The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

Special to The Laker/Lutz News

Odessa, Lutz among wealthiest ZIP codes

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Where is most of the wealth based in the Tampa Bay area?

A new survey conducted by Environmental Systems Research Institute and the Tampa Bay Business Journal revealed that among the richest ZIP codes are 33548, 33558 and 33556 — located in Lutz and Odessa.

Odessa just missed the ranking’s top five where residents have a median disposable income of $90,404, and a net worth of $993,591. The 33548 ZIP was ranked 12th with a median disposable income of $83,004, and a net worth of $945,668. Residents living in Lutz’s 33558 had disposable income of $81,223, and a net worth of $816,860, earning them a No. 17 rank in the poll.

In The Laker/Lutz News readership area, no other ZIP code finished in the top 20, although 34639 — which includes most of the Land O’ Lakes area just outside of Connerton — finished No. 29 with a median disposable income of $58,738, and a net worth of $196,027.

The 33613 ZIP, which includes the most southern part of the Lutz area, finished the lowest in the readership area, ranked No. 194, with a disposable income of $22,779, and a net worth of $11,109, according to the survey.

The richest ZIP code in the Tampa Bay region was 34228 in the Longboat Key area, where household income was $97,133 and the median net worth was $500,001.

The company and newspaper tracked both accumulated wealth and income in Pasco, Hillsborough, Hernando, Pinellas, Manatee, Sarasota and Polk counties.

To check out other ZIP codes, click here. To see how others ranked, view the map here.

Jobs picture continues to strengthen in Florida

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Florida’s private sector added 33,700 jobs in April, bringing its total to 600,400 since December 2010.

The news was released by Gov. Rick Scott’s office, which added that Florida’s unemployment rate also dropped slightly to 6.2 percent last month. That makes it the ninth consecutive month the state’s unemployment rate has been below the national rate.

Florida’s labor force in April was 9.6 million, which consists of people with jobs, and those who are collecting unemployment benefits.

The state’s over-the-year job growth rate in April of 3.3 percent is the fastest annual job growth rate since March 2006, before the housing market crash.

Florida’s 24 regional workforce boards reported more than 42,500 Floridians were placed in jobs in April. That includes anyone who received employment and training assistance through a CareerSource Center, and finds a job within 180 days. Of those people, more than 8,800 of them were receiving unemployment benefits.

9 HART drivers inducted into One Million Mile Club

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The Tampa Area Safety Council has honored nine Hillsborough Area Regional Transit drivers with the One Million Mile Club Award during its recent luncheon.

The drivers — Desmond Coulson, Demetra Jackson, Charles Evans, Rigoberto Oquendo, Luis Garcia, Thomas Palmore, David Gonzalez, Al Hughes and Antonio White — have careers with the bus system that date back to the late 1990s and early 2000s, and have completed an average of 14 consecutive years without a preventable accident.

The total driving of these drivers is 9 million miles, the equivalent of driving to the moon and back 38 times without an accident, according to a release.

The One Million Mile Club has been in existence since 1994, and has 124 members — with 24 of the now inducted into the Two Million Mile Club, which requires 27 years of driving without a preventable accident.

Only one person, retired HART driver Samuel Baker, holds the title of a Three Million Mile Club, a designation he earned in 2004 after driving 42 years without causing an accident.

HART has more than 400 bus and van operators, and go through an extensive and stringent training course that covers safety, customer service and emergency response.

Time to ride that bike to work

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Some Pasco County employees will work to bring more attention to the benefits of biking to work when they ride their own bicycles to the job on May 16.

The ride starts from the corner of Town Avenue and Starkey Boulevard at 7 a.m. It will run north on the path that runs adjacent to Starkey before turning west on DeCubellis Road, and then finally heading north to Little Road, ending at the West Pasco Government Center there. The riders will then make a return trip at 5 p.m.

Bikers who would like to participate are welcome, but they are asked to bring their own water.

The ride coincides with National Bike Month, which has been held since 1956 by the League of American Bicyclists.

“Biking provides many  benefits not only to the cyclist, but to our environment,” said Allen Howell, a bicycle and pedestrian planner for the Pasco County Metropolitan Planning Organization, in a release. “If we get more people to commute to work via bicycle, then we can reduce the amount of cars on the roads, thus reducing the greenhouse gases. It’s a small start, but it’s a start in the right direction.”

Howell reviews bicycle and pedestrian master plans for the county, and coordinates with adjacent counties and municipalities for long-range trail planning. He is part of the team that is reviewing the land development code, and says he believes having bike paths and trails is key to getting more people biking to work.

“The county’s goal is to have multi-use trails connecting parks, attractions and neighborhoods,” Howell said. “We’d like bike paths to be a minimum of 10 feet, with an idea width of 15 feet.”

By building bike paths to that width, there can be safe, two-way bike traffic plus pedestrian traffic, he added.

For information on the event, call Howell at (727) 847-2411, ext. 8678.

Newest Walmart opening May 21

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Walmart is set to open its newest store May 21 in northern Hillsborough County that will bring 300 jobs to the area.

Located at 15302 N. Nebraska Ave., it will be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and will include some of the common staples found in most Walmarts now, including groceries and a pharmacy.

“The new store builds upon the partnership Walmart has enjoyed with this community for more than 20 years,” Hillsborough County Commissioner Victor Crist said, in a release. “I am also grateful for Walmart’s commitment tog giving back to the community, as demonstrated by the grants they will be presenting to local community groups.”

The grand opening celebration includes the presentation of $5,500 in grants to local community groups like the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay, Metropolitan Ministries, Mort Elementary School, and the University Area Community Development Corp.

The store will be led by Arnetta Hill, who began her Walmart career in 2002 as an assistant manager trainee. She will be on hand during a family day event May 24 from noon to 3 p.m., that will include face painting, cupcake decorating, and free food samples.

Walmart has more than 11,300 stores in 27 counties with annual sales of $473 billion.

Spring is here, but so is Grand Horizons

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While most of our residents are either going back to their northern homes or taking motor trips, games and dinners still continue at Grand Horizons.

Chris and Rich Fulton check in hungry guests for Easter dinner. (Courtesy of Helene Rubenstein)
Chris and Rich Fulton check in hungry guests for Easter dinner.
(Courtesy of Helene Rubenstein)

There was an Easter dinner and potluck in our community center on April 20, and 56 residents and guests attended this outing hosted by Terry and Mim Gardner, Ken and Cheryl Leone, Carol George, and Rich and Chris Fulton. The social club provided the ham, and each couple brought a dish to complete the meal.

There was a great variety including pasta salad, coleslaw, potato salad, chicken salad, scalloped potatoes, vegetables, and so much more. In addition to these dishes, there were several desserts for the sweet tooth, and a lovely cake that was shaped like a lamb that was so moist.

Before tables were called, grace was given by Fred Sage. He did a lovely job of it and we thank him.

After dinner was complete, Ken Leone mentioned that there were two winners from each table. Each winner went home with a lovely handmade centerpiece.

We had a lovely time, and the potluck was done in very good taste.

Most of the activities that have been going on in the past several months are continuing.

They still have shuffleboard every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, which is loads of fun with friendly conversation among the players. Every Thursday they still have mah-jongg and euchre on Thursday night.

Dominoes are still played every Monday night, and bingo is every Tuesday night in our community center. There are these activities and so much more to keep a person busy and not wondering what to do next.

We had an ice cream social at our community center on May 4. Marty and I were not there as we traveled back to Connecticut. Wish we were back in Florida, as it is so cold here.

From what I understand, there were several toppings available. Many people attended and thoroughly enjoyed themselves creating sundaes that were beyond description.

The hosts for this special event were Dave and Linda Tutin, Bill and Karen Donlon, and Rich and Chris Fulton. Our thanks go out to them on arranging this function.

Before signing off on this write-up, I would like to add a little note for you music lovers. While Marty and I were going to our home up north, we made a little side trip to a museum that contained mementos, treasures, pictures, articles and movies on Patsy Cline. This museum was quite extensive and we spent several hours there.

By Helene Rubenstein

Published May 14, 2014

Flags flown at half-staff Thursday

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Gov. Rick Scott has ordered flags to be flown half-staff Thursday at all local and state buildings throughout Florida to honor law enforcement officers who gave their lives in the line of duty.

It’s a mark of respect, Scott said, for “all law enforcement officers who have heroically given their lives to protect and defend us.”

Thursday also is Peace Officers Memorial Day, which was first signed into law by President John F. Kennedy in 1962. As part of that observance, National Police Week continues in Washington D.C., which will includes tens of thousands of law enforcement officers from around the world.

Part of that week long of events include a memorial service which first began in 1982 that features 120 survivors and supporters of law enforcement.

The Officer Down Memorial Page reports that 105 officers were killed in the line of duty last year, including seven in Florida. So far this year, there have been 42 deaths nationwide, with three of them in Florida. That includes Florida Highway Patrol trooper Chelsea Richard, who was struck by a car on May 3.

Local communities come up big in Parade of Homes

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Home and community developers from Pasco and northern Hillsborough counties picked up 14 awards recently as the Tampa Bay Builders Association named its 2014 Parade of Homes winners.

The parade itself featured 143 model homes by 33 builders in more than 80 Tampa Bay area communities from Pasco, Hillsborough, Pinellas, Polk and Hernando counties.

Judging was done by a panel of independent homebuilding experts, according to a release, who considered site plan, curb appeal, design, materials, outdoor living spaces, architectural detailing and workmanship.

Among the local communities, Connerton was the biggest winner with two grand awards and two merit awards. Terra Bella in Land O’ Lakes earned a grand award and a merit award, as did Cordoba Estates in Lutz.

Local grand and merit award winners were:

• Ryland Homes, Frost II at Connerton — Grand award for homes priced $226,000 to $250,999
• Lennar, Sedgewick at Live Oak Preserve — Merit award for homes priced $251,000 to $275,999
• Taylor Morrison, Kentwood III at Connerton — Grand award for homes priced $276,000 to $300,999
• Ashton Woods Homes, Fairfax at Crenshaw Reserve — Grand award for homes prices $301,000 to $335,999
• D.R. Horton, The Surrey at Terra Bella — Grand award for homes priced $336,000 to $350,999
• Standard Pacific Homes, The Chelsea at Peregrina at Watergrass — Grand award for homes priced $351,000 to $400,999
• Standard Pacific Homes, the Castleberry in Crosswinds at Seven Oaks — Grand award for homes priced $401,000 to $425,9999
• Inland Homes, the Devonshire of Lake Jovita Golf and Country Club — Merit award for homes priced $401,000 to $425,999
• M/I Homes, Roxbury C at Connerton — Merit award for homes priced $426,999 to $450,999
• M/I Homes, Madison C at Trinity Preserve — Grand award for homes priced $451,999 to $474,999
• Homes by WestBay, the Verona at Terra Bella — Merit award for homes priced $451,999 to $474,999
• Homes by WestBay, the Key Largo II at Connerton — Merit award for homes priced $551,000 to $600,999
• Standard Pacific Homes, the Bellingham at Cordoba Estates — Grand award for homes priced $651,000 to $775,999
• Standard Pacific Homes, the Bristol at Cordoba Estates — Merit award for homes priced $976,000 to $1 million

Standard Pacific Homes also earned a Best Floor Plan award for its Castleberry in Crosswinds at Seven Oaks in Wesley Chapel.

 

In Print: It’s a week filled with art, roads and the Guv’na

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Trevor Nichols is heading to Washington, D.C. And it’s thanks to Coach Keppel.

That’s Land O’ Lakes High School cross-country coach Kris Keppel, of course, who served as the inspiration for a pencil drawing Nichols made that earned him accolades from U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis’ Congressional Art Competition.

“I really wanted to give my coach something as a gift, something he could have to remind him of me,” Nichols told reporter B.C. Manion.

Keppel is battling pancreatic cancer, which has inspired not just the athletes on his team, but the entire school as well.

Read what Coach Keppel had to say about the drawing, and check it out for yourself in this week’s print edition of The Laker/Lutz News. Or you can read it online by clicking here.

Anyone who has ever had to pull out onto Land O’ Lakes Boulevard knows that it’s not for the timid. And that’s why some residents in the community of Silver Lakes off Fletch and Barcellona roads are not too keen about a 100-home project proposed for Curve Lake that could make it even harder for people to get in and out of the neighborhood.

More agricultural land in northern Land O’ Lakes could be history if Pasco County approves the rezoning of more than 68 acres just off Fletch Road south of Caliente Boulevard. Southern Crafted Homes wants to build 100 homes there off Curve Lake. (Staff photo by Michael Hinman)
More agricultural land in northern Land O’ Lakes could be history if Pasco County approves the rezoning of more than 68 acres just off Fletch Road south of Caliente Boulevard. Southern Crafted Homes wants to build 100 homes there off Curve Lake. (Staff photo by Michael Hinman)

“The thing is truly the safety issue of getting in and getting out,” Silver Lakes homeowner Bobbi Smith told reporter Michael Hinman. “There’s no way you can have all those homes, and have just one road to get out.”

A recent Pasco County Development Review Committee meeting addressed some of the traffic issues, and liked the idea of eventually connecting the community with Caliente Boulevard in one direction, or Ehren Cutoff in the other. But there’s a big obstacle in the way of that, and you can read about it in this week’s The Laker, or read the e-edition right here.

Finally, it’s election time again, and some Lutz “politicians” are looking for voters willing to buy their candidate into victory. A debate among the Lutz Guv’na candidates May 10 looks to raise more than $10,000 for local charities.

“It’s a silly, community spirit, wonderful thing for Lutz,” current Guv’na Suzin Carr told reporter Michael Murillo. “It’s supposed to be tacky. It’s supposed to be off-the-cuff crazy.”

Who’s running? Find out in this week’s Lutz News, or read it online 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.

Senior citizens ride Pasco buses for free Thursday

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May is Older American Month, and Pasco County Public Transportation is offering senior citizens a chance to ride for free on May 15.

Passengers 60 and older will be able to board a PCPT bus without having to pay a fare, provided they show a valid identification to prove their age, according to a release.

“This is a great opportunity to introduce bus ridership to our seniors,” said PCPT manager Mike Carroll, in a release. “I encourage seniors who may not have tried to ride the bus to give it a try. Take the bus to the mall and see if you like the experience.”

Buses operate throughout the county, including along State Road 54, which travels across the county. PCPT also operates the county’s para-transit service for those unable to access transit services because of a disability, environmental barrier, or distance from a route.

Route information can be accessed by clicking here.

For additional detail, call (813) 235-6073, or (352) 521-4587.