Kathy Steele

Business Digest 03/28/2018

March 28, 2018 By Kathy Steele

Chuy’s Tex Mex restaurant will open soon at Cypress Creek Town Center. (Kathy Steele)

Chuy’s is hiring
Chuy’s, the Austin-based Tex Mex restaurant, will hire 175 employees for its first Tampa Bay area location, at the Cypress Creek Town Center in Wesley Chapel.

Chuy’s is hiring for full-time and part-time positions, including hosts, servers, bussers and bartenders. The restaurant also is looking for kitchen staff members to help prepare from-scratch dishes, hand-rolled tortillas and homemade sauces.

Applicants can apply in-person from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., at 27750 Sierra Center Blvd., in Cypress Creek Town Center, located off State Road 56.

For more information, visit Chuys.com.

JC Audiology adds audiologist
Dr. Judith Reese announced the addition of Dr. Jennifer Steed to JC Audiology. The Lutz practice opened in 2005, and has served about 2,200 patients, according to a news release from the clinic.

Steed previously worked with the Central Florida Speech and Hearing Center in Lakeland, as well as with ear, nose and throat practices in central Florida.

She is an honors graduate of the University of South Florida and earned a Doctorate of Audiology at USF in 2003. She is a member of the American Academy of Audiology and the Florida Academy of Audiology.

Steed also has served as mentor for graduate audiology students, and was lead audiologist on pediatric craniofacial/cleft palate team meetings with Children’s Medical Services Polk County.

In addition, she has offered seminars and lectures to the community on hearing health, hearing loss and available treatments.

For information, call the audiology clinic at (813) 949-1331.

Network breakfast
The Wednesday Morning Network Group will meet April 4 at 7:30 a.m., at Hungry Harry’s Family Bar-B-Que, at 3116 Land O’ Lakes Blvd., in Land O’ Lakes.

Each attendee will be able to present a 30-second pitch.

Sponsors are RE/MAX Champions Russell and Patricia Bly.

The cost is $7 for members, if preregistered by March 29; or $10 at the door for members or guests.

For information, call the chamber at (813) 909-2722, or email .

Coffee social
The North Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce will have its Monthly Coffee Social on April 5 from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m., at the Hilton Garden Inn Tampa Suncoast Parkway.

This is a “no agenda” event with time for social networking.

For information, call the chamber at (813) 994-8534.

Cost Plus World grand opening
Cost Plus World Market will have a ribbon cutting April 5 at 8:45 a.m., and the store will open at 9 a.m., at 5831 Wesley Grove Blvd., in The Grove at Wesley Chapel.

A grand opening will last from April 5 through April 8. Events include giveaways, raffle, live entertainment, and sampling of food and wine.

Cost Plus World Market sells furniture, décor from around the world, wine and beer, and gourmet food.

For information, visit WorldMarket.com.

Zephyrhills chamber breakfast
The Greater Zephyrhills Chamber of Commerce will have its monthly business breakfast April 5 from 7 a.m. to 8:30 a.m., at the Golden Corral, 6855 Gall Blvd., in Zephyrhills.

Guest speaker is Pasco County School Board Member Allen Altman. The sponsor is Rosecastle.

The cost is $8 for chamber members and $10 for non-members.

For information, call the chamber at (813) 872-1913, or email .

Pasco EDC Netfest
Pasco Economic Development Council will host its 16th annual Netfest on April 5 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., at Epperson, 7852 Curley Road in Wesley Chapel.

The event will have a “Caribbean Cowboy” theme, with opportunities to mingle and network with business and community leaders near Epperson’s Crystal Lagoon.

The cost is $50 per person. The fee for Pasco EDC investors and guests is $40 per person, and for Pasco County staff members, $30 per person.

Sponsorships also are available.

For information, call Suzanne Renczkowski at Pasco EDC, at (813) 926-0827, ext. 226, or email .

Office condo sold
Hold-Thyssen, a full-service commercial property firm in Winter Park, negotiated the $590,000 sale of a 4,650-square-foot office condo in the Trinity Professional Center in Trinity, according to a news release from the firm.

Carol L. Kinnard, transaction specialist in Hold-Thyssen’s Clearwater office, handled the negotiations.

Todo Gato Holdings LLC purchased the condo. The company was represented by Nancy Phaneuf of Commercial Realty and Development.

The condo, which was built in 2005, has three units at 8820 Belagio Drive, 8824 Belagio Drive and 1842 Health Care Drive, within the now vacant Building No. 2. Previous tenants included a law firm, financial consultants, insurance agencies and medical practitioners.

Hold-Thyssen provides commercial property brokerage, leasing and management services to institutional and private investors nationwide. The 40-year-old firm’s portfolio includes more than 100 commercial properties.

Central Pasco membership meeting
The Central Pasco Chamber of Commerce will have its general membership meeting April 10 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., at the Hilton Garden Inn Tampa Suncoast Parkway, 2155 Northpointe Parkway.

Guest speaker will be Bill Herrie of the nonprofit National Federation of Independent Business.

The sponsor is Emerald Inspection Services.

The cost is $20 for members who register by April 5. Afterward, the cost is $25 for members and guests at the door.

For information, call the chamber at (813) 909-2722, or visit CentralPascoChamber.com.

Author recounts childhood in apartheid South Africa

March 21, 2018 By Kathy Steele

Rachel Odhner Longstaff’s earliest memory of South Africa is an engine fire and an aborted plane flight near the end of a long journey from Pennsylvania to the city of Durban in the KwaZulu Natal province.

Rachel Odhner Longstaff
(Courtesy Susan Foster)

“I remember being carried from the plane by a huge black man under an umbrella,” said Longstaff. “I think he was the first African I had seen.”

She was a 3-year-old.

Her father was a Swedenborgian minister sent to South Africa to establish a theological school for Africans.

The year was 1948, the year the white South African government voted to establish apartheid. The brutal system institutionalized discrimination against blacks, and the strict separation between the races.

For the next 12 years, Longstaff grew up in a divided world — one where she enjoyed a happy childhood amid white privileges, but also witnessed the harsh reality of apartheid.

Rachel Odhner Longstaff, far left, is seen with her family in a United States passport photo from 1956. (Courtesy of Rachel Odhner Longstaff)

As a child, she didn’t always understand what was happening. But, as an adult, Longstaff began exploring her feelings of guilt and shame for not being more aware.

The result is her book, “In the Shadow of the Dragon’s Back,” published in November by Culicidae Press. Its dedication is to the boys and girls of South Africa, and in memory of her older brother, Pehr Odhner.

“What I wanted to do was show the contrast that had always distinguished my life and Africans under apartheid,” Longstaff, a retired librarian, said of the first book she’s written.

“I think I wanted people to know what it was like. It was a unique slice of history,” she said.

She struggled with how to tell her story.

She didn’t feel qualified to write as an expert on history and politics.

So, she chose to share her experiences in South Africa through a series of personal vignettes — not always told in chronological order — and through family photographs.

Rachel Odhner Longstaff moved with her family to South Africa in 1948, where her father established a theological school for African ministers. She is seen here in her school uniform, and a Panama hat, in a 1958 photo.

Each vignette is followed by excerpts and references to news articles, interviews and commentary on laws and events that give context to the apartheid regime.

The book’s title refers to the Drakensberg, or the “Dragon mountains” of South Africa, which Longstaff describes as being wild and beautiful.

One of the mountains is known as the “Dragon’s Back.”

To her, a dragon is something to be afraid of and something that portends evil.

“As I thought about what happened, I grew up in the shadow, and it was apartheid,” she said. “I grew up in a police state. No wonder I was such a nervous creature.”

The government wasn’t alone in enforcing apartheid. Even neighbors could be watching for missteps.

There was a young boy, Victor, who was the grandson of the family’s cook, Miriam Nyandu.

Longstaff and an older brother often played with Victor. But, a neighbor complained to their mother.

“You have to go and play with him behind the fence,” Longstaff said her mother told them. “We thought it was because we made too much noise.”

The Odhner family lived in the ‘big house’ at 185 Sydenham Road in Durban, South Africa, from 1949 to 1960.

She realized later it was because the neighbor was offended that white and black children touched one another.

An older sister, Jeanette, walked to a bus stop for a ride on her first day of school. A sign at the bus stop’s bench said “Europeans Only,” but her sister didn’t think that applied to her, as an American. Another sign, saying “Whites Only” was written in Afrikaans, a language Jeannette didn’t speak.

So, she stood off to the side with the black maids, and servants, who traveled daily in and out of Durban.

Whites, Africans, Coloureds (mixed raced) and Indians lived in designated residential zones.

“They had to live outside the town because black people were separated,” Longstaff said.

Under apartheid, South Africa approved “pass” laws for nonwhites, requiring them to carry identity cards. They could be arrested for not producing them when asked.

“The police were pretty brutal,” Longstaff said.

Longstaff’s mother and father at times violated behavioral norms. Her mother would drive an African minister’s wife to the hospital, and allow the woman to sit next to her in the front seat.

African ministers gathered in 1960 to bid farewell to the Odhner family. Rachel Odhner Longstaff’s father established a theological school for African ministers.

She would be scolded and told that she “was giving them ideas,” Longstaff wrote.

Her father and his African secretary, Billy Khoza, once quietly tried to help someone escape from South Africa.

One day the South African secret police showed up at the house to search through her father’s office, looking for evidence of his support for the banned political party, the African National Congress.

They said Khoza was a “Communist” and an ANC party member. Her father reluctantly had to fire Khoza.

Years later, Longstaff’s mother invited Khoza (then a successful businessman) and his daughter to tea at their Pennsylvania home.

“It was quite nice,” said Longstaff because it would have been forbidden in apartheid South Africa.

Longstaff said her father had to learn to navigate through apartheid’s rigid rules. Otherwise the church and school could be shut down, and the Odhner family deported, she said.

‘In the Shadow of the Dragon’s Back,’ by Rachel Odhner Longstaff, tells the story of the author’s years in apartheid South Africa from 1948 to 1960.

When Longstaff was 16, her family returned to Pennsylvania.

It was difficult to adjust to an American culture that felt foreign to her in many ways, after being away for most of her childhood.

She is what is known as a “third culture” child, trying to straddle two separate cultures.

She went on to earn an undergraduate degree from Northwestern University, and a master’s degree in library and information science from Drexel University.

For 20 years, she was an academic librarian at the Swedenborg Library in Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania.

Later, she and her husband Alan moved to Florida where Longstaff joined the faculty at Saint Leo University. She is now retired.

It was an annual event at Saint Leo, “Focus the Nation,” that in part spurred Longstaff to think about writing a book. She and other faculty members organized the program, which invited students to explore environmental and social justice through art and literature.

But, she also reached out to her siblings to write about the family’s collective memories of their time in South Africa. One brother had about 300 photo negatives.

“At that point, I said I’m going to write the book myself,” Longstaff said.

She started her research with newspapers, including the London Times.

South African newspapers were so heavily censored they weren’t useful, Longstaff said.

“I learned a lot about apartheid that I didn’t know,” she said.

Longstaff hopes her book brings attention to press censorship especially as media reports now often are the targets of “fake news” charges.

That’s an uncomfortable reminder from the past, Longstaff said.

“In South Africa, they were only allowed to print the party line,” she said.

Revised March 21, 2018

Proposed solar farm sparks controversy

March 21, 2018 By Kathy Steele

An open house to preview a proposed solar farm in northeast Pasco County drew an impassioned crowd of residents who mostly panned the project.

Tampa Electric, known as TECO, is seeking a special exception permit to build the solar farm on about 350 acres, off Blanton Road in Dade City.

The first public hearing for the project will be with the Pasco County Planning Commission at a future date.

The solar farm, if built, would produce about 55 megawatts of renewable energy. The project represents a $75 million investment from TECO. It is part of the electric company’s master plan to expand its use of solar power.

Tampa Electric operates a solar farm at Big Bend at Apollo Beach, in Hillsborough County. The same technology will be used at a proposed solar farm in Pasco County, if approved.
(Courtesy of Tampa Electric)

By 2021, TECO anticipates investing $850 million in 10 solar projects that are expected to generate energy for about 100,000 homes.

About 120 residents attended TECO’s open house on March 8 at Pasco-Hernando State College, outside Dade City.

The electric company planned the event as a one-on-one exchange between residents and its employees, who stood next to poster boards ready to explain the project.

Midway through the event, however, resident Dot Ward climbed aboard a chair with a plea.

“I suggest we all leave and tell the county we aren’t happy,” she said.

Most appeared to share her opposition to the project, and disappointment with TECO’s event.

“This is the jewel in the crown of Pasco County,” said Pat Weaver, in describing the aesthetics and scenic views on what could become a solar farm.

“This is agriculturally zoned out here,” said Weaver, who is a former Dade City mayor. “Solar is not agriculture. It’s industrial. This is not something you can grow.”

However, Sharon Hanna-West is concerned about future development proposals, if the solar farm is rejected.

She hasn’t decided if she is for or against the solar farm, and she wants more information. She worked with other residents on the Northeast Rural Protection Overlay District.

The Pasco County Commission adopted the district in 2016 as part of the county’s long-range land use plan.

It was a victory for residents, Hanna-West said.

But, she said, “I want ya’ll to think long and hard about this blanket opposition. So, be careful what you hope.”

The solar farm would be built on two sides of Blanton Road, on the southeast corner of Blanton and Frazee Hill Road; and, on the northwest corner of Blanton and Platt Road. The site also is to the north and west of Pasco-Hernando State College’s East Campus.

About 250 acres are owned by State Sen. Wilton Simpson and his wife, Kathryn Simpson. The couple bought the property from Wells Fargo Bank in 2016 for an estimated $1.5 million.

Additional acreage is owned by James Gross & Ranch Inc., according to county records.

Many expressed concerns about noise and loss of property values.

About 464,000 panels would be installed. TECO officials said the panels swivel and follow the sun’s direction, which allows for better energy collection.

In height, the project is equivalent to a one-story structure, they said. They also said noise level is “imperceptible.”

Alma Coston, who lives near the site, was skeptical.

“They say it doesn’t make any noise. That’s a bunch of hooey,” she said.

She said people enjoy the scenic views and rolling hills.

“We’re on one of the highest ridges in Florida,” said Coston.

The regulations set out for the overlay district govern residential development of three houses or more. It also restricts mining operations or other projects that tear up hillsides or impair vistas. Portions of some roads, including State Road 52, Bellamy Brothers Boulevard, Trilby Road and Blanton are designated as “rural-scenic.”

New development isn’t prohibited but would need to meet certain standards, including buffering.

“This (solar farm) isn’t going to protect our view shed,” said Jill Yelverton, who lives directly across from the site.

She also worries about a bald eagle’s nest, located in the southeast corner of the property near Ramsey Road and Blanton. She said she has seen eaglets.

TECO officials said the nest will be protected. Design plans include a 660-foot radius as a buffer. There are no plans to ever develop that area of the property, they said.

Area residents in the past have opposed two housing developments at the site – Berry Hill Estates and College Hill.

“We don’t mind residential, at least, if it’s on one, five or 10 acres,” Yelverton said. “That would be acceptable.”

That’s the current housing pattern in the area, she said.

For more information about TECO’s proposal, visit TampaElectric.com.

Published March 21, 2018

Pasco is testing a new recycling program

March 21, 2018 By Kathy Steele

Pasco County commissioners are eager to roll out a new countywide recycling program.

But, first they need to wait for the results of a seven-month pilot study to test the use of carts and pickup schedules.

“My vision is to expand this as quickly as possible to the rest of the county,” said Pasco County Commission Chairman Mike Wells Jr. “It’s exciting that we’re doing this.”

Two haulers — Waste-Aid Systems Inc., and Waste Connections (formerly Progressive Waste Solutions) — reached agreement with Pasco to target households in two areas of the county.

The haulers will provide containers, and schedule pickup days.

Pasco County commissioners approved the pilot study on March 14 at their meeting in Dade City. The county’s cost is about $118,000.

Participants will receive letters in April if they are in the pilot study. And, 1,500 carts will be delivered by May 1.

Residents currently provide their own containers for recycling, which are identified with stickers supplied by one of the haulers. (Mary Rathman)

Initially, the county will collect baseline data from the county’s current schedule of twice-a-month pickup for recyclables. Residents provide their own containers, which are identified with stickers supplied by one of six haulers operating in Pasco.

The study then would determine if recycling would increase if residents receive twice-a-week garbage and once-a-week recycling collection. The pilot program will end in October, and county commissioners will receive a report in November.

The study will collect data on the tonnage, and the rate of participation from residents.

Pilot study participants also will receive educational materials, and observations will be made by the haulers to see if contaminants, or non-recyclable materials, are placed in the carts.

Haulers also will handle repairs and replacement of carts.

“Haulers will find out what numbers they’ll be dealing with,” said Flip Mellinger, the county’s assistant county administrator for public infrastructure. “It’s a learning opportunity for us.”

County commissioners had discussions on increasing the frequency of recycling services at four workshops held between May 2015 and April 2017.

A citizen survey conducted in 2017 got 7,500 responses, with 84 percent in support of once-a-week recycling service. And, 58 percent said they would like a recycling cart to be provided.

County officials at the time said about 27 percent of residents recycled.

Pasco County Commissioner Kathryn Starkey said residents moving to Pasco County often come from cities and counties that already recycle.

“They are shocked when they see our lack of recycling here,” she said.

County officials anticipate presenting an update on the study after three months. County commissioners will be looking for opportunities to expand recycling quickly.

“There’s no doubt it’s going to be successful,” said Wells, “I’m not trying to be funny, but it can’t be any worse.”

Published March 21, 2018

Statewide trek aims to support child safety

March 21, 2018 By Kathy Steele

Lauren Book is on a journey to show children how to be safe and feel safe.

She is a survivor of child abuse by a live-in nanny. In 2001, at age 16, she made the decision to disclose what happened to her.

As a state senator, and founder of the nonprofit Lauren’s Kids, Book is an advocate for child safety and child abuse prevention.

State Sen. Lauren Book gave high-fives to students at San Antonio Elementary School when they joined her for the ‘Walk in My Shoes’ tour. (Courtesy of Lauren’s Kids)

Now in its eighth year, Book’s “Walk in My Shoes” tour takes her 1,500 miles from Key West to Tallahassee, with zigzags along the way to meet as many students as possible.

On March 13, she stopped at San Antonio Elementary School, outside Dade City, to teach a lesson about “Safer, Smarter Schools.”

Her traveling companion is a floppy-eared blue dog, named Buddy. He is a celebrity among kindergarteners and elementary school students who recognize him from a Safer, Smarter video.

Pasco County Schools adopted Book’s Safer, Smarter Schools’ curriculum several years ago. It is available free of charge to all Florida schools.

Buddy’s appearance – his first at San Antonio – got whoops, high-fives and hugs. He led the students on a walk around their campus as part of Book’s Florida trek in support of child safety.

Book greeted the students with the high energy of a kindergarten teacher, which is what she once was before founding her nonprofit in 2007.

She since has written a memoir, “It’s OK to Tell.” And, she recently published a children’s book, “Lauren’s Kingdom,” about a young girl who is abused by a babysitter, and turns to a friend for help.

Buddy, a floppy eared, blue dog, is a mascot for State Sen. Lauren Book’s campaign for child safety. Book also wrote a children’s book, Lauren’s Kingdom. (Kathy Steele)

“We’re so excited to be here,” said Book, who spent about 20 minutes each with three groups of kindergartners and first-graders.

She drew a stick figure of what they think a stranger looks like. Each time was the same.

He was a man with messy hair and clothes, and mean, angry eyes. He had a gun or knife, or even a crowbar.

But, when she asked them if she was a stranger, they told her no.

And, that was the first lesson on safety.

“Guess what? I’m a stranger,” Book said. “Strangers are just people we don’t know well.”

The rest of the lesson moved on to the “buddies” in a student’s safety triangle. They can be grownups at school or home, and they must be able to drive a car.

Safety was taught with broad strokes, covering a variety of issues.

There was never a mention of child abuse.

Instead, Book asked the children how they would feel if a friend knocked them down. The response would be to tell a buddy.

And, it was another lesson learned.

“If something makes you feel uncomfortable, you’re going to go to someone in your trusted circle,” Book tells them. “You get to decide if a touch is safe or unsafe.”

Lorynn Gutierrez, the school’s guidance counselor, said San Antonio adopted the program about four years ago.

“It’s a safety curriculum, but it also empowers kids to listen to their inner voice,” Gutierrez said.

On average, about four students a year at San Antonio discloses situations of child abuse, she said.

The curriculum is meant to establish a relationship with the children, school staff and parents, said Book. “It’s done in a fun and safe way,” she said.

And, she added, “It’s not a one-and-done road show. So, when they do feel unsafe, kids know who they’ll disclose to and can trust.”

At the end of each session, Book awarded each class with a small, plush toy Buddy. Each student will be able to take Buddy home, but they must write a safety story in a journal that they also take home.

“It’s very important that kids use their voices and advocate for themselves,” Book said.

For information, visit LaurensKids.org.

Developers get $6 million county loan to build offices

March 21, 2018 By Kathy Steele

A project to build two upscale, premier office buildings will get a $6 million loan from Pasco County.

The Pasco County Commission approved the loan agreement with Atlanta-based Land Investment Partners at its March 14 meeting in Dade City.

No tenants are pre-signed for the office space.

However, if certain performance goals in leasing the buildings are met, the entire loan could be forgiven. It is initially an interest-only loan, with a 10-year term.

Land Investment Partners plans to build two premier office buildings at Suncoast Parkway and State Road 54. Each of the three-story buildings will be 75,000 square feet. (Courtesy of Pasco County)

Each three-story building, described as Class A, will provide 75,000 square feet, for a total of 150,000 square feet of premium office space at the southeast corner of Suncoast Parkway and State Road 54.

The site is part of the Suncoast Crossings development property, and is north of Mettler Toledo.

The manufacturing company is building a 250,000-square-foot building in Northpointe Village.

Pasco County Commissioner Kathryn Starkey said she thinks that intersection offers an excellent example of development.

“I wish all the corners of all our interstates developed this way,” she said.

County officials estimate the project will produce 400 new jobs, and add about $43 million annually to the county’s gross product. Jobs from the project are expected to generate nearly $28 million in total salaries from direct and indirect employment.

“It’s nice and window-y and very pretty,” said Melanie Kendrick, the county’s program administrator for the Office of Economic Growth.

Under agreement terms, the county will wipe out $3 million of the loan if leases are obtained for 75 percent of the first building. The same terms, and elimination of the last $3 million, will apply to the second building.

Land Investment Partners will receive no reduction in principal if the goals aren’t met.

For the project to be profitable, developers estimated rents should be in the range of $32 a square foot to $33 a square foot. But, in the current market for that area, the rents realistically would only be $27 a square foot to $28 a square foot, according to attorney Clarke Hobby, who represents the investors.

“We’re bridging the gap to make it economically feasible,” Hobby said, of the loan.

Pasco’s Office of Economic Growth is pursuing a strategy of building a more diverse economic base that includes industrial and office projects that are more often seen in urbanized areas.

If this project is successful, Hobby said Pasco could “get more urbanized projects to come to Pasco.”

Published March 21, 2018

Pasco commissioners approve business park

March 21, 2018 By Kathy Steele

The Pasco County Commission liked the business park, but couldn’t stand its proposed name.

“Vibrant Sun (Business Park) would sound like I’m going to a casino,” Pasco County Commissioner Mike Moore said.

So, instead of being called the Vibrant Sun Business Park, the new development site will be known as Overpass Business Park.

The business park, which will be located on 91 acres at Overpass and Old Pasco roads, has been approved for 2.2 million square feet of office and industrial space.

The county’s Office of Economic Growth submitted the project as part of its efforts to provide “site-ready” parcels for industrial and business park developments. Such sites are offered on speculation.

By taking care of land use and zoning matters, county officials believe these types of parcels are developed sooner.

The site is in an area of northeastern Pasco that is quickly developing with new residential and commercial projects, including the Epperson and Mirada master-planned communities.

Advanced manufacturing or a research facility would be an asset to the area, Pasco County Commissioner Jack Mariano said.

“It puts us in a tremendous position to create jobs,” Mariano added.

Some area residents, however, are worried about growth, traffic, loss of property values, and encroachment of industrial into rural neighborhoods.

Jean Ann Jakes spoke against the project during the hearing before the Pasco County commissioners on March 14 in Dade City. She also objected to the project previously at the Development Review Committee meeting in January. A handful of other residents also raised concerns.

However, the review committee recommended approval of the project.

The business park won’t fit in be with the surrounding area, Jakes said.

“Everybody else is agricultural and residential,” she said. “It’s not compatible at all. It’s going to cause more traffic. There is nothing light industry around us.”

Traffic will only get worse, Jakes added, noting that school buses pick up and deliver students to area schools.

“I’m sure Old Pasco Road is going to be widened,” said Pasco County Commissioner Ron Oakley. “It should be widened. It needs to be four-laned already.”

The Florida Department of Transportation is widening State Road 52, east and west of Interstate 75. The state agency also plans to build a new interchange at Overpass Road and I-75.

Old Pasco Road intersects State Road 52, west of I-75. That stretch of state highway is being widened from two lanes to six lanes, from west of Old Pasco to east of Corporate Boulevard.

There are no immediate plans to widen Old Pasco Road, but county officials said right-of-way for the widening would come from the business park, not from area residents’ home sites.

Published March 21, 2018

Business Digest 03/21/2018

March 21, 2018 By Kathy Steele

CORRECTION: A free forum, “We Can Do It” Women Making Strides, will be held on March 21 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., at the Pasco-Hernando State College Porter Campus, 2727 Mansfield Blvd., in Wesley Chapel. An incorrect date was published in Business Digest on March 14 in The Laker/Lutz News.

Women’s forum
A forum on women’s issues, “We Can Do It: Women Making Strides,” is scheduled for March 21 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., at the Pasco-Hernando State College Porter Campus, 2727 Mansfield Blvd., in Wesley Chapel.

The free event is sponsored by PHSC and WOW (Women of Wesley Chapel) of the North Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce. The host is San Antonio Citizens Federal Credit Union.

Panelists are Hope Allen, president and chief executive officer of the North Tampa Bay chamber; Denyse Bales-Chubb, president and chief executive officer of Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel; Melissa Harts, vice president of technology and distance education at PHSC; Paula O’ Neill, Pasco County clerk & comptroller; and Natalie Verdina, multimedia journalist for Fox 13 News.

Ghada Jadallah, of Dash of Salt & Pepper, will host a live cooking demonstration.

Registration isn’t required.

For information, visit NorthTampaBayChamber.com.

Florida Hospital hires communications manager
Florida Hospital West Florida Division hired Ashley Jeffery as communications manager.

Jeffery will work on internal and external media projects, serve as direct contact for media, manage crisis communication, and serve in public relations role for the West Florida Division.

Jeffery previously served as community relations and marketing manager for Hillsborough Community College.

She is an award-winning communicator with a decade of experience in communications, including seven years as a broadcast journalist in Augusta, Georgia, and at Bay News 9 in Tampa.

Jeffery has a bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism from the University of South Carolina. She is a member of the National and Tampa Bay Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America, and the National Council for Marketing & Public Relations.

She is a diehard Pittsburgh Steelers fan, and loves to travel. Most recently she traveled to Cuba.

Hobby Lobby coming
Hobby Lobby plans to open a store at the Cypress Creek Town Center in the summer of 2019, according to an email from Bob Miller, communications coordinator for Hobby Lobby’s advertising division.

The arts and crafts store expects to hire between 35 and 50 new employees.

Cypress Creek Town Center is located off State Road 56, next to the Interstate 75 interchange and across from Tampa Premium Outlets.

Hobby Lobby currently has more than 45 store locations in Florida.

UPS accident-free drivers
United Parcel Service, widely known as UPS, honored 25 company drivers in Florida for 25 or more years of accident-free driving, including employees from Pasco County, according to a UPS new release.

Jeffrey Coakley, of Land O’ Lakes; Ruben Alfaro, of Lutz; Louis Lasseter of New Port Richey; and Stephen Matis, of Hudson were among more than 1,500 UPS drivers worldwide to be inducted into the Circle of Honor.

Florida has more than 630 Circle of Honor drivers with a combined total of more than 15,000 years of accident-free driving. UPS employs about 5,300 drivers in Florida.

Globally, about 10,500 UPS drivers belong to the Circle of Honor organization.

According to the release, UPS employs about 127,000 small package drivers who are among the safest on the roads. They log more than three billion miles a year and deliver nearly five billion packages annually.

UPS was founded in 1907, and issued its first driver handbook in 1917. The company began recognizing safe drivers in 1923. The safe-driving honor program began in 1928.

Scott Love Insurance opens
Scott Love recently opened Scott Love Insurance at 24626 State Road 54. The independently owned insurance agency is part of Moody Davirro & Associates, and Agents Net.

Love has 14 years of experience in home, auto and flood insurance in the Tampa Bay are, and represents more than 20 homeowner companies, 11 auto companies, and three flood companies.

Love also has partners who specialize in life, health and commercial insurance.

For information, contact the agency at (813) 580-5040, or visit ScottLoveInsurance.com.

Economic development briefing
The North Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce will have its monthly economic briefing lunch March 22 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., at Hunter’s Green Country Club, 18101 Longwater Run Drive in Tampa.

Guest speaker will be Jason Aughey, senior director of the Tampa Bay Sports Commission.

The cost is $15 for members and $20 for non-members.

For information, call the chamber at (813) 994-8534, or email .

East Pasco networking
The East Pasco Networking Group will meet March 27 at 7:30 a.m., at IHOP, 13100 U.S. 301 in Dade City.

The guest speaker will be Bill Cronin, president and chief executive officer of the Pasco Economic Development Council.

For information, contact Nils Lenz at (813) 782-9491 or , or Vicky Jones at (813) 431-1149 or .

Active shooter training
The North Tampa Chamber of Commerce will host an active shooter incident training session March 27 from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., at the Carrollwood Cultural Center, 4537 Lowell Road in Tampa.

Sean Mahabir, with the special operations division of the Tampa Police Department, will conduct the training. Officer Mahabir is an emergency planner in the Special Incidents Management Unit.

He will provide information on how to survive an active shooter incident, how to reduce the risk that the shooter will use his weapon, and how to minimize the chances of anyone getting hurt.

To register, visit NorthTampaChamber.com.

Hotel, retail, restaurants — arriving soon

March 14, 2018 By Kathy Steele

More retail, and a Hyatt hotel, are coming to Cypress Creek Town Center, even as other new shops and restaurants are opening for business.

Along Sierra Center Boulevard, Mellow Mushroom, Great Clips, Mattress One, Men’s Wearhouse and Aspen Dental are open for business. Noire Nail Bar will soon open its doors, too.

Great Clips, Men’s Wearhouse, Noire Nail Bar, T-Mobile and Mellow Mushroom are storefronts in a small retail center at Cypress Creek Town Center. (Kathy Steele)

To the east, Chuy’s Tex Mex is headed to a spring opening, according to a news release from the national chain.

Next door, Bahama Breeze Island Grille is under construction.

A 132-room Hyatt Place hotel and convention center will open in July at the Cypress Creek Town Center, said Dilip Kanji, president and chief executive officer of Impact Properties Inc.

There is a lot of demand for hotels in the Wesley Chapel area, but Kanji said, “There’s not a lot of choices.”

The growth in the area is what attracted Impact Properties to build there.

“Pasco County is the fastest-growing county in the southeastern United States,” he said. “We typically prefer to get in when there are (more) spaces for growth.”

Kanji said the selection for prime locations narrows as more development happens.

At Cypress Creek Town Center, the hotel is situated at the Interstate 75 and State Road 56 interchange with immediate access also to Florida Hospital Center Ice and Tampa Premium Outlets.

Hyatt Place Hotel will open in July at the Cypress Creek Town Center.

Sierra Properties’ plans to build a 330,000-square-foot shopping center within the town center also was a draw, Kanji added.

Cypress Creek Town Center is approved for up to 2 million square feet of retail, hotel, apartments and offices, according to county records.

In the past year, new restaurants have opened at the town center along Sierra Center Boulevard, which leads to the Hyatt property. There is Ford’s Garage, Wendy’s, Taco Bell, and Pollo Tropical.

Other shops anticipated including Pet Smart and Burlington Coat Factory.

Kanji provided a list of other anticipated retail in the 330,000-square-foot project when he spoke at a luncheon, sponsored by The Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce (renamed the North Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce).

Kanji said he had permission to release the store’s names, which include Chipotle Mexican Grill, HomeGoods, Earth Fare, Hobby Lobby, Walk-on Bistreaux & Bar, and Blaze Pizza.

Kanji said he expected permitting as soon as April.

Spokespersons for the stores either didn’t respond to emails from The Laker/Lutz News, or wouldn’t confirm their plans.

Chipotle Mexican Grill is a Denver-based fast-casual restaurant founded in 1993. Menu items include burritos, bowls, tacos and salads, made to order. There are more than 2,200 Chipotle’s nationwide.
Earth Fare is a North Carolina-based specialty grocery store offering organic and natural foods. It has about 45 locations. Most are in the southeast and Midwest.
HomeGoods is a discount home furnishing store, based in Massachusetts. It is part of the family of TJX Companies Inc., which includes TJ Maxx.
Hobby Lobby is a family owned arts and crafts store that also sells picture frames, jewelry-making items, fabrics, and floral and wedding supplies. Founded in 1972 in Oklahoma City, there now are more than 800 stores in 47 states.
Walk-on Bistreaux & Bar is a New Orleans-based sports bar founded by Brandon Landry and Jack Warner. The business partners met in 1997 when they were walk-ons to the Louisiana State University’s basketball team. They opened their first location near LSU’s Tiger Stadium. Today, the company is co-owned by New Orleans Saints’ quarterback Drew Brees.
Blaze Pizza is a California-based fast-casual restaurant founded by Elise and Rick Wetzel of Wetzels Pretzels. Similar to Chipotle, customers select the ingredients for their made-to-order, fresh-from-scratch pizzas.

Published March 14, 2018

Price nearly doubles for ‘diverging diamond ‘

March 14, 2018 By Kathy Steele

Construction of the diverging diamond interchange at Interstate 75 and State Road 56 now has an estimated cost of $40 million.

That’s $16 million more than the original estimated cost of $24 million.

Despite the higher cost, construction is still expected to begin this summer.

The diverging diamond interchange relies on multiple lanes with a crisscross pattern, and fewer traffic signals. (File)

The retrofitted interchange is expected to take two years to three years to complete, said Bill Jones, who is the director of transportation development for District 7 of the Florida Department of Transportation.

The Pasco County Metropolitan Planning Organization approved the increased cost at its Feb. 22 meeting in New Port Richey.

The good news for Pasco County is the additional $16 million is not expected to affect any other road projects within the county.

The state transportation department plans to take the money from a reserve fund, said Craig Casper, the county’s MPO director.

At one time, the project had a 2024 start date, but the state transportation department moved it ahead nearly six years.

“We’re excited about the project getting started,” said Pasco County Commissioner Mike Moore.

The interchange is expected to ease the rush-hour gridlock as vehicles maneuver on and off I-75, at one of the busiest junctures along State Road 56.

Tampa Premium Outlets, the Cypress Creek Town Center, Florida Hospital Center Ice, and the future residential community of Brightwork Crossings are boosting retail and residential development in the area.

The diverging diamond interchange provides multiple lanes of traffic operating in a crisscross pattern, with limited traffic signals.

Casper said the projected construction costs increased when it was discovered that additional ground stabilization would be required.

The design will include retaining walls, traffic railings, a shoulder barrier wall, and a permanent sheet-pile wall, according to the state transportation department’s request for the cost upgrade.

The bridge that crosses I-75 will be redesigned with additional lanes on the ramps. Road signs and lane markers will help guide motorists through the diverging diamond interchange, with speed limits dropping to 35 mph on the approach to the interchange.

Published March 14, 2018