The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

Special to The Laker/Lutz News

Look out for gopher tortoises on spring strolls

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A gopher tortoise strolling across a road or through a backyard or field is a common sight during spring in Florida.

Yet, as tortoises become increasingly active this time of year, they are vulnerable to being struck by vehicles, and injured or killed.

Don’t forget to look out for these slow-moving reptiles with their bony-plated shells and elephantine legs, state officials said. They leave their burrows in search of green plants to eat and a tortoise to become their mate. From now through the end of May, females will lay eggs the size of ping-pong balls in the sandy apron outside their burrows.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission encourages drivers to slow down on highways to help protect the state’s gopher tortoises. If a gopher tortoise is crossing the road, it is OK to pick it up and move it to safety. However, keep it pointed in the direction it was heading, and do not put it in the water.

People also can help by using a new smartphone app called “Florida gopher tortoise” that’s available for both iPhone and Android. When users of the app use it to take a photograph of a tortoise or its burrow, the photo and its GPS coordinates will be sent automatically to the wildlife group.

This data will help guide conservation of this threatened species, as well as provide information to the user on the biological makeup and even a quiz about the only tortoise making its home east of the Mississippi River.

The wildlife commission conducts regular prescribed burning to help maintain the sandy, open fields and forests as well as the soft-stemmed plants that tortoises need to survive. It’s part of the overall gopher tortoise management plan maintained by the wildlife commission, which can be accessed at MyFWC.com/Wildlife.

To report injured or dead gopher tortoises, call (850) 921-1030 during weekdays, or the hotline after-hours at (888) 404-3922.

Harming a gopher tortoise, its burrows or eggs is against the law.

Small Business Week comes to area

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The Greater Zephyrhills Chamber of Commerce is spotlighting small business, small business ownership and entrepreneurship during National Small Business Week, which begins Monday.

The chamber encourages everyone during that week to shop or purchase services from a local business.

“It is small businesses that are the biggest job creators locally, that contribute to local causes, and that have a vested interest in seeing our community prosper,” chamber executive director Vonnie Mikkelsen said in a release. “So the question becomes, why would we not support them by giving them our business?”

Since 1963, the U.S. Small Business Administration has taken the opportunity to highlight the impact of outstanding entrepreneurs, small business owners, and others from across the nation through its National Small Business Week. This year, events will take place across the country to engage the small business community, and highlight their importance as innovators and job creators who strengthen the nation’s economy.

The Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce will celebrate the week like it celebrates so many others, and that’s by introducing new businesses to the community. It will do just that on May 15 with a ribbon-cutting at Pure Health & Fitness Studios, 2206 Knight Road in Land O’ Lakes.

The Central Pasco Chamber of Commerce has its own ribbon-cutting planned on May 12 at Continucare, 21507 Village Lakes Shopping Center in Land O’ Lakes. It will finish the week with its 28th annual golf tournament May 16 at Heritage Harbor Golf & Country Club, 19502 Heritage Harbor Parkway in Lutz.

Back in Zephyrhills, new mayor Gene Whitfield will present a proclamation at Monday’s city council meeting recognizing the contributions of small businesses in the community. The Zephyrhills chamber has then partnered up with the University of South Florida’s Small Business Development Center to offer free consultations by appointment in the chamber’s office, 38550 Fifth Ave., in Zephyrhills.

For information the Zephyrhills chamber, visit ZephyrhillsChamber.org. For the Wesley Chapel chamber, visit WesleyChapelChamber.com. For the Central Pasco chamber, visit CentralPascoChamber.com.

Wesley Chapel High to host Swiftmud flood meeting

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The Southwest Florida Water Management District is hosting a meeting May 22 at Wesley Chapel High School to gather information about flood-prone areas in Pasco County.

The meeting is geared toward people who live in the New River/Upper Hillsborough River watershed, which encompasses a good portion of southeastern Pasco County. Representatives of the agency, more commonly known as Swiftmud, will present preliminary flood-prone area information, explain the basis behind the findings, and gather additional information that may be used to identify areas prone to flooding, according to a release.

There also will be time for public comment.

The area in question is not part of the Federal Emergency Management Agency Digital Flood Insurance Rate Maps that were made public a year ago, but Swiftmud officials said the information they collect at the May 22 meeting could be used in future updates to those maps.

Otherwise, the flood information is used by local governments for land use and zoning decisions, to help manage development in and around floodplains and wetlands, to reduce flood risks, to preserve land and water resources, and for emergency planning.

It also can provide information to the public for decisions about purchasing and protecting property, Swiftmud officials said.

The high school is located at 30651 Wells Road in Wesley Chapel.

For information on how to find out which watershed you live in, visit WaterMatters.org/FloodRisk, or call Swiftmud at (352) 796-7211, ext. 4297.

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Governor to settle Lake Jovita, St. Leo battle

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The fate of St. Leo and its relationship with the Lake Jovita neighborhood is now in the hands of Gov. Rick Scott.

The Florida Legislature has officially presented H.B. 1401 to Scott, which would de-annex a portion of Lake Jovita that happens to be inside the town limits of St. Leo. Without the bill, it’s been suggested that the members of the St. Leo town commission who also are Lake Jovita residents could push to dissolve the small Pasco County municipality completely in order to reduce their taxes.

Scott now has 15 days to consider the bill. His signature would make the bill become law immediately. He also could decide not to sign the bill, but as long as it’s not vetoed, it would still become law without his signature by May 23.

Even if Scott vetoed the bill, only one person voted against the bill in either the House or the Senate, so there is a good chance the Legislature could override that veto in the next session. Scott has not indicated publicly what his plans are for the bill.

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. Once H.B. 1401 becomes law, the entire community would be located in the unincorporated part of the county.

Feds offering loans, grants for rural economic expansion

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Zero-interest loans and grants are now being offered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in an effort to promote long-term economic growth and community vitality in rural areas.

The funding programs, administered by the USDA Rural Development department, includes $30.6 million in no-interest loans, and $9.2 million in grants to establish revolving loan funds that finance business and economic development activities in rural areas.

Applications for these funds will be accepted through the Rural Economic Development Loan and Grant Program, federal officials said. That would include rural utilities eligible for USDA financing under the Rural Electrification Act who wish to help administer the funds locally.

The funding is designed to help with business startup and expansion, business technical assistance and job training, and community facilities projects that support economic development.

Applications are accepted on an ongoing basis through state offices of the USDA and are evaluated monthly.

The Rural Business Opportunity Grant Program is looking to improve conditions in designated Rural Economic Area Partnership Zones, and for members of Native American tribes in rural areas, for grants up to $100,000.

Funding can be used to support business incubators, feasibility studies and business plans, long-term strategic business planning, leadership and entrepreneurial training, and other related efforts.

USDA also has two other grants available from funds put together for the Rural Business Enterprise Grant program, including a $500,000 grant for rural transportation projects, and a $250,000 grant for federally recognized Native American tribes. Those funds can be used to provide technical assistance and training to help rural communities improve passenger transportation services or facilities.

For details, visit USDA.gov.

Altman officially files for school board re-election

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The District 1 seat for the Pasco County School Board finally has a candidate … and it’s the incumbent, Allen Altman.

Altman, whose district includes primarily schools in eastern Pasco County — including Zephyrhills, Wesley Chapel and Pasco high schools — made his re-election campaign official Wednesday.

Three school board seats are up for grabs this election cycle, with Cynthia Armstrong the lone candidate for her District 3 seat, and Marc Yacht challenging Steve Luikart for his district on the west side of the county.

Altman ran unopposed four years ago, raising $22,000. He originally won the seat in 2006, beating Cathi Compton and Willie Broner Jr., out-raising both $112,000 to $36,000.

Altman is an agent with Pasco County Farm Bureau Insurance, which maintains a local office at U.S. 301 in Dade City.

Candidates have until June 20 to qualify.

In Print: Golf course closes again, authors gather, and ‘Oklahoma!’

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The gates to the Plantation Palms community are now closed to the general public after the struggling Plantation Palms Golf Club has shuttered once again. And no one knows when it might be back.

The homeowners association there says that while the golf course is private property and not their responsibility, what happens to it could affect the value of the 875 homes there.

“Many of our residents purchased their homes here because of the excellent golf course,” the HOA board, led by president David Gunsteens, said in a prepared statement to reporter Michael Hinman. “So when the golf course is impacted negatively, it has a detrimental effect on all of us.”

The golf course had closed down before in August, but reopened within a week. This time, however, the ownership group is not talking, and a few vendors are going as far as to filing liens against the property.

Get all the details in the print edition of this week’s The Laker/Lutz News, or in our online e-edition by clicking here.

If you like books, then you’ll be more than interested to learn that 17 local authors will be on hand during a special event at The Shops at Wiregrass’ Barnes & Noble store on May 17.

“It’s Barnes & Noble’s way to recognize the community,” assistant store manager Paul Brouillard told reporter B.C. Manion. “Our customers are readers. A lot of them aspire to be authors and have their books for sale in our store. So this is a great way to get the authors who are local to our store.”

Some of the authors participating include Leigh Kenyon, Madonna Jervis Wise, Evelyn Johnson-Taylor and Janet Watson.

Find out what has the book community buzzing in this week’s print edition, or read the free e-edition here.

Lutz resident Ryan Santello takes on the lead role of Curly in ‘Oklahoma!,’ which wraps up its run this week at the David A. Straz Jr. Center for the Performing Arts. His sister, Victoria, is a featured dancer in the play. (Courtesy of the Patel Conservatory)
Lutz resident Ryan Santello takes on the lead role of Curly in ‘Oklahoma!,’ which wraps up its run this week at the David A. Straz Jr. Center for the Performing Arts. His sister, Victoria, is a featured dancer in the play. (Courtesy of the Patel Conservatory)

Finally, Lutz resident Ryan Santello has taken the stage as Curly in the popular musical “Oklahoma!,” which is now showing at the David A. Straz Center for the Performing Arts in Tampa.

Santello appears in the play along with his sister, Victoria Santello. And both of them are still in high school.

“When you’re an actor, you have to do your homework,” stage manager Kara Goldberg told reporter Michael Murillo. “You have to look up words you don’t know in the script, and you have to study your lines really well. I can tell that (Ryan) is doing his homework.”

You can read the story in print right now with our e-edition by clicking here.

All of these complete 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.

Army, Air Force vets have chance for ‘American Dream’

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Military veterans with dreams of owning their own business have a chance to compete for startup money that could help them do just that.

“Operation American Dream” is a contest from Signal 88 Security, encouraging those who have served the country through the U.S. Army or U.S. Air Force to submit a video by May 15 explaining why they want to own their own business.

The U.S. Small Business Administration says 1 in 10 small businesses are owned by veterans, and that 45 percent are more likely than those with no active-duty military experience to be self-employed, Signal 88 said in a release.

Winning submissions will be decided through a public vote on Signal 88’s Facebook page on May 22. The contestant with the most votes will receive $5,000 to start their own business, or $10,000 if they choose to start a Signal 88 franchise.

Signal 88 was founded in 2003 in Omaha, Nebraska, with the “88” law enforcement code for “situation secure.” The company has franchises in more than 35 states in nearly 300 territories. It provides community-based security personnel to help protect property.

To enter, submit videos to Signal88.com/OperationAmericanDream.

Danish pushing Scott to sign child welfare law

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State Rep. Mark Danish, D-Tampa, is urging Gov. Rick Scott to sign a bill into law he says will help strengthen the speed and quality of child abuse and neglect investigations in the state.

Danish is pushing S.B. 1666, which includes parts of a House bill he introduced this year, and other child welfare initiatives. The bill quickly made it way through both chambers, receiving no dissenting votes in either the House or the Senate.

“By strengthening the state’s workforce, response time and overall quality of investigations, we will be able to put the health and safety of children first,” Danish said, in a release. “There’s still a lot of work to do, but this is a major step in the right direction.”

The bill looks to increase child welfare expertise in the Department of Children and Families, and improve child abuse investigator qualifications, according to a committee analysis of the bill. It also creates a consortium of schools of social work to advise the state on child welfare policy.

Investigators would be required to dig deeper into deaths and other significant incidents involving those in the child protection or child welfare system, including a need to identify root causes that could help lawmakers strengthen protection laws in the future.

Nationally, more than 1,500 children died from child abuse or neglect, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. In Florida alone, the cost to investigate abuse is $312.5 million in just the past fiscal year.

The current efforts were jumpstarted in response to DCF’s mishandling of several child neglect and abuse cases in recent months that resulted in the or serious injury of a child, Danish’s office said.

The bill passed the House May 2. The governor has 15 days to either sign, allow the bill to pass without his signature, or veto.

Cat adoption available for $5 in Hillsborough

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It’s Cinco de Meow as “Be Kind to Animals Week” continues at the Hillsborough County Pet Resource Division with cat adoptions available for $5.

Through May 11, cats can be adopted from the county pet shelter, 440 N. Falkenburg Road in Tampa, for $5. The fees include spay and neuter surgery, rabies vaccination, microchip and a Hillsborough County pet registration license. Adoption hours are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

During the week-long event, the shelter also is looking for donations, particularly of pet food, towels, sturdy bedding and toys for shelter animals. Also, the division is available to process spay and neuter vouchers for residents who require public assistance.

For information, call (813) 744-5660, or visit HillsboroughCounty.org/Pets.