The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

Kathy Steele

Business Digest 10-14-15

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Franchise seminar
Pasco-Hernando Chapter of Score will have a free workshop on “Understanding a Franchise Business” on Oct. 14 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., at Hugh Embry Branch Library, 14215 Fourth St., in Dade City.

If you are starting a franchise business, thinking about changing your business or curious about how copyright and patent law may affect your business, this meeting will offer relevant information. Register and check latest information on the website at PascoHernando.score.org.

Fall mixer
The Greater Zephyrhills Chamber of Commerce will host its Fall Mixer on Oct. 15 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., at Rosecastle of Zephyrhills, at 37411 Eiland Blvd., in Zephyrhills. The free event will feature drinks, hors d’oeuvres, and a wine and cheese spread.

For information, and to RSVP, contact Tami at (813) 783-8100 or .

Bank ribbon cutting
Jefferson Bank of Florida will have a ribbon cutting on Oct. 15 from 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m., at 15302 Amberly Drive in New Tampa. The branch office, which was sold earlier this year by the Bank of Tampa, is the first Hillsborough County location for Jefferson Bank.

For information, call the bank at (813) 979-4700, the Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce at (813) 994-8534, or email .

Hispanic business leaders luncheon
The October luncheon for the Hispanic Business Leaders will be Oct. 20 at a new location, the Land O’ Lakes Community Center, 5401 Land O’ Lakes Blvd.

The luncheon is from 11:30 until 1 p.m.

It is open to everyone. Lunch is $20 for members and $25 for non-members. For additional information, call (813) 435-1499

Ribbon cutting
Delectable Delights will have a ribbon cutting on Oct. 22 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., at 16541 Pointe Village Drive in Lutz. The shop is in Northpointe Village on the south side of State Road 54, east of Suncoast Parkway.

For information, contact Delectable Delights at (813) 920-4200 or visit Facebook.com/DelectableDelights.

North Tampa luncheon
The North Tampa Chamber of Commerce will host a network luncheon on Oct. 22 at 11:30 a.m., at IHOP, at 408 E. Bearss Ave., in Tampa. The theme is relationship building with business neighbors. Order from the IHOP menu. Senior lunch menu will be available to all. Minimum payment of $5 is required if you do not order food, plus you must pay for your drinks.

To RSVP by Oct. 20, email Jenn Beaumont at , or call AIG at (813) 334-8998. For directions, call (813) 960-2679.

Manufacturing job fair
CareerSource will have a Manufacturing Job Fair on Oct. 22 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., at Pasco-Hernando State College, 450 Beverly Court, Room B105, in Spring Hill.

For information, job seekers should contact Margie Burnham at (727) 816-3227 or . Employers should contact Ana Segovia at (352) 293-1335 or .

Business seminars
Rasmussen College will offer two small business seminars from Pasco-Hernando SCORE on Oct. 29 at 6014 U.S. 19, Suite 302, in New Port Richey.

“How to Apply for a 501c3” will meet from 10 a.m. to noon, and “Understanding a Franchise Business” will meet from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

Registration is required. The fee is $15 paid through PayPal.

For information, visit Score439.org, or call (727) 842-4638.

Job training
CareerSource Pasco Hernando received an $80,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Labor, according to a Sept. 24 news release from Career Source. The funds are from a statewide Sector Partnership National Emergency Grant of nearly $7 million that is targeted at long-term unemployed individuals in health care and manufacturing. The funds will help transition 25 individuals who have been unemployed for longer than 20 weeks. Classroom instruction in manufacturing skills will be offered that will lead to an industry certification. Participants will then be eligible for short-term on-the-job training with a local manufacturer. First enrollments will be in February/March 2016.

For information, visit CareerSourcePascoHernando.com.

Business workshops
Copperstone Executive Suites is collaborating with Lane Business Consulting to offer a yearlong intensive program called “The Business Mastery Academy.” Each month, the program includes two on-site workshops, one telephone conference call, and a one-on-one coaching session for each participant. Two business consultants and 10 to 15 business owners will offer their expertise.

Copperstone Executive Suites is offering 10 to 15 grants of $600 each to business owners who complete an online application and are accepted into the program. The remaining monthly cost for the business owner is $47 per month.

For more information, and to apply for a grant, visit Copperstone.info, or call Copperstone Executive Suites at (813) 298-7363, or Lane Business Consulting at (813) 486-2837.

Speakers present their wish list to lawmakers

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Speaker after speaker stepped up to the podium to present their request to Pasco County’s state lawmakers.

They wanted funding to help a nonprofit.

They wanted lawmakers to put in a good word with state highway officials.

Or, they wanted their backing for a special cause.

About 100 people gathered on Sept. 29 in the gymnasium of Sunlake High School in Land O’ Lakes for a public forum, hosted by Pasco’s legislative delegation.

Sunlake High Band members played the National Anthem at the public forum hosted by Pasco County’s legislative delegation in the high school gymnasium. (Kathy Steele/Staff Photo)
Sunlake High Band members played the National Anthem at the public forum hosted by Pasco County’s legislative delegation in the high school gymnasium.
(Kathy Steele/Staff Photo)

State Representatives Amanda Murphy, Richard Corcoran and Danny Burgess, and State Senators John Legg and Wilton Simpson listened for nearly three hours, as about 60 representatives of nonprofits, counties and municipalities, civic groups and individual citizens talked about the needs in their communities.

The forum is an annual tradition held prior to the annual legislative session, which is scheduled to convene on Jan. 12, 2016.

Corcoran, a Republican from Land O’ Lakes, will hold the powerful position of Speaker of the House.

Nearly all of the speakers gave lawmakers packets of information detailing specific funding needs or particular policies they want the delegation members to support or reject.

Requests covered a broad range of topics from public safety and school construction, to voter registration and smoke-free beaches and parks.

Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco advocated for tougher laws to help clamp down on illegal sales of synthetic marijuana.

Current law makes no distinction between the sale of one packet of the illegal substance or 1,000 packets, he said.

“We’re not trying to go after the person with a substance problem,” the sheriff said. “What we’re trying to do is go after the dealer.”

Nocco also urged lawmakers to address the growing problem of terrorist threats made via social media including threats to “shoot up” a school or church.

“There is no law in effect where we can go after them,” Nocco said. But he added, “People make statements and words have meanings.”

Sunlake High School student Mykenzie Robertson lobbied for a state law to ban smoking at public beaches and parks. Robertson is active with Tobacco Free Partnership of Pasco County and the statewide Students Working Against Tobacco (SWAT).

“Parks, to me, are a place for healthy recreation,” she said.

Robertson also joined with Sunlake High School student Ormond Derrick later to talk about the problem of substance abuse among young people.

Pasco County Supervisor of Elections Brian Corley asked lawmakers to consider adding veteran’s registration cards and gun permits to the list of approved identification for voters.

Corley also advocated for at least some of a voter’s personal information to be shielded from public records laws.

Now, access is open “to anyone and everyone,” Corley said. He cited a case of a man in New Hampshire who used Pasco County voter registration data to contact people for business purposes.

A handful of voters de-registered as a result of for-profit businesses accessing their information, Corley said. “That’s sad,” he said. “I think you would agree.”

Protecting data also was on the agenda for Pasco County Clerk and Comptroller Paula O’Neil who talked about the budget challenges in keeping up with technology to allow access, but also protect public records.

“About 95 percent of civil filings are electronic,” she said. “And that will soon be 100 percent.”

Funding issues are facing Pasco County’s school district as it tries to keep up with the explosive growth of new subdivisions, said Pasco School Superintendent Kurt Browning.

New residential development, especially along the State Road 54 corridor through Land O’ Lakes and Wesley Chapel, is pumping up school enrollments.

Sunlake High, for instance, was built for 1,800 students. But Browning said, “We exceeded that number. There are very few schools that don’t exceed what they were built for,” Browning said.

Oakstead Elementary School has 1,200 students in a school built for 762 students.

“Where do we put these kids?” Browning said. “We put them in portables. We cannot build schools fast enough.”

He made a pitch for lawmakers to approve a bill that would give local school boards the autonomy to increase existing property tax millage by half a mill. Board members would need to approve the increase by a super-majority or a unanimous vote, he said.

Pasco County’s Government Affairs Officer Ralph Lair presented lawmakers with a list of priority projects and issues for the coming year, including a state loan for widening State Road 56.

Another issue is funding for the Coast to Coast Connector Trail, which will link Florida’s west and east coasts from St. Petersburg to Titusville. The Florida Department of Transportation will decide which of two routes will be built for one of the trail’s segments. One route goes through northeast Pasco, while another would bypass Pasco.

Pasco officials hope to convince the state roads department to build both routes and create a loop.

“Just have that one on your radar,” Lair said.

Other speakers included Timothy Beard, president of the Pasco-Hernando State College. Help for a performing arts center was among his funding requests.

Brian Anderson advocated for veterans and discussed his nonprofit, Veterans Alternatives, which provides alternative therapies for veterans with Post Traumatic Stress Disorders.

Representatives for Pasco Fine Arts Council, Habitat for Humanity, AMIKids Pasco and the Good Samaritan Health Clinic of Pasco also brought their concerns and talked about their program successes.

Peggy Wood of the Florida Federation of Garden Clubs and Janice Howie of the Nature Coast Chapter of Florida Native Plant Society spoke about environmental issues.

Howie said her organization supported Amendment 1, a constitutional amendment approved by 75 percent of voters to use real estate taxes to purchase land for conservation. In the last legislature, only a fraction of the anticipated $700 million was budgeted for land purchases.

“There is an opportunity to do better this year,” said Howie who is conservation chairwoman.

Wood asked lawmakers to oppose a bill that would bypass local control and give the state sole authority to regulate hydraulic fracturing, often called “fracking,” which is a controversial method of oil drilling.

At least 15 counties in Florida have approved bans on fracking, Wood said.

Texas has passed a bill that bypasses local authority, Wood said. “Now Texas has fracking, whether they (local government) want it or not.”

Published October 7, 2015

Task forces will tackle Pasco congestion issues

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There is trouble on State Road 54 and State Road 56.

Everyone can see the snarled traffic and congestion on a daily basis, and it is clear that it will only get worse with time.

“We’re obviously in a growing community in Tampa Bay,” said Jim Edwards, transportation manager for Pasco’s Metropolitan Planning Organization. “The dirt is turning in a lot of areas. We all see that.”

Unprecedented growth along this corridor is turning pastures and open fields into brick-and-mortar shops, offices, business parks and houses.

Congestion near State Road 54 and U.S. 41 helps to illustrate the problem of an increasing number of cars using the State Road 54/State Road 56 corridor, as new businesses and subdivisions pop up. Some are predicting major traffic hassles with the opening of Tampa Premium Outlets and other planned developments. (File Photo)
Congestion near State Road 54 and U.S. 41 helps to illustrate the problem of an increasing number of cars using the State Road 54/State Road 56 corridor, as new businesses and subdivisions pop up. Some are predicting major traffic hassles with the opening of Tampa Premium Outlets and other planned developments.
(File Photo)

More is on the drawing board, or in the minds, of developers who see fiscal opportunities just over the horizon.

On Sept. 24, the MPO kicked off a series of public workshops with two separate volunteer task forces that will serve as advisory boards to the MPO. The focus is on improvements on State Road 54 and State Road 56 corridor from U.S. 19 to Bruce B. Downs Boulevard.

The recommendations from these groups will be the basis for updating the Mobility 2040 Long Range Transportation Plan.

Each task force is assigned to examine the corridor in segments, with the East Task Force studying the roadway east of U.S. 41, and the West Task Force studying the roadway west of U.S. 41.

By February, the goal is to have about a half-dozen recommendations for highway and transit options, or a combination of both, to present to the MPO. Options that will be scrutinized include express lanes for buses and general traffic, light rail, bus rapid transit, toll roads and elevated lanes.

The MPO board then can choose a more in-depth study of the selected alternatives before adopting one that would be vetted at a public hearing.

If that wins final approval, Pasco County officials and the Florida Department of Transportation would add the project to the county’s long-range transportation vision and seek funding over the next 20 years.

“We want to give it force. We want to give it importance,” said Edwards. “It’s an opportunity to do something, and it’s also a costly issue.”

Consultants with Tindale Oliver will help guide the task forces.

The initial meeting outlined duties and expectations of task force members, and overviews of past studies done on State Road 54 and State Road 56. Members selected Sandy Graves of the Central Pasco Chamber of Commerce as the group’s chairwoman. Former Zephyrhills Mayor Cliff McDuffie is vice-chairman.

Graves hopes attention will be given to fixing the intersection of State Road 54 and U.S. 41.

“Historically, this has always been a traffic nightmare,” she said. “This is a 2040 (plan), but they’ve got to do something in 2016. So, I’m hoping something will come out of this to fix that.”

That intersection is one of seven already identified by MPO as “hot spots,” but not so much for congestion. The others are Little Road, Gunn Highway, Suncoast Parkway, Collier Parkway, Interstate 75 and Bruce B. Downs Boulevard.

“The main issue today is not necessarily through traffic, but turns,” said Ali Atefi, an MPO transportation planner.

The next meeting for the East Task Force is Dec. 3. The West Task Force kicked off its workshops on Sept. 29, after publication deadline for The Laker/Lutz News. It will meet again on Dec. 1.

According to MPO data, population growth and new jobs will be driving forces in the county’s future transportation needs.

The county’s population from 2010 to 2040 is projected to double from more than 450,000 residents to more than 905,000 residents. Jobs will triple from more than 125,000 to nearly 375,000 by 2040, the study found.

Development along the State Road 54 and State Road 56 corridor will account for about 30 percent of the county’s total increase in residents, and about 31 percent of its jobs.

Empty-nesters and the millennial generation are among those who will populate the county over the next 20 years.

Despite the age gap of these groups, they both want many of the same amenities such as shops, restaurants and safe, walkable communities, said Matt Armstrong, Pasco’s executive planner for the Long Range Planning Group.

“The patterns of what we think we need…we have to make those choices now,” he said. “We have to figure out what pieces of TOD (transit-oriented development) do we think we can accommodate now so, when the time comes, we’re ready for it. We can’t go back and change patterns of development at that point.”

Published October 7, 2015

Dade City joins Pasco’s 911 system

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911Dade City Police Chief Ray Velboom could see the need for better communications between his police officers and deputies with the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office, on a daily basis.

Each agency had 911 centers operating on different radio frequencies.

“We’re surrounded by the county. We interact with them every day,” said Velboom. But, a deputy who needed assistance just outside city limits might be sent backup from 10 miles away, when a Dade City police officer was a few blocks away.

Critical time can be lost and the safety of police officers jeopardized, Velboom said.

On Oct. 5, a consolidation of the Dade City 911 Center and Pasco County’s Public Safety Communications addressed that problem.

Two staff members from Dade City completed weeks of training with the new consolidated system and transferred to Pasco’s Emergency Operations Center in New Port Richey.

The consolidation had been under discussion for two years as a way to increase both public safety and efficiency.

“It just made sense,” Velboom said.

The consolidation also reduces duplication because Dade City police officers now will file police reports on the county’s system. Both agencies previously had separate records management systems.

“We’ll be sharing all the data,” said Velboom.

Dade City will pay the county about $90,000 a year.

Velboom will serve on a board of directors that will oversee emergency operations, including the hiring and firing of staff.

“We have some ownership of this,” he said.

Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco said law enforcement agencies across the country are moving toward consolidation, in part due to recommendations that emerged after the 9/11 terrorists attacks.

“We have realized that public safety communications is critical for the safety of our citizens and first responders,” Nocco said.

Several months ago, the Pasco County Commission approved hiring of eight additional call takers for the county’s emergency operations.

Call takers answer 911 calls and relay information to dispatchers who use GPS tracking to pinpoint locations of patrol units for both Dade City and the county.

Pasco County has 15 administrative staff members and 82 operational members.

About 600,000 calls for service are answered each year.

The increasing volume of calls is complicated by the disappearance of landline phone service in favor of cellphones, Velboom said.

Under the old separate systems, a resident who called 911 in Dade City from a cellphone would reach the county’s emergency center in New Port Richey. That call would then be transferred to Dade City’s emergency center where information had to be repeated, and there was a chance of a dropped call.

“About 75 to 80 percent of 911 calls come in on cellphones,” Velboom said. “And cellphone calling is going to go up.”

Consolidation also has brought improvements regarding how calls are handled.

In years past, dispatchers were trained to handle one of three types of calls: police, fire or medical. Velboom said now dispatchers are cross-trained in all three protocols.

“One dispatcher can answer every call,” he said. “It makes it so much easier.”

Published October 7, 2015

Planting seeds for food policies

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TreeCommunity gardens, backyard chickens, food deserts and agricultural tourism are on a short list of future policy ideas a citizen’s advisory council will tackle in Pasco County.

The Pasco County Food Policy Advisory Council met on Sept. 30, in its second meeting since the Pasco County Commission appointed nine panel members in June.

Pasco County is the only county with an active food policy council in the Tampa Bay region, according to county officials.

Statewide, similar councils exist only in Duval, Miami-Dade and Orange counties.

The group’s first goal is to complete a food assessment to identify resources, needs and challenges within Pasco’s food production and delivery system. Members also are working on a draft of an urban agricultural ordinance to recommend to Pasco County commissioners.

Regulations for community gardens, backyard chickens and beekeeping could be part of the proposed ordinance.

“It gives an opportunity for citizens to have a voice, and a powerful voice,” said Dell DeChant, who encouraged county officials to create the advisory council. “They (food policy councils) are at the cutting edge right now of agriculture in the nation.”

Others who helped establish the council were Kathryn Starkey, a member of the Pasco County Commission; Todd Engala, a planner for Pasco County; Deanna Krautner of Pasco County Department of Health; Travis Morehead, a farmer and business owner; and Whitney Elmore, director of Pasco County Extension.

In the past, agriculture meant big corporate farms, but there has been a shift in recent years to agricultural activities that are small, local and often urban, said DeChant, a professor at the University of South Florida.

As the council moves forward, the long-range goal is to develop policies to improve access to “culturally appropriate, nutritionally sound and affordable food produced in Pasco County,” according to a mission statement.

The council will have a public workshop on Nov. 4 from 10 a.m. until noon, at the West Pasco County Government Center in New Port Richey. Council members will review five urban agricultural ordinances including ones adopted by New Port Richey, Dade City and Boston, with a goal of recommending a draft ordinance for adoption by Pasco County commissioners in 2016.

General meetings will be held quarterly.

Members have a range of issues to review.

Some municipalities, including Tampa, allow residents to raise backyard chickens, with restrictions on how many can be kept.

The idea of having chickens in residential neighborhoods may not appeal to everyone, but it is an idea that Morehead hears frequently.

“There’s more people looking for backyard chickens than anything in this area,” he said. “I think it’s important to at least present it, even if it gets shot down.”

The issue of backyard chickens could be crafted as a stand-alone ordinance.

The issue of food deserts also will be addressed.

Food deserts are areas where residents lack access to grocery stores, farmers’ markets or places where fresh, healthy food choices are available.

Lester Cypher, chief executive officer of The Volunteer Way, provided the council members with a map locating 10 food deserts in Pasco. He founded his nonprofit food bank more than 20 years ago.

“We’re looking for areas to expand (food delivery),” Cypher said. He has had discussions with Publix representatives about purchasing boxes of food that the grocery store chain could deliver for distribution.

Another possibility would be mobile food pantry trucks if county regulations allowed that, he said.

Farmer’s markets also are likely to get attention.

Trina Messano, marketing director for M.O.M’s Friday Night Market in New Port Richey, told council members about the obstacles people face when trying to get permits to have farmer’s markets.

The county doesn’t have a category for them, and they can end up classified as flea markets.

“We need more clear guidelines,” Messano said. “There are no real guidelines for what they need to do.”

Published October 7, 2015

Still no answer for sky-high water bills

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Some residents with unexplainably high water fees will have to wait a bit longer to learn what, if any, adjustments will be made on their bills.

Pasco County commissioners first must decide how to amend existing rules regarding how the county issues credited refunds in cases involving a sudden spike in water usage that defies explanation.

The county’s water department has recommended that customers in these cases would receive credits of as much as 50 percent, as a one-time only adjustment.

But, some commissioners wanted to slash bills even more after hearing from upset customers at their Sept. 22 meeting.

Pasco County Commissioner Mike Wells was ready to “zero out” at least one customer’s bill for more than $3,300. “We have an opportunity to do it right.”

However, Pasco County Attorney Jeffery Steinsnyder reminded commissioners that the county is banned from giving away the water it buys from Tampa Bay Water Authority.

Chairman Ted Schrader said the rules should be changed for all before granting relief in any one case. “You’re asking ratepayers to subsidize their bills,” he said.

Pasco County Commissioner Jack Mariano said the water department’s plan fell short.

“I’d like to see them brought down to what a normal bill would be,” Mariano said.

In the next weeks, county officials plan to set a public hearing for adopting a revised ordinance.

An audit by the county’s inspector general’s office recently reviewed more than 300 cases where customers were billed for higher than average water usages. They could qualify for refunds in cases of billing errors or leaks. But the county’s rules don’t cover the rare situations where the high water usage is a mystery.

Louise Gritmon, who received that bill for more than $3,300, would be satisfied with paying her usual amount of around $40 a month.

Under the water department’s recommendation, her bill would only be cut to about $1,600.

“I’m going to keep fighting this,” Gritmon said.

Ramona Nelson also challenged her bill for more than $562. Her monthly bills also run about $40, or slightly higher.

Nelson said there were no broken pipes or leaks, and no repairs needed at her home. “I want my money back,” Nelson said.

She has gotten a partial credit from the county, but still owes more than $360.

The county billed Gritmon and her husband in July 2014 for using 614,000 gallons of water over 18 days when their house was vacant.

Gritmon maintains no leaks were found, and engineers have told her it is impossible for that much water to flow through her water meter in that time frame. It would be the equivalent of consuming about 5 million plastic bottles of water, Gritmon told commissioners.

“I don’t disagree that it’s mind-boggling,” said Pasco County Utilities Director Bruce Kennedy after the commissioners’ meeting. But, he added, “I don’t know that there were any mistakes.”

He pointed to the audit’s findings that the county’s water meters were tested and found accurate. Kennedy also said he had to apply existing rules in determining refunds.

It was Gritmon’s complaint last year that prompted the eight-month audit.

While the audit found the meters worked properly, the report also found deficiencies in the county’s meter reading and billing procedures. There also were problems with software for a new automated system, inaccessible meters and inconsistent readings.

The audit looked at water bills issued between June 1, 2014, and April 15, 2015. Of 337 accounts reviewed by the county, 317, including Gritmon’s and Nelson’s, had from one to six bills that exceeded 120 percent of the annual average charge.

Following the commissioners’ meeting, Kennedy walked over to Gritmon and offered an apology for the drawn-out process.

Gritmon said she appreciated the gesture.

“Better late than never.”

Published September 30, 2015

Vision still needed for Wiregrass sports complex

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Pasco County commissioners were introduced to a study that recommends building a multi-use indoor sports complex on parkland near The Shops at Wiregrass.

But a more in-depth review between the Tourism Development Council and the commissioners will have to wait for a public workshop slated for late October or early November.

At the Sept. 22 commissioners’ meeting, Charlie Johnson, president of Chicago-based Johnson Consulting Co., spent a few minutes going over the firm’s report, officially released in August.

“Economically, you’re healthy,” Johnson told commissioners. “I think it’s (indoor facility) very positive and trends are very supportive of this.”

In addition to the indoor complex, ball fields also would be built outdoors, but the focus, at least initially, would be on such indoor sports as volleyball, basketball, wrestling, cheerleading and martial arts.

Johnson cited facilities in Round Rock, Texas, and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, as examples of municipalities with successful indoor facilities.

The Porter family donated more than 200 acres near the Wiregrass mall in 2012 with a stipulation that if a sports complex didn’t happen, then a park would be developed.

But, just what to put on the land has eluded the county ever since.

Last year, a proposal from Pasco Sports LLC, a partnership between James Talton and former major league baseball player Gary Sheffield, fell apart over financial issues. The project would have included a youth baseball camp, with 20 ball fields and on-site dormitories.

The feasibility study, however, dismisses baseball as a good option.

“This site is very attractive. The market is robust enough to support some type of facility.” Johnson said. “But, baseball and soccer are really quite built-out throughout the state.”

The study suggests that Pasco would be competing, for instance, with a $27 million complex proposed in Seminole County. The complex would include 15 ball fields for baseball, softball, soccer and lacrosse.

Within the past week, a proposal to build an Atlanta Braves training facility in St. Petersburg has emerged. The project also would include a youth baseball component. The Gary Sheffield Sports Foundation is one of the partners in the project with the Atlanta Braves.

Some commissioners have suggested that the Porter family has concerns about the feasibility study.

“I think there is going to be some negative feelings on this by the Porters,” said Pasco County Commissioner Jack Mariano.

Pasco County Administrator Michele Baker said she had spoken with family members, and they would be invited to participate in the upcoming workshop.

“We’re committed to a very engaged and active dialogue,” Baker said.

Published September 30, 2015

Business Digest 09-30-15

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Home loans for moderate-income buyers
Pasco County Community Development has announced the release of Homebuyer Assistance Program (HAP) Funds for moderate-income homebuyers effective Oct. 1.

Reservations can be submitted prior to that date for contracts signed on or before Oct. 1, but closings cannot occur until on or after Oct. 1

For more information, contact Michelle Miller or Louise McIntyre at (727) 834-3445.

Contest giveaway
CenterState Bank is sponsoring the “Community Act of Kindness Contest” through Oct. 30. One winner will be randomly chosen to receive a $5,000 Publix gift card. CenterState Bank also will donate $5,000 in cash or a Publix gift card to a nonprofit food bank or charity for use in the county where the individual winner lives. In addition, participating branches will collect food for their local food banks.

Contest entries can be made in person at any CenterState Bank branch or wherever contest forms are available. A valid Florida identification and contact information are required for registration.

Complete contest rules are available at CenterStateBank.com.

Zephyrhills breakfast network
The Greater Zephyrhills Chamber of Commerce will host its monthly breakfast meeting on Oct. 1 from 7 a.m. to 8:30 a.m., at Golden Corral, 6855 Gall Blvd., in Zephyrhills.

The guest speakers will be Robert DeMeo and Scott Chittum who will discuss the upcoming open enrollment for Medicare Advantage and for major medical (non-Medicare households).

The cost is $7 for members, and $10 for non-members.

For information, call the chamber at (813) 278-1913, or email .

National Manufacturing Day
CareerSource Pasco Hernando and Pasco-Hernando State College will celebrate its third annual Manufacturing Day on Oct. 2 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., with tours of local manufacturers. In 2014, Florida hosted more registered events than any state in the nation on National Manufacturing Day, according to mfgday.com.

For information about Florida Manufacturing Day tour locations and times, contact Pasco-Hernando State College by email at or call (727) 816-3227, or call CareerSource Pasco Hernando at (352) 200-3020.

Women-n-Charge luncheon
Join the ladies of Women-n-Charge on Oct. 2 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:15 p.m., at Pebble Creek County Club, at 10550 Regents Park Drive in Tampa. The meeting includes lunch and time to network. The guest speaker will be April Saland of A. L. Saland Insurance. Her topic will be “Did You Know,” about the upcoming health insurance laws and regulations.

The cost is $15 for members (Tuesday before the meeting) and $18 for all guests (and members paying Wednesday and after).

To register, visit Women-n-Charge.com. For information, call (813) 600-9848, or email to .

Networking women
WOW, Women of Wesley Chapel, will meet Oct. 2 from 7:45 a.m. to 9 a.m., in the second floor conference room at the Health and Wellness Center, Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel. The guest speaker will be Miranda Reiter of Raymond James.

For information, call the Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce at (813) 994-8534, or visit WesleyChapelChamber.com.

Breakfast club
The Wesley Chapel Breakfast is scheduled to meet Oct. 7 at 7:30 a.m., at Quail Hollow Golf and Country Club, at 6225 Old Pasco Road. The club brings business people together to network and share marketing ideas. You will have a chance to present your business to the group. The club has no officers and no dues. Meetings are on the first and third Wednesdays of each month, but call in advance to confirm.

For questions, or to confirm, call (813) 992-3370.

Chamber luncheon
The North Tampa Chamber of Commerce will host a luncheon on Oct. 8, with check-in at 11a.m., at Brunchies Breakfast, Brunch, Lunch and Catering at 14366 N. Dale Mabry Highway in Tampa. Networking is until 11:30 a.m., when lunch will be served from a select menu.

The guest speaker will be Dexter Lewis, director of partnerships with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay.

For information, call the chamber at (813) 961-2420, or email .

Annual breakfast
Opening Doors Worldwide will host its annual “Businessman/Businesswoman’s Breakfast” on Oct. 14 from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m., at the Alice Hall Community Center, at 38116 Fifth Ave., in Zephyrhills. The buffet will include many homemade items such as quiche, banana muffins, home fries, grits, biscuits and gravy and more. The cost is $10 per person. A reserved “table sponsor” with your company’s name is $100. Tickets must be purchased in advance. Event sponsors are CenterState Bank and Pasco Cardiology Associates.

For information, contact , or call toll free (844) 676-3667.

Golf may be back in play at Plantation Palms

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Plantation Palms Golf Course could reopen within coming months, according to posts on a Facebook page and an online blog created by a residents’ group, Project Bring Back Our Course.

A potential buyer, Rocky Morgan of GSP Business Alliance, is nearing a deadline to buy the closed golf course, located within Plantation Palms subdivision, off Collier Parkway.

In a telephone interview, Rob Rochlin of Dennis Realty told The Laker/Lutz News that Morgan has until the end of September to complete “due diligence” on the purchase.

A potential buyer for the Plantation Palms Golf Course plans to refurbish the clubhouse and golf course, which have been closed since 2014. (Kathy Steele/Staff Photos)
A potential buyer for the Plantation Palms Golf Course plans to refurbish the clubhouse and golf course, which have been closed since 2014.
(Kathy Steele/Staff Photos)

According to the online blog in a posting on Sept. 13, a closing could happen no later than Nov. 3, and possibly sooner.

The driving range, clubhouse, restaurant and bar could reopen by the end of the year, with the course opening in early-to-mid-2016. Full and social club memberships would be offered to people living in the subdivision, as well as to people outside of Plantation Palms, according to the blog.

The goal of the Bring Back Our Course group, the blog states, “is to protect Plantation Palms’ property values.”

According to a Sept. 19 blog posting, Morgan has enlisted professional golfer Jimmy Wright to join his team as president and chief executive officer of “Golf Operations.”

No sales price is available, but the real estate firm in the past has listed the property as a short sale for $1.2 million.

Native American Bank in Denver backed the mortgage for the 156-acre property, when MJS Golf Group bought the golf course in 2011 for about $2.2 million. Mitchell Osceola, Jayson Ray and Steven McDonald own the company.

No one with the company could be reached for comment.

Financial challenges in recent years have plagued the course’s operations. It was shut down for one week in 2013, then, re-opened before shutting down again in May 2014.

In recent weeks, landscapers have mowed the grass and cleared undergrowth on the Plantation Palms Golf Course
In recent weeks, landscapers have mowed the grass and cleared undergrowth on the Plantation Palms Golf Course

Court records show debts have been a problem as at least two companies, John Deere Landscaping and Lake Master Aquatic Weed Control, filed lawsuits for nonpayment of services. Courts awarded judgments against MSJ.

There also was at least one lien from the Florida Department of Revenue, since paid off.

In prior interviews with The Laker/Lutz News, Ray told a reporter that the recession and bad weather limited the rounds of golf and hurt efforts to make the course a success.

County records show TLGFY, LLC- Capital One filed a tax deed for one of two parcels for the golf course on June 30. The application covers tax years 2012 through 2014. However, the tax deed likely won’t be sent to the Pasco County Clerk’s office until early 2016.

A second golf course parcel has delinquent taxes, also for 2012 through 2014. Tax certificates were issued, but county officials say if the 2012 taxes are paid, that would delay a potential filing of a tax deed on that parcel.

Those issues would be cleared away with the sale. “A new buyer can’t have clear title without that,” Rochlin said.

Surveys are posted on the website showing about 90 percent approval from residents who favor the sale. A meet-and-greet with Plantation Palms’ residents took place at Hampton Inn on Sept. 2. The Bring Back Our Course members met separately with residents of The Reserve, which has its own homeowners’ association.

Media reports highlight past unsuccessful efforts by Morgan to buy Waterville Golf Course in Cleveland, Tennessee, and Turkey Greek Golf Course in Gainesville. But according to the blog, Morgan addressed questions related to those ventures at the residents’ meeting.

In recent weeks, Morgan has hired landscapers to spruce up the course, mowing grass and clearing undergrowth.

Part of his management program for the course is to provide lawn services that would generate revenues to help with golf course operations.

Residents would choose a landscaper from a “preferred provider” list of companies that would work for Morgan, according to the blog.

“The primary focus is on selling landscaping services bundled with club memberships both inside and outside of Plantation Palms,” the blog states.

Published September 23, 2015

The Florida Wildlife Corridor Expeditions reveal Florida’s wild side

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Motorists zipping along Interstate 4 between Tampa and Orlando can’t see from their ribbon of asphalt how close they are to the wild side of Florida.

But the Green Swamp is all around.

Bear biologist Joe Guthrie snorkels at the Manatee Springs Park. In winter, manatees come to the spring in large numbers to enjoy its warm waters. (Photos courtesy of Carlton Ward Jr.)
Bear biologist Joe Guthrie snorkels at the Manatee Springs Park. In winter, manatees come to the spring in large numbers to enjoy its warm waters.
(Photos courtesy of Carlton Ward Jr.)

Often called the “liquid heart” of the state, the swamp is headwaters for four major rivers: Peace, Withlacoochee, Ocklawaha and Hillsborough.

Natural habitat, hiking trails, blueways and wildlife corridors spread across Polk, Lake, Sumter, Hernando and Pasco counties.

“This is wild Florida history in plain site,” said Carlton Ward Jr., a conservation photojournalist whose photographic art captures the beauty of the state’s wild side and its Cracker history of cowboys and ranches.

On Sept. 15, more than 100 people filled the Selby Auditorium on the campus of Saint Leo University for a presentation on the Florida Wildlife Corridor Expeditions, in 2012 and 2015.

Saint Leo’s School of Arts and Sciences, departments of Language Studies and the Arts, and Mathematics and Science sponsored the event.

Expedition members set up camp along the Apalachicola River, under a clear, star-studded night.
Expedition members set up camp along the Apalachicola River, under a clear, star-studded night.

“He is a very accomplished speaker, combining words and pictures that allow us to hear clearly the importance of conservation,” said Mary Spoto, the dean of Arts and Sciences. “It’s something good for our students to hear and also the public.”

The first expedition of 1,000 miles in 100 days traversed peninsular Florida from the Everglades National Park to the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge in southern Georgia.

The most recent expedition of 1,000 miles in 70 days began in January, following a path from central Florida, across the Panhandle to Alabama, ending at the Gulf Island National Seashore. Along the way “trail mixers” were held to invite the public to join in the trek.

The goal is to bring awareness about the need to protect and connect Florida’s rural lands, its waterways and the natural paths to habitats traveled by Florida’s diverse wildlife, including the Florida black bear and the Florida panther.

Ward sees his photographs as a way to connect art’s inspiration with science’s knowledge.

Nature photographer Carlton Ward Jr.
Nature photographer Carlton Ward Jr.

He collaborated with bear biologist Joe Guthrie and environmentalist Mallory Lykes Dimmitt on the “Florida Wildlife Expedition Corridor,” a book chronicling the 2012 expedition. A second book on the 2015 expedition will be published in November.

“I’ve always had a connection to conservation,” Ward said.

But he didn’t think of Florida first as his focus.

As a graduate student, he traveled on the first of nine trips to central and western Africa. But each time he came home, he noticed Florida’s changing landscape.

“There was a part of Florida that I knew was missing,” Ward said.

He began photographically to tell the story of Florida’s conservation through its cattle ranches, handed down through generations. He published “Florida Cowboys: Keepers of the Last Frontier” in 2009.

That multigenerational stewardship kept some of Florida’s wildlife habitats intact, said Ward, an eighth-generation Floridian.

“Some of the ranchers I’ve met are some of the best conservationists I know,” Ward said.

It was once possible, he said, to hike and camp for two to three nights without seeing a fence. But Florida’s population, which numbered about 2 million in the 1940s, is now about 20 million. Pressures from development are increasing, Ward said.

Early on the 10th day of the expedition, Carlton Ward Jr., set up his camera on shore and paddled along the Chassahowitzka River.
Early on the 10th day of the expedition, Carlton Ward Jr., set up his camera on shore and paddled along the Chassahowitzka River.

Research on the Florida black bear in 2010 revealed the disconnects along the wildlife corridors and the vast distances that are traveled during a life cycle.

A black bear, tagged with a GPS tracking collar and known as M34, went on a 500-mile walkabout through Florida from Sebring to nearly the Green Swamp in the Orlando area. The bear halted at I-4, in a location, where other species ended up as road kill trying to cross over to what should be natural habitat for bears.

But Ward said, “That bear couldn’t find a safe path to get there.”

Instead, it retreated southward somewhere near Fort Myers, where the collar automatically dropped off.

Ward remains optimistic, however, about the future.

“It doesn’t have to be this way,” Ward said. “We can accommodate a lot of people and sustain natural corridors.”

Wildlife underpasses and overpasses, for example, can preserve natural pathways and keep corridors connected.

“It’s not just about buying land,” he said. “It’s about incentivizing compatible land uses.”

His optimism springs also from the heroes he has met on the expeditions.

The Aucilla River flows from Georgia on the east side of Red Hills between Thomasville, Georgia, and Tallahassee.
The Aucilla River flows from Georgia on the east side of Red Hills between Thomasville, Georgia, and Tallahassee.

M.C. Davis, who died recently, created the Nokuse Plantation, which contains the largest pine leaf forest in the southeastern United States. Davis acquired more than 50,000 acres for his pine leaf restoration project, which borders Eglin Air Force Base in the Panhandle.

Davis partnered with Eglin and the Florida Department of Transportation to build three wildlife underpasses on U.S. 331.

Another hero is Kendall Schoelles, a third-generation oysterman. “That man is committed to a life from generations past,” Ward said.

In 2016, Ward said he would continue to focus efforts on preserving the wildlife corridor. One issue for Ward and other environmentalists is Amendment 1, which voters overwhelmingly approved in 2014. The constitutional amendment potentially could bring $700 million in real estate taxes into the state’s coffers to acquire conservation land.

However, lawmakers stirred controversy when they approved a budget with $88 million earmarked for land purchases.

“We have to stay loud about it for sure,” Ward said.

For information on the expeditions and the Florida Wildlife Corridor, visit FloridaWildlifeCorridor.org.

Published September 23, 2015