Special to The Laker/Lutz News

By Eugenio Torrens

It may not have the name recognition of Busch Gardens or the authenticity of a Serengeti tour in the heart of Africa, but Giraffe Ranch in Dade City offers a hybrid of the two.

Run by Lex Salisbury and his wife Elena Sheppa, Giraffe Ranch is situated on a 47-acre ranch that offers a glimpse of quite a few animals in a more natural setting than what a zoo can offer.

“My wife and I used to do all this ourselves until we started doing tours, and then we needed some help,” Salisbury said. “I’ve been working with animals for a long time, so it’s sort of been my vocation and avocation for a long time.”
Salisbury was the president at Lowry Park Zoo before he resigned in December 2008 because of a city audit that suggested he had used the zoo for personal gain.

“I was completely exonerated,” Salisbury said. “They didn’t want me there any longer, so I resigned. That was all resolved, and that’s in the past.”

Salisbury and Sheppa live on the property and used to offer friends and colleagues a peek at how they lived with a menagerie.

“It’s like a little piece of Africa, when I wake up in the morning and look out and I see animals in the vista,” Salisbury said.

Visitors take about a 90-minute to two-hour tour inside sawed off, revamped trucks with canopy roofing designed to replicate the vehicles used in safaris. It’s all open air, which means more direct access to the animals. Usually, tours are limited to 20 people with one vehicle.

On this particular tour, there were three vehicles, one driven by Salisbury, one by Sheppa and the third by Jack West, a freshman at USF who logged more than 1,000 hours during the summer as an intern.

Throughout the tour, the vehicles canvass the area with each driver doubling as a guide and stopping to explain and interact with the animals, as well as giving guests a chance to feed animals.

“I thought it was marvelous,” said Michele Starcher, who was with the Sensational Seniors tour group. “They’re very educated. They know what they’re talking about. I like little animals. If I get an opportunity to come to something like this, I will.”

Starcher said she saw the tours as an educational opportunity for kids as a school outing.

The positive reaction seems to be echoed by the majority of visitors. Salisbury said there was a 94 percent intent-to-return rate.

“(Visitors) don’t want what man has done to nature, they want to see what nature has to offer man,” Sheppa said. She remarked how a woman in the tour wanted to go to Morocco but knew she was never going there and she just really wanted to ride a camel.

“People want to touch stuff.” Sheppa said. “When you connect with another animal, there’s something special about that, especially if it feels like it’s special to you.”

Some animals come on loan from partnerships Giraffe Ranch has with other zoos, such as the San Diego Wild Animal Park. Other animals are bred and raised on the ranch from birth, such as the baby giraffe visitors got to see.

The baby was a bit timid unlike the adult giraffes that sought food from eager-to-feed guests.

“We want to give people as non an artificial experience with these animals in as intimate a way as we possibly can offer, but ultimately in a safe way,” Sheppa said. “We don’t want it to be scripted. We want a little bit of the unexpected. We want people to be a little anxious, because that keeps them attentive.”

The zebras on Giraffe Ranch were particularly attention grabbing. Salisbury spread feed around the vehicle to offer guests a close-up look at the striped creatures.

“The irony is my dogs probably take up more of my time, or are more labor-intensive than this herd of zebra are,” Sheppa said.

Animals for Giraffe Ranch are picked have to meet certain criteria, including how well they deal with the Florida heat and environment; animals have to meet nutritional standards; and many of the animals chosen also are herd animals in order to provide as natural an environment as possible.

One exception to these rules was the scimitar oryx, which is extinct in the wild but is bred and kept in captivity as a means of preserving the species.

After guests have seen the vast array of animals including but not limited to zebras, fainting goats, ostriches, warthogs and a pair of pygmy hippos, they come back to the starting spot to visit the tiny gift shop.

Camel rides are available at the end of the tour for an additional cost. Guests may also tour the property on camelback. Salisbury even offers newly hatched ostrich eggs for a fee.

“I’ve been to a lot of places that I never knew existed, and this is one of those,” said Bill Voliva, a tour bus driver who drove the Sensational Seniors to Giraffe Ranch and went along on the tour. “It’s a little hidden gem. The word needs to get out more for folks to come see this, because it was really nice.”

Tours are $59.99 for adults, while children ages 2-11 get in for $49.99. Children 2 and under get in for free. Giraffe Ranch is located at 38650 Mickler Road in Dade City.

For more ticket prices or further information, call Giraffe Ranch at (813) 482-3400 or visit www.girafferanch.com.

By B.C. Manion

They’ve been gathering, once a year for 25 years, to celebrate their ties to this community called Lutz.

They bring their covered dishes and pay a small price of admission to join in fellowship at the annual pioneer picnic, an event which brings together people who have deep roots in Lutz and Land O’ Lakes.

The gatherings are always special because they offer a chance to relax, reminisce and recall those simpler times in a community where houses have replaced orange groves, and cars zoom down a multi-lane highway on what was once a dirt road where wagons rolled.

This year’s event is slated for Oct. 8 at the red brick Historic Lutz School, at the northeast corner of US 41 and Fourth Avenue. The event will be from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Those joining the party are asked to bring two covered dishes. Lunch tickets will be $5 each for adults and $1 for children ages 8-12.

This year one of the speakers will be Susan MacManus, a political science professor at the University of South Florida. She and her mother, the late Elizabeth Riegler MacManus co-authored “Citrus, Sawmills, Critters & Crackers: Life in Early Lutz and Central Pasco County.” An update of the book is due out soon.

Elizabeth Riegler MacManus was the original founder of the annual Pioneer Descendants’ gathering.

Jim Dennison, a local historian and geneologist also will be on hand and many others are expected to share stories and music at the event.

The two main organizers for the potluck are Cliff Denison and Annie Carlton Fernandez.

It’s a get-together they both thoroughly enjoy.

Like many Lutz residents, Denison has a deep connection with the community and its people.

“It really is a beautiful place,” he said. “The old-timers are just tremendous people. There is a great camaraderie, and love, I would say.”

Fernandez, who was born at her grandmother’s house in Lutz, said the older generations are trying to encourage greater participation by younger family members.

“We’re trying to keep the tradition alive,” she said.

For more information about the event, call Fernandez at (813) 784-4471.

By B.C. Manion

 

Amy Jordan, a science teacher in the Upper Division at Academy at the Lakes, has a lengthy list of accomplishments.

But for this teacher the goal of a true education goes beyond achievement – it aims to prepare students for what they will encounter after they leave her classroom.

One of the hardest lessons, she said, is to learn how to deal with failure.

That’s particularly challenging for high-achieving students, she said.

“It’s really hard for those kids.  It’s very hard for them not to be looking for the right answer.

“Those kids, in particular, need to have a few big failures in their life. The younger, the better. It’s a little bit harder when you have a family and you have a big failure in your life.

“If failures happen earlier, then it’s easier to get through them and realize they’re not such a catastrophe,” she said.

“In science, we fail all of the time. Most of our experiments don’t work.”

What’s important, she said, is “how do you get up from that – what do you do? What do you learn from that failure? What do you learn about yourself? That it wasn’t the end of the world. Most people who do anything in life have failed,” she said.

Jordan also promotes the notion that creativity and innovation can be much more important than being at the top of the class.

For instance, a student who comes up with a big idea can hire someone to do the math if that’s not one of his strong suits, she said.

Jordan didn’t set out to become a teacher, but she believes that teaching is part of her DNA.

“I heard somebody describe it as becoming part of the priesthood,” she said.

“I loved researching and I loved writing, but what I really enjoyed was teaching. All through my Ph.D., I supervised undergraduate research projects. I went and worked at a local school.”

That was when she discovered she could help students who want to pursue Ph.D.s.

“It’s very difficult to start at the low level where students come in. Of course, they’re at the low level because they haven’t been educated yet. But people at the really high level have a really hard time bridging that gap, because you forget what it’s like to know nothing.”

Jordan won the Derek Bok Certificate for Distinguished Teaching Award at Harvard for her efforts.

It was based on undergraduates ranking her teaching. “I was ranked in the top 5 percent of teachers at Harvard. It was a surprise to me.”

Student Alex Stark, who has taken Biology 1 and AP Biology, currently serves as Jordan’s assistant for AP Chemistry.

Stark praises Jordan’s ability to adapt her teaching style to suit different students.

“She is aware of what they do or do not know, how much work they are willing to do, what methods of teaching relate to them best, and what their motives are in being her students.

“She is honest and likes to explain her thought processes thoroughly,” Stark noted in an email response to a series of questions. “I have learned almost as much about teaching from her as I have about biology.”

Jordan credits her background for contributing to her teaching abilities.

“I like that I’ve had a lot of experiences,” Jordan said. She’s been a competitive fighter in the martial arts, has written test questions for the Educational Testing Service, has been an observer on accreditation teams, is a writer, has a family and has a pet.

“It’s good to have a teacher in the classroom that’s done a lot of things because they (students) can sort of see themselves in some of those roles,” Jordan said.

“They first need to be able to relate to you on some level.”

Jordan said she teaches students how to approach a professor if a problem arises.

“Being intellectual and sitting at a table and answering questions is not going to cut it.”

She also gears her tests to prepare students for what they might face in college.

“I make sure my testing is consistent with what they might see in college. In the sciences, testing can be brutal.”

Jordan believes students need to develop logical skills and have a basic knowledge of science, whether or not they plan to pursue a career in science.

“The world is becoming so much more technical,” she said.

One of her classes, Advanced Scientific Research, allows students to select an area of interest and delve deeply into it.

“Normally, they have their last two periods in that class and they go to USF and do research.

“They take notes on everything that is said, because again, it’s very hard for someone who is in the field to put themselves back in the shoes of the students,” Jordan said. “That’s what I do for them. I translate what it means.”

Jordan recently was honored by the Pasco County School Board for promoting high-level science experiences for high school students.

Her students have worked with the Southwest Florida Water Management District on aquifer recharge and with USF professors on a variety of projects including making nanofilms, relating nutrition to diet through isotope analysis, and plotting biochemical pathways related to hearing loss.

Her students have earned grants to support their research, given poster talks at professional meetings, and won numerous science fair awards.

Last year, one of her students – Sophia Sokolowski – won two awards at the 2011 Intel International Science and Engineering Fair in Los Angeles. Sokolowski’s project, “Audio Perception: Plotting the Pathway of the BK Channel” competed against the top 1,500 projects from around the world this year.

After winning her international honors, Sokolowski, who is now a senior, said much of her success was due to Jordan’s willingness to translate complicated scientific concepts and terms into language that the high schooler could understand.

Jordan, who has been at Academy at the Lakes since 2006, said she enjoys teaching at the independent private school because she is given a great deal of freedom. There are no artificial boundaries, she said.

“At first, I would have to make a proposal and justify it,” she said. Now, when she makes a proposal, the main question is whether she thinks she can do it, Jordan said.

If she says that she can, “they just let me do it,” Jordan said.

On one hand, she can appeal to student interest, she said. On the other, she must double-check herself to be sure she’s on the right path.

Jordan said the United States must improve in preparing its future scientists.

“We’ve got to produce somehow. You can’t be the most expensive country in the world and be a service economy. Those two things don’t add up.”

 

In search of excellence

We are looking for people for people of all walks of life who enrich our community through their commitment to excellence.

In this case, we profiled a teacher, but the people we would like to showcase can work in any field. If you know someone who routinely goes beyond the call of duty, who helps make life better for others, please send your suggestions to or call B.C. Manion at (813) 909-2800.

By Kyle LoJacono

 

Frequent drivers of the Suncoast Parkway and Veterans Expressway will need some extra quarters this time next year.

The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) will increase the fee by 25 cents at all stops on the two highways, as well as many other toll roadways throughout the state, beginning June 30.

Turnpike spokeswoman Christa Deason said the increase was part of a law signed by the state Legislature in 2007 to increase revenue for the department for capital improvement projects.

“The state gave us up to five years to start with the higher rates,” Deason said. “We delayed the increase as long as possible because of the economy, but now we are under the gun.”

Deason said SunPass customers will not be affected by the rate hike on any of the mainline plazas and off ramps on the Suncoast in Pasco north to where the parkway originates in Hernando County. They will also pay the same amount while using exits on the Veterans as they do now but will need to shell out the extra quarter when driving through the Sugarwood Plaza in Odessa and the Anderson Plaza in Tampa.

FDOT statistics from 2010 show that 45,000 and 54,400 vehicles travel the Sugarwood and Anderson plazas each day, respectively.

Deason said FDOT expects to generate $1.8 billion in revenue from 2012-16 because of the increase, which will let the department pay for the future widening of the Veterans by one lane in each direction.

“Everyone knows it needs to be widened, and we’ve been getting public input on the best way to do that,” Deason said. “Traffic flow is poor during rush hour. Without this increase, we might have to wait a few more years to do anything about it.”

The widening of the Veterans is also part of the road planning for Hillsborough County. Pedro Parra, Hillsborough Planning Commission principal planner, said his department is working under the idea that the expressway will be widened within the next 10 years.

“We are right now looking at ways to make Gunn Highway safer,” Parra said. “We’re doing that with the understanding that the Veterans will be wider, so it is affecting everything we are doing in the planning commission.”

The Veterans opened in 1994, while the Suncoast was completed in 2001. Deason said neither roadway has seen a toll rate increase since they were established.

For more information on the toll increase, visit floridasturnpike.com/index.cfm or call the FDOT’s turnpike office at (800) 749-7453. For general information on FDOT, visit www.dot.state.fl.us.

 

 

 

By B.C. Manion

The Pasco County Commission approved millions of dollars in financial incentives last week in a quest to entice Raymond James Financial to create a campus in Wiregrass Ranch.

The incentive package includes tax breaks, road improvements and other perks estimated at about $10 million from Pasco County and about $5 million from the state.

Improvements will include the construction of Wiregrass Ranch Boulevard, which would connect state roads 54 and 56.

In exchange, the internationally known financial services company, based in St. Petersburg, would build two 100,000-square-foot buildings. The company would bring 750 jobs to the county by 2024, with 100 of those jobs beginning in 2014.

Raymond James also wants to reserve up to 1 million square feet of office space for future expansion on all, or a portion of the property and adjacent lands.

The company has set a final due diligence period of up to nine months to examine geotechnical, environmental and other aspects of the property to ensure it is compatible with the project, Steve Hollister, a spokesman for Raymond James, said in an email.

A tentative construction date of 2012 has been set, with occupancy of the first building expected in 2013, Hollister added.

The financial services company decided to begin looking for a satellite location after conducting a comprehensive analysis last year of its current home campus in the Carillon office park in St. Petersburg. The analysis concluded that its headquarters would be at or near capacity within several years.

The 1 million-square-foot office complex also is in the level one area evacuation for hurricanes, causing the company to give serious consideration to the need to relocate critical data systems as first-tier protection, according to previously published reports in The Laker/Lutz News.

Commissioner Pat Mulieri applauded the county board’s unanimous vote.

“The incentives that Pasco offered shows Pasco is open for business,” Mulieri said in an email.

She believes that the Shops at Wiregrass served as a catalyst to bring an economic boost to an area where Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel is now under construction and a new Pasco-Hernando Community College campus, Porter Campus at Wiregrass Ranch, is slated to open for classes in January 2014.

An independent report conducted for the Pasco Economic Development Council found that over the first 17 years, the project would lead directly or indirectly to the creation of approximately 1,200 jobs and provide total salaries to direct or indirect workers in the amount of approximately $600 million.

The deal, according to County Administrator John Gallagher, signals that Pasco County “is coming out of adolescence.”

For decades the county has been known as a bedroom community, with residents commuting to Tampa and back for work.

Hollister said “factors weighing in favor of Wiregrass Ranch include its minimized natural disaster risk, access, demographics, redundant power and fiber optics infrastructure and available incentives.”

If the deal goes through, Gallagher expects Raymond James to help attract other businesses to the county.

State Rep. Will Weatherford, who is in line to become the next Speaker of the House, characterized the deal as a “real game changer for Pasco County.

“This deal brings tangible benefits for the immediate future through an infusion of high wage direct and indirect jobs,” the Republican from Wesley Chapel said in a prepared statement.

“But equally important is what this deal means for the future of Pasco. This is the second major financial institution to locate in our area,” said Weatherford, who was instrumental in getting $4 million in state funding for road improvements for the project.

Jeff Miller, chairman of the economic development committee of the Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce, said “I think it’s nice that the county and the state are really making the commitment to draw in employers. The growth of the region depends on jobs.”

By B.C. Manion

A hospital with an incredibly familiar name in Tampa has a new one now and that change is part of an even larger change announced last week by Adventist Health System.

University Community Hospital is now Florida Hospital Tampa and the Pepin Heart Institute has been renamed to Florida Hospital Pepin Institute.

They join Florida Hospital Carrollwood, Florida Hospital Connerton Long Term Acute Care, Florida Hospital Zephyrhills, Helen Ellis Memorial Hospital and Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel to form the new Florida Hospital Tampa Bay Division.

In total, the facilities represent more than 1,000 beds.

Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel, now under construction, has a planned opening date of October 2012, said John Harding, president and chief executive officer for the Florida Hospital Tampa Bay Division.

“That facility is going up very quickly. It will be entirely enclosed by the end of the month,” Harding said. “That is a large economic investment in this community, to the tune of about $160 million.”

Overall, Adventist expects to have an economic impact of a half-billion dollars during the next five years in the Florida Hospital Tampa Bay Division.

It expects to create about 400 new jobs within the next 12 months.

The name change signals a new initiative aimed at elevating healthcare for patients, Harding said.

“The research suggested that we needed to have a partner in academics,” Harding said.

Along those lines, the Florida Hospital Tampa Bay Division will be working much more extensively with the University of South Florida. The partnership is expected to create new opportunities that will give Adventist patients access to the university’s physicians and its clinical research, said Michael Schultz, president and CEO of the Florida Region and executive vice president of the Florida Division of Adventist Health System.

“There will be more to announce in the days and weeks to come,” he said.

“Collectively, we want to bring value to the medical community in the north Tampa Bay area. By the north Tampa Bay area, I’m talking about north Tampa, Pasco and Pinellas counties,” Schultz said. “We wanted to bring value, or why do it?”

Adventist is aiming to provide integrated, coordinated care to patients, he said.

“What do I mean by integrated, coordinated care? To me, it means the right care, at the right time, at the right location for the best possible clinical outcome,” Schultz said.

Dr. Stephen Klasko, dean of the College of Medicine at USF, said the initiative will enable the university to have a stronger footprint in north Tampa and also in Pasco County, one of the fastest-growing places in the region.

“We’ll be able to combine some of the education and research and clinical services together into something very exciting over this whole north Tampa region,” Klasko said.

“Having an academic medical center in your area is only a good thing.”

The collaboration may prove particularly beneficial to Pasco residents, he said, “because of our relationship, these hospitals will have more of the subspecialists available, so you won’t necessarily have to go into Tampa or Orlando.”

Hospitals in the Florida Hospital Tampa Bay Division “will have more of the clinical research,” he said, which will give patients access to more cutting-edge care.

“We think we can be the glue between a great hospital system, the community and the doctors in that area,” Klasko said.

The relationship between the university and Adventist Health System also will foster a new pipeline of physicians and other medical care providers for the Pasco communities, Klasko said.

As USF’s medical and nursing students spend time in the Pasco communities, Klasko said, some are likely to think: “ ‘Boy, this would be a good place to live and work.’ ”

“I think you’re going to be hearing a lot more about some of the synergies between Florida Hospital Tampa Bay Division and USF,” Klasko predicted.

The Florida Hospital Tampa Bay Division completes Florida Hospital’s Central Florida network of care, which now connects 22 hospitals from Flagler Beach to Tarpon Springs, and all points in between, Shultz said.

Adventist has a long history of meeting healthcare needs for Floridians, Harding said. It has been in Central Florida for more than 100 years and its church has been in healthcare for nearly 150 years.

Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel, now in the midst of construction, has been designed with the patient in mind, said Brian Adams, its chief operating officer.

“You’ll be able to walk in the front door and literally in less than 50 feet be on the MRI scanner,” he said. That facility will open with 80 beds and is designed to grow along with the community, ultimately becoming a 288-bed facility.

“It’s designed to grow so you’ll never have to build in front of the front door of the hospital,” he said, eliminating the confusion that sometimes occurs when a hospital expands and what was originally the front door ends up being on the middle of the campus.

The idea is to make it easy for people to find their way around, he said.

“When people are receiving healthcare or they’re visiting people in a hospital, they’re at a level of stress. Not ever having to build in front of a front door helps provide some of the healing.”

 

By Kyle LoJacono

Pasco County’s march of progress has created a big stink in Dade City.

The county is building a new wastewater, or sewage, treatment plant on the southeast corner of Christian and Powerline roads to replace a small and outdated facility in Lacoochee. The Northeast Subregional Wastewater Treatment Plant will provide additional water capacity for northeastern Pasco, according to assistant county administrator for utilities Bruce Kennedy.

“It’s going to bring jobs to the area along US 301,” Kennedy said. “Right now there isn’t capacity to support any large businesses that might want to move into the area.”

Many residents in the area are not convinced the plant will be an asset. About 200 people voiced their objection at a public meeting on Sept. 13 meant to answer questions about the future facility.

One protestor interrupted Kennedy a few minutes into his opening statements, shouting out that the county staffer was “brainwashed” by his boss. Kennedy admitted he did not expect the kind of negative sentiment that was present at the meeting but is firm in his stance that the plant will help the community.

“The idea is to stimulate growth,” Kennedy said. “We need this robust system and infrastructure to show future employers and light industrial developers our potential for growth.”

The majority of the outrage revolved around two main points: most residents say they were never told about the plant before the site was selected, and a fear the untreated wastewater will find its way into the ground water.

“Not even a word to us,” said Max Sherman, who lives minutes from the plant’s future site. “Plus most of us are on well water around here. If the sewage gets into the ground, then we’re all in a lot of trouble.”

The future facility will take wastewater and turn it into a source useable for industrial and other commercial purposes. It will not go into the drinking supply for the area, according to Kennedy.

The plant will be on 10 acres, which is surrounded by 260 acres of Pasco-owned land to create a buffer preventing any waste from seeping into the group, according to Kennedy. He add that the location is the best for the facility because the densely forested environment will prevent residents from looking at it, keeping the rural feel of the area.

“The people won’t be able to see the plant,” Kennedy said. “If no one ever told them it was there, they won’t have any idea it even exists.”

Once completed, the plant will produce about 300,000 gallons of water each day, but could increase capacity to 600,000 if needed. Kennedy said most facilities put out 2-3 million gallons daily, making it relatively small.

The location of the plant has a long history of opposition. In 2006, residents opposed a plan to develop 342 acres of the property to build 85 high-priced houses. That neighborhood would have been called Trilby Estates, but the developer decided not to build it because of the locals’ outrage about it upsetting the rural atmosphere of the area.

The county bought the land after the Trilby Estates developer backed out of the project. Pasco can therefore use the land for whatever use it wants, such as building a park, community center or a sewage plant.

The Pasco Commission will eventually give final approval for the plant project later this year.

Commissioner Ted Schrader, whose District 1 covers most of east Pasco including Dade City, was not at the public meeting, but said he has been receiving “spirited” emails from residents.

“We expected the meeting would answer everyone’s questions about the plant and let them know it will help us all by bringing in business,” Schrader said. “It obviously didn’t go as planned.”

Schrader said he plans to have another public meeting, which he will attend.

“In the end they are the residents, and we need to address their concerns,” Schrader said.

 

By Kyle LoJacono

 

Those who take advantage of Pasco County’s public transportation will soon see advertising as they board their buses.

Pasco County Public Transportation (PCPT) recently started selling advertising space on the sides of its bus fleet. The first companies to buy a spot are Farrell Roofing and also Greg Henry Restoration, both Pasco-based firms.

Both companies bought yearlong contracts for ads that fully wrap around the outside of one bus, which comes with a $5,000 per month price tag. Of that, the county will get $650 each month, according to PCPT director Mike Carroll.

Steve Farrell, owner of Farrell Roofing, said the chance to advertise on PCPT buses was one his company couldn’t pass up.

“Most of our advertising is our vehicles,” Farrell said. “The bus is a little bit larger than our vehicles, and I think that will work well.”

Those are just the first two ads that have been installed. County commissioners have already reached agreements that will result in about $1 million in extra revenue generated from the ads during the next five years.

The ads will be put on the buses by Black Jack Media, a Pasco-based company, which will pay for instillation and any maintenance. The group is also helping sell the spots for the county. Black Jack sales manager Regan Weiss said it takes about eight hours to finish adding ads to one bus.

The deal calls for Black Jack to sell ads on all 36 of Pasco’s buses by the end of 2012. By that time the county will start collecting more money for each wrap sold on the buses, up to $850 per vehicle per month.

Weiss said his company has already gotten interest from such businesses as the Tampa Bay Storm and Nike. The county will not accept certain ads, such as those for lawyers and politicians, alcohol, tobacco, adult entertainment, pawn shops and tattoo parlors among others.

Carroll said he plans on using the newly wrapped buses on some of PCPT’s busiest routes to “put them in front of the most eyes possible,” such as those that travel along US 301 and US 19.

Carroll said companies can also advertise on the inside of the buses, or with smaller ones on the outside.

PCPT joins the Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority (HART), which already sells advertising spots on its bus fleet.

For additional information on PCPT, visit portal.pascocountyfl.net.

 

By Kyle LoJacono

 

Mikhail Reece stands out from the crowd no matter where he is thanks to his 6-foot-5, 245-pound body, but his mind and leadership abilities are what truly separate the Gaither senior from others.

Reece currently has a 5.8 weighted grade point average (GPA), putting him on pace to be the Gaither salutatorian. His grandmother Nell instilled in him a thirst for knowledge, which endures to this day.

“My mom (Jaclin) would be working, so my grandmother taught me how to read and about math,” Reece said. “I knew my times tables at the age of 5 because of her. She gave me that extra push to get started. Now it just comes natural, and when I’m engaged in a class I want to do the work.”

Reece is also thankful for the free education offered in the United States. He was born in Kingston, Jamaica, a country where people have to pay $500-$600 a year just to attend basic schooling. Throw in money for uniforms and books, and most people on the island nation are not financially able to get a high school equivalent diploma.

“I know that it’s a blessing to have free schooling here through high school, and if you excel enough they will pay you to go to college,” Reece said. “It’s not like that in Jamaica or basically everywhere else, so I want to jump on that and take advantage of the education here.”

Reece came to the United States around age 4. He has gotten two Bs on his high school GPA, one in physical science while in eighth grade and another in English I.

“I didn’t know the science would count because I took it in middle school, but it did,” Reece said. “In English it was borderline and I didn’t turn in one worksheet. I still think about that B in English, and after that I told myself I wasn’t going to get a B again.”

Reece’s academic focus became apparent to teachers early in the school year. Danielle de Gregory teaches Reece Advanced Placement psychology and African-American history. She has only seen his work in the classroom for about a month, but already understands why he has been able to post such a high GPA.

“The bell rings and he starts his work,” de Gregory said. “We all have bell work in every class. Mikhail starts his work immediately. He doesn’t finish talking with someone or stand in the hall for a few more seconds. The bell rings and he knows it’s time to get down to business.”

Reece is also a defensive end and team captain on the Gaither football team. Cowboys coach Jason Stokes said he brings that same “down to business” approach to the gridiron.

“As soon as we blow the whistle he’s all business,” Stokes said. “When he sees kids in practice not focusing, he’ll say something before the coaches. He’s one of those special kids you don’t get to coach very often.”

Reece had 12 tackles, two passes defensed, one sack and one forced fumble last football season. Stokes said he believes he will have a huge impact as a senior.

“He has all the measurables to be a big-time player,” Stokes said. “He’s very coachable and puts in the work to get better. Plus he understands concepts very quickly and can see what other teams are trying to do to him.”

Reece isn’t just a brain. He also has leadership qualities as apparent as his intelligence.

“I met Mikhail last year because as student government advisor I had to pick four juniors to take to the West Point Leadership Conference,” de Gregory said. “Mikhail was a perfect person because they wanted student leaders and leaders on sports teams, and he is a leader on the football team and academically.”

When de Gregory was working to find the right juniors to bring on the trip, she asked student government members who they believed should go.

“They all said Mikhail Reece without thinking about it,” de Gregory said. “So not only do his teachers rave about him, but the kids think the same way about him. … I couldn’t find a more upstanding kid than Mikhail Reece. He is a fine young man.”

Reece’s efforts in the classroom and on the football field have one of the most prestigious Ivy League universities interested in him. He was officially given a scholarship offer to play at Yale.

“When I got the Yale offer, it’s an honor, but I know that I have the ability because both sides of my family have people who are very strong academically,” Reece said. “I have a cousin who went to Dartmouth, another Ivy League school. Then my father (Patrick) grew up very poor, like in tin houses, but he went to school and is an engineer. So I know if I don’t do well it’s only because I didn’t put in the effort.”

Reece thanked Gaither offensive line coach Jeff Ditman for helping him get noticed by Yale. Ditman attended the Ivy League school and also played football for the Bulldogs.

“I think it’s the perfect fit for him,” Ditman said. “I have to watch myself because I don’t want it to seem like I’m pushing him to go there, but looking at it objectively he’s a great fit. I know they like him athletically, and I think he can succeed there as a football player. Academically I know it’s a great opportunity for him, and I think his personality would fit perfectly there. I’ll support whatever he does, but it would be good for him and for Yale to have him.”

While Ditman never directly coached or taught Reece, he has still seen his intelligence shine through on the field.

“He plays intelligently and he understands what he needs to do and what the other team is trying to do to him,” Ditman said. “I communicate that to my offensive linemen how much of an assist that is, and of course we have to deal with him in practice. We can’t outsmart him. It’s hard to fool him because he sees things in a different way.”

Reece said he is most interested in math classes and would like to become an engineer like his father —if things don’t work out with football.

“If I could go to the (NFL), that would be a dream,” Reece said. “That would be the ultimate goal and after that I could do a lot of other things with my mind if it happens.”

–All stats as recorded to Maxpreps.com by coaches.

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.