The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

Local News

Voters make choices known in Election 2022

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Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis cruised to re-election in the 2022 General Election, and Republican Marco Rubio won another term in the U.S. Senate.

Other Florida candidates winning statewide seats include Wilton Simpson, a Republican from Trilby, who is Florida’s next Commissioner of Agriculture; Republican Ashley Moody, who won another term as Attorney General; and Republican Jimmy Petronis, who was re-elected to Chief Financial Officer.

State lawmakers who secured the most votes include Danny Burgess, a Republican from Zephyrhills, in District 23 of the Florida Senate; Republican Randy Maggard, who won the District 54 seat in the Florida House of Representatives;  Kevin M. Steele who won the House district 55 seat; and, Traci Koster, who won the district 66 seat.

Al Hernandez will be joining the Pasco County School Board, replacing Allen Altman who stepped away from the board after 16 years. (B.C. Manion)

At the federal level, Incumbent Republican Gus Bilirakis was re-elected to represent Florida’s 12th congressional district by a commanding margin.

In Hillsborough County, Republican challengers defeated two Democrat incumbents on the Hillsborough County Commission.

Kimberly Overman lost her bid for re-election to Republican challenger Joshua Wostal. Democrat Muriel Smith was defeated by Republican challenger Donna Cameron Cepeda.

Democrat incumbent Harry Cohen won by a thin margin over Republican challenger Scott D. Levinson.

Republican incumbent Ken Hagan also won another term on the Hillsborough County board by a significant margin, defeating Democrat challenger Angela Birdsong.

In Pasco County, Al Hernandez defeated James M. Washington in the nonpartisan race for District 1 on the Pasco County School Board, which was vacated by Allen Altman, after 16 years on the board.

Hernandez joins school board members Cynthia Armstrong and Megan Harding, who won re-election during the Primary.

On the Pasco County Commission, Republicans Seth Weightman and Gary Bradford will be new faces on the five-member board.

The outcome for both of those seats was known before the General Election.

Weightman replaces Mike Moore, who steps away from the board after two terms. Bradford replaces Christina Fitzpatrick, whom he defeated in the Primary.

Besides making choices for elected leaders, voters in Pasco and Hillsborough counties made their voices known on a local referendum on each ballot.

Pasco voters overwhelming approved a 15-year extension of Penny for Pasco, a 1-cent surtax that is divvied up between Pasco County, the Pasco County School Board and the six municipalities within the county.

This Penny For Pasco sign on Fifth Avenue in Zephyrhills wants to make sure that voters realized that the referendum is the last item listed on the ballot. (Mike Camunas)

Hillsborough County, voters rejected a proposed tax to pay for transportation improvements. The transportation referendum had been challenged, was ruled unconstitutional and was the subject of an appeal, when voters cast their votes.

A legal issue also popped up in the Pasco County School Board District 1.

Hernandez initially was disqualified by a judge, after allegations arose claiming that he did not meet the residency requirement.

Hernandez challenged that ruling and won his appeal.

He spent much of Election Day on Nov. 8 holding a political sign outside the polling place at Land O’ Lakes Recreation Complex, and chatting with people passing by.

He said he could not let the disqualification stand.

“I care about my integrity,” Hernandez said.

Voter Michael Faust, who lives in Land O’ Lakes, came to the polling place at the recreation complex on his way home from work.

Participating in the political process is important to him.

“A lot of people in the world don’t have a chance to vote. A lot of people don’t have a say. I think it’s important, as Americans, to make our opinions known and to ensure the continued existence of our free country,” he said.

While generally not a pro-tax guy, he said he supported Penny for Pasco.

“I do think it’s important to give back to the community. I think it’s a good thing.”

He said his main motivator in this year’s election was to show his support for Florida’s incumbent governor.

“I just wanted to keep Ron DeSantis in,” he said.

Based upon Election Day results, that’s a sentiment widely shared across the state.

VOTER TURNOUT
Hillsborough County: 52.36%
Pasco County: 54.71%

KEY LOCAL RACES

HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY
Hillsborough County Commission

District 1
Scott D. Levinson: 49.66%
Harry Cohen: 50.34%

District 2
Ken Hagan: 56.58%
Angela Birdsong: 43.42%

District 5
Donna Cameron Cepeda: 52.73%
Mariella Smith: 47.27%

District 7
Joshua Wostal: 52.38%
Kimberly Overman: 47.62%

Hillsborough County Referendum (Transportation)
Yes: 48.72%
No: 51,28%

PASCO COUNTY
Pasco County  School Board, District 1
Al Hernandez: 64.85%
James Washington: 35.15%

Penny for Pasco referendum
Yes: 64.71%
No: 35.29%

 KEY FLORIDA RACES
Governor
Ron DeSantis: 59.38%
Charlie Crist: 39.96%

Attorney General
Ashley Moody: 60.59%
Aramis Ayala: 39.41%

Chief Financial Officer
Jimmy Patronis: 59.98%
Adam Hattersley: 40.52%

Commissioner of Agriculture
Wilton Simpson: 59.31%
Naomi Esther Blemur: 40.69%

State Attorney, 6th Judicial Circuit
Bruce Bartlett: 58.84%
Allison Miller: 41.16%

Florida Legislature
State Senate
District 21
Ed Hooper:  64.76%
Amaro Lionheart: 35.24%

District 23
Danny Burgess: 63.19%
Mike Harvey: 36.81%

State House of Representatives
District 54
Randy Maggard: 61.62%
Brian Staver: 36.11%

District 55
Kevin M. Steele: 77.52%
Charles “C.J.” Hacker Jr: 39.67

District 66
Traci Koster: 60.12%
David Tillery: 39.88%

Statewide Referendums

(Note: Constitutional Amendments require approval of 60% or more to be adopted)

Constitutional Amendment 1: Limitation on the Assessment of Real Property Used for Residential Purposes
Yes: 57.26%
No: 42.74%

Constitutional Amendment 2: Abolishing the Constitution Revision Commission
Yes: 53.87%
No: 46.13%

Constitutional Amendment 3: Additional Homestead Property Tax Exemption for Specified Critical Public Service Workforce
Yes: 58.67%
No: 41.33%

KEY FEDERAL RACES
U.S. Senate
Marco Rubio:  57.69%
Val Demings: 41.26%

U.S. House of Representatives
District 12
Gus Bilirakis: 70.38%
Kimberly Walker: 29.62%

District 14
Kathy Castor: 56.9%
James Judge: 43.1%

District 15
Laurel Lee: 58.55%
Alan M. Cohn: 41.45%

*Sources: Unofficial results from the websites of the Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections, the Pasco County Supervisor of Elections and the Florida Division of Elections.

Published November 16, 2022

Voice of The Voter

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The Laker/Lutz News Staff Reporter Mike Camunas caught up with some voters to ask them what motivated them to head to the polls for the 2022 General Election. We share their thoughts here:

  • Maria Cuebas, Zephyrhills: “It’s my duty to vote and I try to regularly vote. … This was one of the most important midterms in a long time. It was important that everyone was heard this time around. Penny For Pasco — it’s going to serve its purpose.”
  • Rolanda Avila, Zephyrhills: “We need to vote and be heard — especially with the way this country has been going. People need to get out and be heard, and voting is the right way to do that. We got to make sure that we turn this around as much as we can and we use every tool that we got to help people that are struggling.”
  • Tiffany Musak, Wesley Chapel: “I just want to make sure that we stay free, because I like our state the way it is — it was an important midterm. I voted for Penny For Pasco because it’s for Pasco. It’s right in the name.”
  • Tammy Loomis, Wesley Chapel: “Yeah, I think (as a teacher), it’s pretty obvious I voted for Penny For Pasco (laughs). I mean, it helps out everyone, our classrooms, especially, and I look at it that way, obviously, because all the teachers need help, but you always want to thrive in our community and that is an important way to make sure that we continue to thrive.”
  • Phillip Fields, Land O’ Lakes: “It’s always important to vote — no matter how long the line is, it’s important to vote at every election. As far as I’m concerned. … It was an important one for our state, but our area, too.” (He also mentioned he voted for Penny for Pasco.)
  • Noel Garcia, Land O’ Lakes: “Well, certainly, I think the governor’s race was really important this time around, but I also think that it’s important to vote (at midterms) to keep control of the House and the Senate, no matter your (party) affiliation. It was important to vote on the school board (members) because those are important for our schools and kids and teachers. I voted to retain Penny For Pasco, because my wife, (and) my mother-in-law, are both teachers, and that, in part, but also so we don’t lose all the funding that goes to the rest of the county, too.”
  • Jessica Powser, Land O’ Lakes: “It’s always important to vote because every vote matters — every voice matters. It’s what makes this country great — that you can vote and matter. … There were a lot of things that we needed to vote for here in Pasco, and I’m glad I did and hope everyone who could did, too.”

Published November 16, 2022

These families stick together — when it comes to seeking votes

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Nick Burgess has been working elections since he was a freshman in high school.

That’s when his brother, Danny Burgess, Jr., decided to run for a seat on the Zephyrhills City Council.

Danny was 18 at the time; Nick was 14.

Ever since Danny’s first election, Nick has been stumping for votes for his brother.

Ken Hagan Sr. spent nearly all of Election Day camped out at Jimmie B. Keel Regional Library, at 2902 W. Bearss Ave., holding a campaign sign to support his son, Ken Hagan, who was re-elected to another term on the Hillsborough County Commission. (B.C. Manion)

This year, on Nov. 8 —the day of the 2022 General Election — Nick was hopping from precinct to precinct.

“I was over in Connerton and then (the) Church of God on (U.S.) 41, there,” Nick said.

“My dad — Dan Burgess, Sr. — he’s at the back of this parking lot,” he said, referring to the election polling place at the Land O’ Lakes Recreation Complex at 3032 Collier Parkway.

Nick said his dad told him: “Man, this precinct hasn’t stopped flowing people in here.

“I said, ‘OK, let’s tag-team it together.

“So, he’s got that entrance,” Nick said, pointing across the large parking lot, “and, I’m taking this one on.”

Other family members were in on the effort, too, Nick said.

Earlier in morning, Danny’s children were waving political signs on their dad’s behalf at Alice Hall, a polling place, at 38116 Fifth Ave., in Zephyrhills, just off State Road 54.

Nick beamed with pride, as he displayed photos on his phone — showing Danny’s children waving signs for their dad.

This year, besides supporting his brother, Nick also was holding a sign to seek votes for Wilton Simpson — the father of Nick’s best friend.

Both of Nick’s candidates won.

Nick Burgess, of Zephyrhills, has been working elections for years, to show his support for his brother, Danny, who was re-elected on Nov. 8 to another term in the Florida Senate.

Simpson, a Republican from Trilby, served as President of the Florida Senate from 2020 to 2022. He will be Florida’s next Commissioner of Agriculture.

Nick’s brother has won another term in the Florida Senate, and will be representing District 23.

Nick is proud of his brother’s accomplishments, and a big believer in the political process.

“No matter who you are voting for, it’s about getting your voice heard. And, it’s what you believe,” Nick said. “If you don’t vote, I feel like you can’t complain, ya know?

“You’ve got to get out, you’ve got to get your voice heard. That’s what’s beautiful about where we live. You have the right to vote for whoever you want to vote for — and, that’s a beautiful thing.”

In his view, local elections have a greater impact on daily life.

“It’s the government that’s closest you that has the biggest effect — city council races, things like that, county commission,” he said.

He enjoys heading to polling places on Election Day.

“You always come in very optimistic, and hopeful,” Nick said.

While the Burgess family was out waving signs for their favorite candidate in Pasco County, Ken Hagan Sr. was doing the same thing for his son, Ken Hagan, a Republican, who was first elected to the Hillsborough County Commission in 2002.

The elder Hagan camped out for nearly the entire Election Day at Jimmie B. Keel Regional Library, a busy polling place in north Tampa, at 2902 W. Bearss Ave.

He held his son’s political sign and, then directly above it, another sign, which proclaimed “My Son,” with a red arrow pointing down to his son’s campaign sign.

Like the Burgess family, the Hagans had something to celebrate, once the votes were tallied.

Candidate Hagan successfully fended off Democrat challenger Angela Birdsong, to win another term on the Hillsborough County Commission for District 2, which encompasses many communities, including Lutz.

Published November 16, 2022

Banded together, for the birds

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The birds are calling — and these kids are answering.

At Learning Gate Community School in Lutz, students have been participating in bird banding.

The work is led by environmental resource teacher Jim McGinity, who uses mist nets to capture birds and band them with tiny tracking nodules. For five days a month each fall and each spring, McGinity and some volunteers take students, of all grades, out into the 30 acres of woods on the campus, at 16215 Hanna Road, to look for birds in the nets.

Learning Gate Community School first-graders Jocelyn Stewart, left, and Sadie Kruz smile but also lean away from a common yellowthroat bird that teacher Jim McGinity holds out for them to observe after banding it. McGinity has set up safe nets for 11 years to catch birds on the school’s 30-acre wooded campus. He then bands them to track migratory patterns. He also brings out students from kindergarten through sixth grade to show them actual fieldwork. (Mike Camunas)

They’ll collect the birds, bring them back to a small learning center, band the birds and then safely release them.

Over a dozen years of doing this project, McGinity has banded more than 900 birds.

The exercise provides a unique opportunity for students to witness, first-hand, how real scientists conduct fieldwork.

“It is hard to measure the value of the students seeing science in action,” McGinity said. “They can read about science in a book, but to watch it live is something completely else and, usually, they learn more this way.

“The hands-on — to an extent — experience of seeing the entire process of actual fieldwork is perfect for them, and, as they get older, we’re recapturing some of the birds from a couple years ago or even four years ago, so tracking the migratory patterns — it’s working! It’s proving the fieldwork is working.”

McGinity emphasized the birds are not harmed in any way, nor do the students handle the birds out of the net or when they’re banded.

McGinity is a fully licensed and trained bander, which required substantial training and experience to become completely certified to run the program and handle birds.

Learning Gate Community School first-graders Norianna Marquez, left, and Ava DiPallo closely examine an indigo bunting that environmental resource teacher Jim McGinity just banded and soon will release.

“We are one of hundreds of banding projects in the country, but also one of the few, if maybe the only one that is a bird-banding project on a school campus,” McGinity added.

Once a bird is safely removed from a net, McGinity will identify its species, measure it, weigh it, determine the gender if possible, and band it.

The wooded area on campus is a stopping area for the birds during migration. During the fall, the birds are headed even farther down south and to other countries.

“We’re contributing to the greater knowledge of the migration of these birds,” he said.

The information is valuable, but the teacher said there’s a low percentage of birds that return. Of the thousands of birds he’s banded, only two of his have been found — at a different location where McGinity bands (Dunedin). One was found in Massachusetts and another in Minnesota.

However, at Learning Gate, it’s a well-received, extremely fun project for the students, especially when they hike out into the woods to search the nets.

Learning Gate Community School environmental resource teacher Jim McGinity holds up a common yellowthroat to show to students, after he banded the bird.

“I really like bird banding because you get to learn about new birds,” fourth-grader Yza Blanco said. “It’s just really fun, and we get to spend time with our nature teacher (Mr. Jim).”

“Sometimes,” added fellow fourth-grader Kealan Cooke, “the birds go to one place and then go back to the same place they were before, and they keep repeating that over and over again.”

In the end, the students are more than happy to release the birds back into the trees. In fact, it’s their favorite part, one meticulously supervised by McGinity who places the bird on students’ outstretched hands, allowing the birds to happily fly away.

They fly away — back and banded — to the call of nature.

“(I’ve learned) that when they migrate, they have to rest in order to keep going to Brazil or Mexico, and that you have to be a professional in order to touch a bird,” Blanco said.

“My favorite part is releasing the birds,” Cooke said, “and I got to release one back in kindergarten!”

Published November 09, 2022

Lincoln Maynard, left, and Jude Elliot prepare to release a common yellowthroat as environmental resource teacher Jim McGinity looks on. The teacher had just banded the bird after catching it in nets set up in the woods on Learning Gate Community School’s campus in Lutz.
First-graders Rae Oates, left, and Liam Graham take a close — but not too close — look at an indigo bunting as part of Learning Gate Community School’s bird-banding program that has been tracking migratory bird patterns for 11 years.
Jim McGinity has just placed a small band on a common yellowthroat, to track the bird’s migratory patterns.
Jim McGinity measures the length of the wing of a tufted titmouse. He also will try to determine the gender of the bird and to weigh it.

 

Zephyrhills addresses exponential growth needs

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As Pasco County’s largest municipality, the City of Zephyrhills has been experiencing rapid expansion. That’s why city officials already are working to try to stay ahead of area growth, which has doubled in the past 30 years.

During an Economic Summit at City Hall, City Planning Director Todd Vande Berg addressed previous, current and upcoming work in Zephyrhills.

This map shows the City of Zephyrhills, with a population topping 18,000 — making it Pasco County’s largest municipality. The dotted lines show the city limits in 1990, while the blue areas show how the city has expanded. (Courtesy of City of Zephyrhills)

The city planning director addressed how the city population more than doubled in a 30-year period, from 1990 to 2020.

The current population is estimated at slightly more than 18,000.

Zephyrhills also has expanded its city limits, especially in the north and to the west.

Abbot Square, the city’s largest new residential development, has more than 700 units. It’s just off Simons Road.

In total, the city has added 3,000 residential units, Vande Berg said, characterizing that as being “a lot for us, especially our community.”

The city’s residential growth is in keeping with a trend across both Pasco County and the state, the planning expert said.

Since 2010, Zephyrhills has seen a 61% increase in the total acreage of land of the city that is residential, with 2,995 acres dedicated to it.

To go along with the residential expansion, Vande Berg said 364,400 square feet has been added for industrial and commercial use.

That expansion includes new industrial spaces, expansion of Zephyrhills Municipal Airport and the development of the historic downtown area.

Downtown changes include new businesses and buildings. There are a number of other projects, too.

Making it safer and easier for people to get around
As it grows, the city also has been and will continue to seek ways to improve traffic flow, and enhance pedestrian and bicycle safety.

Significant roadway improvements, include:

  • A roundabout at Wire and Pretty Pond roads
  • A traffic signal at Simons Road and Eiland Boulevard
  • An extended right-turn lane on Fort King Road and Eiland Boulevard
  • Improvements to the intersection at County Road 54 and 12th Street, next to Zephyrhills High
  • An extension of Dairy Road to Kossick Road
  • An extension of Kossick Road to Wire Road
  • An alignment of Simons Road

Vande Berg said other measures have been discussed, such as identifying traffic “hot spots,” an additional extension of State Road 56, and improvements to U.S. 301.

“We’re going to look at all the areas in the city that might be considered problematic and call them out, and address those with a solution, whatever that might be,” the planning director said.

The city also has allocated $1 million of the 2022-2023 budget to improve sidewalks. All new development and redevelopment projects are required to build sidewalks adjacent to their sites.

“This will provide a safer haven, a better environment for kids to get to school and onto better sidewalks,” Vande Berg said.

Meanwhile, the city continues to grow.

Its population is expected to exceed 22,600 by 2035.

To address that growth and its needs, the city is updating its Comprehensive Plan, which aims to chart a vision and set policies for future growth through 2035.

An artist’s rendition of The Back Yard, a $250,000 open-air park at the southwest corner of Eighth Street and Sixth Avenue that will feature covered seating, metal storage containers as vendor spaces, and food truck and event space.

The city continues to accept public input, as it works on that plan.

It also is looking to “encourage smart growth,” which will concentrate on building within the city “compact, walkable urban areas to avoid sprawl,” Vande Berg said.

In essence, the city wants to encourage new development and redevelopment in downtown, rather than at its outer limits, he said.

“We can expand and develop what we have downtown and into the residential areas that are there, and that just makes the most financial sense,” Vande Berg said.

Some plans already have been identified, including The Back Yard, an open-air park at the southwest corner of Eighth Street and Sixth Avenue. It will feature covered seating under teepee-like structures, repurposed metal storage containers as vendor spaces, a stage, lighting, an event screen, plus service from food trucks.

That $250,000 project is tentatively expected to begin construction in late February 2023.

Other developments include more tennis courts at the tennis center, plus The Well, a 34,000-square-foot apartment development that can provide long-term housing for up to 90 students and families.

Other projects include a $5.4 million enhancement of Hercules Park, next to Woodland Elementary; additional expansion to the airport; a distillery being planned at an old bank on Gall Boulevard; and, more residential developments, with a variety of housing types.

“Avoiding overuse for residential land has to be key, with a better balance between that and commercial use for a sustainable economy,” Vande Berg concluded. “There is no magical formula, but it’s important not to get too oversaturated with residential.”

Published November 09, 2022

Altman steps away from school board

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Allen Altman’s last school board meeting — which coincided with the day of the Nov. 8 General Election — marked the end of 16 years of elected service.

He said he chose to step away now because he felt “it was just time” for his departure.

Altman is a native of Pasco County, attended Pasco Elementary, Pasco Middle and Pasco High, and what is now known as Pasco-Hernando State College.

He’s been involved in Pasco County Schools in some shape or form for nearly 40 years, serving on his daughter’s school advisory committees, on the Pasco Education Foundation Board and as chair of the Penny for Pasco campaign, in 2004.

Allen Altman reads to a class during a school visit. (Courtesy of Pasco County Schools)

He didn’t plan to run for school board, but was approached in 2006 by Jeannie Weightman, a sitting board member.

“I still remember it like it was yesterday. She was in Kansas. She called me. She told me the night before she had been rocking her grandbabies and decided that she no longer wanted her life schedule to revolve around school board.

“She had already announced for reelection. She said, ‘Allen, I think you ought to run for my seat.’

“I was actually on a bus — a church bus with a bunch of men headed to Georgia, headed to a men’s conference. We were going across Payne’s Prairie, at Gainesville, when she called me. And, by the time we got to Tifton, Georgia, to stop for lunch, my phone was blowing up with people saying, ‘We heard that Miss Weightman isn’t going to run again and we want you to run.’”

While he had helped others run for office, Altman hadn’t considered that path for himself.

So, when he got home from the men’s conference, he talked it over with his family.

“I sat down my wife (Laura) and my two daughters (Michelle and Melissa) and we had a family meeting,” he said.

They listed the pros and cons.

Ultimately, he said, “they all encouraged me to run. The community support was just overwhelming. I finally gave in and decided I would run.

“At the time I got elected, my intention was to serve no more than two terms,” Altman said.

The Great Recession changed that.

“It was extremely difficult and tough,” he said. “Some of the dreams and visions that I had for the district — like a career and technical high school — were put on the back burner just because of economics.

“So, I decided to run again. And then those things got into the planning process, and I decided, (to run) one more time.”

Expanding options for students
The academic landscape in Pasco County has changed greatly since Altman joined the board.

He was a staunch advocate for expanded educational choices for students living in East Pasco.

When he joined the board, the district’s most rigorous courses were offered only in the central and west areas of the county.

Since then, the district initiated a Cambridge Program in East Pasco, which has spread to schools in other parts of the county. It also has added STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts and Mathematics) magnet programs to more schools. It also has career academies at every high school.

Kirkland Ranch Academy of Innovation opened in August — a new magnet high school off Curley Road, in Wesley Chapel, that prepares students for current and emerging careers.

Altman credits Superintendent Kurt Browning, Deputy Superintendent Ray Gadd, the superintendent’s staff and his board colleagues for the district’s progress.

“We have been diligent to try to respond to parents’ needs and be prudent with tax dollars, at the same time,” Altman said. “The big driver is what’s best for our students and families? What the planning has revolved around is how best to provide educational opportunities, accommodate families — and be prudent with taxpayer dollars — and, that’s a balancing act.”

A new school being built on the Kirkland Ranch campus will be for students in K-8. That’s an educational model that’s finding favor with families, Altman said.

He also noted the district is doing a good job of planning ahead. When it builds a new school, for instance, it designs it to make it easy to add an additional wing, if that is needed to accommodate future growth.

That, he said, gives the district the most bang for its buck.

Making tough decisions
It hasn’t all been smooth sailing, Altman said.

The Great Recession forced hundreds of layoffs. School boundary issues have been heated. A shortage of money and bus drivers forced the district to end “courtesy” busing for students in grades six through 12, who live within 2 miles of school.

And, that’s not to mention all of the changes required by COVID-19 and an increasing spread of misinformation through social media.

“Those are all extremely difficult issues,” Altman said.

He understands there are individual circumstances that can’t always be accommodated and that can pose hardships on families.

“My focus has been on the big picture for the district — making sure that we’re financially prudent, that we’re providing student choice opportunities and we’re serving families. At the end of the day, you have to make decisions based on the good of the whole,” he said.

Allen Altman offers some remarks during the groundbreaking for the Kirkland Ranch Academy of Innovation. The school, now open on Curley Road in Wesley Chapel, offers a wide array of classes designed to prepare students for current and emerging careers.

“Do I wish I could wave a magic wand and fix their (individual) need? You know I can’t.”

Still, he empathizes with people who feel boxed-in by state or federal requirements.

He understands the frustrations of mandates and red tape.

“Those are hard to stomach. Many times, I’ve agreed with them (people who are objecting),” Altman said.

He recalls one conversation when he told a school board attorney he agreed with the opponents on an issue.

The attorney told Altman: “You can agree with them, but it’s going to cost you $800,000 or $900,000 to fight the federal government to agree with them.

“Those are frustrating times,” the school board member added.

Knowing how to help is gratifying
Some of his best moments on the board have been knowing where to turn for help, to try to resolve a specific problem.

He recalls being approached at a Wesley Chapel High graduation by parents of a student who thanked him profusely for his help in getting their son the help he needed to be able to walk across the stage to receive his diploma.

“I’ve had that happen three or four times,” said Altman, also crediting the superintendent’s team and district staff for making those things happen.

“Superintendent (Kurt) Browning and Deputy Superintendent (Ray) Gadd have put together an All-Star team. They are hardworking, energetic, dedicated, high integrity.

“And, so I don’t have the answers, but I know — after 16 years now — who to call that knows who to talk to, to get help,” Altman said.

As he steps away from public office, Altman said he is troubled by a decline in common courtesy and in the rapid spread of disinformation.

“One of the things that I hear from business owners, and from our administrators and teachers, is just the lack of civility of the entire population, and that’s sad,” he said.

He’s concerned, too, by an increasing disregard for facts.

“I am convinced that social media is a tool of the devil,” Altman said.

With social media, he said, “regardless what you think, you can search and find somebody that will provide something that you like to hear — regardless to whether there’s any truth to it at all.”

The failure to recognize verifiable facts makes it hard to resolve disputes and find a way forward, Altman said.

“It makes it difficult to build consensus when there are people who have absolutely no regard or concern for what the truth is,” Altman said.

Published November 09, 2022

Improvements on the way for county office space

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The Pasco County Commission has approved a task order with a company called WDA to provide architectural and consultant design services for improvements to the David J. Hap Clark Building, 4111 Land O’ Lakes Blvd., in Land O’ Lakes.

The project involves renovating 9,850 square feet on the building’s third floor North and 8,788 square feet on the building’s third floor South.

It also calls for developing a concept plan with a budget for future renovation of the common core central atrium space.

Pasco County is planning to make interior improvements on the third floor of the David J. Hap Clark Building, 4111 Land O’ Lakes Blvd., in Land O’ Lakes. It has hired a company to provide architectural and consultant design services for the planned renovations. (Mike Camunas)

The interior renovations that will be done are for the new public safety assistant county administrator, fire rescue, cooperative extension, facilities management construction and renovation. Plans also call for expanding the county wellness center to include physical therapy, and updating the space for the Sexual Assault Victim Examination (SAVE) program.

The task order calls for supplying  plans for pre-design; design development; construction documents for architectural, structural, electrical, mechanical, and plumbing, as well as permitting/bidding and construction administration services.

The county board approved the task order with WDA for $167,500, at the board’s Oct. 25 meeting.

The task order contemplates completion within 480 days of issuance of the Notice to Proceed.

The design of the project is expected to begin this fall and be completed by the Winter of 2023.

Construction is expected to begin in Summer 2023 and be completed by Fall 2024. The estimated construction cost is $3,421,202.

On another issue, the board changed the county’s policy regarding future development in the Central Pasco Employment Village.

The new policy aims to encourage more industrial growth, thus increasing the potential for more new jobs.

The Central Pasco Employment Village is on about 2,400 acres, located along the south side of State Road 52, roughly between the Collier Parkway Extension and Bellamy Brothers Boulevard.

In other action, the board:

  • Approved spending $324,300 to purchase wetland credits for mitigation of wetland impacts for the expansion of the Pasco County Jail, at 20101 Central Blvd. The permit issued by the Southwest Florida Water Management District to the county for the jail expansion project requires that the County mitigate the wetland impacts by purchasing 1.38 wetland credits from the Old Florida Mitigation Bank.
  • Approved an amendment to a lease with St. Elizabeth’s Episcopal Church of Zephyrhills for a senior services dining site. The lease is for two years, for a total of $14,400, with $7,200 allocated for fiscal year 2023 and $7,200 allocated for fiscal year 2024.
  • Awarded bid to BSN Sports LLC in the not-to-exceed amount of $51,274.46 in fiscal year 2023 for the purchase of 24 soccer goals and nets. Half of them will be located at Wesley Chapel District Park and the other half will be stored by the Destination Management Organization for future use.

Published November 09, 2022

Putting a round with the family

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Chris and Brandy Whitten’s first date was at a putt-putt course.

“At the Congo River in Clearwater,” Brandy said, giving a sly smile to her husband.

“We definitely like playing it,” Chris added, flashing a smile back.

The Whittens, led by father Chris and mother Brandy, are managing 7th Street Mini Golf & Game Parlour as a family operated business, with the kids either working or being home-schooled, or both, during operating hours. Pictured here at their indoor mini golf facility at 13841 Seventh St., in Dade City, back row, from left: Caleb, Brandy, Chris, Eliza and Isaac, and in the front row, from left: Levi, Audry and Micah. (Mike Camunas)

That much is obvious, especially since they’re the proud part-owners and managers of Dade City’s newest local attraction: 7th Street Mini Golf & Game Parlour.

Now, with six kids in tow, the Whittens have opened this family friendly destination that features an 18-hole, indoor putt-putt course and various games. All of which this Dade City family of eight operates.

“Yeah, (putt-putt golf) is just a fun thing to do,” Brandy said. “Like, you know, (the ball is) not going to go in (the hole), it’s not going to go in there and then it happens and, you’re like, ‘YES!’ and you’re so excited — that roller coaster of emotion!”

“At the same time,” Chris added, “having six kids and living in Dade City, what else is there to do around here? So, for ourselves, mini golf popped in our minds because there isn’t really one around here in the area.

“So we were thinking of family entertainment as something we could do as a business and have it centered around that.”

The Whittens relocated to Dade City about three years ago and began discussing a business that could involve the whole family. The parents home-school the six kids, so they wanted to come up with an idea that could not only give them a space to do schoolwork, but also job responsibilities as being part of a workforce.

While Chris was continuing his job at a marketing firm, Brandy was working part-time at the nearby American Pizza Oven. There, she started having conversations with the owners, Robert and Jessica Borras, who wanted to branch out with a new business.

Well, it turns out, both the Whittens and the Borrases were having the same conversations. Both couples were talking about a family friendly place, perhaps an arcade or a putt-putt course or both.

“It was just all the same thoughts and words,” Brandy said. “We all thought the same thing — something close, down the street — and it all lined up just perfect.”

The Whittens and the Borrases started having these conversations together and started to hatch plans.

The four formed an LLC, then decided on the old brick building at 13841 Seventh St., that was built in the 1940s. It is a former Social Security building and antique store, and is at just the right location.

It took about eight months of prep, with Chris using YouTube videos to help him build the holes. He also put his marketing background to use, to create the logo, build the website and set up the social media pages.

The families opened the doors Oct. 16.

“This is a very close community that has just been wonderful and very supportive during every part,” Brandy said. “We have been welcomed from the start.”

“It’s been really great,” Chris added. “When, on a Friday or Saturday, you have groups in here and you just hear them go ‘awww’ or ‘ohhh’ (from their shots) and yelling and stuff, it just feels good to see other people have a good time.”

7th Street Mini Golf & Game Parlour is an 18-hole, black-lit, indoor mini golf course in downtown Dade City, 13841 Seventh St., which also features card and board games, light snacks, monthly subscriptions and family fun.

They’re already thinking of expansion, including adding those arcade games.

In the end, they want each of their kids to have responsibility over a certain aspect at the course.

And the Whittens — including Issac, 15; Caleb, 13; Micah, 11; Levi, 9; Audrey, 6; and Eliza, 5 — will be at 7th Street Mini Golf & Game Parlour five days a week.

“It’s been a leap of faith, doing what we felt God has called us to do, as a family,” Brandy said. “And it’s been a leap, it’s been hard, but it’s been a lot of fun, too.”

Chris added, “Maybe He does love putt-putt, too (laughs), but it’s also the family connection and that’s what’s always been important to us.”

7th Street Mini Golf & Game Parlour
Where: 13841 Seventh St., Dade City
When: Tuesdays and Thursdays, noon to 9 p.m.; Fridays and Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Sundays, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Details: A family friendly, 18-hole, black-lit, indoor mini golf course featuring card and board games, light snacks and drinks
Cost: $10.95 for adults, children under 13 are $6.95, free for children under 3. Monthly subscriptions starting at $15 are available.
Info: Visit 7thStreetMiniGolf.com, or call 352-437-4715.

Published November 09, 2022

A daylight time change signals a battery change

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Daylight saving time ended on Nov. 6 and Pasco County is asking residents to remember to replace the batteries in the back-up memory of their irrigation controller, and to check all irrigation settings for proper watering days, times and durations.

The controller’s back-up memory prevents the device from resetting to factory default settings, in the event of a power outage.

The default settings may range from three or more irrigation events weekly, and can result in a significant and unexpected increase in costs, according to a news release.

Residents should refer to the user manual for their individual controller make and model for specific information about memory retention.

Irrigation in Pasco County is day and time specific.

Additional information regarding watering days, times and settings can be found online at bit.ly/PascoWatering.

Published November 09, 2022

Approvals boost development, fund planning efforts

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The Pasco County Commission has approved a new master-planned unit development (MPUD) on the north side of State Road 52, east of U.S. 41.

The Longleaf Grove MPUD is expected to have 95,000 square feet of commercial/retail space, 15,000 square feet of office space and 350 multi-family apartments on 36.86 acres of land.

The site currently consists of agricultural pursuits and contains category III wetlands.

The surrounding area is characterized by residential development consisting of Pilot County Airport, Pilot County Estates and the Conner Crossing subdivision.

The subject area has a future land use classification of retail/office and residential.

This application was submitted before the county board applied the airport zoning moratorium, according to agenda background materials for the county board’s Oct. 25 meeting.

In another action, the county board approved the Remington MPUD, which will allow a maximum of 127 single-family detached residential units on 44.2 acres. The project is proposed for a site on the south side of Tyndall Road, about 3,950 feet west of Curley Road.

The development approvals came during the county board’s Oct. 25 meeting and were approved without discussion, as part of the board’s consent agenda.

In another action, the board approved a task order with S&ME Inc., for work related to the county’s comprehensive plan update.

Initially, Commissioner Jack Mariano wanted to continue the item because he’s not satisfied with the county’s process for reviewing master-planned unit development requests and the county’s inspections process. However, County Attorney Jeffrey Steinsnyder informed the board that this item involves the county’s long-range planning efforts, which are required — and is not connected to the issues identified by Mariano.

So, the board approved expending the funds for work to be done by S&ME.

Published November 09, 2022