The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

Special to The Laker/Lutz News

AAA supports a tougher child passenger safety law

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Florida lawmakers are considering a bill that would require children to be properly restrained while riding in a car through the age of 5, and it’s getting an endorsement from AAA.

“Safety belts are designed for adults, and do not fit properly on young children,” said Kevin Bakewell, senior vice president of public affairs for AAA, in a release. “AAA is pleased that state legislators are taking action to protect children by requiring they be properly restrained in an appropriate safety seat.”

Florida has the weakest child passenger safety law in the county, AAA said. Right now, children up to 3 years old must be secured in a car seat. Children older than that are treated like full-grown adults, where they can sit in the regular seat, protected simply by a seat belt.

However, death and injury can be avoided by using age- and size-appropriate car seats, the organization said.

“While this legislation does not cover all children who need to be restrained, it is a step in the right direction,” Bakewell said. “It is difficult to comprehend why the bill has not passed in previous years. On matters of public safety, Florida’s parents look to public policy for solid guidance. That’s why improving this law is so important.”

AAA, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recommend that children who have outgrown their five-point harness car seat by weight or height use a booster seat until they reach the height of 4-foot-9, typically between the ages of 8 and 12. A booster seat literally “boosts” a child up, and allows for proper placement of the lap and shoulder belt, AAA said.

Without that seat, safety belts improperly cross over a child’s soft stomach and neck, which can lead to serious debilitating injuries in the event of a crash.

The House has already passed the bill, and it’s set to be taken up in the Senate on Monday, according to AAA. Right now, 48 states require children to be restrained in a booster seat once they have outgrown their car seat.

AAA offers safe trips home for impaired prom teens

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It’s a shocking yet humbling statistic, but 41 percent of teenagers say they plan to drink or take drugs sometime during the prom or graduation season.

A recent AAA survey of high school students between the ages of 16 and 19 in four states, including Florida, also revealed a more startling fact: Some 84 percent of teens say that if they are under the influence, they would rather get behind the wheel than call their parents for help.  The main reason? Because they fear getting in trouble with their parents for drinking underage.

More than 80 percent also fear being in a crash that injures or kills themselves or someone else, while another 69 percent are afraid of going to jail.

“More than 30 percent of all motor vehicle traffic fatalities in the United States results from alcohol-impaired driving crashes,” said Michele Harris, director of AAA Traffic Safety Culture of The Auto Club Group, in a release. “We need real solutions to end these needless tragedies.”

The survey was conducted in Florida, Georgia, Tennessee and Wisconsin as part of AAA’s promotion of its AAA Promise program. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.6 percentage points.

That program encourages parents to speak with their teen before prom and graduation season, and to find a way to get home safely. If there is a chance of a teen drinking and driving, or getting into the car with someone else driving, parents are able to pick up their teen, and AAA will tow the family car home free of charge.

“We want the student to promise their parents they will make adult decisions on prom night, the parent to promise their teen they will pick them up should they not have a safe way home, and AAA promises to give a free tow home of the family vehicle, whether or not they are a AAA member,” Harris said.

High school students can sign up for AAA Promise by texting the word “promise” to 46787, or by visiting AAA.com/PROMise.

Pasco High School hosts its prom April 26. Land O’ Lakes, Steinbrenner, Wharton and Wesley Chapel high schools will have their proms May 10. Sunlake, Freedom and Wiregrass Rand high schools will follow with their proms May 17.

Zephyrhills High School hosted its prom in early April.

Home prices on the rise in Pasco, Hillsborough

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Sales of existing houses and condominiums might be on the decline in the Tampa Bay area, but that’s not stopping prices from going up.

The median sales price of an existing single-family home was $150,000 in March, according to a new report from Florida Realtors. That’s up more than 4 percent from a year ago, while condo prices rose 14 percent to $105,000.

Yet, sales were down in both categories, with 3,220 homes sold in March (a drop of more than 2 percent), and 1,186 condos changing hands, slightly lower than a year ago.

Statewide, however, single-family home prices rose more than 7 percent to $173,000, while condos jumped nearly 17 percent to $140,000.

The Tampa Bay metropolitan area includes Pasco and Hillsborough counties in these reports.

March was the 28th consecutive month that median sales prices rose year-over-year for both single-family and condo homes, said Florida Realtors president Sherri Meadows, in a release. Realtors from around the state are seeing a return of a more traditional market, with fewer short sales borne of the most recent market crash reported.

Cash sales are also on a decline, meaning that home buyers are finding more mortgages available. Freddie Mac reports that the interest rate for a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 4.34 percent in March, according to Florida Realtors. That is up from the 3.57 percent average recorded in March 2013.

In Print: It took long enough, but Lowe’s is coming

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The intersection of State Road 54 and Land O’ Lakes Boulevard already is a busy one. But it’s going to get even more crowded.

Work started last week on the new Lowe’s home improvement store between Winter Quarters RV Park and the Pasco County fire station, bringing more than 100,000 square feet of shopping space and some 125 jobs. And just across the street, Marshalls is getting set to open its doors at Village Lakes Shopping Center, helping a strip mall thrive just a few years after losing Walmart as an anchor.

Having Lowe’s finally start work is going to be a boon to the local economy, said Dennis Esber, president of the Central Pasco Chamber of Commerce, and owner of Point to Point Printing.

“We’re excited as all get-up,” Esber told reporter Michael Hinman. “What’s happening is that people are starting to recognize that the Lutz and Land O’ Lakes area is a great area to be in.”

Getting Lowe’s to Land O’ Lakes was not an easy process. Find out why in this week’s print edition of The Laker/Lutz News.

Bringing people and businesses to the area requires a lot of hard work from people who care about the community. And that includes Phyllis Hoedt.

Phyllis Hoedt uses her time and energy to help keep traditions alive in Lutz that cherishes its small-town feel. (Photo by B.C. Manion)
Phyllis Hoedt uses her time and energy to help keep traditions alive in Lutz that cherishes its small-town feel. (Photo by B.C. Manion)

It’s amazing how much time Hoedt spends with various projects in Lutz, helping with everything from the annual Christmas House to the annual Lutz Arts & Crafts Festival. But if you didn’t know Hoedt was so involved, then it’s probably exactly the way she wanted it.

“She has no expectation other than hoping that the people who come out enjoy themselves,” Lutz Guv’na Suzin Carr told reporter B.C. Manion.

“She doesn’t want any recognitions,” added longtime friend Shirley Simmons. “She doesn’t want any buttons.”

Despite those protestations, she is featured in this week’s Lutz News, so check it out.

And finally, speaking of Lutz, you’ve driven by it hundreds of times, and you may even know a lot about the Old Lutz School. But did you know that it almost became history in the 1970s after a new school was built right behind it?

Reporter Michael Murillo explores the history of the Old Lutz School in his latest installment of “Presenting the Past.”

“So why go to the trouble of saving an old school, anyway?” Murillo asks. “Schools pop up all the time. What’s one more or less?

“Well, it has to do with the school, but also the people who live here. Lutz is proud of its heritage. Its history means something, and it’s important to protect it. So with some effort and community support, that’s what they did.”

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.

Earth Day coming to Crews Lake Park

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Crews Lake Park will celebrate Earth Day April 26 with a day-long event featuring workshops, crafts and even a ladybug release.

The event is sponsored by Pasco County Parks & Recreation, Covanta Pasco, the University of Florida Pasco Cooperative Extension and Pasco County Utilities. It takes place at the park, located at 16739 Crews Lake Drive in Spring Hill, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Two workshops are scheduled, the first talking about rain water harvesting at both 10 a.m. and 1 p.m., and a worm composting workshop at noon. There also are opportunities for attendees to bring in electronics for recycling, including televisions — although more than two televisions will cost $7.

The event also will accept any mercury-containing device, with each person bringing that receiving a $5 gift card from Walmart. Anyone with expired or unused medications can bring them to the event as well as part of its pill take-back program.

Crews Lake also will the the site Saturday for hazardous household waste collection from residential sources only. The utilities department will accept all kinds of waste, except explosives, biomedical, business, household trash, substances in containers greater than five gallons, radioactive materials, drums of any size, yard debris, carpet and padding, and construction demolition debris.

The event will include a native plant sale, as well as train rides from Central Pasco & Gulf Railroad.

For more information on the event, call (727) 856-2917, ext. 201.

Earth Day itself is celebrated April 22, calling attention to the need for environmental protection.

MADD wants Florida to get tougher on drunk drivers

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State lawmakers are looking to crack down on drunk drivers with H.B. 7005’s requirement to study the effectiveness of ignition interlocks for first time convicted offenders with blood-alcohol content above 0.08, but MADD wants them to go even further.

In a letter to state Rep. Will Weatherford, R-Wesley Chapel, Mothers Against Drunk Driving national president Jan Withers wants ignition interlocks to be required for all first-time convicted drunk drivers for at least six months. An ignition interlock is a device wired into the ignition system of a vehicle that requires the driver to take a breathalyzer to check for alcohol before starting the car, according to MADD.

“A study of the effectiveness of ignition interlock devices has already been conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and MADD’s advocacy efforts are grounded in this research,” Withers wrote. “According to this research, requiring or highly incentivizing interlocks for all convicted drunk drivers reduces drunk driving recidivism by 67 percent.”

Currently, 22 states require the devices for all convicted drunk drivers, including first-time offenders, Withers said.

Florida does use the devices for convicted drivers who had a blood-alcohol level of 0.15 or greater, and H.B. 7005 would give a judge discretion on whether to offer it for drivers with blood-alcohol content levels below that.

CDC research finds that “first-time officers are rarely first-time drunk drivers,” Withers wrote. “Conservative estimates show that a first-time convicted DUI offender has driven drunk at least 80 times prior to the first arrest. And that 50 to 75 percent of convicted drunk drivers will continue to drive with a suspended driver’s license.”

In 2012, the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles reported that more than 17,200 Florida residents were convicted of driving on a license suspended because they were driving under the influence.

“MADD believes Florida needs … a new approach to handle persons arrested for drunk driving as license suspension alone is no longer practical,” Withers wrote.

Other states with similar ignition interlock measures as what MADD is proposing saw drunk driving fatalities drop, Withers said. That includes a 38 percent decline in New Mexico, 43 percent in Arizona and 35 percent in Louisiana.

H.B. 7005 moved through its latest committee April 15 on its way to the House floor.

Region under severe thunderstorm watch

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The National Weather Service says a line of strong thunderstorms have formed in the Gulf of Mexico, and are threatening the entire Tampa Bay region — including Pasco and Hillsborough counties — until 8 p.m.

Meteorologists with the weather service detected the storms just after 2 p.m. Friday along a line extending from Honeymoon Island near Palm Harbor to Longboat Key. The system was moving northeast at 30 mph, and has gusty winds of 45 to 55 mph that can cause unsecured object to blow around, snap tree limbs and cause power outages.

Torrential rains will reduce visibility to near zero, and will cause water ponding on roadways, the weather service said.

The watch also is for Citrus, DeSoto, Hardee, Hernando, Highlands, Lake, Manatee, Polk, Pinellas, Sarasota and Sumter counties.

UPDATE: The watch has been lifted.

Rabies alert area in Zephyrhills expanded

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The Florida Department of Health in Pasco County has expanded the boundaries for a rabies alert it issued last month, after a raccoon found outside the previous boundaries tested positive for rabies.

The current alert is for the next 60 days, with the center of the affected area in the southeast area of Pasco. It’s bordered on the west by County Road 535, on the south by Centennial Road, on the east by River Glen Boulevard, and on the north by Chancey Road.

Domestic animals are at risk if not vaccinated, officials said, even if they are outside the current rabies alert area.

“In rural and urban surroundings, rabies in the wild animal population — specifically raccoons — are more prevalent than most people think,” said county health office Mike Napier, in a release. “We urge you to be responsible pet owners and get your pets vaccinated, and to educate your children to stay away from raccoons or animals they are not familiar with.”

All domestic animals should be vaccinated against rabies, and all wildlife contact should be avoided, particularly with raccoons, bats, foxes, skunks, otters, bobcats and coyotes, officials said.

Rabies is a disease of the nervous system, and is fatal to humans and warm-blooded animals. The only treatment for human exposure to rabies is rabies-specific immune globulin and rabies immunization.

Precautions to protect against rabies are to:

• Keep rabies vaccinations up to date for all pets.
• Keep pets under direct supervision so they do not come into contact with wild animals. If a pet is bitten by a wild animal, seek veterinary assistance immediately.
• Call local animal control agency to remove any stray animals from a neighborhood.
• Do no handle, feed or unintentionally attract wild animals with open garbage cans or litter.
• Never adopt wild animals, or bring them into a house.
• Teach children to never handle unfamiliar animals — wild or domestic — even if they appear friendly.
• Prevent bats from entering living quarters or occupied spaces in homes, churches, schools and other similar areas where they might come in contact with people and pets.
• If bitten by an animal, seek care promptly. Wash the wound thoroughly with soap and water. Visit family doctor or hospital for medical attention immediately.
• Contact Pasco County Animal Services at (813) 929-1212 to report animal bites or scratches, and for information on stray dogs and cats.
• Contact the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission at (863) 648-3203 for concerns about wild animals.

Lawmakers get closer on final state budget

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There is still time for Florida lawmakers to hammer out a budget. But a review by Florida TaxWatch shows there’s still some separation between the House and Senate when it comes to education, water and tax cuts.

When legislators return  from a recess next week, they are expected to begin the budget conferencing process, where members from both chambers negotiate differences in funding levels, the organization said. Florida TaxWatch says it wants lawmakers to focus solely on resolving funding discrepancies, and resist the urge to add new projects during this time.

“Budget conferencing is a very important step in the budget process, but it is a time to review and compromise the differences in programs already approved by the state’s elected officials,” said Dominic Calabro, Florida TaxWatch’s president and chief executive, in a release. “TaxWatch encourages lawmakers not to add new projects that have not been, and will not be, vetted by the full legislative body during conference proceedings.”

Both budgets increase spending above current-year funding, but the House budget is slightly higher, spending a total of $75.3 billion, Calabro’s group said. That increases funding by nearly $1 billion. The House has earmarked more funding to education, human services, and environment and transportation.

The Senate, on the other hand, is looking to budget $74.9 billion, or $600 million above current spending. It caters more to criminal justice, general government and courts.

Both sides, however, have put aide $3 billion for reserve, something Florida TaxWatch says it commends. However, both the House and Senate also plan to sweep up to $325 million from the state trust funds into the general revenue budget this year, something the organization is not a fan of.

“Sometime sweeping trust funds into general revenue is necessary,” said Kurt Wenner, the organization’s vice president for tax research. “However, the process should include transparency and accountability measures that allow lawmakers to better evaluate the need for breaking the trust.”

Here are some tips to conserve water at home

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The Southwest Florida Water Management District — more commonly known as Swiftmud — continues its campaign to encourage water conservation year-round, and is offering tips that can help achieve those goals.

April is Water Conservation Month, and it also is traditionally one of the driest months of the year in Florida, Swiftmud officials said.

When indoors:
• Only run washing machines and dishwashers when they are full.
• Use the shortest clothes washing cycle for lightly soiled loads, since normal and permanent press wash cycles use more water.
• Thaw frozen food in the refrigerator or microwave, not under running water.
• Scrape, don’t rinse, dishes before loading in the dishwasher.
• Install high-efficiency showerheads, faucets and toilets.

When outdoors:
• Check a home’s irrigation system for leaks to save up to 6,300 gallons of water per month.
• Turn off a home’s irrigation system, and only water as needed. This could save up to 2,000 gallons each time a watering day is skipped.
• Don’t leave sprinklers unattended. Use a kitchen timer to remind when to turn them off.
• Use a hose with a shutoff nozzle when washing the car to save around 40 gallons of water per wash.
• Consider installing a rain barrel with a drip irrigation system for watering landscapes. Rainwater is free and better for plants, because it doesn’t contain hard minerals.

Leaks are the biggest water waster, Swiftmud officials said, both inside and outside of a home. A water meter can be used to check for leaks.

To do that, turn off all faucets and water-using appliances, and make sure no one is using water during the testing period. Make sure the hot water heater is refilled, and ice cube makers are done, as well as water softeners regenerated.

Then go to the water meter and record the current reading. Wait 30 minutes, without using any water, and then read the meter again.

If the reading has changed, there is a leak.

For information about water conservation, visit WaterMatters.org/Conservation.