The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

Special to The Laker/Lutz News

True blue support

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(Courtesy of the City of Tampa)

The City of Tampa, including Old City Hall, the Tampa Riverwalk and downtown bridges on April 2 were lit up blue, at sunset, for World Autism Awareness Day. Tampa was the first Florida city to be designated as autism-friendly.

Some basics, to protect yourself from scams

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It seems like every time you turn around, someone you know is being scammed, or being targeted as a potential victim.

Here’s a list, compiled by The Better Business Bureau, to help you to avoid being scammed:

  • When someone you have not met asks you to send them money, especially by wire transfer, prepaid debit card or gift card, don’t do it.
  • Never click on links or attachments in unsolicited emails or texts. That’s how crooks put malware on your devices.
  • Don’t trust the legitimacy of something by its looks. Emails and websites are easy to fake with copied logos and graphics.
  • Don’t trust your Caller ID. It can be faked to read any way a crook wants it to read.
  • Buy online only from legitimate sources with a website address that has the “s” in “https.” Look for the lock icon in the address bar as well.
  • Look up any company you’re unfamiliar with at BBB.org.
  • Treat your personal identification information like gold. Don’t give it away to anyone who contacts you out of the blue. Your banking, Social Security and insurance numbers should be closely guarded.
  • Anyone pressuring you to act quickly could be a scammer who doesn’t want you to have time to seriously consider the “offer.”
  • Get details in writing and read them thoroughly.
  • Don’t overshare on social media. Con artists can collect your information from such sources and use it to make you think they know you.
  • Keep your travel plans to yourself and only share them after the fact.
  • Shred junk mail, old documents, bills and medical paperwork.
  • Monitor your accounts and check out any unknown transaction, even for tiny amounts (crooks start with small amounts to see if you pay attention).
  • Use strong passwords and keep software and virus protections updated constantly.

Check out the Better Business Bureau’s articles on phishing scams, tech support scams and Social Security scams.

Scammers never quit, but they can be thwarted by staying on top of the latest tips and news from organizations that monitor them, such as the Better Business Bureau and the Federal Trade Commission.

Go to BBB.org, to look up online marketplace business profiles, file a complaint, or write a customer review. Visit the BBB Scam Tracker, to research and report scams.

Avoid ransom scams
The Pasco County Sheriff’s Office shares this tip to help people avoid becoming victim of an economic scam that is known as a ransom scam.

In this crime, the scammer will call the victim and claim to be holding a member of the victim’s family captive.

The scammer instructs the victim to transfer ransom money into the scammer’s bank account or the victim’s family member will be harmed.

The scammers use tactics to convince the victim their loved one is a hostage, such as using screams and cries in the call.

In its posting, the Pasco Sheriff’s Office advises those who receive such a call should hang up the phone and then call your relative to verify his or her safety.

Published April 06, 2022

Gas-saving tips for boaters

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Motorists who hit the road aren’t the only ones who have to contend with high gas prices, boaters do, too.

To help boaters make the most of their fuel, the Boat Owners Association of the United States (BoatUs) has compiled some tips, which the organization shared in a news release.

Here’s a condensed list of those suggestions:

  • Tune your engine to get the best efficiency.
  • Match the propeller to the kind of boat you have and how you use it. Ask the pros at the propeller shop for advice and experiment with different models. Be sure to keep your propeller clean and in good repair. Be sure your hull is clean, too.
  • Keep track of your fuel flow. A fuel-flow meter can show you in real time how many gallons your engine is burning per hour, allowing you to dial in the most efficient speed for your boat.
  • Keep in mind that newer engines tend to be slightly more efficient than older models. Options also have increased for electric and hybrid propulsion.
  • Don’t carry extra stuff on your boat. Additional weight means more drag.
  • Lighten your tanks: Don’t run with a full freshwater or fuel tank unless you absolutely need it.
  • Avoid excess idling. Modern engines are fuel injected, so are ready to a minute or two after being started.
  • Distribute the load onboard to help your boat run most efficiently. Be sure your boat is not leaning too far to one side or the other. (You may need to rearrange your passengers.)
  • Remember that most recreational boats run most efficiently when they’re on plane, so once you’re out of the no-wake zone, safely get on plane, as soon as you can.
  • Watch your wake: One sign you’re blowing gas is the size of your wake. While sometimes you have no option, slowing down to no-wake speed saves fuel. It’s a matter of plowing a wall of water rather than efficiently slipping over or through it.
  • Slow down: In addition to conserving on gas, it’s safer.
  • Reduce wind drag: A canvas or bimini top is great for protection from the sun, but you can improve fuel efficiency while underway by taking it down if you can.
  • Navigate smartly: The ultimate trick to saving fuel, of course, is running your engine less. Travel to closer destinations or drop anchor somewhere nearer to home to enjoy your fun afternoon on the water. If possible, take the shorter route and route trips in sync with currents and tide, and try to avoid a lot of banging into head seas.
  • Share your angling outings by “buddy boating.”Head out this weekend by inviting the guy in the slip next to you, and then rotate on the next weekend’s angling outing. This fuel-saving technique is especially popular with anglers who fish canyons far offshore. Of course, this also improves your social aspects of fishing life as well.

Published April 06, 2022

Taking a ride with the mayor through Dade City

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Mayor Camille Hernandez and representatives from the City of Dade City joined in a 2½-mile casual bicycle ride through the city on March 25 to promote bicycling and pedestrian safety. The event was hosted by Bike/Walk Tampa Bay, a regional coalition of professionals, advocates, and residents committed to making walking and bicycling safe. The organization was there to pass out shirts and promote roadway safety. The ride started at The Spoke, the visitor’s center on Church Street, and cyclists traveled on the Hardy Trail and Seventh Avenue. Dozens of riders joined in, as did some members of the Dade City Police Department. To learn how to become an ambassador for Bike/Walk Tampa Bay, log onto www.bikewalktampabay.org.

(Courtesy of Jennifer Cannizzo)

Zephyrhills Skatepark comes alive during ‘Grind for Life’

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Competitors came from as close as a neighborhood nearby to as far away as Hawaii — and from a wide array of places in between — for the Grind for Life Series, a national competition hosted on March 19 at the Zephyrhills Skatepark, 39096 Alston Ave.

Thirteen-year-old Zion Effs makes a jump, as he prepares for the Grind for Life skateboard series on March 19, at the Zephyrhills Skatepark. Effs traveled from Miami to test his skills. The event featured 156 competitors, in various divisions and age classes, demonstrating their abilities in the daylong event. (Fred Bellet)

There were 156 competitors, of all ages and skill levels, including 20 first-time skaters and 17 women, according to statistics provided by the City of Zephyrhills.

Contestants included 10-year-old Samantha Livaditis, of Chicago, who dazzled the judges with a ‘front side air trick.’ She traveled to the competition with her dad, Steve Livaditis.

Twenty-year-old Jesse Yates didn’t travel far at all. He lives in Zephyrhills and was the only Pasco County resident to compete in the tournament.

Anthony Ferraro, of Spring Lake, New Jersey, is a relative newcomer to skateboarding — starting just two years ago. Blind since birth, Ferraro and other competitors with disabilities approach the sport differently. Before the competition began, he and other competitors with sight disabilities familiarized themselves with the placement of jumps, ramps, walls and rails, and distance. Ferraro took fourth place in the men’s adaptive division.

He showed off his skills in a street division jump, flipping his skateboard beneath his feet.

He said he took up the pursuit when the Zephyrhills Skatepark was completed in 2015.

Anthony Ferraro of Spring Lake, New Jersey, competed, too.

He’s a relative newcomer to skateboarding, starting just two years ago.

Blind since birth, Ferraro and other competitors with disabilities approach the sport differently.

Prior to the competition’s start, he and other competitors with sight disabilities familiarized themselves with the placement of jumps, ramps, walls and rails, and distance.

Ferraro placed fourth in the men’s adaptive division.

The Grind for Life Series benefits the Grind for Life organization, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that assists cancer patients with travel expenses, according to a news release from the City of Zephyrhills.

The skateboarding competition was founded in 2003, by lifelong skateboarder Mike Rogers, after his second battle with sarcoma cancer. He beat cancer once as a preteen, and again 25 years later. Rogers beat the odds and is a competitive skateboarder again.

The City of Zephyrhills has been a host for a Grind for Life Series leg for several years, with the city’s public works crew members providing cleanup assistance during the course of the event.

The competition includes a men’s and women’s bowl, and street division, as well as an adaptive skateboarding division, for athletes with disabilities.

Registration was $35.

Published April 06, 2022

Ten-year-old R.J. Serkland first hopped on a skateboard when he was 2 years old. He recently competed in his second Grind for Life Series. Here, he performs a trick called ‘the slob-plant.’
Kelly Ferraro caught it all on camera, after her husband, Anthony, left, of Spring Lake, New Jersey, took to the course. Even though he has been blind since birth, Anthony began skateboarding two years ago. He placed fourth in his division.
Zephyrhills’ own Jesse Yates, 20, shows his skills in a street division jump, flipping his skateboard beneath his feet. Yates said he began skating when the Zephyrhills Skatepark was completed in 2015. The park is near his house, motivating him to take up skateboarding.
Seven-year-old Coco Waldo, of Fernandina Beach, competed for the first time at the Grind for Life Series. Her mom, Britni Waldo, said her daughter has been skating for just two years.
With a watchful eye, 9-year-old Nicholas Delacruz, of Bensalem, Pennsylvania, checks out the street course, as he waits his turn for the Street Men’s 9 and under division. At right, a hopeful 12-year-old Taylor Burnett, of Orlando, holds her board close while waiting for her turn to show the judges her skills.

Enjoy Jazz Under the Starz at Avalon Park Wesley Chapel

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In 2020, COVID-19 created a very difficult time for a lot of business owners like Arlene Brooks, who owns and operates Coffee Speaks n Tea Talks in New Tampa.

Her business closed for a period of time during the pandemic, but eventually was reopened. This was when Brooks realized that she needed to come up with a way to get people back into her parking lot.

“My goal with Jazz Under the Starz was to bring what was inside the coffee shop to the parking lot and create a safe, soulful environment for people to enjoy music and feel like a community again,” said Brooks.

Local artists who play the sax, clarinet, keys, violin and steel drum all came out and played from the heart.

Like most great events, Jazz Under the Starz is defined by those humble beginnings. During the pandemic, social distancing was at the forefront of Brooks’ priorities. Musicians would entertain using the instruments of their choosing to crowds of guests outside of her coffee shop and tea house.

What no one ever could have predicted was the sheer popularity of the event. Now, Brooks is looking toward the future, and helping to deliver the joy that Jazz music brings, to as many people in the community as possible.

With so much growth, Brooks yearned for a permanent home for Jazz Under the Starz. She turned to her local leaders at the North Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce for assistance. President and CEO Hope Kennedy was instrumental in making the connection Brooks needed to fulfill her future aspirations of a jazz clubhouse.

As it would turn out, Avalon Park Wesley Chapel was a perfect fit.

“It was an instantaneous connection and partnership,” said Brooks.

“We are not just developers — we are building a new town,” said Stephanie Lerret, senior vice president of marketing for Avalon Park Group. “We’re so much more than just another planned community – we’re bringing together everything a family needs to enjoy life today and in the future.”

Avalon Park Wesley Chapel, located on State Road 54 about 3 miles east of Interstate 75, began building its first homes in 2012. Today, 1,000 homes have been completed or are underway, and residents enjoy unique amenities, neighborhood schools, and easy access to Tampa, Lakeland and Orlando.

When Avalon Park reaches its final development, it will offer places to shop and work in its downtown hub. The hub will be connected to its residential neighborhoods by tree-lined streets, walkways and bike paths, making for a picturesque and comfortable community. What better way to introduce the diverse community to new options of artistic entertainment than with the celebration of jazz music and a new jazz clubhouse?

“I want it to be a place where people can come and join together to celebrate the music. Everybody loves music and it helps you forget about the hardships of life,” said Brooks.

Recently, Jazz Under the Starz began their second season at Avalon Park Wesley Chapel that included not only jazz music, but different food trucks, and live artists who were painting at the same time as the concert and selling their work to guests.

“At our most recent concert, we had over 240 people attend,” said Brooks. “The band that played was great and everyone really enjoyed the event.”

Jazz Under the Starz is held every third Saturday of the month with a different band performing at each concert. Eventually, Brooks plans on having jazz musicians from a national level play for the community.

“These types of concerts and events really aren’t going on anywhere else in New Tampa/Wesley Chapel,” said Brooks. “My goal is to push the arts and celebrate all types of creativity as a community.”

The next Jazz Under the Starz concert will be held on April 16, at 33501 State Road 54 in Wesley Chapel, which is located behind Pinecrest Academy on Avalon Park property.

“You can purchase your tickets now on our website,” said Brooks. “Children under 12 are free, and pets are allowed as long as they aren’t aggressive and owners are cleaning up after their furry friends.”

Visitors also can bring their own lawn chairs and coolers to the concert.

For more information about the concert events, visit JazzUnderTheStarz.com.

Published March 30, 2022

Act Now and Take Advantage of Current Pricing at Cornerstone Pros

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If you’re looking to update your air conditioning and/or water heater, and considering adding a home generator, Cornerstone Pros recommends you act now before more price increases are passed on from manufacturers to local dealers.

Like manufacturing companies everywhere, plants that make mechanical systems for homes are faced with parts and labor shortages, which are resulting in higher prices on everything from air conditioning units, refrigerants, hot water heaters, home generators, and parts and material for all trades.

Dana Spears, president and owner of Cornerstone Pros in Land O’ Lakes, says price increases like these are out of her control. Cornerstone has done its best to keep its prices as low as possible and is continuing to try to make its services affordable for homeowners.

“Unfortunately, the current manufacturing environment is seeing pricing fluctuate daily, making it difficult to forecast 100% of future repair and replacement costs. We already have received numerous price increases this year, and are being told more will be coming in the next two quarters, anywhere from 8% to 15%.”

Because of this, Spears strongly recommends homeowners stop putting off these home improvements, especially for new air conditioning systems.

“You can buy now, and pay low monthly payments with deferred interest for up to 18 months,” says Spears.

Cornerstone Pros always recommends regular maintenance and planning ahead when it comes to taking care of your home. This will save you money, and allow you to budget for future repairs. Spears suggests joining the Cornerstone Protection Plan, which covers two AC tune-ups a year, annual plumbing and electrical inspections, and discounted services, for one low monthly payment of $9.95.

“A preventative maintenance checkup can help prevent an emergency from happening at your home because it allows a technician to catch a problem prior to the system failing on that hot summer day,” said Spears. “We’re currently offering an AC System Maintenance Checkup at a special rate of $39.95 and this will allow new customers to try our five-star rated services.”

The only thing worse than having your AC go out on the hottest day of the year or your water heater breaking in the evening is not being able to get it repaired right away. Cornerstone wants to make this process as easy as possible for its customers. The company offers many ways to schedule through online chat, online booking, texting, or a call to the office.

Spears added that if you are in need of any of their services, reach out to schedule a certified Cornerstone service technician who will come to your home in a fully stocked truck ready to evaluate your home needs, and provide up-front pricing for any repairs needed. Cornerstone also offers free no-obligation written estimates for replacement of your current AC system, water heater, electrical panel or generator.

Check out the 10,000-plus online 5 star reviews and try it for yourself and see “The Cornerstone Difference,” exceeding expectations from beginning to the end.

Call 813-990-0561 anytime. For more information, visit the website at CornerstonePros.com.

Published March 30, 2022

‘No one does what we do,’ at Finishing Touches

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Finishing Touches, located at the Tampa Premium Outlets, has taken lighting planning and design into the digital age.

“We fully embrace online shopping; our entire store is designed around it. The only fault to online shopping is you can’t see the product in person. That’s where we come in,” said owner Bill Richards.

Whereas most lighting showrooms are vast and overwhelming, Finishing Touches only displays what’s necessary. Each example is perfectly placed to give visitors a better idea of the online options regarding, size, color and style.

And it all starts at the in-store, Interactive Online Design Center.

“Our program is designed specifically for the lighting industry,” said Richards. “With this tool, we can customize a plan that falls within your budget and order it right to the store.”

At Finishing Touches, you get the tactile experience of seeing the product in person, while still having your favorite pick from the expansive stock that online shopping offers. Bill’s wife, Terry Richards, has been in the lighting industry for over 40 years. At Finishing Touches, she offers her design expertise for free, and helps every customer find what they want at a great price. What further sets Finishing Touches apart is the guaranteed customer service. By having in-store hosts instead of solely purchasing online, there’s always a place to come back to for help.

“We price match, too; if you find it cheaper somewhere else online, we’ve got you covered,” said Richards.

To find a lighting setup that fits your room perfectly, Finishing Touches is situated across from Saks Fifth Ave and Kate Spade, at the Tampa Premium Outlets.

Published March 30, 2022

Lighthouse Books shines on, in Dade City

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Step inside Lighthouse Books in downtown Dade City, and you might feel like you’ve entered an oversized time capsule – but one that encases memorabilia from far more than a single moment in history.

Shelves and tables inside the store display eclectic collections of books, periodicals, how-to manuals, and even vintage brochures that document humanity’s literary musings through the ages.

In a sense, Lighthouse Books is the quintessential used-book store, though most of its hand-me-downs are anything but mass-produced reprints.

Lighthouse Books founder Michael Slicker sits at his desk surrounded by scores of vintage books waiting to be cataloged into the store’s inventory. (Courtesy of Susan Green)

Proprietor Michael Slicker reflects on that, as he handles a 1478 edition of “Commentaries on Juvenal’s Satires,” one of the oldest and rarest artifacts available for purchase at the store.

“It was used back when Columbus got here,” he quips.

Slicker is an antiquarian bookseller, one of only about 450 members of the Antiquarian Booksellers’ Association of America. Born in St. Petersburg, he founded his store there in 1977 and chose the name, in part, for its original location overlooking the water.

In 2019, after being twice cramped by encroaching development, he relocated Lighthouse Books to Dade City, where his daughter, Sarah Smith, had already put down roots. Together, father and daughter run the business, which includes appraisals, purchases and sales of thousands of yesteryear’s treasures.

Specialties include books chronicling Florida and Caribbean history, as well as many works related to military histories. But Lighthouse offers collectible books, maps, and print materials from all over the world and just about every time period.

“We have a niche. We don’t have to compete with all the paperback sellers,” Slicker says.

He doesn’t count online booksellers such as Amazon as competitors, either, even though most of Lighthouse’s sales these days are made online through the company’s website.

Mainstream booksellers generally don’t handle books published before the 1970s because they don’t have ISBN numbers, Slicker explains. Without those unique identifiers, book vendors can’t easily enter books into a computerized inventory system.

At Lighthouse, each of the thousands of vintage materials that enter the store’s inventory must be cataloged by hand – a task that falls mostly to Smith.

Sarah Smith displays a vintage marketing brochure for Appleton Manufacturing Co., which crafted windmills and farm implements in the early to mid-1900s.

“It’s definitely something we work on constantly,” she says.

Judging books by their covers
Slicker’s expertise as an antiquarian book appraiser has been sought by universities, private collectors and estate sellers. And when it comes to antique book valuations, the old adage against judging a book by its cover doesn’t apply. Slicker notes that a book’s artwork and binding materials play a significant role in valuations, and they tell tales about the people of yesteryear, just as the written words do.

For example, take the 1854 volume titled “The Poetical Works of Thomas Gray.” As Slicker bends the Moroccan leather binding slightly and thumbs across the pages’ gilded edges, a portrait of the author against a churchyard backdrop appears. It’s a hidden flourish known as a fore-edge painting that sets the scene for the poet’s best-known poem, “Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard,” before the first page is turned.

Or take the American decorative binding trends of the early 20th century. Lighthouse is home to quite a few examples of books with elaborate artwork gracing the covers, usually the handiwork of women.

Grace Smith, 9, daughter of Sarah Smith and granddaughter of Michael Slicker, finds plenty to ways to while away the time in the kids’ section at Lighthouse Books.

“Since women were kind of shut out of all the fine arts, they did these decorative bindings,” Slicker says.

Slicker’s appraisal talents have put him in touch with the past in a way that few people ever experience. For example, one of his assignments was to appraise a log book that the famous pilot Amelia Earhart carried with her on one of her transatlantic flights. To him, the entries read like letters to her parents in the event she didn’t return.

“You have to picture that she’s writing in her log as she’s soloing across the Atlantic,” Slicker says. “And she writes that there’s an 8-foot wave and her right engine is going out.”

As much as he loves books, Slicker doesn’t collect them himself. It’s not a good idea for an antiquarian bookseller to compete with his customers, he explains.

“I tell people I got into the business because of the books, but I stayed because of the people,” Slicker says. “It’s a joy when an enthusiastic person comes in and says, ‘Oh, I’ve been looking for this for a long time.’”

Tina Ross, of Dade City, is just such a customer. Recently, she came to Lighthouse Books looking for a specialty craft book.

“I’m like in heaven here,” she said. “I like bookstores, but they have all the new titles everywhere — nothing juicy.”

A perfect fit
Margaret Angell, a 20-year downtown business owner who chairs the Dade City Merchants Association, says Lighthouse Books is a welcome addition to a historic commercial district that draws visitors to its antique stores, specialty shops and restaurants.

“We’re delighted to have them,” she says. “They bring a whole new element to our downtown with their historic books and maps.”

Slicker and Smith say they’ve been happy with the move.

“I think it’s definitely a more leisurely pace than we experienced in St. Petersburg,” Smith says. “People come and spend the day, and they’re glad to be out and about. … I think it’s easier to be kind when they’re less stressed.”

Lighthouse Books in Dade City advertises collectible ‘books, maps, prints and ephemera,’ the latter being vintage advertisements, magazines, brochures, and other ‘throwaway’ literature of the past.

If you go
Lighthouse Books, ABAA
Where: 14046 Fifth St., Dade City
Hours: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday
Contact: 727-822-3278 or
Info: OldFloridaBookstore.com

Calling old book lovers
What: 39th Annual Florida Antiquarian Book Fair
When: April 1 to April 3
Where: The Coliseum, 535 Fourth Ave. N., St Petersburg
Cost: Admission $10 for the entire event
Info: FloridaAntiquarianBookFair.com

By Susan Green

Published March 30, 2022

Sister Miriam Cosgrove celebrates 60th Jubilee

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The Benedictine Sisters of Florida celebrated the 60th Jubilee of Sister Miriam Cosgrove, O.S.B., on March 23 at Holy Name Monastery, according to a news release from the monastery.

Born in Detroit, Sister Miriam made her first visit to St. Leo when she was in eighth grade, to attend the ordination into the priesthood of her oldest brother, Mark.

Sister Miriam Cosgrove, O.S.B. (Courtesy of the Benedictine Sisters of Florida)

After completing high school, she moved to Florida in 1960 to join the Benedictine Sisters of Florida. She made her profession of first vows in March 1962.

She taught for 20 years in Florida schools staffed by Benedictine Sisters.

She worked in Pasco County Public Schools as an elementary guidance counselor for 23 years and volunteered with patients in hospice care for 17 years.

She also volunteered as a Guardian ad Litem for at-risk children.

She has instructed adults in Catholicism.

Her artistic abilities include calligraphy, photography and note cards.

She also trained in aquaponics and learned the art of fish farming as a sustainable food source. She currently is the coordinator of the aquaponics program at Holy Name Monastery.

The morning ceremony began with Liturgy of the Hours and continued with the Jubilee Mass, celebrated by Father Anthony Ujagbo.

In her remarks, Sister Roberta Bailey, O.S.B., Prioress, addressed Sister Miriam, saying: “Your dedication has been a blessing to us and to the wider community. You have shared gifts that only you can give the world – blessings others could only receive through you. May this occasion be a source of joy and continued blessings.”

A social with family, friends and refreshments followed the Mass.

Published March 30, 2022