The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

Michael Hinman

Moore tops Wells in monthly campaign fundraising

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Last week, Mike Wells Jr. set a new monthly fundraising mark in this year’s Pasco County Commission race with an initial haul of $20,700.

That record would not last for long. Mike Moore, who is running to replace Pat Mulieri in District 2, topped it with an April where he raised $22,300. That’s nearly double his best previous month of November 2013, and brings his total campaign war chest to just under $73,000.

At least $13,000 of that month came from people and companies involved in real estate sales and development. It included a $500 donation from Barbara Wilhite, a former deputy county attorney in New Port Richey who now represents various developers.

Moore’s fundraising lead increased significantly over his Republican competitors, former state Rep. Ken Littlefield and Zephyrhills financial analyst Bob Robertson. Littlefield raised $2,200 in April, while Robertson collected checks totaling $551. That brings Littlefield to $4,400 overall, and Robertson $11,411.

Commissioner Henry Wilson, who Wells is facing in his District 4 race, continues to trail his new opponent when it comes to fundraising. Wilson raised just $200 in April, bringing his total to $19,245.

All of these candidates will face off against each other in the August primaries. The winner of the District 2 race among Littlefield, Moore and Robertson will battle Democrat Erika Remsberg in the November election, if no one else files to run, while Wells and Wilson are looking at an open primary where the winner there will claim the commission seat.

It’s official: Lake Jovita leaves St. Leo

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Years of conflict between some homeowners in the Lake Jovita subdivision of eastern Pasco County and the Town of St. Leo ended Monday with the stroke of the governor’s pen.

Rick Scott signed into law H.B. 1401, which officially de-annexes a portion of Lake Jovita from one of the county’s oldest municipalities.

The signing took place with no fanfare, and was in fact one of 55 bills that became law Monday.

The law was introduced by state Rep. Amanda Murphy, D-New Port Richey, designed to allow more than 80 homes in Lake Jovita join the rest of its neighborhood in unincorporated Pasco.

It goes into effect immediately, which means two commissioners in the town government who live in Lake Jovita are no longer on the commission. That includes Ray Davis, who beat longtime commissioner Donna DeWitt in the April municipal election, who will actually be removed before he officially becomes a commissioner.

The remaining commissioners will now appoint people to fill the vacancies. It’s not clear, however, if DeWitt will return.

The Tallahassee action was required because a town cannot de-annex an area that meets all the conditions that would’ve allowed the town to annex it otherwise. To make such a change, it requires both the Legislature and governor to undo it.

The new St. Leo will see see its population drop from 1,369 to 1,173, according to a House committee report. The expected financial impact of the move would decrease the town’s revenue by $50,000, or 15 percent. It also would reduce the number of rooftops by 85.

Lake Jovita is a planned 871-home development that broke ground in the late 1990s, and is located primarily in unincorporated Pasco County.

Elevated toll road no more: FDOT rejects project

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It was on life support as early as last week, but now the Florida Department of Transportation says an unsolicited proposal from a private group of companies wanting to build an elevated toll road along the State Road 54/56 corridor is now officially dead.

“The department was unable to reach an agreement with International Infrastructure Partners LLC on a framework of financing and various design concepts for the corridor that would be acceptable to all parties and address the concerns of the local community,” FDOT secretary Ananth Prasad, said in a release. “In absence of this framework, advancing this project would not make any sense.”

Pasco Fiasco, a group of home and business owners along that 33-mile corridor who opposed the project, celebrated the decision, and said they are postponing a planned rally at Sunlake High School next week that was intended to build even more opposition to the project. Organizers told The Laker/Lutz News last week that they could still hold the rally either way, because a similar public project could be pushed forward as part of the county’s long-range transportation plan.

While FDOT and Pasco County officials have said future growth will require some sort of expansion of the corridor that connects Zephyrhills at U.S. 301 and New Port Richey at U.S. 19, the plan to build the elevated toll road came unsolicited last year by a construction group known for similar projects around the world.

The project itself had been chipped away over the last few months, as public sentiment against it grew — including from Pasco commissioners Henry Wilson and Jack Mariano. However, it went into a tailspin last week when Prasad admitted that discussions on how the project would be built started to fall apart when the developers, who at this point said they would raise the estimated $2.2 billion construction cost privately, started asking for public money to help fund it.

FDOT continues to work on other projects in the area as part of its five-year plan, Prasad said, including the widening of State Road 54 from the Suncoast Parkway to U.S. 41, as well as from Curley Road to Morris Bridge Road. It also will continue work toward starting the new State Road 56 leg from Meadow Point Boulevard to U.S. 301.

Wells comes out swinging in commissioner race

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Pasco County Commissioner Henry Wilson has been raising money for his re-election campaign since last July, and has amassed a respectable $19,000 through the end of March.

Mike Wells Jr.
Mike Wells Jr.

But now Wilson will have to go into full fundraising mode because his new challenger, Mike Wells Jr., isn’t holding back. Wells, the son of Pasco County property appraiser Mike Wells Sr., has already out-raised Wilson — in a single month.

Wells collected $20,700 in April, according to election campaign documents filed with the county, the largest single-month total of any county commission candidate so far this year. In fact, Wells’ haul was the most in a single month by any candidate in any commission election since the race between Ted Schrader and Ronald Oakley two years ago where both candidates combined to raise nearly $345,000.

A good portion of Wells’ early donations — nearly $6,800 — have come from property developers and those involved in real estate, primarily in the New Port Richey area. However, he also received a $2,000 boost from Waste Aid Systems in Land O’ Lakes, including from its vice president, Thomas Peterson.

Wells has spent less than $400 in his first month, meaning he comes into May with more than $20,000 on-hand.

Wilson has yet to file his financials for April, but raised $1,900 in March. He has not spent much as well, with nearly $18,000 in the bank through the end of March.

But who has the most money may not be the final decider in this race, if the past has anything to say about it. Wilson raised just $8,700 in his first bid for county commission in 2010, and beat incumbent Michael Cox, who raised more than $162,000.

Barring anyone else jumping into the race, voters will decide between Wells and Wilson in an open primary Aug. 26.

Pasco lacks incentive to create filmmaking destination

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Years of filming low-budget shorts in and around Pasco County finally paid off for Christopher Leto when investors offered $250,000 to fund his biggest movie yet, a horror thriller called “The Ritual.”

Land O’ Lakes filmmaker Christopher Leto shot his independent film ‘Die Die Delta Phi’ in Pasco County, but his first larger-budget film, ‘The Ritual,’ moved to Sarasota County because of the financial incentives in place there. (Courtesy of Chris Leto)
Land O’ Lakes filmmaker Christopher Leto shot his independent film ‘Die Die Delta Phi’ in Pasco County, but his first larger-budget film, ‘The Ritual,’ moved to Sarasota County because of the financial incentives in place there.
(Courtesy of Chris Leto)

Yet when filming starts later this month, it won’t happen anywhere near his Land O’ Lakes home. Instead, Leto and his crew are heading south to Sarasota County where he can take advantage of film incentives like a 20 percent rebate on certain purchases, and waived costs for government services.

“I met with the film commission there, and they were amazing,” Leto said. “Everything I asked them to do, they would bend over backward to help me get what I needed.”

But if he had a choice, Leto would’ve much preferred to stay right in Pasco County.

“I didn’t want to go to Sarasota to shoot my movie,” he said. “But they have incentives that are really nice.”

Pasco has what officials here call a simple permitting process with no fees, and a requirement to carry an insurance rider that costs around $85. But don’t expect too much help beyond that, because Pasco County not only lacks incentives for filmmakers, it lacks an actual film commission.

The work instead is handled through Pasco’s Office of Tourism Development, a department led by Ed Caum, who admits he is forced to wear so many hats, the film industry is almost an afterthought. Which is probably why the county’s website still links production companies to the closed mailbox of Eric Keaton, who hasn’t been with the county since last year.

“I’m not making any excuses, but I’m probably one of the only people on my staff trained to” update the website, Caum said. “And I’m always sitting in on meetings and doing other work, that I can’t seem to get to it.”

Pasco has never been ignored by filmmakers, which can offer a little bit of everything when it comes to locales. It has beaches on the west side of the county. It has historic structures throughout Dade City. It has virtually untouched forests.

However, it’s been a long time since a major production dug in roots in Pasco County … almost 25 years, when a rather unknown director named Tim Burton brought Johnny Depp and Winona Ryder here to film “Edward Scissorhands.” And it could be even longer before something else follows, especially after the Florida Legislature last week decided not to renew statewide incentives to attract major productions.

That leaves smaller, independent productions. But even they may be endangered, as the infrastructure for busy filmmaking markets will likely migrate to states that offer financial incentives to lure major films.

That could be troublesome for Kelly Mikes, an independent film producer who lives in Lutz. She worked with writer R. Presley Stephens to film “You Will Love Me,” which included some exterior shots in Pasco. Without the skilled crews available to work on set or location, filming here could become difficult, if not impossible.

“There aren’t a lot of outside resources in this area, because there just isn’t any competition,” Mikes said. “Those who are here are charging exorbitant amounts, and not everyone can afford to pay that.”

Keeping film production locally cannot only keep jobs in the area, but can also provide a much-needed boost to the economy. The Motion Picture Association of America claims that for every dollar in incentives offered by government officials to attract film, the return on investment is, at the very minimum, $5.60.

Sometimes, that return could be as high as $20.

That means even $5,000 in incentives could generate an economic boost of between $28,000 and $100,000. Incentive packages generate revenue for businesses like retail outlets and hotels. They provide paychecks for workers who make their home here.

But that can’t help Pasco quite yet, Caum said. Implementing such a program, maintaining it, and getting the word out to filmmakers it exists, requires a full-time commissioner. And there’s no money for one of those.

“That is a sophistication level we need to get to,” Caum said.

He hopes he can start sharing some ideas with Pasco County commissioners about promoting film production around September. However, the tourism department will still have to find revenue sources to pay for it.

Still, even without statewide incentives, there’s no reason why Pasco couldn’t eventually find its legs in the film industry to keep up with Hillsborough County for now, and maybe even someday reach the levels of Pinellas County, which has churned out films like “Dolphin Tale” and “Magic Mike,” Caum said.

It couldn’t come soon enough for Leto, who would like to keep productions from his Reaper Films company right at home.

“It’s a beautiful place to film,” Leto said. “But more importantly, it’s close to home, and I want to stay here.”

Published  May 7, 2014

Plantation Palms Golf Club closes down once again

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Unless you’re a resident, a guest or a vendor, anyone thinking about trying to get into the Plantation Palms community off Collier Parkway should think again.

The community is on lockdown, even during the day. And it’s all because the golf course has shut down … again.

It’s closed again. Plantation Palms Golf Club has shut down the course, and once again it’s not clear when it will reopen. (File Photo)
It’s closed again. Plantation Palms Golf Club has shut down the course, and once again it’s not clear when it will reopen.
(File Photo)

Nine months after closing for a week, Plantation Palms Golf Club has shuttered its links once again, and this time there’s no telling when it might reopen.

That’s forced the homeowners association at Plantation Palms to act swiftly to protect not only its residents, but the private golf course as well.

“While not our property and not our legal responsibility, (the golf course) is a critical component of our neighborhood,” the board, led by president David Gunsteens, said in a written statement to The Laker/Lutz News. “Many of our residents purchased their homes here because of the excellent golf course. Not only that, but one of the benefits all of us enjoy in living in a golf course community, whether golf enthusiasts or not, is the strength in property value.

“So when the golf course is impacted negatively, it has a detrimental effect on all of us.”

The golf course is not maintained by the HOA, but instead by a private group, MJS Golf Club LLC, which has struggled to keep the 156-acre course open. Golf swings stopped for a week last August in what one of the owners, Jason Ray, described at the time as a perfect storm of bad luck.

“It was just a culmination of a lot of things that led up to the closing, but mostly the economy,” Ray said at the time. “It’s been too hot, and it’s been raining, and the culmination of all that just resulted in not a lot of people playing golf. Summertime is always tough for all the golf courses.”

But it’s not summertime now, and what happened this time, no one is sharing. Ray, who is part of MJS Golf Club with Mitch Osceola and Steve McDonald, did not return calls on Monday before The Laker/Lutz News went to press.

One thing is for certain: Bills were racking up for the golf course. Several liens against Plantation Palms have been filed in recent months, according to county records, including a $2,915 claim from Omega Field Enterprises for trimming 83 palm trees.

Pasco County filed two liens of its own last month totaling $5,300 for solid waste disposal, and Lake Masters Aquatic Weed Control won a judgment against the golf course last January for more than $9,000.

MJS Golf did have some good news last week, however. A proposed $13,000 penalty issued against it by the Southwest Florida Water Management District last September was reduced to $2,000. The agency, more commonly known as Swiftmud, had originally claimed the company overpumped water in 2012. However, officials later determined that there was a leak in the reclaimed water system, and MJS simply failed to notify Swiftmud it had to switch to the potable water system.

Ray, Osceola and McDonald purchased the golf course at 23253 Plantation Palms Blvd., in May 2011 through a $2.18 million mortgage from Native American Bank of Denver. The three have Native American roots, according to a 2012 story published in Indian Country Today. The trio was one of the first non-tribal groups to get a guaranteed loan from a company who specifically serves Native Americans.

The 875-home community’s HOA is not only keeping outsiders away, but also is working to make sure its residents know they can’t use the golf course.

“It is important that we continue to respect the golf course as a private property,” the board said in a statement. “None of us have the right to free golf or to use the course as an additional to our backyards. We encourage all homeowners to pull together during this time, and do whatever we can to promote and protect the integrity of the golf course property.”

Published May 7, 2014

Mourners brave rain to remember fallen officers

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It’s said that J. Edgar Hoover himself traveled from Washington, D.C., to Dade City, to remember prohibition agent John Van Waters.

Pasco County sheriff’s deputies salute during ceremonies remembering law enforcement officers who were killed in the line of duty during the last century or so. (Michael Hinman/Staff Photo)
Pasco County sheriff’s deputies salute during ceremonies remembering law enforcement officers who were killed in the line of duty during the last century or so.
(Michael Hinman/Staff Photo)

The 46-year-old U.S. Department of Justice officer was killed alongside Pasco County constable Arthur Crenshaw on Oct. 4, 1922, in an ambush soon after investigating an illegal distillery near Dade City.

They were just the second and third law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty at the time, but would eventually become a part of a list that now totals eight who paid the ultimate price in protecting the people of Pasco County.

And those same people who benefit from that protection refuse to let them be forgotten as the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office and other law enforcement agencies celebrated their lives during a memorial service May 2 in front of the Historic Dade City Courthouse.

“It is truly a special day for us,” Sheriff Chris Nocco told the crowd of spectators who stood in a steady downpour to honor the officers. “In a world where so many times we get wrapped up in the petty little things of life, this is a moment that we can reflect upon what is most important.”

Last year, the death toll for law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty dropped to its lowest numbers in more than 50 years. And while those are statistics that should be celebrated, Dade City Police Chief Ray Velboom warned that work to protect officers is still needed.

“While this number is gratifying somewhat, one life is still too many,” he said. “We as leaders continue to work hard to provide our officers with the awareness and training they need to confront the many dangers they are facing. We must strive to create a new culture of safety in law enforcement that addresses the elements of our job that we can control, such as driving habits.”

Two of Pasco’s deaths were from automobile accidents, including the most recent, Hernando County Sheriff’s deputy John Mecklenburg, who was killed during a high-speed chase on U.S. 41 in 2011 that crossed into Pasco County.

Pasco County Sheriff’s deputy John McCabe also died on U.S. 41, but in 1948, while responding to a call about stolen grove heaters.

“On this day, let us remember these men not by how they died, but how they walked among us, and whose lives they enriched in a thousand ways by their very existence,” said U.S. Circuit Court judge William Burgess III, after reading the roll call of the fallen officers.

Those officers honored also included Lt. Charles “Bo” Harrison, who was killed June 1, 2003, while doing surveillance near a Dade City nightclub. A sniper, whose only goal reportedly was to shoot a police officer, hid in the nearby woods, and shot Harrison in the back. Harrison, who was 56, was just 15 days away from retirement after 31 years of service.

Also remembered was a member of the Florida Highway Patrol, Trooper James Bradford-Jean Crooks, who was just 23 in May 1998 when he was slain by a man who had earlier killed two Tampa Police Department officers and a young boy. Brad Crooks, as he was known by, never had a chance to get out of his car, was shot and killed on the off-ramp of Interstate 75 into Wesley Chapel.

And then there was the first officer ever killed in Pasco in the line of duty. Sheldon Nicks was working with his father, Fivay town marshal H. Robert Nicks, to serve a warrant. When the man they were serving realized he was being arrested, he pulled a gun. The younger Nicks jumped in front of the bullet, saving his father, but died on May 8, 1909.

“None of whom we honor today can be defined by their deaths,” Florida Highway Patrol Capt. Kristina Quenneville said. “But by what is forever imprinted on the lives and hearts of those they have touched.”

Published May 7, 2014

Forget finance, B.A. Arnot finds his sweet spot managing restaurant

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There may be about a dozen different cuts of steak, but the ways to prepare it are almost endless. Think about Bubba Blue’s long list of shrimp recipes in the film “Forrest Gump,” and replace all of it with all the types of steak that exist.

B.A. Arnot doesn’t mind the long commute from his home in Zephyrhills to LongHorn Steakhouse in Tampa’s Westshore district. He’s worked with the restaurant since the days when guests still threw discarded peanut shells on the floor. (Michael Hinman/Staff Photo)
B.A. Arnot doesn’t mind the long commute from his home in Zephyrhills to LongHorn Steakhouse in Tampa’s Westshore district. He’s worked with the restaurant since the days when guests still threw discarded peanut shells on the floor.
(Michael Hinman/Staff Photo)

B.A. Arnot has watched thousands of steaks carried from his kitchen to customers at his LongHorn Steakhouse location on Tampa’s Westshore Boulevard. Rancher’s Sirloin. Outlaw Ribeye. Flo’s Filet. There’s never a shortage of meat.

And for the last 20 years, Arnot has dedicated his professional career to making sure hungry customers walk away satisfied from the restaurant chain. But his job as managing partner is not exactly the career Arnot expected to find himself in back in his college days at the University of South Florida.

“My degree is in finance,” Arnot said one recent afternoon before the Saturday dinner rush. “I was on the USF golf team, too, and I was even thinking about maybe turning pro.”

In fact, if the Super Bowl and a major golfing event ever ended up on the same night, Arnot might have to read about football’s biggest game in the newspaper the next morning. The only reason why he isn’t pursuing that dream is an injury that prevents him from playing as much as he likes.

Of course, that does not mean Arnot never plays. Silverado Golf & Country Club in Zephyrhills is just a short jaunt from his Lake Bernadette home. From time to time, people will find Arnot carrying his clubs, looking to master each hole.

Injury explains the change in his golf plans, but what happened to a career in finance?

“I don’t think I would’ve ever been good behind a desk,” Arnot said. “I’m used to being on my feet and walking around, because at the end of the day, it all comes down to customer service for me.”

But Arnot doesn’t like the word “customer,” however.

“’Guest’ is a better word,” he said. “It’s all about the guest, and taking care of the guest.”

In 1994, LongHorn was a young restaurant chain that was more “roadhouse” style. The complete menu was found on a chalkboard when customers arrived, and each table offered complimentary peanuts — the shells of which were welcomed on top of the wooden floors, crunching under the servers’ feet.

Arnot had worked at a Burger King when he was a teenager, and Bennigan’s in college. But at LongHorn, he was still starting at entry level, first as a host, and then as a server.

Yet, the manager at his LongHorn saw something in Arnot. He saw a leader.

“After a year-and-a-half here, I got offered a chance to go into management, so I did,” he said.

Arnot would continue to work at the LongHorn location on North Dale Mabry Highway, until he became a kitchen manager at a new location in Citrus Park in 1999. Just two years later, he was back at the Dale Mabry location, now as its managing partner.

Arnot gives back the same way he received nearly two decades ago. He looks for manager material from the staff he hires, and promotes them whenever the opportunity arises. He’s a big believer in hiring from within.

During almost all of that time, Arnot has commuted the nearly 40 miles from his home to the restaurant. Even when the Dale Mabry location closed down and moved to nearby Westshore Boulevard, it was still a haul.

But he doesn’t let all that travel time and long hours at the restaurant interfere with making time for his wife — a manager at a Fifth Third Bank — and three daughters, ages 16, 14, and 8. He takes turns getting his kids around to their various activities, and making sure he’s home for dinner the nights he’s not working.

Arnot also carves out a little time for himself in the middle of the week, where he can enjoy a round of golf, or simply work on projects at home.

And as the LongHorn chain expands, Arnot hopes to expand with it. His ultimate goal is to become a regional director of operations, although such a job might mean moving. Moving up is a long-term plan, like waiting until his youngest daughter is on her way to college.

“Yeah, 10 years would be my goal to move ahead,” Arnot said. “But who knows. It’s hard to predict.”

And Arnot should know. Just 20 years ago, LongHorn was supposed to be a quick stop on the road toward a banking job. Instead, he’s focused his career on the industry, and still has a lot more he wants to accomplish.

Getting to know B.A. Arnot
What are you watching on TV?
There have been tons of shows on that everyone likes, but I tend to only watch TV on Wednesday nights when I’m off. So the shows I’m watching are “Burn Notice” and “Suits.”

What music group makes you turn up the radio?
Nirvana. Or really anything on 102.5 The Bone.

If you could spend a week anywhere?
I would go to St. Andrews Links, the golf course in Scotland. It’s the most famous course in the world.

Best golfing movie?
“The Legend of Bagger Vance.”

Published May 7, 2014

Business Digest 05-07-14

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BizDigest-Burke

Burke retires from tax collector’s office
Longtime customer service representative Cathy Burke, center, has retired from the Pasco County Tax Collector’s Office. Burke has been with the office for 11 years, and ends a career that most recently included running the correspondence desk among other responsibilities. Burke was trained in all aspects of the office’s operation, and has played a key role in training new employees. Tax Collector Mike Fasano, left, and Dade City office manager Michelle VanCuren, honored her.
(Courtesy of Pasco County Tax Collector’s Office)

 

Martin to lead Saint Leo advisory council
Saint Leo University has launched a new Communication-Marketing-Multimedia Industry Advisory Council, with Summer Martin from the Pasco Economic Development Council, elected as chairwoman.

The council’s mission is to serve as an advisory body, working collaboratively with the instructional faculty and students by providing ideas and opinions on matters concerning the industry, and to help advance the department’s strategic plan.

“Talent is always No. 1 on a company’s wish list when choosing a location for its business,” said Martin, in a release. “This is a great opportunity for industry professionals to weigh in on the skills they would like to see future graduates have as it relates to their business and the field of marketing, communication and multimedia.”

Martin joined the PEDC in 2012, and has since helped the organization win four awards recognizing its marketing efforts. She also serves on the Tampa Bay Partnership’s Regional Marketing Council, and in 2012, participated as a member of the Communications Action Group for the Tampa Bay Host Committee.

“Saint Leo University is preparing students for future jobs, and we want to stay on the cutting edge,” said Michael Nastanski, dean of Saint Leo’s Donald R. Tapia School of Business, in a release. “We look forward to working with industry professionals to develop the Tampa Bay region’s talent.”

Pancake breakfast fundraiser
North East Tampa Women in Business will host a pancake breakfast fundraiser May 17 from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. at Lexington Oaks Golf Club, 26133 Lexington Oaks Blvd., in Wesley Chapel.

The cost is $10 per person, and includes raffles. Money raised will help fund two $500 scholarships the organization gives in December.

For information, email , or call (813) 451-8023.

More apartments coming to Zephyrhills
A developer that wanted to add another recreational vehicle park to State Road 54 just west of Zephyrhills, has been convinced to build a new apartment complex instead.

Terrace Investors LLC were scheduled to appear in front of the Pasco County Commission May 6 seeking a rezoning of a 14-acre piece of property on New River Road next to Terrace Park Mobile Home Park, so that it could build a 228-unit project.

Terrace Investors bought the vacant land in 1999 for $240,000, according to the Pasco County Property Appraiser. Steve McConihay owns the company, and in 2012 also proposed to replace a 138-lot RV park with a 230-unit apartment complex in Largo, according to published reports.

His new project there, called Boulevard Apartments, secured $30 million in financing just last month.

The commission’s decision on the rezoning request was not available by the time The Laker/Lutz News went to press.

Levent to speak at Women-n-Charge
Women-n-Charge will have its next meeting June 6 at 11:30 a.m., at Pebble Creek Country Club, 10550 Regents Park Drive in Tampa.

Guest speaker is business strategist and author Tammy Levent, who will talk about how to create successful strategic partnerships in this economy.

Cost is $15 for members, and $18 for guests, if purchased by Tuesday before the meeting.

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

Grandson to intern with Cessna
Joshua Cherok, the grandson of Leon and Shirley Cherok of Land O’ Lakes, has accepted a summer internship with Cessna Aircraft Co., in Wichita, Kansas.

He will work as a customer support representative with the engine events management team.

Cherok will graduate in December from Kent State University in Ohio with a bachelor’s degree in aeronautics.

PEDC needs banquet sponsors
The Pasco Economic Development Council is seeking sponsors for its annual appreciation banquet.

The 28-year-old event allows the organization to recognize those who help keep the Pasco County economy strong and growing, and is typically attended by more than 600 business and community leaders each year, according to a release.

The banquet is set for Sept. 2 at Saddlebrook Resort in Wesley Chapel.

Sponsorships range from $500 to $7,500.

For information, call (813) 926-0827, ext. 226, or email , by July 1.

More jobs coming to region
The Tampa Bay market gained 30,000 new jobs in March, while the unemployment rate locally dropped by 1 percentage point to 7.5 percent.

The numbers were released by Gov. Rick Scott’s office, and included gains in areas like professional and business services with 9,000 new jobs, and trade and transportation with 6,400 new jobs. Manufacturing had 4,100 new jobs.

The region was first among the state metropolitan areas when it came to online job demand with 41,076 openings. That included nearly 10,500 openings in science, technology, engineering and mathematics — STEM jobs that are considered high wage and high skill.

The unemployment rate statewide in March was 6.3 percent.

Political Agenda 05-07-14

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The Grove available for early voting
Pasco County has added a new early voting location for the upcoming Aug. 26 primary and the regular Nov. 4 general election, finding room at The Grove at Wesley Chapel.

The location, on the west side of Interstate 75 and north of State Road 54, will join other locations that include the Land O’ Lakes Library, New River Library and East Pasco Government Center in Dade City.

“The need for an additional location reflects the growth and economic upswing of that area in recent years,” said Pasco elections supervisor Brian Corley, in a release. “We are grateful to Genesis Real Estate for providing this location to serve Wesley Chapel voters at no cost to the taxpayers of Pasco County.”

Expansion of early voting sites was made possible by the passing of H.B. 7013 last year, Corley said.

Raulerson, Cruz have opposite-feeling campaign months
State Rep. Dan Raulerson, R-Plant City, didn’t raise any money for his unopposed re-election campaign in March, but he did spend a lot of it.

Raulerson paid out more than $12,500 in March — well above his monthly average of $900 — with more than half of it going to Strategic Image Management in Jensen Beach for what was described as “design, print, mail pre-session survey.”

He spent another $2,300 on a telephone town hall, according to state election records, and $3,125 with Capitol Consulting out of Odessa.

Janet Cruz, D-Tampa, kept pace with her fundraising despite drawing an opponent, raising $6,750 in March. She now has accumulated $76,300, with $43,000 of it in the bank.

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.

Danish gains fundraising ground on Harrison
Former state Rep. Shawn Harrison is doing what he can to regain a seat in Tallahassee, but it appears the man holding that seat right now — state Rep. Mark Danish, D-Tampa — is starting to gain some ground.

Harrison raised $5,950 in March, down slightly from his $6,500 average, according to state election records. Danish, however, pulled in $5,750 of his own, topping his $4,700 average.

Yet, Harrison still leads the fundraising battle with just under $78,000 compared to Danish’s $66,750. But when it comes to who has the most money available right now, that would be Danish with $52,000 in the bank, compared to Harrison’s $37,500.

Mobile hours for Ross
U.S. Rep. Dennis Ross, R-Lakeland, will host mobile office hours May 13 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 June 10, July 8, Aug. 12, Sept. 9, Oct. 14 and Dec. 9.

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

Wilson taking Wells challenge seriously
Pasco County Commissioner Henry Wilson is taking advantage of the fact that he announced his re-election plans early, especially now that his challenger is a candidate with strong name recognition in Mike Wells Jr.

Wilson raised $1,910 in March, bringing his total campaign war chest to a little over $19,000. Wells, who announced his candidate earlier this month, would not have any fundraising to report.

Wilson has spent just $350, leaving him a lot of room to mount a financial defense of his seat. But he will have only until the August primary to do it, since both he and Wells are Republicans.

Wells is the son of former county commissioner and current Pasco County property appraiser Mike Wells Sr.

Burgess dominates House fundraising
Former Zephyrhills mayor Danny Burgess is showing he can raise money for bigger campaigns as he continues to pound his opponents when it comes to fundraising.

Burgess, a Republican who wants to replace House Speaker Will Weatherford, R-Wesley Chapel, in Tallahassee, raised $5,600 in March to bring his total to nearly $40,750. His primary challenger, Minnie Diaz, pulled in $365 in donations during the same time, bringing her campaign a total of $2,860, and only a few hundred dollars in the bank.

Burgess received checks from the likes of Oakley Transport executive vice president Ronald Oakley and Wesley Chapel Dentistry on State Road 54. However, most of the money Burgess raised in March — some $3,000 worth — came from political action committees, supported by companies and organizations like AT&T and United States Sugar Corp.

Beverly Ledbetter, the only Democrat in the race so far, raised $1,850 in March, bringing her total to just under $6,000. Barring anyone else entering the race, she’ll face the winner of the August primary between Burgess and Diaz in November.