools, one senior high school, and one career center. Twenty-one schools are in the area immediately surrounding Plant City. Plant City High School, with a total enrollment of 2,000, accommodates students from outside the city as well as those from within the city limits. The Area VI District Office is located at 703 North Thomas Street in Plant City.
College degrees, certificates, and courses to prepare students to transfer to a university or to enter the workforce are offered at Hillsborough Community College (HCC), which has a 93.5-acre campus off of Park Road in Plant City and enrolls 3,500 students each semester. The Institute of Florida Studies manages environmental centers at Cockroach Bay, English Creek, and Upper Tampa Bay and offers many non-credit and community services courses and activities. Located on the campus is the John R. Trinkle Center, which can seat 2,400 in auditorium mode and 1,600 in banquet mode. Here you will also find the University of Florida (UF)/Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS). An area resident now has the opportunity to complete an A.A. degree at HCC and continue on to complete a Bachelor of Science degree in Agriculture from UF. Universities close to Plant City include the University of South Florida and the University of Tampa. Many fine educational institutions are members of this Chamber. For a complete list of those elementary, middle, and high schools; academies; career, technical, learning, and training centers; institutes; magnet and charter schools; adult and community schools, and universities, see the Education and Schools & Colleges listings in the categorical section toward the back of this directory. For more information, you may also enjoy visiting their websites. PUBLIC LIBRARYThe Bruton Memorial Library is a member of the Hillsborough County Public Library Cooperative. Patrons have immediate access to over 120,000 items in a variety of formats, including books, DVDs, audiotapes, CD-ROMs, and magazines and the ability to borrow from a regional library collection through interagency loans. Internet, email, wireless internet access, and computer program access are available. The Library is also a center for community programs, meetings, and activities in public meeting rooms and three conference/study rooms. Art and craft exhibit spaces feature the works of local, state, and national artisans. The Library and the Friends of the Library offer regular and special programs for children, teens, and adults. Plant City Photo ArchivES & HISTORY CENTERPlant City Photo Archives, Inc., was founded in 2000 as a non-profit corporation with a mission not only to collect and preserve a photographic history of the community but also to develop the stories around the photos and to make this unique collection available to the public. This required a massive collection and digitization process, which is continuing – and will most likely continue through the years – and which has resulted in scanning and digitizing over 60,000 images, some of which are exhibited in the gallery on a regular rotating basis. The new location, at 106 South Evers Street in Historic Downtown Plant City, provides the public with easy access to this outstanding collection of the community’s historic photographs, documents, and papers. In 2010, the organization added a History Center, containing a 550 square-foot research library, and computer access to the photograph and document collection. The facility also provides the office area necessary to scan and organize the photos and a 1,000 square-foot Exhibit Gallery with a grand piano for use in special events. Additionally, the new venue provides more administrative office space, a work room, and a small catering kitchen. In 2003, Plant City Photo Archives, Inc., received the City of Plant City’s Historic Resources Award for Historic Preservation Educational Programs and Projects. Photo Archives is the only historic organization to have received this prestigious award. In 2006, the Greater Plant City Chamber of Commerce and the Economic Development Council recognized the organization as the Special Business of the Year for its outstanding contributions to the community. For more information, call (813) 754-1578. Financial Institutions The number of banks serving Plant City and the surrounding area is evidence of abundant prosperity. Regional, state, and local financial institutions that are members of the Greater Plant City Chamber of Commerce are:
|