Special to The Laker/Lutz News

 

Brihanna Jackson’s persistence to play college basketball

 

By Kyle LoJacono

 

Brihanna Jackson’s life has been all about basketball since she first took to the playground court near her house in third grade.

The 5-foot-4 combo guard can’t remember the last time she went more than a day without at least shooting by herself in a gym.

“I love how fast it is,” Jackson said. “It’s a fast-paced game. It’s exciting.”

For the former student of Freedom and Wiregrass Ranch high schools and current University of Central Florida (UCF) freshman, basketball has always been able to help relieve any pressure, stress or pain going on in her life.

“Basketball is like my way out,” Jackson said. “Whenever I have any problems going on I can shoot by myself or go play pickup with my friends.”

The last two years have proved to Jackson just how true those sentiments are.

…

Jackson began shining on the hard courts in seventh grade at Crystal River Middle in Citrus County and continued turning heads while attending Lecanto High as a freshman, sophomore and junior.

The Panthers made the playoffs during her last two years with the team. Jackson’s most productive campaign was 2008-09, when, as a sophomore, she led Lecanto to a 21-2 record while averaging 21 points, 4.1 steals, 3.5 rebounds and 1.7 assists.

While she was producing in basketball, she was struggling in the classroom. Her mother, Cathleen Grippe, asked family friend Warren Jones to allow Jackson to live with him in his Wesley Chapel home to get a change of scenery.

“I moved in with him, I started doing better at school and I got better at basketball too because he’s a coach,” Jackson said. “I learned a lot from him and he helped me mature as a person. … I don’t know if I’d be here without him. If I’d stayed where I was at I don’t know if I would have graduated, so I appreciate him doing what he did, and I do owe him a thank you for where I am today.”

Ironically, as her grades improved, her ability to play the game she loves was being compromised by factors out of her control.

Jackson moved to Pasco County in May 2010, the end of her junior year. She was briefly enrolled at Wesley Chapel High before learning that Jones’ residence was zoned for Wiregrass Ranch, where she began her senior season.

Jackson’s talent was well known throughout the area so much so that parents from rival teams began questioning if all Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) rules were being followed with her transfer.

…

The FHSAA was informed by “a number of concerned people” about Jackson’s movement to Pasco schools around the time the Bulls started their season, according to its investigation.

Jackson was able to play in Wiregrass Ranch’s first two games of the 2010-11 season, where she posted 30 points with five rebounds, five steals, four assists and two blocks.

Former Bulls coach Greg Finkel stopped playing Jackson after the FHSAA started its investigation, which found that she and Jones moved south of the county line into Freedom’s district in October 2010, a few weeks before the basketball season.

The final report also found that Jones and Finkel violated 10 FHSAA rules to try and keep Jackson playing at Wiregrass Ranch. She was not allowed to play another game her senior season, Finkel was forced to resign as the Bulls coach and the school was eventually fined $6,275 and its athletic programs were placed on probation.

Jackson was found to have had no direct involvement in the violations, so she was allowed to play flag football at Freedom. She quarterbacked the Patriots to a 10-1 record, with the only loss coming in the district finals.

Jackson showed her athletic ability as a quarterback, breaking Freedom records with 1,023 rushing yards, 18 rushing touchdowns and picking off 23 passes as a defensive back. She also threw for 1,289 yards with another 18 scores. She was named The Laker/Lutz News Flag Football Player of the Year in 2011, but it wasn’t basketball.

Jackson said she felt like her dream of playing college ball was slipping away because of the FHSAA investigation, but soon realized high school was only one avenue for getting to the next level.

“I still had AAU, and that’s one of the big ways to get exposure,” Jackson said. “I stayed focused and kept working hard. I did what I had to do in school so I’d have the chance to play in college.”

She started playing for the Suncoast Basketball Club after moving south, but said she had almost no interest from colleges after graduating from Freedom. Instead of giving up, she decided to attend the IMG Basketball Academy in Bradenton, where she trained during the 2011-12 school year to take her game to the next level.

“I focused on a lot of skill work,” Jackson said. “I had all that extra time to spend in the gym.”

She had a breakthrough while playing in a tournament in Miami last October.

…

It was at that tournament where UCF coach Joi Williams first noticed Jackson.

“I saw her in a tournament last year, and she stood out right away,” Williams said. “I went to the gym early that morning watching her team play, and she was someone everyone noticed.”

Jackson, who is studying criminal justice, said other schools picked up on her at the same event, but she quickly decided that she wanted to be a Knight.

“It’s a big school, a good school,” Jackson said. “It’s everything I’ve always wanted. It has the highest level of basketball. It’s a great atmosphere. I love it here.”

Williams said Jackson’s determination to play shows the kind of fighter she is.

“I admire her for that and how much commitment she has to the game,” Williams said. “She’s probably one of the fiercest competitors that we have on our team. I’m excited about her future and what she’s going to be able to do before her career ends.

“She’s a player who will be able to contribute this year,” Williams continued. “How much is really going to be up to her commitment, but from the things that we’ve seen she’s going to be a player who can help us a lot this year.”

Jackson said the training for her first season at UCF is much tougher than anything else she’s gone through on the court, but that only makes her hungrier to improve.

“I’m up for the challenge,” Jackson said. “I make it through the workouts just like everyone else.”

Her route to college ball was not traditional, but Jackson said what she’s gone through the last two years has made her a stronger person.

“I learned to never give up,” Jackson said. “There’s going to be ups and downs in your life, and you’ve got to fight through it. You’ve got to stay strong, and everything will work out in your benefit. I wouldn’t change the way anything went down because, if I did, I wouldn’t be where I’m at today.”

Jackson and the Knights tip off in an exhibition Nov. 2 at home against Lynn University before starting the regular season by hosting Georgia State University Nov. 9. Both contests start at 7 p.m.

 

—Follow Kyle LoJacono on Twitter: @Kyle_Laker

 

 

By B.C. Manion

About 60 people turned out at the Zephyrhills Woman’s Club’s educational forum Oct. 5 to gain a better understanding about the 11 proposed amendments to the Florida Constitution.

Brian Corley, Pasco County supervisor of elections, presented an overview of the possible changes, translating the somewhat complicated language into plain English. He used an analysis prepared by the nonpartisan Collins Center for Public Policy as his guide in describing the options available for early voting and on Election Day Nov. 6.

Amendment 1, Health Care Services: This would add an amendment to the Florida Constitution to include a provision that prohibits the government from requiring you to purchase health insurance.

Amendment 2, Veterans Disabled Due to Combat Injury; Homestead Property Discount: This would allow certain disabled veterans, who were not residents prior to entering the military service, to qualify for a discount on their property taxes.

Amendment 3, State Government Revenue Limitation: This would set a state revenue limit each year based on a formula that considers population growth and inflation instead of using the current method of calculating the revenue limit based on personal income.

Amendment 4, Property Tax Limitations; Property Value Decline; Reduction for Nonhomestead Assessment Increases; Delay of Scheduled Repeal: This would reduce the maximum annual increase in taxable value for nonhomestead properties from 10 percent to 5 percent; provide an extra homestead exemption for first-time homebuyers and allow lawmakers to prohibit assessment increases for properties with decreasing market values.

Amendment 5, State Courts: This would provide for state Senate confirmation of Florida Supreme Court justices; give lawmakers control of changes to the rules governing the court system and direct the Judicial Qualifications Commission, which investigates judicial misconduct complaints, to make its files available to the speaker of the Florida House of Representatives.

Amendment 6, Prohibition of Public Funding of Abortions; Construction of Abortion Rights: This would make the existing federal ban on public funding for most abortions part of the state constitution. It would narrow the scope of a state private law that is sometimes used in Florida to challenge abortion laws.

Amendment 8, Religious Freedom: This would remove the prohibition in the Florida Constitution that prevents religious institutions from receiving taxpayer funding.

Amendment 9, Homestead Property Tax Exemption for Surviving Spouse of Military Veteran or First Responder: This would grant a full property tax exemption to the surviving spouses of military veterans who die while on active duties and to surviving spouses of first responders who die in the line of duty.

Amendment 10, Tangible Personal Property Tax Exemption: This would double the tangible personal property tax exemption and allow local governments to increase that exemption.

Amendment 11, Additional Homestead Exemption; Low-Income Seniors Who Maintain Long-Term Residency on Property; Equal to Assessed Value: This would give an additional property tax exemption to low-income seniors who have lived in their home for more than 25 years if the property has a just value less than $250,000.

Amendment 12, Appointment of Student Body President to Board of Governors of the State University System: This would change the way the state selects the student representative on the state university system’s Board of Governors, which oversees the university system.

There are just 11 amendments, even though the last amendment on the ballot is numbered Amendment 12, Corley noted. That’s because the Florida Supreme Court had issues with the clarity of Amendment 7. That amendment was rewritten to address the court’s concerns and it is now Amendment 8, Corley explained.

Corley said his office takes no position on any of the amendments or any of the political races.

 

Want to know more?

Check out these websites for additional information:

http://collinscenter.org/2012amendments/home-2

http://conrevflorida.org/category/2012amendments/

http://www.pascovotes.com/constamed.asp

http://election.dos.state.fl.us/constitutional-amendments/consti-amend-index.html

 

 

 

Be prepared for voting day

Pasco County Supervisor of Elections Brian Corley expects more than 75 percent of registered voters to take part in this year’s general election. As such, lines at polling places on Nov. 6 may be lengthy.

To help speed things up, Corley advises voters to fill out their sample ballot so they can get through the voting process more quickly.

He also advises those who have moved to make sure they have updated their address with his office.

For additional information, call (800) 851-8754.

 

 

 

By Kyle LoJacono

 

The Land O’ Lakes football stadium was officially renamed after the man who spent more time as the Gators’ coach than anyone.

The arena was dedicated John Benedetto Stadium before Land O’ Lakes’ home game against Sunlake Oct. 19.

Benedetto spent 32 years as the program’s coach. He compiled a 196-149 record, the most wins in Pasco County history, from 1977 to 2008.

The Gators had 18 winning seasons during that time with 17 playoff appearances, including a county-record 12 straight berths from 1996 to 2008 and two trips to the regional finals.

Benedetto was also a wide receivers coach at Land O’ Lakes in 1975 and 1976, the first two years the high school was open. Add in the years he spent coaching at Sanders Memorial Junior High, and he spent 38 years patrolling sidelines in Central Pasco.

“Tonight was such a great experience for me,” Benedetto said. “I’m just so overwhelmed, and I feel so honored. This community has made me feel very special, and not just special this evening. I’ve had 38 great years in this community, and I want to thank the entire community for giving me the opportunity to work with your kids for 38 years.”

A group of about 100 showed up two hours before the game to share a reception with Benedetto, and the stands were packed with fans during a pregame ceremony.

State Rep. Will Weatherford played for Benedetto and told the crowd how much his work meant to the community. He recounted how he was making bad decisions as a sophomore, and his former coach got him back on the right track.

“Coach Benedetto impacted so many people,” Weatherford said. “What you see tonight is a small microcosm of it. … What he did on the field is amazing, but what he did with people was even greater.”

—Follow Kyle LoJacono on Twitter: @Kyle_Laker

 

Neighbors cite worries about traffic

 

By B.C. Manion

 

St. Timothy’s Catholic Church in Lutz is planning to open a school for up to 600 children in kindergarten through eighth grade.

The church, at 17512 Lakeshore Road, has received a special use permit that allows it to build a new 84,600-square-foot school building and a 16,980-square-foot youth center.

The church previously had received a special use permit that would have allowed a school for up to 270 children, said Bonnie Rubesha, a planning consultant representing the Diocese of St. Petersburg.

But a school of that size was deemed financially impractical, so the diocese and church have worked in concert to pursue a special use permit that would allow a larger school on the 28.6-acre site, Rubesha said.

Hillsborough County Land Use Hearing Officer Steve Luce granted a special use for the school and youth center following a May 14 public hearing.

But neighbors challenged the hearing officer’s ruling to the Hillsborough Land Use Appeals Board, which heard the case Oct. 12.

Jeffrey Hahn and Walter Furr, who live near the church, spoke at the appeals hearing.

They told the board that they don’t object to the school project, but are concerned about traffic that may cut through their quiet neighborhood as parents take kids to and from school.

Furr told board members the neighborhood’s only experience so far has been traffic coming and going to the church. So, he said, they can only imagine what impact the school will have.

“We’re trying to project what’s going to happen,” Furr said. “We’ve had a lot of problems with people speeding down the road. It affects people’s ability to enjoy their property.”

Furr and Hahn initially raised the traffic concerns during the land use hearing, suggesting that the access onto Lakeside Drive be gated to prevent traffic from spilling into the neighborhood.

But Rubesha noted that access had been previously granted to the church and was not part of the request for the school.

Richard Kolhoff, representing the Diocese of St. Petersburg, told the land use officer the church didn’t want to gate off the access point, but would, if necessary, to gain approval for the school.

In his ruling, Luce decided to close the existing access onto Lakeside, but required the church to create a new one on the roadway about 250 feet west of the Lakeshore /Lakeside intersection. The new driveway will be east of the current one, which should reduce cut-through traffic, Luce noted.

Hahn and Furr objected to Luce’s action, saying that option was never discussed during the land use hearing so they didn’t have a chance to weigh in on it.

But Rubesha countered, pointing out that Luce’s decision was in response to neighbors’ concerns about traffic impacts. She reasoned that the new access point would have less effect on adjacent properties then the current access point on Lakeside.

The neighbors asked the appeals board to remand the case to Luce for another hearing.

Rubesha said that action would delay the church’s plans to open the school for another year.

The appeals board voted 3-1 to uphold Luce’s decision, with board member Tuyen Linh Tran dissenting. During the hearing, she observed that the neighborhood likely would be affected by additional traffic on the site.

Board chairman Richard Harrison and board member Biff Craine said that although Luce didn’t discuss the option of moving the access point during the special use permit hearing, his action appeared to be aimed at minimizing traffic impacts on neighbors.

They also noted that the hearing officer had a right to use his expertise to address the issue.

Rubesha said plans call for opening the new school in August 2014. Though the plans are still conceptual, the new structure is likely to be a two-story building, she said.

The new school is anticipated to be constructed on the western portion of the site, and the youth center is proposed to be built between the existing parish child-care center and the school.

It’s possible that the youth center could open before the new school, Rubesha said.

Plans also call for an outdoor area for athletics. It will not be lighted at night.

The church also plans to build a sidewalk on the perimeter of the south side of its property, with periodic access points for pedestrians. The plan is to preserve the existing landscaping, except for exotic plants that will be removed and replaced by native landscaping, Rubesha said.

 

 

By B.C. Manion

 

When Pasco voters cast their ballots early or go to the polls Nov. 6, they’ll consider a referendum that could have big consequences on daily life in the county.

They’ll decide if they want to tax themselves — and anyone else who spends money in Pasco — to pay for projects or equipment to improve roads, schools and public safety, to purchase environmentally sensitive lands and to promote economic growth through tax incentives, work force training and programs to support both businesses.

In short, they’ll be deciding the fate of Penny for Pasco, a sales tax that is proposed for 10 years and is projected to generate more than $502 million.

Whether they want to vote for or against the tax, voters should know where to look for it. It’s the last item on a crowded two-page ballot.

If approved, the tax would take effect Jan. 1, 2015 and run through Dec. 31, 2024. The tax revenues would be divvied between Pasco County, the Pasco School Board and the county’s cities.

The county would receive 45 percent, the schools get 45 and the cities would split 10.

Voters initially approved the Penny for Pasco tax in 2004, which is set to expire at the end of 2014.

Proceeds from the initial Penny for Pasco have paid for a wide range of public safety improvements, including:

—Purchases of 643 Pasco Sheriff’s office vehicles and 446 laptops, 102 defibrillators kept in public spaces and several ambulances.

—Twenty-two completed transportation projects, four projects under construction and 13 undergoing right-of-way acquisition or design.

—Purchases of nearly 1,500 conservation acres with another nearly 2,600 acres pending.

—Construction of new schools including, Double Branch Elementary and Oakstead Elementary and the renovation of older schools like Cox Elementary, Stewart Middle, Pasco Middle and Pasco High.

—School improvement projects including new wings on existing buildings, roof replacements, cafeteria and room renovations, lighting retrofits and heating, ventilation and air conditioning replacements.

Unlike the last go-round, a portion of the new Penny for Pasco proceeds will be directed toward job creation.

The county has pledged to spend 20 percent of whatever revenue it receives on improving the local economy.

Part of the money would go to enticing businesses to locate in Pasco. Other funding would help existing companies grow and others to get started.

The county also would spend money to strengthen the local work force through training and development programs.

On the public safety front, one of the big-ticket items would be the replacement of Fire Station No. 13 in Wesley Chapel. Other proposed improvements include the purchase of additional laptops and vehicles for the sheriff’s office and upgrades to the public safety radio system and to the fire rescue training center.

The school board plans to use 77 percent of the tax money it would receive for campus renovations and remodels.

Schools slated for renovations include Cox, Pasco, Quail Hollow, Shady Hills and Woodland elementary schools and Land O’ Lakes and Zephyrhills high schools.

Weightman Middle is expected to receive parking and traffic safety improvements, and Pine View Middle is expected to benefit from covered walkways.

The district also has earmarked roughly 16 percent for technology upgrades at 41 school sites.

The sales tax applies to items purchased in Pasco, except for food and medicine. It is capped at $5,000 per a single purchase.

 

 

By B.C. Manion

 

If you enjoy old-fashioned holiday family fun, you may want to circle a couple of dates on your calendar.

Plans are in the works for Scarecrows ‘N Stuff and Traditions on the Green — two popular seasonal events at the Land O’ Lakes Community Center, 5401 US 41.

Organizers are in the midst of planning the events, which aim to give kids a chance to have fun while friends and relatives socialize.

Sponsors for the community gatherings include Heritage Park Foundation, Keystone Community Church, Land O’ Lakes Rotary Club, Candlewood Community Church, Kemp Farms, Hungry Harry’s, Pasco County Sheriff’s Office and Pasco County Parks and Recreation.

Scarecrows ‘N Stuff is planned from 10 a.m. to noon Oct. 27.

Kids will have a chance to stuff a scarecrow. There also will be face painting, a bounce house and autumn crafts, while supplies last. The event is geared primarily for those ages 10 and younger.

Organizers are also starting to gear up for Traditions on the Green, an annual event that features a Kid’s Christmas Corner, face painting, ornament making, letters to Santa, a puppet show, greeting card coloring, games and other activities.

Traditions on the Green, slated from 9 a.m. to noon Dec. 8, will have vendors, concerts and a student art show.

A Breakfast with Santa is planned from 9 to 10 a.m.

Santa has booked the date, said Sandy Graves, one of the key organizers. And this year, the jolly old elf swears he’ll be on time, she said.

Parks and recreation will be having a cornhole tournament, with the entry fee being a gift for Toys for Tots.

Volunteers are planning to make an even bigger batch of pancakes this year, said Lee Cannon, of the Land O’ Lakes Rotary Club. They thought they had enough batter to feed 400 last year, but apparently some of the pancakes were on the rather large size and some people had more than one serving. So, even though they didn’t serve 400 people, the pancakes ran out.

Besides feeding themselves, event organizers want to help feed the hungry. They’ll be collecting canned goods to give to the Land O’ Lakes drop-off for Metropolitan Ministries, which is distributed in Pasco.

Vendors who want to offer some goods for sale will be able to rent a space for $20.

Volunteers who want to pitch in, organizations that want to donate items for the events, groups that want to provide entertainment or vendors who want to reserve a booth should call Graves at (813) 996-3011.