Special to The Laker/Lutz News

By Eugenio Torrens

Pasco County received $2.3 million in federal money, and how that money will be spent is already accounted for.

The money comes from a $160.6 million lump sum allotted to Florida by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced on Oct. 13. The money is slated for community development and affordable housing for the remainder of the 2011 fiscal year.

George Romagnoli, Pasco County community development manager, said most of the $2.3 million Pasco is receiving has already been earmarked for several needs.

“A good chunk of that money is paying back a loan that we took from HUD to redevelop the Tommytown area in Dade City, so we have to pay back HUD because that was a big project, so we had to give a lot more than our annual allocation to do that,” Romagnoli said.

The $2.3 million comes in the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program.

The CDBG is a flexible program that provides communities with resources to address a wide range of unique community development needs. The CDBG has been ongoing since 1974 and provides annual grants on a formula basis to 1209 general units of local government and states.

Romagnoli said the Tommytown project, which cost $13-14 million, means Pasco will be paying back HUD about $1 million per year.

Tommytown is one of the largest areas of low-income population anywhere in Pasco County.

“The area had no paved roads, not much public water and sewer, a very bad drainage. We went in there and paved the roads and instilled a utility line, put a new drainage system so it doesn’t flood anymore. We really tried to improve the living conditions of the people that live there; unfortunately the living conditions were pretty terrible,” Romagnoli said.

“Unfortunately building roads and putting water lines and sewer lines — that’s not a cheap process,” Romagnoli added. “We basically borrowed against our future block grant dollars so we could get enough money so we could do Tommytown.”

After the loan payback is cut out, $300,000 is going toward the Lacoochee community center. Romagnoli also said some money would go to the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office; to low-income people to get prescription drugs from the Good Samaritan Healthcare Clinic; and demolitions through the county.

Because of the current economic climate, the total amount of money coming in to the state — and the county — has been cut.

Romagnoli said the county was shorted about $500,000.

“That’s pretty significant for Pasco County,” Romagnoli said. “It’s been pretty consistent for a lot of years, but with everything that’s happening with the fertile budget, a lot of stuff is changing so it’s hard to say how much money we’ll get next year.”

Some of that money incoming from the HUD will go toward county public transportation.

Mike Carroll, Pasco County’s public transportation manager, said $230,000 was coming in CDBG funds for public transportation.

Although his department also felt the brunt of a tighter budget, he said this year’s amount was not a far departure from the norm. The total funding for paratransit services is $1.8 million, according to Carroll. The majority of funding comes from the Federal Transit Administration and the Florida Department of Transportation.

“In the scheme of things, not very much because we have other funding sources that also are used to support — that funding is usually used to support paratransit services, which are the door-to-door services for those that live outside the regular transit bus service areas.”

Paratransit caters to those people that live outside of the jurisdiction of fixed-route bus services.

“It’s all spent throughout the year in support of these services,” Carroll said.

By Kyle LoJacono

Despite above-average rainfall this year in the Tampa Bay area, the regional water use board has elected to extend current water restrictions through February.

Hillsborough, Pasco and Pinellas counties have received 50.73 inches of rain through Oct. 26, almost 6 inches more than the average for an entire year. However, the Southwest Florida Water Management District, commonly called Swiftmud, has voted to keep Phase I restrictions in place for the next few months for all 16 counties it overseas.

“There were some areas of the district that received heavy rainfall at times, but overall our rainy season was not as productive as we had hoped,” said Lois Sorensen, manager of Swiftmud’s demand management program. “There were improvements in October, but we are expecting a drier-than-normal winter due to the La Niña weather pattern.”

Sorensen said the region’s water supply is in relatively good shape, but added caution is still needed to ensure that remains true.

“We need to watch conditions closely as the dry season continues and consider stricter measures if water resources or water supply conditions warrant them,” Sorensen said.

Phase I is meant to prepare for worsening drought conditions. Residents are also asked to check their irrigation system to see if it is working properly by fixing broken pipes and tilted sprinkler heads.

Watering is still limited to two days per week either before 10 a.m. or after 4 p.m. with Phase I restrictions.

“However, residents should check with their county or city government to see if they have stricter restrictions,” said Swiftmud spokeswoman Robyn Felix.

Swiftmud’s governing board will vote again in February to see if the restrictions should be extended.

In addition, Swiftmud announced it is cutting up to 150 positions to meet its new budget, which has been slashed by 44 percent from last year. Of the jobs on the chopping block, 40 are vacant. The district currently has 768 employees.

“We are blessed with smart and talented people,” said Swiftmud executive director Blake Guillory. “Unfortunately, we are caught in a situation driven by economic conditions. We need to be as thoughtful and helpful as we can during this process while also serving the taxpayers of our area.”

Swiftmud has offered staffers voluntary severance packages for up to 45 days. The district will begin cutting jobs early next year if enough people don’t take the offer.

“As an organization, we have to get leaner and more efficient,” Guillory said. “The more quickly we can get right-sized for our budget and workload, the faster we can move forward, secure in our jobs, to meet the water resource challenges of this district.”

For more information on Swiftmud, visit www.WaterMatters.org or call (800) 848-0499.

Girls affected by cancer organize flash mob at Shops At Wiregrass

By B.C. Manion

 

Shortly before noon Saturday, a troupe of 20 began making moves to Kanye West’s “Stronger.”

The group, including kids from 11-14 and one 48-year-old woman, came walking out of the crowd at The Shops at Wiregrass, in a flash mob aimed at supporting breast cancer research.

It wasn’t as dramatic as some of the flash mobs posted on YouTube, such as those performed in large train stations, but this one originated with two girls who wanted to do something tangible to support the battle against a disease that has afflicted their mothers.

Fourteen-year-old Diana Bryson organized the event, with the help of her 14-year-old friend, Jennifer Roberts.

Diana’s mother, Lisa, who was one of the dancers, is in the midst of cancer treatments. Jennifer’s mom, Jan Roberts, who was in the crowd, is a breast cancer survivor.

Diana, a freshman at Wiregrass High, came up with the idea.

“It was just one of those things that I’ve always wanted to do. We were at school and it was like, ‘Hey Jennifer, we should have a breast cancer flash mob.’ ”

That was in September.

Since then, the group has practiced twice a week for five weeks at John Long Middle.

At the mall, a stream of dancers clad in pink T-shirts made its way from out of the crowd into an area in front of a fountain near Macy’s and then sprang into a dance based on the theme of fighting cancer.

Performers threw mock punches. They did muscle poses. They concluded the dance by creating the form of a pink ribbon.

And, when the music ended, they filtered back into the crowd.

The kids choreographed the dance themselves, Lisa said. Fourteen-year-old Vicky Baraldi and her friend, Sydney Bounnell, came up with the dance moves.

The dancers included Lisa, Diana and her 11-year-old sister, Sarah, the kids’ friends and some of Lisa’s former students from John Long Middle.

“Diana and I picked out the song,” Lisa said. They wanted the song to reflect the need to fight cancer stronger, better, faster and harder – and to acknowledge that children with family members who have cancer must be strong.

Lisa, who has Stage 4 cancer, said, “I’m a cancer warrior. I am in the fight for my life right now.

“I have had it since 1997. I had an 11-year reprieve, and then it metastasized to my lung in the middle of my vacation. In 2009, it metastasized to my lung and I had a thoracotomy. That’s when they go between your ribs and take out your cancer and suture it up.”

“I had to resign from John Long Middle … in order to fight,” she said.

Lisa had been a teacher for 20 years when she stepped away from her post. Before teaching at John Long Middle, she was a teacher at Gaither High for 10 years.

The flash mob’s organizers — Diana and Jennifer — are both active in Relay for Life at Wiregrass Ranch High and they’re raising money by selling T-shirts that were created for the flash mob by We Love Logos.

The company provided the T-shirts at below cost and the group has been selling them for $10 each, Lisa said. Some shirts are still available and more can be ordered, if there’s a demand, she said.

Lisa said she is tremendously gratified by the support of her daughters, her daughters’ friends and her former students.

“It’s a chain of support. It’s like a spider web. You can’t fight something like this by yourself,” Lisa said.

The dancers put a lot of time and effort into learning the 4-minute routine.

They had their final practice on Friday, before doing a few warm-up routines on a deck of a parking garage on Saturday morning.

“We practiced at my house yesterday for two hours in the cul-de-sac in front of my house,” Lisa said.

That’s where Jennifer Roberts broke her toe.

She was a trooper, though, and danced in the flash mob despite the pain.

Lisa, who has estrogen receptive breast cancer, said recently she received the best news she has received since 2009.

“The chemotherapy that I’m taking has started working. It (the cancer) is disappearing from my bones.

“It’s in my skull, right collar bone, my sternum, right rib and pelvis, femur and I have three tumors in my liver,” Lisa said, noting that doctors believe the cause of her cancer is genetic. Her sister, mother and aunt all have been afflicted by the disease and her aunt died from it.

Lisa said the prognosis from her oncologist had been that she had three to five years, but she added: “This good news from my oncologist just bought me an extra year.”

Lisa said she is especially proud of her daughters.

“They keep me alive. My daughters make my cancer worth fighting.”

Lisa also wanted to remind people that buying something pink to support cancer research is far more than a fashion statement.

“One thing I want people to know, when they buy all of that pink stuff and that money goes to research, that research has personally helped me.

“I have been in a clinical trial at Moffitt. It has helped save my life.”

The proceeds from the T-shirt sales benefit the American Cancer Society Relay for Life, which benefits all types of cancer research, Lisa said.

Anyone who would like to buy a T-shirt or help the Wiregrass Ranch High Relay for Life efforts in other ways may contact Lisa at  (813) 907-8918 or email .

 

 

By B.C. Manion

 

Take a walk around the Baldomero Lopez State Veterans’ Nursing Home in Land O’ Lakes and you’ll see a place that defies the stereotypical look and feel of a nursing home.

This is a place with large common areas, where residents can gather to watch big screen TVs. There’s a soothing aquarium in one spot and a resident cat that roams the place, at will, before lazily settling in to a nice, comfy chair.

There’s a patio, where people can rest to look at pretty trees or enjoy the beauty of a hibiscus with its giant, orange blooms.

On one wall, near the entrance, there’s a tribute to the veteran for whom the place is named.

On walls throughout the 120-bed facility there are displays of military uniforms, a framed flag, models of military airplanes and other mementos that pay homage to the men and women who live here and who have devoted a portion of their lives to serving their country.

On one prominent wall there’s a collection of some of the accolades the facility has garnered since opening its doors in 1999.

Recently, the nursing home added to its list of distinctions.

Mike Prendergast, executive director of the Florida Department of Veterans’ Affairs, dropped by the facility on Oct. 13 to present the 2011-2012 Excellence in Action Award to the center’s administrator and staff.

The award goes to nursing homes throughout the country that achieve the highest levels of customer satisfaction through surveys administered by My InnerView, an independent research firm. Award recipients score in the top 10 percent of My InnerView’s database, the largest of its kind.

The veterans’ home, which dedicates nearly half of its beds to residents with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, is a three-time recipient of the honor. It won previously in 2008 and 2009.

In essence, the survey is a measure of how well the facilities perform, based on whether survey respondents would recommend the facility to family or friends, said Rebecca Yackel, administrator for the Baldermo Lopez center.

She attributes the center’s success to the staff’s commitment to maintain a positive attitude, at every level throughout the facility.

“We’re in the type of work where people are always asking for something,” Yackel said. “That’s the way it is, in many jobs. That can sometimes be a challenge.”

But if caregivers respond in a positive fashion, the response from the residents and their families tends to be positive, too, she said.

Staff members are trained to respond to individual residents – whether or not they are assigned to work with that particular person, Yackel said.

“We’re here to help them,” she said. She said when someone approaches a staff member, the response is: “Let’s see what you need.”

If that staff member can’t help, his or her job is to find someone else who can address the situation.

“If you take care of their needs and their issues early on, it’s rare that they become a major grievance,” said Yackel, who was the center’s director of nursing when it opened its doors and was promoted to become its leader in 2003.

The center serves veterans from World War II, Korea and Vietnam. It doesn’t have any veterans who served in Afghanistan or Iraq.

“Our average age is 83,” Yackel said. “Our average stay is 3 1/2 to 4 years. This is truly an old soldiers’ home. They come here and live to the end of their lives.”

Yackel said the center has the good fortune of having a large number of staff members who have been there since Day 1.

As a result, there’s a high level of shared commitment and teamwork, she said.

The nursing home’s calendar is chock full of events. There are special music programs, parties, bingo games, trivia contests, arts and crafts and other kinds of activities.

There’s a well-stocked library and a devotional room. Yackel said there are barbecues twice a month where people bring in all of the food.

The center also enjoys a great relationship with many area organizations, she added.

“We have wonderful community support from the veterans groups and from other types of groups, like the Elks – you name it,” she said.

“We really wouldn’t have such a wonderful variety of things going on without the community involvement,” she said. “It’s just marvelous.”

By B.C. Manion

 

As they showed up at the Seven Oaks community center, a countertop in the gathering room became increasingly laden with enticing desserts.

There’s an English trifle, some chocolate cherry cookies, a Zabaglione and a flourless chocolate cake among the selection of sweets.

Each dessert has something in common: It contains some kind of liqueur.

Learning about using the liquid spirits in creating desserts is the theme of this particular meeting of the Honeycomb Club.

It’s a club in the loosest sense of the word.

There are no membership fees, no required meetings, no recommendations required to join and no set format.

Sometimes it meets at night; other times, on weekends.

This club seeks “to enjoy socializing over, learning more about, and sharing good food and cooking among women in the New Tampa/Wesley Chapel community and beyond,” according to Eileen Jones, who founded the club in January.

Jones, a self-confessed foodie, thought it would be fun to share her passion with other women who shared her passion.

So far, even without much of an outreach, about 50 women – mostly in their early 30s to late 50s – have joined the club.

Jones organizes an event or a meeting and club members let her know if they expect to be there. So far, since the club’s inception, members of the group have had all sorts of food adventures.

They’ve gone to a chocolate festival, tasted international foods, sipped Chilean wines and sampled assorted craft beers.

They’ve had a movie night (“Julie and Julia”), shared their thoughts on books about food (“A Tiger in the Kitchen” and “The Sharper Your Knives, The Less You Cry”), have gone on a shopping excursion to Williams-Sonoma and taken a French cooking class at The Rolling Pin in Brandon.

The theme of their most recent gathering was using liqueurs in desserts.

Each woman came to the meeting bearing a delectable treat she had made. The women gave mini-presentations, sharing what they’d learned about the liqueur and describing the dessert they’d prepared.

Afterwards, they shared their sweets and played bunco.

In an age where so many groups are formed over the Internet, Jones said she wanted to bring together women to make a personal connection. She put the word out and within months about 50 other like-minded souls stepped forward to become part of the group.

The club typically meets twice a month and members are free to come or not come.

The a la carte offerings appeal to members of the group, who said they like to come to the things that interest them and skip the other events.

As such, there tends to be a different combination of women at each gathering – creating an ever-fresh feeling to the group, some members said.

Jones plans events on different nights and weekends – which allows women who may have a prior commitment on one night a week to join in on others.

“We try to incorporate something that everyone will enjoy,” Jones said.

The club includes working women, stay-at-home moms and women who have retired.

Jones works as an office manager at her husband’s law office. Another woman is a former restaurateur and another recently retired from her post as a buyer for Pasco County Public Schools.

Typically, 10 to 15 women turn out for a particular gathering, Jones said.

Kristen Heath of New Tampa said when she heard about the group, it immediately sparked her interest.

“I consider myself a foodie, and I’ve made my living – my life – as a cook,” said Heath, who cooks for St. Joseph’s Hospital-North. Cooking is her hobby and her passion.

“I love the variety of the club. There might be a movie. There might be shopping. There might be a game night. We have a book club within the club.

“If one thing is not your gig, something next week will be your gig,” she said.

Lauri Portz of Saddlebrook joined the group because she thought it would be a good way to meet people.

“It just seemed really interesting. The diversity has been really fun,” she said, both in terms of activities and the women who have come to the meetings.

Sacha Froelich, who lives in New Tampa, was attending the meeting for the first time.

“This is exactly what I was looking for,” she said, noting she definitely plans to be back.

Arlene Zimney decided to get involved because she was approaching retirement and knew she would have more time.

“I like the idea that you could choose what you wanted to participate in, without making a long-term commitment,” she said. “If it fits your schedule and it appeals to you, you just tell her (Jones) you’re coming and that’s it.”

Zimney say the informal setting was welcoming.

“Sometimes, when you do cooking things – especially with the whole movement on TV – people tend to get competitive, or show-offy. It’s not that way at all,” she said.

For more information about the Honeycomb Club, email .

By Kyle LoJacono

 

Hand in Hand Academy opened seven years ago, and the private school promised parents a compassionate atmosphere for children to learn.

The Lutz school closed on Sept. 16 just four weeks after opening for the new school year, leaving parents with a big bill for a year of education their children will never receive.

Michael Hanke is one of several parents who already paid portions of the $8,200 for a year of education at Hand in Hand, 207 W. Lutz Lake Fern Road in Lutz. He said he and many families were pressured by the school’s former principal Wendy Alexander to pay without being told she had lost her bid for bankruptcy protection.

“She was telling us one thing and turning around and it was something totally different,” Hanke said. “She made you want to trust her.”

Parents received an email from Hand in Hand that reads, “It is not by choice, but due to threats against our program, our last day of service will be tomorrow (Sept. 16). Please accept our deepest apology and best wishes.”

The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office also had a lawsuit filed against Hand in Hand from Lutz resident Mary Masher. The suit claims Masher gave the school $1,986 to pay for half of the tuition for the current fall semester for her son.

Phone calls and emails to Hand in Hand were not returned and the school’s website has been taken down. Its logo and all other references to the school have been removed from its old building.

Pilot Bank filed a foreclosure action against Hand In Hand in May for falling behind on a debt of $2.23 million. The property will go up for sale starting Nov. 22.

Sherman Brod, Alexander’s foreclosure lawyer, said the school was unable to compete for students with a number of other private and charter schools in the area.

“If they hadn’t left for whatever reason they left, the school would still be operating,” Brod said.

Brod said the main problem was Alexander had a deal to lease some property from Lutz Preparatory, which took over the building that formally housed Berean Academy at 17951 US 41 in Lutz. The new school also became the main competition for Hand in Hand.

Hand in Hand had about 100 students enrolled last year, but that number dropped to 24 for the current year, Brod said. Its leaders had applied to Hillsborough County Public Schools to become a charter school for the current school year, according to district spokeswoman Linda Cobbe).

As for the tuition money, Brod said Alexander spent it on school expenses and not on herself.

“Basically, the money is gone,” Brod said. He added Alexander did not foresee Hand in Hand’s downfall until “the bitter end.”

However, Alexander took another job with a charter school in Wisconsin on July 8, more than a month before Hand in Hand closed.

Alexander moved to Wisconsin soon after Hand in Hand closed to become the principal of Fairview School, a charter school within the Milwaukee School District. She was suspended with pay from the position on Oct. 14 after the district learned of the finical problems with the Lutz school.

Milwaukee School District spokeswoman Roseann St. Aubin said they learned of Alexander’s “personal business issues in Florida” in late September and have “been engaged in an ongoing review of the matter.

“Superintendent Gregory Thornton has assured Fairview families that their children’s academic progress is of critical importance,” St. Aubin continued. “The district took steps today to assure that teaching and learning will continue with no distraction.”

 

By Kyle LoJacono

 

The Pasco Sheriff’s Office conducted the largest roundup of criminals in the county history, putting 244 people wanted on 302 warrants behind bars.

Pasco Sheriff Chris Nocco said he and his department wanted to send a clear message to anyone who breaks the law.

“We want criminals to know we are going to go out there and hunt them down,” Nocco said.

The crackdown happened Oct. 11-13. It included more than 100 law enforcement officers from the county office, the city police forces across Pasco as well as state and federal staffers in a unified effort called Operation Law and Order.

“I promise you there were no egos here,” Nocco said. “It didn’t matter what badge you wore.”

The operation searched out those wanted for crimes committed within Pasco to those wanted on warrants from elsewhere in the state dating back as far as 1988.

The arrests ranged from people wanted for dealing drugs, which also turned up a pound of marijuana and various pills, to those accused of aggravated assault and battery. No one was injured during the roundup. Some even turned themselves in after learning about the county-wide sweep.

The sheriff’s office still has 22,000 outstanding warrants. Nocco said they get about 1,000 new ones each month, but can only serve around 800, creating the backlog.

Nocco said he predicts his increased budget for the new fiscal year, which allowed him to hire 23 new staffers, will help reduce the stacks of unserved warrants. He also promised more crackdowns in the future.

“This is not a one-time thing,” Nocco said. “This is a continuing process.”

System designed to reduce pain pill abuse

By Kyle LoJacono

 

The state Legislature took a step toward fixing the prescription drug abuse problem in Florida with a new database to identify problem users and doctors.

“The prescription database is perhaps the single most important patient safety program to launch in recent memory,” said state Sen. Fasano Mike Fasano, R-New Port Richey. “On average, the scourge of prescription drug abuse claims the lives of seven people per day. This long-awaited tool is intended to cut that number significantly.”

Fasano sponsored the state Senate bill that eventually led to the creation of the database while also making regulations stricter for those who can own and operate a pain management clinic.

The database, which went online on Oct. 17, is called Electronic Florida Online Reporting of Controlled Substances Evaluation (E-FORCSE). Now, whenever a narcotic-grade prescription, such as Oxycodone, is written for someone in Florida, the doctor must enter it into the system within seven days. The database records the dosage and when a prescription has been filled.

Physicians can search the database for a patient’s drug history to see if they have been doctor shopping, a practice where an abuser visits different clinics to get several prescriptions at the same time, according to Fasano.

The database will help law enforcement officers find potential drug dealers by identifying who is getting large amounts of the pills. They can also see which doctors are prescribing the medications to people who do not need the amount given.

“It’s really a great thing to have on our end,” said Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco. “We can find the people who are creating this problem and put a stop to it.”

The Pasco Sheriff’s Office received an additional $1.6 million from the county for the new fiscal year, which began Oct. 1, to hire 23 new employees. Nocco said much of the new force is going to fight prescription drug abuse.

Florida has become one of the epicenters of the prescription drug distribution in the country. About 80 percent of the Oxycodone — the most commonly prescripted pain pill — distributed in the United States comes from pharmacies in the state, according to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE).

Deaths attributed to such prescriptions in Florida reached an all-time high in 2010, with 2,710 fatalities reported, according to the FDLE. Oxycodone was the No. 1 killer, accounting for 1,516 deaths.

The Florida Medical Examiners Commission’s statistics show that of the state deaths attributed to prescription drug abuse last year, 42 percent were from people in Pasco, Hillsborough or Pinellas counties.