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Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

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Take a walk through Dade City history

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Even though the landscape, and buildings, have changed, the history remains.

It has stood the test of time, as many things have in Dade City. And now, some of the town’s most dedicated residents want to show off that history, for all to see.

The 1909 Pasco County Courthouse, or the No. 1 stop on the brand-new, 82-stop Dade City Historical Self-Guided Tour, sits at the intersection of Meridian Avenue and Seventh Street. It is the crown jewel of downtown Dade City, as well as the centerpiece of the new walking tour available to residents and tourists alike. In April 2022, a committee of Dade City historians formed to create this comprehensive historical walking tour. It is complete with a web site, narration for stops and QR codes that cover historical sites and massive amounts of history in Dade City. The city was incorporated in 1889. (Mike Camunas)

They’ve created the Dade City Historical Self-Guided Tour — a comprehensive and immersive tour of historical sites, buildings, streets, monuments and more scattered throughout town. 

It was the brainchild of the president of the Dade City Merchants Association, Margaret Angell, and Mary Katherine Mason, owner of Lanky Lassie’s Shortbread. They wanted a way to preserve the town’s history that dates back to the late 1800s.

They recruited some of Dade City’s foremost historians, with the project taking more than a year to complete. 

In the end, the tour came to a whopping 82 stops.

“The idea was to teach people easily, through a walking tour or on their phone or computer, of the rich history in our town,” Mason said. “And, as people travel to our town to see the history, it will show the commissioners that Dade City is worth preserving. It will show that Dade City is a destination for history and small town charm, as some people try to escape the Wesley Chapels and Tampas.

The Dade City Heritage and Cultural Museum on U.S. 98 was once the 1912 Atlantic Coastline Railroad Depot. It is stop No. 12 on the Dade City Historical Self-Guided Tour.

“It will help build tourism by showing the history, and preserve it, as well.”

The tour can be accessed online and started at any stop. Each stop comes with its location, history — in both writing and videos — and some of the stops have narration.

Mason and Angell also are working on physical QR codes to be placed at each stop, allowing visitors to scan the logo to bring up the tour’s site.

The formulation of the tour started back in April 2022, when Mason and Angell approached author and historian Madonna Wise, who has written extensively about Dade City, including ‘A Haunted History of Pasco County’ and ‘Dade City (Images of America).’

Wise said they reviewed the tours completed by the Florida Humanities Council and requested it help them with the tour. However, the Council was unavailable, so they formed a tour committee and began the process.

The Wells Fargo Bank, at the corner of Seventh Street and Meridian Avenue, was the 1889 Bank of Pasco. It is stop No. 15 on the Dade City Historical Self-Guided Tour.

The committee includes Mason, Angell and Wise, but also Stephanie Black, director of the Pioneer Museum & Village; Melody Floyd, Dade City Chamber of Commerce who developed the Dade City Historic House tour; Wayne Sweat, longtime Pioneer Florida Volunteer and reenactor (he narrates the tour); Britton Janning, the tour’s tech guru who built the site, QR codes and more; Judge Lynn Tepper, retired circuit judge; Imani Asukile, diversity director at Pasco-Hernando State College; and, Eric Baker.

“I believe it far exceeds the tours done by the Humanities Council,” Wise said. “We tried very hard to tell the complete story with great diversity and human anecdotes.

“Our tour has 82 stops,” she added. “In many of the stops, we did comprehensive interviews — in other cases we discovered completely new history or corrected facts. The level of enthusiasm and support from the town has been phenomenal.

The Florida Army National Guard Armory on Live Oak Avenue was the 1955 National Guard Armory of Dade City. It is stop No. 14 on the Dade City Historical Self-Guided Tour.

“The goal of Mary Katherine and Margaret Angell was to provide a model for historic preservation. The group is intensely proud of the endeavor and we tried very hard to be inclusive of the research that had already taken place by historians.”

Mason said they researched other cities that have rich histories, as well as walking tours, hoping to “follow in their footsteps.”

But as the committee kept working “thousands of volunteer hours,” the tour kept growing. Especially once Wise, who did most of the research, was enthusiastically on board.

“Eighty-two stops is definitely large (laughs),” Mason said. “Madonna, she just kept adding, too. She was like, ‘What about this one and that one?!’ There’s just so much history that where do you stop? … She’s a true historian — it’s her passion and it was difficult for her to stop.”

“It is difficult to convey the level of volunteer time committed to this project,” Wise added. “Consulting has been extensive and (the) research is often new. Some of the history is not fun, but well-documented, especially on the tour now.”

On the Dade City Historical Self-Guided Tour, the Elevated Estates at The Edwinola, once a hotel, was founded in 1912. It is stop No. 28 on the tour.

Mason said while researching other historic tours of other cities, they found each town has its own bylaws of preserving its historical districts, including the buildings. Dade City, on the other hand, has no such laws or rules, so historical buildings have been modified, renovated or, in some cases, removed altogether.

“A lot of (building) facades have been changed over the years, maybe even torn down,” Mason said. “We would like to beautify and preserve them. Owners can do whatever they want to the buildings they purchased. Our hope is the tour shows that it’s worth preserving.”

As a shop owner herself, Mason also sees the benefits of the tour, from a business standpoint. Her hope is the tour brings more foot traffic downtown, but especially on the weekends, motivating the fellow storefront owners to extend business hours.

Then the rest will be history.

“I’m from Zephyrhills and didn’t want to come near Dade City (laughs) because of the 9-Mile Rivalry,” Mason said. “I’ve learned so much now and, of course, I’m fond of my building, but also the Wells Fargo Bank building — just learning how there was a robbery there with dynamite — so cool!

“But if you’re brand-new to the city, having the tour is incredible,” she added. “It makes me want to learn all the history. … (If) more people come to our town, maybe on Sundays, then we start to see businesses open on those days. We’re a mom-and-pop town, so bringing people out to see history, and shop, will be great to see, especially new people from the tour.

The Dade City Garden Club, next to Touchton Park, is stop No. 51 on the Dade City Historical Self-Guided Tour.

“And make taking the tour totally worth it.”

Dade City Historical Self-Guided Tour
Cost: Free, but donations are welcome to the 501(c)3
Where: 82 stops throughout the greater Dade City area
Details: A comprehensive and historically informative walking tour of the numerous historical sites and massive amount of history in Dade City. The city was incorporated in 1889. The tour also is dedicated to Dennis Alfonso, who, along with his wife, Nancy, are longtime Dade City lawyers. Dennis passed away earlier this year.
Event: There will be a tour launch party on Nov. 9 at 6 p.m., at the Pioneer Florida Museum & Village, 15602 Pioneer Museum Road, Dade City, featuring speakers, readings, demonstrations and more.
For more information or to even start the tour, visit DadeCityHistory.org.

Published September 27, 2023

Last but not least, and perhaps a way to eat after getting through all 82 stops of the Dade City Historical Self-Guided Tour, there’s Steph’s Soul Food off Fifth Street.
The 1886 Saint Paul Missionary Baptist Church, on Seventh Street, is stop No. 69 on the Dade City Historical Self-Guided Tour.
The 1966 Miss Polly Touchton Park, slated for a renovation in the near future, is stop No. 52 on the Dade City Historical Self-Guided Tour.

New space aims to ‘empower’ those seeking court’s help

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Having the courage to seek a protective order to keep an abuser away can be difficult enough, but it can be even worse when the conversation being held about the issue has to be done in a public place.

Giving people a private and safe space to pursue ways to reclaim their lives is the whole reason behind the “Empowerment Room,” which had its grand opening on Sept. 12 at the Robert D. Sumner Judicial Center, at  38053 Live Oak Ave., in Dade City.

The ‘Empowerment Room,’ which had its grand opening on Sept. 12 at the Robert D. Sumner Judicial Center, at 38053 Live Oak Ave., in Dade City, will provide a private and safe space for those pursuing ways to reclaim their lives. (Mike Camunas)

The opening of the room was celebrated in a ribbon-cutting ceremony, which welcomed judges, dignitaries and Dana Rutherford, a domestic violence survivor.

Nikki Alvarez-Sowles, clerk and comptroller for Pasco County, briefed the Pasco County Commission about the Empowerment Room and the event during the county board’s Sept. 19 meeting.

Alvarez-Sowles noted that October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

Then she told the board: “My office serves individuals who come in seeking an injunction against violence.

“We also serve customers coming in with other sensitive items, such as substance abuse, mental health, and exploitation of vulnerable adults.

“I’ve always felt concerned for customers coming in and having to talk about those kinds of items in our lobbies, where others can hear.

Linda Babb, Dana Rutherford, Kelly Sinn, Nikki Alvarez-Sowles and Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco joined in to cut the ribbon at the Empowerment Room, now open at the Robert D. Sumner Judicial Center, in Dade City. (Courtesy of Pasco County Clerk & Comptroller’s Office)

“And, in situations with domestic violence, the individual coming into our office — the survivor is looking over their shoulder to see if someone is following them in.

“So, I wanted to have a safe place in the office for them to come, so in Dade City, we had a grand opening of the Empowerment Room, and I want to thank this board because you all supported that room being built.

“It will allow an individual to come into a secured room, where we will have a domestic violence advocate there, with Sunrise of Pasco.”

There’s also a little kids’ zone, where children can play, “while their parent can talk about some serious business and fill out the tremendous paperwork that needs to be done, in order for them to get to a better day.”

Alvarez-Sowles’ team also will be in there to help people who are dealing with issues involving mental health, substance abuse and vulnerable adults.

Nikki Alvarez-Sowles

“We have a lot of security wrapped around that room so that those in the room don’t have to worry,” she said.

The clerk and comptroller also gave a shout-out to county employees George Scheitlin, T.J. Pyche and Bob Amburgey, whom, she said, “did a fantastic job on that room.”

The room is part of a multi-year improvement project funded by Pasco County.

The design service cost roughly $5,000, prints for permitting cost $90 and the construction cost $189,050, according to the clerk’s office.

It appears many individuals could benefit from the Empowerment Room, based on records from the clerk’s civil department.

Those records show that between 2020 and 2023, there were:

Domestic Relations cases
Dating: 377
Domestic: 5,506
Repeat: 565
Sexual: 196
Stalking: 3,941

Mental health
Baker Act: 1,693
Marchman: 1,077
Treatment: 211

Guardianship
Exploitation against vulnerable adults: 34

Published September 27, 2023

Pasco County School Board wants to alter district’s dress code

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How long should a student’s blouse be?

That question created considerable debate at the Pasco County School Board’s Sept. 11 meeting.

School board member Colleen Beaudoin urged her colleagues to remove language from the district’s dress code that requires a blouse “extend to the waist.”

She explained: “I, like my peers, would like to see students dress professionally and appropriately for school, but I don’t think it is a big enough problem in our schools that this be mandated in policy.”

The Pasco School District aims to revise its dress code policy regarding the length of a student’s blouse. (Mike Camunas)

She continued: “This is a parental right and responsibility, and the new policy is an intrusion on the parents’ decision-making.

“There are community norms in which we function, and not all tops come to the waist. In our community, at restaurants, at stores, and libraries, this clothing is socially acceptable.

“Parents have the right to choose and monitor what their students wear,” she added.

Additionally, she noted: “There are bigger and more important issues to focus on, and dress code is not a barrier to education. I think we should be focusing on things that truly impact instruction, and I know of no research that shows that what a student wears to school negatively impacts academic performance.

“We want kids in class and engaged in learning, and not being removed from class because of an arbitrary dress code.”

She also delineated more reasons for her stance, including:

  • “Enforcing it is problematic. We’ve seen that. Teachers do not feel comfortable, especially male teachers, addressing this issue.
  • “It pulls our administrators — who are so overworked already from the important work that they need to be doing, like improving student achievement; returning parent phone calls and emails; coaching teachers; doing walk-throughs; and addressing the serious behavior disruptions that occur.
  • “We have not been able to define ‘to the waist.’ We couldn’t even all agree on what that meant, or whether their ‘arms are up or down,’ or, ‘What happens when a student has a shoulder bag, or a backpack, and it pulls at their shirt.’

School board member Al Hernandez said he’s conflicted by the policy.

“When I talked to some of the administrators and some of the teachers, I tend to agree with you,” he told Beaudoin.

He said he’s conflicted because schools are an environment where “we need to, at a minimum, be respectful.”

But he added: “Having a policy in place that creates more controversy, probably should not be in place.”

He also agreed with Beaudoin’s point that the issue really should be a family matter.

“Dress code starts at home. That is a parent decision. The more I think about it, the more I believe that it is a parent’s responsibility to dictate the dress code,” Hernandez said.

School board member Alison Crumbley said she agrees with Hernandez’s point that “policy shouldn’t create problems, it should solve them.”

She told Beaudoin “Your point about some of the male teachers are uncomfortable (enforcing the current code) — that’s a good one. I hadn’t thought about that.”

Crumbley said she’s also bothered by the fact that the policy affects girls, but not boys.

“To me, we have bigger fish that we should be frying. We should be talking about raising our third grade reading scores, and our math scores. These are, to me, the things that we should be focused on right now,” Crumbley added.

But school board member Cynthia Armstrong and board chairwoman Megan Harding both support the policy the way it is.

Armstrong put it this way: “We have a dress code. We have items on the dress code, with the idea that they’re going to come looking professional, looking ready to learn, and how a student dresses might not affect their learning but could possibly affect the learning of the students around them because they’re distracted.

“We say that we’re preparing them for college, career and life. Career? You don’t get to come wearing just whatever you want. There’s an expected dress code for your job. To me, dressing professionally or a way that shows that you’re ready to come and learn, and present yourself in the best foot forward, falls right in line with preparing them for careers and for life.

“So, I do think we need to set a standard.”

Armstrong said she received positive feedback for her position on the issue.

“I talked to some principals, also. I talked to some community people. Quite a few community people came up and said, ‘I totally agree with what you are advocating. I talked to some principals that said, ‘Amazing, the students’ shirts have gotten longer. They managed to find blouses that fall below the waist. So, there’s no problem on that.”

She told her colleagues if they want to remove the verbiage relating to the length of blouses, “we might as well wipe out the rest of the dress code.”

Hernandez asked, “At the end of the day, what are we trying to solve for?

“We’re adding expenses. Whether we like it or not, what we’re asking really, is for some of those parents to buy new clothes. It’s costly.”

He also disagreed with Armstrong’s assertion: “I’m not sure that by removing that line really creates removing the entire policy,” he said.

Pasco Schools Superintendent Kurt Browning said he has maintained all along that the board sets policy and that his staff will enforce it. However, he noted, he doesn’t believe this issue goes to the heart of academics. He also told the board a public hearing will be needed on the change because it is a substantive change to board policy.

A public hearing on the issue is set for Oct. 3, with a final vote scheduled for Oct. 17.

Published September 27, 2023

Dancing, touching tributes mark Sunlake special occasion

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It’s a longstanding tradition, so the weather wasn’t about to stop it.

Sunlake High mom Kristin Satin performs a dance in a shirt with her son’s face on it during a showcase for Seahawk Seniors during Homecoming Week. Satin and dozens of other senior moms (and a few dads) boogied down at the football fields at the Land O’ Lakes Recreation Complex on Sept. 20 to entertain hundreds in attendance, including their senior students and friends. (Mike Camunas)

As part of Sunlake High’s Homecoming Week festivities, each grade plans skits and performs them on the school’s football field.

Parents — mostly the moms of the senior students — also join in, coordinating dances to popular music to entertain (and possibly embarrass) their kids.

Hundreds of Sunlake High students, parents and family members came out to the Land O’ Lakes Recreation Complex on Sept. 20 to see skits, parents dancing and touching tributes from both kids and parents, as part of the school’s Homecoming festivities.

Closing out the fun showcase, parents and family members walk the field holding giant posters, with one side showing the students’ senior portrait and the other a baby picture.

As a final act, the senior students will then line up and walk toward the parents, this time holding touching thank you and tribute posters they made, all before being sent off to their final Homecoming — which was held this year on Sept. 23.

“The school has been doing this a long, long time,” one senior mom, Kristin Satin, said. “The rain postponed it, but we were able to get to this field and make a quick pivot and it all worked out.

“This is always a lot of fun.”

Rain and bad weather had Sunlake parents shifting the venue to Land O’ Lakes Recreation Complex on Sept. 20, where hundreds crowded the football fields, and the showcase kicked off with each grade performing its respective skits.

Then it was the parents’ turn, as dozens of senior moms — and a few dads, some dressed as Taylor Swift — danced to songs and even had a costume change. The moms danced in matching Senior Family ’24 shirts, but then switched to shirts with their kids’ faces all over them.

“It’s a Sunlake tradition!” Satin said. “We weren’t about to miss out on tradition because of the weather. It always rains in Florida — we won’t always have our (kids’) senior (year).”

Published September 27, 2023

Sunlake High dad Rob Lamkey — or is that Taylor Swift? — performs with dozens of senior moms during a skit and showcase event at the Land O’ Lakes Recreation Complex, as part of the school’s Homecoming Week festivities.
From left, the Mixon family — Lisa, Alyssa and Dave — honors their senior student during a Sunlake High showcase and skits as part of the school’s Homecoming Week festivities at the Land O’ Lakes Recreation Complex.
Sunlake seniors, from left, Remley Velde, Kaitlyn Schwartz, Ashley Ridgway and Reese Meckfessel walk down the field at the Land O’ Lakes Recreation Complex on Sept. 20, holding signs thanking their parents and families with tributes from their young lives and high school memories.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sunlake High mom Kelly McGauran, left, poses with her daughter, Ciara, for a photo following a Senior Showcase at the Land O’ Lakes Recreation Complex on Sept. 20. Parents and families walked the field with posters that had both the student’s senior portrait and baby photo on opposite sides.
Dozens of Sunlake High senior moms — and a few dads — danced away to pop songs as a fun way to entertain, and possibly embarrass, their kids at the Land O’ Lakes Recreation Complex in connection with the school’s Homecoming festivities.
Parents of Sunlake High seniors were more than happy to dress up and dance to a few tunes at the Land O’ Lakes Recreation Complex on Sept. 20, all to send off their kids to the Homecoming Dance, which was held Sept. 23.

St. Leo approves 2023-2024 town budget

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The town of St. Leo has adopted a budget of $4 million for the 2023-2024 fiscal year.

This year’s budget represents a miniscule of decrease from the $4.1 million budget last year, with the St. Leo Town Commission approving the incoming budget in a meeting on Sept. 19.

The town is expected to generate total general funds of slightly more than $1 million through sales and use taxes, licenses and permits, intergovernmental and miscellaneous revenues.

Founded in 1891, the Town of St. Leo is the oldest incorporated municipality in Pasco County. (Mike Camunas)

St. Leo also has $2 million in reserves.

Expenditures are estimated at just over $2.5 million, stemming from general government, public safety, physical environment, human services and other non-operating uses.

General government has the highest expenditure at $428,315.

The town plans on spending $142,181 of general funds on public safety, plus an additional $25,000 in the category of physical environment.

Transportation and special projects are earmarked for $293,000 of special revenue funds of $1.9 million.

Included in this year’s budget are funds for the St. Leo Town Center: the town’s newest attraction that was announced, and graciously welcomed by citizens and nearby college students, in February.

The multi-faceted town center is planned to be at the corner of what is now known as County Road 52 (formerly State Road 52) and Lemon Road, less than a mile from the university that also bears its name. It will feature restaurants and vendors, event and entertainment space, gardens and more, as it aspires to become a tourism destination.

The St. Leo Commission, seen here in February and led by Mayor Vincent D’Ambrosio, approved the town’s 2023-2024 fiscal budget of $4 million on Sept. 19.

Additionally, the town will work with the Florida Department of Transportation to reconfigure the intersection of County Road 52, College Avenue and Pompanic Street, and convert the now confusing, flashing-light stop, into an easier-to-navigate, traffic-friendly roundabout.

Special Revenue funds totaling $1,807,227 are budgeted for the Town Center under “Non Operating Uses” and “Transportation and Special Projects.” 

More than $1.2 million has been set aside for the Town Center, with the funds coming from the Penny for Pasco initiative. Additionally, $225,000 is budgeted for stormwater impact fees and funds for Lemon Street.

St. Leo officials told The Laker/Lutz News the Town Center project is still in some design phases and does not have an actual groundbreaking or start date. However, officials added, “Ideally, we would break ground as soon as possible in (fiscal year) 2024.”

Founded in 1891, St. Leo is the oldest incorporated municipality in Pasco County. The town is approximately 858 acres in size, much of which is Lake Jovita. The most recent population estimate is 2,362.

The five-person Town Commission consists of Donna DeWitt, Mayor Vincent D’Ambrosio, Mayor Pro Tem James Hallett, Curtis Dwyer and William Hamilton.

For more information about the town, its commission, permits, applications and other issues, visit TownOfStLeo.org.

Published September 27, 2023

Pasco-Hernando State Colleges selects its fifth president

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The Pasco-Hernando State College (PHSC) District Board of Trustees has selected Jesse Pisors, Ed.D., as the college’s fifth president.

He is succeeding Timothy L. Beard, Ph.D., whose tenure at the college spanned 17 years and who has been PHSC president since 2015, according to a news release from the college.

The board of trustees chose Pisors at its Sept. 6 meeting, at the college’s Spring Hill campus, after the board conducted interviews with the four finalists for the post.

Jesse Pisors

Pisors is expected to take office in early January, and Beard will remain during a transition period before he retires on Jan. 31, according to the release.

“We have full confidence that Dr. Pisors will continue to uphold the college’s core values and will lead PHSC to further success in all future endeavors,” said Lee Maggard, chairman of the college’s board.

Pisors’ career spans over 25 years. He has served as vice president at two public universities: Texas A&M University-San Antonio (TAMUSA) and University of Houston-Victoria (UHV).

Pisors was selected after an intensive, national search for a successor with the assistance of Myers McRae, an executive and consulting firm.

Information released by the college during the search described Pisors as a seasoned leader in the field of higher education. It said his leadership at TAMUSA showcases his dedication to inclusivity, where more than 75% of the student body is Hispanic and 60% are first-generation students. 

During his tenure at UHV, initiatives included restructuring the Office of University Advancement and executing a $13 million campaign, surpassing its goal by 12%.

His work in the University of Houston system’s $1 billion campaign indicates his involvement on a larger scale.

Pisors holds a Doctor of Education from Texas Tech University, where his dissertation focused on fundraising challenges and expectations facing university presidents.

Fluent in Spanish, he spent three years leading a private K-12 school in Mexico earlier in his career.

He has provided conference presentations and articles to the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE), presenting at conferences, sharing his insights on various aspects of educational advancement and serving on conference committees.

Pisors has served on the board for a number of organizations, including Rotary, United Way, the American Heart Association and the YMCA.

The 18-member Presidential Search Committee was chaired by board member John Mitten and made up of business leaders, community representatives, and PHSC faculty and staff.

The position attracted hundreds of applications, resulting in 13 candidates being interviewed for the job.

Mitten expressed gratitude for the efforts of the search committee and to the finalists for taking part in the process, which includes interviews at a Town Hall meeting and receptions hosted at PHSC’s six locations.

To find out more about the search process and the candidates, visit PHSC.edu/about/leadership/presidential-search.

Published September 27, 2023

A Sense of Place

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Dust in the Windmill
An old windmill located on State Road 54 near the Suncoast Expressway was snapped by Nicole Magazu, of Land O’ Lakes. She took the photo on Aug. 26, 2018 while on a walk with her husband. That image is all that remains of the windmill. It sat on the property now occupied by an Amazon distribution center. Magazu laments: ‘I miss seeing farms in Pasco County.’
You’re the Sunflower
Land O’ Lakes resident Jeanne Johnson took this picture of a sunflower in a maze in southern Spring Hill. ‘I feel that sunflowers bring such joy to life,’ she said.
Shopping for Cotton Candy Skies
The Laker/Lutz News Photographer Mike Camunas grabbed this picture of a pink sunset sky outside the Publix Super Market at Arbor Square at Connerton in Land O’ Lakes one August evening.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you’d like an image to be considered for publication, please email it to . Please add a sentence or two, describing when and where you took the photo and what the image means to you. Be sure to include who took the photo, where he or she lives and contact information, in case we need to reach back.

Published September 27, 2023

Dayspring Academy breaks ground on Angeline Campus

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Here they grow again.

Dayspring Academy, with its five other locations in Port Richey, once again is expanding — this time coming to Central Pasco. The charter school broke ground on Sept. 14 on its PreK-5 Angeline Campus in northern Land O’ Lakes.

Dayspring Academy Angeline Campus Principal Diana Greenier could not contain her excitement seeing the dozens who came out to the official groundbreaking ceremony on Sept. 14. (Mike Camunas)

The school will be operating in a partnership with Pasco County Schools and with the newly opened Angeline Academy of Innovation.

“It really is ‘Here We Grow Again’ because that’s always our goal and then we always ask, ‘Where is our next project or school?’” Angeline Campus Principal Diana Greenier said, following the groundbreaking ceremony. “We are just making sure that any child, no matter what their background is, they have that opportunity to have an education. We’re not better or worse than any other school, but we have the niche — we have the arts infused with character infused with the content and maybe it’s not for everybody, but it is for those people that want a different opportunity that some other school can’t provide.

“It’s not a competition. We’re not out to be better — we’re just out to provide another option, a different niche and something a little bit different.”

For 24 years, Dayspring Academy has been an A-rated institution providing education through a fusion of arts and technology. It focuses on providing students with a holistic education with essential academic knowledge through creativity, critical thinking and digital literacy.

Now, they have partnered with Pasco Schools to provide a tuition-free charter school, at 9371 Land O’ Lakes Blvd. It will be situated on 20 acres of land in front of the Tierra Del Sol community, as the property is under construction for the athletic fields to Angeline Academy of Innovation.

Dayspring Academy board members and officials, and Pasco County Schools representatives and construction representatives lift up the official groundbreaking dirt on Sept. 14 for the charter school’s Angeline Campus, which will be located at 9371 Land O’ Lakes Blvd., next to Angeline Academy of Innovation’s athletic fields. The PreK-5 school was made possible through $25 million in financial backing from Pasco County Schools impact fees and will open August 2024.

Dayspring Academy CEO John Legg told The Laker/Lutz News the new campus would not have been possible without the $25 million that Pasco County Schools is using from the impact fees it collects from new residential development.

Dayspring Academy will own the Angeline Campus and the 50,000-square-foot building, which will include a full-kitchen cafeteria that can also double as a black box theater, or a performance space with black walls and a flat floor.

Greenier added the charter school also will have full access to the athletics fields.

“We’re so excited about the athletic fields because we’ve never had a field or a gym or anything that even resembled that,” Greenier said. “We’ve never even had a little area for the PE teacher to go inside, and, as hokey as that sounds, it’s true. “It’s the little things like that people don’t realize that give our kids those little extra things that we never had.

“I even think that the district underestimated the gift that they have given us,” she added. “We’re a Pasco County charter public school. To get the financial backing from the district, to hear we believe in you guys — it’s the biggest compliment and opportunity to get something like this that we wouldn’t be able to do without the district and their faith in us.”

Greenier, who has been with Dayspring Academy as an employee and the parent of a former student for 20 years, said it has been a goal for the institution to expand out of the Port Richey area for a while, aiming for a campus in the East and Central Pasco areas.

She added many of Dayspring’s buildings have been donated or procured through funding. And as a longtime Dayspring employee, she’s not only honored to be the new principal, but overjoyed to see the Angeline Campus from the ground floor up.

Dayspring Academy will be adding a new PreK-5 school in Land O’ Lakes. It already has five campuses.

“When we saw the (building) forms there (on the property in Land O’ Lakes), once that hit us, it was the real deal,” Greenier said. “This real particular moment (at the groundbreaking), to see kids who have been through our schools and employees come back after leaving, that’s crazy — it made me emotional to see them, to see the commitment to Dayspring and it’s a big deal to see something Mr. and Mrs. Legg started way back — and it’s here to stay.

“To be able to take our program and be able to expand it to so many people in Pasco County, that has been a huge goal for us to finally see come to life.”

DaySpring Academy Angeline Campus
Where: 9371 Land O’ Lakes Blvd., Land O’ Lakes
When: Opening August 2024; enrollment begins Feb. 1, 2024
Details: A learning institution dedicated to high-quality education through a fusion of arts and technology in a collaborative environment to prepare students for high school, college and the workforce. Dayspring Academy has five other locations located in Port Richey.
For more information, visit Dayspring.academy/angeline.

Published September 20, 2023

Suzanne Legg, CEO of Dayspring Academy, speaks to dozens in attendance at the groundbreaking ceremony of the new Angeline Campus, coming soon to Land O’ Lakes.
Decorative cookies featuring the Dayspring Academy Angeline Campus logo were provided to those attending the groundbreaking festivities.
Construction is underway for the Dayspring Academy Angeline Campus, as well as athletic fields that will be shared between the charter school and Angeline Academy of Innovation.

Health officer’s contributions praised by Pasco County Commission

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When the COVID-19 pandemic was shutting everything down, Mike Napier and his team were ramping up.

The recently retired health officer for the Florida Department of Health-Pasco County led efforts during the pandemic, building on partnerships the health department had already established within the community, to help prevent the spread of COVID and to respond to those sickened in the pandemic.

Napier collaborated closely with Pasco County, Pasco County Schools and a network of local health providers and community organizations.

Mike Napier, the recently retired health officer for the Florida Department of Health-Pasco County, played a pivotal role in helping Pasco County government, businesses and residents navigate through the COVID-19 pandemic. He was honored for his work recently by the Pasco County County Commission. (Courtesy of Pasco County)

He was immersed in the work of keeping the public informed and creating strategies for making vaccinations available and responding to ever-changing conditions.

Napier’s efforts were acknowledged by the Pasco County Commission during its Aug. 22 meeting, when it adopted a resolution honoring Napier.

The resolution noted that Napier focused on organizational performance and fostered community collaboration.

He worked to provide the first Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) services on a school campus in Pasco, according to the resolution.

The resolution also cited Napier’s selection as the “Pasco County Public Servant of the Year” by the West Pasco Board of Realtors, in 2022, “bestowed upon him for his exemplary service during the COVID-19 pandemic by working closely with the BOCC (Pasco County Commission) and Pasco County School District to provide testing and vaccines.”

Also, the resolution adds that Napier “demonstrated his leadership outside of Pasco County, having been the President of the Florida Association of County Health Officers, President of the Florida Public Health Association, and President of the Florida Association of County Health Department Business Administrators, and accepting the added responsibility of interim Health Officer for Osceola County in 2018 while still maintaining his duties as Health Officer in Pasco County.”

Pasco County Commissioner Kathryn Starkey brought forth the resolution for the board’s action.

“What an inspirational leader you were for this county,” Starkey said, mentioning that Napier was so highly regarded, he was temporarily on loan to the state, in Tallahassee, because of his expertise.

“You were such a leader during COVID. I don’t think any of us will forget, or will ever want to go through again, what we did for that year, or year and a half.

“I’m just grateful that you were here during that time,” Starkey said.

“I just want to congratulate you on such a successful career,” she added.

Commissioner Ron Oakley agreed: “Mike, you’ve done a great job. You’ve done so much for us.”

Commission Chairman Jack Mariano heaped on praise.

“The things you’ve done — not only COVID, but hepatitis, when we had outbreaks,” Mariano said.

Napier’s public awareness campaign led to a significant reduction of hepatitis cases, the county board chairman said.

“You’ve had a great career. You’ve worked hard all of your life. You’ve been very successful. Now, it’s time to enjoy it all,” Mariano told Napier.

Napier responded by sharing the credit for his success with the 160 employees at the health department.

“A leader is only as good as those who follow,” Napier said.

He reminded commissioners that the health department continues to need the county’s support.

“COVID was the latest (major health concern). There is going to be something else,” Napier said.

He told commissioners that much of what goes on at the health department never reaches public view because it works with hospitals, day cares and other places on disease interventions and to prevent outbreaks from getting worse.

He thanked the county board for its support and also voiced appreciation for the help his department has received from the Pasco community.

“We have a great county in Pasco County, and they’re willing to partner, whether it’s the sheriff’s office, or whether it’s the tax collector, the property appraiser. Everyone’s been very supportive of what we do here,” he said.

County board members told Napier they’re confident that his successor, Trang L. Chitakone, who was his assistant county health administrator, will perform well in the role.

Published September 20, 2023

Lutz Church of God gains approval for Land O’ Lakes location

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The Lutz Church of God has been granted a special exception from the Pasco County Planning Commission, allowing it to locate a church on 8.50 acres, on the west side of School Road, at the northernmost intersection of Land O’ Lakes Boulevard and School Road.

The planning board approved the request, with conditions. Planning board Peter Hanzel voted no, saying he doesn’t think the proposed church is compatible with the surrounding development.

Lutz Church of God has been granted a special exception from the Pasco County Planning Commission, allowing it to locate a church on 8.50 acres, on the west side of School Road, at the northernmost intersection of Land O’ Lakes Boulevard. (Mike Camunas)

In granting the request, the planning board stipulated that the future church be prohibited from allowing access to the lake by motorized boats.

The church’s pastor said that won’t be a problem.

It may have an observation deck at some point, so people can view the lake, but has no plans for a boat launch, he said.

Three neighbors spoke against the request.

They said they were worried that the church could create an access to the lake, which already suffers from water quality issues, posing an ecological threat to the lake.

They said if that access was granted, there’s no way of knowing how many members of the congregation would use that access.

They also said the church’s traffic and other impacts would just be another thing they’d have to live with, in an area that already has traffic from nearby Sanders Memorial Elementary School, a church and Christian school on School Road, and Land O’ Lakes Heritage Park.

Planning board members told opponents of the project that the church would not be able to add a boat dock without environmental clearances, which would be unlikely to occur.

The site is flanked on the north by Edmonson Electric; on the east by School Road, vacant property and Land O’ Lakes Boulevard; on the south by wetlands and vacant land; and on the west by Lake Thomas and wetlands.

The site currently has a single residential dwelling, which will remain on the property to be used for church purposes, according to the church’s pastor.

Published September 20, 2023