Mulberry City Manager Rick Johnson served his last day on Friday, Feb. 6, after nearly 13 years on the job and stewarding the rescue and renaissance of a small epicenter of phosphate mining in Polk County.
The 65-year-old entered the job not long after his predecessor was escorted out of city hall in handcuffs in 2012 and the state of Florida was threatening to take over the nearly bankrupt enclave.
In stark contrast, Johnson led the revitalization of the Gem Theater and recently oversaw the launch of the Depot 303 food venue, among multiple projects to improve the quality of life for residents in Mulberry and attract the city to visitors beyond its borders.
Johnson expects to stay busy in his ‘second’ retirement
Via texts with a reporter, Johnson said his retirement from Mulberry really his second time retiring. He was in the military as a young man and entered the field of corrections after that. At age 41, he retired from that line of work as a second lieutenant with the Connecticut Department of Corrections…