Special to The Laker/Lutz News

By Eugenio Torrens

 

More than two hours before the funeral service for Tampa Bay Buccaneer legend Lee Roy Selmon started, the inside of Exciting Idlewild Baptist Church in Lutz was buzzing.

There was the mass array of police officers — those stationed outside the church in the parking lot and those inside the church, talking with each other as well as with church officials and members of Selmon’s extended family — and the sound checks and song rehearsals.

Mourners started piling in well before the 10 a.m. service start time on Sept. 9. There were members of politics alongside sports figures —the Tampa Bay Bucaneers organization, the USF football team and current Oklahoma Sooners’ coach Bob Stoops showed up.

Exciting Idlewild Baptist in Lutz is no stranger to the celebrity spotlight. It was the funeral site for Jeffrey Kocab and David Curtis, the two Tampa police officers who were killed last year; and Republican presidential hopeful Michelle Bachmann visited the church during a trip through Florida last month.

The service opened with a family processional and the opening prayer by the Rev. Jeffrey Singletary of Exciting Central Baptist in Tampa.

Singletary hailed Selmon as “a man that lived life to the max, that lived life to the fullest.”

Following the opening prayer and readings from both the Old and New Testaments, Selmon’s older brother, Dewey, spoke.

Providing stories of Lee Roy’s childhood life, Dewey spoke about growing up in Eufaula, Okla. He mentioned how the family grew up without many toys, so Lee Roy would squeeze their dog, Rip’s, nose to make him bark. There was the fact that the Selmon brothers used a tin can as a football and played the sport in their mother’s flowerbed while she cooked.

He mentioned how he never saw Lee Roy angry, but remembered he was upset during the 1977 training camp with the Bucs.

“If he saw the hurt, he would make it better,” Dewey said.

Later on as a video montage of Lee Roy’s NFL career played, oohs and ahhs emanated from the crowd. Being the No. 1 pick in 1976 and playing for Tampa’s then-expansion franchise may be Selmon’s most distinct claim to fame. Bryan Glazer, whose family owns the Bucs, called Lee Roy a “friend, hero and Tampa Bay treasure.”

Glazer pointed out how he was driving by Tampa Stadium, the stadium the Bucs played in during Lee Roy’s playing days, and how Leroy and Dewey streets were right next to each other. The Bucs drafted Dewey in the second round, one round after they took Lee Roy.

“It was clearly a sign,” Glazer said.

“He took the enormous role as the face of the franchise like a walk in the park,” Glazer said. He added Lee Roy was “the greatest Buc to ever live,” and compared him to the iconic movie character George Bailey from “It’s a Wonderful Life.”

University of South Florida President Judy Genshaft spoke about Lee Roy’s pivotal role in the inception of the school’s football program.

“He was the father of USF football,” she said. She mentioned the board of trustees unanimously voted on Thursday to change the name of the university’s athletic center in his honor.

USF Athletic Director Doug Woolard said about the newly named athletic center, “the name on this building sets a standard (student athletes) should constantly strive for.”

Following speeches by a representative of the NFL Hall of Fame, which Lee Roy was inducted into in 1995, and others, the eulogy and closing prayer were given by Singletary.

“Lee Roy left an indelible imprint on our lives,” Singletary said.

The man who put the Bucs on the map, helped USF become known as a giant-killer on the gridiron, helped establish a successful chain of restaurants and had an expressway bearing his namesake, among other things, was truly a giant in the Tampa community.

Although as Singletary pointed out, Lee Roy’s love wasn’t confined to the Bay area.

“Lee Roy loved people, period,” Singletary said.

By Kyle LoJacono

 

When Chris Nocco became the Pasco sheriff in May he stressed a desire to stamp out illegal prescription drug use within the county.

Nocco took his fight to the county commission, asking for $1.6 million in next year’s budget to hire 23 new employees, including 12 to create two new squads to battle prescription drug abuse and eight nurses for the Land O’ Lake Detention Center to help with inmate drug issues.

The remaining three new staffers would be analysts for a new program Nocco calls intelligence-led policing.

“It’s a whole new way of looking at police work,” Nocco said of the new program. “It’ll be a team that works to find potential problem areas so we can concentrate our efforts in those areas. That way we are making the best use of our resources.”

Nocco’s request comes less than a month after the Florida Medical Examiners Commission revealed that the Pasco/Pinellas area led the state in deaths caused by prescription drugs.

Of the 2,710 deaths attributed to prescription drug abuse in 2010, 750 were from Pasco/Pinellas, or about 28 percent of the total fatalities. The examiners commission does not separate the deaths between the two Tampa Bay area counties.

Hillsborough County also had a high number of prescription drug deaths at 400. Hillsborough has 1.2 million residents, according to U.S. Census data, just 200,000 fewer than the 1.4 million people combined in Pasco and Pinellas.

Pasco/Pinellas also led the state in deaths related to the six most lethal prescription drugs, which include alprazolam or Xanax, diazepam or Valium, hydrocodone or Vicodin, methadone, morphine and oxycodone, according to the examiners commission’s report.

Nocco said the new employees are needed because Pasco is “in a war right now with prescription pills. We needed something to attack this war.”

Nocco received support at the commissioners meeting from state Sen. Mike Fasano, R-New Port Richey, who has been outspoken in his support of stepping up the fight against prescription drug use. He has sponsored anti-pill mill laws in the state Legislature.

“We’ve taken baby steps in Tallahassee,” Fasano said. “But you can take a giant leap right now in approving what he’s requesting.”

The commissioners agreed to explore giving Nocco the increase to help fight that war.

“We probably all know somebody who has been affected by these drugs,” said Commission Chairwoman Ann Hildebrand.

However, Commissioner Ted Schrader pointed out that the new workers’ salaries would be “funded on the back of a lot of the employees.”

The arguments for and against adding new workers to the Pasco Sheriff’s Office have been a constant during the last year. Bob White, who was Nocco’s predecessor before he retired in April, asked for a $4 million increase in the current budget for the sheriff’s office to in part hire 28 new deputies.

White fought for months before eventually settling on an additional $945,000 to pay for increasing benefits costs. No new workers were hired.

Nocco jokingly said he was “looking for an olive branch” on his way to the commissioners meeting.

“There may have been contention in the past, but I hope to start a new day,” Nocco said.

Nocco said the new workers he is requesting for intelligence-led policing differs from what White wanted. He said the new team would be like a “special operations group.” White’s request was meant to simply beef up the number of deputies in areas of west Pasco.

Nocco is asking for the increase to come from the $4.7 million his office saved from the current fiscal budget. The reductions came mainly because the Legislature passed a new requirement that all state workers must contribute 3 percent of their salaries to their pension plans.

Commissioners are scheduled to have two more public meetings before voting on the budget on Sept. 20, including if they will officially agree to Nocco’s request. The new budget year begins Oct. 1.

 

 

By Eugenio Torrens

M.J. Price was getting ready to go on a morning bike ride with a girlfriend on Sept. 11, 2001. While her friend was making a protein shake, Price cocked her head to see what was on TV.

“It was like a Lifetime movie,” she said.

She couldn’t believe the image of the plumes of smoke billowing from the World Trade Center.

To this day, she can’t remember if she went on that bike ride.

Price is the creator and organizer of the 9/11 memorial event Zephyr Park hosted. She said there has been an event every single year starting in 2002.

“The event is about memorializing those who passed away and those who protect our freedom,” said Price, who started the afternoon dressed as the Statue of Liberty.

Over the last decade, Price has helped organize more than 120 free community events in Zephyrhills.

This one was no different. Price said the first few memorial events following the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks were more serious. This year she designed it for a more family friendly atmosphere with outdoor games, music and indoor expos.

“If you don’t improve the quality of your community, then no one will,” Price said.

The event also featured speeches from Rep. Rich Nugent, R-Brooksville, and Rep. Will Weatherford, R-Wesley Chapel.

­­Doc Riley, a Vietnam War veteran and current member of the Shriners, had his custom 1998 Honda Valkyrie motorcycle on display at the event. Originally named The Red Dragon because “dragon” was one of the conceptual names tossed around when the bike was making its debut, the motorcycle is full of custom-made parts, including a gattling-gun exhaust and Cadillac taillights and turn signals.

“It’s truly one of a kind,” he said.

Riley, who had 15 flags on display including flags from various military branches and two U.S. flags specifically for the 9/11 event, said the attacks 10 years ago had a “great significance.”

A former GTE and Verizon employee, he was working at a cell tower in the middle of a cow pasture when he heard on the radio the World Trade Center had been struck. He feels people have become too consumed with their personal lives to fully appreciate their neighbors.

“Every year since then, it’s been downgraded,” he said. “People think we’re secure, it could happen today.”

Also at the event was the Pasco Sheriff’s Mounted Posse — police officers and volunteers on horseback.

Kim Alexander had recently graduated from high school when the attacks happened. Now she is 29 and is a member of the mounted posse, along with Jake, her 7-year-old Percheron draft horse.

“It’s pretty meaningful,” Alexander said about the picnic. “I didn’t know what to expect. I just wanted to show my support.”

John Bushell, who was a police officer in Tampa for 30 years and has been with the mounted posse for eight years, said he was with current Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi eating breakfast at a Village Inn when they heard about the attacks.

“It doesn’t seem like it was 10 years ago,” he said.

Congressman Nugent, who according to Price was an “unexpected guest,” said as much as the victims of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks needed to be remembered, recognition also needed to be heaped on first responders, including the firefighters.

“They ran into a burning building as people were running out,” Nugent said. “It is a thankless job.”

Weatherford, who spoke shortly after Nugent, called first responders his heroes. He also praised citizens like Todd Beamer aboard United Airlines flight 93, which crashed near Shanksville, Penn.

“It seems like Sept. 11, 2001 is still fresh in our minds,” Weatherford said. He noted how it could be hard to remember what you ate for breakfast, or what you did last week. But he said it’s crystal clear what you were doing when you heard about the attacks.

“You can’t change what happened. You can’t change that our lives will never be the same since that day.”

And he acknowledged that while the country may have its differences over different economic policies or party lines, there are things people don’t argue over because they don’t have to.

“We’re arguing over how we’re going to spend money. We’re not arguing over free speech,” he said.

 

Land O’ Lakes Recycling celebrates two decades of operation

By B.C. Manion

 

Cindy Glenn and Greg Conaty were into “being green” long before “being green” became the cool thing to do.

The siblings were the first and only employees of Land O’ Lakes Recycling when it got its start two decades ago.

The pair had begun their business in 1988 as a transportation service for other recyclers but after three years of doing that decided to branch out as an independent recycling company.

They came into that line of work naturally.

“Our father (Norman Conaty), back in the 1970s, was the director of sanitation for the city of Tampa. He decided to stop throwing things away and to start recycling. So, he started a recycling corporation in Tampa,” Glenn said.

“Greg was a helper and as soon as Greg was old enough to drive, Greg started driving for him,” Glenn recalled.

She said her younger brother began developing his knowledge of recycling when he was just a teenager.

“I started when I was 15, working with my dad,” Greg Conaty said.

“I worked there until ’88, then my dad sold his business to a big international business company,” he said.

The siblings decided to go into business together and bought about 3 acres at 5710 Land O’ Lakes Blvd.

“We bought this property because we decided we didn’t want to work for a big company,” Conaty said.

When they began, Glenn said, Conaty drove the truck and she ran the office and the yard.

They built the business gradually.

“I would drive one truck until we would get enough of a route that we could hire a driver. And then, we got another truck. And then, we got another truck,” Conaty said. “We had to go out in areas where nobody else would go. We built from there.”

Over the years, they’ve grown from a company of two employees to one with 32 full-time workers. They also have one part-time employee and some additional temporary workers during the company’s busy seasons.

They handle all sorts of recyclables, with their market stretching across the entire state of Florida for large commercial accounts. They also handle smaller commercial accounts and have a fundraising program for churches, schools and civic groups.

Evidence of their handiwork abounds.

The company, which now occupies 5 acres, has mountains of newspapers, huge bales of cardboard, giant bins of metal parts and containers and humongous piles of plastic bottles at its site.

It also has industrial-sized scales, which trucks roll over to get weighed before their recyclables are removed and then roll over again to find out the weight of their haul.

The sounds of heavy machinery are everywhere on the site, as trucks roll in and out and workers are busy processing and sorting recyclables.

“About 80 percent of our business is paper — newspaper, office paper and cardboard,” Glenn said. “We work with quite a few of the large box stores and we have the contracts for their bales. We also handle all sorts of metal and plastic.”

They’re also scouting for new business, too.

While most people drive to the front of a store, she likes to cruise behind stores to see whether they can become potential customers.

“Not a whole lot of people go behind stores. I do, to check out what they’re doing,” Glenn said. “Who needs a container? Who needs their bales picked up?”

The company’s trucks are flatbeds with forklifts.

The drivers go to the stores to pick up big bales of cardboard and bring them back to their site, where they are combined into 2,000-pound bales before being sold.

The recycling company pays for the large cardboard bales, but the real value comes from the money that companies avoid in disposal charges, Glenn said.

The going rate for recyclable items varies, Glenn said.

“Recyclable material is a commodity and it goes up and down just like cattle goes up and down – probably more frequently than cattle goes up and down,” Glenn said.

Besides handling cardboard recycling, the company accepts all sorts of other paper recycling, Conaty said.

“We do a lot of commercial paper. We also do a lot for civic organizations, churches, schools and that sort of thing. If they want to do a fundraising program, we put a container out at their stop and then we come and pick it up once a week, however often they need to have it picked up and then we pay them for it,” he said.

Most of the community groups average about $100 or so a month from their collection sites, but some earn much more.

“We do have some that are like gangbusters that are close to $1,000 a month,” Glenn said.

There are also commercial customers, such as McDonald’s in Pasco County, CVS and Walgreens that recycle paper waste to avoid sending it to the landfill.

The company also handles commingled recyclables, which means the items all come in one container and must be sorted out, Conaty said.

The company also accepts seven different grades of plastic, Conaty said.

It also has a full-blown metals operation that handles aluminum cans, copper, aluminum, steel and other kinds of scrap metals that people lug to the site.

“We get 50 to 60 customers a day,” Glenn said.

The owners estimate that 5 percent of their business comes from people lugging or carting in recyclables to sell.

About 15 percent of the business comes from small commercial accounts and fundraising groups and about 80 percent comes from large accounts.

In addition to purchasing recyclables, the company also has a drop-off station where people can dispose of unwanted newspapers, magazines, aluminum cans, glass or plastics.

The bins, which are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, get good use, Glenn said. “It’s convenient for the community, and they use it.”

Like many operations, the recycling business also has slow and busy seasons.

The summer is typically the slowest time of year, but when school begins in the fall, the recycling business picks up, and it remains busy through the holidays until April or so, Conaty said.

The company also enjoys a boost during the winter months when the winter residents head south to escape the cold, Glenn said.

“We deal with a lot of the retirement parks over in Zephyrhills and over on the west side. So, we’ll have that season, also,” she said.

Glenn said the family owned business is firmly planted in Land O’ Lakes.

“We’re part of this community. We work here. We live here. Our children go to the schools here,” Glenn said.

The brother-sister team shares a passion for what recycling can do to preserve trees, conserve water and reduce transportation costs.

“We firmly believe in what we’re doing – that we’re doing the right thing in recycling and saving the environment. We really believe it’s the right thing to do,” Conaty said.

The effects that recycling can have are amazing, Glenn said.

“We work with the Land O’ Lakes-Lutz Woman’s Club. I spoke with them recently, and I got all of their numbers together and I showed them that in the past year, they had recycled enough paper to save 200 acres of trees.

“It really does make a difference,” Glenn said.

 

/Glance box

Land O’ Lakes Recycling, 5710 Land O’ Lakes Blvd., Land O’ Lakes (On US 41, 3.5 miles north of SR 54)

Materials accepted: Paper, all grades; aluminum cans; copper; brass; steel; and old appliances.

The company handles commercial accounts, offers a fundraising program for churches, civic clubs and schools and purchases recyclable items on site.

Hours of operation: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday; 8 a.m. to noon on Saturday.

For more information call (813) 996-5530, visit www.lolrecycling.com or email .

 

Experts worry some will miss deadline

By B.C. Manion

 

An earlier deadline for enrolling in Medicare plans could result in people missing out, experts say.

This year’s Medicare annual enrollment dates are from Oct. 15 through Dec. 7. That means the enrollment period is beginning a full month earlier than it did last year and ending three weeks earlier.

Volunteers who help people navigate the bureaucratic maze of Medicare say they’re concerned that people who are not paying attention will try to enroll too late.

That’s why they’re putting an emphasis on outreach programs – to get the word out and to provide assistance, said Randy Caldwell of Land O’ Lakes, who volunteers for the Serving Health Insurance Needs for the Elderly (SHINE) program.

“People just don’t understand the bureaucracy. It can be intimidating and confusing,” Caldwell said. “The need is so great,” he said, and they don’t always realize that help is available.

That’s where SHINE volunteers come in.

“We’re available. We have outreach programs with churches, social organizations,” Caldwell said. They also can provide one-on-one assistance.

SHINE volunteers realize it can be difficult and confusing to enroll in Medicare plans, to keep up with changes and to compare plans that are available, said Jan Rauer of Lutz, a volunteer who trains SHINE volunteers.

When helping people navigate the system, SHINE volunteers focus on helping people find plans that are suitable for their needs by presenting various options and explaining the differences.

The idea is to present information, not to advocate particular plans, Caldwell said.

To prepare for the enrollment period, individuals should ask themselves:

–Have your health needs changed?

–Are your drugs covered by the plan you are considering?

–Does your doctor accept the plan you are considering?

–Does your plan fit your budget? Be sure to compare all costs, including premiums, copays, deductibles and coinsurance.

Those who are approaching age 65 should also be aware that enrollment in Medicare is not automatic, Rauer said. There is a seven-month period for initial enrollment into Medicare, she said. That includes the three months before an individual turns 65, the month of the individual’s birthday and the three months following it.

Additional information, individual appointments and requests for public speakers can be made by contacting the local Area on Aging office at (800) 963-5337.

By Kyle LoJacono

 

The two-year long project to add a bridge between New Tampa and Commerce Park boulevards has begun, giving drivers hope of less congested roadways in the future.

The $14 million project is connecting both streets, which currently dead end on opposite sides of I-75 in New Tampa. The job will add a bridge to allow drivers to pass over the interstate, allowing residents of Tampa Palms and the surrounding neighborhoods to reach either Freedom High school without using Bruce B. Downs Boulevard.

The project is funded by the Tampa City Council and is being performed by Prince Contracting. Jim Hudock, contract administrator for the city council, said the job has been in the works for several years.

“The city council has wanted to build this bridge for years to take people off Bruce B. Downs, which is heavily congested,” Hudock said. “It will also save New Tampa residents time if they are getting around the area.”

Hudock said there had been fighting for years by the several neighborhood groups that opposed the bridge because “they believed it would make the roadways more dangerous with the increase in traffic.”

Tampa Palms attorney Warren Dixon even sued the city to stop the project, but he no longer opposes it. He dropped the suit after getting assurances safety measures, like low speed limits, will be followed. Such limits have not yet been finalized.

The new roadway will be two-lanes wide and about 0.7 miles long. It is being built with enough space to allow it to expand to four lanes. The project also includes adding bike lanes and sidewalks.

The project is expected to be completed in the summer of 2013, nearly a year after the current Hillsborough County widening project of Bruce B. Downs is finished. That fact also helped reduce concerns by the community, as people traveling through New Tampa will not be able to use the bridge as a way to avoid construction.

For more information on the project, visit www.tampagov.net/dept_transportation.

By Kyle LoJacono

When 43-year Lutz resident Scott Peterson stepped out onto his patio on Aug. 28 to start his grill, he never expected he would have company.

Perched a few feet from him was a red-shouldered hawk that got inside the screened-in patio after a storm blew the door open earlier in the day.

“It was about 5 p.m., and I was literally going outside to fire up the grill when I heard a bit of a clutter over on the other side of the patio,” Scott said. “We have a plant stand with herbs and it was sitting right on top, probably 20 feet from me.”

Scott and his wife Lori see hawks and other birds of prey circling their house on a regular basis, but none had ever managed to get inside their patio before.

“When Scott said there was a hawk in the patio, I didn’t believe him,” Lori said. “That’s not what you’re expecting to hear after your husband goes outside to start the grill.”

Scott estimates the bird was 14-16 inches tall with a 2.5-foot wingspan.

“I’ve seen them bigger, so I don’t think it was fully grown, but its talons were very impressive,” Scott said. “I can’t say for sure if I’ve seen that particular one before, but we see them all the time.”

What started next was an attempt to free the confused creature.

“I suspected he was kind of baffled by the screen from trying to fly through it before I went outside,” Scott said. “When I got out there he was taking five to rest. He let me get within about five feet of him. Then he took off and kept hitting the screen cage. Then he tried to go talons first into it and shredded the screen like a box cutter.”

The Petersons gave the animal space. After about 20 minutes it settled down enough for them to try another attempt.

“My wife got gloves and a big beach towel to cradle him,” Scott said. “The bird let my wife come right up to it. It’s almost like it knew she was trying to help. It just let her pick it up. She cradled it very gently and got it out of the screen and it took off.”

Lori wasn’t afraid the animal might attack her.

“It was very calm,” Lori said. “I don’t know if it was just very tired, but I think it knew I wasn’t going to hurt it.”

The red-shouldered hawk flew to a branch before eventually taking off for good.

“It gave me goosebumps,” Scott said. “My first thought was good it’s not hurt, but then I just watched because it was just so majestic. It was just a gorgeous bird. I haven’t seen it since, so maybe it’s a little scared of the screen.”