FREE • THURSDAY, APRIL 6, 2023
VOLUME 10, NO. 39
UNOFFICIAL ELECTION RESULTS SHOW
SPARKMAN WINS ANOTHER TERM MICHELLE CACERES STAFF WRITER
All the votes have now been counted and incumbent city commissioner Michael S. Sparkman won another term Tuesday, according to unofficial esults released by the Hillsborough County Supervisor of Election Craig Latimer, with all precincts reporting. Sparkman, with 55.62% of the vote (985 votes) beat out challenger and political newcomer Jeremy Griner who received 44.38% of the vote (786
votes). While Sparkman had a lead in the polls with Vote by Mail and Early Ballots (Sparkman’s 730 to Griner’s 486), Election Day voters favored Griner (300) over Sparkman (255) but that late-surge wasn’t enough to propel him to the win. There are 22,261 registered voters in Plant City. In this week’s election, 1,774 voters cast a ballot, a dismal 7.97% voter turnout. In accordance with Florida statute, the fi st unofficial eturns will be reported and certified on April 6 at 5 p.m., after provisional ballots and Vote By Mail cure affi vits have been reviewed
and any additional votes tabulated. Although the greater percentage of voters cast their ballots before election day, hundreds trickled into City Hall to vote in-person, including Plant City residents Matt Wendt and Debbie Gray. Wendt, who’s lived in Plant City for 44 years, tries to vote in every election. “If you don’t like the ways things are you can’t complain if you don’t take the time to go vote and express your feelings,” he said.
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MEETING SCHEDULED TO PLANT CITY POLICE DEPARTMENT’S TWO NEW SPECIAL DISCUSS FATE OF 1914 PLANT CITY K-9S COMPLETE TRAINING AND GET TO WORK HIGH SCHOOL COMMUNITY CENTER Photos courtesy of Theresa Sessions
NEWLY TRAINED K-9S DEX AND ODIN ARE WORKING WITH THEIR HANDLERS TO KEEP PLANT CITY’S STREETS SAFE. MICHELLE CACERES STAFF WRITER
Who let the dogs out? The Plant City Police Department…because its newest canines, Dex and Odin, have completed a 480-hour training program offered by the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office and, along with their handlers, are patrolling the city’s streets to keep residents safe. The new K-9’s are Odin, a German shepherd whose handler is Officer Quentin Garrell and Dex, a Belgian Malinois and German shepherd mix, whose handlers is Officer Michael Zaccaro, who’s been an officer for 14 years. Dex is Zaccaro’s second K-9. His retired dog, Leto, who he got in 2015 and retired last year, lives in a kennel on his property. In training, the dogs bonded with their handlers as they learned how to perform basic commands like “sitz” (German for sit) and “platz” (German for down) along with various situational responses, including tracking humans through smell, knowing how to respond when under fi e and detecting narcotics, including methamphetamine, cocaine and heroine. “We started out by building a bond with the dog and learning basic obedience skills,” said Zaccaro. “The dog has to learn to do what you tell it to do so there’s a lot of knowledge that goes into training them.”
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MICHELLE CACERES STAFF WRITER
Officer Quentin Garrell with K9 Odin.
The City Commission will hold a Special Meeting on Mon., April 24 at 5 p.m. in the City Commission Chambers at City Hall, located at 302 West Reynolds Street. The purpose of the meeting, which is open to the public, is to discuss the status of the city-owned 1914 Plant City High School Community Center. The historic three-story brick structure located at 605 North Collins Street, was built in 1914 for $40,000. It served as Plant
City High School from 1914 to 1955 and later became Tomlin Junior High School. The school was deeded to the City of Plant City in 1975. The building hasn’t changed much from its original structure, save for necessary repairs and maintenance work and the addition of an elevator in 2000. The building is currently being occupied by the East Hillsborough Historical Society (EHHS), which was established in 1974 with the mission of preserving Plant City’s history.