B.C. Manion

AdventHealth promotion

November 3, 2021 By B.C. Manion

Jason Newmyer, vice president/administrator at AdventHealth Dade City has been name to lead AdventHealth’s announced hospital in Riverview. (Courtesy of AdventHealth)

Jason Newmyer, vice president/administrator for AdventHealth Dade City, has been named president and CEO for the recently announced AdventHealth hospital in Riverview.

The appointment becomes effective on Nov. 7.

“I’ve enjoyed watching Jason grow within the organization over the years. His experience in leading operations, strategic planning, and building highly engaged teams will serve him well as he steps into this new role,” Terry Shaw, president/CEO for AdventHealth, said in a release.

“Jason is driven by his passion to extend our mission and I am confident he will continue to help AdventHealth deliver exceptional whole-person care throughout the Riverview community.”

Newmyer will continue on in Dade City, to ensure a smooth transition for the next leader.

Newmyer responded to his promotion this way: “I consider it a privilege to have worked with such incredible teams throughout my career with AdventHealth and I feel honored to serve in this role.

“I am excited for the work that we’ll get to do in Riverview and look forward to engaging with our team members, providers, leaders, and the community,” Newmyer said, in the release.

Chamber awards

November 3, 2021 By B.C. Manion

The North Tampa Bay Chamber is hosting its 2021 Celebrating Excellence Awards on Nov. 11 from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., at Florida Avenue Brewing, 2029 Arrowgrass Drive, in Wesley Chapel. The event is a cocktail reception to celebrate finalists and honor the winners. This will be an abbreviated event, with light hors d’oeuvres and a cash bar. Networking begins at 6 p.m., and the event starts at 6:30 p.m. Business or cocktail attire. To find out more, email the chamber at .

Citizens Bank & Trust expands

November 3, 2021 By B.C. Manion

Citizens Bank & Trust has received full regulatory approval to acquire the Dade City and Valrico offices of The Bank of Tampa, according to a news release.

These offices, formerly owned by Hillsboro Bank, are located in Pasco and Hillsborough counties, respectively.

This move represents the first expansion outside Polk County for Citizens Bank & Trust, the release says.

“This is such an exciting time for us at Citizens Bank & Trust,” Greg Littleton, president and CEO of Citizens Bank & Trust, said in the release. “We have served the people of Polk County for the past century. We look forward to welcoming these new customers to the Citizens Bank & Trust family, and developing new business and personal relationships within both communities,” he said.

Hillsboro Bank customers were previously notified of the pending acquisition of the Dade City and Valrico office locations. Both offices were expected to open for business as Citizens Bank & Trust on Nov. 1.

Palm Medical adds office

November 3, 2021 By B.C. Manion

Palm Medical Centers (PMC) is opening its second office in Pasco County, with a new office opening in Zephyrhills in November, according to a news release. The new center is PMC’s 19th clinic location in Florida, including 12 clinics serving the booming Central Florida region. It is PMC’s fifth clinic addition during 2021, the release says. The office is at 6836 Medical View Lane and will be under the medical direction of Marina Kulick, M.D., an established family practitioner. Office hours will be 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Hooters donates wings

November 3, 2021 By B.C. Manion

Representatives from several Hooters Management Corporation restaurants delivered wings to first responders in the Tampa Bay area in honor of First Responders Day on Oct. 28. Hooters Girls visited fire stations in numerous locations, including Pasco County and the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office, to demonstrate their gratitude for the work that first responders do to keep the community safe, according to a news release.

Driver shortage causes disruptions

October 26, 2021 By B.C. Manion

A change is being proposed that will shift starting and ending times for school days — to address a bus driver shortage in Pasco County Schools.

The proposal, if approved, would take effect on Jan. 4.

All schools would have some adjustment to their start and end times, with most shifts being 30 minutes or less, according to school district officials.

District staff addressed the issues and presented a proposed solution during a workshop with the Pasco County School Board on Oct. 19.

Superintendent Kurt Browning also outlined the issues in two videos on YouTube. One video is addressed to families and the other to district staff.

Pasco County Schools’ buses cover hundreds of routes each day and the district simply doesn’t have enough drivers. To solve the problem of getting students to school on time, the district is proposing a massive scheduling shift. (File)

In essence, Browning noted that the district struggles every year to hire and retain all of the bus drivers that it needs, but this year, the shortage is worse than ever.

He noted that the district has tried different strategies to solve that, he said, including financial incentives, job fairs, waiving background check fees and using an all-hands-on-deck approach.

Those efforts have helped, but have not solved the problem, the superintendent said.

“The result of this acute shortage is that many of our students are late arriving at school in the morning, which results in loss of instructional time, and they are late arriving at home in the afternoon and early evening, which puts a strain on families.

“Our bus drivers and our transportation department are doing a remarkable job under very difficult circumstances.

“Still, chronically late buses remain the norm.

“This is unacceptable.

“We have now devised a strategy that we believe will solve the problem,” he continued.

“In short, by having some schools start earlier and some start later, we can widen the window of opportunity for us to transport students on time,” he explained.

“This proposed solution was not our first choice. It will have a district-wide impact on families, including those who do not rely on school buses for transportation,” he acknowledged.

“For some, the impact will be a minor tweak to some morning and afternoon routines. For others, the impact will be significant and will require some planning,” he said.

However, the superintendent said: “We cannot continue to have a large group of students who are chronically late, arriving at school, through no fault of their own.

“This challenge is not unique to Pasco, but it is up to us to solve it.

“We have a responsibility as a school community to do everything we can to provide all students with an opportunity to learn.

“And that includes having a consistent and predictable start and end to their school day.”

During the school’s evening Oct. 19 meeting, Don Peace, the president of United School Employees of Pasco (USEP), said, “it is clear that making the proposed changes will be a monumental undertaking with numerous issues that must be worked out, not only for transportation employees, but worksite employees, students, parents and community partners, as well.

“I think we can safely say that every issue or concern will not be able to be worked out to everyone’s benefit, therefore communication and collaboration between district staff and USEP are key to reducing those problematic concerns to a minimum.

“We, as a district, have never attempted an undertaking this large in mid-year. Clearly, thinking outside the box to create solutions for all should be employed.

“It is in everyone’s best interest to minimize as much transitional stress as possible, and new and untried methods of operations may be necessary,” Peace said.

Even before the school year began, district staff had been raising the warning flag about the bus driver shortage.

The inability to attract drivers is not unique to Pasco, as school districts across the nation are facing the same problem.

The impacts from the lack of drivers are numerous: including the loss of instructional time; unpredictability for students, families, schools and employees; and the stress and turnover in the transportation department, exacerbating the problem — according to a presentation created by district staff for the school board.

The vast majority of schools would begin their day at 7:10 a.m., 8:10 a.m., 9:10 a.m., or 10:10 a.m., under the proposed bell times.

The school board is expected to consider and vote on the issue at its 9:30 a.m. meeting on Nov. 2.

The board meets in the board room, in Building 3, at the school district’s headquarters at 7227 Land O’ Lakes Blvd., in Land O’ Lakes.

PROPOSED BELL TIMES

ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS
School                         Start                End
Bexley                         10:10 a.m.       4:20 p.m.
Centennial                   9:10 a.m.         3:20 p.m.
Chester Taylor            10:10 a.m.       4:20 p.m.
Connerton                   10:10 a.m.       4:20 p.m.
Denham Oaks             10:10 a.m.       4:20 p.m.
Double Branch            9:10 a.m.         3:20 p.m.
Lacoochee                   8:10 a.m.         2:20 p.m.
Lake Myrtle                 9:10 a.m.         3:20 p.m.
New River                   10:10 a.m.       4:20 p.m.
Oakstead                     10:10 a.m.       4:20 p.m.
Odessa                        10:10 a.m.       4:20 p.m.
Pasco                           8:10 a.m.         2:20 p.m.
Pine View                    10:10 a.m.       4:20 p.m.
Qual Hollow                10:10 a.m.       4:20 p.m.
Rodney B. Cox             8:10 a.m.         2:20 p.m.
San Antonio                9:10 a.m.         3:20 p.m.
Sand Pine                    9:10 a.m.         3:20 p.m.
Sanders                       9:10 a.m.         3:20 p.m.
Seven Oaks                 9:10 a.m.         3:20 p.m.
Starkey Ranch K-8       9:10 a.m.         3:30 p.m.
Veterans                     9:10 a.m.         3:20 p.m.
Watergrass                 9:10 a.m.         3:20 p.m.
Wesley Chapel            9:10 a.m.         3:20 p.m.
West Zephyrhills         10:10 a.m.       4:20 p.m.
Wiregrass                    9:10 a.m.         3:20 p.m.
Woodland                   10:10 a.m.       4:20 p.m.

MIDDLE SCHOOLS
School                         Start                End
Centennial                   8:10 a.m.         2:30 p.m.
Rushe                          7:15 a.m.         1:42 p.m.
Cypress Creek             8:10 a.m.         2:30 p.m.
John Long                    9 a.m.              3:20 p.m.
Pasco                           7:10 a.m.         1:30 p.m.
Pine View                    9 a.m.              3:20 p.m.
Stewart                       9 a.m.              3:25 p.m.
Starkey Ranch K-8       9:10 a.m.         3:30 p.m.
Weightman                 8:10 a.m.         2:30 p.m.

HIGH SCHOOLS
School                         Start                End
Cypress Creek             7:10 a.m.         1:37 p.m.
East Pasco Education Academy    7:10 a.m.         1:35 p.m.
East Pasco Education Academy    8:10 a.m.         2:35 p.m.
Land O’ Lakes              7:10 a.m.         1:35 p.m.
Pasco                           7:15 a.m.         1:45 p.m.
Sunlake                       7:10 a.m.         1:44 p.m.
Wesley Chapel            7:10 a.m.         1:34 p.m.
Wendell Krinn             8:10 a.m.         3:05 p.m.
Wiregrass Ranch         8:10 a.m.         2:36 p.m.
Zephyrhills                  7:10 a.m.         1:36 p.m.

Note: These schools are located in or near The Laker/Lutz News coverage area. For a complete list of schools and proposed bell times, visit the Pasco County Schools’ website at Pasco.k12.fl.us.

Published October 27, 2021

Efforts continue to bolster safety in Pasco’s school district

October 26, 2021 By B.C. Manion

Efforts to improve the safety and security of Pasco County Schools is an ongoing effort, as the school district works to reduce potential threats throughout the system.

The Pasco School Board recently approved a safety plan that must be submitted to state offices by Nov. 1, outlining steps the district is pursuing to make its campuses safer.

The board approved the plan on Oct. 19, following a closed-door session on school safety. The session was private because of a need for confidentiality relating to security issues.

Entry buzzers have been installed at schools across Pasco County. Visitors push the doorbell and are buzzed in, individually. (Courtesy of Pasco County Schools)

Michael Baumaister, the district’s chief of safety and emergency operations, gave a brief overview of the security plan during the board’s meeting.

District has a strong relationship with the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office, as well as the municipal police agencies, Baumaister said. “We work very closely together.”

The district is always looking to improve its safety, but, he added: “I think we’re on the right track.”

“Ever since Marjory Stoneman Douglas, a lot of changes have been made to the school system,” he said, referring to the 2018 Valentine’s Day shooting spree that left 17 dead and 17 injured at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, a community in South Florida.

The public outcry, including persistent student protests, prompted state legislators to mandate safety upgrades on school campuses across Florida. The annual safety plan that must be submitted to the state is one of the requirements of the state legislation.

During the recent board meeting, Baumaister said: “As we move forward, we’re going to start looking strategically at some of our older schools that we may have to add additional things to, to enhance our safety posture.

“We use our best practices. Our security assessments that are done by law enforcement. The assessments that are also done by the school principals. We look at all improvements that are out there — new technologies, and we roll that all up with what we want to move forward with in our planning for the future,” he said.

The district also is continuing to work on various projects.

“As large as a district as we are, things take time, and we are moving along pretty well,” he said.

The district uses a work-order system to make minor repairs at schools, Baumaister said.

He explained: “These are the small projects. You can send a technician out; fix a fence. Repair a camera, things like that.”

The district also continues to add security cameras to schools.

“By the end of next year, we should have cameras in every one of our campuses,” he said.

He noted: “They’re not in the classrooms, they’re in the hallways. So, it just gives us a posture so we can keep eyes on what’s going on.

“If there’s ever an emergency, with our agreement with the sheriff’s office, they can then look in to see what’s going on at that moment, to see what may be happening.

“We took all of these lessons from Marjory Stoneman Douglas and what went on there, and try to learn from it and make improvements in our district, so we never experience anything like that here.”

He also noted that the district is using window security film, to harden the exterior of its schools. The goal is to make it hard for intruders to penetrate.

“If somebody is trying to break a window, they probably don’t have good intentions,” he said.

The security film helps keeps students and staff safe, he said. Also, “it gives time for law enforcement, and for the security guardians and for the SROs (School Resource Officers) to take action and get to the area” where there are attempts being made to penetrate the building.

“Our emergency radio communications, we’re always looking to improve them. We study them. We look for better ways to do it,” he said.

He also noted that the district has completed its project to add a doorbell system for all of its schools.

The doorbell gives school staff the ability to find out who is visiting and why, before allowing access.

Baumaister also emphasized the need to have a plan and to make sure that school staff understands it.

“This way, if something is ever to occur, they already have a plan of action in place.

“We do plan on testing our plans.

“We’re going to do small exercises with the schools, to talk about our plans and make sure that that’s fresh in their minds, and that they are always constantly keeping them updated and keeping them current,” he said.

Published October 27, 2021

Redistricting proposals advance for a vote

October 26, 2021 By B.C. Manion

The Pasco County Commission has selected its preferred map for new voting districts for the five seats on its board.

And, the Pasco County School Board is set to make a similar choice at its Nov. 2 meeting.

Both government bodies also are planning public hearings on the issue.

County Administrator Dan Biles said the county’s proposed redistricting map took into account feedback from individual commissioners, geographic features and a need to balance population between districts. (File)

The county commission’s public hearing is being advertised for Dec. 7; the school board’s is expected on Nov. 16.

The school board’s desire to weigh in on the redistricting discussion before the county board made a choice, however, didn’t happen.

The school board had taken up the issue at its Oct. 5 meeting, addressed it again on Oct. 19.

School board member Megan Harding thanked the district’s Deputy Superintendent Ray Gadd for trying to arrange an opportunity for the school board and county board to work together on redistricting.

The school board had hoped to establish the same district boundaries as the county commission. That’s what it did the last time redistricting occurred.

“Unfortunately, we didn’t get to work with the county,” Harding said. “It’s unfortunate that we now have to have two separate maps.”

Redistricting occurs every 10 years, based on the population figures collected in the decennial census.

The figures are used to apportion the number of seats each state has in the U.S. House of Representatives.

The Florida Legislature redraws the districts from which Florida voters elect their members of their U.S. House of Representatives, state senators and state representatives.

The Florida Constitution also requires county commissions to develop a redistricting plan every decennial census to keep commission districts as nearly as equal in population as practical.

Political observers are keenly interested in the process because the way the lines are drawn can influence outcomes of elections.

In the case of Pasco County’s proposed district lines, County Administrator Dan Biles told the county board at its Oct. 12 meeting: “After we sat down with each of you and each of you gave us feedback of what you’d like to see, with respect to your district, we kind of combined all of that and tried to come up with a compromise map.”

His preferred option, was based on input from each commissioner, consideration of geographic boundaries and the goal of balancing population.

Incumbent school board member Alison Crumbley would have been carved out of her district, if the school board had adopted the map that the Pasco County Commission has proposed under its redistricting plan.

“What we tried to do was follow major arterials, collectors, as best we could,” Biles said.

“I know it’s not necessarily perfect, but it’s what we could do best to balance the population across the county, based on the feedback you gave us and make it reasonably easy to describe what your district boundaries are to the members of the public,” he said.

He also noted: “The difference between the largest and the smallest district is less than 2%.”

Commissioner Mike Moore made a motion to approve Biles’ preferred option, which was approved unanimously by the board.

The board is scheduled to have a public hearing and vote on the proposed map at its Dec. 7 meeting, at 1:30 p.m., in New Port Richey.

After the vote, Commission Chairman Ron Oakley invited Gadd, who was in the audience, to address the county board.

Gadd told commissioners: “What I have to say is now irrelevant. In all deference to Mr. Biles, because I know he worked hard in putting this together.”

Gadd told the county board that the school board and county commission met in a workshop on Aug. 16, 2011, regarding the last redistricting effort.

“We adopted the same districts. The school board did that by resolution,” Gadd said.

The board was interested in taking the same approach, but didn’t have the opportunity, Gadd added.

“We thought it was a good idea to have commission districts and school board districts that were the same. In the past, we cooperated on that,” Gadd said.

The county’s proposed map won’t work for the school board because it carves school board member Alison Crumbley out of her district, he said.

“I think it’s unfortunate that the school board and the county didn’t meet to discuss this issue, prior to that decision being made,” he said.

Some county board members said it appeared that a small tweak might be able to resolve the issue, but Gadd said: “None of our school board members have seen these maps. I don’t know what any of them think of these maps.”

School Board Attorney Dennis Alfonso and Superintendent Kurt Browning addressed the issue during the school board’s Oct. 19 meeting.

Alfonso told the board that the county’s proposed map can’t be used by the school board “because it would be contrary to the law.” He explained that a map cannot affect an incumbent’s position.

Proposed maps have been circulated to board members, Browning said.

The issue will be discussed at the board’s Nov. 2 meeting, and the proposed maps will be published as part of that agenda, the superintendent said.

Browning said based on the board’s Nov. 2 action, a resolution and map will be placed on the board’s Nov. 16 meeting, to set the new districts for each of the five school board members.

By the numbers

Proposed commission districts:
District 1: 113,431
District 2: 112,918
District 3: 111,299
District 4: 111,763
District 5: 112,480
Total Pasco County population: 561,891
Average population per district: 112,378

Pasco County, census data
Total population, 2020: 561,891
Total population, 2010: 464,697
Numeric change between 2010 and 2020: 97,194
Percent change: +20.9%

Published October 27, 2021

Gov. DeSantis calls for special session of the legislature

October 26, 2021 By B.C. Manion

Gov. Ron DeSantis has called for a special session of the Florida Legislature to take aim at a federal plan to force businesses of 100 employees or more to require their workers to be vaccinated.

“We have a situation in our country now, where very much, the federal government is trying to use the heavy hand of government to force a lot of these injections,” the governor said, during a news conference in Clearwater on Oct. 21.

“And, you have a lot of folks that actually believe that decision should be theirs, and believe in having basic medical freedom and individual choice, and that your right to earn a living should not be contingent upon COVID shots,” he continued.

“And so, attorney general (Ashley Moody) and I — we are working — we want to contest that contractor mandate in court, as well. We’ve got to make sure we’ve got the right plaintiff, in terms of what we can do. You know a lot of these contractors probably aren’t going to do it themselves because they know there will reprisals, if they do it.

“But that has an impact on thousands and thousands of people in the state of Florida.”

“We’re also, when it comes out, going to contest the mandate they’re going to impose on hospitals through CMS, where they’re basically saying, ‘If you don’t do forced injections, then you lose Medicare/Medicaid funding.

“Well, none of these health care providers would be able to even function, particularly in a state like Florida, where most of their patients are on Medicare.

“So, we think that’s illegal, that’s wrong,” DeSantis said.

“We’re also going to be taking legislative action to add protections for people in the state of Florida. “That’s something that cannot wait until the regular legislative session next year.

“It needs to happen soon. So, we will be calling the legislature back for a special session,” the governor announced, and when he did, those gathered at the news conference cheered.

During this special session, the governor is asking the legislature to provide protections for employees facing termination because of COVID-19 vaccine mandates and to reaffirm that government entities including school districts may not fire any employee based on COVID-19 vaccine status, according to a news release on the governor’s website.

“Violating government entities should be held accountable. Employers’ broad liability protections should also be reevaluated if they harm employees through vaccine mandates,” the posting says.

The governor also is asking the legislature to provide greater protections to parents to manage the health care decisions of their children, including the freedom to opt their children out of mask mandates, the website posting adds.

In response to the governor’s call for a special session, Florida Senate President Wilton Simpson and Speaker of the House Chris Sprowls issued a joint statement.

“Across the country, hard-working employees and business owners trying to make a living are being threatened by the Biden Administration’s reckless one-size-fits-all approach to COVID-19 vaccine mandates. Meanwhile, the rights of parents are being trampled on. Florida will respond to this gross overreach by the federal government,” their statement says.

“In the coming days, we will review the governor’s specific proposals as well as discuss our own ideas for legislative action, including whether now is the time for Florida to withdraw from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and establish our own state program. We believe that by doing so, Florida will have the ability to alleviate onerous federal regulations placed on employers and employees.

“We stand with the dedicated health care workers, law enforcement, first responders, military service members, and all workers across the country who never got a day off and couldn’t work from home during the pandemic. Too many of our esteemed heroes are facing termination thanks to heavy handedness at all levels of government. During the upcoming special session, our goal is to make our laws even more clear that Florida stands as refuge for families and businesses who want to live in freedom,” the joint statement concludes.

Published October 27, 2021

Painted hay bales bring a festive fall feel to Dade City

October 26, 2021 By B.C. Manion

Artists took humble bales of hay and applied their imagination to create some festive fall scenes for pieces of public art that are strategically placed in spots around Dade City.

Fall traditionally is a time for getting together with loved ones. Jasmine and Curtis Wright’s artistic hay bale issues an invitation to gather. It’s on display at Agnes Lamb Park, at 14200 Ninth St. (Courtesy of Dade City Center for the Arts)

The Dade City Hay Bale Painting Project, now in its second year, gives artists a chance to express their creativity and gives visitors to the quaint East Pasco town the opportunity to enjoy the seasonal artworks.

“The Dade City Center for the Arts was pleased to make this our second annual art event, especially since we had such a great community response last year,” said Lucy Avila, of the arts center, via email.

“We are very grateful to our artists who have shared their time and talent to make this art project such a success that is being enjoyed by all,” she added.

The arts center also appreciates the local hay producers who provided giant rolls of hay and delivered them for the project, according to its website.

The hay bales are stationed at locations around Dade City and will be on display through Thanksgiving, the website says. For more information, you can visit DadeCityArts.com.

This smiling scarecrow seems a little too friendly to scare birds away, but he sure knows how to set a tone for a happy fall. Randy Hernandez is the artist on this work, which is on display at Price Park, 37415 Magnolia Ave.

Some of the artists shared the source of their inspiration with Avila, who, in turn, shared them with The Laker/Lutz News.

Kevin Taggerty, whose image of an American flag on a hay bale is positioned at the Hardy Trail and Church Avenue, told Avila: “I love our country, as well as served it for 23 years in the USAF (U.S. Air Force).

“Veterans Day is in November and it’s a tribute to them.

“I also did a small tribute on the back of the hay bale that shows our 13 stars (colonies) as well as represents the 13 fallen soldiers we recently had in Afghanistan.

“I love our flag. If we don’t start showing our nation respect and step up for her, who else will?

“The flag makes me proud and I feel most Americans get goose bumps when we are gathered around singing the National Anthem.

This hay bale, stationed at Agnes Lamb Park, at 14200 Ninth St., in downtown Dade City, features the symbol of plenty. It was painted by Jasmine and Curtis Wright.

“I hope this hay bale acts as a unity symbol and grows us closer together,” Taggerty said.

Artist Karen Menard created paintings of sunflowers and a lady bug.

“I have created sunflowers in many forms and mediums, including paint, clay, and with fabric in quilts,” Menard shared. In this case, she used a hay bale.

The image of the lady bug is a tribute to her mother.

“Growing up, my sisters and I were Girl Scouts, and my mother was our troop leader. Her camp name was “Lady,” and my sisters and I and all of our friends called her that name. She passed away a few years ago, but she is fondly remembered whenever we see lady bugs.”

Randy Hernandez shared that he wanted to create a hay bale with a very “fall” feel.

The front is a friendly scarecrow, welcoming visitors to downtown.

The back is his rendition of “a colorful, dreamy landscape that you would typically see in the hills of Dade City.”

Avila noted that this is the first time that opportunities were offered for sponsorships, and these sponsors stepped up to help out: Dennis Realty, Florida Cracker Lunch on Limoges, Greater Dade City Chamber of Commerce, Karatinos Law PLLC, RX Care Pharmacy, Schaper Roofing, Construction & Pools, and Soriano Insurance.

Published October 27, 2021