The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

Kathy Steele

Land O’ Lakes buses to roll out in May

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Land O’ Lakes residents can soon step aboard buses on a special circular route through the community.

By May 22, Pasco County expects to begin the new route. A tentative ribbon cutting will be on May 18 at a bus stop at the Land O’ Lakes Community Center, at 5401 Land O’ Lakes Blvd.

The first buses would roll a few days later.

A Land O’ Lakes circulator bus route is scheduled to begin by May 22.
(Courtesy of Pasco County)

The announcement came at a March 9 board meeting of the Pasco County Metropolitan Planning Organization in Dade City.

Previously, county officials had hoped to begin the route in March.

“This is going to be another win for Pasco County,” said Kevin Hoyt, the county’s transportation operations manager. “We are all extremely excited.”

The route will move north on U.S. 41 with bus stops that include the Central Pasco Chamber of Commerce, the Land O’ Lakes Community Center, the post office, Land O’ Lakes High School and the detention center.

A loop eastward along State Road 54 will have stops at Collier Commons and the Land O’ Lakes Branch Library.

There also will be a stop at the Target Super Store on North Dale Mabry Highway, where riders can transfer to buses operated by the Hillsborough County Area Regional Transit system, known as HART.

The Land O’ Lakes circulator route is one of three the county put on its 2017 list of capital improvement projects.

Estimated costs for the circulator route were about $300,000 a year for operations, and a one-time purchase of a bus at a cost of about $110,000.

Two other routes along State Road 54 and in the Moon Lake area of New Port Richey already are operating.

Published March 22, 2017

Business Digest 03/22/2017

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NatureCoaster hires Ed Caum
Ed Caum will help NatureCoaster.com promote local outdoor experiences to area residents and tourists, according to an announcement from NatureCoaster.com.

Caum is the former tourism manager for Pasco County.

Caum, who grew up on an island in southeast Alaska, will contribute articles, photographs and sales efforts with local businesses and events. His articles will include “catch and cook” stories based on his fishing experiences, according to the news release.

His newest feature on the website is “Swimming with the Manatees Adventure.”

Caum is a photojournalist with more than 30 years of experience in addition to his years of work with nonprofit and government agencies.

Currently, he is helping several small businesses on Florida’s Gulf Coast with marketing and sales skills.

He is a photographer with television host Ronnie Green, on “A Fishing Story,” which airs on the World Fishing Network on Saturdays at 11 a.m.

Caum also chairs the cultural, heritage, rural and nature committee, and serves on the marketing steering committee for Visit Florida.

He is a current board member of the Pasco County leadership program and a member of the Florida Outdoor Writers Association.

To share story ideas or partnership opportunities, or for more information, email .

Top Realtors
Coldwell Banker F.I. Grey & Son Residential Inc., announced its top sales agents for February 2017. The company is located at 6330 U.S. Hwy. 19 in New Port Richey and at 24620 State Road 54 in Lutz.

The top listing agent by units and volume was Randal Jenkins; and, the top selling agent and top producing agent by units and volume was Lynette Krull.

For information, call Coldwell Banker at (727) 495-2424.

Economic briefing
The Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce will host an Economic Development Briefing March 23 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., at Pebble Creek Country Club, 10550 Regents Park Drive in Tampa.

The guest speaker is Heidi Tuttle-Beisner, broker and owner of Commercial Asset Partners Realty. She will discuss COMPARK 75, a Class A commercial park which abuts Interstate 75. It is located between State Road 54 and State 56 interchanges, about 12 miles east of Suncoast Parkway.

The $15 cost includes a buffet lunch.

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

Business roundtable
CareerSource Pasco-Hernando State College will have a Manufacturers’ Roundtable March 23 from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., at 4440 Grand Blvd., in New Port Richey.

The roundtable will feature training and workforce needs, business growth and technology, and market trends.

For information and to register, contact Maria Reza at (352) 247-0281 or .

Green industry training
The University of Florida and IFAS Pasco County Cooperative Extension Service will host a Green Industry Best Management Practices training session March 29 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., at the Land O’ Lakes Community Center, at 5401 Land O’ Lakes Blvd., in Land O’ Lakes.

The program is designed for landscape professionals who apply pesticides and fertilizers commercially.

Preregistration and prepayment are required and can be completed online at Pasco.ifas.ufl.edu/events_calendar.shtml. Click on “March,” and scroll to 3/29/17 Green Industry Best Management Practices Training – GI-BMP ticket link.

The cost for training and lunch is $30 for green industry professionals. All participants must have a photo ID and a prepaid ticket for admission. No refunds allowed.

For information, call (352) 518-0156.

Ribbon cutting
Edward Jones Investments will have a ribbon cutting March 29 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., at 18932 N. Dale Mabry Hwy., in Lutz.

For information, contact the Central Pasco Chamber of Commerce at .

Power networking
The North Tampa Chamber of Commerce March 2017 Power Luncheon will take place March 30 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., at John Knox Village, 4100 E. Fletcher Ave., in Tampa.

Lunch will be served in the Crystal Dining Room.

The cost is $25 at the door. Walk-ins will be served from a limited menu.

For information, call (813) 563-0180, email , or visit NorthTampaChamber.com.

 

Golf course could be replaced by houses

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Despite impassioned pleas from residents of Quail Hollow, it appears that the Quail Hollow Golf Course & Country Club soon could give way to residential and retail development.

Property owner Andre Carollo, of Pasco Office Park LLC, is proposing to build a maximum of 400 single family homes, 30,000 square feet of office/retail and 10,000 square feet of day care.

The golf course is located on Old Pasco Road in Wesley Chapel.

More than 20 residents attended a public hearing of Pasco County’s Development Review Committee on March 9 in Dade City.

Committee members agreed to recommend approval of the project to the Pasco County Commission.

County commissioners will have another public hearing, where they will make the final decision.

Many residents speaking in opposition to the proposal said they bought their homes decades ago when it was marketed to them as a golf course community, with large lots, ranging from 1 acre to 3 acres.

Land use attorney Barbara Wilhite said the golf course – built in the 1960s – pre-dated the home sales.

There never was a master-planned golf course community, said Wilhite, who represents Pasco Office Park LLC.

The golf course shut down in 2008 and reopened in 2011.

Its website touts Quail Hollow as “more than just a golf course” with a restaurant and banquet facilities for weddings, parties and special events.

Residents are worried about losing their rural enclave.

But, they also raised issues about ongoing flooding in the neighborhood and concerns about increased traffic.

Boom Boom Drive currently is the only access road off Old Pasco Road into the golf course.

A traffic engineer for Pasco Office Park described intersection improvements that would add right- and left-hand turns on Old Pasco to improve traffic flow. Construction is scheduled for completion in 2019, about the time new residents would be moving into their homes.

Flooding already is a chronic problem for homeowners, said Edward Glime, who lives in the area.

“We can’t stop them from building on the golf course,” he said. But, he asked: “Is it (water) going to be running like a river? “What kind of erosion is going to be happening to my property?”

Engineer Greg Singleton said a drainage system would be designed to “provide more area for floodwaters to spread out.”

Resident Jeanne Luczynski was skeptical.

“The flooding is tremendous in the rainy season,” she said. “We need more assurances that this is not going to be worse.”

Pasco County Administrator Michele Baker expressed sympathy for the residents’ plight.

But, the reality she said is that “golf courses are a dying breed.”

At least three in Pasco County have shut down, including the now-closed Magnolia Valley Golf Course in New Port Richey.

Residents either face redevelopment or finding a way to buy the land to stave off new housing construction.

Plantation Palms Golf Course, in Land O’ Lakes, is one community that opted to hold onto its golf course, but Baker said it was at a “premium.”

She did make a promise to residents about flooding when the final plan came to the county commissioners.

Baker came to Pasco County initially as its emergency management director. She also has dealt with flooding problems countywide in recent years from heavy summer rains and tropical storms.

“I hear you,” she said. “We will be reviewing it with a very jaundiced eye and make sure there is no negative impact.”

Published March 15, 2017

Quest continues for Ridge Road permit

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Pasco County officials are hoping a letter of support from Gov. Rick Scott, and an executive order from President Donald Trump, could finally lead to a permit to build the Ridge Road extension.

For 19 years, the county has pursued the permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for an approximately 8-mile road extension that would cut through a portion of the Serenova Preserve. The road extension is a high priority for the county to give residents an additional evacuation route during hurricanes.

But, critics of the project vow to fight an extension of the road.

Clay Colson, chairman of the nonprofit Citizens for Sanity Inc., said development, not a hurricane route, is behind the county’s efforts to extend Ridge Road through the preserve.

“The county had this idea of entitlement,” he said. “They think they are entitled to the permit.”

A county delegation, including Pasco County Administrator Michele Baker and Pasco County commissioners Kathryn Starkey and Jack Mariano, went to Washington D.C., in early March, to lobby for the project.

During an unexpected meetup with the governor, Baker asked him to write a letter supporting the project.

U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis also wrote a letter of support and sent it to President Trump.

According to the president’s executive order, the White House Council on Environmental Quality would have 30 days to respond to the governor’s request for priority status for Ridge Road.

Scott’s office has not responded to The Laker/Lutz News to inquiries about the letter.

The president’s executive order directs federal agencies to give priority to longstanding infrastructure projects with pending environmental reviews.

“The wheels are definitely moving to try and get it finalized,” Baker said, during the March 7 county commission meeting in Dade City.

Besides running into Scott, the group also met Ted Boling, the acting director of the White House’s council on environmental quality.

While the county may be making progress toward obtaining the permit, opponents of the road say construction of the road should not be about political pressure from letters and executive orders.

“They (federal agencies) are supposed to do their job,” Colson said.

His group and others will file a lawsuit, if the permit is granted, Colson said.

The county initially submitted its application for Ridge Road in 1998. The road dead-ends at Moon Lake Road in New Port Richey. The extension would provide a link to U.S. 41, with a connection to Suncoast Parkway in Land O’ Lakes.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reviews permit applications to determine if projects meet regulations within the Clean Water Act. If approved, projects should do a minimum of damage to the environment.

About 58 acres of the 6,000-acre Serenova Preserve are under review. The land was set aside years ago to mitigate about 200 acres of wetlands lost due to construction of the Suncoast parkway.

An elevated road design to limit environmental damage is among potential alternatives for how the road extension would be built.

Over the years, environmental groups, such as the Sierra Club and Audubon Society, have opposed the Ridge Road project, saying it would destroy wildlife habitat and degrade water quality.

Pasco commissioners hired Washington D.C. consultants with Dawson & Associates in 2016 to lobby for the permit. The county is paying the firm about $28,000 a month.

The costs expended on the project so far, including land acquisitions and consultants, is about $19 million.

Published March 15, 2017

You’ll probably like how this tour ends

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If beer is your thing, a visit to Yuengling Brewery is well worth your time.

Tours at Yuengling Brewery give visitors an up-close look at the machinery used to brew beers. Here, tour visitors peek inside a brew kettle.
(Fred Bellet)

Free guided tours provide the history behind the nation’s oldest American-owned brewery, as visitors stroll along, seeing how beer is made and bottled.

And, of course, at the end of the tour, those who are legally permitted to quaff a brew will get a chance to sample various brands of Yuengling.

One recent weekday morning, a dozen or so gathered at the brewery’s gift shop to take the tour. Most were tourists from out of town, but a few locals rounded out the group.

A group of friends from Iowa came for a national softball tournament in Tampa. But, they took advantage of the time they had, while waiting for their flights to go home.

“It’s interesting,” said Iowa resident Kent Juergens. “I like trying different beers.”

Diana Martinez and William Lopez were on vacation from Miami.

The Yuengling Brewery logo, with an eagle, is displayed outside the office of the brewery.

“It’s pretty amazing how they make beer,” Lopez said. “It’s nice to know they take pride in their beer.”

For the Yuengling family, brewing beer is a family legacy dating back five generations.

Brewer G.D. Yuengling was a young immigrant from Germany when he opened the “Eagle Brewery” in Pottsville, Pennsylvania, in 1829. In 1873, the brewery changed its name to Yuengling & Son.

The brewery’s headquarters and operations remain in Pottsville to this day. The brewery building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Yuengling brewery has been in constant production since 1829. Not even Prohibition could shut it down.

The company produced “near beer,” with alcohol content low enough to pass inspection. Yuengling also began making ice cream. On the day Prohibition was repealed in 1933, Yuengling sent a truckload of a specially brewed “Winner Beer” to President Franklin D. Roosevelt at The White House.

A Yuengling Brewery employee shepherds bottles through the conveyor system, where labels are added before the beers are packed and shipped.

Richard L. Yuengling, the current president of the company, is known as a hands-on boss who arrives at work at 4:30 a.m.

He has four daughters, Wendy, Jennifer, Debbie and Sheryl. One or more of them will likely take over the company.

The business isn’t inherited.

Each succeeding generation of Yuenglings has to buy the brewery from the retiring generation.

But, whoever steps in for the sixth generation will make history as the first woman to run Yuengling.

It was a Christmas gift to their father that brought Yuengling brewery to Tampa. Yuengling always wanted to play baseball with professionals. He got a vacation of a lifetime at the Philadelphia Phillies Phantasy Baseball Camp in Clearwater.

Tampa resident Dylan Bredengerd joins his friend, Gary Recktenwald, of Augusta, Georgia, in a lager toast at the end of a tour of the Yuengling Brewery, off 30th Street in Tampa.

Amid the hustle of shagging baseballs and cracking bats, Yuengling heard a rumor that Stroh had its brewery on the market.

To everyone’s surprise in Pottsville, Yuengling returned home with plans to start up brewing operations in Tampa. The brewery is one of three operated by Yuengling — and the only one outside of Pennsylvania.

The facility bought by Yuengling has changed hands several times since it was built by Schlitz in 1958. It later was sold to Stroh, then to Pabst, and back again to Stroh before Yuengling took over.

The flagship brand is its Traditional Lager, but other choices include a porter, a black and tan, and an India Pale Ale.

By volume, Yuengling is the largest American-owned brewer of craft beers, even besting the Boston Beer Company that produces Sam Adams’ beers.

Yuengling is sold in 19 states, primarily in the northeast and southeast.

In recent years, as the micro-brewery world of craft beer has captivated beer lovers, Yuengling has adapted.

“Craft brewing has kept us on our toes,” Fletcher said.

Seasonal beers, including a summer wheat, have been added to Yuengling’s craft beer roster.

Riverview resident Dylan Bredengerd and his friend, Gary Recktenwald, of Augusta, Georgia, are both Yuengling enthusiasts.

Although it is mass produced, Bredengerd said, “It’s craft beer quality.”

Yuengling Brewery guided tours
Where: 11111 N. 30th St., Tampa
When: Monday through Friday from at 10 a.m., 11:30 a.m., and 1 p.m.; Saturday at 10:30 a.m., and noon; gift shop is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., and Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Cost: Free
Details: Tours begin at the gift shop and last about 75 minutes. Guides recount the brewery’s history and explain the process of making beer.
All ages are welcome. No pets are allowed. Visitors must wear closed shoes. Photography and video are allowed.
The brewery isn’t handicap accessible. However, a video tour can be provided upon request.
A valid identification must be shown to sample beer at the end of the tour.
Info: Call (813) 972-8529, or visit YuenglingBrewery.com.

Published March 15, 2017

Land O’ Lakes library is a Hulafrog favorite

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The Land O’ Lakes Branch Library is feeling the love from Hulafrog families who voted in an annual survey for favorite library, according to a press release from Pasco County.

Hulafrog is an online resource that connects area parents to local kid-friendly events and businesses.

The Land O’ Lakes library, at 2818 Collier Parkway, won top spot among other libraries in Wesley Chapel, Lutz and New Tampa. Residents who are subscribers to Hulafrog voted in the annual “most loved awards” survey.

This photo was taken during the ‘Play, Make Discover! Silly Dance Party’ at the Land O’ Lakes Branch Library on Collier Parkway.
(Courtesy of Land O’ Lakes Branch Library)

Other categories included “Most loved learning center,” “Most loved kid-friendly restaurant,” and “Most loved pediatrician.”

Among the fun and educational programs available at the Land O’ Lakes library are the Play, Make, Discover! Program on Saturdays; Tinkering Tuesdays every second Tuesday in the month; and weekly story times for babies, toddlers and preschoolers.

“We’re extremely proud to be recognized by the community we serve and to know that our patrons love us as much as we love them,” said Kathleen Rothstein, in a statement from the press release. Rothstein is regional branch manager at the Land O’ Lakes library.

Two suburban mothers in New Jersey launched Hulafrog in 2010. Since then, Hulafrog has expanded to about 100 markets in 2,200 cities in 28 states. Florida has 75 Hulafrog communities on the Internet.

Parents can log in and subscribe for free, to learn information about upcoming events and activities.

The Week Ahead, for instance, highlights one event for every day of the week. There also is Save the Date and Weekend Guide information. Announcements include coupons and promotions offered by area businesses.

Business owners with children’s activities can have a free profile on Hulafrog, and post information about their events, classes, camps and birthday parties.

Hulafrog is funded through advertising packages.

For information, including the full list of “Most loved” awards, visit Hulafrog.com/wesley-chapel-lutz-fl.

Or, visit the Facebook page at Hulafrog Wesley Chapel-Lutz.

Published March 15, 2017

Business Digest 03/15/17

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New Port Richey job fair
The “Open for All” Job Fair will be March 16 from 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., on the West Campus of Pasco-Hernando State College, at 10230 Ridge Road in New Port Richey.

The community job fair will have representatives from for-profit, nonprofit and government organizations.

For information, call Jackie Eden, assistant director of career and testing services for the college, at (727) 816-3334, or visit PHSC.edu/event/open-all-job-fair.

Women-n-Charge grants
Women-n-Charge is offering two $1,000 grants to be given out this spring.

The organization makes these grants available annually to support its mission of helping professional women manage their businesses more effectively.

The grants can be used for business-related equipment or services, or for continuing education.

Applications can be filled out online and are due by April 14. The winners will be announced May 5 at the monthly meeting at Pebble Creek Country Club in Tampa.

For information, contact Judy Nicolosi, treasurer of Women-n-Charge, at (813) 600-9848 or . To apply, visit Women-n-charge.com/grants.

Lunch and learn
Pasco-Hernando State College will host an “Open for All Lunch and Learn” workshop for local employers on March 16 from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., at the West Conference Center at PHSC at 10230 Ridge Road in New Port Richey.

The free event will have a panel discussion on the benefits of hiring an individual with a disability. Topics will include strengthening a company’s work culture, tax benefits, wage reimbursement and training assistance.

Panel participants will include representatives of CareerSource Pasco Hernando; The Arc Nature Coast; Lighthouse for the Visually Impaired and Blind; Deaf & Hard of Hearing Services of Florida Inc.; Connections Job Development Program; National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI); and, PHSC’s Office of Disabilities Services.

For information, contact Jackie Eden, the college’s assistant director of career & testing services, at (727) 816-3334 or ., or visit InclusionWorksLunchAndLearn.eventbrite.com.

Aesthetic center ribbon cutting
Meraki Aesthetic Center will have a ribbon cutting on March 16 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., at 26907 Foggy Creek Road, Suite 102, in Wesley Chapel.

The center provides a range of clinical and holistic skincare services including facials, waxing, hair removal, massage and advanced peels.

For information, visit ThinkPerfectSkin.com, or contact The Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce at (813) 994-8534 or .

Top Realtors
Coldwell Banker F.I. Grey & Son Residential Inc., announced its top sales agents for February 2017. The company is located at 6330 U.S. Hwy. 19 in New Port Richey and at 24620 State Road 54 in Lutz.

The top listing agent by units and volume was Randal Jenkins; top selling agent and top producing agent by units and volume was Lynette Krull.

For information, call Coldwell Banker at (727) 495-2424.

Senior living ribbon cutting
Angels Senior Living at Connerton Court will have a ribbon cutting March 17 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., at 21021 Betel Palm Ave., in Land O’ Lakes.

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

Breakfast networking
The Greater Dade City Chamber of Commerce will have its monthly “Rise & Shine” breakfast meeting on March 21 at 7:30 a.m., at Kafe Kokopelli, at 37940 Oak Ave., in downtown Dade City. The host is Premium Title Inc.

The cost is $5 person.

For information and to RSVP, call the chamber at (352) 567-3769.

Business roundtable
CareerSource Pasco-Hernando State College will have a Manufacturers’ Roundtable on March 23 from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., at 4440 Grand Blvd., in New Port Richey.

The roundtable will feature training and workforce needs, business growth and technology, and market trends.

For information and to register, contact Maria Reza (352) 247-0281 or .

Wesley Chapel job expo
The Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce will have a Job Expo on April 5 from 2:30 p.m. to 7 p.m., at Wesley Chapel High School, 30651 Wells Road in Wesley Chapel.

The expo allows companies to position themselves in front of qualified job seekers.

To participate, a company must have a minimum of two available jobs. Vendors will receive 6 feet of table space, complimentary water and snacks. Setup is at 1:30 p.m.

The expo is free to chamber members and $50 for non-members.

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

Doing business internationally
You can join the Tampa Bay Export Alliance and regional business leaders at Growing Global, a half-day international exporting conference. Registration is $20 for the April 19 event, from 8 a.m. to noon, at the Hilton Garden Inn Suncoast Parkway, 2155 Northpointe Parkway in Lutz. The keynote presenter will talk about doing business in Cuba.

The registration deadline is 5 p.m., on April 14. To find out more, click on the events tab of the Pasco Economic Development Corporations’ website, PascoEDC.com.

 

Pasco County’s development ready to take off

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Dreams and visions for the redevelopment of Pasco County began more than two decades ago. Today, homes, shops, hotels, offices and medical campuses are coming out of the ground and redrawing the county’s future.

On March 1, developers of four of Pasco’s master-planned communities updated more than 100 people who came to the annual Meet the Developers breakfast. The Pasco Economic Development Council sponsored the event at the Marriott Residence Inn, off State Road 54.

In closing remarks, Bill Cronin, president of Pasco EDC said, “this is the right time, the right place for Pasco County…If nothing else, I hope you have that ‘oh, wow’ effect. That’s not the Pasco I knew.”

Bill Cronin, president of the Pasco Economic Development Council, left, introduces developers who spoke at a ‘Meet the Developers’ breakfast. They are: Matt Call, project director of Starkey Ranch/Wheelock Communities; Tom Panaseny, vice president/general manager of Bexley by Newland Communities; J.D. Porter, president of sales and development of Wiregrass Ranch Inc.; and, Kartik Goyani, vice president of operations for Metro Development Group LLC.
(Courtesy of Pasco Economic Development Council)

Speakers at the breakfast were Matt Call, project director at Starkey Ranch, which is being developed by Wheelock Communities; Tom Panaseny, vice president and general manager for Bexley by Newland Communities; J.D. Porter, president of sales and development of Wiregrass Ranch Inc.; and, Kartik Goyani, vice president of operations for Metro Development Group Inc.

“We’re all selling this dream and vision of where Pasco can go,” Call said.

Three years ago, Starkey Ranch, about four miles west of the Suncoast Parkway, off State Road 54, was largely still on the drawing board.

Today, Starkey Ranch anticipates having more than 300 new homes under contract in a year, Call said. So far, there have been more than 150 closings, he added.

The average price of homes being sold there is in the low to mid-$400,000s. The most expensive home — at about 4,800 square feet – sold within the past two weeks for about $874,000.

“Most are not first-time homebuyers,” Call said. “Most are moving-up buyers.”

Upcoming projects included widening Gunn Highway and extending the road into Starkey Ranch.

About one-third of a 20-mile trail system is built and will eventually connect with Jay B. Starkey Wilderness Preserve and the Suncoast Trail.

A business park, fronting State Road 54, is in the works. A town square is planned for 2018.

While Newland Communities is new to Pasco, its track record in Tampa Bay includes master-planned communities in Hillsborough County, including FishHawk Ranch in Riverview and Westchase in Town ‘n Country.

Panaseny described Newland as the largest private developer of planned communities in the country, with projects in 19 states, stretching from coast to coast.

The homebuilder’s first Pasco community is Bexley Ranch, in an area encompassing about 1,700 acres. It is located also on State Road 54, east of Suncoast Parkway.

The Bexley family is developing another 5,000 adjacent acres still under their control.

The Newland project is zoned for more than 1,700 homes; about 95,000 square feet of retail; and, more than 560,000 square feet of office, though that could increase to as much as 1 million square feet.

About five miles of a planned 13-mile trail system is built.

An elementary school now under construction is scheduled to open in August.

About 400 lots are available, with 400 additional lots expected to be ready by the end of the year. Twelve model homes are open for viewing.

Bexley also is planned for offices, shops and a hotel, as well as apartments and single-family homes.

A groundbreaking is anticipated in March for more than 300 apartments.

Access to Bexley currently is through the Ballantrae community to the east. But, within 60 to 90 days, Panaseny said Bexley Village Drive should open, with access directly off State Road 54.

The average home price is about $350,000.

“It’s been a strong market,” Panaseny said.

Upcoming projects include a medical facility, a Race Trac gas station and convenience store, and a 7-acre shopping center.

“We’d love to have a grocery store anchor the center, or possibly restaurants,” Panaseny said.

A Marriott hotel is expected to break ground in July.

There also is about 32 acres available for offices. “We very much want to bring Class A office space here,” he said.

Wiregrass Ranch is rebranding itself, with a new logo and a re-energized focus as new developments in the master-planned community emerge.

Wiregrass is the fastest growing community in the Tampa Bay area, said Porter, of  Wiregrass Ranch Inc.

The property is zoned for 10,500 homes; 2.7 million square feet of retail; 2.6 million square feet of office; and 600 hotel beds. A middle school and a high school have been built. Additional retail and office space are planned.

Next to The Shops at Wiregrass, plans are underway for an expansion that will include high-end shops and boutiques, a cine bistro, a grocery store and apartments.

Raymond James Financial campus is expected to start construction later this year on a campus that could have about 1 million square feet of office space and an 1,800-space parking garage.

Medical facilities are filling up the surrounding area. They include Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel, Florida Medical Clinic and North Tampa Behavioral Health.

Beach House is an upscale assisted living facility under construction.

“You’re going to continue to see good, smart growth because it’s an environment people want to be in,” said Porter.

Metro Development Group is building a master-planned community at Epperson Ranch, which is part of a state-approved pilot program to create a Connected City corridor built with technology innovations. At build out, Metro is projecting about 37,000 homes; 12 million square-feet of office, retail and technology manufacturing; 100 miles of traffic lanes for self-driving vehicles; and two Crystal Lagoons.

The first lagoon at Epperson Ranch is a 7-acre, manmade pool of crystal blue water under construction at Epperson Ranch, off State Road 52 at Overpass Road. To the north, a second community, known as Mirada, is also planned with a larger Crystal Lagoon.

Metro controls about 35 percent of land within Connected City, which sets aside about 7,800 acres in northeastern Pasco. Metro and other developers are expected to build master-planned communities embedded with cutting-edge technology, and focused on creating technology driven jobs and new businesses.

A groundbreaking for the Crystal Lagoon at Epperson happened in February. The lagoon is expected to be complete by the end of 2017. In the first weeks, 15 homes have sold, and there is a waiting list of more than 1,000 people who want to buy, said Kartik Goyani, vice president of operations for Metro.

Published March 8, 2017

Sunsets restaurant to replace Hot Rod’s BBQ

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A down-home, comfort-style restaurant – named Sunsets – is expected to open in May on the former site of Hot Rod’s Country BBQ.

The popular dining spot in Lutz, locally famous for selling what it claimed to be ‘swamp bat,’ closed in 2013.

Since then, rumors and speculation have swirled around just what would replace Hot Rod’s.

Sunsets restaurant, which will open in May, is under construction on Livingston Avenue on the former site of Hot Rod’s BBQ.
(Kathy Steele)

A wrecking crew took down the old restaurant in March, several months after Sunset Livingston LLC bought the property, at 18430 Livingston Ave., in Lutz.

Construction is well underway on Sunsets.

The restaurant will be the anchor for a small retail and entertainment plaza that will have an escape room, archery shop, consignment store, insurance agency and a barbecue food trailer, according to an email from real estate broker Jerry Shaw.

“The concept is simple, good food at an affordable price,” said Shaw in the email.

There will be a relaxed “sit down” atmosphere, screened porch, a drive-through window, and a menu with a variety of choices, he added.

The other shops, including Lost in Lutz, will occupy existing storefronts located on-site. Lost in Lutz should be open by late March or early April.

Lost in Lutz will be escape room entertainment, where game participants follow clues and solve puzzles in an interactive adventure. Escape rooms are a growing entertainment trend nationwide, according to co-owner Julie Woolary.

Players “crack the lock” and “beat the clock,” according to the website.

The first of three escape rooms to open will have a theme, “Stuck in the ‘70s”. Players will have 60 minutes to solve puzzles, riddles and clues to find their way back to the present.

“We are hoping that people will come out and test their skills and brainpower, and most importantly have fun,” said Woolary.

Hot Rods had been a dining staple in Lutz since the late 1990s. Then-owner, Rod Gaudin, started his restaurant with a barbecue pit and a converted wood-frame house next to a country store he operated.

In addition to barbecue and cornbread, it had an offbeat menu with specialty items such as ‘lizard tail’ and ‘armadillo eggs’. They were more commonly known as beef steak and cheddar cheese poppers.

And, despite the restaurant’s claims, the ‘swamp bat’ delicacy actually was quail, according to a published account by Sherri Ackerman, a reporter for The Tampa Tribune.

Published March 8, 2017

State funds sought for forensic training center

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State legislators will try to secure about $4.3 million in state funds to build a forensic anthropology training center – also known as a body farm – next to the Land O’ Lakes Detention Center, off U.S. 41.

A local campaign also aims to raise about $200,000 for a tactical training program on-site for Pasco’s K-9 unit. Those efforts will be spearheaded by the Rotary Club of Wesley Chapel.

Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco outlined details for the Florida Forensic Institute for Research, Security & Tactical Training, or F.I.R.S.T., at a Feb. 27 press conference.

The campus has the potential of becoming the “Silicon Valley” of forensic anthropology research and an economic boost for Pasco, Nocco said.

“This is really going to be a forensics hub,” he said. “It is a unique opportunity.”

State Rep. Danny Burgess, Pasco County Commission Chairman Mike Moore, and Erin Kimmerle, associate professor of anthropology at the University of South Florida and director of the Florida Institute of Forensic Anthropology & Applied Science, were among those attending the press conference.

Burgess and State Sen. Wilton Simpson plan to request state funding for the project during the upcoming legislative session. The Pasco County Commission gave its approval to the project in January, and donated county land next to the jail.

The indoor and outdoor facility would be the seventh in the nation to study body decomposition as an aid in solving crimes, and identifying victims of murder or other trauma.

It also would bring together research and practical applications of crime solving, forensic anthropology and criminal prosecution in a single location.

Partners in the project are Pasco-Hernando State College and the IFAAS, with Kimmerle leading the anthropology team.

Kimmerle and USF are well-known for their work in identifying bodies found in unmarked graves at the former Dozier School for Boys in Marianna.

The campus in Pasco would include a laboratory for research and forensic casework, classrooms, a morgue and evidence storage. The educational focus would be on forensics, anthropology, geochemistry, legal medicine, forensic intelligence, aviation reconstruction and cyber forensics.

Technology will be a major part of the research, including virtual autopsies with 3-D scanning and chemical isotope analysis, Kimmerle said.

The K-9 portion of the project would be the first time Pasco has had a dedicated facility for tactical training for the K-9 unit, the Pasco Unified SWAT team, and sheriff’s deputies.

The new research center, called F.I.R.S.T. for short, would be a resource for universities, forensic scientists and law enforcement in the entire state. It can aid in tactical training and quick response to active shooter situations, missing person investigations, homicides and terrorist attacks.

Nocco said the recent attack at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando showed the need for greater preparedness and communications between local, state and federal law enforcement.

It also could help build a statewide database of an estimated 16,000 cold cases in Florida, Nocco said.

And, he added, it will provide career opportunities for college students through internships, as well as professional certificates and degrees.

The University of Tennessee in Knoxville was the first to establish a forensic training and research center in the 1970s. Others are at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Western Carolina University, Sam Houston State University, Texas State University in Carbondale, Southern Illinois University and Colorado Mesa University.

The “body farm” label came into use after crime novelist Patricia Cornwell wrote “The Body Farm” in 1994. Her protagonist, Kay Scarpetta, solves a child’s murder with help from a secretive research facility in Tennessee known as the Body Farm.

In 2015, USF proposed a forensic training center in Hillsborough County’s Lithia Springs. Nearby residents objected, and USF dropped the project.

Residents had concerns about safety and security with a “body farm” near their neighborhood.

The proposed site will be fenced off, and Moore said, “There’s no chance of anyone getting in here and disturbing the site. It’s a great opportunity not just for our people, but for people nationwide to come here and participate.”

Published March 8, 2017