The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

Michael Hinman

Vandalism blocks opening of new Zephyrhills restaurant

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A successful restaurant near the Florida State Fairgrounds wants to expand into Zephyrhills, but nearly $40,000 in much-needed repair work on the new location could kill the deal.

The Zephyrhills City Council, meeting as the Community Redevelopment Agency, could approve a measure that would give Michael and Laura Andrews a chance to open a Smokehouse B-B-Q & Grill at 5740 Seventh St.

The Andrews want to take over the space formerly occupied by Pancho Villa’s Mexican Restaurant, and purchased the 36-year-old building for $95,000, according to county property records. The property sold in 2003 for $250,000, and was being sold as part of a short sale, according to a June letter from Rebecca Gaddis, a vice president at San Antonio Citizens Federal Credit Union.

The Andrews tried to get a Small Business Administration loan to help cover the purchase cost of the building and complete the major repairs, but the the condition of the building made that impossible, Gaddis said.

“The down payment, closing costs and required repairs will exhaust the available capital the Andrews currently have,” Gaddis said in her letter. “The opening of Smokehouse B-B-Q & Grill Inc., would be delayed, while the furniture and needed equipment to operate the business are purchased over time. ”

Gaddis added the restaurant could create 25 to 30 new jobs for Zephyrhills, and remove a vacant storefront from the city’s downtown.

Smokehouse B-B-Q was started in 2004 on U.S. 301, one mile north of Interstate 4 in Tampa, Gaddis said. Although revenue has steadily increased over the past few years, the Andrews felt they had reached their capacity at their current location, and wanted to add a second one.

The CRA is set to meet Aug. 11 at 5:30 p.m., at Zephyrhills City Hall, 5335 Eighth St.

Local Congressional districts should remain unchanged

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Florida lawmakers are back in Tallahassee for a special session this week after a judge in Leon County declared the boundaries for two Congressional districts were unconstitutional.

Congressional districts in the Tampa Bay area will likely remain unchanged if a proposed redistricting map is approved.
Congressional districts in the Tampa Bay area will likely remain unchanged if a proposed redistricting map is approved.

The districts, located in the Jacksonville and Orlando areas, were deemed by Florida Circuit Court Judge Terry Lewis to be illegal, and ordered those districts to be redrawn immediately. A proposed map from a select House committee, however, does not appear to significantly change any of the Congressional districts in Pasco and Hillsborough counties.

The fifth district is represented by Democrat Corrine Brown of Jacksonville, while the 10th district is represented by Republican Daniel Webster of Winter Garden.

The 10th district borders District 15, currently represented by Dennis Ross, R-Lakeland, which dips into the northern parts of Hillsborough, including the Lutz area. The proposed revision does not appear to make any changes to the shared border between the two districts.

The House committee is led by Rep. Richard Corcoran, R-Land O’ Lakes, and met Thursday afternoon to draft a new map. Lawmakers are expected to meet again Friday, and possibly into next week, to finish redrawing the lines.

In a joint statement from Senate president Don Gaetz and House speaker Will Weatherford on Monday, lawmakers accused the court of trying to disrupt the current election process.

“Florida’s supervisors of elections have raised serious concerns over changing the elections process at this late date,” the two said in a statement.

The NAACP, they said, also expressed concerned, saying that the get-out-the-vote infrastructure would not be in place for the new districts once those lines are drawn. “Voters who face challenges to political participation — be it financial, job scheduling, transportation or other impediments — will be irreparably harmed by conducting the election at a time where that infrastructure does not exist,” the organization said, according to lawmakers.

Also more than 1 million absentee ballots already have been mailed both to Floridians and military service members overseas, Gaetz and Weatherford said. Those ballots were based on the district boundaries before the court’s ruling that they had to change.

“We intend to vigorously defend the integrity and validity of Floridians’ votes that have already been cast, and that will be cast in the upcoming election,” the two Tallahassee leaders said.

Homeowners worry about value drain from golf course

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In the three months since the links at Plantation Palms Golf Club closed, a homeowners association has been left powerless, and confused neighbors listen to any rumor they can about the fate of the 156-acre course.

A small party tent, which once provided shade to golfers near the clubhouse, now sits neglected, its dirty canopy flapping in the wind. Equipment that used to keep the greens pristine is buried in overgrown grass.

Golfers have been replaced with wildlife along the Plantation Palms Golf Club, which has been deserted since MJS Golf Group closed the course last May. (Michael Hinman/Staff Photo)
Golfers have been replaced with wildlife along the Plantation Palms Golf Club, which has been deserted since MJS Golf Group closed the course last May.
(Michael Hinman/Staff Photo)

One hole, not far from the entrance, still sports a small flag, desperately calling attention to golfers who may never come.

Patty Stach doesn’t play golf, but the deserted course has become a nightmare for her. She’s ready to move to a new town, but she can’t even put her Plantation Palms house up for sale because of what’s happening just a block or so away.

“If you’re a golfer, it affects your way of life,” she said. “But even if you’re not a golfer, it affects the value of your home. Who would want to buy into a community where the golf course looks like this?”

Mitch Osceola, Jayson Ray and Steve McDonald — collectively known as MJS Golf Group LLC — bought the course in 2011 through a $2.2 million loan from Native American Bank of Denver. All three have Native American roots: Osceola is a Florida Seminole, Ray is from the Klamath Modoc tribe of Oregon, and McDonald from the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation of Kansas.

Despite their different upbringings, they found common ground in golf. Osceola, Ray and McDonald realized their dream to own a golf course when a Vero Beach developer decided to sell a course they built in the heart of Land O’ Lakes.

“We’ve got big ideas for Plantation Palms that will help the HOA grow as well,” Ray told The Laker at the time.

But now, the ownership is quiet. They haven’t communicated with the HOA, and they didn’t return a message seeking comment from The Laker. The doors that used to welcome golfers are now adorned with a citation from the Pasco County code enforcement office, demanding the grass get cut.

Dave Brooks, a former member of the HOA and a longtime member of the club, says there’s nothing the community can do except wait for something to happen.

“It’s frustrating that the course is in such bad shape, and it’s frustrating that we can’t play the course,” he said. “But at the same time, there’s not much we can do. It’s a privately owned golf course.”

After the May closing, the HOA president David Gunsteens told residents to stay off the course, and that he would close the front gates to the community during the day to stop people from coming in trying to get free trips around the links. Each month, he would update residents on what’s happening with the golf course in the community’s newsletter — at least as much as he could with the little information he had.

“Once again this month, I have to report that we still have no word on the status of the golf course,” Gunsteens wrote in the most recent newsletter. “We continue to attempt to obtain permission from the course owners in order to do some basic mowing in some of the more visible areas, but have continued to be unsuccessful in that area.”

If the county does have to come in and mow, it could make the property even more difficult to sell or bring back online. Especially since the cost to just maintain a 30-foot buffer from neighboring properties would be in the thousands of dollars, said Joaquin Servia, the county’s code enforcement manager.

“The government isn’t really equipped to deal with a situation like that,” Servia said. “It’s such a large area, and there’s no way that any government is going to be able to maintain a golf course like that to the standards that people would really expect.”

The county has three other golf courses that also are in limbo, Servia said. However, the owners at those are doing at least the bare minimum to keep code enforcers at bay.

If the county does come in and do work, they will lien the property, which will make it that much more expensive to sell.

The biggest rumors circulating around the community are that at least two groups — including one led by a resident — have tried to make offers on the golf course, but neither have received a response from Native American Bank. None of those rumors could be verified, and Joel Smith, a senior vice president and chief credit officer for the financial institution, didn’t return a call seeking comment.

However, a receptionist who answered the phone at the bank said they have received a number of calls from people asking about the course.

One way or the other, something needs to happen soon, because Stach says she’s ready to leave.

“It’s a beautiful community, and everybody loves it. It would just be nice to have the golf course up and running,” she said. “Nobody can move right now. We’re all kind of stuck. And as that grass gets deeper and deeper, we’re starting to realize it might be a while.”

Published August 6, 2014

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Let them go?

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It pretty much started when John Gallagher was caught in heavy traffic on Interstate 75.

The morning rush is exactly that, the morning rush. But Gallagher, then the Pasco County administrator, realized that these were primarily people who lived in his county, but were heading south to work jobs in Hillsborough and even Pinellas counties.

More than half the residents of Pasco County hop in their cars each morning and drive across the county line for jobs in places such as Hillsborough and Pinellas counties. (Michael Hinman/Staff Photo)
More than half the residents of Pasco County hop in their cars each morning and drive across the county line for jobs in places such as Hillsborough and Pinellas counties.
(Michael Hinman/Staff Photo)

From that time forward, Pasco County made it a priority to develop policy that not only encouraged people to find homes in the county, but to work here as well. That meant working to attract high-wage jobs to the area with efforts like tax incentives, and removing some of the red tape involved in locating a business in the county.

Ken Littlefield, a former state representative who is running for Pasco County Commission, may bring a completely different perspective to the dais if he’s elected, however.

“A lot of people see 60,000 to 80,000 people leaving Pasco to go to work in Hillsborough or Pinellas counties as a negative. But I’m not sure about that,” Littlefield said. “It’s like they are working in the mine. They are bringing the gold back to Pasco, and they are spending that money here. When that money is spent here, there is economic growth that is taking place.”

Littlefield shared those views during a candidate forum last week at Keystone Community Church in Land O’ Lakes, hosted by the Central Pasco and Trinity-Odessa chambers of commerce. Other candidates seeking the same seat on the commission quickly rebuked his remarks.

“When I think about a premier county, I think about jobs in that county,” said Mike Moore, who is facing Littlefield for the Republican nomination.

Money, he said, doesn’t necessarily come back home. Especially since people spend a lot of time at work, and spending money around their jobs.

“There was a time that I worked outside the area quite often, and I would fill my gas tank on the way home in another county,” Moore said. “I would shop in the afternoon — guess where, in another county. Guess where I ate breakfast? Another county.”

Pasco residents spend an average of 30 minutes on the road commuting to work, compared to 26 minutes for residents living in Hillsborough, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Two decades ago, that commute time was 24 minutes, and despite advancements like the widening of I-75, U.S. 41 and the construction of the Suncoast Parkway, the time it takes to get to work is just going up for Pasco residents.

It’s something county leaders still want to curb, especially since Pasco ranks as one of the worst commute times in the state, spending the equivalent of three full work weeks, and a bit of overtime, behind the wheel each year.

“That’s valuable time, and time is money,” said James Edwards, the transportation manager with Pasco’s Metropolitan Planning Organization.

But it’s not just sales tax the county collects from having more business here, but other ways of producing more money inside the county as well.

“Basically, the big (economic) payoff is at the other end of their trip, which is where they are employed,” Edwards said. “The intent is to build that employment base within your own county, so that you capture the best of all worlds.”

How can the county keep more workers here? Find companies willing to pay higher wages, said another county commission candidate, Bob Robertson. He cited a report from the National Bureau of Labor Statistics that showed the average weekly wage in Pasco was $624, while it was well above $800 in Hillsborough and Pinellas.

“I live in Pasco and work in Pasco,” the Zephyrhills financial analyst said. “When you have a chance to make 30 to 35 percent more, it’s no wonder more people drive south.”

Making it worse, Robertson said, is the fact any educated work force Pasco develops ends up moving away.

“We are hearing about kids who are coming out of school, and they are not going to Hillsborough or Pinellas. They are going to Atlanta, or they are going somewhere else altogether,” he said. “That is not a good thing for Pasco County.”

Sandy Graves, who chairs the government affairs committee at the Central Pasco Chamber, said a lot of what’s needed is patience.

“I am happy that people have jobs and choose to live here in Pasco, because that is the reality of the situation at present,” she said in an email. “There is no doubt that Hillsborough and Pinellas have the commercial economic base that supplies those jobs for many that live here, but our county needs to prepare for the natural growth of businesses that will move northward in the future.”

However, Erika Remsberg — the lone Democrat seeking to replace Pat Mulieri on the county commission — believes there is something the county can do right now: invest in small businesses.

“We should be putting 75 percent of our economic development money into small business,” Remsberg said. “It’s a lot less expensive, and can have more of an impact. Just think, if they all added just one job, we would have 3,000 more jobs in Pasco County.”

Any change to scale back the need to commute will take a while, the MPO’s Edwards said.

“It’s going to take a long time to change it, probably 15 to 20 years to change that dynamic,” Edwards said. “But at the end of the day, it’s really a revenue-based decision, and what’s good for the employment sector is good for the county.”

Published August 6, 2014

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County’s vo-tech program needs some TLC, Luikart says

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After spending decades as a teacher and administrator in Pasco County Schools, Steve Luikart was ready to enjoy retirement. That is, until a letter to the editor in an area newspaper caught the attention of his wife, Nancy, and his life would never be the same.

Steve Luikart feels he’s earned another term on the school board, especially since there’s still much work to do on the district’s vocational technical program. (Courtesy of Pasco County Schools)
Steve Luikart feels he’s earned another term on the school board, especially since there’s still much work to do on the district’s vocational technical program.
(Courtesy of Pasco County Schools)

“The letter writer wanted to know when someone with the background and experience in the school system would run for the school board,” Luikart said. “My wife got me up at 5:30 that morning and made me read it. ‘Do you know what I’m saying?’ she asked me. I said, ‘Yes, I do.’”

Later that week, Luikart was in the supervisor of elections office, filing paperwork to run for school board, a seat he won in 2010 with 45 percent of the vote in a three-person race. Since then, Luikart has called himself a representative of the men and women who work in the school system, providing a voice he says they may not have otherwise.

“I know how the teachers feel, and how the custodians feel, and how the cafeteria and support staff feel,” he said. “I have worked with all those folks for so long, I can bring a different perspective when some of these things come up” on the board.

Luikart championed the opening of health clinics across the county that he said not only helps keep employees healthy, but saves the school district money in medical costs. Luikart also pushed for a program led by England’s University of Cambridge that provides accelerated methods of academic study, as well as an aeronautics program at Sunlake High School.

“One of my main goals, if I’m re-elected, is to look at our vocational technical programs and get more involved,” Luikart said. “I want to find out more what the students and the community need, because we need to be able to train our students who are not going on to college, and who are not getting higher paid jobs coming out of high school.”

The vo-tech programs have been something close to Luikart’s heart in his more than three decades as an educator. He was a second-generation graduate of Gulf High School in New Port Richey, and returned to the high school after college to become an educator.

Luikart’s first job was as a work experience coordinator and he focused on freshmen who were at high risk of eventually dropping out of school. He would work with them to make sure they had the necessary life skills to succeed on their own, including how to fill out job applications and to balance a checkbook.

“The expectation was that just about 8 (percent) to 10 percent would actually stay in school and graduate,” Luikart said. “I didn’t take what I did lightly, and my graduation rate was actually closer to 60 (percent) to 70 percent, and the state came in and adopted my curriculum elsewhere.”

Whenever Luikart travels around the country, he visits various vo-tech programs, looking for ideas. He realized in observing those programs, Pasco’s vocational technical programs are falling short.

“They are nowhere close to the levels they should be at,” he said. “We have to make sure that when these students graduate, they will get two steps in front of the average guy. We need to expand some of the programs that we’re offering.”

Luikart also wants to break out various career academies so that they are more centralized and accessible to students across the country, and not just specifically with a high school, like the culinary academy at Land O’ Lakes High School.

“If I’m at Sunlake, I have to drive over to Land O’ Lakes High School and try to enroll in it,” Luikart said. “If these academies were part of the Marchman Technical Education Center, it would become more economically viable from the district’s standpoint.”

Luikart says he wants his next four years to be like the last four on the board, and that starts with listening to everyone affected by the board’s decisions.

“I don’t rule with a heavy hand,” he said. “I rule with the people.”

STEVE LUIKART
Non-partisan candidate for Pasco County School Board, District 5

OCCUPATION
Retired administrator, Pasco County Schools

ELECTED OFFICE
Pasco County School Board, 2010

FAMILY
Nancy Luikart, wife
Steve Luikart, son
Jamie Golubeff, daughter
Shawna Luikart, daughter

RESIDENCE
New Port Richey, lifelong

FUNDRAISING
through July 25
$9,786

Published August 6, 2014

See this story in print: Click Here

Yacht says school district needs protection from itself

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It’s not uncommon to find education leaders with the “doctor” title before their name. But Marc Yacht is not one of those kinds of doctors. He’s actually a medical doctor, the retired director of the Pasco County Health Department.

Health in education is important to Marc Yacht, but so is protecting public education from those who want to privatize all of it. (Courtesy of Marc Yacht)
Health in education is important to Marc Yacht, but so is protecting public education from those who want to privatize all of it.
(Courtesy of Marc Yacht)

And he now wants to lend his medical knowledge and experience to Pasco County Schools as a member of the school board.

“I’m advocating for more nursing services in the schools, since many children now have chronic medical problems that require more attention,” Yacht said. “I also would like to offer my expertise when it comes to health policy issues that come before the school board. That’s a big one for me, and something we haven’t really had since Marge Whaley left a number of years ago.”

However, Yacht is not looking to just address medical needs in the school district. He also wants to rein in what he says is the district’s out-of-control dependence on charter schools and voucher credits, which eats money that could’ve otherwise been spent on improving public schools.

“We are No. 43 nationally when it comes to public schools,” Yacht said. “We are so low on the list for funding, it really concerns me when money is being drained from public schools for charter schools.”

More than 87 percent of voucher credits, he said, are going to religious schools.

“That is a Constitutional issue for me,” Yacht said. “I am a 100 percent advocate for public education, and I feel no Florida tax dollar should go to religious or private schools. Yet, I’m hearing no voices about this. I’m not hearing anything from school boards or superintendents addressing concerns about how significant tax dollars are being drained.”

Teachers also are getting unfairly blamed for a school’s poor performance, Yacht said.

“We do not understand the problem that children have when they are coming into a school,” he said. “Much of it is poverty, and they don’t have the resources others do. And our teachers are being demoralized by all this, plus they haven’t received a raise for five years, so that’s not helping much either.”

One thing that Yacht hopes to share with fellow board members, if elected, is to be more open-minded to the concerns brought to them by the community. Far too often, it seems the board has made up its mind in advance, and what parents and students feel is usually left on the table.

The worst example, he says, was when the school board decided last year to allow a cell tower to be built at Seven Oaks Elementary School in Wesley Chapel.

“Parents came before the school board and really addressed concerns,” Yacht said. “They didn’t just come mad, they came with information. More than 50 of them spoke in front of the school board. But still, in the end, there were four votes for the cell tower, and only one against.”

Yacht isn’t sure a cell tower would actually have long-term health effects on students learning near it, but it just didn’t need to happen.

“There are lots of places to put a cell tower, so why do you need to put it on school grounds?” he said.

The school board also needs to refocus some of its attention on the larger issues affecting the county, Yacht said. Far too often, time is wasted in areas it shouldn’t be.

“The school board deals with a lot of minutiae, like when a teacher needs to get disciplined or a child apologizes for bad behavior,” Yacht said. “They are getting involved, and it’s kind of like Nero fiddling while Rome is burning. They are looking at smaller issues when the house is falling down.”

Yacht’s focus is to protect the very education system he says is being threatened by the push of privatization. And he’s ready to do that from a spot on the school board.

“We have to start looking at the larger issues, because if we don’t, public schools are going to be gone,” Yacht said. “That is the agenda of this (state) government, and we can’t let it happen.”

MARC YACHT
Non-partisan candidate for Pasco County School Board, District 5 

OCCUPATION
Retired director, Pasco County Health Department

FAMILY
Helen Yacht, wife
Philip Yacht, son
Becky Yhap, daughter
Susan Michelle Hinkle, daughter

RESIDENCE
Hudson, since 1987

FUNDRAISING
through Aug. 1
$3,953

Published August 6, 2014

See this story in print: Click Here

Business Digest 08-06-14

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(MIchael Hinman/Staff Photo)
(MIchael Hinman/Staff Photo)

Lowe’s Rising
The walls are now up on the long-awaited Lowe’s, being constructed on 42 acres of land on State Road 54 just east of Land O’ Lakes Boulevard. The 152,000-square-foot store is expected to open by winter, bringing 125 jobs to the area. The store was originally planned to open in 2009, but the poor economy pushed it back a few years.

Chambers consider merger
The Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce has opened up talks with the New Tampa Chamber of Commerce with the idea that the two could explore “integrating membership” of the two chambers. The goal, Wesley Chapel chamber executive director Hope Allen said, would be to “build a strong organization focused on membership development, community development and economic development in the New Tampa/Wesley Chapel area.”

The Wesley Chapel chamber’s board of directors have appointed a task force to explore the logistics and benefits of a merger, and are now conducting a due diligence review, Allen said.

“While discussions are still in their infancy, we are always interested in reviewing partnerships that enhance our business community,” Allen said, in a statement. “After the task force completes its review, the next step is to engage a broader pool of people in the discussion, including current chamber members and community leaders.”

The New Tampa chamber, founded in 2009, has a little more than 100 members. The Wesley Chapel chamber was founded in 1998, and maintains about 460 members.

It’s not clear how big a new combined chamber would be, since some businesses are members of both chambers.

A decision is expected by October.

RN job fair
Florida Hospital Zephyrhills will host an experienced RN job fair Aug. 7 from noon to 5 p.m., in the hospital’s main lobby.

Hiring managers will be on hand to try and recruit registered nurses for the hospital.

Those who apply for an open RN position before the fair can receive a welcome gift, as well as learn about open opportunities and sign-on bonuses.

New owner with Jan’s Wines & Boos II
Norma Ruckey, along with her daughter Kristen Ruckey and son T.J. Ruckey, have purchased Jan’s Wines & Boos II at 19233 N. Dale Mabry Highway in Lutz.

The location offers wine as well as a full-service bar with beer and a wide range of liquor and gourmet cheese trays.

It is open Monday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Fridays and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to midnight. It’s open Sundays from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.

For information, call (813) 948-0619.

Pep Boys coming to Lutz
Construction is set to begin soon on a new Pep Boys automobile service shop on State Road 54, just blocks from Collier Parkway in Lutz.

The company is planning a 5,500-square-foot service and tire center with six service bays, according to spokeswoman Lizabeth Galantino, and will hire six people.

The land is located on the corner of State Road 54 and Catfish Lake Lane, and is currently owned by Jerry and Linda Newton of Indian Rocks Beach, according to county property records. The Newtons purchased the 1.6 acres of vacant land in 2005 for $875,000.

This would be the area’s first Pep Boys location, complementing the closest one on North Dale Mabry Highway just north of Ehrlich Road.

Pep Boys recently remodeled many of its stores, removing a lot of the sterile garage environment many locations were known for, and replacing them with lounges that include flat-screen televisions, a beverage station, and free high-speed Wi-Fi access.

The Philadelphia-based company, founded in 1921, has nearly 800 locations nationwide.

Construction jobs slowly climbing
The number of construction jobs available in the greater Tampa Bay market rose 3 percent in June compared to what it was a year ago to 58,600 workers. Yet, when compared to the rest of the state, that growth is below average, according to a new report by Associated General Contractors of America.

The Fort Walton Beach and Naples area had the largest growth in the state with a 16 percent increase in workers. However, those two areas combined have just a little more than 16,000 construction jobs, a fraction of the Tampa Bay region.

The greater Orlando area, which has the second highest number of construction jobs with 54,900, had an 8 percent increase year over year.

The state added 44,500 construction jobs since June 2013, an increase of 12 percent.

Dollar Tree buying Family Dollar
Two popular low-cost retail chains with dozens of locations locally will become one company by early next year.

Dollar Tree Inc., says it will buy Family Dollar Stores Inc., in a deal said to be worth $8.5 billion.

While both Dollar Tree and Family Dollar will share the same main office, not much else is expected to change, Dollar Tree executives said in a release. Stores will continue to operate under their own banners and their own policies, creating a combined force to compete with Dollar General.

The new Dollar Tree company will have 13,000 stores across 48 states and five Canadian provinces, with annual sales expected to hit $18 billion.

Family Dollar operates six stories locally, including four in Zephyrhills, and a store each in Dade City and San Antonio. Dollar Tree has stores in Lutz, Land O’ Lakes, Wesley Chapel, New Tampa, Zephyrhills and Dade City.

Honors for Homes by WestBay
Homes by WestBay has won three awards from the Florida Home Builders Association Sales & Marketing Council’s 2014 Excel Awards, handed out during its annual Southeast Building Conference last month.

Among its awards, Homes by WestBay won for Best Interior Merchandising of a Model Home for its model at The Biscayne at FishHawk Ranch in Lithia. It also won for Best Corporate Video and Best Website.

Homes by WestBay is a builder in several local communities, including Connerton and LakeShore Ranch.

Political Agenda 08-06-14

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Moore meet and greet
Mike Moore, who is seeking the Republican nomination for Pasco County Commission District 2, will have a meet and greet Aug. 7 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., at Alice Hall, near Zephyr Park on State Road 54 in Zephyrhills.

There will be entertainment and light refreshments.

Bilirakis champions Ridge Road, scolds Corps
U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis is calling for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to reform its permitting process, saying it’s hurting work on projects like the Ridge Road expansion in Pasco County.

“The Ridge Road expansion is a matter of public safety for the people of Pasco County and the Tampa Bay region,” the Palm Harbor Republican said, in a release. “My constituents have been waiting too long for action by the Army Corps of Engineers. They have only been met with stonewalling by the Corps, which continues to require a seemingly endless array of redundant and costly environmental reviews and evaluations.”

Bilirakis looked to reform the organization by trying to defund the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Works, which oversees the Corps.

The project has been delayed for years because of concerns of the environmental impact it would have.

The road project is designed to expand Ridge Road to connect Moon Lake Road with the Suncoast Parkway.

Time to talk long-range transportation
The elevated toll road along the State Road 54/56 corridor might be gone as a private project, but it could still be alive and well as something taxpayers would eventually have to fund.

That and other projects are up for discussion when the Pasco County Metropolitan Planning Organization makes a few stops next month around the county to talk about its long-range transportation plan for the next 25 years.

Meetings will take place the first two weeks in August in Land O’ Lakes, Dade City and New Port Richey. All of them begin at 5 p.m.

Upcoming meetings include Aug. 6 at Lacoochee Elementary School’s media center at 38815 Cummer Road in Dade City.

After a meeting at the New Port Richey Public Library Aug. 7, the MPO will return to the eastern side of the county with a meeting Aug. 12 at the Historic Pasco County Courthouse, 37918 Meridian Ave., in Dade City.

For more information on the meetings, or the long-range transportation plan itself, visit Mobility2040Pasco.com, or call (727) 847-8140.

Poll workers needed for August, November elections
Energetic? Service-oriented? Then the Pasco County supervisor of elections may be looking for you.

Poll workers are needed for both the primary election Aug. 26 and the general election Nov. 4. Positions are paid, but potential candidates will need to be able to stand, bend, stoop, lift approximately 30 pounds, and have normal vision and manual and physical dexterity.

Applicants also need to write and read English, have an email address, and be able to work the entire day from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.

All positions receive mandatory paid training the month preceding both the primary and general elections.

For information, call (800) 851-8754, or visit PascoVotes.com.

Free rides to the polls
Pasco County Public Transportation will do its part to help get out the vote by offering free rides to the polls on election days for the upcoming cycle.

The deal was worked out between PCPT and county elections supervisor Brian Corley, and was approved by the Pasco County Commission last week.

On both primary day Aug. 26 and the general election day Nov. 4, voters who present their voter information card will ride free to their local polling location. The goal is to encourage and promote participation in the election process, while also introducing public transportation as a viable option for travel throughout the county, said PCPT director Michael Carroll.

In return, Corley’s office will use available media advertising and respective websites to inform potential riders and voters how to access and navigate the transit system.

Mobile hours for Ross
U.S. Rep. Dennis Ross, R-Lakeland, will host mobile office hours Aug. 12 from 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., at the Lutz Library, 101 W. Lutz Lake Fern Road in Lutz.

Other dates in Lutz include Sept. 9, Oct. 14 and Dec. 9.

For more information, call (863) 644-8215, or (813) 752-4790.

MOSI gives health screenings new meaning with theater upgrades

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When the Imax theater first opened at Tampa’s Museum of Science & Industry in Tampa in 1995, the technology behind the larger-than-life films was still quite revolutionary.

Lines to see Imax movies at the Museum of Science & Industry could be a lot longer in the near future once planned upgrades to the theater are complete, thanks in part to a $2 million donation from Florida Hospital. (Michael Hinman/Staff Photo)
Lines to see Imax movies at the Museum of Science & Industry could be a lot longer in the near future once planned upgrades to the theater are complete, thanks in part to a $2 million donation from Florida Hospital.
(Michael Hinman/Staff Photo)

Today, however, it’s hard to find a movie complex without an Imax screen, and nearly all of them are digital — leaps and bounds beyond MOSI’s now almost antiquated film-based system.

But that’s changing after a $2 million donation from Florida Hospital that will not only rename the dome theater after the hospital chain, it will bring science to the masses in ways that were never imagined 20 years ago. Called “Florida Hospital Presents Live SX,” surgeons at local hospitals will perform routine surgeries, which will be broadcast live to MOSI’s Coleman Science Works Theater for middle school, high school and college students.

“Live SX” will be a lot like the more traditional surgery amphitheaters, except without the need to travel to a hospital. Surgeons will answer questions from the audience, and provide a glimpse into surgery many may not have had otherwise.

“We believe that investing in MOSI is important for the community,” said Mike Schultz, president and chief executive of Florida Hospital West Florida Region, during a check presentation at the Fowler Avenue museum last week. We believe our investment will help support MOSI as it moves forward, to create long-term sustainability of the museum, and further (develop) future scientists and health care professionals while helping develop the work force in the greater Tampa Bay area.

“We want to make a difference.”

Access to medical professionals in this way is something many don’t get to experience otherwise, especially in suburban areas like northern Hillsborough and southern Pasco counties, said Molly Demeulenaere, MOSI’s vice president of growth.

“A lot of hospitals don’t open their operating rooms, and we’ll be working with families in Pasco County to help make that possible,” she said. “Younger kids especially are going to have access to this information before they start to figure out what they want to do for a living, and (it) allows them to spark that interest at a much earlier age.”

Where the surgeries will take place depends on Florida Hospital itself, Demeulenaere said. They could be hosted from Tampa, Wesley Chapel, even Zephyrhills.

The Imax dome image is 10 times larger than a conventional 35mm frame, and three times larger than a standard 70mm frame, museum officials said. The dome theater offers a six-channel, high-fidelity motion picture sound system manufactured by Sonics Associates Inc., as well as a projector, which when it was installed, was one of the most advanced, using technology to keep the picture steady and prevent film hiccups.

MOSI always has prided itself as a hands-on museum, bringing science directly to people who visit.

“When people think of a museum, they normally think of these big open spaces where you don’t touch anything,” Demeulenaere said. “But museums are a true lab of creativity and education, and play a vital role in the community as a whole.”
MOSI did not say when work would begin on the theater, and it may have to wait its turn in line as other science centers are undergoing similar transitions and there are few companies qualified to do the work. Most of the money donated by Florida Hospital will go into the “transformation,” as MOSI is calling it, although remaining funds can be used to help supplement other programs at the museum.

“Florida Hospital is demonstrating true community leadership, and I think we should really thank our lucky stars for Florida Hospital and all the work that they do in our communities throughout Florida,” MOSI board chair Robert Thomas said. “I just can’t begin to tell you how important this is, and how thrilled we are to have them as a partner in the future of this organization.”

Published July 30, 2014

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From teacher to candidate, Ledbetter just can’t say no

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Where there’s a will, there’s a way. And when there’s a need, there’s Beverly Ledbetter.

The retired educator has made Dade City her home since the days of Richard Nixon, inspiring thousands of students at Pasco Junior High School and later Pasco High School for more than three decades. Along the way, Ledbetter found herself in the most unexpected jobs, whether it be coaching the school’s soccer team, or helping educators through her work with the teachers’ union.

Beverly Ledbetter says she’s always been motivated to find a voice for those who get pushed aside, and learned as a teacher the importance of understanding all sides of an issue. It’s her drive, she says, to get her to Tallahassee. (Michael Hinman/Staff Photo)
Beverly Ledbetter says she’s always been motivated to find a voice for those who get pushed aside, and learned as a teacher the importance of understanding all sides of an issue. It’s her drive, she says, to get her to Tallahassee.
(Michael Hinman/Staff Photo)

It was always impossible for Ledbetter to turn down a calling when she was needed, and that’s what attracted her to Will Weatherford’s state House seat — one that has her heading into a November contest against former Zephyrhills mayor Danny Burgess.

“There are a lot of things I see with our lawmakers that are very frustrating,” she said. “I’m particularly concerned with the lack of respect in Tallahassee.”

The polarizing political atmosphere that has practically crippled Washington has crept to the state level, making it impossible for someone to work with anyone they disagree with. That means Democrats — and a good chunk of the state’s population they represent — are being marginalized, with no one willing to break through and find ways to come together.

“One of the things that you learn as a teacher is to look at both sides of the issue,” Ledbetter said. “There are Republicans who have good ideas, just as there are Democrats who have good ideas, and they should be acknowledged.”

Ledbetter has always considered herself politically minded, and has made a number of trips to Tallahassee over the years lobbying for education. Her husband, Michael Ledbetter, was a Pasco County commissioner in the late 1970s, and the two actually met during a Young Democrats meeting at the University of South Florida several years before that.

Ledbetter actually considered running for school board, but realized quickly that she can make a greater impact overall by helping to set policy at the state level.

Many observers believe the advantage in the House race belongs to Burgess, a Dade City lawyer who was Zephyrhills’ youngest mayor. It’s a heavily Republican district already, and Burgess has strong name recognition — especially in eastern Pasco County.

Ledbetter, however, is hardly a stranger to voters. As a teacher and a coach, she has directly touched the lives of many in the area, which could help her draw votes from beyond Democrats. In fact, many of the people who signed her petitions to get on the ballot were Republicans, she said.

Raising money is going to be tough, however.

“My friends are teachers, many of them who haven’t had raises in a long time,” Ledbetter said. “When I get that check from a fellow teacher, and it’s usually around $25, it gives me a warm feeling. But I also know it’s an investment that makes me feel determined to go out and work my butt off, and prove that their trust in me is well-placed.”

Education is one of Ledbetter’s top priorities, but it’s not the only one she wants to tackle in Tallahassee. She also is pushing to expand Medicare coverage in the state to help get more residents health care through the federal Affordable Care Act. Gov. Rick Scott, a Republican who opposes the federal health care program unofficially known as Obamacare, has refused to expand Medicare, citing a concern that the cost to do that will fall back on Florida taxpayers.

“How can you look a parent in the eye and tell them their family can’t have medical attention?” Ledbetter said. “I taught kids who had teeth rotting out, and kids who needed glasses. Luckily, in Dade City, we have some very generous doctors and dentists who were willing to step up and help, but not everywhere is like Dade City.”

Ledbetter also wants to spur economic growth not by giving companies large amounts of money and tax breaks to locate here, but to help train the workforce so they can attract higher-wage jobs to the state.

“Small businesses are the backbone of our economy,” she said. “When you can give them a leg up, and give them the support they need, they will create the jobs.”

Ledbetter is a lifelong Democrat, but says she would prefer to label herself a “practical realist.” That means acknowledging her November election is a tough one to win, but also knows that when it comes to voters, they can sometimes do the unexpected.

“It’s going to be difficult, I know that,” she said. “But I believe in standing up for people who can’t necessarily do it for themselves, whether it’s the elderly, children, or simply people who need health insurance. That’s why I’m a Democrat.”

BEVERLY LEDBETTER
Democrat for House District 38

Occupation
Lead faculty, Saint Leo University
Retired teacher, Pasco County Schools

Family
Michael Ledbetter, husband
Nathan Ledbetter, son
Courtney Williams, daughter

Residence
Dade City, since 1973

Fundraising, through July 4
$15,162

Published July 30, 2014

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