The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

Local News

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

Using playtime to reach milestones

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Jerica Detsch is in her own zone.

That’s because this Land O’ Lakes resident is most comfortable running around without shoes — chasing, playing and interacting with little kiddos at her newly opened indoor playground and sensory gym in Lutz.

Zeke Detsch takes a ride on the swing pushed by his mom, owner and operator of MilestoneZone, an indoor playground and sensory gym in Lutz. (Mike Camunas)

MilestoneZone opened Feb. 6 at 18455 U.S. 41 and has since been providing a place to play, to learn, but especially for local youngsters to reach milestones.

“That’s why I named it that,” Detsch, who has worked in occupational therapy since 2011 and also has worked previously with children with autism. “We want them to hit milestones in their own ways and help them reach them here. I just saw a need to help parents and create a safe place for them (children) to come play and receive sensory input.”

“(This playground and sensory gym) is different, because it’s owned by an experienced pediatric occupational therapist assistant — one that saw there was no sensory place nearby for kids to go.

“And now there is,” she said.

When Detsch opened the doors, a steady influx of parents showed up — seeking an affordable, indoor and all-inclusive local playdate spot.

Zuriya Booker, 7, plays in the ball pit at MilestoneZone in Lutz.

However, her original intent was to have an autism sensory gym — and that remains the goal because the closest gym of that kind is in Brandon.

“It includes everything that makes it all-inclusive — swings, slides, rock climb wall, ball pit — there’s not another indoor playground like this except We Rock The Spectrum, but that’s not around here,” Detsch said. “Parents are really happy (with this place). Now, they don’t have to drive all the way to Brandon — this is closer to home.”

The gym is full of features such as a pool-noodle rainforest, trampolines and other interactive and sensory-friendly amenities geared toward those on the autism spectrum and with other special needs. However, so far, there are more kids using it who are not on the autism spectrum and don’t have special needs.

“I haven’t really reached out to therapy clinics to help bring the kids here, but one thing I’m noticing is when I offer special-needs times, parents (of special-needs kids) would rather them come during busy times and let them socialize,” Detsch said. “So we’re talking about verbal and non-verbal kids, during our busy time, learning socialization, communication and interaction.”

Phoenix Booker, of Wesley Chapel, takes a swing at MilestoneZone, an indoor playground, sensory gym and birthday venue that provides daily play for young children that includes swings, slides, rock climb wall, ball pit and more. The facility is at 18455 U.S. 41, in Lutz. The gym is the area’s first indoor sensory gym geared toward those on the autism spectrum and with other special needs.

Parents love the interaction seen through their kids, plus the location has drawn plenty of patrons from communities in Pasco County.

“It’s crazy that in (the surrounding areas in Pasco County) there aren’t too many places like this, if any at all besides here now,” said Tiffany Booker, a Wesley Chapel mom. “There needs to be more places like this — indoor playgrounds — and more places that are all-inclusive, for the kids and for the parents.”

MilestoneZone has given Booker and other parents a place to have Mom Meetups, allowing them to discuss parenting while giving their young kids a place to play.

“The kids love it (here), and I just love what Jerica is doing here,” Booker added.

Local parents, such as Tonia Gegenfurtner, a Land O’ Lakes mom, love the new indoor playground and it has become a new staple in her kids’ routine.

“Anything else like this is like a 35-minute drive somewhere,” she said. “It’s nice to have a place for them to play indoors, and I can open my laptop and get some work done while they do. … They really haven’t taken to things like mom coffeetime or mom meetups — they want nothing to do with that, but not here. They keep asking me when we’re going to come back here now!”

MilestoneZone
Where: 18455 U.S. 41, in Lutz
When: Open 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., except for Tuesdays and Sundays, when it’s closed.
Details: An indoor playground, sensory gym and birthday venue that provides daily play for young children that includes swings, slides, rock climb wall, ball pit and more. It also provides an atmosphere for parents to socialize, as well as daily zone activities such as story, music or painting sessions. Open play prices start at $5 for babies/crawlers and $16 for walkers/toddlers. Grouping rates are available.
Info: Visit Milestone.Zone online, or call 813-922-9717.

Published May 10, 2023

Land O’ Lakes mom Tonia Gegenfurtner reads a children’s book to her 2-year-old son, Shane, at MilestoneZone, an indoor playground and sensory gym in Lutz.
MilestoneZone, a Lutz-based, indoor playground, sensory gym and birthday venue provides daily play for young children both with and without autism and other special needs.
MilestoneZone owner and operator Jerica Detsch, of Land O’ Lakes, holds Miles the Bunny, the mascot of the indoor playground, sensory gym and birthday venue she opened in Lutz in February.

Annual food drive gears up

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Mark your calendar. The National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) will conduct its 31st annual national Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive on May 13, according to a news release.

The letter carriers once again will join forces with communities to help fight hunger across Central and Southwest Florida. The campaign provides residents with an easy opportunity to donate food to those in need in the community.

Post offices will collect the food items and volunteers then will sort through the donated items to distribute them back out to the community to food banks, pantries and shelters, to help families in need.

To participate, residents are asked to leave a sturdy bag containing nonperishable food items next to their mailbox prior to the time of regular mail delivery on May 13. The letter carrier will take care of the rest.

Millions of Americans live in challenging situations, uncertain of where their next meal will come from or if it will come at all. Sadly, one in five households needing help with food is home to a military veteran, the release said.

With more than 30 years of letter carriers’ commitment to the nation’s largest single-day food drive, communities are still in need across the country.

For information, visit Stamp Out Hunger on Facebook, NALC.org or tinyurl.com/59kxmd84.

Published May 10, 2023

Hillsborough Elections Office detects criminal cyberactivity

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Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections Craig Latimer has issued a statement involving criminal cyberactivity that’s under investigation.

“It’s my intent to provide the public with as much information as possible without compromising the integrity of the investigation,” Latimer said, in a May 3 statement from his office.

“As someone who spent 35 years in law enforcement, I take all criminal activity seriously, and I consider an intrusion into an elections office an extremely serious offense,” Latimer said, in the prepared statement.

“We learned that an unauthorized user illegally accessed files on a shared drive on our  network and we immediately notified federal, state and local law enforcement partners, including the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the FBI, MS-ISAC, the Florida Department of State, and the cybersecurity division of Hillsborough County’s Information and Innovation Office. 

“We are working closely with those partners to ensure that this incident is thoroughly investigated.”

Latimer continued: “It’s very important to note that the unauthorized user did not have access to our voter registration system or our ballot tabulation system. Our voter registration system has multiple layers of protection, monitoring and redundancy. Our tabulation system does too, and uses a stand-alone, air gapped server that is not connected to anything else. That server has not been compromised in any way.”

Latimer added: “Addressing this issue is my top priority right now, and I am proud to be working alongside law enforcement partners and cyber technology experts who understand and respect the seriousness of this incident.

“I look forward to providing further information once the investigation concludes. “Elections are critical infrastructure, and any attack on our office – even one that does not interfere with the conduct of an election – is an attack on our community and our democracy,” Latimer concluded.

Published May 10, 2023