Kathy Steele

Business Digest 07/12/2017

July 12, 2017 By Kathy Steele

New hire for REALTORS association
Rebecca Lopez is the new association executive of the Central Pasco Association of REALTORS (CPAR). Lopez previously was director of education for the Greater Tampa REALTORS for more than 10 years. She also has served as assistant commissioner for Chicago’s Department of Housing.

She has received several awards, including the HEART Award from the Housing and Education Alliance, and the Humanitarian Award from the Tampa Chapter of the National Association of Real Estate Brokers.

Lopez has a master’s degree in business administration from North Park University at Chicago, and a bachelor’s degree in business marketing and fine arts from Northeastern Illinois University. In addition, she has the REALTORS Certified Executive designation from the National Association of REALTORS. The RCE certification is designed for REALTORS association executives.

Cajun cuisine comes to Dade City
Owners Larry and Tammy Fly planned a grand opening of Orleans at City Market on July 7 at 5 p.m., at 14148 Eighth St., in Dade City, according to their Facebook page.

The Baton Rouge natives are opening their Cajun-style restaurant in the downtown square, in a spot formerly occupied by Rebecca’s at City Market.

For information, visit Facebook.com/orleansatcitymarket/.

Noble Crust at Wiregrass
Noble Crust will open in mid-July (expected sometime after July 17) at The Shops at Wiregrass in Wesley Chapel.

The menu is a fusion of Italian and Southern soul. The 166-seat restaurant, with 56 outdoor patio seats, has social tables, an open kitchen, and a bar with craft beers and drinks. Quality wines also are on tap.

This is the second location for Noble Crust. A third restaurant is planned this fall in Carrollwood.

The Noble Crust restaurant in St. Petersburg earned a Golden Spoon award in 2015 from the magazine, Florida Trend.

Rob Reinsmith will serve as executive chef in Wesley Chapel and at the St. Petersburg location. Colin Reinsmith will be the chef de cuisine, and Will Perez is Wesley Chapel’s managing partner.

A media preview party will benefit Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel.

For information, visit NobleCrust.com.

Hispanic leaders lunch
The Hispanic Business Leaders of the Central Pasco Chamber of Commerce will host a Hispanic Business Leaders Luncheon, open to all chamber members and guests, July 18 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., at the Land O’ Lakes Community Center, 5401 Land O’ Lakes Blvd.

Guest speaker will be Carolina Howard of Innova4change. Her topic will be “The Missing Link: Frontline Managers Training.”

The cost is $20 for chamber members at the door, or $15 if preregistered by July 13. For non-members, the cost is $20, and they can preregister or pay at the door.

For information, email Ignacio Ruiz at .

Start your business
Pasco Hernando SCORE will have a workshop on “How to Really Start Your Business” July 19 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., at the Hugh Embry Library, at 14215 Fourth St., in Dade City.

The workshop will cover topics such as testing your business idea, structuring your business, understanding cash flow, finding the money, how and when to get workers’ compensation insurance, the need for liability insurance, and how to follow state and federal laws.

The workshop is free, but an RSVP is needed.

For information, call (727) 842-4638, email , or visit PascoHernando.score.org.

Uncle Maddio’s happy hour
The North Tampa Chamber of Commerce will host Uncle Maddio’s July 2017 Happy Hour on July 19 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., at Uncle Maddio’s, at 3949 Van Dyke Road, in Lutz.

The restaurant will offer $1 off on any pizza, and a buy-one, get-one free deal for house wine and draft beers.

The event is free, but RSVP for a headcount by July 18.

For information, call the chamber at (813) 563-0180, or email .

Lunch N Learn
A Lunch N Learn Business Forum is scheduled for July 20 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., at The Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce Don Porter Boardroom, at 6013 Wesley Chapel Blvd., Suite 105.

The forum provides useful information for business owners interested in discovering resources for learning how the Pasco County Library System works — both with and for businesses.

The cost is $15 including lunch. Registration is required. Please RSVP by July 19, as seating is limited.

For information, visit WesleyChapelChamber.com, or call (813) 994-8534.

Microloan program
The Pasco Economic Development Council can help small business owners through its SMARTstart Microloan Fund.

These loans are targeted at small business owners who may not qualify for traditional financing, but who have a sound plan to grow their business. Microloans can be used for working capital, inventory, supplies, furniture, fixtures, machinery and other equipment.

Funds can’t be used to buy real estate or to refinance an existing debt.

The microloan fund seeks to increase job opportunities and build the economy. In particular, it can aid business owners who have difficulty accessing credit, such as women, minorities, veterans and disabled individuals.

For information, call the Pasco EDC at (813) 926-0827, or visit SmartstartPasco.com.

CORRECTION: Small business mixer
The Central Pasco Chamber of Commerce will host a Salute to Small Business Mixer Aug. 23 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., at Copperstone Executive Suites, 3632 Land O’ Lakes Blvd., Land O’ Lakes, in the meeting room.

The free mixer is sponsored by Copperstone Executive Suites and The Laker/Lutz News. Sponsors are available for $50.

For information, call (813) 298-7363, or email .

Pasco economic development briefing
The Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce will host its monthly economic development briefing luncheon July 27 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., at the Pebble Creek Golf & Country Club, at 10550 Regents Park Drive in New Tampa.

Guest speaker will be Shauna Nadeau of CareSync.

The cost is $15 including lunch.

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

Pulte Homes at Epperson
Pulte Homes will have a grand opening on July 15 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. to showcase its Cascade Grand model home at Epperson Ranch, at 7005 Olive Brook Drive, in Wesley Chapel.

Festivities include live music, hors d’oeuvres and light refreshments as well as tours of the Cascade Grand home.

The event is open to the public.

The home has three bedrooms, a den, and three full bathrooms, in a split plan of about 2,700 square feet.

Cascade Grand is one of six designs offered by Pulte Homes at Epperson. Prices for the one- and two-story homes range from about $265,000 to about $320,000.

Epperson is an approximately 1,000 home, gated community, offering a Crystal Lagoon activity pool that will be the first of its kind in the United States. Homeowners also will have UltraFi with high speed access to the Internet throughout the community.

Epperson is part of the Connected City corridor, which seeks to transform Pasco County from a bedroom community into an area where residents “live, work, learn and play,” according to a press release from Larry Vershel Communications, Inc.

For information, call (877) 251-3026 or visit Pulte.com/Epperson.

Activists bring new life to Moore-Mickens

July 5, 2017 By Kathy Steele

The Pasco County School District handed over the keys to the new tenants of the Moore-Mickens Education Center effective July 1.

The lease is for 30 years at $10 a year.

Volunteers and board members of the nonprofit Moore-Mickens Education Center and Vocational Center Inc., are working to reopen the historical school in Dade City. From left, Rev. Jesse McClendon Sr., Saundra Coward, Londa Edwards, Levater Holt, Marilyn Hunter and Margarita Romo. (Kathy Steele)

So, now the school’s future is in the hands of a coalition of community activists who founded the nonprofit Moore-Mickens Education Center and Vocational Center Inc.

Its legacy already is in place.

Moore-Mickens is rooted in Pasco’s history as the first public school for blacks. It began as Moore Academy and later operated under the Moore and Mickens’ names as elementary, middle and high schools, and finally, as the education center.

The school’s name honors the accomplishments of two Pasco educators, Rev. Junias D. Moore and Odell Kingston Mickens.

Though the nonprofit plans to be patient and move ahead one program at a time, there are ambitious plans in store for Moore-Mickens, which sprawls across a campus of 14 buildings at the end of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard in Dade City.

Empowering children is a priority.

The first goal is to open a volunteer prekindergarten school that will give children a foundation for educational success.

“I want to see kids open doors for themselves,” said Marilyn Hunter, president of the nonprofit.

Margarita Romo echoes those thoughts.

A monument sign for Moore-Mickens Education Center sits behind a fence at the entrance to the campus, off Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard in Dade City.

“It can be the lighthouse for people who need to believe in themselves, said Romo, founder of Farmworkers Self-Help.

There are challenges ahead.

The first step is to organize a volunteer cleanup to get buildings ready to open. Plans are to use the administrative building, the building that housed the Cyesis teen parent program, and a building where the Dade City City Commission once held meetings.

In April, vandals broke about 100 windows and several doors in several buildings. The school district boarded up the windows and doors.

Repair costs are left for the nonprofit.

Romo can tick off a laundry list of items the school needs.

A church donated about 100 chairs, but more are needed, she said. Tables, commercial kitchen equipment, books and lawn mowers for the sprawling campus make up a short list.

“It’s a hard task just getting started,” Romo said. “We’ll open a little bit at a time, so we don’t go in debt.”

A local Episcopal church is making a donation to aid the school.

Hunter said the nonprofit plans to apply for a state historical grant, but additional cash donations and in-kind support are needed.

Termites are an issue in at least one building.

“It’s been sitting for three years without any care at all,” she said.

Prior to its closing in 2015, Moore-Mickens offered classes for adults, teen parents and special-needs children.

In April, vandals busted out 100 windows and broke several doors at the Moore-Mickens Education Center in Dade City.

Hunter taught in Pasco schools, including adult education classes at Moore-Mickens. And, she is a high school graduate of the class of 1970, the last one before desegregation.

“I’m proud of that,” she said.

School officials threatened to close Moore-Mickens in 2014, but backed off when area residents rallied to keep it open. They cited costly repairs as the reason for finally closing the campus a year later.

Community activists immediately began lobbying to save the school. Many had ties as former students or teachers at the school.

Rev. Jesse McClendon Sr., took the lead early on. A core group of 15 or so came together, eventually founding the nonprofit.

Few would have given them much chance for success.

But, Moore-Mickens stirs passions among people who revere the school as a community treasure.

“My heart has always been here at this school and this community,” said Saundra Coward, the nonprofit’s vice president and a former student. “I have a hurt for east Pasco because there’s so much taken away from us. This center here is the heart of many of us. The closing of it was a hurting thing.”

The passion caught even McClendon by surprise.

He had expected the outcry from the black community, but everyone who had ties with Moore-Mickens wanted to save it, he said.

McClendon went to Moore Elementary, and later worked as plant manager at Moore-Mickens. His mother, Joanna McClendon, was a teacher.

Levater Holt is an officer with the nonprofit as well as former student and teacher at the school. “This school for me is where I came up,” she said. “We’re reaching out to the whole community.”

In addition to VPK classes, the nonprofit wants to offer General Equivalency Diploma instruction and vocational skills classes. Other social agencies also could become partners, including food banks, and other children’s programs. There could be a charter school, afterschool programs, and a community garden.

Hunter would like to see sports activities, possibly basketball and badminton, and maybe a splash pad.

Romo sees the Moore-Mickens campus as a hub for social agencies in the area. A “one-stop” community center already is planned for the former Stallings Building on 14th Street in Dade City.

In the future, there could be links between that site and Moore-Mickens, which Romo said has space to accommodate several programs.

Londa Edwards, Romo’s granddaughter, has a mentoring program in the Tommytown neighborhood. She would like to also bring it to Moore-Mickens.

Coward, and her sister, Dometa Mitchell, are founders of Hebron Refuge Outreach, which offers youth programs that could fit in at Moore-Mickens as well.

This is a grassroots effort, Romo said.

“It’s kind of exciting, because here is a community that gathered together to try to say ‘yes we can’.” And, now she added, “We’re going to make this happen.”

For information, call Hunter at (352) 807-5691 or email .

Published July 5, 2017

Pasco’s property tax rate is up for vote

July 5, 2017 By Kathy Steele

Pasco County commissioners are scheduled to set a preliminary property tax rate, known as a millage rate, at their July 11 meeting in Dade City.

The meeting starts at 10 a.m., at the Pasco County Historic Courthouse, at 37918 Meridian Ave.

The rate determines how much revenue the county can collect in property taxes for fiscal year 2018.

Teens and pre-teens search through Legos during a Lego Day at the Land O’ Lakes Branch of the Pasco County Library System. Hours would be expanded at county libraries, under the Pasco County Commission’s proposed budget. (File)

That information must be provided to the Pasco County Property Appraiser’s Office in time to print and mail out annual TRIM (Truth-in-Millage) notices in August to property owners.

At a June 13 workshop, county commissioners looked at a proposed 2018 budget presented by Pasco County Administrator Dan Biles.

The approximately $1.3 billion budget fell short of meeting commissioners’ objectives.

They agreed to a list of new budget items, including restoration of library hours, upgrades at some parks, new ambulance purchases, and a third-year of promised salary increases to Pasco County deputies.

To cover expenses, commissioners chose to use about $7.6 million in reserve funds while maintaining the current millage rate.

A mill equals $1 in taxes per $1,000 in taxable value.

For example, a property owner would pay $100 in taxes based on a 1 mill rate and property with a $100,000 taxable value. In calculating the taxable value, the county applies qualifying deductions and exemptions.

For the general fund, the millage rate currently is about $7.60 per $1,000 of property value. For the fire district, the rate is about $1.80 per $1,000.

Some property owners still could see small increases in their taxes based on a 2.1 percent increase in overall property values.

Two public hearings must be held before a final vote on the 2018 budget, and the millage rate, in September. The fiscal year begins on Oct. 1.

Once county commissioners give initial approval to the millage rate, it can’t be increased prior to the final budget vote. Commissioners could, however, choose to decrease the rate.

Published July 5, 2017

Downtown Dade City to get flood relief

July 5, 2017 By Kathy Steele

Puddle jumping in downtown Dade City is often a rainy day sport especially along Seventh Street, the spine of downtown’s business district.

Sidewalks can quickly overflow, forcing pedestrians to hunt for spots less than ankle deep to cross from one side of the street to the other. Other downtown streets, including Meridian, Pasco and Live Oak avenues, also see the waters rise.

But, $1.4 million embedded in the state’s 2018 budget could go a long way toward easing the chronic flooding. The funds are among local requests that survived the budget veto pen of Gov. Rick Scott.

The money will pay to retrofit Dade City’s stormwater system by expanding a retention pond and installing a larger culvert system to drain off the rainfall.

According to the application presented to the state legislature, the project will “improve safety, attract new businesses and improve the local economy.”

It is something area business owners have wanted for a long while. They worry that the flooding keeps some customers from venturing downtown.

“We hope it will make an economic impact on our businesses,” said Joseph DeBono, Dade City’s public works director.

On rainy days, for instance, shoppers need more than an umbrella to try and stay dry in downtown Dade City. They likely need a pair of rain boots.

“It definitely is an issue, and this will help,” said John Moors, executive director for The Greater Dade City Chamber of Commerce.

Bids for the project will go out after Oct. 1, when the new fiscal year begins.

Roads included in the project are Seventh, Pasco, State Road 52 and U.S. 98. The city-owned Irvin pond will be enlarged to accommodate more runoff. The estimated cost of $400,000 will be paid with a grant from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.

Permits for the work have been approved.

Details on a work schedule for the entire project are to be determined, but the pond renovations will be the starting point, said DeBono.

Other community requests that were approved in the 2018 state budget include:

$500,000 for Youth and Family Alternatives
$150,000 for the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office for a pilot program to help first-responders suffering post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
$1.2 million for a campus of “therapeutic safe homes” for child victims of sex trafficking.

Published July 5, 2017

Business Digest 07/05/2017

July 5, 2017 By Kathy Steele

Oasis client services director
April Beck is the new client services director at Oasis Pregnancy Care Centers, with two locations in Land O’ Lakes and Wesley Chapel.

In Land O’ Lakes, the office is at Copperstone Suites, at 3632 Land O’ Lakes Blvd.; and in Wesley Chapel, the office is at 5854 Argerian Drive.

Beck will be responsible for supervision and quality assurance of the pregnancy care ministry. She will implement and support programming for Oasis’ clients, and oversee training for staff members and volunteers. She also will be community liaison for area agencies and providers in an effort to expand outreach to expectant families in Pasco County.

Beck previously worked more than eight years at Champions for Children Inc., as the lead child development specialist to the Baby Bungalow program. In this position, she oversaw more than 300 developmental playgroups annually, and served more than 1,000 families countywide.

Beck has more than 20 years of experience in her field. She also has been a volunteer at pregnancy centers in two other states.

Beck has a degree in Christian counseling and numerous certifications, including ones from American Association of Christian Counselors and Happiest Baby on the Block.

She is a peer-nominated Touchpoints trainer, and gives training and reflective practice guidance to family service providers in the Tampa Bay area.

For more information, visit OasisPregnancyCenter.org.

New builder at Asturia
ICI Homes is the newest home builder to begin building houses at Asturia, the master-planned community, off State Road 54, in Odessa.

The Santa Maria-K Craftsman bungalow is one of 12 home designs that ICI Homes will offer at the master-planned community of Asturia in Odessa. (Courtesy of Hines)

ICI Homes will offer 12 design plans ranging from 1,700 square feet to 3,300 square feet, with sales prices that start in the low $300,000. The company joins David Weekley Homes and Ashton Woods Homes at Asturia.

Asturia is being developed by Hines, a privately owned global real estate investment, development and management firm. It will have a mix of retail, office, apartments and single-family homes.

ICI Homes is headquartered in Daytona Beach and is ranked in the nation’s Top 100 Builders by Builder Magazine. The Northeast Florida Builders Association named ICI Homes the 2015 Builder of the Year.

Mexican restaurant opens
TacoSon Mexican Grill is a family owned restaurant with a new location, at 30056 State Road 54 in Wesley Chapel. Locations also are in the Temple Terrace neighborhood of Tampa, and St. Petersburg.

Family members are from Sonora, Mexico, which explains the name of TacoSon.

Operating hours in Wesley Chapel are from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Monday through Saturday. Hours vary at other locations.

The menu includes tacos, ceviche, burritos, quesadillas and Sonora-style hot dogs with Mexican fries. Drinks include Mexican sodas and horchata, or “rice water.” Desserts include flan and rice pudding.

For information, visit TacoSonMexicanGrill.com, or call (813) 528-8892.

Franky D’s opens in Lutz
Franky D’s Family Restaurant is a new, 175-seat restaurant/bar at 18450 U.S. 41 in Lutz.

The menu includes soups and salads, sandwiches, burgers, hot dogs, steak and prime rib. A full bar with craft beers, wines, cocktails and specialty drinks also is available.

The restaurant is in the storefront formerly occupied by Elsa’s Mexican Restaurant, in a shopping plaza behind McDonald’s restaurant.

Hours are 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., Tuesday through Thursday; 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m., Friday and Saturday; and 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., Sunday.

For information, call (813) 591-6139, or visit Toasttab.com/franky-d-s-lutz.

Community Thrift Store opening
The Community Thrift Store has opened at 35229 State Road 54, west of Zephyrhills and next to Sergio’s.

Operating hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday; and, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., on Saturday.

The store will sell clean, recycled clothing for adults and children. Most clothing will be $1, but boutique items will be slightly higher. Other items for sale include toys, books, CDs, DVDs, and household goods, such as towels, blankets and sheets.

Some furniture also will be available.

Proceeds will benefit Christian ministries in Pasco County.

For information, call Rev. Jerry Jones at (217) 260-6337.

Cricket Wireless ribbon cutting
Cricket Wireless will have a ribbon cutting on July 12 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., at 2436 Land O’ Lakes Blvd. The wireless shop is in the Big Lots Plaza behind McDonald’s restaurant.

The event is free.

For information, call the Central Pasco Chamber of Commerce at (813) 909-2722, or email .

Guest speaker will be Carolina Howard of Innova4change. Her topic will be “The Missing Link: Frontline Managers Training.”

The cost is $20 for chamber members at the door, or $15 if preregistered by July 13. For non-members, the cost is $20, and they can preregister or pay at the door.

For information, email Ignacio Ruiz at .

Microloan program
The Pasco Economic Development Council can help small business owners through its SMARTstart Microloan Fund.

Funds can’t be used to buy real estate or to refinance an existing debt.

For information, call the Pasco EDC at (813) 926-0827, or visit SmartstartPasco.com.

Medication can reverse effects of opioid overdoses

June 28, 2017 By Kathy Steele

As communities across the nation struggle with an opioid epidemic, there’s a medication — that’s not widely known — that can reverse the effects of an overdose and save lives. Its generic name is naloxone.

About 75 people attended a June 15 seminar on opioid addiction and the benefits of naloxone moderated by Judge Shawn Crane, who presides in the sixth circuit.

Law enforcement officers, health care providers and a local pharmacist shared their expertise during a panel discussion. People recovering from addiction or helping family members to recover also shared their insights.

More than 75 people attended a seminar on opioid addiction and the medication, known as naloxone, which can save lives during overdoses. Pasco County Alliance for Substance Abuse Preventions sponsored the event. (Kathy Steele)

Pasco County Alliance for Substance Abuse Prevention (ASAP) sponsored the seminar at St. George Greek Orthodox Church in New Port Richey.

The opioid epidemic is widely known.

Data from the United States Department of Health and Human Services estimates more than 650,000 prescriptions of opioid pain pills are dispensed daily. While the United States accounts for about 5 percent of the world’s population, Americans consume more than 80 percent of the world’s opioid supply.

China is a major manufacturer of illicit opioids, such as fentanyl and its derivatives.

Since 1999, the rate of deaths from opioid overdoses has quadrupled, including deaths from illegal use of heroin and other opioid synthetics, according to health and human services statistics.

On average 78 people in the country die every day from an opioid-related overdose, the department reports.

Health care providers and law enforcement officers are trying to spread the word that naloxone can reverse the effects of an overdose.

While the medication doesn’t eliminate the need for emergency medical care and treatment, it can save lives.

Naloxone is available to anyone at area pharmacies, and can be administered as an injection or through a nasal spray.

Crane and law enforcement officers agreed that the most prevalent drug of choice among addicts is methamphetamine.

“It’s cheap,” Crane said.

But, there is an increase in opioid pain medications from prescriptions or their synthetics. The use of heroin also is on the increase.

“It’s important that people know law enforcement understands that we can’t arrest our way out of the problem,” said Sherryl Johnson-Tandy, a corporal with the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office. “Drug addiction is a public health issue.”

Every Pasco deputy, as of April, carries naloxone as a nasal spray – sold under the name Narcan. The deputies can use the spray as first responders on the scene, without waiting for emergency medical personnel to arrive.

“We have a unique opportunity to make contact with people who are in their greatest need,” said Pasco Sheriff’s Capt. Michael Jenkins. “In an overdose, every second counts. It was a no-brainer for us.”

Johnson-Tandy said Narcan also is a protection for first responders.

During investigations, officers, or their K-9 partners, can inadvertently ingest or inhale opioids. Especially dangerous are the opioid synthetics, fentanyl or carfentanil. They could have an overdose and need Narcan immediately. Emergency medics also are at risk.

Cesar Rodriguez is a recovering addict, and serves on the ASAP Recovery Committee. He used heroin for about seven years, and nearly died from an overdose. Naloxone saved him, he said.

There is a stigma attached to addiction, but Rodriguez said, “We do recover and become productive members of society. We can turn around and help the next recovering addict.”

Naloxone also saved Lisa Conca’s son, who has been in and out of rehabilitation programs for about eight years. In years of seeking help, Conca said no one ever told her about naloxone. “I just want to pay it forward and help our community,” she said. “It’s a disease of the brain, not a moral failing. Every life deserves a chance.”

Kent Runyon likened naloxone to the automated emergency defibrillators. The portable devices save people who are having heart attacks, and can be found in public places, such as offices, gymnasiums or shopping malls, he said.

People can keep naloxone doses at work, at home, or in a purse.

“We need to do everything we can to put every tool in the box to help people live,” said Runyon, who is vice president of community relations for Novus Medical.

Asking for naloxone at any pharmacy is easy, said Ashley Huff, a Walgreen’s pharmacist.

Some health insurance plans pay for it; others don’t. But pharmacies treat naloxone requests in the same way as flu shot requests, she said.

“We don’t ask any questions,” Huff said. “Anyone can get it, and get as many prescriptions as you want, as long as you are willing to pay for them.”

A nasal spray kit, with two nasal sprays, can cost about $135. But, doses for injection can be about $20 each, although two doses are recommended, Huff said.

In some cases, one dose won’t be enough and a second would be administered soon after.

The most expensive medication is sold as Evzio at a cost of more than $4,500. It is an auto-injector, similar to the Epi-pen that is sold to people with asthma.

People with addictions aren’t the only ones who should get naloxone, Huff added. Anyone who gets an opioid prescription should consider naloxone — as a precaution against an accidental overdose, she said.

Published June 28, 2017

Pasco budget includes more library hours, park money

June 28, 2017 By Kathy Steele

Pasco County commissioners didn’t care for the lean 2018 budget, with no frills, they received at a June 13 workshop.

So, they added in about $7.6 million in reserve funds to pay for a litany of items for libraries, parks and public safety.

At about $1.34 billion, the proposed fiscal year budget is slightly more than the $1.3 billion offered up by Pasco County Administrator Dan Biles.

Children had fun at the ‘Play, Make Discover! Silly Dance Party’ at Land O’ Lakes Public Library in March. Library patrons often say they want more library hours, and Pasco County’s 2018 budget could give them want they want.
(File)

His version of the budget balanced revenues and expenses without dipping into reserves.

Even so, the budget path taken by county commissioners is

about $40 million lighter than the 2017 budget.

It also maintains the current property tax rate. Some owners, with homestead exemption, could see slight increases due to a 2.1 percent increase in property values.

“There’s a desire to maintain a level of service as we grow,” said Biles. “The issue is, how do we do that?”

Since 2011, more than 60,000 new residents have moved to Pasco.

A 2018 referendum on an additional $25,000 in homestead exemptions, if approved, could cost the county about $10 million in revenues beginning with the 2020 budget.

County commissioners met in a workshop in New Port Richey for their first look at the new budget. They must approve the property tax rate on July 11.

Two public hearings will be scheduled before a final vote in September. The fiscal year begins on Oct. 1.

County commissioners quickly zeroed in on initiatives that they wanted to restore to residents, including extended library hours, new ambulances, park upgrades and fire trucks, and new hires for the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office.

“I am not happy with the amount of money we’re giving our parks,” said Pasco County Commissioner Kathryn Starkey. “Because at $9 million, we’re closing our parks. We can’t continue at this level…I’m not happy having our libraries closed.”

Starkey suggested creating taxing units to dedicate money to libraries and parks. But, budget deadlines stymied that idea, and county commissioners opted to go again, to the reserve funds.

Pay raises for county employees were a priority.

Pasco County Commissioner Mike Wells said employees went for years without raises during the downturn of the economy.

“I hope we can eventually get to performance-based (pay raises),” Wells said. “There were some folks that were very, very, very underpaid.”

The initial budget, as presented by Biles, didn’t have money for more library hours or much for parks. It did have about $5 million for a third installment of promised pay raises to sheriff’s deputies. But, that left only about $557,000 in new revenue, and about $8 million in unfunded requests.

There is potential for additional revenues from property taxes when Pasco County Property Appraiser Gary Joiner gives his final numbers by July 1. The current budget proposal includes preliminary estimates of about $24.2 million in tax revenues. That is about $1.3 million more than last year, or about a 5.8 percent increase.

If final data exceeds that projection, commissioners can put money back into reserves, or opt to fund additional items.

The following items were among those added to the budget:

Additional 2 percent pay raise for county employees (for a total of 4 percent)
Upgrades for parks in danger of being closed
14 new hires at the sheriff’s office, including a crossing guard and traffic control officers
Two new hires at property appraiser’s office and equipment upgrades
Six new hires at the Pasco County Clerk & Comptroller’s office
A “One Stop Shop” for community services in Dade City
More library hours and design work to modernize the New River and Centennial libraries

• Four new hires to aid administration in rewriting land development codes

Published June 28, 2017

Opening doors of hope for the homeless

June 28, 2017 By Kathy Steele

The Pasco County Commission has approved funding to renovate a former Boys & Girls Club, and reopen the campus as a navigation center for the county’s homeless population.

An administrative building and a teen center, at 8239 Youth Lane in Port Richey, will be refurbished with about $600,000 in federal and state money.

The goal is to open the navigation center by mid-2018.

The center will serve as a “low-barrier” homeless shelter. Its larger purpose, however, is to find housing for homeless men and women, and deliver support services for job searches, job training, education and health care.

Pasco County will dedicate about $600,000 in federal and state grants to rehabilitate the former campus of the Boys & Girls Club on Youth Lane in Port Richey. It will be the site for a navigation center to help homeless people restart their lives. (File)

It will be the first time the county has opened a homeless shelter, and embarked on such a major initiative. The center is modeled after one in San Francisco.

“Navigation centers work,” Pasco County Commission Chairman Mike Moore said. “This is a community effort. This is a people’s building. This is a citizen’s building. I need everybody to come together. Let’s pool resources together and get something done.”

Moore is chairman of the Homeless Advisory Board.

Commissioners heard from about a dozen people during public comment. Speakers were passionate, with most of them supporting the navigation center.

Suzanne Chicon has volunteered for the annual count of homeless people in Pasco. Among the people she met was a man who lost a good-paying job for health reasons, and a young woman who had aged out of the foster care program.

“Some of the things I witnessed horrified me,” Chicon said. “We need the (navigation) center as a focused area to help these people.”

But, the location of the center is raising alarm bells for some residents who live in the nearby subdivision of Crane’s Roost.

Valerie Schaefer told commissioners she had spoken with all but a handful of residents in the 89-home neighborhood. Most are worried about increasing crime, solicitations and lower property values, she said.

“No one in the neighborhood is against the humanitarian (purpose) of the navigation center,” Schaefer said. “But, they are concerned. They are very scared. They are very angry over this proposal…We have skin in the game. We live here.”

Pasco County Commissioner Kathryn Starkey supports the navigation center but said, “I need a report in a year or two on how it’s going.”

Only Pasco County Commissioner Jack Mariano voted against the navigation center. He supports the concept, but not the location.

“I just don’t like the setup,” he said.

He backed off a previous suggestion that a hurricane shelter in Hudson would be a better site, agreeing that it would be too remote. But, he offered a new idea – building tiny houses on land with access to U.S. 19.

Starkey was willing to consider such a project, but only if the houses were dispersed through the county.

Pasco has more than 3,000 homeless people based on an annual count. About 500 are considered chronically homeless. Many of the homeless individuals live in about 100 camps identified by the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office countywide.

Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco supports the center.

“The sheriff’s office cannot solve this problem,” he said. “It’s a health care issue, but unfortunately it falls on the shoulders of law enforcement. What the (homeless) coalition wants, we’re going to go with. I think the coalition is heading in the right direction.”

Commissioners gave initial approval to the funding and the location for the center on June 20 in New Port Richey. A final vote on the project is scheduled for July 11 in Dade City.

The funds would be dispersed after Oct. 1.

Commissioners will be asked in September to transfer the county property to the Homeless Coalition of Pasco, which will manage the navigation center.

The goal is to work with one camp at a time. Homeless individuals would live at the navigation center on average about 90 days, said Raine Johns, the coalition’s chief executive director.

They would be given “wrap-around” services, and personalized case management for about 12 months, through a coalition of partners, including United Way of Pasco and the Pasco County Housing Authority.

As many as 75 single adult men and women would be housed at the center. They would get help in finding jobs, job training, education and health care. Housing is a priority.

The county’s housing authority has pledged 75 housing vouchers to the program.

“There is such a big change in a person’s life when he does have a place to live,” Johns said.

Homeless people are living in cars and in the woods, she added. “You are creating a cycle of poverty because people don’t have a safe place to live.”

Published June 28, 2017

Commissioners dig community gardens

June 28, 2017 By Kathy Steele

Wanna-be community gardeners can start making plans to harvest their crops.

The Pasco County Commission approved an ordinance on June 20 to establish a definition for a community garden and to create a process for permit applications.

In 2016, volunteers built a garden bed at a community garden on land owned by Florida Hospital Zephyrhills. (File)

This is the county’s first community gardening ordinance.

Pasco also is the first in the state to approve a countywide ordinance permitting community gardens.

Some cities, including New Port Richey, already have such ordinances.

“It’s been a long road,” said Matt Armstrong, the county’s executive planner for long-range planning. “A lot of people worked on this. It’s something we believe will strengthen the community.”

Pasco established a Food Policy Advisory Council more than two years ago. It is just one of three such councils in the state.

Volunteer members look at a wide range of issues regarding food access, nutrition and overall food policies that would benefit Pasco residents.

The community garden ordinance was the advisory council’s first recommendation.

The ordinance follows public workshops and meetings to gather input in crafting the ordinance.

By definition, community gardens are gardens where crops and ornamental plants, including flowers, are grown and harvested. Daily vehicle trips to tend the gardens generally are more than 14 per day but less than 100, with limited use of heavy vehicles.

Permit applications will require information such as location, operating hours, parking availability and a designated garden manager.

The community garden ordinance doesn’t apply to home gardens or “greenbelt” agricultural farms.

For more information, visit PascoCountyFl.net.

Published June 28, 2017

Business Digest 06/28/2017

June 28, 2017 By Kathy Steele

Christina Bryant, owner of the Brick Farmhouse, holding scissors, cuts the ribbon at her new shop, surrounded by friends and members of The Greater Dade City Chamber of Commerce. (Courtesy of Richard K. Riley)

The Brick Farmhouse opens
The Brick Farmhouse Antiques & Coffee Shop had a ribbon cutting June 17, at 14220 Eighth St., in Dade City.

The shop offers the chance to browse for antiques or relax awhile with a cup of gourmet coffee. The shop also has an array of crafts and handmade originals, and will host live music events on weekends.

Classes will be offered in adult and child chalk painting, calligraphy, watercolor painting, rock painting and more.

Business hours are Tuesday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

For information, call the shop at (352) 437-4249, or visit Facebook.com/thebrickfarmhouse/.

Networking breakfast
The Wednesday Morning Network Group will meet July 5 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. The cost is $7 for members, if preregistered by June 29, or $10 for members and non-members at the door.

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

Internet marketing seminar
Pasco Hernando SCORE will have a free seminar on internet marketing technologies July 11 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., at the New Port Richey Library, at 5939 Main St., in New Port Richey.

Participants will learn how small businesses can use the Internet to reach customers, and communicate about brand, products and services.

The seminar focuses on search engine marketing, search engine optimization, web analytics, social media and email marketing. It serves as a prerequisite to more advanced e-marketing or e-business workshops that will follow.

The seminar also is part of a curriculum addressing doing business on the Internet. A seminar on Using the Internet in Your Business also is available.

RSVP to Pasco Hernando SCORE at (727) 842-4638, visit PascoHernando.score.org, or email .

Business breakfast
SMARTstart CO.STARTERS will host the monthly “Common Ground Pitch Breakfast” July 12 from 8:30 a.m. to 11 a.m., at 37837 Meridian Ave., No. 309, in Dade City.

Each month, two individuals present a five-minute pitch to introduce their business ideas to the local entrepreneurial community in Pasco County. Each pitch is followed by a question and answer, and feedback, opportunity.

The event is free. The SMARTstart programs are supported by the Pasco Economic Development Council.

To register, visit SmartstartPasco.com/events, or call the PEDC at (352) 437-4861.

North Tampa luncheon
The North Tampa Chamber of Commerce will have a general meeting July 13 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., at Iavarone’s Steakhouse & Italian Grill, 3617 Humphrey St., in Tampa.

Guest speaker is Devon Anderson, associate director of development for Children’s Home Network.

For early bird registration, RSVP online with credit card or to the chamber office at by 5 p.m., on July 11, at the discounted rate of $20 (whether you eat or not). After that date, the cost is $25 (whether you eat or not), payable at the door by cash, check or credit card.

For information, call the chamber office at (813) 563-0180, or visit NorthTampaChamber.com.