Page 16 - Florida Sentinel 2-26-16 Edition

Local
Plant City Native Named Strawberry Festival Security Manager
BY LEON B. CREWS Sentinel Staff Writer
Plant City native, Tim Lovett, didn’t start out looking for a career in law enforcement. However, events that started while he was in col- lege turned him in that direction.
Lovett was recently named the Florida Strawberry Festival Security Manager.
Lovett said he played basketball in high school, and it was that sport that got him a 4-year scholarship to attend St. Leo College.
“When it came down to what college to at- tend, my mother had the last word. She didn’t want me to go far away from home, so St. Leo was a good fit.”
While attending St. Leo, Lovett met a secu- rity guard who asked if he ever thought about getting into law enforcement.
“He said they would sponsor me and later the Plant City Police Chief called my mother. I later talked with him and he was a tough recruiter. He offered to pay half my salary while I was still in college. I was studying sociology.
“After graduating from St. Leo in 1985, I worked for the Plant City Police Department for three years, then joined the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office where I spent the majority of my career working in narcotics.”
Lovett will be retiring at the end of this month, and said he started getting offers from other law enforcement agencies about continu- ing his career in law enforcement.
“God blessed me with 31 years in law enforce- ment, and I came out as healthy as when I went in.
“I thought the job with the Strawberry Festi- val was perfect, because growing up in Plant City, I had gone several times.”
TIM LOVETT
Lovett said his official title with the Straw- berry Festival will be Executive Assistant to the manager, and in that role he will be their full- time security manager.
“This year’s festival will have more security as we will be wanting patrons to make sure everyone is safe, and there will be law enforce- ment officers at every gate, and another group patrolling the perimeter.
“Growing up, I always watched my dad work at Florida Steel and support his family. I thought I’d be doing the same thing, but after I got into basketball and started getting a lot of offers from different institutions, I decided to take the schol- arship offer to attend St. Leo, because it kept me close to home.”
Aside from his law enforcement career, Lovett has coached some kids in basketball, and says that’s something he really enjoys.
“My joy comes at the end when they leave knowing the game of basketball. I’ll be looking at doing more coaching on my free time.”
Tim Lovett and his wife, Sabrina, have three sons, two in college and the third serving in the Marine Corps.
West Tampa Residents Ask For Involvement In Redevelopment Plans
BY LEON B. CREWS Sentinel Staff Writer
In the series of meetings held in West Tampa regarding either Julian B. Lane River- front Park, the West Tampa CRA, or the West Tampa rede- velopment plan, each group used the term “transparency” when addressing the residents. It was their way of insuring that the residents and business owners will be involved in every phase of the projects.
After meetings held by some of the neighborhood groups, some West Tampa res- idents feel they have gotten just the opposite.
“How can there be trans- parency when in the meetings you’re telling us the plans can change at any time?,” said Dwight Bolden.
“The residents and busi- ness owners of West Tampa deserve better than what they’ve gotten from city offi- cials. It appears the notion to tell us after the fact is inten- tional.”
West Tampa Community Advisory Committee (CAC) Chair, Joe Robinson, said they need cooperation from the police on what their plans are for the community.
“We don’t know if they will want a district office or not, and where it will be located.
“We also need to do re- search on the retention ponds in the area.”
Robinson said he wants to make sure the CAC brings in the agencies involved in all the projects going on in West Tampa so they will know what’s being done and what’s being planned.
“That’s the way trans- parency works. By keeping everyone informed each step of the way reduces any chance of plans being halted or trashed all together.”
Robinson said they would
DWIGHT BOLDEN
also like each of the West Tampa community groups to make presentations to the CAC on what they want to see the TIF (tax increment finance) dollars allocated to first.
Bolden, who is operating a business in West Tampa, said in his opinion, there’s never been transparency.
“When you’re told one thing, and something else hap- pens, that means someone wasn’t being honest with you.
“How can there be trans- parency when we’re being no- tified about decisions made during meetings the public didn’t witness and had no input?”
Bolden said the people of West Tampa are willing to work with the city on the rede- velopment plan, only if the plan first addresses what the people want.
“Instead of being dictated to and told what we’re getting, we want to dictate what we want. We have to live and work in this community, so whatever changes take place, have to take that into account.
“I don’t want to see the African American history of West Tampa pushed aside for this project. I haven’t heard one thing so far that addresses that history and what the city intends to do to make sure it stays intact.”
FYI
HART To Offer Wireless Access On Buses
Beginning on April 4th, HART bus riders will have wireless internet access. The reason the buses will be equipped with wireless Internet is for the new digital fare care system the com- pany plans to introduce in the future.
The digital fare card system will allow passengers to use their smart phones to purchase fares and scan fare cards on buses and vans. The fare box system, which will cost $12 mil- lion, is expected to be implemented in the Spring fo 2018.
Customers in Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco, Sarasota, Man- atee, Citrus, Polk, and Hernando Counties will be connected to the new electronic fare system. The 8 HARTFlex vans, more than 40 HARTPlus vans, and 10 TECO Line streetcars will be fitted with Wi-Fi next year.
Maintenance employees began the installation process of the Wi-Fi earlier this month.
PAGE 4-B FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2016