The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

Local News

A step up to giddy up

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There was no neigh about it.

Not from the horses, or from the kiddos, either.

Ten-year-old Kam Venkat, of Wesley Chapel, straps on a helmet and gets ready to ride a friendly stallion with the help of Tammy Sliger during Saddle Up for Autism on April 29, at Kiddy Up Ranch in Hudson. Venkat, and a handful of other kiddos with special needs, had a fun afternoon that included feeding farm animals, riding and grooming horses, and playing on the ranch compound. (Mike Camunas)

The youngsters, who have special needs, spent the afternoon on April 29 taking part in SaddleUp for Autism at Kiddy Up Ranch, in Hudson.

The event was one of various inclusive activities offered by the Pasco County Parks, Recreation, & Natural Resources Department during April, which is Autism Awareness Month.

Children and their parents were able to spend time on the small farm, interacting with and feeding farm animals, riding and grooming horses, including friendly painting them and just playing on the grounds on an overcast afternoon.

“I really liked riding the horse,” said 16-year-old Oliver Rice, from Oldsmar.

He recalled that he had rode on a horse when he was 3 and was scared at that time, but said he enjoyed the experience this time.

Kiddy Up Ranch staff, led by founder and owner Tammy Sliger, guided helmet-clad kiddos around on horses. In addition to helping them with the horses, Sliger also helped the children interact with bunnies, hogs, goats and other animals on the compound.

Sliger started Kiddy Up Ranch more than 12 years ago as a way to provide horse therapy to kiddos with special needs, as well as those suffering traumas, such as PTSD in veterans and those who have survived human trafficking.

“The number of people suffering human trafficking in this county keeps growing,” Sliger said. “Horse therapy really helps them and these kids with special needs.”

Saddle Up For Autism was the final inclusive activity the parks department put on in April, following the Adaptive Sports Day at Wesley Chapel District Park and the “At Bat 4 Autism” Home Run Derby at Land O’ Lakes Recreation Complex.

Senior Recreation Coordinator Kimberly Miller runs these inclusive activities through the department’s Pasco Adaptive & Inclusive Recreation (P.A.I.R) program, which provides active events and activities for those with disabilities. 

For more information on Kiddy Up Ranch, call 727-868-5433. For more information on P.A.I.R, visit PascoCountyFl.net.

Published May 17, 2023

Nine-year-old Daniel Sosa, of Riverview, straps on a helmet and gets ready to ride a friendly stallion with the help of staff at Kiddy Up Ranch in Hudson on April 29 during Saddle Up For Autism.
Chas Sahadi, a 3-year-old from Wesley Chapel, initially was wary about taking a horseback ride at Kiddy Up Ranch in Hudson. But he gradually warmed up to the adventure during Saddle Up For Autism, an event put on by the Pasco County Parks, Recreation, & Natural Resources Department on April 29.
Tampa resident Elisa Sisk, left, laughs with her 6-year-old son, Oliver, as he feeds a goat at Kiddy Up Ranch in Hudson on April 29.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Five-year-old Lucas Aguiar, of Wesley Chapel, takes his time and paints the side of a very patient horse at the Saddle Up For Autism, on April 29.
Pasco County Parks, Recreation, & Natural Resources Senior Recreation Coordinator Kimberly Miller snaps a pic of Oliver Sisk as he eagerly is ready for a guided horseback ride at Kiddy Up Ranch in Hudson.
A horse named Sugar tries to grab a peak over her stall at Kiddy Up Ranch in Hudson.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wesley Chapel youngster Kason Devries flashes a smile during Kiddy Up Ranch in Hudson.
Oliver Rice, 16, of Oldsmar, wasn’t so sure he wanted to go for a ride during Saddle Up For Autism, but ultimately, he enjoyed the experience and other activities at Kiddy Up Ranch in Hudson.
Local youngsters with special needs had a fun afternoon riding horses at Kiddy Up Ranch in Hudson, which has provided horse therapy for those with special needs and also for suffering traumas, such as PTSD in veterans and survivors of human trafficking.
Land O’ Lakes resident Andrew Perry holds onto his son, Jaxton, 8, during the Saddle Up For Autism.

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

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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

Pasco wants to revisit mobility fee credits for hotels

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The Pasco County Commission wants to take another look at whether the county should grant mobility fee credits for hotel rooms.

The issue came up during the county board’s May 9 meeting, during a more general discussion of the county’s transportation needs.

Commissioner Kathryn Starkey reminded her colleagues: “When we give mobility fee credits, we take away from our ability to build some of our road network.”

She said she questioned the need for the mobility fee credits for hotels when the county was considering its mobility fee schedule in the past and she thinks it’s time for the board to take another look at the issue.

Should hotels have to pay mobility fees? Pasco County has waived those fees in the past to encourage hotel development, but the county board now appears willing to take another look at the issue. Shown is Hyatt Place Hotel at the Cypress Creek Town Center. (File)

“We’re giving away, was it  $4- or $5,000 per hotel room, on mobility fee credits.

“I think that’s a lot,” Starkey said.

“I think we may need to revisit these credits we’re handing out because I think that the economy is here and people are building here, and I don’t think we need to be giving away the store,” she said.

The money the county is using to offer incentives could be used to pay for local transportation projects, the commissioner continued.

Commissioner Ron Oakley agrees that it is a good time to take another look at the issue.

Commissioner Seth Weightman agreed.

“Pasco is on the map. People are coming  here,” Weightman said. “I think it’s time that we tightened up a bit and really understand these incentive packages we’ve been giving.

“We’re competitive now.”

Commission Chairman Jack Mariano was less enthusiastic.

He’s concerned about losing the economic impact created by the visitors that stay in the area’s hotels.

Hotel guests spend money in the community, while creating no impact on schools and little impact on other services, Mariano said.

“They bring money to the area,” the board chairman said.

Starkey suggested: Let’s have a workshop on this.”

There wasn’t a vote to schedule a workshop, but it appears there’s enough interest on the board’s part to make it happen.

In other action, the board:

  • Approved 2,300 dwelling units and 20,000 square feet of commercial on 931 acres in the Depue East Master-Planned Unit Development (MPUD). The project is within Village L and M, in the Villages of Pasadena Hills, a special planning area in the eastern part of the county. The site abuts the Watergrass MPUD, Oak Creek MPUD and Avalon Park MPUD.
  • Approved interlocal agreements for Animal Control Services for each of the six municipalities in Pasco County to provide various services. These agreements had existed in the past but required updating.
  • Approved a task order in the amount of $152,119.81 for fiscal year 2023 with Ayres Associates Inc., to provide design and post design services for intersection improvements at Collier Parkway and Livingston Avenue. The design services are to be completed within 360 calendar days. The project is expected to be completed in 2026, at an estimated budget of more than $3.4 million.
  • Confirmed the appointment of Jason M. Mickel, who was promoted to become the county’s new public works director, at an annual salary of $150,000.

Published May 17, 2023

Suncoast Parkway widening project being studied

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The Florida Turnpike Enterprise has begun its preliminary design and engineering (PD&E) study for the widening of the Suncoast Parkway, from Van Dyke Road in Hillsborough County to north of State Road 52, in Pasco County.

That’s just one of the pieces of news to emerge during the Pasco Metropolitan Planning Organization’s May 11 board meeting.

Scott Ferry, a principal transportation planner for the Pasco MPO, mentioned the Suncoast Parkway study, while presenting the board’s Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) report.

He also said that Todd Vande Berg, a TAC member, and the planning director for the City of Zephyrhills, summarized a recent meeting before the Florida Department of Transportation, the city of Zephyrhills and Pasco County’s engineering services.

During that meeting, the proposed State Road 56 extension was discussed, as well as a second route option for the extension.

The second option incorporates Chancey Road and County Road 54 to connect State Road 56 to U.S. 98, Ferry said.

The state transportation department will present its findings to the Zephyrhills City Council and the Pasco County Commission, Ferry said.

Randy Stovall, representing the Bicycle Pedestrian Advisory Committee, thanked the Pasco MPO board for its previous discussion regarding the need to take steps to improve safety for bicyclists using multi-use trails alongside roads.

One idea is to add trees, which would provide shade and add an element of separation between the road and the trail.

Committee members have “talked about providing some sort of physical barrier, when at all possible, between a roadway and a bicycle path,” Stovall said.

Committee members also would like to hear more from the public regarding routing decisions affecting the future Orange Belt Trail.

“We really are encouraging people to go to that OrangeBeltTrail.com website because there are several different route decisions that have to be made,” Stovall said.

Pasco County Commissioner Ron Oakley said some people want to avoid being in the Orange Belt Trail’s path.

“I’ve met with some folks and they don’t want it to be a certain route,” Oakley said.

Stovall thinks a visit to the website will help people get a better understanding of the plan.

Pasco County Commissioner Kathryn Starkey is an avid advocate for trails. In her view, they help people get around, provide an outlet for recreation and create economic opportunity.

Starkey also noted that she put the Orange Belt Trail on the state opportunity map back when Gov. Jeb Bush was in office.

Creating the project should be a high priority because it’s part of the SUN Trail network.

“The (Florida) Coast-to-Coast Trail and the Orange Belt are SUN Trail eligible. That is a different pot of money,” Starkey said.

The Pasco County MPO board is made up of elected leaders from Pasco County and the cities of New Port Richey, Port Richey, Dade City and Zephyrhills. It is the lead transportation planning agency for Pasco County.

Published May 17, 2023

New Zephyrhills VA clinic ready to help veterans

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The road was long and sometimes uncertain, but after nearly four years, the new Zephyrhills Veterans Clinic is finally open.

Ground was broken for the $16 million clinic on June 7, 2019. But after the long wait, the new clinic marked its opening with a celebration on the morning of May 6.

Government officials, veterans and well-wishers gathered to welcome the new 14,000-square-foot facility, at 37827 Eiland Blvd.

The Zephyrhills Veterans Clinic, at 37827 Eiland Blvd., is now open, after nearly four years in the making. Government officials, veterans and well-wishers turned out for the May 6 ceremony, where they had a chance to tour the $16 million facility. (Mike Camunas)

It’s one of 16 clinics operated by James A. Haley Veterans Hospital (JAHVH) and will help address the health needs of veterans in Zephyrhills, the largest municipality in Pasco County.

“This facility will have all the stops under one roof for convenience,” JAHVH Director David Dunning said. “We believe in the qualities of the upgrades at this location in Zephyrhills, which was very much needed, and we will continue to provide our hallmark treatment and services known with the Veterans Hospital.”

The clinic is designed to accommodate people with disabilities and will offer new services such as podiatry and physical therapy.

Additional services it will provide include hearing aid repair, social work, food and nutrition and tele-health. Each patient will have an assigned patient-aligned care team that will consist of a physician, nurse, social worker and a mental health provider.

Patients needing surgeries and extensive therapy will be referred to the James A. Haley Veterans Hospital for those services.

Ten rooms will be used for primary care. Six rooms are devoted to mental health treatment, which aligns with the VA’s efforts to provide improved access to psychiatric care services.

People who need care but lack transportation will be able to take advantage of a service that provides free rides to appointments.

“I’m excited about the new clinic because it’s going to enhance the patient experience for our veterans,” Dr. Scott Knoeppel, chief medical officer of Zephyrhills Community Based Outpatient Clinic, said in a statement in January to The Laker/Lutz News. “The new clinic will be nearly triple in size, so we now have the capacity to add some high-demand specialty care services, such as physical therapy, podiatry and hearing aid repair.

A large physical therapy room will be used to provide services at the Zephyrhills VA clinic.

“Additionally, our mental health providers will be seeing patients in the new building, as well. Offering these services in one building will be of convenience to our veterans. Lastly, we will be expanding parking capacity, which had been a challenge at the previous location.”

The clinic’s construction was finished in late 2022, but supply chain issues delayed the opening.

Additionally, the Tampa VA had an unprecedented amount of construction activities occurring at the same time, swamping officials with a logjam of projects.

The main hospital unveiled a Bed Tower of 240,000 square feet and 150 beds on Jan. 21, the VA clinic in New Port Richey expanded to serve up to 24,000 veterans and Lakeland broke ground on a new 93,000-square-foot facility in April 2022.

Now, services at the Zephyrhills clinic will get underway led by a staff of more than 50 medical professionals.

David Issacks, director of Veterans Integrated Services Network 8, said the importance of the new clinic and its services are invaluable. 

“With everything and all the services we provide under one roof, people will walk through the doors of this great facility and always reflect on every veteran that served and made a facility like this, that is for them, possible.”

Published May 17, 2023

Longtime Saint Leo University AD to retire

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Saint Leo University Vice President and Director of Athletics Fran Reidy announced May 9 he will retire from his position after more than 35 years, the institution said in a news release.

Saint Leo University Vice President and Director of Athletics Fran Reidy announced May 9 he will retire after more than 35 years with the East Pasco college. (Courtesy of Saint Leo University)

Reidy, who led the Saint Leo Lions to win 30 Sunshine State Conference championships, earn two national championships and make 125 NCAA Division II championship appearances, will leave the university in August.

“I am extremely proud of all that Saint Leo Athletics achieved during my tenure,” Reidy said in the statement. “For over three decades, I never had a job, but a daily adventure. I would get excited each time I drove through the entrance and onto campus.”

Reidy became Director of Athletics in 1999, when the Lions had gone nearly 30 years with no conference championship wins and many sports were in the bottom of the Sunshine State Conference, the release said.

According to the release, Reidy has been recognized three times as the Under Armour National Athletic Director of the Year and honored as men’s soccer coach of the year two times by the Sunshine State Conference. Reidy is the all-time winningest coach in Saint Leo men’s soccer history with 139 wins.

Reidy’s contributions to intercollegiate athletics also include serving as president of the Division II Athletic Director’s Association; the NCAA Championships Committee, with one year of service as chair; and the NCAA Men’s Basketball Committee, which he also chaired for a year. He also made valuable contributions to the Sunshine State Conference.

Published May 17, 2023

Water safety requires a watchful eye

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Summer is fast approaching and parents are urged to be more vigilant for their children’s safety around pools and other bodies of water, whether at home or on vacation.

May is National Water Safety Month and drowning is one of the leading causes of accidental death among children.

The American Lifeguard Association points out more than 33% of public pools have been impacted by a lifeguard shortage, whether by curtailed hours, reduced programs or outright closures, according to a news release.

With fewer lifeguards keeping watch over pools and beaches this summer, there is an increased drowning danger and water safety is even more important.

Here are some tips to follow:

  • Always designate a “water watcher” — an adult who has his or her eyes on the kids at all times and isn’t distracted by conversation, text messages or a cold alcoholic beverage.
  • Novice swimmers should wear a lifejacket in pools and lakes.
  • Enroll in swim and water survival lessons, even for infants.

To learn more about water safety and what to do in the event of an emergency, visit tinyurl.com/3u62etp2, for information from the Red Cross.

Published May 17, 2023

 

County board member expected to be absent in coming weeks

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Pasco County Commissioner Gary Bradford has been absent from recent county board meetings, as he focuses on treatment for a common form of blood cancer.

Pasco County Commission Chairman Jack Mariano shared the news during the county board’s May 9 meeting.

He said Bradford is being treated for a highly survivable form of blood cancer.

“Commissioner Bradford is upbeat, positive,” Mariano said, but Bradford is expected to be out for coming weeks, as focuses on his treatments and convalesces at home.

Meanwhile, Bradford is in contact with his staff members, who are available during office hours to field requests and address concerns.

Mariano said he would be happy to do what he can, if a need for a commissioner should arise.

Published May 17, 2023

‘Building’ awareness for everyone’s safety

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Pasco County’s Building Construction Services Department will participate in the International Code Council’s 43rd annual Building Safety Month.

(Mike Camunas)

This year’s campaign, “It Starts with YOU!” is raising awareness about the role everyone plays in ensuring the buildings in which we all live, work and learn are safe.

Building Safety Month is celebrated in May to:

  • Raise awareness about building safety
  • Reinforce the need for regular, updated building codes
  • Help people, families and business owners understand the process of creating safe structures

“Safety is our number one priority in Building Construction Services,” said Pasco County building official Esther Oluyemi, in a news release.

“Dedicating a month to raise awareness about building safety will help everyone in our community understand what it takes to create safe, sustainable structures,” said Oluyemi.

For those interested in learning more, follow Pasco’s Development Services Facebook page during the month of May, at Facebook.com/PascoDevServices.

For general building safety questions, visit MyPas.co/BuildingConstruction, or call 727-847-2411.

Published May 17, 2023

A remarkable reunion

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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