Local News

Food drive aims to help ‘stamp out’ hunger

May 10, 2022 By Mary Rathman

This spring on May 14, the Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive returns in full effect, as the National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) works together with Metropolitan Ministries, the campaign’s official 2022 Florida benefiting nonprofit for Hillsborough County.

For 30 years, NALC has conducted the largest one-day food drive in the country, collecting nonperishable food donations along postal routes, according to a news release.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, efforts over the past two years took a different approach, utilizing online fundraising strategies to ensure the needs of communities were still met as best it could.

The local NALC has named Metropolitan Ministries as this year’s benefiting local nonprofit for the food drive, stating, in the release: “The decision to partner with Metro was an easy choice. Keeping the food in our community and being a big part of Metro’s wonderful work in the Tampa Bay area is important to us.”

“This food drive could not have come at a better time,” said Metropolitan Ministries President and CEO Tim Marks. “After providing two years of COVID relief and a demanding holiday season our shelves are nearly bare, and we need the community’s help to feed hungry families in the Tampa Bay area.”

As mail is delivered on May 14, letter carriers will collect the donations that residents leave near their mailboxes

People are encouraged to leave a sturdy bag containing nonperishable foods, such as canned soup, canned vegetables, canned meats and fish, pasta, rice or cereal next to their mailbox before the regular mail delivery on Saturday.

All food donations stay in each community and go to help local residents.

Published May 11, 2022

Pasco signals increase to residential waste collection rates

May 10, 2022 By Special to The Laker/Lutz News

The Pasco County Commission has approved a June 7 public hearing on a proposal to lift the ceiling on charges for residential solid waste collection and disposal.

Under the change, the proposed residential rates would be allowed to be increased based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for garbage and trash collection.

According to material in the board’s agenda packet: “The last adjustment to this rate ceiling was in June of 2019. Since that time, market forces have significantly impacted waste collection costs.

“Both the global pandemic and recent geopolitical events have resulted in increased labor rates, delays in supply chain, and higher fuel costs.

“To ensure the financial viability of residential waste collection in Pasco County there is a need to revise the county’s residential collection rate structure.

“Feedback from waste haulers has indicated that the ability to adjust rates annually will result in higher market confidence and increased competition. The majority of Florida counties do not employ a fixed price ceiling for residential waste collection and instead the price of residential collection is either bid as a component of the franchise process, or the haulers operate as an open market.”

Pasco’s staff recommended allowing a two-year lookback, which would result in a maximum increase of 8.6%.

After that, increases would be annually based on no more than the CPI for garbage and trash collection.

Board member Jack Mariano thought the 8.6% was too steep and asked if the lookback could be for just one year.

But that idea did not find support on the board.

Commissioners Mike Moore and Ron Oakley said the cost of doing business has gone up.

The item will come back to the board on June 7 for a public hearing.

Current multi-year agreements between haulers and HOAs/CDDs will remain in effect and will not be affected, unless the existing agreements have provisions for cost escalation.

When those agreements expire, the CPI for garbage and trash collection will be used as the maximum percentage the rates could increase on annual basis.

Published May 11, 2022

New fee for utilities assessment searches

May 10, 2022 By Special to The Laker/Lutz News

Pasco County Utilities will be charging a new $9 fee for utilities assessment searches, effective July 1, according to a county news release.

The fee will cover assessment search services for water, sewer, reclaimed water and commercial solid waste services at a specific property.

Assessments are designed to protect property owners who are taking on new loans or refinancing, the release says.

The fee rate was established through the Utility Rate Study and helps to offset associated costs, including staff and equipment, the release says.

“A title search should include checking for unpaid assessments,” Utilities Customer Information & Services Director Sandra Anderson, said in the release. “Overlooking an assessment could be detrimental, as any unpaid assessments will be levied against a parcel, and are subject to penalties and lien activity. A thorough search, before closing, reduces additional costs after the closing.”

Allow up to five business days for each assessment search. Billing statements, sent the first week of each month, will show requests that were received the month prior.

Payments may be made online or over the phone by calling 855-786-5344, which is available 24/7. A full list of payment options and payment methods are available by visiting bit.ly/PascoUtilitiesBillPay.

For more information on the assessment process or the tools developed by Pasco County Utilities, visit bit.ly/PCUAssessmentSearch.

Published May 11, 2022

Military discount extended for Rec Cards

May 10, 2022 By Mary Rathman

Tampa Parks & Recreation has announced that as of May 1, it has officially extended a military discount for all annual Rec Cards, both individual and family passes, in recognition of Military Appreciation Month, according to a news release.

The military discount of a recreation card is similar to the department’s senior discount and will reduce pass fees by 50%, regardless of residency status, the release says.

Qualified individuals simply need to show military ID, and the discount will extend eligibility to all family members in the household.

A Rec Card is required to participate in most Parks & Recreation programs and activities throughout the city.

An active card entitles the holder to the use of open gyms, fitness rooms and computer labs at any City of Tampa Parks & Recreation community center, as well as open swim sessions at City of Tampa aquatic facilities.

Participants should note that camps, clinics, lessons, leagues, classes, lap swim sessions, membership materials and supplies may not be included.

Only family members using the amenities or registering for programs need to have a Rec Card.

Rec Cards are not mailed to patrons, but can be printed out upon request at one of the facilities.

Individual military Rec Cards are $15 per year, and family military Rec Cards are $50 per year.

For more information, visit Tampa.gov/parks-and-recreation, click on “Online Registration,” and scroll down to “Rec Cards.”

Published May 11, 2022

Pasco creates cultural affairs advisory council

May 10, 2022 By Special to The Laker/Lutz News

Pasco County has created a Cultural Arts Advisory Council and is seeking volunteers to serve on it.

The five-member board will be involved in helping to shape the future of cultural opportunities in Pasco County.

The board’s purpose will be to bring additional arts and cultural resources, as well as opportunities, to Pasco — with the aim of enriching the county’s artistic vitality and cultural vibrancy, according to a county news release.

“This council will provide guidance and direction for arts and culture issues,” said Pasco County Commission Chairwoman Kathryn Starkey, in the release. “We’re thrilled to assemble this council, and we hope community members who’ve made significant contributions to the arts or have an interest in expanding cultural opportunities will apply for this amazing opportunity.”

The positions require individuals who:

Have extensive knowledge of the arts and culture scene
Can assist in applying for grants
Will be involved in establishing an awards program to recognize cultural programs and in organizing workshops and events

The deadline for applications is May 31. To apply, visit bit.ly/AdvisoryBoardApp.

The Pasco County Commission will appoint five members to the council, who will serve two-year, staggered terms.

Published May 11, 2022

Lightening things up, at the library

May 3, 2022 By Mike Camunas

Books usually illuminate the mind.

Now, the Lutz Branch Library, at 101 W. Lutz Lake Fern Road, is illuminating the books.

After undergoing a six-month, $790,000 renovation, the library has a fresh, bright new look — from more natural lighting, to new flooring, to new paint and walls, and even new furniture and installations.

The recent renovation at the Lutz Branch Library includes new carpeting and flooring. Some shelves were removed and new seating has been installed in the front area of the library, known as the Helen Swisshelm Reading Room. (Mike Camunas)

“We redesigned it, per se, to be more user-friendly,” Hillsborough County Library Public Service Regional Manager Suzy George said.

“It’s more open, brighter and more welcoming, as much as we could possibly make it,” she said.

Renovations included removing high shelves that were not being used and were blocking the flow of natural light, through the library’s windows.

The additional light was an immediate plus.

There were a number of upgrades, too: Better furniture, new carpeting, vinyl floors and glass doors.

A renovation at the Lutz Branch Library included updating the children’s reading area by enclosing it with glass-panel walls. The enclosure gives kids a more interactive area.

The library enclosed the children’s collection room. It’s now enclosed within glass walls, which reduces noise for other patrons, allows parents to see into the room, and gives children the freedom to have more interactive experiences.

“We wanted to give them the chance to create their own special space, as they now have more interactive toys and tools to use, and even a puppet theater,” George said.

“The new glass doors in the community rooms, the entrance and emergency doors — it all lets in so much more light and freshens up the library, as does a new coat of paint throughout the entire building.”

The library also added a self-checkout hub for drop-offs and pickups, near the front of the building.

“It’s a one-stop shop for all those in a hurry to get or return books,” George added.

Hillsborough County Library Public Service Regional Manager Suzy George

Library service in Lutz began in 1961, when a bookmobile started making regular stops. By the late 1960s, the library guild of the Lutz-Land O’ Lakes Woman’s Club set up a temporary library. It held thousands of volumes on homemade bookcases, while volunteers kept the library open 20 hours a week.

It wasn’t until April of 1970 that the Lutz Branch Library opened at its present location. Back then, it was only 2,000 square feet, but was expanded to its current size, 7,000 square feet, with a complete renovation in 2004. In 2007, the front area was dedicated as the Helen Swisshelm Reading Room, in recognition of her longtime service to the Lutz Branch and the Hillsborough County Library System.

Swisshelm founded the Friends of the Lutz Library and was its president from 2000 to 2007. She served on the Tampa-Hillsborough County Library Board from 1990 to 2005 and as its chair from 1992 to 1993.

The library also brought some of the community’s history into a new installation. A glass case houses several documents and artifacts donated by Dr. Susan McManus, a Land O’ Lakes native with a long family history in the area. She also wrote “Going, Going…Almost Gone: Lutz-Land O’ Lakes Pioneers Share Their Precious Memories,” which tells of the early history of the community.

Patrons arriving at the library will encounter a building with a new look, but the same hospitable vibe.

“I think (Lutz Branch has) always been a comfortable, welcoming, neighborhood branch,” George said. “We wanted to take a fresh approach to it, maybe modernize it a bit. By just changing the shelving, it let in so much more light, with an easy solution. It helped enhance all the other upgrades we were making, and let them shine. Literally.”

Published May 04, 2022

The Lutz Branch Library, 101 W. Lutz Lake Fern Road, opened in 1970, and has undergone a number of renovations — including one that recently wrapped up. It took six months and cost $790,000. The work involved opening up some interior space and making several modern upgrades.

The Lutz Branch Library, 101 W. Lutz Lake Fern Road, revamped the main collection area. High shelves have been removed, allowing natural light to spill in through the windows.

Theater survives pandemic, to remain a Zephyrhills staple

May 3, 2022 By Mike Camunas

Zephyrhills Cinema 10 is a theater that has entertained local movie buffs for decades.

There was a time, though, that like all movie theaters, its future was uncertain.

Larry Rutan can be found in the lobby of his Zephyrhills Cinema 10 most Friday afternoons and evenings when locals come in to see the latest movies out that week. (Mike Camunas)

The COVID-19 pandemic that nearly bankrupted many theater chains, forced Zephyrhills Cinema 10 owner Larry Rutan to close his theaters for months.

It was a challenging time.

Rutan had to lay off all his employees. To keep the place from closing permanently, he burned through his savings and maxed out his credit cards.

When he was able to reopen, business was slow. He was forced to show classic movies and offer group rates to rent an entire auditorium for close friends or family.

Ky-leigh Freed makes popcorn in the lobby of Zephyrhills Cinema.

“Once we started getting new movies again, it just started to get a little bit better and better each week,” he said.

“I’m a positive thinker, so I never said that we would close for good,” the theater owner added.

That was good news for longtime manager and Dade City native Karisten Deem. She’s been coming to this movie theater since she was a kid, and now, despite losing her position for a brief time, she considers working at Zephyrhills Cinema 10 her dream job.

“I was meant for this job and I’m lucky to have it,” Deem said. “I just love getting to see what (movies) are coming out and see the audiences react to them. As someone who loves movies and listening to people talking about the movies coming out, it was scary to close down.

“Larry will say movies are basically timeless. That’s why people keep coming back, because movies will never go away.”

Zephyrhills Cinema 10 is a local institution and, of course, the only theater in town.

It may not have the largest auditoriums, but Zephyrhills Cinema 10 allows showings of smaller movies that attract locals.

Rutan, a contractor, built the entertainment venue from the ground up. In the 1990s, he bought the land for the theater, which opened with six auditoriums. Now, it has 10.

Recently, Rutan completed renovations that included adding reclining and stadium seating to the larger auditoriums, and giving the lobby a fresh, new look.

Alex and Rebecca Cruz, who are regular patrons, raved about the updated seating.

The two are wedding photographers from Dade City and they frequently bring their children to see films at Zephyrhills Cinema 10.

“We love watching movies — the seats here are just the best. We have a good experience every time we come here. We like how it’s just nice and quaint,” Alex said.

Larry Rutan built Zephyrhills Cinema 10 in the early ’90s. It began with six screens and now has 10. It is the community’s only theater.

“The second he went online to get tickets, we were like, it has to be Zephyrhills (Cinema 10), because — it’s the chairs. The chairs are the best and the most comfortable for seeing movies,” said Rebecca, referring to the tickets they bought to bring their children to watch “Fantastic Beasts.”

Ironically, Rutan rarely gets to view films for more than an hour at a time.

“I love movies,” the 75-year-old said. “I just don’t have time for them. People think I sit here all day and watch movies, but I don’t.”

Instead, he’s managing the cinemas — helping his employees and greeting customers.

“I’m one of those people that enjoys meeting people,” Rutan said. “Obviously, weekends are our busiest times, so a lot of people definitely come in on Friday nights. I want this to be ‘the place to be.’”

The fact that the theater owner is too busy to watch a film from start to finish — well, that’s nothing new.

“I can’t even tell you the first movie that was shown here,” he said.

“It was a Friday and I was in work garb, and dirty and messy. I went home to shower, came back, and they had already sold the first ticket.

“I missed the grand opening!”

Zephyrhills Cinema 10
Where: 6848 Gall Blvd., Zephyrhills
When: Movies are screened seven days a week, with most beginning around 4 p.m. Check the website for showtimes.
Cost: Adults $11, Children $8. There are Kiddie Showtimes every Tuesday and Wednesday at 10 a.m. during the summer, which cost just $1.
Details: Local movie theater showing the latest releases from blockbusters to small indie films in the Zephyrhills community going strong for 30 years.
Info: Call 813-782-2222, or visit ZephyrhillsCinema.com for showtimes and to purchase tickets.

Published May 04, 2022

On any given weekend, Zephyrhills Cinema 10 serves nearly 300 moviegoers, sometimes more, depending on which movies are playing.

Zephyrhills Cinema 10, 6848 Gall Blvd., in Zephyrhills, has been an entertainment staple and local hangout in the community for 30 years.

State Road 52 is becoming a magnet for new development

May 3, 2022 By B.C. Manion

The Pasco County Planning Commission has recommended approval of a rezoning to allow more than 1,400 residential units, and nearly 117,000 square feet of commercial and office uses on a site on State Road 52.

Specifically, the rezoning would allow 953 single-family detached units, 119 single-family attached units, 336 multifamily units and 116,882 square feet of commercial/office uses on 493 acres.

The site is within the Central Pasco Employment Village, an area designated by the Pasco County Commission years ago to create a coordinated vision among a group of landowners.

The plan envisions a mixed-use employment village on more than 2,400 acres, located along the south side of State Road 52, roughly between Collier Parkway Extension and Bellamy Brothers Boulevard. The employment village is expected to contain commercial, residential and industrial uses.

Attorney Joel Tew represented Lennar Homes, applicant/developer, and the Swope family entities, which own the land.

Tew reminded the planning board: “You’ll recall that last summer, we completed a plan amendment that updated and modified the CPEV (Central Pasco Employment Village) overall master plan for the entire acreage that has the 20 or so multiple landowners.”

During that plan amendment process, Tew said, his client was strongly encouraged to entertain an entitlement exchange with another property owner.

“We relocated a large quantity of industrial, corporate office entitlements that were in the center of the overall plan, we relocated that to the eastern part, so they would be adjacent to the existing Southworth site, where the Amazon facility was being contemplated.

“So, we have now been able to better concentrate the large employment areas in, say, the eastern third of CPEV, and then we moved the residential to the center.

“That did two things. Obviously, you got the critical mass for the employment that (the Pasco Economic Development Council Inc.) EDC was looking for on the eastern end. It’s closer to Bellamy Brothers Boulevard, where they had existing sewer/water and infrastructure.

“We’re here to now rezone the Swope parcel to memorialize, primarily, the residential entitlements that were traded for, together with this quantity of support commercial/office that’s being retained in that center part.

“We’re doing exactly what we promised you and the board, a year ago, we would do,” Tew said,

“To our knowledge, as of today, we now have no objections from any of the other stakeholders in CPEV,” Tew said.

Achieving that consensus was not easy, given the number of owners involved in CPEV, he said. But he speculated the harmony among owners may stem from the Swope family’s willingness to take considerably less entitlement than the methodology would allow.

He explained that Heidt Design came up with a methodology and a chart for assigning entitlements, based on net developable acreage and the different levels of density or intensity that the master plan assigned to parcels.

Tew told the planning board: “Swope is only asking you to zone about 25% of the multifamily that they would have been entitled to, under that methodology. So, they’re leaving a large number of multifamily units, in the pot.

“They had high density residential on virtually all of their acreage, so they could have taken a lot more,” Tew explained.

The planning board unanimously recommended approval of the rezoning request, which now goes to the Pasco County Commission for final approval.

As an aside, Tew told the planning board that “there’s very high interest in the portion of CPEV that has industrial entitlements. I think we’re going to get a lot of action there,” Tew said.

He also noted that he represents Pasco Town Center, at Interstate 75 and State Road 52, which has modified a pending master-planned unit development to increase entitlements to 4 million square feet.

“The market believes that you have arrived, that Pasco County has arrived on the industrial and office employment jobs,” Tew said.

Requests coming before the planning board for new mixed-use projects and apartment developments along State Road 52 signal the growing interest in the area.

One significant project that plans to set up shop on State Road 52 is Amazon, which intends to build a 517,220-square-foot facility, on a site at State Road 52 and Bellamy Brothers Boulevard.

The $150 million Amazon Robotic Sortation Center (ARSC) is being built at Eagle Industrial Park, a 127-acre property that was identified as part of the Pasco EDC Ready Sites Program. It is expected to employ 500 workers.

Meanwhile, further to the west, the new Angeline mixed-use community — being billed as a wellness-themed community — is planned on thousands of acres, east of the Suncoast Parkway and south of State Road 52.

Within that community, Moffitt Cancer Center plans to have a Pasco campus that will include a massive research and corporate innovation district.

Site entitlements for Moffitt’s project, which encompass 24 million square feet, include plans for a hospital, research and development space, office, manufacturing, laboratories, pharmacies, educational facility/university, hotel, and commercial space.

The multiyear, multiphase project is expected to create 14,500 jobs.

Published May 04, 2022

Elected leaders are trying to figure out how to get kids to school safely

May 3, 2022 By B.C. Manion

When Pasco County Schools announced it would be dropping courtesy busing for middle and high school students next school year, local residents began seeking other answers from local elected leaders.

The decision affects about 3,000 students, who live closer than 2 miles from school. It doesn’t affect elementary school students.

The district’s rationale for ending the courtesy bus rides is that it will take some of the strain off the bus driver shortage, and should help with getting students to school on time and reducing wait times for students needing to be transported home after school.

Courtesy bus rides are expected to end this fall for sixth- through 12th-graders living within 2 miles of Pasco County Schools. The school district’s decision has prompted discussion among elected leaders of various government boards. (File)

Plus, the state doesn’t pay for those courtesy bus rides.

Since the district’s announcement, the issue has been sparking conversations among other elected government leaders.

During the Pasco County Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) meeting a couple of weeks after the announcement, Pasco County Commissioner Mike Moore told his MPO board colleagues: “I don’t know if you are, but I’ve gotten several emails from constituents with concerns.

“How is that going to work with our prioritization of sidewalks?” Moore asked other elected members on the board, which is responsible for transportation planning throughout Pasco County.

There are many areas within 2 miles of schools that lack sidewalks, Moore noted. “Students will have to walk in yards or in streets,” he said.

Moore than asked whether there were ways for the county board and the school board to work together to attract funding for additional sidewalks.

Tina Russo, a planner for the MPO, responded: “We feel the urgency. This has been a big discussion with all of our folks in the county, with figuring out the best way to move forward.

“There is a school safety group that meets monthly that discusses several different things, whether it be crossing guards, traffic officers, sidewalks, all of those things.

“Right now, we’re working on a county process of how we’re going to fund sidewalks and rank them, and then go after different pots of funding,” she said.

Russo added: “There’s nothing easy about it.”

Moore said if there any grants available, action is needed now.

Pasco County Commission Chairman Kathryn Starkey agreed solutions must be found.

However, she added: “There has to be a process, where they identify the most critical ones. That’s a lengthy process.”

Right of way must be secured, and in some cases the property owners are unwilling to sell, Moore said. That requires eminent domain — a process the county likes to avoid, he added.

“The most concerning thing is time,” said Camille Hernandez, who was attending her final MPO meeting before leaving her role as mayor of Dade City.

“It takes so long,” she said, to secure funding, acquire right of way and get sidewalks built.

“There really needs to be creative thinking here. We can’t wait,” Hernandez said.

“It’s really going to be an activist kind of movement, in the interim, whether it’s walking groups or biking groups — it’s going to have to be alternative methods,” she said.

Starkey said one potential solution is called a Walking School Bus. Essentially, it’s a group of students walking together to school, chaperoned by volunteer adults.

In addition to concerns raised by the MPO, the issue came up again at the Pasco County Planning Commission meeting, during discussion of a rezoning request.

Chris Williams, director of planning for the school district, was asking whether a proposed project had sidewalks.

That’s a critical issue, Williams said, because of the shortage of bus drivers and the lack of state funding for bus rides within 2 miles of school. The state does allow some bus rides within 2 miles, but the walking conditions must be deemed dangerous by very specific state standards.

Chief Assistant County Attorney David Goldstein told the planning board: “The MPO board expressed a great deal of concern about us having inadequate sidewalks to the schools.

“I think it is a high priority for our board (Pasco County Commission) to get that issue dealt with. There is a program called Safe Routes to Schools, but it is a fairly slow process to get sidewalks built.

Goldstein noted that at least one commissioner “said maybe the county should be looking at spending some Penny for Pasco money, as part of the renewal, to prioritize all of these sidewalks and get them built quickly.”

To make that happen, the county would need cooperation from the school district to identify areas where there’s an immediate needs for sidewalks, Goldstein said.

“I would think the voters would support getting these sidewalks built for safe transportation to schools. We just need to know where the proper locations are to do that,” Goldstein said.

Planning board chairman Charles Grey agreed the issue is important.

“It is a valid concern and I think it is something that we, as a county, need to address,” Grey said.

Discussions on the topic are likely to continue within the coming months, before the courtesy bus rides are slated to end in the fall.

Published May 04, 2022

New River Branch Library celebrates its revival

May 3, 2022 By Special to The Laker/Lutz News

Artwork adorned the walls of the main lobby.

A butterfly release was held outdoors.

This sign helps guide visitors to New River Branch Library and its Discovery Gardens, at 34043 State Road 54, in Wesley Chapel, near Zephyrhills. The library has been updated through an extensive renovation. (Fred Bellet)

Speakers addressed the crowd, and people toured the building and grounds, as the New River Branch Library, at 34043 State Road 54, celebrated its rededication.

The $2.8 million project — including design, construction, furnishings, technology and associated expenses — is one of seven library renovation projects being completed through General Obligation bonds approved by voters in 2018.

From the outside, New River’s red brick building, constructed in 1991, looks much the same.

But now, the Discovery Gardens is on the east side of the building, and additional trees and flowering plants on the library’s campus give the property a fresh, new look.

Indoors, the library space is brighter and more open. The update includes new flooring, restrooms, seating and technology.

The space has been reconfigured to provide more opportunities for public use.

There’s a children’s room, a teen room, study rooms, a community room and other spaces designed to meet various needs.

This library is far more than just a place to read and check out books.

It’s a place where adults gather to do chair yoga, crochet or knit; children gather for story time; and, people of all ages garden and take advantage of the library’s many other offerings.

Published May 04, 2022