Kevin Weiss

Various issues surface during town hall meeting

August 31, 2016 By Kevin Weiss

East Pasco residents flocked to the Dade City Courthouse to meet face-to-face with Rep. Gus Bilirakis (FL-12); State Rep. Danny Burgess, R-San Antonio; and State Sen. Wilton Simpson, R-Trilby.

About 100 residents gathered inside the Board of County Commissioners meeting room on Aug. 22 to voice their thoughts and concerns with their local representatives via a question-and-answer style town hall meeting.

One topic broached extensively throughout the nearly three-hour session: greater veteran care.

A town hall meeting was held on Aug. 22 at the Dade City Courthouse. From left to right: State Sen. Wilton Simpson, U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis and State Rep. Danny Burgess. (Kevin Weiss/Staff Photos) — A town hall meeting was held on Aug. 22 at the Dade City Courthouse.
From left to right: State Sen. Wilton Simpson, U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis and State Rep. Danny Burgess.
(Kevin Weiss/Staff Photos)

One speaker voiced his concern about the increasing suicide rate amongst veterans, and the steps being taken to combat the epidemic.

The issue is a serious one, according to an August 2016 report by the U.S. Veterans Affairs Department that revealed a 32 percent increase in veteran suicides between 2001 and 2014. In 2014, veterans accounted for 18 percent of all adult suicides in the United States, with an average of 20 veteran suicides per day, according to the report.

Burgess suggested a possible solution is to have the state collaborate with federal partners to help fund more alternative therapeutic methods — hyperbaric oxygen therapy, yoga, and service dogs — for vets.

“It’s a staggering number of veterans that commit suicide regularly,” Burgess said. “They’re in combat, they’re overseas, they’re in horrible conditions, and then they come back home and that adjustment period, sometimes, is very difficult to make.”

Providing more jobs for veterans, too, is another prong to combat mental health issues, Burgess said.

“We have highly skilled, highly trained warriors coming back from overseas — let’s bridge the gap between their skills in the military and what they can do in the state of Florida,” he said.

About 100 constituents attended the question-and-answer style town hall, which lasted about three hours.

“We should make it easier for them to get licensed in the same skills that they’ve been trained for in the military,” Burgess said.

Bilirakis, vice chair of the U.S. House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, said funding needs to be better allocated toward high quality medical care for vets.

“We’ve got to make the VA stronger, but we’ve got to give our veterans options to seek private care if they wish,” Bilirakis said. “We need more veterans who are mental health counselors, and we need more diversified therapies within the VA. “Not one size fits all — that’s the problem with the VA,” he said.

Bilirakis noted there are still significant issues within the VA’s leadership structure, and its spending habits.

“We need to hold the VA accountable,” Bilirakis said. “We passed legislation to give the secretary the authority to fire individuals for not doing a good job — most of them are on the executive level.”

Another topic presented during the gathering were failures within the criminal justice system.

One speaker, a former inmate and drug user, shared her personal struggles within the prison system. She said that increasing diversionary and rehabilitation programs are, in some cases, more impactful than long-term incarceration in reducing recidivism rates.

The three politicians agreed that programs such as PACE Center for Girls and Bridges of America are examples of ways to help decrease the rate of repeat criminal behavior.

“Rehabilitation—we need to do more there,” Burgess said. “Some of the key factors to reducing recidivism is family and being close-knit within the community that you live in. We have a lot of lower-level, nonviolent offenders who are stuck in state prisons along with some very violent offenders, and sometimes that only puts them deeper within the criminal justice system.”

Simpson concurred: “You have to have that transition opportunity — to stop the cycle.”

He believes most people can be rehabilitated, especially youth.

Texting while driving was another area of focus during the meeting.

One speaker said the law, a secondary offense, needs to be harsher, especially in school zones.

Burgess agreed, but noted the initial passing of the “Florida Ban on Texting While Driving” was already a major hurdle, and bumping it up to a primary offense would be a significant challenge.

“We just need to keep plugging along,” Burgess said. “There needs to be something more done to curb that behavior. Texting while driving is becoming a growing problem.”

The problem is prolific, according to a Florida Highway Patrol report that revealed there were more than 45,000 crashes caused by distracted drivers in the state during 2015.

One of the most animated moments during the town hall occurred when one speaker, representing the group Save Southern Heritage, lambasted Simpson for endorsing the removal of the Confederate battle flag from the state’s official seal.

The state senator was unapologetic for his decision-making.

“I don’t make excuses for my votes,” Simpson said.

“I’m not going to support a symbol that is meant from such hatred to such a large part of our population,” Simpson added.

The Save Southern Heritage speaker also scolded Burgess for supporting the removal of the Confederate Gen. Edmund Kirby Smith’s statue in the U.S. Capitol.

The state representative buoyantly defended his action to remove Smith from the National Statuary Hall in Washington D.C.

“I respect our history, I respect our past,” Burgess said, but he added, “I don’t believe Gen. Kirby Smith represents the third-most populous state in our union,” Burgess said. “I believe there are so many other people that should represent us in our nation’s capitol.

Burgess said he stands by his vote and is excited to see who will be chosen, because the state has many great representatives, ranging from Henry Flagler, to Mary McLeod Bethune, to Walt Disney.

Published August 31, 2016

Saint Leo names public safety director

August 31, 2016 By Kevin Weiss

Cyrus Brown, a 30-plus year veteran of the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP), has been named Saint Leo University’s executive director of University Public Safety.

In this newly created position at Saint Leo, Brown will oversee safety and security for all of the university’s locations, including its more than 40 branch education centers and offices across the states of California, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas and Virginia.

Cyrus Brown has been named Saint Leo University’s executive director of University Public Safety. He will oversee safety and security for all of the university’s locations, including its more than 40 branch education centers and offices across seven states. (Photos courtesy of Saint Leo University) — Cyrus Brown has been named Saint Leo University’s executive director of University Public Safety. He will oversee safety and security for all of the university’s locations, including its more than 40 branch education centers and offices across seven states.
(Photos courtesy of Saint Leo University)

Brown, who most recently served as an associate director of Public Safety at Bethune-Cookman University in Daytona Beach, plans to perform safety and security assessments at all of Saint Leo’s locations.

“…We’re going to ensure that we have a continuity of public safety across all of Saint Leo’s educational centers,” Brown said. “They’re on the right track, and I’m very pleased with what I’m seeing so far — it’s just a matter of continuing to identify ways to improve what we’re doing. When it comes to public safety, there’s always new technologies that are coming out, so I’m continuing to scan to see what’s out there and what we can do better.”

Crime rates for the university’s main campus in East Pasco County are relatively low.

According to Saint Leo’s 2015-2016 annual security report, there were no reported cases of on-campus robbery, burglary, aggravated assault or motor vehicle theft in 2014.

However, there was one on-campus sex offense and two cases of stalking on campus, records show.

Drug and alcohol abuse were the most common incidents on the university’s main campus, which has about 2,400 students enrolled for the 2016 fall semester.

Records show there were five on-campus arrests for drug abuse violations and 13 disciplinary referrals for drug abuse in 2014. Though no arrests were reported for alcohol-related offenses, there were 288 on-campus disciplinary referrals for liquor law violations.

Saint Leo University’s main campus, in East Pasco County, has about 2,400 students enrolled for the 2016 fall semester.

To further combat crime at Saint Leo, the former Florida Highway Patrol official is encouraging students, faculty and visitors to report any suspicious activity they may come across.

“See something, say something, no matter how small it is,” Brown said. “I think it takes all of us working together, to keep all of us at the university safer.

“The last thing you want is students to be concerned about their safety.”

Brown said his experience working in campus safety at Bethune-Cookman will serve him well in his new role, especially in terms of understanding the dynamics of the university environment.

He noted that Saint Leo’s rural setting is more ideal in detaining an active threat, compared to a university located in a metropolitan area, like Bethune-Cookman.

“If you ask me, Saint Leo is the ideal campus,” Brown said. “The way things are situated, in an urban setting, you’re dealing with everything in a compact environment, but in a rural setting, it’s so wide open…and you can keep a handle on things a lot better.”

Brown, who officially started Aug. 1, said he’s been impressed with the procedures of the campus security and safety department thus far.

“They do a great job of preserving the peace, they do a great job in terms of interacting with students, faculty and even our visitors,” he said. “When it comes to the public safety side, they’re really doing a tremendous job in moving us in the right direction.”

Additional areas Brown is focusing on: more staff training and more correspondence with local law enforcement agencies, such as the Pasco Sheriff’s Office and the Dade City Police Department.

That includes a better familiarity with the main campus’s various entry and exit points, should an active threat arise.

“We’re constantly doing training,” he said, “so they can get a real-life understanding of each of the buildings and the layout of the campus.”

He added: “We have to stay out in front of (possible threats), and we do that through constantly providing training and keeping it fresh on everyone’s minds.”

Q&A:
Why are you interested in law enforcement?
“I guess it goes back to when I was in high school, my interest was to go into criminal justice. I did that through the community college level and then went into the U.S. Army, where I served for three years.”

Why did you want to work in public safety at the university level?
“I wanted to do something in the university perspective in terms of law enforcement or public safety because I feel that’s where my strong points are. I’ve done a lot to prepare for it in terms of the training I’ve received in law enforcement and also the educational aspect of it.

“All of my training, it takes me back to public safety or law enforcement. So, it was an excellent opportunity for me to look at the public safety side of things, and I find it quite intriguing. It’s a little different than law enforcement.”

What’s the difference between law enforcement and public safety?
“If a situation were to go down, such as an active threat or active shooter (on campus), the law enforcement agency will come in and take a leadership role in terms of trying to get that situation resolved. Public safety — we just detain and get law enforcement to deal with the active threat.”

How does your law enforcement background help you in this new role?
“Throughout my law enforcement career, I was able to establish relationships with other law enforcement agencies like the sheriff’s department and the local police department, and I think that helps, too, when it comes to public safety — sitting at the table, working through mutual concerns from both sides. I think with my experience and those network relationships, it’s been a smooth transition for me.”

Cyrus Brown bio
Cyrus Brown holds a Bachelor of Science from Barry University and a Master of Science the University of Central Florida. He also has extensive law enforcement training. He’s graduate from the FBI National Academy, the Southern Police Institute at the University of Louisville and the Leadership in Police Organizations program of the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP).
He also has considerable law enforcement experience. He was a trooper for the Florida Highway Patrol (1984 to 1988), a lieutenant with the FHP (1990 to 1994), a captain with the FHP (1994 to 2009) and a major with the FHP (2009 to 2015).

Published August 31, 2016

Local man was ‘Destined to Serve’

August 31, 2016 By Kevin Weiss

Whether in law enforcement, military or ministry, Barry White has always been destined to serve.

In 2014, the Land O’ Lakes resident detailed his 37-plus years in public service in a self-published 218-page memoir, “Destined to Serve.”

Barry White
(Photos courtesy of Barry White)

In the book, White chronicles key moments during his work for the Tampa Police Department, the Florida Wildlife Commission and the U.S. Army.

“It’s really about what I think are some very interesting things that happened to me or around me when I was in law enforcement or when I was an army chaplain,” White, 67, said. “A lot of the stories — especially the ones where I was in law enforcement — are very usable in some messages to drive home a point or an illustration.”

Some tales are exciting, some comical. Some are sad and others, heartbreaking.

Most of the book’s 17 chapters focus on his military experience, most of which he described as “super rewarding.”

His duties as an army chaplain took him to places like Guantanamo Bay— “a really unique experience”— and Seoul, Korea— “a neat place.”

Yet, the most challenging portion of the book to write, he said, focused on delivering military death notifications. As an army chaplain, he was required to inform next of kin when a loved one had passed away.

He figures he delivered about a dozen — “a dozen too many”— death notifications in his 23 years as a chaplain.

Barry White served as a soldier-chaplain in the U.S. Army for 23 years, before retiring in 2010. A majority of the book focuses on his time in the U.S. Army.

“It’s the last thing in the world I want to do,” White said. “I honestly and truly would rather be involved in some sort of a (police) shootout — as long as I have protection—than to have to experience those types of emotions. Just imagine having to go tell somebody — it’s just a very difficult thing to do.”

In fact, the emotion of telling people their loved ones had passed away was the most difficult he ever experienced in his career, White said.

“I’d rather have to do law enforcement than to go back and do that again,” he said.

The most enjoyable chapters to write centered on his years in police work, and when he worked as a state wildlife officer, patrolling the Tsala Apopka Chain and the Withlacoochee River.

“The Florida Wildlife Commission was a lot of fun,” he said. “You’re outdoors all the time, and even in hot Florida, you’re out there among nature.”

White noted that being a state wildlife officer was “definitely less stressful” than his three years in the Tampa Police Department.

Barry White also worked as a state wildlife officer from 1977-1979.

“We didn’t have that many problems,” he said about working as a state wildlife officer. …“Even if you catch someone doing a crime — like shining (a light) at night — usually you were on top of them before they even knew it. There’s adrenaline, but it was a good kind of adrenaline, whereas the police department, you were scared because there could be a riot, a gang or a bunch of folks who were all drunk, and you had no backup.”

He continued: “Times have changed in law enforcement, but even then, there’s moments where you’re right in the middle of something and it’s like, ‘What am I doing here?’ It wasn’t so much that I hated the (police officer) job, but there were fears there.”

White now presides over funerals at the Florida National Cemetery in Bushnell. He also fills in as a chaplain on Holland America cruise line.

Destined to Serve can be ordered on Amazon.com.

Q&A with Barry White, author of ‘Destined to Serve’
How did you get interested in law enforcement?
“I was inspired to go into the (Tampa) police department by my brother, so I really started getting the bug. …I think by end of my three years in the police department, I was already getting a little burned out. I wasn’t as happy there as I thought I’d be. I met some very good friends, one of which was a state wildlife officer, and he helped get me excited about that.”

Did you experience a lot of negativity as a law enforcement officer, particularly working with the TPD?
“Just individual times. When you were in certain neighborhoods, there was definitely animosity. My problem was that my heart is too big. That’s one reason why I wasn’t happy. It seemed like the officers that I worked with, if they had a particularly difficult person, they’d call me. It didn’t always work, but sometimes it did because I just had a way of connecting. But, that also can cause you a lot of problems, too. Like today, it’s so hard to let your guard down.”

How different is the Tampa area today since your family moved here in the mid-to-late 1950s?
“There was nothing out here. We used to go camping where the (University of South Florida’s) Sun Dome is. It used to be a big borrow pit where they took lime rock out, and we would go camping there. That’s where we did hikes as Boy Scouts. USF had two buildings when we moved here. Even here in Land O’ Lakes, between Collier Parkway and Camp Indianhead Road, there’s now a subdivision that used to be a camp.”

Barry White bio
Barry White was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee in 1948. He moved to Tampa in 1957 and served in the U.S. Navy from 1967-1971. He worked for the Tampa Police Department, 1974 to 1977; was a state wildlife officer from 1977 to 1979; and, was a soldier-chaplain for the U.S. Army from 1987 to 2010.

Published August 31, 2016

Land O’ Lakes Christian soccer standout notches four goals

August 31, 2016 By Kevin Weiss

Paul Wei (No. 4) (Courtesy of Mark Zabilowicz) — Paul Wei (No. 4)
(Courtesy of Mark Zabilowicz)

Paul Wei, senior soccer player at Land O’ Lakes Christian School, scored four goals against Inverness Christian Academy on Aug. 18. He followed up that feat by netting three goals on Aug. 19 against Ruskin Christian School. The Eagles are 2-1 as of Aug. 23.

Gaither football standout commits to FSU

August 31, 2016 By Kevin Weiss

DeCalon Brooks (Courtesy of 247Sports) — DeCalon Brooks
(Courtesy of 247Sports)

Gaither High School senior linebacker DeCalon Brooks has verbally committed to play football for the Florida State University Seminoles. The 5-foot-10, 197-pound Brooks — the son of NFL Hall of Famer and Tampa Bay Buccaneers legend Derrick Brooks — is widely considered one of the top prep players in all of Tampa. In 2015, Brooks led Gaither in tackles (114), and was second on the team in tackles for loss (12) and sacks (5.0).

In an interview with 247 Sports, the Gaither High standout said FSU coaches told him they were impressed with his versatility on defense.

“They talked to me about playing strong safety and outside linebacker,” Brooks told 247 Sports. “That hybrid, third down backer that they can keep in the game instead of taking a linebacker out. They like me there and strong safety.”

The consensus three-star recruit also had offers from eight other Division I programs, including the University of Louisville and the University of South Florida.

Pasco Stars take home the gold!

August 31, 2016 By Kevin Weiss

The Pasco Stars won a gold medal on Aug. 21 at the 2016 Special Olympics North America Softball Invitational in Roanoke, Virginia. In the team’s quest to win the gold medal, it defeated teams from Maryland, Texas, Canada, Virginia, Illinois, and Pennsylvania. Thirty-two softball teams from across the United States and Canada competed in the annual three-day tournament.

Wesley Chapel boys golf tops rival

August 31, 2016 By Kevin Weiss

The Wesley Chapel High School boys golf team defeated Wiregrass Ranch by eight strokes (160 to 168) in their first match of the season at Quail Hollow Golf Course on Aug. 23. Wesley Chapel senior David Lee paced the Wildcats with a match-low 37, followed by Tyler Rover (39), Jarrod Smith (41) and Ben Wolfman (43).

Saint Leo women’s lacrosse adds assistant

August 31, 2016 By Kevin Weiss

Marial Pierce, a former Division I lacrosse player at Monmouth (New Jersey) University, has been added to the Saint Leo University’s women’s lacrosse coaching staff as an offensive assistant and recruiting/academic coordinator.

Pierce, a 2016 Monmouth graduate, was a two-time first-team All-Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) in 2015 and 2016, finishing her career with 151 points (97 goals, 54 assists).

“We are really excited to have Marial join our staff,” head coach Lesley Graham said, in a release. “As a recent graduate, she will bring a lot of enthusiasm and energy to the program. She finished her playing career as a standout athlete, and that will help translate to the competitive edge we are looking to bring this season.”

Saint Leo finished 3-12 last season.

Sunlake High football receives AP poll votes

August 31, 2016 By Kevin Weiss

The Sunlake High School Seahawks are receiving votes in the Associated Press Florida high school football poll for Class 6A. Armwood (ranked second) is the only other Tampa Bay area team either in the poll, or receiving votes. Sunlake has won at least eight games every year since 2010.

PHSC women’s cross country preview capsule

August 31, 2016 By Kevin Weiss

The Pasco-Hernando State College women’s cross country team looks to build off last year’s success after it finished eighth in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA)Half-Marathon Nationals in Levelland, Texas, and 31st in the 5K at the NJCAA Division 1 National Championship in Fort Dodge, Iowa. The team’s first 2016 meet is at the College of DuPage Invitational on Sept. 2 in Warrenville, Illinois.

According to head coach Jacqueline Wachtel, the team is seeking a top-20 finish at nationals.

Top returnees:

Charlene Sanchez, sophomore (19:49 5K)
Cynthia Negron, sophomore (20:57)
Marffee Simbulan, sophomore (21:57)

Top incoming freshman:

Kylyn Burbine (Central High School)
Aaleigah Knight (Pine Forest High School)
Annaliese Besaw (Nature Coast Technical High)