The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

Michael Hinman

Remsberg ready to give commission a much-needed intervention

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The first step in finding out who will replace Pat Mulieri on the Pasco County Commission begins at the Aug. 26 primary. There voters will choose between three politically focused men — Ken Littlefield, Mike Moore and Bob Robertson — to represent Republicans in the November election.

Erika Remsberg is not afraid to speak her mind, but says she also knows when compromise is needed to achieve countywide goals. She hopes that belief will help earn her a seat on the Pasco County Commission in November. (Michael Hinman/Staff Photo)
Erika Remsberg is not afraid to speak her mind, but says she also knows when compromise is needed to achieve countywide goals. She hopes that belief will help earn her a seat on the Pasco County Commission in November.
(Michael Hinman/Staff Photo)

But a primary win for any one of them is just the beginning. The eventual GOP nominee will have to win over voters one more time after August, and prove he’s the better candidate than the lone Democrat in the race, a Land O’ Lakes social worker who says she wants to return the county government’s focus back to helping people.

Erika Remsberg works long hours for Pasco County Schools, helping some of the more than 1,800 students stay focused on their studies, despite the fact they don’t have a place they can call home.

“You lost your home, you lost your friends, you lost your teachers and classmates, and you probably lost all your stuff if you were evicted from somewhere,” Remsberg said. “Your family is focused on survival, not necessarily reading and math, and all of that can have a tremendous negative impact on their education.”

Remsberg and her husband, Philip, moved to Pasco County 13 years ago to be closer to her parents. She was born in the Bronx, but raised in Long Island, graduating from New York University and marrying soon after.

Remsberg never imagined herself running for any type of elected office, but when she learned Mulieri was retiring, she feared one of the lone voices for the issues closest to her heart was going to be silenced.

“I have been very vocal that the county has not done enough to coordinate social service, and they haven’t done enough to deal with the critical needs in the county,” Remsberg said. “I think Pat Mulieri has done the best job in trying to advocate and listen, but now the best advocate that we have is now retiring.”

The commission has been plagued with bitter disputes over recent months, ranging from a park one commissioner wants to turn into a tourist attraction, to how the county is going to pay for much-needed road improvements and new construction projects, she said. In the process, money has been wasted on large corporations —including some that never made it here, like T. Rowe Price — but smaller businesses have been ignored.

“We need to start from the base up, not from the top down,” Remsberg said. “You don’t give a corporation millions of dollars while failing to help people get the transportation they need, the jobs and career centers they need, or the income they need to survive. You want to give tax breaks to companies that are going to pay at or above the median income, and not companies that are just going to pay minimum wage.”

The key to growing jobs and salaries is through workforce development, Remsberg said. County officials are missing a number of grant opportunities available to them, some which could help smaller businesses grow and enhance the work force at the same time through projects like apprenticeship programs.

“There are always ways to reach more than one goal,” Remsberg said. “These small businesses might need some help, and many of these people need job experience. It’s a way to give something back to everyone.”
County officials also have to spend more time learning how to spend money smartly, and less time getting worked up about small increases in taxes to help pay for it, Remsberg said.

“I hear a lot about the millage rate, and everyone gets very excited when taxes get raised,” she said. “But many times, we’re only talking about increases of like $20 a year. That’s a small amount of money that can dramatically impact programs that are being strained or completely ignored otherwise.”

Remsberg also believes there are not enough sheriff’s deputies on the streets, and more money is needed to help both law enforcement and fire-rescue. Public safety must become a higher priority, because a county cannot grow properly unless its residents feel safe.

So far, Remsberg has raised a little more than $3,000 for her campaign, a fraction of the more than $111,600 combined for the three Republicans in the race. But winners aren’t always determined by how much money a candidate has in the bank, and Remsberg won’t be discouraged.

“I am a social worker, so I love going for the underdog,” she said. “It’s just that this time it’s me, which is a new experience for me. But I’m good with grassroots efforts and community organization, and I’m getting out wherever I can to share a message of how we all need to work together.

“We can’t put a roof on a home with no foundation, and no walls,” she said. “We need to take care of our responsibilities when it comes to helping everyone, and only then can we truly start growing.”

ERIKA REMSBERG
Democrat for Pasco County Commission, District 2

Occupation
Homeless liaison social worker, Pasco County Schools

Family
Philip Remsberg, husband
Jordan Remsberg, son
Alex Remsberg, daughter

Residence
Land O’ Lakes, since 2001

Fundraising, through July 18
$3,324

Published July 30, 2014

See this story in print: Click Here

Forget Comic-Con, Pasco welcomes LAMECon this weekend

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Just last weekend, tens of thousands of fans converged on San Diego for its annual Comic-Con event, paying obscene amounts of money for travel, hotel and tickets just to get inside.

But this weekend, local residents can get their geek on. And they don’t even have to spend a dime.

Stephanie Stonebridge and Jessica Samuelson show off their costumes during last year’s LAMECon in Land O’ Lakes. The event returns this weekend at both the Land O’ Lakes library and the recreation center on Collier Parkway. (Courtesy of Paul Stonebridge)
Stephanie Stonebridge and Jessica Samuelson show off their costumes during last year’s LAMECon in Land O’ Lakes. The event returns this weekend at both the Land O’ Lakes library and the recreation center on Collier Parkway.
(Courtesy of Paul Stonebridge)

The Library Anime and Manga Enthusiast Convention, more affectionately known as LAMECon, kicks off Aug. 2 at the Land O’ Lakes Library and at the Land O’ Lakes Recreation Center on Collier Parkway. The free event attracted more than 700 people last year, and organizer Paul Stonebridge says his goal is to top 1,000 this year.

“Our central audience is teens and 20-somethings, so it’s like the 14 to 30 crowd,” Stonebridge said. “But it’s really open for everybody. We have stuff for kids, and even a ‘Game of Thrones’ panel for adults. We’ve really doubled our convention size this year.”

LAMECon got its start six years ago in Hudson before moving to Land O’ Lakes in later years. It provides a way for young people to celebrate their love of anime and manga — more or less Japanese comics and animation — without spending the kind of money expected at larger conventions like Metrocon, held earlier this month in downtown Tampa.

“We’re pretty far from the conventions in South Tampa and Orlando, and there are a lot of people in Pasco who simply can’t afford it,” Stonebridge said. “These are mainly high schoolers and college kids, and they desperately wanted to go. And now they have something they can go to.”

Although food and games are one way to attract people to conventions, Stonebridge says it’s the panels hitting popular topics among fans that draw the most attention. This year, LAMECon will have two tracts that will include discussions like the aforementioned Emmy-nominated HBO series “Game of Thrones,” as well as trivia, Asian horror and Japanese culture.

There will even be a panel featuring readings from bad fan-fiction — stories set in the universe of popular television shows, movies and even anime and games, written exclusively by fans.

One feature this year is an achievement system designed to encourage attendees to participate as much as possible. More than 50 achievement badges are available, which can be earned from attending panels, asking questions, visiting vendors, and simply just showing up.

Hosting a convention is not cheap, and LAMECon doesn’t earn any money from the typical ways conventions generate revenue like ticket sales or vendor rental fees. In fact, local businesses can set up and offer wares for free.

LAMECon is funded through grants and donations, as well as sponsors like Publix Super Markets and the DeBartolo Family Foundation, Stonebridge said. The convention also offers premium memberships for a small donation, which can include food, T-shirts and other offers.

Conventions like this have earned a lot of new respect over the years, growing from the early days of Star Trek conventions that were typically ridiculed in the mainstream. The success of shows like “Game of Thrones” and the “Lord of the Rings” film trilogy has helped that, Stonebridge said.

But it’s the comics entertainment company Marvel that deserves a lot of the credit, he said.

“Marvel has had a huge hand in all of this, more than anyone else,” Stonebridge said. “All the comic boom movies, those have been in the mainstream. And so it’s OK to like comics and video games now.”

WHAT: LAMECon 2014, Library Anime and Manga Enthusiast Convention
WHEN: Aug. 2 from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.; Aug. 3 from 9 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
WHERE: Land O’ Lakes Library, 2818 Collier Parkway on Saturday; Land O’ Lakes Recreation Center, 3032 Collier Parkway on Sunday
COST: Free
INFO: LAMECon.com

Published July 30, 2014

 See this story in print: Click Here

Business Digest 07-30-14

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Local businesses boast successful events
The Connerton community on U.S. 41 recently treated 700 guests to an extended holiday celebration with its July Fifth Big Event — an old-fashioned neighborhood party in its new town community.

The event included local bands, food trucks, games, and 30 minutes of holiday fireworks.

Also having a successful recent event was Gulfside Hospice & Pasco Palliative Care for its first Founder’s Day celebration in New Port Richey. More than 150 people attended.

The program celebrated 25 years of the company, which was originally founded as Central Gulfside Hospice in 1988.

Watch N’ Play comes to Radiant
David and Aggie Gainer of Land O’ Lakes will compete with Redbox with a new Watch N’ Play kiosk at Radiant stores in the area.

The first has opened at the Radiant on the corner of Collier Parkway and State Road 54, with a second location in the next couple months at a new store under construction near State Road 54 and Interstate 75 near the entrance to The Grove shopping center in Wesley Chapel.

The kiosk offers new DVD movies and video games 28 days ahead of Redbox, David Gainer said, as well as the ability of customers to purchase movies and games directly from the kiosk.

The franchise, also owned by Selma Jones and Keisha Jones, plans to open seven locations in Pasco and northern Hillsborough counties over the next year, joining more than 190 Watch N’ Play locations at Radiant nationally.

The Pasco locations are the first in Florida for the service.

Marketing summit in Tampa
The Tampa Bay Marketing Summit will take place Aug. 8 beginning at 8:45 a.m., at Mainsail Conference Center, 5108 Eisenhower Blvd., in Tampa.

The event is hosted by EMSI in Wesley Chapel, which provides news content for print and online news outlets, as well as television and radio talk shows.

For information, visit TampaBayMarketingSummit.com, or call Marsha Friedman at (727) 443-7115, Ext. 201.

Florida Traditions acquisition finalized
Home BancShares Inc., the parent company of Centennial Bank, has finalized its acquisition of Florida Traditions Bank, and its branches located in eastern Pasco and Hillsborough counties, among other places.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but previous published reports put the sale at $43 million in stock. The combined Centennial Bank will now boast $7 billion in total assets, and $5.5 billion in total deposits in nearly 150 branches in Florida, Arkansas and Alabama.

Bud Stalnaker, the chief executive of Florida Traditions, will stay on with the new Centennial as division president for Central Florida.

Florida Traditions was founded in 2007 by a group of East Pasco County business owners who saw a need for a locally owned and locally managed bank, according to the company’s website. It had eight branches in Zephyrhills, Dade City, Spring Hill, Winter Haven, Lakeland, Plant City, Kissimmee and St. Cloud.

Pasco EDC annual banquet
The 2014 Pasco Economic Development Council annual banquet will be Sept. 2 beginning at 5 p.m., at Saddlebrook Resort Grand Pavilion, 5700 Saddlebrook Way in Wesley Chapel.

Cost is $75 per person.

For more information, or to make a reservation, call (813) 926-0827, or email .

EDI2 needs applicants
Hillsborough County’s Economic Development Innovation Initiative will stop taking applications for its fourth funding cycle Aug. 1.

The program is developed to drive the growth of technology and innovation at start-up companies and small businesses. It encompasses the need for financial, technical and infrastructure support, and addresses the Hillsborough County Commission’s support of the business community.

Since its launch last year, 55 applicants have received just under $600,000 in funds to support the growing entrepreneurial ecosystem through support of events, industry promotions and service providers.

For information, visit HillsboroughCounty.org/EDI2, or call Jennifer Whelihan at (813) 272-6217.

‘Dancing With Our Stars’ returns
The Central Pasco Chamber of Commerce will once again host “Dancing With Our Stars,” with a performance scheduled for Oct. 18.

The chamber still has a few dance slots to fill, as well as a need for volunteers to help behind the scenes for the “stars” who will be trained by dance professionals to perform a short routine.

The overall winner will be based on monetary votes, with a portion of the proceeds benefiting arts programs in the community.

To participate, volunteer or even sponsor, visit CentralPascoChamber.com, or call (813) 909-2722.

Wesley Chapel networking group
Networking for Your Success meets every Thursday at 8 a.m., at Lexington Oaks Country, 2615 Lexington Oaks Blvd., in Wesley Chapel.

Cost is $5, and annual membership to the group is $79.

For information, call (813) 073-1657.

Political Agenda 07-30-14

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Brand USA bill moves forward
U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis, R-Palm Harbor, says his bill in Congress — the Travel Promotion, Enhancement and Modernization Act — passed the House recently by a vote of 347-57.

“Tourism is an integral part of our economy, especially in Florida,” Bilirakis said, in a release. “Increased tourism means more American and Floridian jobs.”

Bilirakis says his bill will create job growth without utilizing any taxpayer dollars.

The U.S. Senate is taking up a companion bill that Bilirakis has asked them to pass “without delay.”

The bill strengthens American competitiveness in the global travel and tourism markets by reauthorizing Brand USA — a public-private partnership designed to encourage tourism in the country, according to Bilirakis. The Congressional Budget Office says Brand USA would reduce the nation’s deficit by $231 million.

The travel and tourism sector is the top industry in Florida, employing more than 1 million Floridians and generating nearly $71.5 billion in spending.

Goulbourne gets state appointment
Christine Goulbourne of Trinity has been appointed by Gov. Rick Scott to serve on the Florida Rehabilitation Council.

Goulbourne, director of programs at the Family Network on Disabilities, fills a vacant seat for a term that ends June 30, 2016.

Also appointed are John Pribanic of Bushnell, Shawn Peters of Royal Palm Beach, Janet Servet of Edgewater, Kara Tucker of Neptune Beach, and Rebecca Witonsky of Boca Raton.

Elevated toll road is gone, so now what?

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Many residents and business owners were more than ecstatic when a private company decided to pull its proposal to build an elevated toll road along the State Road 54/56 corridor off the table. But the same future transportation concerns that spurred talk of such a project in the first place are still plaguing Pasco County, and four people vying for a single spot on the county commission have their own ideas on how to fix it.

Ken Littlefield, Mike Moore, Erika Remsberg and Bob Robertson — all looking to replace Pat Mulieri on the Pasco County Commission — got together for the first time Wednesday night at Keystone Church in Land O’ Lakes for a political candidate forum hosted by the Central Pasco and Trinity-Odessa chambers of commerce.

None of the three Republicans and one Democrat wanted the elevated toll road, but all agreed something needs to be done.

“There is some relief on the way,” said Moore, a Wesley Chapel businessman who actually lives in the State Road 56 corridor. “We need to be more thoughtful in our process going forward, and we need to look at our transportation engineers and get their suggestions. Then we need to go back to the people real quick and ask what their opinions are.”

The county and state already are trying to address the issue with the widening of State Road 54 between Land O’ Lakes Boulevard and the Suncoast Parkway, Moore said, as well as continued plans to expand Ridge Road. But future growth is going to require a lot of thought, and a lot of listening to the experts who know how to plan for growth.

That could mean listening to the suggestion of mass transit, something Remsberg — the lone Democrat in the race — champions.

“Certainly widening roads is an important thing to do,” she said. “We need to put in more overpasses, but I am not a fan of managed (toll) lanes. I support an increase in public transportation, because we cannot penalize (residents by charging them tolls) and then expect them to find their own options.”

Environmental concerns have held up the Ridge Road extension, as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is proceeding cautiously on the project. Littlefield, a former state legislator, said the Corps is moving too slow, and is simply impeding progress on addressing the county’s much-needed transportation improvements.

“If we expand the Tamiami Trail and an Alligator Alley across the Everglades, and the water quality there has only improved since then, then we can build the Ridge Road extension,” Littlefield said. “The widening of the (State Road) 52 corridor also has a lot of potential. That’s another option we have before we start managing lanes and charging tolls from building elevated highways.”

But the elevated toll road is not as dead as most people think, Zephyrhills financial analyst Robertson said. The private idea might have been shunned, but an elevated toll road remains on the county’s long-range transportation plan.

“We need to continue to stay diligent as it relates to that,” Roberston said. “That is something we need to be focused on, that kind of long-term vision and planning, rather than giving out building permits first and then trying to figure out where we’re going to put all the cars.”

For more on the candidate forum, check out the Aug. 6 print edition of The Laker/Lutz News.

Pep Boys on its way to Lutz

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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.

 

Coach Keppel takes narrow lead in national contest

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There are just hours left in a national contest that could send a popular Land O’ Lakes cross-country coach to Seattle to become America’s most inspiring coach. But he needs all the votes he can muster to keep that lead.

Dar and Kris Keppel (file photo)
Dar and Kris Keppel (file photo)

Kris Keppel is competing for the Brooks Inspiring Coaches Award, offered by sports apparel and equipment manufacturer Brooks Sports Inc. Since last month, Keppel has received 10,744 votes on Facebook, and for the first time, has slipped past the previous leader through most of the contest, Stan Fryzczynski.

Yet, as of mid-day on Wednesday, a little more than 200 votes separated the two, and a lot can happen between now and when the contest ends on Thursday.

Voting for Keppel is taking place right here. Facebook users can vote once per day.

The Land O’ Lakes High School Gator cross-country team has already won $5,000 in running shoes, apparel and accessories from Brooks, as well as $500 in cash for team expenses. The winner of the national contest will win an additional $5,000 in Brooks apparel, plus $2,000 more in cash to the school’s athletic department.

Fryczynski is a New Jersey running coach who has spent more than 41 years on the job. Keppel, who last year was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, was nominated by girls cross-country coach Karen DeHaas. Keppel told The Laker in June that he plans on making the trip with his wife to Seattle next month to find out officially who ends up as the top vote-getter.

Incoming senior Noah Thomas told The Laker in June that he’ll be voting every day.

“He’s just one of the strongest men I’ve ever met,” the 17-year-old said before a summer practice. “All throughout this, he’s still been there for us, and he’s still pushing us hard, and we push back for him.”

1. Kris Keppel 10,744
2. Stan Fryczynski 10,522
3. Ruqayya Gibson 3,130
4. Keith Olsen 2,605
5. Renee Williams-Smith 2,123
6. Bret Neylon 1,704
7. Dave Halliday 1,601
8. John Neff 1,342
9. Jason Capelli 1,245
10. Anthony Belber 1,219
11. Tracy Hawkins 938
12. Brian Lombardo 854
13. Nick Scott 674
14. Nick Accardo 662
15. Desmond Dunham 651
16. Dominic Newman 502
17. Gilberto Ruiz 497
18. Matthew Tompkins 486
19. David Culp 477
20. Jeremy Bartley 454
21. Davis Eidahl 403
22. Kelly Richards 228
23. Dan Reeks 222
24. Brandon Back 124
25. Garlynn Boyd 79

– as of 7/30/14, 12:30 p.m. 

 

Local Hobby Lobby home sells for $4.1M

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Merchant’s Square, a Zephyrhills strip mall where Hobby Lobby opened earlier this year, is now under new ownership.

RCG-Zephyrhills SPE LLC finalized its sale of the 75,000-square-foot shopping center on Gall Boulevard on July 23 for $4.1 million. RCG-Zephyrhills is affiliated with RCG Ventures in Atlanta, according to state corporate records. It is a real estate investment group that raised more than $100 million last August to invest in “value-add shopping centers” across the country.

The price tag on Merchant’s Square is less than the $5.6 million Merchants Station LLC paid for the property in 1998 when it was anchored by Kash n’ Karry. That grocery store later rebranded to Sweetbay, which closed last year after that chain was sold to Bi-Lo Holdings.

Hobby Lobby became the new anchor for the strip mall in January when it opened a 46,000-square-foot store there.

By the time it finished raising money for its most current fund used to buy Merchant’s Square, RCG Ventures had acquired 85 properties nationwide totaling nearly $500 million in invested capital. Its portfolio at the time included 65 properties in 19 states with more than 6.75 million square feet.

This is the second major property deal in Zephyrhills this year, following All Craft Marine Holdings’ $1.5 million purchase of its manufacturing space on County Road 54 in February.

Express route to downtown Tampa in jeopardy, HART says

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The number of people who depend on HART’s Route 51X connecting Pasco County to downtown Tampa is dwindling. And so is the organization’s money.

So it’s probably no surprise to some of the remaining riders that officials with Hillsborough Area Regional Transit want to make some significant changes to the route, possibly removing the express route altogether. But at the very least, adding some local stops to finally bring such mass transit service to the New Tampa area.

Park-and-rides like this one at CrossRoads Community United Methodist Church on County Line Road attract maybe six cars a day, HART officials say, while costing riders $24,000 a year. That could change soon for Route 51X. (Michael Hinman/Staff Photo)
Park-and-rides like this one at CrossRoads Community United Methodist Church on County Line Road attract maybe six cars a day, HART officials say, while costing riders $24,000 a year. That could change soon for Route 51X.
(Michael Hinman/Staff Photo)

“It is important as an agency that we consider the needs of the current riders,” HART interim chief operating officer Ruthie Reyes Burckard told concerned riders during a recent meeting at the New Tampa Library. “There is no transportation along Bruce B. Downs Boulevard. We have been looking at this area, and are trying to get some service into this area, whether it’s local or some kind of hybrid option” of both express and local service.

Right now, the express bus takes workers from Pasco County and New Tampa into downtown Tampa early workday mornings, and returns them late in the afternoon. HART is looking at three options to change its service, all of them at least coming with a name change for the route: 51LX.

All the new options include local stops along Bruce B. Downs in places like County Line Road, Tampa Palms Boulevard, and even one route that would make its way to the University of South Florida. However, to add the university to the stops, HART would have to give up on its express service.

But that’s not the only change HART is considering. The transit company says it plans to close two park-and-ride lots in Pasco County that it’s paying nearly $24,000 a year to maintain at Victorious Life Church on Old Pasco Road, and CrossRoads Community United Methodist Church on County Line Road.

“Yes, we are considering closing both, but not until a suitable replacement is found,” HART spokeswoman Sandra Morrison told The Laker/Lutz News. “We are trying to find sites closer to Bruce B. Downs.”

But it’s not just 51X that will have park-and-rides replaced, HART wants to make adjustments to parking situations on other routes like 25LX in the Brandon area, and 47LX in SouthShore.

“We are always looking at more cost-effective locations for park-and-rides on all express routes,” Morrison said. “As a rule, private business and organizations provide parking as a public service at no cost.”

Paying for the Pasco lots eats up nearly half the $3 cash fare, Morrison said. The route carries about 17,000 passengers a year, but the lots average only about six cars per day.

One rider who attended a recent public hearing said HART should focus more on the quality of service it’s providing customers of the 51X to help stem declining ridership, not spend time changing the routes.

“The buses are just in horrible shape,” said Beth Derby from Heather Sound Drive. “We get rained on inside the bus. There is no air-conditioning, and we are lucky that we get downtown in time to get to work.”
Buses, she said, are typically running behind schedule, and riders miss connections at the Marion Transit Center in downtown Tampa.

“If this is your only mode of transportation into town, then you don’t have a choice,” Derby said. “But you know a lot of us do, and if it comes between taking a bus that risks my job because I can’t make it on time to work, then I’ll drive. I’m not going to lose my job because HART can’t get its act together.”

HART is struggling with funding, hampering its efforts to replace aging buses, said the organization’s senior manager of service planning Steven Feigenbaum. And some of the problems keeping the buses on schedule are actually outside of HART’s control.

“The synchronization of the (traffic) lights, and the engineering of the lights, are the responsibility with the city of Tampa,” Feigenbaum said. “I’ve been in contact with them time and time again to be more liberal on their timing, but we have not had a lot of luck.”

Without the lights being in sync to help move traffic, buses are getting stopped at multiple lights in a short road span, he said.

What changes, if any, will be made to Route 51X now depends on HART’s board of directors, a group of 13 people representing local and state governments. They are scheduled to hear the presentations on the various options in a September meeting, as well as input from riders of the service. While the board could implement changes as early as November, Feigenbaum said it’s more likely riders won’t see any changes to 51X until March at the earliest because of manpower shortages.

State Rep. Mark Danish, D-Tampa, attended HART’s public hearing on Route 51X earlier this month, and said he favored keeping the express route with local options.

“In this state, we are trying to increase mass transit, and (options) two and three (removing the express route) are going in the opposite direction,” Danish said. “A lot of people here already have been using it to go downtown, and it seems kind of strange to basically kill that bus route now.”

Published July 23, 2014

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Dade City hospital readies $3M surgical expansion

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With a new owner and a new name, change has been a constant for Bayfront Health Dade City.

But while some may say too much change is bad, Shauna McKinnon knows that what the Dade City hospital has experienced in recent months will only make it better. And that includes planned major changes coming up this winter.

Change has been the order of business at Bayfront Health Dade City over the past year, but hospital chief executive Shauna McKinnon feels the community has embraced all those changes as positive, including the recent announcement to expand surgical services. (Courtesy of Bayfront Health Dade City)
Change has been the order of business at Bayfront Health Dade City over the past year, but hospital chief executive Shauna McKinnon feels the community has embraced all those changes as positive, including the recent announcement to expand surgical services.
(Courtesy of Bayfront Health Dade City)

McKinnon, who has led the hospital as its chief executive since January 2013, has been making stops around the community sharing news of a $3 million expansion planned to start later this year that will expand the five existing operating rooms, and make some much-needed updates to the pre-operation area and recovery rooms as well.

“We have five rooms there right now, but they are quite small,” McKinnon said. “Everything in the medical field evolves over time, and it creates more of a demand for space. We’re simply responding to that demand.”

The renovation and expansion could take close to a year to complete, but McKinnon is not anticipating any interruptions in service. Enough space will still be made available during construction to keep surgeries going, and the hope is that seeing contractors will build excitement instead of creating any inconvenience at the 13100 Fort King Road facility.

Renovating the surgical areas was next on McKinnon’s list once a $3.5 million expansion of the hospital’s emergency room was completed in 2012. McKinnon, however, didn’t lay out the plans with her parent company until after Community Health Systems Inc. completed its $7.6 billion buyout of previous hospital owner Health Management Associates last year.

“When I talked to them about it, they agreed that we need to be able to respond to the needs of our community and our patients,” McKinnon said. “We had a huge expansion of our ER a couple years ago, and the OR was the next obvious step.”

For McKinnon, it’s hard to believe sometimes how much has happened to the 120-bed hospital in just the past year, with the new name, new owners and expansion. But one thing she’s been proud of is how the community has embraced those changes, especially putting “Dade City” back in the hospital’s name for the first time since the 1990s.

“One of the benefits that we have in going through a rebranding is to be able to retain the name which the hospital has been recognized for in the community,” McKinnon said. “Lending ourselves to the Bayfront name in brand recognition has been wonderful. And to be able to retain the name Dade City was very welcomed by our community.”

Upgrades to the surgical units won’t finish McKinnon’s wish list for future improvements. There is still a lot more she’s looking to do to help Bayfront Health Dade City keep up with the ever-changing medical environment.

“We already have a lot of ongoing projects, like the redesign of our patient rooms, and the redesign of our orthopedic joint center,” she said. “We need to be prepared for more growth and how we’re going to respond to that. And because we care about our patients and the community, we’re prepared.”

Published July 23, 2014

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