Special to The Laker/Lutz News

By Kyle LoJacono

June 1 marks the start of the hurricane season in Florida and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is predicting 12-18 named storms this year, above the normal six to 10.

Last year there were 19 named storms, which include hurricanes and tropical storms, seven of which hit mainland North America, according to the center. There were 259 deaths directly related to those storms and about $11.5 billion worth of damage.

“The United States was fortunate last year,” said Jane Lubchenco, NOAA administrator. “Winds steered most of the season’s tropical storms and all hurricanes away from our coastlines. However, we can’t count on luck to get us through this season. We need to be prepared, especially with this above-normal outlook.”

While the Tampa Bay area has seen a relatively low number of storms hitting directly in the last few years, local and national emergency management and fire rescue groups are strongly urging residents to prepare for the worst.

“There are three sure things that are going to happen to you if you live in Florida,” said Tampa Fire Rescue Capt. Bill Wade. “Death, taxes and hurricane season. If you’re not planning, then you’re going to lose out when it comes time that you have to face these problems.

“You really can’t be too prepared,” Wade continued. “Buy extra food. Buy extra drinking water, batteries and first aid supplies. You’ll eventually use those supplies anyway, so it’s better to have them stocked up before a storm.”

Wade suggested having roofs, windows and doors inspected and to make upgrades like installing storm shutters to limit damage from a strong storm. The Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety (IBHS) offers similar advice, but adds that there are ways to prevent property damage.

“In both our post-disaster investigations and laboratory work, we have seen first hand that there are techniques to prevent damage from hurricanes,” said Julie Rochman, IBHS president and CEO. “There is no great mystery surrounding how to better equip residential and commercial structures for an active hurricane season.”

These techniques are demonstrated at www.disastersafety.org.

The season lasts until Nov. 30, with September being the peak month. For additional information on preparing for a storm in Pasco, call the county’s Emergency Services Department at (813) 929-2750 or (352) 521-4274. In Hillsborough, call the county’s Fire Rescue at (813) 272-6600.

Hillsborough County Fire Rescue released the following tips for staying safe and prepared during hurricane season:

–Develop a family plan. Know how you will respond should a disaster be declared or an evacuation recommendation given. Time is of the essence, so you should plan ahead so you will know what to do.

–Make an emergency kit. It should include your medications, important papers like insurance information and personal identification, entertainment like cards or a favorite toy and some clean clothing.

–Know your evacuation zone. There are five designated evacuation levels that are vulnerable to storm surge. Know if you live in one of these zones and have a plan for where you will go, if you need to evacuate. Be aware that everyone living in a mobile home must evacuate at all evacuation levels.

–Be aware of your evacuation route. If you need to evacuate, you do not need to travel far. You just need to get outside of the evacuation zone. Make arrangements ahead of time with family members or a friend. Be sure to give yourself plenty of time to get out of your zone because the roads will be very busy during evacuations.

–Plan to have enough food, drink and medicine to last at least three to five days after a disaster hits. The roads may be blocked and water, sewer and power may be knocked out by storm damage.

–If you have physical or mental conditions that require special care, be sure to pre-register for a special needs medical shelter where professional medical care can be provided during the emergency.

–Have a plan for your pet. A Fritz Institute Survey found that 44 percent of the people who did not evacuate for Hurricane Katrina stayed at least in part because they did not want to leave their pets behind. Call your county’s emergency management office to find out where the pet shelters are in your jurisdiction.

 

Thunderstorm seminar June 11

The East-West Animal Hospital, 1524 US 41 in Lutz, will host a seminar on thunderstorm phobia in pets on Saturday, June 11 from 10-11:30 a.m. It will focus on how to treat and prevent pets from being scared of storms. Free refreshments will be served. To reserve a seat, call (813) 948-6534.

 

By Kyle LoJacono

The Pasco County Health Department has seen an increase in dog bites during the last two years. The department and Pasco Animal Services are teaming up to reverse the trend.

The health department has had 695 reported dog attacks in the last six months, but one in New Port Richey spurred the recent push.

A year ago, Thomas Carter Jr. was killed after suffering more than 50 puncture wounds from an attack by the family’s pit bull mix breed. The infant was only seven days old.

Additionally, 133 dog attacks were reported to the department in March, the second-highest number of cases in a month since statistics have been kept in the county, according to its agency’s education director Rosemary Lyons.

Lyons added that 1,217 attacks were filed in 2009, which increased to 1,244 the next year. She added that fatalities are very rare, but generally happen with the very young or very old.

The death of the Carter baby followed another deadly incident in December 2009, when 22-month-old Dallas Walters was killed by a relative’s rottweiler-labrador mix breed at birthday party. Both animals were put down after the attack.

“No dog of any breed should ever be left unattended with children no matter how well mannered or even tempered,” Lyons said. “Children usually have high voices, they cry and they make sudden movements which can be misunderstood or upsetting to the dog, making attacks more likely.”

Lyons added that no one, adult or child, should approach a dog on a chain.

“They are usually on a chain for a reason,” Lyons said.

County residents who are bitten by any animal are required by Pasco law to report it within one working day to animal services to help treat and limit the spread of rabies. The same applies to anyone treating a bite victim.

Besides the health concerns associated with dog bites, the medical costs for major attacks are steep. More than 800 people in Florida were recently bitten by dogs badly enough to need hospitalization, according to Pasco health spokeswoman Deanna Krautner. She added the median cost of those stays was $17,000.

Krautner said unneutered male dogs are involved in more than seven of every 10 reported dog bites, emphasizing the importance of neutering.

In addition, the health department has some tips to reducing anyone’s chances of being attacked.

“There are things you can do to prevent dog bites,” said Pasco health officer Dr. David Johnson. “It’s important to discuss safety measures with your child and to be cautious when around unfamiliar animals.”

 

Common sense can prevent bites for…

Approaching an unfamiliar dog

–Wait and watch the dog’s body language.

–Ask the owner for permission to pet the animal.

–Let the pet sniff you.

–Pet the dog in the direction of his or her fur.

 

Safety tips for dog owners

–Before getting a dog, seek the advice of a veterinarian or animal shelter personnel about which dog is right for someone’s lifestyle.

–Spay or neuter a dog.

–Socialize the dog so it feels at ease around people and other animals.

–Do not put a dog in situations where it may feel threatened or teased.

–Follow leash laws. Do not let a dog roam freely.

–Train a dog to obey basic commands such as stay, sit and come.

–Keep a dog healthy with regular checkups and a vaccination program.

–See a veterinarian promptly if a dog is sick or injured. Illness and pain can make a dog more likely to bite.

–Do not play aggressive games with a dog.

–Confine a dog in a fenced yard or dog run when it is outside.

–Do not leave a dog on a chain for long periods. Chained dogs are more likely to bite.

 

Other safeguards

–Never approach an unfamiliar dog.

–Never run from a dog and never scream around a dog.

–If you think a dog is about to attack, try to place something between yourself and the dog, such as a backpack or a bicycle.

–If a dog knocks you over, roll into a ball, cover your face and stay still.

–Children should never approach or play with dogs unless supervised by an adult.

–Children should tell an adult if they see a stray dog or a dog acting strangely.

–Do not look a dog right in the eyes.

–Do not disturb a dog that is sleeping, eating or caring for puppies.

–Adults should never leave an infant or young child alone with any dog, not even the family pet.

 

If bitten

–Seek medical attention immediately.

–Control bleeding and wash the wound with soap and water.

–Report the bite to the county health department, animal control agency or police.

 

 

By Kyle LoJacono

Thousands of vehicles drive by the Lutz Memorial Park each day, but not many people know the history of the 35-year-old monument.

“I see it every day, but don’t know too much about it,” said 17-year Lutz resident Peggy McLaughlin.

John Rivera, who has lived in Lutz for eight years, said of the park, “I went over and looked at it a couple years ago during the Fourth of July parade. Other than that, I don’t know a lot about it.”

The park was built during the bicentennial celebration in Lutz in 1976 to honor all U.S. veterans, according to records with the Hillsborough County Parks, Recreation and Conservation Department. It is located just south of Bullard Park and the Lutz Branch Library, allowing the 33,500 daily drivers who travel along US 41 to catch a glimpse.

“The department handles the upkeep and runs the small park,” said county spokeswoman Kemly Green. “There is the park and another memorial at the same site.”

The second monument is the Lutz War Memorial, which predates the park by 23 years. It was built in 1953 to honor Hillsborough veterans. The inside walls of the shed-shaped structure are made of wood planks with the names of those from the county who have served.

The memorial was originally located on Second Street SW behind the library and near the Lutz Volunteer Fire Station and the Lutz Civic Center. It was built in that original location to replace a smaller “clapboard” memorial that stood for more than 40 years at the same site, according to county records.

The memorial was moved to the park in 1995 in part because people were vandalizing the structure. Joel Jackson oversaw moving the memorial and recalls a lot of arguing about its new location.

“I remember there being a lot of public meetings about where to move it,” Jackson said. “Some people wanted to tear it down and build a new one.”

The department’s records show the decision to move the memorial was reached to preserve the original structure. It cost the county $7,000 to move the building, which is open for the public to view the names only four days a year to prevent further vandalism.

The memorial is open from 8-10 a.m. and from 3-5 p.m. on the Fourth of July, Memorial Day, Veteran’s Day and POW/MIA Recognition Day, which is the third Friday in September.

The memorial is the southernmost part of the park. The oldest remaining element of the site is the flag pole nearest US 41. It was put up at the bicentennial celebration nearly 35 years ago.

Green said there is no more information in the county records about the original pole, but a plaque on its base reads it was donated by the Lutz Citizens League For The Bicentennial Celebration.

People can visit the park at any time. The only major community event that happens at the site during the year is the Lutz Independence Day Celebration, which is on July 4 starting at 8 a.m.

 

 

By Kyle LoJacono

Preliminary budget projections released by the Pasco County commissioners have cut almost $5 million for several departments for the 2011-12 fiscal year.

The cuts could eliminate 13 positions to help meet the county’s budget, which Pasco finance director Michael Nurrenbrock predicts will shrink by 4.5 percent from this year.

The county’s Human Services Department is scheduled to take the hardest hit, losing $1 million from 2010-11 levels. That would amount to an 11 percent reduction.

Also feeling the pinch are Pasco Parks and Recreation Department and the county’s library system, which would lose a combined $650,000. The hit comes after three years of cuts to both departments.

Pasco parks have lost $1.8 million from its budget since 2008, according to department director Rick Buckman. Those reductions could have been much higher if the commissioners hadn’t approved new user fees to make up a nearly $700,000 deficit.

The library system lost $2.26 million from the county during that time, according to the department’s director Nancy Fredericks. That is on top of reductions from the state and federal level.

Two areas that appear to be safe from cuts are the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office and the Supervisor of Elections office.

Last year, former Pasco Sheriff Bob White fought with the commission for months to get a $4 million increase in funding to hire new deputies and handle other rising costs. He settled for a boost of $925,000.

The sheriff’s office is not letting on if it will ask for another increase.

“Our budget will be released June 1,” said Pasco Sherriff spokesman Kevin Doll. “We will reserve comment until that time.”

Supervisor of Elections Brian Corley said he will not ask for additional funding, but will not cut his budget either.

“We will have a presidential election in 2012 and dealing with redistricting from the new census numbers,” Corley said. “We’ve had to cut the budget by about 28 percent during the last four years and we can’t hold elections if we have any more cuts.”

Corley said his current operating budget is $2.6 million, small potatoes when it comes to the sheriff’s $88 million budget.

“It wouldn’t do much to cut our budget,” Corley said. “The meat of the budget, the vast majority of the cost comes from the sheriff’s budget.”

County Commission Chairwoman Ann Hildebrand said they are trying to work out the budget without raising property taxes or making more user fees.

“Things are tough and I don’t believe our citizens can be expected to continue to pay more for the same services,” Hildebrand said.

The most recent county citizen survey indicated that just more than 50 percent of respondents would be willing to pay slightly more for their services, but only 2,000 people took part in the poll.

“I don’t think we want to put too much faith in the survey,” said Commissioner Ted Schrader. “People are struggling out there. They’re concerned about gas prices. They’re concerned about paying their electric bill. They’re concerned about their mortgage.”

Budget talks will heat up during July and August as it needs to be agreed and voted on by Sept. 30 to take effect at the start of October.

By B.C. Manion

When Wendy Hauver sets out to create a recipe, she thinks about the individual flavor of each ingredient.

She knows the taste of every spice in her cabinets because she’s sampled each one.

While cooking, she pays close attention to the aroma.

“I cook by smelling. I don’t taste as I’m cooking,” the Lutz woman said.

She also likes using lots of different kinds of olive oils and specialty food items she picks up from various locales when she travels.

“To me, it’s about the chemistry of cooking,” said Hauver, who in recent months has won three recipe contests and has had a recipe for a breakfast burrito posted on the Just Pinch Recipe Club website (www.justapinch.com).

She won the grand prize in the “Season’s Best Recipe Contest” from Publix in January.

Her “Shrimp and Sherry Rice” took first place in the “Ultimate Recipe Contest” by Aroma in February.

And, she won The Novemburger Hamburger Cook-Off contest sponsored last year by the St. Petersburg Times.

Besides bragging rights, Hauver has garnered prizes for her creative cooking ideas.

Her hamburger recipe that includes apples won the Publix competition, which was rewarded with a year’s worth of free groceries, valued at $5,200. She also won $250 in free products from Aroma.

The Rushe Middle School teacher said she doesn’t fuss over precision when she cooking her family a meal.

“I’m not much of a measurer,” Hauver said. “You kind of get to know what a teaspoon of this looks like, and what a tablespoon of that looks like.”

And, she’s not above using shortcuts in preparing meals.

“I try to keep everything I do relatively easy, you know like using pre-made things as much as possible,” Hauver said.

She relies on family — children Kaitlynn and Dillon Fleming, stepson Will Hauver and husband Bill Hauver — to be her chief tasters.

Hauver said was attracted to cooking when she was quite small. Even before she began learning to cook, she would pretend to make meals in her toy kitchen.

“My first big adventure in cooking was for my parents’ anniversary. I think I was 12. I cooked them dinner. I even had my mom’s friend go get a bottle of wine so I could serve wine with my dinner.”

It wasn’t exactly the grand triumph she envisioned.

“The mashed potatoes came out kind of weird-looking,” Hauver said, which made her nervous.

Then her mom, who is not a drinker, took a sip of wine to be polite – and developed a headache.

“I thought my cooking made her sick,” Hauver said, not realizing it was the wine.

It wasn’t the outcome she’d imagined, but she was undaunted.

While some cooks jealously guard their recipes, Hauver enjoys sharing hers. She also likes to try out new recipes.

She ran across the Justapinch website when she was surfing the Internet. It’s a great place to find free recipes, Hauver said.

She makes no claims of being top chef, but Hauver said her experience in the kitchen has taught her a trick or two.

She highly recommends that cooks clean as they go. That avoids those big messes at the end, she said.

She also suggests that cooks taste every ingredient they use.

When she did that, she said, her culinary world expanded.

 

Sunny Side in Breakfast Burrito

Ingredients

8 eggs

1/4 c. milk

10 oz. ground sage and pork sausage

10 oz. frozen O’Brien style hash browns

1 tsp. tarragon, dried

1 Tbsp. smoked paprika

1 tsp. sea salt

1/2 tsp. cracked black pepper

4 burrito-sized tortillas

1 c. arugula

1/2 c. shredded Colby cheese

1/2 c. prepared chunky salsa

 

Directions: Crack eggs into medium bowl. Add milk and whisk until fully blended (mixture should be sunny-yellow). Set aside.

Crumble sausage into a large frying pan. Cook until slightly browned. Add hash browns  and continue to cook until hash browns are soft and starting to brown.

Pour in egg mixture, tarragon, salt, pepper and paprika. Cook until eggs are firm.

During the last few minutes of cooking, lay the tortillas over the mixture to steam them, so they soften.

When tortillas are soft, put a healthy line of the egg mixture down the center of the tortilla, top with arugula (washed and patted dry), Colby cheese and salsa.

Fold two sides of the tortilla inward, then roll tortilla to enclose ingredients.

 

 

By B.C. Manion

A veto by Gov. Rick Scott has dealt a blow to a planned community college campus in Wesley Chapel, but it wasn’t a knockout punch.

“While we are disappointed in the governor’s decision to veto the final funding installment for the Pasco-Hernando Community College Porter Campus at Wiregrass Ranch, we respect his authority and decision to do so,” PHCC officials said in a May 26 statement.

However, officials added: “The residents of Pasco County can rest assured that the project will move forward, though the completion may be delayed.”

J.D. Porter, whose family owns Wiregrass Ranch and supplied the 60-acre tract for the campus, said he’s confident that “funding will be there by the time it is necessary.”

Rep. Will Weatherford, R-Wesley Chapel, who has championed the community college project, said he plans to work hard to get additional funding.

“I’m going to make it one of my top priorities,” Weatherford said.

Before Scott’s veto, classes were slated to begin in 2013-14. It is not yet known whether that schedule will be delayed.

State Sen. Mike Fasano, R-New Port Richey, criticized Scott for vetoing the PHCC project, while allowing more than $30 million for a University of South Florida project to expand its Lakeland campus into USF Polytechnic.

Fasano called Scott’s action “disingenuous and a little bit hypocritical.”

Fasano also noted the Polytechnic project was backed by Senate Budget Chairman J.D. Alexander, R-Lake Wales. When Scott preserved those funds, the governor was “pandering to one senator that holds the purse strings,” Fasano said.

Both Weatherford and Fasano said the Porter Campus at Wiregrass is needed to serve Pasco residents.

Weatherford also noted that the location for the additional campus is logical because most of Pasco County’s growth has been in central Pasco, along the SR 54 corridor.

Providing additional opportunity for higher education is important, as Pasco attempts to transform itself from a bedroom community to “a center of economic prosperity,” Weatherford said.

The county has already attracted T. Rowe Price, which has purchased a site at SR 54 and Sunlake Boulevard and has eventual plans for a corporate campus that could employ up to 1,600 people.

Raymond James, a financial services company, also is eyeing Pasco County.

It has signed a letter of intent to purchase land in Wiregrass Ranch, Weatherford said.

Weatherford noted that Scott did not veto $4 million in state road money that would pay for access roads to the site. Weatherford said the governor told him that he wasn’t going to veto that line item because that appropriation has value.

If the Raymond James deal comes through it would have a significant positive impact in a county that’s dealing with an unemployment rate of more than 12 percent, Weatherford said.

By Kyle LoJacono

A year ago, rail was the focus of any discussion on regional transportation, but two key rejections have tabled most talk by various development groups on the mass transit option.

In November, Hillsborough County residents voted a resounding no to increasing sales tax by a penny to, in part, fund light rail in the county. In February, Gov. Rick Scott also refused $2.4 billion in federal money to build a high speed rail system to connect Orlando and Tampa.

“Those two things have really reduced the likelihood of any kind of large rail system in the region anytime soon,” said Pasco County Commission chairwoman Ann Hildebrand.

Hildebrand is also Pasco’s representative on the Tampa Bay Area Regional Transportation Authority (TBARTA). She said no official action has been taken by TBARTA to end discussion on rail, but said almost all their proposals hinged on Hillsborough voters and the governor.

“The high speed rail was going to connect central Florida,” Hildebrand said. “Light rail was going to connect Hillsborough to that high speed line and once that was built, the commissioners in Pasco were going to work to get our own light rail system to connect with Hillsborough. A lot has changed.”

Hildebrand proposed a plan to try and pass a regional tax to fund light rail, which would include Pasco, Hillsborough and Pinellas counties, but recent actions by another regional transportation planning board seems to put any such deal in serious doubt.

Hillsborough Area Rapid Transit (HART) took the official action of winding down planning and exploring light rail in the county, including ending any additional funding. To date, HART has spent nearly $1.5 million studying how light rail lines could be used in the county. That could save as much as $300,000 in proposed future studies.

“Right now, continuing to fund something our voters have voted no to doesn’t make sense,” said Hillsborough Commissioner and HART board member Mark Sharpe. “We have less money to do anything with right now, so we need to focus on what our citizens want.

“That doesn’t mean light rail is dead for good,” Sharpe continued. “It just means we have to look at the most important thing and prioritize what we do.”

Federal money for a rail system can only be given if counties perform such studies as what HART has already done. By winding down funding instead of immediately halting the studies, HART members predict such money could be sought in the future.

Sharpe said HART will likely shift the focus of discussion and spending to improve county bus services.

The news of a shift in focus away from rail is a victory for No Tax for Tracks, a Tampa Bay area group that fought to keep Hillsborough voters from passing the tax last year.

John Hendricks, one of the group’s founders, said any plan to bring rail to Tampa Bay is a bad idea.

“The (Hillsborough) plan would help a few people in Tampa, but everyone in Hillsborough would have to pay for it,” Hendricks said. “It doesn’t make sense to spend that kind of money on something that most people can’t use.”

Hendricks said improved roadways are the best way to help with transportation.

The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) is currently doing a $1.7 million study to see if a short-distance rail line to connect Wesley Chapel in Pasco County to the University of South Florida (USF) would be beneficial.

Elba Lopez, FDOT’s public transit/intermodal administrator for the area, has said the study is still very early in the process and no system would be put in place for many years, if at all. The plan would be to run the rail line along Bruce B. Downs Boulevard from SR 54 in Wesley Chapel south to USF, a stretch of 50 miles. Stops would likely be at places like The Grove at Wesley Chapel, The Shops at Wiregrass, University Community Hospital and USF.

Whatever the findings, public sentiment seems to have moved off rails.

“We would have liked to have seen rail go into place now, but we have a lot of other things to worry about,” Hildebrand said. “We’ll see what the future holds, but it’s likely to be in the future and not the present.”

More information on regional transportation

HART, www.hartline.org

TBARTA, www.tbarta.com

FDOT, www.dot.state.fl.us