The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

Special to The Laker/Lutz News

Medicare PUP enrollees have help getting new health coverage

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Medicare beneficiaries who have lost their healthcare coverage offered through Physicians United Plan will have a chance to participate in a special election period to retain that coverage.

The termination, which takes effect July 1, affected approximately 38,000 Medicare beneficiaries throughout Florida, including Pasco, Hillsborough, Pinellas and Polk counties, according to the Area Agency on Aging of Pasco-Pinellas Inc.

PUP beneficiaries were transferred to traditional Medicare effective June 1, however many enrollees will not have the same type of coverage they did before June 1. The aging agency is encouraging those affected by the change to visit Medicare.gov for a list of approved services under original Medicare, and ask questions by calling (800) 633-4227.

Those looking to take advantage of the special enrollment period will have their choice of keeping the original Medicare plan with the assigned prescription benefits, purchasing a Medicare supplement policy, or a new Medicare advantage plan. The effective coverage date will be the first of the month following enrollment into the plan.

The special enrollment period will last until Aug. 31. The Florida Department of Elder Affairs and other aging agencies are providing plan comparison and enrollment assistance through the Serving Health Insurance Needs of Elders, or SHINE, program. The program is a free and unbiased Medicare counseling program that can help beneficiaries whose coverage has changed to choose a new prescription drug plan, or enroll in a state or federal Medicare cost-saving program.

For information, call the elder helpline at (800) 963-5337, or visit FloridaSHINE.org.

Private businesses don’t have to open records to public

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While government typically hires its own people to perform various functions, there are many times when officials contract with private companies to get that work done.

But does that mean the records of those businesses are now public record, like they are for the government? The answer is no, Attorney General Pam Bondi has decided.

State Sen. Wilton Simpson, R-Trilby, requested the opinion from Bondi after reaching out to the First Amendment Foundation to get clarification. He said he sought the written opinion after he said people approached business owners to make public records requests.

“While I strongly believe our comprehensive public access laws should provide citizens with the information that they need to monitor governmental agencies and their expenditure of public funds, I was very concerned that due to the lack of clarity relating to this law, the rights of private citizens and hardworking business owners were being jeopardized,” Simpson said, in a release.

Bondi did say, however, that a private business could be prompted to fulfill a public records request when that company is “acting on behalf of a public agency.”

“The opinion outlines several scenarios based on case law about what ‘acting on behalf of a public agency’ constitutes, and I encourage people to read it in full,” Simpson said. “I am grateful to the attorney general for publishing this opinion as I believe it will prevent unnecessary lawsuits, and lift a significant burden off the backs of Florida’s job creators.”

The full opinion is available by clicking here.

Updated 6/20/14 to include link to attorney general opinion.

 

Starkey park opens bike off-road trail Saturday

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Visitors to Jay B. Starkey Wilderness Park looking for a bit of off-roading will now be able to find it — at least for a bicycle.

The Pasco County Parks and Recreation Department is set to open its new off-road bike trail Saturday at the park during a dedication ceremony Saturday near Parking Lot 10.

Last year, the South West Association of Mountain Bike Peddlers, more commonly known as SWAMP, got approval to begin grooming the new off-road trail. Volunteers used hand tools and small pieces of heavy machinery to groom the trail, making sure it remained in the shade, which they feel riders will appreciate.

The first seven-mile section is dubbed Magnolia Trail, and is an access trail to the heart of what is anticipated may be a 35-mile trail system in the 8,000 acre park. The trail leaves from Parking Lot 10 and winds through pine uplands, old growth oaks, scrub oak, flat woods, wetlands, cypress domes and a lily pond.

“This trail is designed to showcase some of the park’s most beautiful parts by going near or through them,” said SWAMP volunteer Rudy Miller, in a release. “There is ample twisting and turning to give the riders rhythm and a challenge.”

The park is located at 10500 Wilderness Park Blvd., in New Port Richey.

For more information, visit SWAMPClub.org.

CareerSource Pasco Hernando wins $120K incentive

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After Gov. Rick Scott and CareerSource Florida challenged the state’s work force boards to double employer penetration rate in an effort to connect more people to jobs, the people with CareerSource Pasco Hernando knew they were going to succeed. And they did just that, earning more than $120,000 in incentives as a result.

“The governor’s support in our work force endeavors have helped job seekers and employers in Pasco and Hernando counties get back to work,” said Jerome Salatino, chief executive of CareerSource Pasco Hernando, in a release. “His challenge focused on the needs of connecting employers to job seekers.”

The challenge sought work force boards like the local one to provide services to just under 3,200 employers. CareerSource Pasco Hernando did that and more, making 3,663 employer contacts, and exceeding the goal by more than 115 percent. But even when the challenge ended, the local work force group didn’t stop, reaching out to an additional 485 employers.

The incentive was the highest given in the state. For more information on the services offered by the group, visit CareerSourcePascoHernando.com, or call (727) 484-3400.

Ride the bus for free Thursday in Pasco

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Want to save some money on gas Thursday? Then take the bus.

Pasco County Public Transportation is giving free rides on its system ll day Thursday as part of National Dump the Pump Day. That day on June 19 is set aside to encourage people to ride public transportation instead of driving, thus saving money.

Pasco County commissioners approved the one-time discount to help create awareness of bus ridership, said PCPT manager Mike Carroll, in a release. “We hope citizens will ride the bus, save money, and hopefully learn about what we have to offer our citizens when it comes to bus transportation.”

The annual Dump the Pump Day highlights the fact that when gas prices are high, using public transportation is a great alternative to driving, and helps people save money, PCPT officials said. It’s estimated that a two-person household can save, on average, more than $9,900 a year by downsizing to one car.

This program joins PCPT’s Summer Haul Pass, which makes bus fare just $20 for students to ride now until Aug. 31.

For more information on the program, call (813) 235-6073, or click here.

PHSC president Katherine Johnson to retire next year

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After a decade of growth and success which included changing the school’s name, Pasco-Hernando State College president Katherine M. Johnson will retire from her post on June 30, 2015.

Katherine M. Johnson
Katherine M. Johnson

Johnson made the announcement in a letter to the school’s board of trustees Tuesday night, telling them that the decision was “bittersweet.” However, she said by then, she will have completed more than 10 years of service, fulfilling a promise she made to the board in 2004.

“It is my hope the timing of this announcement will allow the board ample opportunity to complete the search for and selection of a new president, ensuring a smooth transition in leadership by July 1, 2015,” Johnson wrote.

Len Johnson, the board’s chair, said Johnson’s “leadership is inspiring, and she will be greatly missed.”

During Johnson’s time, she oversaw the opening of the Spring Hill Campus in 2010, and the Porter Campus at Wiregrass Ranch last January. The school also changed its name from Pasco-Hernando Community College to Pasco-Hernando State college after it began to offer baccalaureate degrees. The school is now accepting applications for two new bachelor’s degrees, beginning this August.

Johnson told the board she is looking forward to spending more time with her husband, retired PGA golf professional Chuck Johnson.

“My other commitment was to my husband, promising Chuck that I would join him in retirement at the end of a decade of service, to enjoy time with him, our extended family and friends,” Johnson said.

PHSC will begin its search for a new president as early as its upcoming July reorganizational meeting.

In Print: A true American hero, remembered once again

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It’s the kind of heroic scene that movies try to capture, but can never quite get right.

Baldomero Lopez is a name many residents might be familiar with locally, thanks to the veterans nursing home just off Ehren Cutoff. Reporter Michael Murillo, however, shares a lot more about the man behind the name in his regular history column, Presenting the Past.

The Baldomero Lopez State Veterans Nursing Home honors its namesake with a wall display as visitors walk into the facility. (Photo by Michael Murillo)
The Baldomero Lopez State Veterans Nursing Home honors its namesake with a wall display as visitors walk into the facility. (Photo by Michael Murillo)

There, we learn about Lopez, a first lieutenant with the U.S. Marine Corps, who worked directly under Gen. Douglas MacArthur in efforts to recapture the South Korean capital of Seoul. A photographer caught some of the final moments of his life at the Battle of Inchon, when he led the 3rd Platoon, Company A, 1st Battalion, 5th Marines over the seawall at Red Beach — literally scaling the wall.

The moments after on that fateful day on Sept. 15, 1950, would be remembered fondly by history, where he would sacrifice his life to save his men. And it’s a story you don’t want to miss in this week’s print edition of The Laker/Lutz News, which you can find on newsstands now, or you can read online by clicking here.

Pasco County has taken a hard stance when it comes to signs for businesses, but one type of sign they have overlooked a bit are loose, flag-like banners known as “feather signs.”

But not anymore. County commissioners were set last week to prohibit the temporary signs, especially after they started to dominate the landscape along major thoroughfares like U.S. 41. However, commissioners have agreed to hold off a bit, because homebuilders need something to grab the attention of motorists into their communities, and feather signs have been the way to go.

“We’re hoping that you’ll allow us to put together a policy that provides us a pathway for compliance,” said Jennifer Doerfel, executive vice president of the Tampa Bay Builders Association, which represents homebuilders locally. “We do not want to see blight, and we certainly don’t want to see tattered signs, and we’re part of this community, too. We want to make sure this looks great, because that’s what attracts buyers to our homes.”

Builders have worked with other communities to find a good balance between good advertising and eliminating blight, Doerfel said, and there’s hope that they can find that balance in Pasco as well.

Why are the signs so important to developers? Find out in reporter Michael Hinman’s story in the print edition of this week’s The Laker. Or you can read it online right now by clicking here.

The recent death of poet Maya Angelou hit many people who enjoyed her work over the decades quite hard, and Janet Watson of Wesley Chapel is no exception.

The local poet says she’ll miss the moving words Angelou put to paper, but expects her work will inspire artists for many years — and generations — to come.

“I’m so pleased that the world has paused for a moment to realize that poetry has value, and to mourn the passing of a great poet,” Watson recently told reporter B.C. Manion.

Watson does not want young people to miss out on the chance to have their own poetry recognized at the state level, and is working to spread news about one competition she feels ever aspiring creative writer should consider.

To find out about it, pick up this week’s The Laker, or read all about Watson and her work in our free online 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.

Pasco EDC wins three awards at state conference

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The Pasco Economic Development Council has received three promotional and marketing awards from the Florida Economic Development Council during its annual conference in June.

Pasco EDC won for best email campaign, best annual report design and best special event. These awards join six others the organization has received at the state and national level over the past four years.

“Marketing Pasco County to the business community locally, regionally and nationally is a big part of what we do, and it is wonderful to see our efforts recognized on a state level,” said John Hagen, president and chief executive of Pasco EDC, in a release.

Just two years ago, Pasco EDC first stepped into the world of social media and online marketing, starting its first email campaign, the Monday Cup O’ News. This email is a simple digest of news stories about what is happening in Pasco as it relates to business and economic development.

It has since become Pasco EDC’s top email campaign, with a subscription list now of nearly 1,300 people.

“We needed a simple and effective way to spread positive news about Pasco County to the business community,” said Summer Martin, marketing and events coordinator for Pasco EDC, in a release. “Often, people are so busy with their day-to-day lives, it is hard for them to keep up with what is happening in the news. We wanted to make it easy for people to know what is happening in Pasco, and convey our news releases to a broader audience.”

Pasco EDC also was recognized for its annual report, designed to be a key part of the organization’s branding. One of the primary messages Pasco EDC tries to convey is that it is an innovative economic development organization in Florida, and a leader in new ideas for local economic development in the nation.

The third award was for the organization’s 12th annual NetFest, designed to provide an opportunity for business and community leaders to meet, get to know each other, and talk informally about community business, and to help strengthen those relationships.

The Florida Economic Development Conference is the premier professional development event attended by economic, work force and community developers from Florida’s 67 counties, 400 cities, 24 work force regions, 12 universities, and 28 community colleges.

CupONews

 

TBARTA picks Don Skelton as interim executive director

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Don Skelton is the new interim executive director of the Tampa Bay Area Regional Transportation Authority board of directors.

He replaces Bob Clifford, TBARTA’s first executive director, who resigned to join the engineering firm Parsons Brinckerhoff, according to a release.

Skelton has a lengthy career in transportation planning and programs, including serving as secretary of the District 7 office for the Florida Department of Transportation for seven years, ending in 2012. During that time, he was on the board of directors as an “ex officio” member, and was instrumental in providing support for the development of TBARTA’s master transportation plan.

Right now, however, he is vice president at H.W. Lochner, where he provides transportation engineering services for the Tampa Bay region and Central Florida.

“Don was there when we started, and played a major role in our early success,” said Ronnie Duncan, TBARTA’s chair, in a release. “There could not be (a) better person to serve in this capacity as we work through the process of selecting a permanent executive director.”

TBARTA was created in 2007 by the Legislature to plan and develop a multimodal transportation system that will connect the second counties of the Tampa Bay region — Pasco, Hillsborough, Hernando, Citrus, Manatee, Pinellas and Sarasota.

Hillsborough offering workshop for landlords, renters

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Hillsborough County has unveiled a new program to help residential landlords and rental managers provide safer dwellings, avoid code violations, and assist tenants in crisis.

The first in a series of free landlord/tenant forums will take place June 24 at 9 a.m., at University Area Community Development Corp., 14013 N. 22nd St., in Tampa. Other presentations will be scheduled throughout the county this summer and fall.

The forum series aims to provide education and information about county services, including safety nets for renters in crisis and county code requirements. Topics range from rental assistance programs to smoke detectors, and will include those with expertise and various rental fields to help answer questions.

Joining the forum will include representatives from code enforcement, Americans with Disabilities Act compliance, community affairs, consumer protection, fire rescue, neighborhood relations, pet resources and social services.

The program also is opened to renters.

For information, or to RSVP, email Jim Blinck at , or call (813) 274-6600. Or visit HillsboroughCounty.org/Code.