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Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

Land O' Lakes News

Club Mom offers women and kids a chance to relax, socialize

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When Megan Hendricks moved to Land O’ Lakes from Tampa, she was looking for a place to meet new friends and mingle with other mothers.

She decided to check out a meeting of Club Mom of Lutz/Land O’ Lakes. And now, just a few years later, she’s president of the group.

Grace Hendricks, 5, and Eden Hendricks, 3, enjoy a Halloween gathering put on by Club Mom of Lutz/Land O’ Lakes. (Courtesy of Megan Hendricks)
Grace Hendricks, 5, and Eden Hendricks, 3, enjoy a Halloween gathering put on by Club Mom of Lutz/Land O’ Lakes.
(Courtesy of Megan Hendricks)

“I didn’t know anybody,” Hendricks said. So, she went to a Club Mom meeting and immediately felt at home.

“Everybody was super nice and friendly. It’s casual. It’s laid back,” said Hendricks, 39, who has two daughters, Grace, 5, and Eden, 3.

There are lots of things to do, in lots of places, giving members plenty of options, she said.

Heather Hemberger, who moved to Land O’ Lakes from South Tampa, also was looking for a way to plug in with other new moms. She heard about the club and decided to check it out.

“I joined a year ago, when my son was five weeks old,” Hemberger said, noting she was attracted to the group’s laid-back nature. “I was looking for some friends for my little guy and it seemed like a really neat group of moms.”

Hemberger was a youth director and preschool teacher before she became a stay-at-home mom. And she’s glad she joined Club Mom.

“What’s different about our group is that we’re really flexible,” Hemberger said. “A lot of groups have lots of rules. We allow members to say, ‘Hey, I have an idea. Let’s do this.’”

There’s no pressure to be at gatherings, either.

“If you can come, come,” Hemberger said.

The group has 31 members, ranging in age from the 20s to 40s. Some are stay-at-home moms, some work part-time, and some are working moms, Hemberger said. Some moms have one child, and others have more.

The club meets frequently at the Land O’ Lakes Recreation Complex, but also meets at other locations, such as Wiregrass Wednesdays and club members’ homes.

“A typical group is someone will bring snacks and we’ll meet at the playground,” Hemberger said. “Very low-key.”

The club gives members a chance to socialize and gives their kids a chance to have fun. It also provides a forum for moms to share information about doctors, low-cost entertainment, day care options, and parenting advice.

“I wouldn’t say we all have one parenting philosophy, which is also refreshing because everyone has a different approach to parenting,” Hemberger said.

Hemberger has made some good friends through the group.

“It’s definitely fun,” she said. “For me and for a lot of the women in leadership, it’s a way to still have an outlet.”

The club specifically targets members in Lutz and Land O’ Lakes, but does have some members from New Tampa and Carrollwood.

Most of its get-togethers are in the Lutz and Land O’ Lakes communities for the convenience of club members, Hemberger said. Most of the events are in the day, for moms and their children. But there are occasional family events, in the evening or on the weekend.

The group also likes to celebrate holidays with special events, and also likes to help out various charities.

The club will host an open house Sept. 19, so potential members can find out more. It will be at the Land O’ Lakes Recreation Complex, and will feature crafts for the kids and some giveaways.

Hemberger encourages any mom who thinks she might want to join, to check it out.

“For me, I feel like it makes me a better mom to him, when I’m able to get out of the house, get a cup of coffee, meet up with friends,” she said.

If you go …
WHAT: Club Mom of Lutz/Land O’ Lakes is hosting an open house to introduce local moms to their group. The open house will feature crafts and giveaways.
WHERE: Land O’ Lakes Recreation Complex, 3032 Collier Parkway
WHEN: Sept. 19 at 10 a.m.
COST: Event is free, but annual dues to join the group are $20
INFO: Meetup.com/momsclub or find ‘Club Mom of Lutz/Land O’ Lakes’ on Facebook

Published September 10, 2014

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Local student finds trip to China enlightening

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When Darin Kilfoyl found out about the possibility of traveling to China to learn more about its language and culture, he seized the chance.

The 15-year-old, who attends Academy at the Lakes, is deeply interested in expanding his knowledge about the country and its language.

Darin Kilfoyl poses with a young boy from China during Kilfoyl’s two-week trip to learn more about the country’s language, culture and history. It turns out that much of the clothing worn by the people he encountered is similar to the clothing that Americans wear, he says. (Courtesy of Darin Kilfoyl)
Darin Kilfoyl poses with a young boy from China during Kilfoyl’s two-week trip to learn more about the country’s language, culture and history. It turns out that much of the clothing worn by the people he encountered is similar to the clothing that Americans wear, he says.
(Courtesy of Darin Kilfoyl)

His teacher, Wei Wang, told him about the two-week program sponsored by the University of South Florida and the Confucius Institute. Wang said she knew Kilfoyl’s desire to learn more about China and believed he would benefit from the experience.

Kilfoyl said the two weeks he spent in China gave him new insights about the country, and made him want to make a return trip when he has a better command of the language.

The program provided an expenses-paid experience, aside from airfare, which was slightly more than $1,000, said Kilfoyl, who lives in Lake Padgett. The daily routine included morning language, culture and history classes, and day trips to learn more about the Chinese way of life.

The group spent the first couple of days in Beijing, then went to Hangzhou, which is a little bit west of Shanghai.

“If you want to see the true identity of China, don’t stay in Beijing, but go to a province where there’s a lake similar to Hangzhou,” Kilfoyl said. “Or go to the mountain regions where it’s all nature.”

Beijing is very polluted, he added.

“It’s very modernized, but there are so many people that it’s polluted,” Kilfoyl said. “It’s a little hard to breathe, and it’s really difficult to see.”

The traffic is insane.

“People there are masters of driving. They come within an inch of another car. It was surprising how fast and how close they drove,” Kilfoyl said, but added, “I didn’t see a single accident.”

Because it has such a large population, Beijing prohibits 20 percent of the people who own cars to drive them within the city limits on workdays, Kilfoyl said. The government controls that by monitoring a numbering system on license plates.

The students studied at the Hangzhou Foreign Language School.

“It was a private school, where kids in China or from out of the country would study different languages from around the world,” Kilfoyl said.

The students in his group stayed in a guesthouse, which he said was similar to a dorm, with upgrades.

“In the morning, we’d eat breakfast at the cafeteria, then we’d normally have a class, where we’d practice learning Chinese or about the culture or something about China’s history,” Kilfoyl said. “Then we would go on a trip, somewhere within the province. Normally, we went to two places during the day.”

They visited the Xi Xi Wetlands, a museum that described the role water has played in the development of Chinese life. They also visited pagodas around the lake and heard Chinese folk tales.

As they made their way about the country, Kilfoyl noticed that most of the people he encountered were wearing modern clothing, which was similar to American styles of dress. When he arrived in China, he wasn’t sure what the food was going to be like and he also wasn’t sure about proper etiquette, he said.

The Chinese food he ate was substantially different than the fare served at Chinese restaurants in America. For one thing, he said, “not much of it is fried.”

“They eat a lot of white rice and vegetables,” Kilfoyl said. “If they had meat, it was just a little bit, just for taste.”

There were far fewer choices on television, he said. There was the government television channel, a channel that showed a Chinese version of “The Voice” reality competition show, and a channel that aired dramatic programming.

Before making the trip, Kilfoyl wasn’t sure whether the people would be cordial.

It turns out he had nothing to worry about.

“When we were there, everybody was very friendly,” Kilfoyl said.

Published September 10, 2014

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Funny business: Local graduate returns to headline comedy show

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Working comedians — the ones who aren’t famous yet — tend to take whatever gigs they can get. Sometimes that means half-empty bars, or coffee shops or off-nights in a tiny comedy club.

In Steven Lolli’s case, it meant a clothing-optional resort in Land O’ Lakes 10 years ago.

Comedian Steven Lolli performed at Caliente Resorts 10 years ago, and he’ll headline a show at the Carrollwood Cultural Center on Aug. 30. (Michael Murillo/Staff Photo)
Comedian Steven Lolli performed at Caliente Resorts 10 years ago, and he’ll headline a show at the Carrollwood Cultural Center on Aug. 30.
(Michael Murillo/Staff Photo)

“It was one of the worst shows I’ve ever had in my life,” he said, recalling the scene at Caliente Resorts off Land O’ Lakes Boulevard, with a smile.

Lolli had been doing comedy about eight years at the time, and the Gaither High School graduate had returned to Tampa to set up some shows. Not one to turn down work, he tried a nicer, more approachable style to his comedy. And the crowd wasn’t buying it.

“The crowd was bad and I was bad,” Lolli said. “I should have been my angry self.”

What a difference a decade makes.

Lolli’s back in town, but he’s not trying to win over any skeptical crowds. Instead, he’s bringing his own following to the Carrollwood Cultural Center at 4537 Lowell Road, for his “High Class Poverty Comedy Tour” on Aug. 30. And he’ll be his angry self on stage, because it’s taken him pretty far in his 18 years as a stand-up comedian.

Lolli didn’t give anyone there the impression he would eventually make a career out of telling jokes when he graduated high school, and he headed to the Orlando area soon after to attend the University of Central Florida before making his way to Los Angeles. It was there in the California sun he gained a reputation for fitting in at venues where he’d look out of place.

Lolli began frequenting comedy clubs where the performers and audience were overwhelmingly African-American. He might be one of the only white people on stage — and the only Jewish person in the room — but he was something else, too. He was funny, and the crowds responded to him.

Nationally known comedian Katt Williams helped develop Lolli’s moniker, “The Urban Jew,” and eventually hired him as a writer.

Minority audiences appreciated his honesty and responded to his earnest delivery, Lolli said.

“I started talking about race. I started talking about Jews and blacks,” Lolli said. “One thing about the black crowd is they really respond to true emotion, when you’re really being honest.”

That response was a pleasant contrast to other clubs he visited, where politics and social relationships dictated who got to perform, and too many comedians wanted to mold their act into a television-friendly package. Lolli wanted to protect his edge rather ingratiate himself to the people who were the gatekeepers and could deny him stage time.

Performing in African-American clubs might not have looked natural at first glance, but it was a natural fit for his style and philosophy.

Cutting his teeth in tough rooms, and gaining acceptance from what could be considered challenging audiences, made Lolli more fearless in his comedy and more confident in his abilities. And while the 38-year-old could pass for a young executive on the street, it’s a different story on stage. His material is adult-oriented, salted with the kind of language that gives his rants emphasis.

But Lolli doesn’t simply rely on dirty words for shock value. His language is an extension of his thoughts and perceptions at that particular moment. While he has plenty of prepared material, he allows himself to veer off track frequently and create something original out of unscripted moments from earlier that day or while he’s on stage.

There’s a lot of risk with that method, and grabbing the microphone in front of a packed house without a clear idea of what you’ll say beforehand can be scary. But his real fear is not being true to himself.

“I’m more afraid to not say what I mean,” Lolli said. “It’s the most gratifying feeling to be yourself.”

It also can provide a career boost if things go well. Lolli once performed at an event honoring a cable executive, with many important agents and actors on stage and in the audience. It would be a perfect time to play it safe and not make fun of their industry, but that isn’t his style.

He came out aggressive with his material, got the audience on his side, and has received a lot of work as a result of that edgy performance. That included a 2012 guest appearance on the NBC comedy sketch show “Betty White’s Off Their Rockers.”

He’ll deliver more of the same at the Carrollwood Cultural Center, though he’ll have a lot more time to explore his thoughts and expand his material. He’ll also have his parents, Joy and Gerald, in the audience. They’re proud of his success and have taken note of his rising notoriety as the venue promotes his show.

They also haven’t seen him perform in years, but that doesn’t mean they’ll get the easy treatment from their comedian son on Aug. 30. In the end, they know he has to be himself.

“They’ll be all right,” Lolli said. “I might make fun of them, too.”

Published August 27, 2014

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Planting seeds to grow gardeners

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The room at the rear of the Land O’ Lakes Community Center was buzzing with chatter as children made their way around the various stations — creating caterpillars out of egg cartons, turning peanut butter jars into terrariums, and creating worm condos out of recycled soda bottles.

Master gardeners from Pasco County Cooperative Extension shared their enthusiasm for gardening as they talked to the youngsters about worms, air plants and compost.

Pasco County Cooperative Extension master gardeners Juanita Fawley and Mary Ellen Gotto help Makenzie Haworth, 7, build a worm condo. (B.C. Manion/Staff Photo)
Pasco County Cooperative Extension master gardeners Juanita Fawley and Mary Ellen Gotto help Makenzie Haworth, 7, build a worm condo.
(B.C. Manion/Staff Photo)

Master gardeners Mary Ellen Gotto, Juanita Fawley and Stan Groves helped Makenzie Haworth, 7, of New Tampa, as the young girl built a worm condo.

Amy Perkins, who is Makenzie’s mom, said the event helps connect kids with nature, and gives them a chance to experience gardening.

“It’s great exposure,” Perkins said.

“We put this on every year for children,” Gotto said. “It’s educational for children.”

Master gardener Chris Storch helped Caleb Hicks, 9, as he assembled his terrarium. The Connerton Elementary School student attended the event last year and wanted to come back when he heard it was being held again, said Land O’ Lakes resident Ted Beason, the boy’s grandfather.

Storch enjoys seeing the children’s delight.

“They love it, getting their hands dirty and digging into it,” the Lutz woman said.

Vicki Arndtz, a Pasco County master gardener from Zephyrhills, thinks the event gives children from all backgrounds a chance to learn the love of growing plants and vegetables.

“Not every child has an unlimited budget to experiment with gardening,” Arndtz said.

At the terrarium station, children could choose from a wide assortment of recycled containers. There were recycled peanut butter jars, a cheese puff container, pretzel jars and Beanie Babies collectible cases.

After selecting the container, the children added rocks, a weed cloth, soil, plants and decorative items, such as colored stones, gems and coins.

Carolyn Watson, of Land O’ Lakes, was there with her granddaughter, Grace Heller.

“My granddaughter and I love to plant plants together,” Watson said.

The 7-year-old, who attends Corbett Preparatory School, said she’s grown carrots, impatiens and miniature sunflowers with her grandmother.

The master gardeners share a passion for gardening, Arndtz said, and enjoy sharing their enthusiasm.

“Only an eclectic group like this could get excited over worm compost,” she said, laughing.

There’s always something new to learn, Storch said. For instance, gardeners who move to Florida from northern states have to learn about the spring and fall gardening seasons, she said.

“Timing is everything,” Storch said, especially when it comes to growing vegetables in Florida.

To learn more about the Pasco Cooperative Extension, visit Pasco.IFAS.UFL.edu.

For more information about gardening, visit http://solutionsforyourlife.com.

Published August 13, 2014

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Rock lives again as Stonegrey takes local stage

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Guns N’ Roses. Pearl Jam. Nirvana.

For music lovers in their 30s or 40s, these were bands that helped define a generation, and continue to influence rock to this day. And that’s precisely where the members of the local rock revival band Stonegrey draw their inspiration.

Stonegrey is inspired by 1990s rock bands like Pearl Jam, Guns N’ Roses and even a hint of the grunge style of Nirvana. (Courtesy of Terri Dusek)
Stonegrey is inspired by 1990s rock bands like Pearl Jam, Guns N’ Roses and even a hint of the grunge style of Nirvana.
(Courtesy of Terri Dusek)

Except there’s one thing the musicians behind Stonegrey may have forgotten to mention: Those inspirational bands had their heyday before these young rockers were even born.

The oldest members of the Land O’ Lakes-based band — lead singer Eric Whitener and drummer Tyler Dusek — are just 20 years old. Tyler’s brother, guitarist Tristan Dusek, is a recent Land O’ Lakes High School graduate and is 18, while bass player Nick Mitchell is the youngest at 17.

“The biggest challenge we face out there is how young we are,” said Whitener, who works a day job as a marketer for Magical Butter, a food company in New Port Richey. “We get up there on stage, and at first it looks like just some kids playing. But when we get off the stage, they are usually in awe, and that’s when they start taking us seriously.”

The band formed in 2010, playing mostly cover songs in smaller venues under the name Culprit. Before long, however, the band made some changes to both some of its members and its name — Stonegrey — and started to focus more on original music.

They self-produced an album with songs like “Rearview,” “Hold On” and “Leave Me Bleeding.” They practice in a spare room at the Dusek house in Land O’ Lakes, surrounded by pictures of the band on stage, sound equipment, and a life-size cutout of former Guns N’ Roses guitarist Saul “Slash” Hudson in the corner.

Jay and Terri Dusek never tell the boys to hold the music down. In fact, they’re the first to make them crank it up. The Duseks along with Angela Whitener and other parents, have been tireless supporters of their children. They’re at nearly every show, help fund new projects, and are their ambassadors out in the community.

Terri Dusek, a Realtor who currently is the Central Pasco honorary mayor, is always sharing the band’s music and show dates with nearly everyone she sees.

The band’s approach, however, practically markets itself. But that’s because all the attention is on the music, and not gimmicks, popular with many recording artists today, the members said.

“It’s not that we don’t like mainstream music,” Tyler Dusek said. “The thing that we try to do is take what we feel is good about what’s going on, and ignore what we feel is not good, and make it into something that is different. And let’s be honest, something is ‘hipster’ because no one has ever heard of it. We don’t want to be something that people never heard of.”

Performers like Miley Cyrus try to get attention with antics both on- and off-stage.

“Are they really performing music, or are they just putting on a show for entertainment purposes?” Tristan Dusek asked. “We just play music. As far as gimmicks go, we have light boxes we stand on, and then there’s our hair, but we don’t do anything that overpowers anyone.”

Oh, that’s right. The hair.

The first thing many fans notice is the long hair both Whitener and Tristan Dusek sport. It sets the mood for the style of music Stonegrey plays, but it’s also one of the many things people remember when they think of the band.

Despite what anyone might think, Tristan says his curls are natural. His brother Tyler decided it was time to grow out his hair, and in just a couple months, he may have to deal with the same thing.

Although some band members might stand out more than others, everything Stonegrey does is a group effort. Everyone takes equal credit for all the work the band does, including songwriting.

“It’s all 25 percent each, no matter what,” Whitener said. “Just like with Tyler, if he doesn’t like a drum part, he’ll say something. If I come up with some lyrics these guys don’t like, we’ll talk about it. They might have something in their brains they like better, and we’ll at least try it.”

Upcoming shows include the highly anticipated Battle of the Bands at the Ritz Ybor on Aug. 30, as well as a set at Hogan’s Beach in Tampa’s Rocky Pointe on Sept. 18.

Yet, Stonegrey still enjoys the local hometown crowds that have supported them from the beginning, playing at the Beef O’ Brady’s at Lake Wilderness.

“Personally, I don’t care how much money we make, and I don’t care how famous we are in the public eye,” Mitchell said. “I just want to get a chance to do what I love in front of people who appreciate what I am doing.”

Find music from Stonegrey’s first album on Apple’s iTunes Store by visiting tinyurl.com/StonegreyAlbum. Get a look at a music video for the song “Stop Me” in this YouTube clip at tinyurl.com/StonegreyVid. And learn more about upcoming shows from the band’s website at StonegreyBand.com.

Published August 13, 2014

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Finally, honoring some of the area’s early pioneers

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Every city has cemeteries. It’s a natural part of life, and the end of it.

People go there to visit lost loved ones and reflect, and you’ve probably seen the well-manicured grounds, rows of granite headstones, and elaborate tributes to friends and family.

The signage is really the only thing that lets you know that this piece of land off Ehren Cutoff is the Mount Carmel Cemetery. (Michael Hinman/Staff Photo)
The signage is really the only thing that lets you know that this piece of land off Ehren Cutoff is the Mount Carmel Cemetery.
(Michael Hinman/Staff Photo)

There are many cemeteries like that in the area. The Mount Carmel Cemetery isn’t one of them.

The African-American cemetery, located off Ehren Cutoff, is a throwback to a different time — a time of segregation, and later, a time of neglect. It’s in better shape now, thanks to the Pasco County Black Caucus, but it’s clear that this is not a modern burial site. If you drove past it, you’d probably never know what it was.

First, a little history.

The community of Ehren — yep, that’s where the road’s name comes from — was a sawmill town in the late 1800s. There were white mill workers and African-American mill workers. They had separate living areas, separate churches, and separate cemeteries.

The Mount Carmel African Methodist Episcopal Church was one that served the African-American community, and they had their own cemetery. So workers and their families would attend the church and were eventually laid to rest there.

In 1920, a fire destroyed the sawmill. Back then, that usually meant the community was destroyed with it. The church eventually closed, but many African-Americans stayed and worked at nearby mills or companies.

They had the Oak Grove Baptist Church to serve their spiritual needs, but the old A.M.E. cemetery was still used as a burial site.

The Oak Grove Baptist Church itself closed a couple decades later, and the last person was buried at the Mount Carmel cemetery in the mid-1950s. And by the looks of things, that was the last anyone thought of the cemetery for several years. It wasn’t maintained, cows from a nearby pasture would trample the headstones, and fallen trees would just lie there rotting.

It wasn’t a cemetery the way you’d think of one today. It was a forgotten piece of land that was supposed to be a place where loved ones wouldn’t be forgotten.

That was basically how things stood until 2006, when a cleanup and preservation project finally got underway.

Think about that: A decade ago, it was still ignored and overrun. It took more than a half-century after the last burial for somebody to finally get around to maintaining it.

During the cleanup work, the county found broken headstones and other debris littering the ground. But they got it cleaned up, documented what remained, and even did radar tests to confirm that there were more burials there than are marked currently.

Today there are supposed to be seven headstones in the cemetery — it’s locked so I couldn’t go inside to verify — but dozens more are laid to rest there. Exactly who they all are, nobody can say. We don’t even know how long they’ve been there.

Some documentation suggests there were graves decades before the sawmill came into existence, meaning the use of the land as a cemetery predates the town proper. But most headstones were made of wood, and have since decayed away.

The few stone headstones that do exist stick up from the ground like broken teeth, and many of those only hint at who lies at rest there. Some have names but no legible dates. One has a name with a single date, so we don’t know if that’s the date of birth or death.

Another is an infant from the Horton family. And there are many more beneath the earth. They all have stories; we just don’t know what they are.

Unfortunately, this isn’t one of those “go see this place” stories. The gates are locked. Barbed wire designates the cemetery’s boundaries, and there’s nowhere to park but the open field by the side of the road.

If you were to walk up to it and didn’t read the signage, you’d have no idea it was a cemetery. There are no benches and no pathways. I think in the very back you can see one of the headstones, but driving by in your car it would just be a blur of trees and grass.

It’s more than that, of course. It’s the final resting place of hard-working people who lived during a difficult time, kept their faith, and were buried close to where they lived. And it’s good that the cemetery is finally cleaned up, designated and protected.

But you get the feeling that those laid to rest there deserved better over the years. The decades weren’t kind to the Mount Carmel Cemetery, and the situation only improved a few years ago.

The word “Ehren” is of German origin, and it means “to honor.” But when it comes to the deceased buried at the cemetery, it took decades to begin to live up to that word.

Published August 13, 2014

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Homeowners worry about value drain from golf course

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In the three months since the links at Plantation Palms Golf Club closed, a homeowners association has been left powerless, and confused neighbors listen to any rumor they can about the fate of the 156-acre course.

A small party tent, which once provided shade to golfers near the clubhouse, now sits neglected, its dirty canopy flapping in the wind. Equipment that used to keep the greens pristine is buried in overgrown grass.

Golfers have been replaced with wildlife along the Plantation Palms Golf Club, which has been deserted since MJS Golf Group closed the course last May. (Michael Hinman/Staff Photo)
Golfers have been replaced with wildlife along the Plantation Palms Golf Club, which has been deserted since MJS Golf Group closed the course last May.
(Michael Hinman/Staff Photo)

One hole, not far from the entrance, still sports a small flag, desperately calling attention to golfers who may never come.

Patty Stach doesn’t play golf, but the deserted course has become a nightmare for her. She’s ready to move to a new town, but she can’t even put her Plantation Palms house up for sale because of what’s happening just a block or so away.

“If you’re a golfer, it affects your way of life,” she said. “But even if you’re not a golfer, it affects the value of your home. Who would want to buy into a community where the golf course looks like this?”

Mitch Osceola, Jayson Ray and Steve McDonald — collectively known as MJS Golf Group LLC — bought the course in 2011 through a $2.2 million loan from Native American Bank of Denver. All three have Native American roots: Osceola is a Florida Seminole, Ray is from the Klamath Modoc tribe of Oregon, and McDonald from the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation of Kansas.

Despite their different upbringings, they found common ground in golf. Osceola, Ray and McDonald realized their dream to own a golf course when a Vero Beach developer decided to sell a course they built in the heart of Land O’ Lakes.

“We’ve got big ideas for Plantation Palms that will help the HOA grow as well,” Ray told The Laker at the time.

But now, the ownership is quiet. They haven’t communicated with the HOA, and they didn’t return a message seeking comment from The Laker. The doors that used to welcome golfers are now adorned with a citation from the Pasco County code enforcement office, demanding the grass get cut.

Dave Brooks, a former member of the HOA and a longtime member of the club, says there’s nothing the community can do except wait for something to happen.

“It’s frustrating that the course is in such bad shape, and it’s frustrating that we can’t play the course,” he said. “But at the same time, there’s not much we can do. It’s a privately owned golf course.”

After the May closing, the HOA president David Gunsteens told residents to stay off the course, and that he would close the front gates to the community during the day to stop people from coming in trying to get free trips around the links. Each month, he would update residents on what’s happening with the golf course in the community’s newsletter — at least as much as he could with the little information he had.

“Once again this month, I have to report that we still have no word on the status of the golf course,” Gunsteens wrote in the most recent newsletter. “We continue to attempt to obtain permission from the course owners in order to do some basic mowing in some of the more visible areas, but have continued to be unsuccessful in that area.”

If the county does have to come in and mow, it could make the property even more difficult to sell or bring back online. Especially since the cost to just maintain a 30-foot buffer from neighboring properties would be in the thousands of dollars, said Joaquin Servia, the county’s code enforcement manager.

“The government isn’t really equipped to deal with a situation like that,” Servia said. “It’s such a large area, and there’s no way that any government is going to be able to maintain a golf course like that to the standards that people would really expect.”

The county has three other golf courses that also are in limbo, Servia said. However, the owners at those are doing at least the bare minimum to keep code enforcers at bay.

If the county does come in and do work, they will lien the property, which will make it that much more expensive to sell.

The biggest rumors circulating around the community are that at least two groups — including one led by a resident — have tried to make offers on the golf course, but neither have received a response from Native American Bank. None of those rumors could be verified, and Joel Smith, a senior vice president and chief credit officer for the financial institution, didn’t return a call seeking comment.

However, a receptionist who answered the phone at the bank said they have received a number of calls from people asking about the course.

One way or the other, something needs to happen soon, because Stach says she’s ready to leave.

“It’s a beautiful community, and everybody loves it. It would just be nice to have the golf course up and running,” she said. “Nobody can move right now. We’re all kind of stuck. And as that grass gets deeper and deeper, we’re starting to realize it might be a while.”

Published August 6, 2014

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Browning, Sunlake eye district title in 2014

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Sunlake High School has come a long way since head coach Bill Browning led the Seahawks onto the field for their inaugural season back in 2007.

They started out by losing 21 out of their first 22 games, and didn’t win a district contest until their third season.

Running back Nathan Johnson, left, and linebacker Austin Yeloushan will be key to Sunlake’s fortunes in 2014. (Michael Murillo/Staff Photo)
Running back Nathan Johnson, left, and linebacker Austin Yeloushan will be key to Sunlake’s fortunes in 2014.
(Michael Murillo/Staff Photo)

Now they’re enjoying a run, which includes two playoff appearances and just five regular season losses in the past four years. They have playoff appearances, plenty of wins, and a reputation as a tough team to beat in Class 6A-District 6.

But something’s missing.

In all that time, the Seahawks have never won a district title. Three times in their history — including last year — they lost just one game during the regular season, but that game was to the eventual district champion.

And the players want that title for themselves in 2014.

“We’re planning on doing that this year,” said Austin Yeloushan, a senior who plays middle linebacker and tight end. “We’ve been working hard in the weight room.” The team also got in a good deal of game experience against quality opponents at a recent football camp at Stetson University, he said. Those performances give Sunlake confidence heading into their first game, an Aug. 29 road tilt against the talented Pasco Pirates.

While it’s not the only thing on his mind, Browning also wants to see a district title on the team’s resume.

“It’s missing right now, but it really just provides more motivation for us,” he said.

Since last year’s losses were so close — the total time remaining when their opponents took the lead was less than one minute for both games combined — Browning feels the Seahawks are on the right path.

To continue, Sunlake will have to overcome some heavy losses due to graduating seniors. Their defense will be retooled, with nine out of last year’s 11 starters gone from the team.

But Yeloushan, one of the two remaining starters from last year’s defense, believes the changes in personnel won’t hold them back. In fact, he expects them to surprise their opponents with their ability once the games start, and that includes contributing on the scoreboard.

“I think a lot of defensive touchdowns are going to happen this year. We have a lot of playmakers,” Yeloushan said.

Sunlake’s running game should continue to be a strong point, with star running back Nathan Johnson returning for duty. Johnson is ready to build on last year’s successful season — in more than 250 attempts, he lost just one fumble. But Browning believes a good running game is about more than a skilled runner in the backfield.

“He’d be the first one to tell you that the offensive line will be key, of course, in determining the kind of season he has,” Browning said.

Turns out, that’s exactly what Johnson said.

“I love my offensive line. I had 1,500 yards last year, and I couldn’t have gotten any of that without them,” he said.

While the line lost two starters from last season, Johnson believes their replacements are actually better players, and is excited to see what they can accomplish in 2014.

While Sunlake might be considered a run-first team, Browning said they have enough skill at quarterback and receiver to avoid being one-dimensional. The team will welcome back quarterback Dayton Feidon, who went down with an injury last October.

The coach also expects big things from returning receiver Nick Valdes, who has had an impressive offseason.

While Browning can look back at his tenure at Sunlake and note the considerable progress, it’s not in his nature to be happy just winning a lot of games and having a respectable finish each year.

“You always want to take it to the next step,” he said. “As a coach and as a competitor, you’re never satisfied where you’re at.”

SUNLAKE SEAHAWKS
LAST YEAR: 9-2
3-1 in district play
Second place in Class 6A-District 6, lost in first round of playoffs

KEY RETURNING PLAYERS
Austin Yeloushan, middle linebacker/tight end
Logan Wolfe, outside linebacker and fullback
Nick Valdes, wide receiver

PLAYER TO WATCH
Nathan Johnson, running back
“He was our workhorse last year. Very rarely goes down on first contact. A physical football player.” – Coach Bill Browning

2014 Seahawks Schedule
8/29 – at Pasco
9/5 – River Ridge
9/12 – at Anclote
9/19 – Springstead
9/26 – Ridgewood
10/3 – at Mitchell
10/10 – at Wesley Chapel
10/17 – at Land O’ Lakes
10/31 – Fivay
11/7 – Zephyrhills

Published August 6, 2014

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These athletes are ready to take on the world

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After claiming the gold at the Special Olympics Florida State Summer Games in May, a group of athletes from Land O’ Lakes will trek to Los Angeles next summer to compete at the 2015 Special Olympics Summer World Games.

The team got the word on July 21 via Skype during a surprise announcement in a mini-auditorium at Land O’ Lakes High School.

Ordray Smith advances the ball during a soccer game at Wesley Chapel High School during the Pasco County Special Olympics Games on Feb. 28. (Courtesy of Land O' Lakes High School)
Ordray Smith advances the ball during a soccer game at Wesley Chapel High School during the Pasco County Special Olympics Games on Feb. 28.
(Courtesy of Land O’ Lakes High School)

Coach Vicky King corralled members of the team to the meeting under the guise they would be talking about their gold-medal performance in the state competition at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in May.

But the athletes were really there to hear about their selection as an 11-member contingent of the 15-member Team Florida.

They compete in Division 2 soccer, with seven athletes on each side of the ball. It is a unified team, meaning there are four Special Olympics athletes playing along with three partners, who are there to provide help and support.

The team will join thousands of Special Olympics athletes from 170 nations to compete for international medals for a week beginning July 25, 2015. The games include 21 Olympic-style sports.

School principal Ric Mellin, who answered the Skype call, is delighted by the news.

“Words can’t express how excited I am for these students,” he said. “They put a tremendous amount of effort into preparing for the local games and the state games, and I think the grittiness that they showed impressed the selection group.”

The details regarding costs aren’t yet in, so it is unclear how much the team may need to raise, Mellin said. Besides the trip to L.A., the team also is expecting to spend a week in Indianapolis in a couple months to help prepare.

“If we do need to do some fundraising, that’ll be a wonderful opportunity for the locals here in Land O’ Lakes to provide some additional support,” Mellin said. “We would greatly appreciate it. Our community has always been wonderful when we’ve asked for things in the past, and I’m sure they would step up and help support these students as well.”

Coach King is excited about the experiences that await her athletes.

“It’s an opportunity of a lifetime,” she said.

King is happy the team is being rewarded for its dedication.

“We worked really, really hard this year,” the coach said.

Valerie Lundin, one of the directors for Pasco County Special Olympics, said Land O’ Lakes High has an exceptional Special Olympics program. The unified teams give athletes with disabilities and those without them a chance to gain a better understanding of each other.

“The premise is they get to know one another, they partner together, they travel together,” she said. “So, when they’re in the mall or the cafeteria, they’re friends.”

Ghaida Shehab said her son, Hassan, who plays on the team, is “very happy” that the team has been selected to compete. After hearing the news, he told Shehab: “See mom? Are you proud of me?”

“I think it’s good for him,” Shehab said, adding she plans to go the games, as well.

Tommy Guglielmello, one of the team’s partners, said he enjoys the role he plays on the team.

“The partners help the game move along,” Guglielmello said. “It’s awesome being out there when they score.”

Published July 30, 2014

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Remsberg ready to give commission a much-needed intervention

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The first step in finding out who will replace Pat Mulieri on the Pasco County Commission begins at the Aug. 26 primary. There voters will choose between three politically focused men — Ken Littlefield, Mike Moore and Bob Robertson — to represent Republicans in the November election.

Erika Remsberg is not afraid to speak her mind, but says she also knows when compromise is needed to achieve countywide goals. She hopes that belief will help earn her a seat on the Pasco County Commission in November. (Michael Hinman/Staff Photo)
Erika Remsberg is not afraid to speak her mind, but says she also knows when compromise is needed to achieve countywide goals. She hopes that belief will help earn her a seat on the Pasco County Commission in November.
(Michael Hinman/Staff Photo)

But a primary win for any one of them is just the beginning. The eventual GOP nominee will have to win over voters one more time after August, and prove he’s the better candidate than the lone Democrat in the race, a Land O’ Lakes social worker who says she wants to return the county government’s focus back to helping people.

Erika Remsberg works long hours for Pasco County Schools, helping some of the more than 1,800 students stay focused on their studies, despite the fact they don’t have a place they can call home.

“You lost your home, you lost your friends, you lost your teachers and classmates, and you probably lost all your stuff if you were evicted from somewhere,” Remsberg said. “Your family is focused on survival, not necessarily reading and math, and all of that can have a tremendous negative impact on their education.”

Remsberg and her husband, Philip, moved to Pasco County 13 years ago to be closer to her parents. She was born in the Bronx, but raised in Long Island, graduating from New York University and marrying soon after.

Remsberg never imagined herself running for any type of elected office, but when she learned Mulieri was retiring, she feared one of the lone voices for the issues closest to her heart was going to be silenced.

“I have been very vocal that the county has not done enough to coordinate social service, and they haven’t done enough to deal with the critical needs in the county,” Remsberg said. “I think Pat Mulieri has done the best job in trying to advocate and listen, but now the best advocate that we have is now retiring.”

The commission has been plagued with bitter disputes over recent months, ranging from a park one commissioner wants to turn into a tourist attraction, to how the county is going to pay for much-needed road improvements and new construction projects, she said. In the process, money has been wasted on large corporations —including some that never made it here, like T. Rowe Price — but smaller businesses have been ignored.

“We need to start from the base up, not from the top down,” Remsberg said. “You don’t give a corporation millions of dollars while failing to help people get the transportation they need, the jobs and career centers they need, or the income they need to survive. You want to give tax breaks to companies that are going to pay at or above the median income, and not companies that are just going to pay minimum wage.”

The key to growing jobs and salaries is through workforce development, Remsberg said. County officials are missing a number of grant opportunities available to them, some which could help smaller businesses grow and enhance the work force at the same time through projects like apprenticeship programs.

“There are always ways to reach more than one goal,” Remsberg said. “These small businesses might need some help, and many of these people need job experience. It’s a way to give something back to everyone.”
County officials also have to spend more time learning how to spend money smartly, and less time getting worked up about small increases in taxes to help pay for it, Remsberg said.

“I hear a lot about the millage rate, and everyone gets very excited when taxes get raised,” she said. “But many times, we’re only talking about increases of like $20 a year. That’s a small amount of money that can dramatically impact programs that are being strained or completely ignored otherwise.”

Remsberg also believes there are not enough sheriff’s deputies on the streets, and more money is needed to help both law enforcement and fire-rescue. Public safety must become a higher priority, because a county cannot grow properly unless its residents feel safe.

So far, Remsberg has raised a little more than $3,000 for her campaign, a fraction of the more than $111,600 combined for the three Republicans in the race. But winners aren’t always determined by how much money a candidate has in the bank, and Remsberg won’t be discouraged.

“I am a social worker, so I love going for the underdog,” she said. “It’s just that this time it’s me, which is a new experience for me. But I’m good with grassroots efforts and community organization, and I’m getting out wherever I can to share a message of how we all need to work together.

“We can’t put a roof on a home with no foundation, and no walls,” she said. “We need to take care of our responsibilities when it comes to helping everyone, and only then can we truly start growing.”

ERIKA REMSBERG
Democrat for Pasco County Commission, District 2

Occupation
Homeless liaison social worker, Pasco County Schools

Family
Philip Remsberg, husband
Jordan Remsberg, son
Alex Remsberg, daughter

Residence
Land O’ Lakes, since 2001

Fundraising, through July 18
$3,324

Published July 30, 2014

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