Land O' Lakes News

She wrote her way to an all-expenses paid trip to the Netherlands

May 30, 2023 By B.C. Manion

Amy Lewis initially noticed the AAA contest on her Facebook feed.

Then, the Land O’ Lakes woman saw it again, about a month before the contest’s deadline, in AAA’s magazine.

She encouraged her 14-year-old daughter, Sky, to give it a try.

Sky Lewis and her mom, Amy, share details of their trip to the Netherlands in an interview after returning home to Land O’ Lakes. Sky was one of 60 eighth-graders who won an all-expenses paid trip, accompanied by a chaperone, in a contest sponsored by AAA. (B.C. Manion)

The eighth-grader, who attends Pasco eSchool, got busy doing her research and composing her submission.

She turned it in and they waited.

Amy was sitting in a doctor’s office when she got the word that Sky had been selected.

“It felt like she won the lottery. My heart was racing out of my chest,” Amy said, who couldn’t wait to get home to share the news.

Sky recalled that moment: “ We were jumping around and yelling and screaming.”

“My husband (Richard) just sat there, dumbfounded,” Amy said.

Sky was thrilled.

A group of 60 eighth-graders won an all-expenses paid trip to the Netherlands and Belgium, in a contest sponsored by AAA, along with travel partners AmaWaterways and Allianz Global Assistance. Sky Lewis, of Land O’ Lakes, was one of the winners. She is seen here, seated on the deck, in the center of the photo. She is in the first row, second from the left. (Courtesy of Amy and Sky Lewis)

“They picked 60 eighth-graders for the trip, out of 800 applicants,” Sky said. (There were 13 winners in Florida, including two in Tampa.)

She was excited, but she had a dilemma.

“She had to pick a chaperone. She was so upset,” her mom said. “She couldn’t choose.”

Her dad saved the day.

“He saw that she was upset. He stepped up,” Amy said.

Richard told Sky: “‘There’s no question. You and your mom are going,’” Amy said.

Preparations for travel begin
Once they knew they’d be making the trip, they got busy.

“We needed big puffy coats,” Sky explained, noting the Netherlands gets much colder than Land O’ Lakes.

Amy and Sky Lewis marveled at the architectural styles, and the age, of buildings in the Netherlands. (Courtesy of Amy and Sky Lewis)

“We don’t own those kinds of clothes,” Amy added.

They hit thrift stores to assemble their winter wardrobes.

They also needed passports: AAA took care of that.

In fact, AAA partnered with AmaWaterways and Allianz Global Assistance to cover all of the costs of the nine-day, all-inclusive trip.

Sky and Amy departed from Tampa International Airport on March 11 — which just so happened to be Amy and Richard’s 23rd anniversary.

“So, he drove us to the airport. He was like, ‘Happy Anniversary — bye,’” Amy said, with a laugh.

Sky had traveled to places such as Georgia, North Carolina and Virginia, but she’d never been out of the country before, had never been on an airplane and had never taken a cruise.

They jetted from Tampa to Atlanta to Amsterdam, meeting some members of their travel group in Atlanta, and the rest of them when they arrived in Amsterdam.

Hordes of bicyclists make their way around the Netherlands, many traveling at breakneck speeds. (Courtesy of Amy and Sky Lewis)

Their travel group was dubbed Discovery Crew, and they journeyed on the Amalucia, during an AmaWaterways river cruise. They followed a custom-designed itinerary, with ports of call and excursions focused on local history, science, nature and food, according to a AAA news release.

Each morning, tour guides led the travelers — sharing the sights, sounds and history of Dutch culture.

A jam-packed itinerary
There was so much to see and do, they headed out early in the morning and often didn’t wrap up the day until late evening, Sky said.

They had breaks for meals and a smidgen of personal time, too.

The pace was brisk.

“We were running some of the time. They were going so fast,” Sky said.

They barely had time to take photos and sometimes the itinerary was so tight they couldn’t even finish lunch, before heading off on another excursion.

Sky Lewis had the chance to taste samples at chocolatier shops during her trip to the Netherlands and to Belgium. She enjoyed the sweet confections so much, she brought home a sizable amount of souvenirs. (Courtesy of Amy and Sky Lewis)

At the end of each day, they were exhausted.

“The second we hit the pillow. We were just done. Every night,” Amy said.

Before the trip, Sky had pictured Holland primarily as a place of windmills and tulips. And, in her mind’s eye, Amsterdam was more rural in nature, instead of being the big city that it is.

Sky was surprised by the relative lack of cars and the hordes of bicyclists — racing past at breakneck speeds.

“The bikes have the right of way — over pedestrians and even cars,” Sky said. “They told us: ‘Be careful for the bikes. They’ll run you over.’”

Both Sky and Amy were fascinated by the housing, the architecture and the historic landmarks.

“They don’t have sprawling space like our country does. There aren’t houses with yards and gated neighborhoods. It’s all high and tight,” Amy said.

Some homes date back to the 1400s, and people live on houseboats because there’s nowhere left to build, Amy added.

Plus, there are canals everywhere.

Both Sky and her mom thought they might encounter language barriers, but that didn’t happen.

“We had downloaded a translating app, so we could talk to them. We didn’t use it at all. Most people spoke English,” Sky said.

Sky Lewis bicycles at Kinderijk, a place where windmills date back to the 1500s. This was just one of many famous sites that Sky and her mom, Amy, visited during their all-expenses-paid trip to the Netherlands. (Courtesy of Amy and Sky Lewis)

And, while they dined on foreign food, it wasn’t Dutch. They took advantage of the French cuisine served to them, as part of the all-inclusive package, on the Amalucia.

“We got to try lots of new things,” Amy said, noting they particularly enjoyed the bread and desserts.

Sky added: “One of the nights they had a chocolate buffet. They had chocolate fountains.”

Memorable places, people
The trip included a visit to the Anne Frank House, the place where Anne Frank and her family hid, and where she wrote her famous diary.

The Franks, another family and a single man hid in a secret annex, from 1942 until 1944, during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands during World War II.

A year after they were discovered, Anne died in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp.

But Anne’s diary survived and bore witness to life during those times.

Sky said she saw where Anne and the others hid and the bookcase that swung open to their hiding place. Sky and other students in her tour group also saw where Anne slept and the desk she used, when she wrote in her diary.

Other trip highlights included a chance to learn about the craft of lace tatting, chocolatier tours and a chance for the students to meet their Dutch peers.

The group also visited windmill and tulip farms.

They stopped at Pilgrim Fathers Church, the final prayer site for the pilgrims before they set off for the “New World.”

Their travel group included people from big cities and little towns, wealthy people and people of moderate means. There was a good mix of moms and dads on the trip, too.

Beyond expanding their horizons, the memories and the mementos — Amy and Sky said they both returned from their trip with something else of great value, too.

“We both met some nice friends,” Amy said.

Published May 31, 2023

Planning board recommends OK for Plantation Palms cell tower

May 30, 2023 By B.C. Manion

The Pasco County Planning Commission has recommended approval of a 195-foot cell tower to be erected on land at the Plantation Palms Golf Club, 23253 Plantation Palms Blvd., in Land O’ Lakes.

That decision came after the planning board’s second hearing on the request. Planning commissioners delayed action on the request at their April 6 meeting — requesting additional information on a cell tower’s potential impacts on the property values of neighboring properties and investigating another siting option.

At both public hearings, a couple living near the proposed tower urged the planning board to consider the impact the tower would have on their view and also potential negative consequences it could have on their property values.

This cell tower at the Land O’ Lakes Recreation Complex, at 3032 Collier Parkway, cannot accommodate the kind of antenna that T-Mobile wants to install, so a 195-foot tower is being proposed at nearby Plantation Palms Golf Club. (File)

The proposed anchor tenant at the Plantation Palms cell tower site would be T- Mobile, which currently has antenna equipment on a flagpole-style cell tower at the Land O’ Lakes Recreation Complex, at 3032 Collier Parkway, in Land O’ Lakes.

Mattaniah Jahn, representing the applicant, Vertical Bridge, brought in an expert to address the property values issue.

David Taulbee told the planning board that he has compiled data for years relating to property values. He said “there’s no indication that this tower is going to have any impact, whatsoever, on property values.”

During the April 6 meeting, planning board member Jaime Girardi asked if an alternative site had been considered, on another site at the county’s Land O’ Lakes Recreation Complex.

But according to testimony provided on May 4, the parks department has no interest in adding another cell tower at the recreation complex site.

Another issue that came up at the previous meeting was whether the revenue was needed to support the golf course’s maintenance.

Plantation Palms has more than 800 homes whose values were threatened when the golf course previously closed.

During the April 6 meeting, Charles Grey, the planning board’s chairman, said he thinks the revenues from the cell tower likely would help to maintain the golf course — which is important in maintaining property values throughout Plantation Palms.

Grey reiterated that position on May 4: “I don’t know anyone that’s getting rich off of running a golf course. If I were living there, it would be important to me to keep the golf course. I’ll put up with the tower rather than lose the golf course.”

But one of the neighboring opponents disagreed with Grey’s premise, noting that he’s a golfer and it can be hard to get a tee time at the course.

Bill Place, owner of Plantation Palms, described the golf course’s need for revenues in an April 25 letter that Jahn read for the record.

Place led the efforts to restore the golf course, after it had been closed for two years.

The initial estimate of $2.5 million to restore the golf course was too low, according to Place’s letter.

“Damage from two years’ of closure and neglect resulted in the need to replace all 18 greens, AC systems, irrigation pumps, most drainage pipes, and fixing just about every square foot of the course and clubhouse,” the letter says.

“Over $3 million has been invested so far, and deferred maintenance remains that will take at least five years and hundreds of thousands of dollars,” the letter continues.

Residents invested in helping to repair the golf course, but that golf club subsidy ended in 2020, according to Place. However, Place’s letter says, “repair and renovation continues with more drainage work, turf improvement, roof replacement, irrigation system restoration and bunker repair work.”

“Plantation Palms knows what it’s like to lose their golf course and see the property values plummet. They’re also very aware of the high cost of restoration,” Place wrote

“When the opportunity to gain some recurring revenue by hosting a cell tower presented itself, we enthusiastically supported the proposal, especially since it could be located in a remote area, near our maintenance barn.”

Place attended the meeting virtually and confirmed he’d submitted the letter.

While opposed to the placement of the tower near their home, the couple also asked the planning board to allow Plantation Palms homeowners to weigh in on the tower’s design — if one is to be erected.

Jahn presented four potential designs which can accommodate T-Mobile’s service goals: a monopole, a shrouded monopole, a bell tower and a monopine design.

Planning board member Derek Pontlitz said he understands the couple’s concern.

“No property owner wants to have anything unsightly in their backyard,” he said, whether that’s electrical lines or something else.

“At the same time, the world is changing, technology is changing every minute and there are ramifications to the other side as well, if we don’t have this technology,” he continued.

The planning board has “to think about the greater good,” Pontlitz added. He called upon his colleagues to recommend approval of the request, with the stipulation that Plantation Palms residents are allowed to weigh in on the cell tower’s design.

Planning board member Chris Poole seconded the motion, saying he could support it, as long residents have a say in the cell tower’s design.

The issue now goes to the Pasco County Commission for final action.

Published May 31, 2023

Connerton Elementary competes at world finals

May 23, 2023 By Mike Camunas

They’re set to take a real odyssey — not just one of the mind.

Connerton Elementary School’s Odyssey of the Mind team is competing at the World Finals, from May 24 and through May 27 at Michigan State University in East Lansing.

It’s a major accomplishment for a relatively new team.

Connerton Elementary’s Odyssey of the Mind team is headed to the World Finals starting May 24 in East Lansing, Michigan. The team competed in the state finals at the Orlando Convention Center in April, winning with their skit about an outer space restaurant. The team consists of students Abigail Sherburne, Alaina Marsh, Grayson Eaton, Mallory Zoller, McKinley Ruland, Noah Philpot and Riley Ruland, and coaches Krissie Marsh, Tricia Sherburne and Deidre Ruland. (Courtesy of Krissie Marsh)

Team members collaborated to use creative problem-solving to tackle a predefined long-term problem, involving many months of writing, design, construction and then, a theatrical performance.

“Usually, Odyssey of the Mind teams, they’re together for four or five years, and never make it this far (to the World Finals),” Connerton co-coach Deidre Ruland said. “For them to do this well and make it this far in the first year, we’re so proud.

“It is a pretty big deal,” she added. “They use everything they learn in school towards this and it involves a lot of thinking on their feet and problem-solving, so it just shows how well they all work together.”

The Connerton team won at the state finals at the Orlando Convention Center in April, securing a trip to the exciting event in Michigan. The team also came in third at regionals, held at Thomas E. Weightman Middle School in February.

The team is made up of five third-graders and two fifth-graders. Team members are Abigail Sherburne, Alaina Marsh, Grayson Eaton, Mallory Zoller, McKinley Ruland, Noah Philpot and Riley Ruland. The coaches are Krissie Marsh, Tricia Sherburne and Ruland

“They really had to work hard, together, to figure it out,” Krissie Marsh said. “They used it as a way to find their voices, their wits, their charm and creativity and once they did figure it all out, they did so well.

“Just seeing how they came up with making everything for the skit and all the writing, it was very creative.”

The team started on their project, or skit, back in October, with the first month dedicated to team building. During that time, they came up with a theme and plot, then started working on a script. Then, they moved on to designing the props and costumes for their skit.

Their dramatic performance is set against a rocket ship backdrop, to create a place called Zlupnark’s. There, an outer space restaurant patron is continuously ignored, unable to get what she wants from the establishment.

“The team is very theatrical, especially since we have a lot of great actresses,” Sherburne said. “I think that if the boys had their way, they would have done a lot more Lego building, but all the boys are great actors, too.

“So, as a project and as a team, they use everything from math, engineering, reading and writing, and then they’ll practice and practice and make sure all the props and costumes are done, so it’s a lot of work — and a lot of it on the weekends — all year-long.”

Odyssey of the Mind competitions, and judges, are keen on teams using creative problem-solving and on recycling materials to create sets, props, costumes and anything else their skit may need.

Connerton’s team accomplished that.

The students used Doritos bags, pool noodles, milk crates and other items “nearly considered trash” to design everything they needed — constantly refining the various elements until the next competition, the coaches said.

“All the kids, they look like aliens in their costumes,” Sherburne said. “Then they had to go online and research dramatic styles — both comedy and drama — as well as research ideas on how to use recycled materials. They did all the research and then figured it out themselves before winning the (state) competition.”

The team also must be prepared to stand in front of judges to respond to situations where they’ll need to problem solve, on the fly. That section of the competition is intended to demonstrate their ability to think on their feet.

“It’s a lot of critical thinking, but they are a very creative, quick-thinking team,” Sherburne added.

That will come in handy at the World Finals, a once-in-a-life trip for the team that needed to raise nearly $15,000 to attend.

Ruland said the achievement and the opportunity are huge.

Odyssey of the Mind is “an extracurricular activity that uses a lot of academics and problem-solving, so for a small team from Land O’ Lakes to go to the World Finals, it’s very impressive.

“Especially since they never quit, figured it all out and did it on their own.”

Odyssey of the Mind World Finals
When: May 24 to May 27
Where: Michigan State University
Details: A creative problem-solving program where team members present their solution at a competition to a predefined long-term problem that takes many months to complete and involves writing, design, construction and theatrical performance. A spontaneous portion of the competition requires the team to generate solutions to a problem it has not seen before.
Info: Visit OMWorldFinals.com.

Published May 24, 2023

The Let Us Do Good Village in Land O’ Lakes growing

May 16, 2023 By Special to The Laker/Lutz News

U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Sualauvi Tuimaleali’ifano and his family received a new mortgage-free smart home in the Let Us Do Good Village, on April 29, from the Tunnel to Towers Foundation.

U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Sualauvi Tuimaleali’ifano and his family received a new mortgage-free smart home at the Tunnel to Towers Let Us Do Good Village in Land O’Lakes on April 29. Tuimaleali’ifano is the recipient of the second house to be given away in the budding community off Parkway Boulevard.
(Courtesy of Tunnel to Towers Foundation)

This is the first smart home the nonprofit has given away and the second home it has given away in the new Land O’ Lakes community, off Parkway Boulevard.

Retired Army Staff Sgt. Danielle Thornton and her two kids received the first mortgage-free home in the community in late December 2022.

Tuimaleali’ifano, who lives life from a wheelchair, received a home outfitted with automatic doors, and wider hallways, allowing him to move more freely. The kitchen features lower counter space, pull-down cabinet shelves and a stove that raises and lowers to wheelchair height. The home’s lights, thermostat and security system can be controlled via an app — enabling him to control many aspects of his daily life independently.

Born in American Samoa, Tuimaleali’ifano moved to Hawaii when he was a child. He enlisted in the U.S. Army after graduating from high school. He served in three combat tours, first to Iraq in 2003 and then to Afghanistan in 2006 and 2007.

In July 2007, just a month before the end of his third deployment, Tuimaleali’ifano was wounded and due to undiagnosed previous combat injuries, he was left paralyzed with no sensation or function from his chest down.

After many difficult years of surgery and rehab, Tuimaleali’ifano found a new passion as an adaptive athlete, participating in the Warrior Games as a player, coach and ambassador from 2014 to 2020. He competed with Team USA in the 2016 and 2018 Invictus, bringing home the gold medal for Wheelchair Rugby.

The Tunnel to Towers Foundation Let Us Do Good Village will be a community of nearly 100 homes provided mortgage-free to catastrophically injured veterans and first responders, as well as America’s Gold Star and Fallen First Responder families.

Published May 17, 2023

A remarkable reunion

May 9, 2023 By Mike Camunas

For years, Orlando has been known as the place to take your family.

For Lynette Anderson, it’s where she found her family.

Anderson was given up for adoption when she was young, and as she grew older, she longed to find her birth family — specifically her birth mother.

“She was just 23 when she gave me up,” the 57-year-old Land O’ Lakes resident said. “I always told my husband that if I did (find her) I’d reach out, and even if I didn’t meet her, I’d just tell her, ‘I’m OK,’ and close that chapter of my life.”

After years of searching, it turns out her birth mother was closer than she could have imagined.

After years of searching, Land O’ Lakes resident Lynette Anderson, center, found her birth mother, Sandy Teal, right, and her half-sister, Megan Teal. Thanks to a DNA test, Anderson, who grew up in Oregon, found out that Sandy and Megan live just two hours away in a north Orlando suburb. (Courtesy of Lynette Anderson)

As Anderson was visiting her daughter and grandkids in Orlando in December 2022, she got an email from the popular DNA testing kit, 23andMe. They found a direct match — to a cousin.

It took one phone call to connect, then learn her birth mother — plus a half-sister — were, incredibly, just 20 minutes away.

“It was a whirlwind from there,” Anderson said. “I opened the results and in a few hours I’m talking to a new family member and already planning a meeting.

“What are the chances they live so close, but I was in the same town when I found out about them?!”

Anderson’s birth mother, Sandy Teal, and her half-sister, Megan Teal, live in the north Orlando suburb of Longword.

In less than 24 hours of receiving the email — and after searching for more than 30 years — Anderson’s family expanded.

Adopting a search
Anderson, growing up in Oregon, had always noticed the difference.

She was adopted, but so were two of her three siblings.

“My friend asked me in Pre-K why I didn’t look like my parents, so I asked my parents and they told me I was adopted,” Anderson said. “I didn’t look like my siblings either. As I got older, I told my best friend I was adopted, and she’s been obsessed with finding my birth mother — she just looked in Yellow Pages, but I was like, ‘I don’t know her name!’”

Anderson and her best friend kept looking.

Oregon opened its adoption records in 1991 to public searches — if parties involved in the adoptions consented. Almost immediately, Anderson went back to the adoption agency and requested those records.

But nothing ever revealed itself, even when she moved to Florida in 2004.

They had been looking in the wrong place — because they had the wrong age and birth year for Sandy, Anderson explained.

“It was all miscommunication,” Anderson said. “Because they requested records, too, and neither one of us ever got them even though, when I moved, I requested any updates. It just never happened.”

Anderson lived her life, got married, raised her children and became a grandmother.

But she never stopped looking.

Her best friend — the one who had initially encouraged her search — also persuaded her to take the DNA test.

“The test sat in the drawer for a while, and when I did it, I didn’t even tell my husband,” Anderson said. “When I got that email and called my friend, she was like, ‘Open it, open it, open it!’ and, yeah, I was nervous, but when we met, it was emotional, but I think it was more emotional for (Sandy and Megan).

“I could tell, for Sandy, it was.”

“It was all very exciting,” Sandy said, “and it was something I had looked forward to for a long time — I really did think it would never happen.”

Family matters
Anderson had a great family life.

Her adoptive parents provided for her, lovingly.

Finding her birth parents was never about the fear of what she missed out on — it was always about just getting a little closure and putting to rest any remaining curiosity that lingered for decades.

Land O’ Lakes resident Lynette Anderson, left, with her recently found birth mother, Sandy Teal, who lives in Longwood, just north of Orlando.

“She made the right decision to not be a single mom and put me up for adoption,” Anderson said. “I had a great upbringing in a very idyllic home and family with friends and everything.

“I’m more happy for her, because it brings it to a closure and now she has the answer of if she made the right decision.”

Megan Teal said gaining a new sister has been an “incredible gift.”

“I didn’t know I had a sister until my mom told me, geez, 20 years ago about the adoption,” Megan added. “I didn’t know the DNA test could be so fast and outreaching, but in the matter of a day, I had a half-sister. … And to just see the resemblance, it was remarkable when we met.”

Anderson agrees.

“Megan is very much like my personality,” she added. “When I met Megan, I really clicked with her — because she is a lot like me. I can see it.

“In an adoptive family, you are nothing like your parents and siblings, but here is someone I just met and we’re so much alike!”

Now, this newly formed family will spend time getting to know one another.

Anderson, in seeking closure, is now bonding with her birth mother — and Sandy is delighted.

“It’s just been so exciting, but it was such a wonderful gift to get more family,” Sandy said. “Some people might not think getting more family is — but I do. It was so good to hear she had a great family, a great life growing up, so I don’t think — ‘What if?’ — anymore.

“The weight is off my shoulders now.”

Published May 10, 2023

All business at this clubhouse

May 9, 2023 By Mike Camunas

There’s no kidding around in The Kidpreneur Club.

There are plenty of kids, a.k.a. the kidpreneurs themselves, but the nonprofit has grown so rapidly that it needed a space of its own to provide more services to budding entrepreneurs.

The Kidpreneur Club, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded with the sole purpose of empowering the next generation of entrepreneurs, has based its headquarters at 4 & Co. Coworking Spaces, 16703 Early Riser Ave., in Land O’ Lakes. (Mike Camunas)

The Kidpreneur Club (TKC) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that was founded to empower the next generation of entrepreneurs. It organizes marketplaces featuring businesses created and launched by local children.

The nonprofit’s new headquarters had its grand opening celebration on April 29 and will use office space in 4 & Co. Coworking Spaces, a co-op working space recently constructed at 16703 Early Riser Ave., in Land O’ Lakes. The building offers office space and other business services.

The new “K-Club HQ,” says TKC founder, owner and CEO Danielle Cannon, will, eventually, host the Children’s Business Fairs, classes, Kidpreneur networking meetings and other activities.

“With the co-working space we can utilize now, we can offer so much more now than just the business fair,” said Cannon, a Land O’ Lakes native. “In the individual offices (in the co-working space), there are a lot of entrepreneurs here that want to mentor the little ones and share their services.

The Kidpreneur Club founder and CEO Danielle Cannon has set the nonprofit’s headquarters in Land O’ Lakes.

“Now, there’s all the extra opportunities because of the physical space, so we get to make the foundation of the club the best for the kids and grow it to their needs and develop them into the kidpreneurs they’ll become.”

A lot has changed since Cannon launched the nonprofit in December 2021.

She initially started the Children’s Business Fair as a way to help the neighbor’s kids sell bracelets they had made. She thought of having a neighborhood kids’ market, as her two children wanted to sell stuff, too. The neighborhood kept having the market and each time, it got bigger.

Eventually, that morphed into the very popular Children’s Business Fair, such as the one held Nov. 29 at the KRATE in Wesley Chapel featuring more than 30 kid-owned businesses with booths, at the outdoor shopping plaza.

Cannon never imagined those business fairs would attract so much interest, or that there would be this many kidpreneurs with the full backing of the community.

Elliot Perez, 7, of Seffner, makes a sweet deal selling his pillows for his own start-up business, Fluff, Puff & Other Stuff, during the grand opening of The Kidpreneur Club’s headquarters in Land O’ Lakes on April 29.

“We’re so popular, and it’s so exciting,” Cannon said. “I knew there was a gap in the marketplace for something like this — I had done my research to find options available for the kids to sell their businesses and goods.

“But I couldn’t find anything,” she said. “This was created to fill that gap that existed here, but I had no idea so many people were going to want to be a part of it — it’s all so heartwarming because it’s truly a community nonprofit because we’re all working on this and growing this together.”

As “crazy a ride” as it has been for Cannon and TKC, the club is showing no signs of slowing down. For starters, the next business fair will be June 4 back at the KRATE.

Cannon said she plans on spending the summer “developing the foundation of what The Kidpreneur Club is going to be” and “focus on the fundraising efforts” now that the headquarters is open. Cannon also will work on “getting more shoppers to come to the fair to support the kids there and their businesses.” She said she’s also excited about hosting a business fair at the 4 & Co. Coworking Spaces.

Besides, she’s no longer fooling herself. She knows full well she’s become an entrepreneur herself, just like the kiddos.

“I never intended to start a business or nonprofit — I just wanted to help our neighbor’s kids sell bracelets and it turned into this huge passion project,” she said. “But we really get to impact the community and its young business owners, but it is definitely going at warp speed, and it’s amazing that it’s become something the community has really embraced and supported.”

The Kidpreneur Club
Where: 4 & Co. Coworking Spaces, 16703 Early Riser Ave., Land O’ Lakes, 34638 (in Bexley Neighborhood off State Road 54 and the Suncoast Expressway
Details: The Kidpreneur Club (TKC) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that has the sole purpose of empowering the next generation of entrepreneurs. It organizes marketplaces featuring businesses created and launched by local children. Kidpreneurs, ages 6 to 16, develop a brand, create a product or service, build a marketing strategy, plan the cost of goods and pricing, and then open for customers at a fair. Now with a new headquarters in Land O’ Lakes, TKC will have its markets at the co-working space building, as well as various remote locations.
The next kid business fair is scheduled for June 4 at the KRATE at the Grove at Wesley Chapel.
For more information, call 813-825-3793, email , or visit TampaCBF.org.

Published May 10, 2023

Divided school board approves cell tower easement

April 25, 2023 By B.C. Manion

A cell tower near Starkey Ranch K-8 is a step closer to reality, following a 3-2 vote by the Pasco County School Board to approve an easement needed to grant access to the tower.

The vote came after numerous speakers urged the school board to reject the request, from Pasco County, for the easement.

Pasco County has negotiated a cell tower ground lease agreement with Vertex to place a cell tower on shared-use property on the south side of the Starkey Ranch District Park’s football and soccer field.

A cell tower near Starkey Ranch K-8 in Odessa is a step closer to reality, following a 3-2 vote on April 18 by the Pasco County School Board to approve an easement needed to grant access to the tower. (Mike Camunas)

The school district and county have a joint-use agreement involving Starkey Ranch K-8, the library and the county park.

News about the potential cell tower, however, unleashed a torrent of protests, with opponents turning out at the school board’s April 4 and April 18 meetings to voice their objections.

Many of the speakers wore red — symbolizing their call for the school board to stop the cell tower easement from moving forward.

Speaker after speaker raised questions about placing a cell tower so close to a school.

They asked the board to reject the request, or at the very least delay it so they could hear directly from experts in the field.

They cited research linking the radio-frequency emissions from cell towers to an array of health issues and they noted there are no studies that guarantee the towers are safe.

Pasco County School Board member Al Hernandez voted against allowing an easement to a proposed cell tower near Starkey Ranch K-8. He’s concerned about the potential for negative long-term health effects. (File)

Opponents said evidence shows that children are especially vulnerable to harmful health impacts. They also noted that other countries and other localities have stricter rules on the placement of cell towers.

Ultimately, opponents said, placing the cell tower so close to a school is not a risk that is worth taking.

Like the opponents, school board member Al Hernandez said the proposed cell tower near a school is problematic.

He told his colleagues: “I cannot in good conscience put our community in a potential health risk.”

School board member Alison Crumbley agreed: “I can’t feel comfortable if I don’t know, 100%, that it’s safe. With the technology that has come along in the last few years, we just don’t know. It’s stronger, more powerful.”

But School Board Chairwoman Megan Harding and board colleagues Colleen Beaudon and Cynthia Armstrong expressed different concerns.

Harding said she’d done extensive research into the issue and had listened to people both for and against the cell tower.

She also visited Starkey Ranch K-8, and walked around inside the school and outdoors. She discovered there were many areas on the campus where the cell service was weak.

Pasco County School Board Chairwoman Megan Harding voted in favor of allowing an easement for a proposed cell tower near Starkey Ranch K-8. She said she understands the concerns raised by opponents to the request, but also believes there’s a need for good cell service, in the event of potential emergencies. (File)

She also drove around the neighborhood, and while driving through had a call she was on drop twice. She also learned that she had missed some text messages, while on campus.

She said she didn’t want to downplay the concerns raised by opponents, but said there’s also an issue of campus security.

Beaudoin raised that concern during the April 5 meeting.

Armstrong noted that she also heard from people on both sides of the issue.

She said being able to effectively communicate is crucial. “We’ve had serious medical emergencies,” she said.

Or, there might be a case of someone suspicious being seen hopping over a fence at a school, she added.

“To me, that’s a threat that we have every single day,” Armstrong said.

Both Crumbley and Hernandez said additional efforts could be made to find an alternative location for the cell tower, that is farther away from children.

Hernandez said the issue has never been about money. The amount of payment for the leasing agreement is miniscule, compared to the district’s overall budget, he said.

It’s a debate about safety — about the potential threat caused in the short-term, or in the long-term, he said.

Pasco Schools Superintendent Kurt Browning made his recommendation crystal clear.

“I understand the concerns of our parents with something that may or may not ever happen.

“You can find research that supports cancer-causing radiation. You can find research that debunks all of those issues about cancer-causing radiation.

“What you can’t debunk, and I hesitate saying this, but as a superintendent I have a moral imperative, and that is to keep our kids safe from — what I know we stand a greater risk of happening, and that is — active threats on campus,” Browning said.

The school board’s vote followed Browning’s remarks.

The crowd of opponents was clearly dissatisfied as they left the board’s chambers, with someone in that crowd promising the board: “We’re not done. We’re not going anywhere. We’ll be back. We’re going to fight you.”

Published April 26, 2023

Ukulele Brand’s in Land O’ Lakes reopens

April 25, 2023 By Mike Camunas

A local staple is back.

Ukulele Brand’s, the long-standing, lakeside restaurant and bar at 4805 Land O’ Lakes Blvd., reopened on April 18, after a nearly three-month closure.

The restaurant, which has been serving loyal patrons for 25 years, welcomed back crowds and live music while returning back to full service and its regular hours.

The popular dining spot sustained extensive damages on the night of Jan. 25, when an SUV and food truck plowed into an exterior wall, leaving a large hole, knocking into kitchen equipment and essentially forcing the business to shut down.

The incident required the restaurant to turn off the power, which resulted in food spoiling. It also needed to shutter its doors, while repairs were made.

“How no one died — I don’t know. No clue,” Ukuleke’s manager Jennifer Fischer told The Laker/Lutz News in February. “Our dishwasher flew 10 to 15 feet into my kitchen area, where there were staff members — it was horrible. When I watched the video, my heart was in my throat, and I don’t know how it wasn’t worse.”

Fischer said it was around 8 p.m., when the accident occurred. At the time, the dining room was filled with patrons and staff was busy in the kitchen.

Repairs took three months.

Now, it’s hard to see that it ever suffered damage.

The kitchen is fully restored. There’s no evidence of the hole in the exterior wall, and that wall has been repainted its teal color. The restaurant’s signature mural remains.

During the closure, the community demonstrated an outpouring of support during a Feb. 18 support-the-staff fundraiser organized by local businesses and the Rotary Club of Land O’ Lakes.

The more than $20,000 raised went to help the temporarily unemployed 42 employees of Ukulele Brand’s.

“It’s amazing that (the locals and regulars) are looking out for us, that Ukulele’s means something to them,” said MacKenzie Dadroga, a long-time bartender and server told The Laker/Lutz News during that February fundraiser. “We’re still here and people are still supporting us, because it’s not about the place — it’s about the people. They care about us.”

Ukulele Brand’s
Where: 4805 Land O’ Lakes Blvd., Land O’ Lakes
When: Open Tuesday thru Sunday from 11 a.m until 11 p.m.
Details: Casual “Old Florida” lakeside full-service restaurant and bar, with both indoor and outdoor seating and live music year-round.
Info: Visit UkuleleBrands.com or the restaurant’s Facebook page.

Published April 26, 2023

Planning board rejects setback variance on a split vote

April 25, 2023 By B.C. Manion

What’s a few feet, give or take?

In the case of a new house in East Padgett Estates — the difference of a few feet is proving to be a costly mistake.

The house, at 4537 Victoria Road, in Land O’ Lakes, was built with improper setbacks.

The violation of county regulations has sparked neighborhood disputes, led to lengthy public hearings and caused a substantial loss of money for the builder.

The fate of this house in East Padgett Estates remains uncertain. The Pasco County Planning Commission denied a request for a variance that would have allowed it to be occupied. The builder now has the option to appeal the decision to the Pasco County Commission. (Mike Camunas)

The Pasco County Planning Commission voted 4-3 on April 6 to reject SoHo Builder’s request for a variance to the side yard and front yard setback requirements.

If the request had been granted, the county could have issued a certificate of occupancy. Since the variance was denied, the house can’t be occupied.

The applicant now has the option to appeal the planning board’s decision to the Pasco County Commission.

The zoning district where the house is located requires a 10-foot minimum side yard setback on each side and a 25-foot minimum front yard setback.

But the house is 73-feet wide on a 90-foot-wide lot, meaning that it fails to meet the side yard setbacks by a total of 3 feet.

The structure also was built with a 20-foot front yard setback, instead of the required 25 feet.

Patrick Plummer, a representative for the builder, appeared before the planning board twice, seeking a variance.

The board denied it in January and did so again on April 6.

Plummer acknowledged that he erred during the process, but he also pointed out mistakes made by the county.

Plummer said once the setback error was discovered, a new site plan and set of building plans was submitted — for a 70-foot-wide house.

But county officials said there’s no evidence in the county’s records that the new plans were submitted.

Still, the county shares in the blame, according to Scott Carley, chief field inspector for Pasco County’s building construction services.

He said the county uses a system that allows different departments to see the same plans simultaneously.

In this case, zoning flagged the setback issue, but that didn’t prevent electrical, mechanical, plumbing and building from proceeding, Carley said.

“Forty percent is on us,” Carley said, noting this case has been a learning experience for the county.

Plummer asked the planning board to grant the variance.

“This was a bona fide error. We did not intentionally build a larger house. We did not try to circumvent anything,” he said.

But a former president of the area’s homeowner’s association said the buyer should have known the long-established required setbacks for the house.

Planning board member Jaime Girardi said he understands that the builder isn’t the only one at fault, however, he added: “You built something out there that’s drastically different from the rest of the neighborhood.”

Girardi also raised concerns about drainage issues and the insufficient landscaping plan.

County planning staff recommended denial of the request, saying that substantial evidence had not been submitted to justify a variance.

The planning board was divided.

While noting the builder should have spotted the error and stopped the building process to avoid having a completed house that failed to meet requirements, they also acknowledged that errors within the county’s process contributed to the problem.

Planning board member Jon Moody made a motion to support staff in its recommendation for denial and was joined by board members Peter Hanzel and Chris Poole.

Board Chairman Charles Grey and board members Derek Pontlitz and Girardi voted against Moody’s motion.

That left a 3-3 vote, requiring board member Chris Williams to break the tie.

Williams voted in favor of the staff’s recommendation to reject the variance.

In casting that vote, Williams said it was a tough call, but added: “It’s a big mistake. It’s going to be there a long time.”

Williams, planning director of Pasco County Schools, normally only votes on planning requests that involve school district issues. However, he’s also the designated tie-breaker, in the rare events that the planning board is evenly divided.

Published April 26, 2023

Proposed cell tower prompts discussion over competing interests

April 18, 2023 By B.C. Manion

A request for a 195-foot tower at the Plantation Palms Golf Course recently sparked a discussion over how to best protect the interest of area residents.

On one hand, the lease for the cell tower would provide revenue, which could help for the upkeep of the golf course — which under previous ownership had fallen into a state of disrepair, threatening property values throughout the Land O’ Lakes golf course community.

On the other hand, a couple living near the proposed towering pole aren’t exactly enamored by the idea of having that become part of their view-shed on a daily basis. They also worry their property values could suffer because of their proximity to the cell tower.

There’s also the argument that the entire community would benefit from improved service for their electronic devices.

Those were some of the issues discussed by the Pasco County Planning Commission on April 6, during a public hearing on a requested conditional use permit for the proposed tower.

Mattaniah S. Jahn represented the applicants — Ace Cheval, Inc/VB BTS, LLC/T-Mobile South, LLC – 195 — who are seeking permission for a 185-foot monopole along with a 10-foot lightning rod.

The proposed tower would go on a site on the north side of 20 mile Level Road, about 1,550 feet east of Collier Parkway. The subject site consists of a maintenance facility and is designated as a recreation center, on the Plantation Palms master-plan, according to materials in the planning board’s agenda packet.

The pole would be erected within a 3,819-square-foot fenced compound area, on a parcel of approximately 1.89 acres, agenda materials say.

The proposed anchor tenant, T- Mobile, currently has antenna equipment on a flagpole-style cell tower, which is about 1,150 feet southwest of the proposed request, at the Land O’Lakes Recreation Complex, at 3032 Collier Parkway, in Land O’ Lakes.

T-Mobile proposes to terminate its tenancy on that pole because it is unable to physically support the antennas and equipment necessary to meet the area’s traffic needs, agenda materials say.

Verizon Communications, Inc. is the anchor tenant at that site.

After hearing neighbors’ concerns, planning board member Jaime Girardi asked about the possibility of moving the tower farther away, onto the county’s parkland at the rec center.

Jahn said that since there’s already a cell tower on that site, it may be impossible to locate another one there.

Cell tower leases typically contain non-compete clauses, Jahn explained.

Chief Assistant County Attorney David Goldstein said he would need to review the lease to determine if it contains a non-compete clause.

That would be a moot point, though, Goldstein said, if the planning board is interested in helping Plantation Palms preserve its ability to generate money from the cell tower lease — to support its golf course operations.

Girardi said he wanted to know the options before taking a vote.

Planning board member Peter Hanzel said he was ready to support the conditional use request because the golf course needs the revenue and cell phone towers are a necessity to support today’s technology needs.

Planning board member Chris Poole said if it’s possible to get it, he’d like more information about the impacts that cell towers have on property values.

The board voted to continue the issue until its May 4 meeting in Dade City, to allow additional information to be gathered before it takes a vote.

Published April 19, 2023