The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

Local News

Pasco Schools sets up reunification shelter

By

Pasco County Schools has signed a memorandum of understanding with RADDSports Pasco Wiregrass LLC to establish a reunification shelter.

The site will be used in the event an evacuation is required due to an emergency, resulting in students and staff no longer being able to remain in their regular facility, according to the agreement.

The district “will make every effort to notify RADD of evacuation possibilities with as much notice as possible so RADD can close its facility to the public as applicable.

“Contact information between the two parties shall be maintained in a separate appendix and is considered confidential information and is not subject to public disclosure,” according to the agreement.

Under terms of the agreement, RADD will open specific areas of buildings at the Wiregrass Ranch Sports Complex, 3021 Sports Coast Way, Wesley Chapel, to provide bus access, shelter, and assistance to students and staff evacuated during emergency situations.

RADD will be responsible for opening the building and developing procedures for making the building accessible, including restrooms and an area with phone and internet connection, if available, to district administrative personnel.

The district will provide supervision for all students and staff during the time that the facility is used as an emergency shelter site, the agreement adds.

The district also agrees “that it shall exercise reasonable care in the conduct of its activities in said facilities and further agrees to replace or reimburse RADD for any items, materials, equipment or supplies that may be used by the district in the conduct of its sheltering activities.”

Under other provisions in the agreement, the district:

  • Agrees to accept responsibility for replacing, restoring or repairing damage, upon an itemized written request by RADD
  • Will reimburse RADD for any bona fide expenditure of personnel required to maintain the facility for reunification sheltering, including overtime costs, upon production of receipts or time sheets
  • Will provide all releases of information to the press and media

The initial term of the contract is for five years. It will automatically renew — with any modification agreed to by both parties — for an additional five years, unless either party provides a written notice of intent not to renew at least 60 days before the expiration.

Published January 12, 2022

75-home subdivision proposed on Happy Hill

By

The Pasco County Planning Commission has recommended approval of a proposed subdivision of up to 75 homes at the northwest corner of Happy Hill and Sarah Lynn Drive, in Dade City.

The land currently is zoned for agricultural and rural density use, but, if approved by the Pasco County Commission, will be rezoned to a residential-4, high-density residential district. The county board has final jurisdiction in land use and rezoning requests.

County planners also have recommended approval of the application by Distinct Development Dade City/Happy Hill Road to rezone the 18.78 acres.

The site currently consists of undeveloped hayfields.

Access to the proposed subdivision will be from Happy Hill Road, which is a county-maintained collector road.

In accordance with an interlocal agreement between the county and the City of Dade City, the county has requested a review of the subject request from the City of Dade City and has not received any comments, according to materials in the planning board’s agenda packet.

The area surrounding the site is characterized by residential development and agricultural pursuits. The site is designated in the county’s land use plan for up to six residential units per acre.

Attorney Clarke Hobby represented the applicant at the planning board’s Jan. 6 public hearing.

He told planning commissioners that his client opted for the R-4 zoning request, rather than seeking a master-planned unit development that would have yielded the potential for approximately 120 houses.

The site is “immediately adjacent to the Sweetwater apartment complex to the south. Two of the sites adjacent to this site are zoned MF-1, so they allow multifamily at considerably higher density.”

A traffic study shows that after the development occurs, Happy Hill Road “will still be at level of service A and B, depending on whether you are north or south of the site. There’s a lot of capacity there.

“There’s a lot going on in that area and there’s really two big influences in the area, that’s from the crest of the hill, down to (State Road) 52, on Happy Hill. One is, the roads, including the Clinton Extension, which you can see from these sites looking down. So, you have (State Road) 52 and the Clinton Extension, which are going to be major, major game-changers in this area.

“And then the second thing is, the City of Dade City has annexed a considerable number of parcels, not very far north of this site and now have approved basically 1,000 units with lots that are smaller than this site,” he said.

Alisa Weaver, who lives directly across the road from the proposed rezoning, urged the planning board to recommend denial of the request.

“My question is: How does this zoning change positively affect the health, safety, welfare and morals of the surrounding community? And, how does this change benefit the surrounding homeowners?

“That’s a lot of houses in a small area, and I don’t feel any of the resident homeowners are benefiting from this,” she said.

She’s concerned about traffic on Happy Hill Road.

“It’s always been a two-lane rural road,” she said.

But she pointed out, there’s already a problem with traffic and that’s likely to worsen with increased development.

The speed limit is 45 mph, and 35 mph near the school and church, she said.

“Nobody goes 45 (mph). I’ve been run off the road. I’ve got my blinker on, turning left. They go around you,” she said, adding that even county vehicles have nearly run her off the road.

“It’s very hazardous, and now we’re looking at additional homes, on top of what’s already going to go in down the road (on the land that Dade City has annexed).

“My question is: What is the county going to do to protect me and my visitors and my property? What is going to keep us safe?

“Now, is the time to support your current homeowner residents before allowing additional high-density development.

“I ask you to deny this proposal on Happy Hill Road,” she said.

Hobby told the planning board that the transportation analysis, completed by an expert in the field, showed there’s sufficient capacity on the roadway.

He also said that lot sizes in the proposed subdivision will have frontages of at least 60 feet.

The planning board unanimously recommended approval of the request.

In other action, planning commissioners recommended approval of a request by Rucks Cobblestone for a land use change to allow commercial use on 3.34 acres at the intersection of U.S. 301 and Chancey Road.

The land currently is designated for residential development, at up to nine dwellings per acre. The applicant is seeking a designation to allow commercial uses.

In recommending approval, the planning board concurred with county planners, who supported the request.

In supporting the request, county planners found that shifting the land use to commercial would “create little or no objectionable, external effect upon neighboring land uses.”

Planners also noted that the proposed commercial site is at the intersection of two arterial roadways; is not located internally to an existing single-family neighborhood and will not act as an intrusion.

Planners also found that the development intensity is limited and designed to serve the needs of the immediate neighborhoods.

The request now goes to the Pasco County Commission, which has final jurisdiction on land use and zoning issues.

Published January 12, 2022

Festival features sugar cane syrup, and moonshine

By

The Pioneer Florida Museum & Village has been raisin’ cane for years, at a festival featuring the art of making syrup from Florida sugar cane.

Jasper Starnes, of Zephyrhills, doesn’t mind getting steamed up, especially when he’s working on skimming any impurities from the 60 gallons of sugar cane juice boiling in the Pioneer Florida Museum & Village Cane Mill. When complete, the juice is boiled down to 6 gallons of sugar cane syrup. (Fred Bellet)

But this year, the event on Jan. 8 added a new element — showcasing the history of moonshine.

Pasco County’s history is replete with stories about moonshiners, and this year, for the first time, the pioneer museum shared part of that history with event-goers.

Jeffro Cotton, of Lithia, volunteered to man the moonshine shed, where he talked about  ‘moonshinin’ and explained how the mash was fermented into alcohol.

Meanwhile, visitors to the event had the chance to see demonstrations of syrup-making from sugar cane and to taste entries in the Southern Syrup-Makers Association Syrup-Tasting Contest Steve Melton, of Trilby, president of the Southern Syrup-Makers Association presented Jack Whitehurst, of Williston, with the first-place ribbon for his cane sugar syrup.

This year’s event had the largest turnout ever for tasting during the event.

Whitehurst said the key to making the syrup was taking his time and doing it the way the old-timers did it.

Beyond syrup-tasting, the event also featured Tarpon Springs Distillery, which offered samples of its products, and had a couple of moonshine cocktails and bottles available for purchase.

Event-goers also had a chance to do a little shopping, grab a bite to eat, enjoy live music and stroll around the 6.5 acres of building displays.

Published January 12, 2022

Jeffro Cotton, of Lithia, volunteered to man the moonshine shed, where he talked about ‘moonshinin.’ He explained how the mash was fermented into alcohol. Leon Rookey, of Dade City, right, passes by the old still, which is covered in verdigris, the green pigment that forms on weathered copper.
Steve Melton, of Trilby, president of the Southern Syrup Makers Association, right, congratulates Jack Whitehurst, of Williston. Whitehurst won the first-place blue ribbon for his cane sugar syrup, in what was the largest turnout ever for tasting during the event. Whitehurst said the key to making the syrup was taking his time and doing it the way the old-timers did it.
Steve Melton, left, president of the Southern Syrup Makers Association, is ready for more oak wood, as Joe Moragues, a volunteer, adds it to the fire, boiling off the 60 gallons to 70 gallons of sugar cane juice. Moragues’ wife, Jena, also is a volunteer. She helps out as a ‘cane stripper,’ she says, with a laugh.
Five-year-old Tanner Weeks, of Dade City, manages to recline on his dad Kyle Weeks, of Dade City, as he was talking cane with Joy Dew, of Dade City, about replanting the sugar cane stalk at home.
Little did 6-year-old Nikolai Hinson, of Dade City, know, but he was tasting the sugar cane syrup that was voted No. 1 by the Southern Syrup-Makers Association Syrup-Tasting Contest. Nikolai, his 9-year-old sister Isabella Hinson, and their aunt Marcia Nichols, who was visiting the family from Minnesota, tasted all 12 samples for judging.
Smoke billows from the chimney atop of the Cane Mill at the Pioneer Florida Museum & Village. The fire must be hot enough to boil the 60 gallons to 70 gallons of sugar cane juice down to 6 gallons to 7 gallons of sugar cane syrup.
After sampling the dozen sugar cane syrup entries in the Southern Syrup-Makers Association Syrup-Tasting Contest and listening to a U.S. Sugar presentation, Sid Lehman, of Frostproof, bit into the source of the cane syrup, a sugar cane stalk. Lehman, a snowbird from Indiana, said it was not only his first sugar cane festival, but it was his first time at the Pioneer Florida Museum & Village.
Steve Melton brings out the first-, second- and third-place ribbons to be awarded to those winning sugar cane syrup entries. The popular vote gave Jack Whitehurst, of Williston, 77 points out of 259. There were 12 samples from association members in Georgia, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida.

 

 

 

Pasco Health director receives accolade

By

Mike Napier

Mike Napier, health officer for the Florida Department of Health-Pasco County, has been named “Pasco County Public Servant of the Year,” by the West Pasco Board of Realtors.

The annual award is bestowed to an individual whose public service actions go above and beyond, according to a news release.

In choosing Napier, the West Pasco Board of Realtors said: “During the past 20 months, Mr. Napier has guided the Health Department in Pasco County through the COVID-19 pandemic in exemplary and tireless fashion. The health department provided essential information and services to the community regarding COVID-19 resources and aided businesses as they navigated through COVID protocols. Mr. Napier worked very closely with the Pasco School District and the Pasco County Board of County Commissioners to provide updates and partner with officials to provide COVID-19 testing and vaccines to county and school staff and students.”

The health department leader’s actions were credited with helping businesses and schools remain open.

The West Pasco Board of Realtors has more than 1,500 members and is the largest trade organization in Pasco County.

Published January 12, 2022

Joining forces in the fight against human trafficking

By

Saint Leo University and the Pasco Sheriff’s Office Florida Forensic Institute for Research, Security and Tactics (F1RST) have joined forces to fight human trafficking in Citrus, Hernando and Pasco counties, a university new release says.

The two organizations have helped to form the Mel Greene Institute to Combat Human Trafficking, named for the late Spring Hill resident and philanthropist Melvin T. “Mel” Greene.

Greene passed away in 2020 at the age of 92, after “a life spent helping others in his adopted state of Florida, and beyond,” the release notes.

“Human trafficking has continued to be a horrible crime that is present within Florida, as well as within national and international borders,” said Saint Leo assistant professor Karin May, in the release.

May worked in law enforcement for the protection of children and the elderly from abuse prior to joining academia.

“But those of us in criminal justice and public safety administration have seen that concentrated attention does help raise awareness of the dangers involved and the means that criminals use to trap children and adults,” said May.

For several years, Florida has emerged as the third-ranked state in the nation for human trafficking activities, according to national statistics.

Saint Leo and FIRST have collaborated in the past to offer seminars on such topics as leadership development, and natural disaster and emergency management and response to professionals from a number of agencies and communities.

For anyone who needs help or suspects human trafficking, call the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888, text 233733, or use the TTY number of 711.

Community members also can use the chat function at HumanTraffickingHotline.org/chat.

Published January 12, 2022

Two new home dedications

By

Jimmie Mitchell stands in the kitchen of her new Habitat home. (Courtesy of Habitat Pasco)

Habitat for Humanity of East & Central Pasco County celebrated the recent holidays with a pair of new home dedications in Dade City, the first in-person dedications to be done in almost two years, due to the pandemic.

“We have been able to dedicate homes virtually during the pandemic, something that we were grateful for, since Habitat continued to build and sell affordable homes during the pandemic,” said CEO Crystal Lazar, in a news release.

“But to finally be able to see the faces of all those hands and hearts involved in the building of these new affordable homes, well, that can’t be replaced by a video,” Lazar said.

Besides the keys to their new homes, Jimmie Mitchell and Ashley Westberry also received gifts from the East Pasco Quilters Guild and the GFWC Lutz-Land O’ Lakes Woman’s Club.

Habitat for Humanity of East & Central Pasco County was founded in 1994 and has enabled 153 families to make a move from rental housing to owning a home of their own.

To learn more about Habitat for Humanity of East & Central Pasco County and how to help families that are seeking the opportunity to build a better life, visit HabitatPasco.org.

Published January 12, 2022

Mike Mashke, executive vice president of First National Bank of Pasco, right, hands Ashley Westberry the keys to her new home.

Graduation rates rise in local public schools

By

The graduation rate continues to improve in the Pasco and Hillsborough public school districts.

Pasco County Schools charted a 91% graduation rate in 2021, more than a full point increase over the prior year, according to Pasco school district officials.

Hillsborough County Schools recorded a graduation rate of 89.2% — the highest rate in the district’s history, according to the Hillsborough school district news release.

Pasco’s rate has improved by 15 percentage points since 2013, district officials said in a news release.

“We are seeing steady progress year after year,” Superintendent Kurt Browning said in the release. “I can’t say enough about how hard our students worked during a challenging and unusual school year. All our teachers in elementary, middle, and high school can share the credit because it really takes a team effort to prepare students for college, career, and life.”

Cypress Creek High School had the highest graduation rate of 99.4% and Wesley Chapel High posted a 96.6% rate, an increase of more than 3 percentage points.

Fivay High School had a second year of impressive gains, increasing by 6.7 percentage points, after a gain of 6.4 percentage points the previous year.

Hudson High saw the biggest increase, improving by 10 percentage points — up to 86%.

Pasco school district staff also noted that students who graduated in 2021 did so after a highly unusual year of school due to COVID-19. Many missed significant time in school, either due to illness or due to quarantine requirements, a district news release noted.

Because of the COVID-related disruptions, the state waived state assessments required for graduation for the second year in a row, making it difficult to make historical comparisons, according to the Pasco district’s release.

Hillsborough officials were delighted by the district’s record accomplishment.

Hillsborough high schools within The Laker/Lutz News coverage area fared well.

Wharton High charted a 90.9% graduation rate; Gaither, 92.2%; Freedom, 94.1%; and, Steinbrenner, 97.8%.

Sickles High, which is near the newspaper’s coverage area, charted a graduation rate of 98.4%, the highest among Hillsborough public schools.

“I am so excited for our community and our organization for obtaining the highest graduation rate in district history,” Hillsborough Schools Superintendent Addison Davis said in the school system’s news release. “This is in direct correlation to the hard work and dedication exhibited by our students, caregivers, teachers, school leaders, school counselors, support professionals, and district staff.”

To view the statewide results, visit the Florida Department of Education web page.

Published January 12, 2022

Citizens academy graduates one class, welcomes another

By

Pasco County has a program that gives citizens a chance to get an in-depth look at government functions. Here is the recent crop of graduates, along with the Pasco County Commission, the Pasco County Clerk & Comptroller and the county attorney. (Courtesy of Pasco County)

The Pasco County Citizens’ Academy recently announced the latest group of graduates from its program.

The academy helps to educate citizens about the county’s governmental operations.

It includes sessions hosted by elected officials, department directors and other county staff aimed at providing a deeper look at government functions and services.

In addition to giving citizens a better understanding of local government, the program also helps develop a pool of knowledgeable people who can act as ambassadors, serve on advisory boards and become volunteers, according to information provided by the county.

Here are the names of the recent graduates:

  • Patsy Albert
  • Samantha Almaraz
  • Meghan Benoit
  • Michael Cianfarani
  • Leticia Collins
  • Linda J. Connolly
  • Chris Cusick
  • Cindy Donovan
  • Andrea Eisenhauer
  • Valerie Francis
  • Zach Harris
  • William Humphrey
  • Catherine Julian
  • Stephanie LeFew
  • Renee Logan
  • Brian Persaud
  • Geraldine Sanchez
  • Jessica Schmidt
  • Bonnie Schobert
  • Carissa Villa
  • Scott F. West

A new class begins on Jan. 19.

If you are interested in learning more about the Citizens’ Academy, visit MyPasco.net/citizensacademy.

Published January 12, 2022

Hillsborough wants community’s input on equity, inclusion

By

Hillsborough County wants residents to weigh in about diversity, equity, and inclusion issues that impact the quality of life across the county.

The county is offering options for residents to take part in January, to help inform an equity profile study that is now underway, according to a news release.

This input will be used to help guide the Hillsborough County Commission in its decision-making on equity issues.

The county is looking for input regarding inequities that impact the quality of life in the following areas: economic opportunity, housing, land use and zoning, transportation, digital divide, health care, criminal justice and food security.

To participate, call the 24/7 voicemail and leave a message at 813-327-4716, or email The deadline for comments, through either approach, is Jan. 31.

Published January 12, 2022

More residential and commercial growth coming to East Pasco

By

Zephyrhills is hitting its stride as growth and development gain momentum along the traffic corridors of what is now Pasco County’s largest city.

The signs of new growth are everywhere along Zephyrhills’ major corridors including U.S. 301/Gall Boulevard, and State Road 56.

Construction is changing the city’s landscape.

Heavy equipment prepares land for the construction of a new Radiant Gas Station and other retail on the west side of Gall Boulevard, in Zephyrhills. (Fred Bellet)

New developments include The District at Abbott Square, a master-planned community behind the Sarah Vande Berg Tennis & Wellness Center, and Abbott Park, a residential community off Dean Dairy Road.

The Zephyrhills Municipal Airport is expanding and there’s new retail at Zephyr Commons shopping complex.

These signal the city’s increasing population.

It grew from more than 13,000 residents in 2010 to more than 17,000 residents in 2020, according to data from the 2020 U.S. Census.

In addition to Abbott Square and Abbott Park, Hidden River and the Links at Calusa Springs also are adding rooftops to Zephyrhills.

“The fact is that the need for housing is just exploding statewide. Tampa is running out of space,” said Todd Vande Berg, Zephyrhills’ planning director. “We were the next logical location.”

The view from the exit of Tropical Acres on Blue Lagoon Drive will soon change as ongoing construction site preparation will transform the east side of U.S. 301.

The widening of State Road 56 to four lanes opened Zephyrhills to more development, Vande Berg said.

He also noted that city officials have worked to ensure that residential projects were not “cookie-cutter.”

Abbott Square, as an example, will offer one-story villas, two-story townhouses, and will feature three different lot sizes.

“I think people appreciate that. Not all residential is on 40-foot-wide lots like every other development,” he said.

Preserving trees, installing sidewalks and adding trails are highlights of new residential development.

Zephyrhills is building on Pasco’s countywide efforts to attract tourism through an emphasis on sports facilities such as the Sarah Vande Berg Tennis Center.

In coming months, Vande Berg said the tennis center will add dormitories to accommodate increasing interest in tournaments and training opportunities.

The facility also is attracting new residential including the Abbott Square project. The Lennar Homes development, on Simons Road behind the tennis center, will build about 700 residential units of single-family houses, townhouses, and apartments.

West of Dade City on State Road 52, a new residential development, Abbey Glen, is under construction.

Abbott Park, off Kossik Road near Zephyr Commons, is a new residential community by Metro Places.

Summerstone is a new single-family and townhome development, off State Road 56, west of Morris Bridge Road. It is located in Wesley Chapel, just a short distance west of Zephyrhills.

Chipotle’s restaurant recently opened at Zephyr Commons. Planet Fitness had a recent ribbon-cutting. Chick-Fil-A opened, too, on an outparcel of the shopping center on the northeast corner with Pretty Pond Road.

More retail is anticipated. And plans for the site include about 400 residential units.

The Pretty Pond intersection is becoming a hub for Zephyrhills shoppers, who are adding Zephyr Commons to their destinations along with established plazas along Gall Boulevard (U.S. 301), including Merchants Square, Towne View Square Shopping Center, and North Town Center.

On the west side of Gall Boulevard, at Pretty Pond, the former site of Rainbow Court and Brightside Manor mobile home park, is being prepped for new commercial development. A sign planted at the site advertises a coming Radiant gas station and convenience store. A car wash also is anticipated at the site.

Zephyrhills’ downtown, on Fifth Avenue, is enjoying its own commercial revival.

The opening of Zephyrhills Brewing Company in 2016 set the stage for renewed interest in downtown, said Melonie Monson, president, and chief executive officer of The Greater Zephyrhills Chamber of Commerce.

“It has been an economic driver,” she said. “It’s brought traffic in on weekends.”

New shops opening within the past year include Vintage Chix, a boutique clothing store; A.O.K., a sports bar featuring axe throwing; and Your Turn, a board game café that serves coffee, sandwiches, pastries, and a choice of hundreds of board games to play.

A site preparation worker makes his way through a parcel of land on Gall Boulevard, just south of North Town Center on Gall Boulevard in Zephyrhills.

Tina & Joe’s Café opened recently in the historic Jeffries House, built in 1910 for Zephyrhills’s founder Captain A. B. Jeffries. The café serves salads, sandwiches, lobster rolls and desserts.

Also, Planet Jupiter, a hookah lounge, is “coming soon” to a storefront on Fifth Avenue.

“Our downtown is really growing,” said Monson.

On Gall Boulevard, near downtown, Jerry’s Crystal Bar reopened after being ravaged by fire in 2020.

Checkers on Gall and Culver’s on Eiland Boulevard are new additions to the quick service food options.

The chamber recently hosted a ribbon-cutting for Hoops Heaven, on Chancey Road along the city’s industrial corridor. The indoor training facility offers basketball training for youth in the Zephyrhills and Wesley Chapel area.

Hoops Heaven adds to both Zephyrhills’ and Pasco County’s goal of advocating for sports and ecotourism to build economic growth and bring jobs, Vande Berg said.

“Someone came from out of town and saw a need for youth basketball,” the planning director said.

By Kathy Steele

Published January 05, 2022