The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

Special to The Laker/Lutz News

Thrive Over 55 Senior Expo coming April 4

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Area seniors who attended last year’s Thrive Over 55 Expo were able to enjoy a free breakfast and lunch, as well as gather a variety of information geared toward their age group. (Courtesy of Adrian Garson)

Local residents over the age of 55 are invited to the third Thrive Over 55 Senior Expo on April 4 from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., at B&B Theatres Wesley Chapel – The Grove 16, 6333 Wesley Grove Blvd., in Wesley Chapel.

The Laker/Lutz News will host the free event with more than 40 vendors and hundreds of seniors throughout the morning. Guests will be provided with a free breakfast and lunch, along with an informative morning filled with games and raffles.

Vendors range from medicare providers, home improvement specialists, retirement communities and travel agencies.

The title sponsors are Gulfside Healthcare Services and Vertos Medical, both of which will present a 30-minute breakout session during the expo.

Tickets are free, but are required. To register, visit http://tinyurl.com/thrive55expo.

There also are a few vendor opportunities left. Please email for more information.

Published March 06, 2024

State lawmakers move closer to changes with state’s insurer of last resort

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(The Center Square) — A bill that could prevent Florida’s part-time residents from using the state’s property insurer of last resort for their vacation homes could be headed to the Senate floor after passing a key committee vote unanimously on Tuesday.

Senate Bill 1716, sponsored by state Sen. Jim Boyd, R-Bradenton, passed the Fiscal Policy Committee with a 19-0 vote. It would make changes to Florida’s Citizens Property Insurance Corporation’s eligibility requirements and would merge the corporation’s revenues, assets, liability, losses and expenses into one account.

Scott Graham/Unsplash

Bill sponsor Boyd said during a Senate Committee on Banking and Insurance meeting in late January that the bill was designed to limit the impact on Florida.

“The overall goal is to limit the overall exposure to Florida from the Citizens’ large policy count that we had up at a high level at one point, we lessened it at another point, and now it’s growing back again,” Boyd said.

Boyd stated that the bill does several things, including allowing additional carriers to enter the Florida market to provide policies for properties not eligible for coverage from Citizens.

“The bill permits an eligible lines insurer under certain conditions, to take second homes out of Citizens Property Insurance Corporation, and those conditions that they must follow is the insurer must be A-rated or higher by AM Best, and the insurer must use a Florida resident surplus lines broker,” Boyd explained.

The bill would mandate that an eligible surplus lines insurer who wants to participate in the Florida market after meeting those conditions has to file a plan with the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation.

There are currently between 45,000 and 60,000 policies with Citizens that are considered second homes by the corporation. The bill would make these homes ineligible for coverage by Citizens.

“The bill would make a non-primary residence ineligible to return to Citizens,” Boyd said. “The bill also makes changes to facilitate the restructuring of Citizens into a single account later this year, which the Legislature authorized during the 2022 special session.”

The bill would make conforming changes to Citizens’ clearinghouse, needed because of new eligibility requirements for non-primary residences, while eliminating the prohibition that precluded Citizens from allowing a bond to be allowed during a bid process.

If the bill passes, Citizens would also be eligible to apply for patents and trademarks, which will provide protection for Citizens’ intellectual property that they may have developed in-house.

Published March 06, 2024

Cost of owning condos in Florida soaring

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(The Center Square) – With rising insurance costs and homeowner association fees, the cost of owning a condominium in Florida has gone through the roof over the last several years, said Mark Friedlander, corporate communications director of the nonprofit Insurance Information Institute, in an interview.

“Going back to June 2021, when we had the tragic Surfside condominium collapse, that started the downward spiral of the condo insurance market,” Friedlander said. “Condo living in Florida has become extremely expensive over the last three years.”

Mack Reese/Unsplash

Master insurance policies for condo associations jumped in price after the Surfside collapse, he said. Those premiums are typically paid by individual condo owners through homeowner association fees.

Master condo policies in Florida have increased from 100% to 500%, Friedlander said.

“That has obviously weighed very heavily on the owners of the individual units,” he said.

There are new state guidelines on the amount of cash reserves that condo associations must have, Friedlander said.

“Condo owners not only have to pay for the insurance, but they have to pay into the capital reserves of the association,” he said.

The insurance for individual condo units that covers the area within the condo walls has also increased, said Friedlander.

The increases “are pricing a lot of people out of the market,” he said.

According to a report by the real estate company Redfin, the soaring costs are causing condo prices and sales to drop in Florida and sales to drop in major cities, bucking a national trend of higher condo prices.

“In the Jacksonville metro, for instance, the median condo price declined roughly 7% year over year in January, sales declined 27%, and new listings increased 32%,” Redfin says. “The story is similar in Miami, where condo prices fell 3%, sales dropped 9% and new listings rose 27%.”

The story is not the same for single-family homes in Florida, Redfin said. In Miami, for example, the median sale price of single-family homes “increased by double digits from a year earlier in January, sales rose 9% and new listings increased 13%,” Redfin said.

There have been some improvements recently in the Florida condo insurance market, which could help, Friedlander said.

He cited tort reform legislation passed by the Florida Legislature in 2023 placing new limits on lawsuits against insurers.

“It is improving slowly,” Friedlander said. “But Florida is a very litigious environment, even with new laws in place.”

Published March 06, 2024

Fun Easter gifts kids will love

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While bunny- and egg-shaped candies are always crowd-pleasing favorites during Easter, you can make the holiday extra special for kids with some less-sugary treats that can be enjoyed year-round. For a joy-filled celebration, get inspired with these fun and egg-cellent ideas for Easter baskets:

Gabe Pierce/Unsplash

Great Books
Books unlock new worlds and ideas, making them great gifts on any occasion. Easter is no exception. Use the opportunity to stock children’s shelves with fiction by favorite and new-to-them authors, as well as nonfiction books on subjects of interest to them. With the thoughtful gift of brand-new titles to discover, they’ll be well-prepared to stay engaged and entertained during the downtime of spring and summer vacation ahead. A few thematic ideas include, “The Good Egg: An Easter and Springtime Book for Kids” and “The Velveteen Rabbit.”

Cool Toys
Make children’s days tweet-tastic with VTech Gabbers, fluffy bird buddies that can be brought along on adventures by sliding a fabric-covered magnetic egg under one’s shoulder sleeve and perching the bird on top. Three different colored Gabbers: Jay Blue, Finch Pink and Owl White, all sing, make funny sounds and will repeat and tweet the things kids say in a funny voice! Whether you gift one bird, or all three, this will be a beloved and adorable addition to any Easter basket. Another cool idea that puts a spin on Easter eggs? Switch & Go Hatch & Roaaar Eggs. They open up to include all the pieces needed to build 2-in-1 dinosaur vehicles. The line-up includes a T-rex racer, pterodactyl chopper and more.

Inspiration and Gear
Another fun addition to Easter baskets is gear and tools that support kids’ hobbies, passions and talents. For example, if you’re shopping for a young artist, consider gifting them a watercolor set, crafting kit or kid-friendly knitting needles. For a child interested in the performing arts, you can get them started on their journey with a gift certificate for music, acting or dance lessons. Or, help get a budding athlete prepared for the spring and summer sports seasons ahead with a light-up baseball or softball, which will allow them to extend their game of catch into the evening, giving them a competitive edge.

With a few tweaks to your Easter basket routine, you can make the holiday fun and memorable for children.

-StatePoint

Published March 06, 2024

Be aware of text phishing scam

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The Pasco Sheriff’s Office (PSO) is encouraging citizens to be aware of the Noortimer text phishing scam, in which potential victims receive fraudulent texts impersonating Equifax attempting to collect personal and financial information.

Jonas Leupe/Unsplash

The scammer sends a text message alerting a person that their credit score is dropping. The message links to a website that says “Page Not Found,” and then redirects to an antivirus site. Victims purchase antivirus products, while the scammers collect their personal data, according to a PSO news release.

It should be noted that Equifax does not contact customers via text message, the release says.

In order to avoid falling victim to the Noortimer scam and other similar threats, the PSO shares these steps citizens can take:

Enable multi-factor authentication.
Do not read messages received from someone you do not know.
Contact Equifax using a verified number from its official website.
Monitor credit reports and financial statements regularly.

For more crime prevention tips to stay safe from scams, follow PSO’s social media channels or visit News.PascoSheriff.com.

Contact law enforcement immediately if you are the victim of a scam or fraud.

Published March 06, 2024

Review: Ordinary Angels

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“Ordinary Angels” is another polished, crowd-pleasing drama from Kingdom Story Company — the most successful faith-based production unit of the last several decades. Set in Kentucky in the 1990s, it tells the inspiring true story of Sharon (Hilary Swank), a Louisville hairdresser who, for reasons she can’t explain, decides to rally the community around Ed (Alan Ritchson), a widower struggling to make ends meet. One of Ed’s two young daughters is battling congenital liver disease, and as she languishes on the waitlist for a life-saving transplant, the medical bills outpace the income Ed earns as an independent roofer to such a degree that nothing short of a miracle will save him. Enter Sharon, who has problems of her own — estranged son, alcoholism — and who is in equal need of saving.

Hilary Swank as Sharon and Alan Ritchson as Ed in Ordinary Angels. (Courtesy of Allen Fraser)

One of the more refreshing things about “Ordinary Angels” is that a romance isn’t forced to bloom as it might in, say, your average Hallmark movie. Director Jon Gunn focuses acutely on the uncomfortable dynamics that emerge from this unlikely relationship, forged and held together by a shared sense of Christian duty. Sharon’s tenacity, which earned her the nickname “Sharon Brockovitch” among the film crew, becomes a simple yet effective example of the transforming power of loving your neighbor, while Ed’s reluctant acceptance of her help demonstrates the importance of receiving grace when it’s offered. The effective climax, shot largely in Winnipeg, takes place during the 1994 winter storm that froze the Ohio River.

The success of inspirational exercises like this one are largely contingent on the strength of the performances, and on that score, “Ordinary Angels” delivers. The dependable Swank gives a strong performance in the lead, handling a Southern accent with aplomb and showing the same pluck and courage that helped her win two Oscars. Ritchson, slightly slimmed down from his role as the titular character in Prime Video’s “Reacher,” plays Ed with hulking grace. His silent reactions to Swank’s unsolicited advice are priceless, and when she suggests that he divest himself of his real estate holdings, his answer (“I’m not selling”) momentarily transforms him into a Western hero. Nancy Travis and Tamala Jones provide solid support as Ed’s devoted mother and Sharon’s best friend.

The script spent years in development, with Meg Tilly and Kelly Fremon Craig working on individual drafts. The finished product feels worked over, its rough edges sanded smooth and flattened out. Ed’s mother’s kind admonishment (“Don’t lose your faith over this”) represents the extent of the film’s preachiness. Yet it’s this kind of soft sell, coupled with all-around professionalism, that is the Nashville-based Kingdom Story Company’s stock-in-trade. Their landmark distribution deal with Lionsgate yielded a string of consecutive successes with faith-based audiences — including last year’s “Jesus Revolution” — and shows no sign of reversing course. Originally slated for an October release, “Ordinary Angels” leapt out of the path of the Taylor Swift “Eras” juggernaut, and now seems poised for a soft landing amidst a slow season for moviegoing. It will warm your heart like a mug of cocoa on a cold southeastern night.

Published March 06, 2024

Leaping into life!

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(Courtesy of Martin Bahl/St.Joseph’s Hospital North)

This is Leap Year baby girl Lennox Mae born Feb. 29, at St. Joseph’s Hospital-North in Lutz, with her parents Julien and Mercedez. Known as “Leap Day, ” Feb. 29 is considered the rarest birthday a person can have. Given that Feb. 29 occurs only once every 1,461 days, the likelihood of a baby born on Leap Day is quite low — roughly 1 in 1,461. So, will Leap Day and Year babies, or “leaplings,” like Lennox Mae celebrate their birthdays Feb. 28 or March 1? St. Joseph’s Hospital-North says celebrate both days! Why not? Who wouldn’t want two celebrations of their birthdays? Twice as much joy! Congratulations to this family and all families with a Leap Year baby in 2024!  The next Leap Day and Year happens in 2028.

Cypress Creek cheer team wins national title

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The Cypress Creek cheer team won the America’s Cheerleading Cup Championships at Universal Studios Orlando on Feb. 11.

The all-girls team faced off against 20 schools, winning the title after three days of competition.

The team is both a sideline and a competitive program, meaning they started in the summer and just completed their long season. It was Jennifer Catalanotto’s first year as head coach.

(Courtesy of Jennifer Catalanotto)

“It takes a lot of dedication with these kids. They have to be really committed, and this year they really bought into the vision — that we’re in this first season together — and they really dug deep and worked hard all year and it paid off,” Catalanotto said in an interview with The Laker/Lutz News.

“Being a new school, it’s been really awesome to watch it evolve,” she said.

The championship is sponsored by Nfinity, an athletics apparel brand, and invites schools from across the country.

Following the first two days of competition, judges combined the scores of the 20 competitors, and the eight leading teams advanced to the final round. The slates were then wiped clean and the remaining teams battled it out one more time to determine the winner.

The Cypress Creek champions showed off elite skills — full ups, switch ups, hand-in-hands, tumbling passes — executed with high-level precision and difficulty.

As winners, the Cypress Creek girls received rings and medals, and the team’s name will be engraved on the competition’s traveling trophy — a massive sterling silver cup that will be arriving for a week starting April 1. A celebration banquet is planned for when the trophy comes to town.

The championship win tops off a record season, with the team placing in the FHSAA (Florida High School Athletic Association) regional and state finals, and winning Best of Pasco in January, making it their most successful run since the inception of the program.

“They’ve had an incredible season,” said Catalanotto.

Published March 06, 2024

Little League opens with fanfare on Feb. 24

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The Land O’ Lakes Little League season kicked off on Feb. 24 with an Opening Day Ceremony.

The day was filled with family friendly activities, including raffles, a DJ, local vendors, a bounce house, concessions and a visit from DJ Kitty, the Tampa Bay Rays’ mascot.

The National Anthem was played by the Land O’ Lakes High Marching Gators, and a ceremonial first pitch for baseball and softball were thrown, officially starting the spring season.

Land O’ Lakes Little League offers baseball and softball for children ages 4 to 16, and volunteer opportunities for teens and adults. Visit www.lollittleleague.org for more information.

Tampa Bay Rays’ DJ Kitty shares the spotlight with Ben Aguillera, Little League umpire, on Opening Day. (Courtesy of Monica Woods/Land O’ Lakes Little League)
Land O’ Lakes Little League Minor D team the Chameleons enjoy the Opening Day Ceremony.
Members of the Land O’ Lakes Marching Gators took part in the Little League Opening Day.