ZEPHYRHILLS Bobby Black Honored
By Joe Potter
Zephyrhills city officials paid tribute to Bobby L. Black. Black, a devoted public servant who spent 32 years with the city’s Public Works and Sanitation departments, was honored during a meeting on February 23. Black passed away unexpectedly on January 14, 2026. Shane LeBlanc, Zephyrhills Public Works director, told City Council members that Black had planned to retire on June 16, 2026, the 33rd anniversary of his city service in 1993. At the time of his death, Black was serving as Superintendent of the Sanitation Department.
In a show of lasting remembrance, LeBlanc announced that the entrance and departure area of the City’s Maintenance Facility would be named Bobby Black Way in honor of his decades of leadership and mentorship. Black’s obituary, printed in the Tampa Bay Times, described him as someone who trained, mentored, and led new waste-management employees, earning the affection of many who crossed his path: “He was not only a boss, but a father figure, a brother, and a friend.”
Following LeBlanc’s remarks, Mayor Melonie Bahr Monson told Black’s relatives in attendance, “I know you miss him horribly, but we miss him too.” Black’s daughter, Tyashia Black-Wilson, and his granddaughter, Bobbi Bailey Wilson, joined other attendees in the City Council Chambers, along with several Sanitation Department colleagues.
In addition to the tribute, the February 23 meeting covered other council business. Members approved removing the requirement for a full-service restaurant from a proposed mid-level hotel on the east side of Gall Boulevard. The applicant’s agent, attorney Lynn Johnson, explained that such facilities are increasingly uncommon in mid- to high-level hotels, with many establishments offering breakfast or relying on catering for other meals and events.
A conceptual image labeled Hyatt Studios was shown as a representation of potential development, though Johnson cautioned that it was not a final design. Councilman Lance Smith expressed a desire for a nearby restaurant option to accompany the hotel after construction. ♥
