The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

Special to The Laker/Lutz News

Here’s all you need to adopt a pet

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Thinking about getting a pet? Not sure you are ready for the responsibility?

While pets require time, money and care, they also are a shoulder to cry on, an alarm clock during the week (and weekend), and a reason to skip the gym. In fact, the benefits that pets offer us — body, mind and soul — may far outweigh the cost and obligation of owning one.

Recent studies have shown that pets not only offer companionships, but also improve the health and well-being of their owners.

  • No need to hit the gym. Pets, dogs in particular, get people up and moving. Whether it is a long walk around the neighborhood, or a rambunctious romp in the park, a dog will surely get its owner heart rate up and keep them moving. The result is a fitter, healthier owner.
  • Happy heart. Studies published in Frontiers in Psychology have shown that getting a pet actually can lead to healthier triglycerides and blood pressure levels. Cats may offer protection against severe heart disease, while having a dog may help lower heart rate and blood pressure.
  • Less sneezy, breathe easy. Some research, like that published in the journal Clinical and Experimental Allergy, indicates that having a cat or dog at home may actually reduce the risk of allergies. Cats can actually reduce wheezing, a symptom of allergies, in toddlers and infants, according to the study.
  • Compassion and responsibility. What better way to teach a child or teen responsibility? While younger kids cannot care for a pet alone, they can help with feeding, grooming and walking. Middle and high school kids may be able to take on some solo family pet chores, such as changing the litter box.
  • Pick up a date. Step away from social media and matchmaker websites. Today, there are so many places that allow dogs like some restaurants and shopping centers, along with beaches and parks, that they also are great places to meet people. Dogs make great icebreakers.

The conversation that began about a loyal, beloved mutt might just end with dinner and drinks.

Although there are many benefits to owning a pet, it is not something that should be jumped into. The time, care, love and money spent on pet ownership are priceless for many people, but not for all.

Please consider carefully before bringing an animal into a home. For those who decide that a pet is right for them, don’t forget to check out the local animal shelter.

The biggest and best reward of pet ownership is the knowledge that someone made a difference and saved the life of an animal.

Business Digest 12-03-14

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Nabers Jewelers owners retiring
After 32 years of running his store from Gall Boulevard in Zephyrhills, Tom Vanater is retiring, and closing Nabers Jewelers.

The store has been open since 1933, with Vanater as the second owner of the business after Myron Nabers.

Nabers is liquidating inventory, and is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. It’s located at 6951 Gall Blvd. near Daugherty Road in Zephyrhills.

Proposed apartment community wants rezoning
A new apartment complex in the Dade City area will have a chance to move a big step closer to reality Dec. 3 if the developers there can convince county officials to rezone nearly 22 acres of land off Clinton Avenue.

Six Feet Under LLC is asking the Pasco County Planning Commission to rezone land near Floral Memorial Gardens Cemetery from agricultural to high-density multifamily. That would allow the developers to build up to 160 apartments on now-vacant land.

The project, according to documents filed with the county, is Quiet Valley.

Six Feet Under lists Vicky Johnson of Dade City as its manager. She’s associated with another company — Matthew 6:20 LLC — that owns more than 100 acres of primarily grazing and orchard land near Trilby and other parts of rural East Pasco.

The land, located on the north side of Clinton Avenue just a quarter-mile west of U.S. 301, was purchased from Hodges Family Funeral Home in late 2006 for $94,200, according to county property records.

Although no start date for the project has been announced, a study filed by Raysor Transportation Consulting said the community should be complete by 2017.

If the planning commission approves the rezoning, the matter would then have to come in front of the Pasco County Commission, likely early next year.

Construction starts on Esplanade of Tampa
Taylor Morrison recently celebrated the beginning of construction at Esplanade of Tampa, a new community the developer has planned for the New Tampa area.

Located west of Bruce B. Downs Boulevard just south of County Line Road, the community boasts 20 acres of lakes, as well as mature trees and wetlands. Its community center includes a resort-style swimming pool with spa and lap lanes, as well as a full-time lifestyle director.

For information on the community, visit TaylorMorrison.com.

Tourism on pace for record year
For the fourth year in a row, Florida will have record tourism after Visit Florida estimated that 23.7 million people visited the state between July and September.

That’s up 3.5 percent over the same time in 2013, and represents the largest third quarter visitation Florida has ever experienced.

“Florida’s thriving tourism industry is vital to growing jobs, and today’s report that Florida has experienced three record quarters so far in 2014 — putting the state on pace for a fourth consecutive record year — is great news for Florida families,” Gov. Rick Scott said, in a release.

So far this year, Florida has welcomed 73.9 million visitors, who spent $55.6 billion. Direct travel-related employment jumped 3.6 percent, adding 39,900 jobs.

Of those numbers, nearly 3 million came from overseas, and more than 526,000 from Canada.

Catholic Business Networking seeks members
The Catholic Business Networking group is looking for Catholic business owners, employees and supporters interested in joining it for regular meetings every Tuesday from 7:30 a.m. to 9 a.m., at Our Lady of the Rosary Church, 2348 Collier Parkway, Land O’ Lakes.

The group has annual dues of $60, and there is a minimum attendance requirement of two meetings per month.

For information, call (813) 833-4737, or visit CBNTampa.com.

Business Link available monthly
Business Link, a monthly small business gathering hosted by the San Antonio Citizens Federal Credit Union, meets the second Wednesday of each month beginning at 7:30 a.m.

The meeting is designed to provide a networking and information-sharing platform for the business community.

For locations, details and to reserve a seat, email , or call (352) 588-2732, ext. 1237.

Women-n-Charge to meet in December
Women-n-Charge will meet Dec. 5 at 11:30 a.m., at Pebble Creek Country Club, 10550 Regents Park Drive in Tampa.

The meeting will include a feature speaker and networking.

Cost is $15 for members who pre-register, and $18 for guests.

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

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

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

Kumquat Festival selling sponsorship packages
The Greater Dade City Chamber of Commerce is now accepting reservation packages for the 2015 Kumquat Festival, set to take place Jan. 31.

Packages start at $500, and include logos and links on the KumquatFestival.org website, as well as booth space at the festival. Premier packages, which run from $1,000 to $5,000, include additional features.

The event is expected to draw 45,000 people from Florida, who live here seasonally, and who are visiting.

For information, call John Moors at (352) 567-3769, or email .

East Pasco Networking Group
The East Pasco Networking Group has scheduled several speakers for the coming months. The group meets every other week at the Village Inn at 5214 Gall Blvd., in Zephyrhills. Networking begins at 8 a.m., with the meeting starting at 8:30 a.m.

Upcoming speakers include:

  • Scott Lindner, pastor of Atonement Lutheran Church, Dec. 9
  • Michael Smith, pastor of Fair Haven Baptist Church and principal of Zephyrhills Christian Academy

The group will have its Christmas mixer Dec. 1 at 6 p.m., at Village Inn, 5214 Gall Blvd., in Zephyrhills.

For information, call Nils Lenz at (813) 782-9491, or email him at .

Dade City chamber needs volunteers
The Greater Dade City Chamber of Commerce is looking for some volunteers to help with the chamber event season.

With winter residents returning to the area, there are a number of activities the chamber needs help to staff. The chamber is looking for people who are friendly and outgoing, who have knowledge of the local area and activities, and are team-oriented.

For information, email .

On The Agenda 12-03-14

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Special election set for April
It will be April before residents living in state House District 64 find out if James Grant will return to represent them, or if someone new will go to Tallahassee on their behalf.

Gov. Rick Scott has ordered a special election for Grant’s seat after conflicting court rulings put the November election results in jeopardy. The inclusion of a write-in candidate was successfully challenged ahead of the November election, but then overturned after the election, promoting the House to not recognize Grant, a Lutz Republican, as the winner.

The election will start from scratch, with a primary set for Feb. 10, and an actual special election running April 21. Scott used an executive order to move the special election forward.

Grant beat fellow Republican Miriam Steinberg in the November election, and it’s unclear whether she will run in the new election. Grant filed for the seat Nov. 26.

Housing workshop in Elfers
Pasco County will hold a housing workshop to discuss the State Housing Initiatives Partnership program Dec. 10 from 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., in New Port Richey.

It will take place at the Elfers Senior Center, 4136 Barker Drive.

The county is set to receive more than $15 million from the program over the next three years from money funded through documentary stamp taxes. In order to receive funds, the county must have a plan in place by next May.

SHIP currently provides funding for down payment assistance, housing rehabilitation, tax payment and rental programs. Of the funds allocated, 65 percent must be used for home ownerships, 75 percent for construction, and 30 percent for very low-income households.

To RSVP for the meeting, call (727) 834-3445.

Congressman wants incentives to treat rare diseases
U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis has introduced H.R. 5750 to Congress, known as the Orphan Product Extensions Now Accelerating Cures & Treatment — or the OPEN ACT.

The bill would incentivize drug makers and innovators to repurpose major market drugs for life-threatening, rare diseases and pediatric cancers, the Palm Harbor Republican said, which would open the door to development of hundreds of treatments for rare disease patients.

“There are over 7,000 rare diseases, impacting 40 million Americans — that is nearly 1 in 10 people,” Bilirakis said in a statement. More than 95 percent of those diseases have no treatments, because each rare disease impacts just a small number of patients.

“My bill will leverage the free market to incentivize drugs to be repurposed to treat rare diseases,” Bilirakis said. “This bill can help millions of people by ensuring medications are safe and effective for rare conditions, and can be reimbursed through insurance coverage.”

Chances are, the IRS is not calling you

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Residents around Florida are getting phone calls from people claiming they are from the IRS, and that they are owed money that must be paid promptly.

However, the Better Business Bureau serving West Florida is calling these types of calls scams, and warning people around the state to not give out personal information.

“Don’t be pressured into making payments you don’t owe,” said Karen Nalven, the local Better Business Bureau president, in a release. “These callers are using scare tactics to try and catch you off guard.”

Thousands of taxpayers have been the target of phone calls in what is being described as the “largest ever” phone fraud scam costing Americans $4 million. It’s just one of the techniques, BBB officials say, scammers are using to rip off unsuspecting customers.

To avoid being scammed as well, the BBB is offering these tips:

  • Don’t give out financial information over the phone. The real IRS will not ask for financial information that way. Any contact from the IRS will be through direct mail.
  • Hang up the phone. Those asked for personal or financial information by someone claiming to be an IRS employee should simply hang up.
  • For those who receive an email, delete it. The IRS will not attempt to contact anyone through email. Any emails claiming to be from the IRS are likely scams, the BBB says. Such emails may include computer viruses that could harm computers, or even access personal information.
  • Report the incident. For those who are victims of the scam, call the treasury inspector general at (800) 366-4484. People exposed to this scam should also contact the Federal Trade Commission at FTC.gov.

Schools, sheriff’s office form health pact

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Pasco County Schools and the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office have signed an agreement to share the school district’s health and wellness centers.

“We are very excited about the partnership’s potential and that we are able to expand this very cost-effective, convenient health care program to also benefit the sheriff’s employees,” Pasco superintendent Kurt Browning said, in a release.

The district is adding space to its Land O’ Lakes center and adding another center in Wesley Chapel to provide the extra space needed to accommodate the additional utilization of services by school district and sheriff’s office staff members.

As part of the start-up, the sheriff’s office will have providers and a separate schedule for its employees, to ensure there is enough appointment capacity to provide services.

The agreement benefits the sheriff’s office because it has access to the district’s health and wellness centers. The district benefits because it is able to share some of the fixed overhead costs associated with operating the centers.

The existing centers are in Land O’ Lakes, Dade City, Hudson and New Port Richey.

In Print: New Lowe’s adding traffic light to State Road 54

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When the new Lowe’s store opens next March, it not only will bring more jobs to State Road 54 in Land O’ Lakes, but more traffic congestion as well.

To accommodate the new store, Pasco County will link the Lowe’s parking lot to the Village Lakes Shopping Center across the street, complete with the first traffic light between Collier Parkway and Land O’ Lakes Boulevard.

But that does mean some parking spaces at Village Lakes have to go, and traffic patterns through the parking lots there will be adjusted as well. In return, the area will get new crosswalks — one of the few places pedestrians can legally cross along the nearly two-mile stretch.

Want details of what this new intersection will entail? Check out reporter Michael Hinman’s story in this week’s print edition of The Laker/Lutz News, available on newsstands and in many home driveways right now. Or you can check out the complete paper online with our free e-edition by clicking here.

He may not look like Kris Kringle, but Bob Loring feels he might be a little like Old Saint Nick, considering how many toys he delivers each year.

Bob Loring will do whatever it takes to get the word out for his annual local Toys For Tots campaign. (Michael Murillo/Staff Photo)
Bob Loring will do whatever it takes to get the word out for his annual local Toys For Tots campaign. (Michael Murillo/Staff Photo)

Loring leads the local Toys For Tots chapter, part of a national program that distributes toys to needy children, run by the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve for more than 65 years.

“I’m the head elf,” Loring recently told reporter Michael Murillo. “It’s a thrill. Personally, it’s so rewarding. I get to work with and be around the neatest people in Pasco County.”

Loring first took over in 1999, and that first year, delivered toys for nearly 400 children just in time for Christmas in the Dade City area. Since then, the program has been expanded across the county, aiming to help 4,000 children.

Find out more about the program, and how you can help, in this week’s print edition of The Laker/Lutz News, available now. You also can read all about it with our free online e-edition, which you can find right here.

And finally, Rushe Middle School is going the extra mile when it comes to reading. The school has started a We Be Book’n club, and is looking for new ways to introduce young people to books in today’s digital age.

That includes a recent trip to Barnes & Noble where students took part in a scavenger hunt to find out what they’ll be reading next.

“It’s just for fun,” one of the teachers, Kelli Rapaport told reporter B.C. Manion. “We just want to get kids excited about literacy.”

It’s not the last thing — or even the biggest thing — the We Be Book’n club has planned for the coming school year. Want to see what else is up the sleeves of teachers like Rapaport and Dawn Gilliland? Then check out this week’s print edition of The Laker/Lutz News, or do some reading of your own in our free online e-edition by clicking here.

All of these stories and more can be found in this week’s The Laker/Lutz News, available in newsstands throughout east and central Pasco County as well as northern Hillsborough County. Find out what has your community talking this week by getting your local news straight from the only source you need.

If The Laker/Lutz News is not coming to your door, call us to see where you can get your copy at (813) 909-2800, or read our free e-edition by clicking here.

Appius set to build new headquarters in Lutz

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It’s now official. Appius Wealth Management will begin construction soon on a new headquarters building at the Northpointe Business Park in Lutz.

The company, currently based in Trinity, is looking to build a 10,900-square-foot, two-story building. Appius will take over the second floor and lease out the 5,000-square-foot bottom floor, according to a release. It will be built by the Perry Co., of Tampa, at 16524 Pointe Village Drive.

Appius got some help with the permitting process from the Pasco Economic Development Council.

“For more than 30 years, our firm has been providing comprehensive financial planning services to individuals, families and businesses,” said Michael Addessi, the president and chief executive of Appius, in a release. “We are excited to move our headquarters to to this centrally located facility that will serve our clients both locally and throughout the United States.”

Appius, according to Addessi, is expected to have “above-average” business growth at 20 percent each year, and could result in a nearly twofold increase in the number of staff members over the next five years. The company was founded in 1983 as a tax and accounting practice, and later expanded into wealth management, according to its website. Appius has clients in more than 20 states.

It will be constructed on 1.3 acres of land Northpointe Group LLC bought a year ago for $400,000.

Senior drivers support tougher laws … for themselves

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Using cell phones and driving while intoxicated are major issues that senior citizen drivers care about. But what’s foremost on their minds? Greater scrutiny on the license-renewal process for themselves.

More than 70 percent of drivers 65 and older favor policies that require drivers to renew their license in person once they reach 75, according to a study from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. Those same drivers also support added medical screenings for people wanting a license at that age in order to renew.

“Even though public perception tends to unfairly characterize seniors as a menace on the road, these findings indicate that older Americans tend to support policies to keep themselves safer behind the wheel, making them key allies in their mission to keep driving smarter and longer,” said AAA Foundation president and chief executive Peter Kissinger, in a release.

The foundation discovered that 86 percent of people 65 and older still drive, while the percentage was closer to 50 percent in the early 1970s. More than 68 percent of drivers older than 85 say they drive at least five days a week. That has prompted the group to begin a longer, five-year study on driving habits of senior citizens by monitoring the daily activities of 3,000 of them.

“As older adults spend an increasing amount of time behind the wheel, it’s important they take advantage of opportunities to stay driving safely,” AAA spokeswoman Michele Harris said, in a release. “Years of driving experience coupled with activities that help teach driving techniques to reduce crash risk can extend their safe-driving years.”

The new report finds that nearly 80 percent of drivers older than 75 favor medical screenings for drivers in their age range. And despite common belief otherwise, nearly 90 percent of drivers older than 65 reported no crashes in the last two years, or even receiving a moving violation like a speeding ticket.

Also, 65 percent of drivers older than 75 say they have never used a cell phone while driving, compared to just 48 percent of those between 65 and 69 who can say the same.

These findings were released as part of Older Driver Safety Awareness Week, which runs through Friday. Established by the American Occupational Therapy Association, the weeks aims to promote understanding of the importance of mobility and transportation to ensure older adults remain active in the community, and that transportation will not be the barrier stranding them at home.

County to discuss State Housing Initiatives Partnership program

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Pasco County officials will hold a housing workshop to discuss the State Housing Initiatives Partnership program Dec. 10 from 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., in New Port Richey.

It will take place at the Elfers Senior Center, 4136 Barker Drive.

The county is set to receive more than $15 million from the program over the next three years from money funded through documentary stamp taxes. In order to receive funds, the county must have a plan in place by next May.

SHIP currently provides funding for down payment assistance, housing rehabilitation, tax payment and rental programs. Of the funds allocated, 65 percent must be used for home ownerships, 75 percent for construction, and 30 percent for very low-income households.

Among the topics that will be discussed include home ownership, housing preservation, homelessness, special needs housing, and rental housing. Officials all will look for the public to comment on the county’s performance in these areas, and recommend funding decisions for the future.

To RSVP For the meeting, call (727) 834-3445.

Pasco’s first magnet school now accepting applications

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Applications are being accepted now through Jan. 15 for Sanders Memorial Elementary STEAM Magnet School.

At a news conference this morning, Pasco County Schools officials announced the kickoff of the application period for the district’s first magnet school, which will specialize in science, technology, engineering, arts and math. Sanders, located in Land O’ Lakes, is slated to open next August for the 2015-16 school year.

The magnet school represents an ongoing desire by the school district to expand educational options for its students, school superintendent Kurt Browning said.

Families throughout the county are welcome to apply to Sanders which, unlike traditional schools, has no geographic boundaries for its students. It’s being built on the grounds of the original Sanders school, and is expected to accommodate 762 students from kindergarten through fifth grade.

Because nearby Connerton and Oakstead elementary schools are overcrowded, the school district will give a higher priority to applicants currently attending those schools. Officials also will give a higher priority to children living within a mile of Sanders, and to siblings of children who have been accepted to Sanders, if space is available.

Those wishing to learn about Sanders, or who want to take a virtual tour, can visit PascoSchools.org, and click on the Sanders banner at the top of the screen.

Read more about Sanders Memorial Elementary STEAM Magnet School in the Dec. 10 print edition of The Laker/Lutz News.