The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

Local News

No Festival of Lights this year, in Zephyrhills

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One of the most popular holiday events in Zephyrhills won’t be happening this year after all — because of the ongoing concern about the coronavirus pandemic.

City leaders pulled the plug on the Festival of Lights Christmas Parade, typically held each year and hosted in partnership with Main Street Zephyrhills Inc., and the Zephyrhills Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA).

The popular Festival of Lights Christmas Parade in Zephyrhills has been called off, amid ongoing concerns about the coronavirus pandemic. The event was originally scheduled for Dec. 5. (Courtesy of Main Street Zephyrhills)

The downtown event had been scheduled for Dec. 5. Typically, the celebration draws more than 15,000 people.

Because of the parade’s popularity, the Zephyrhills City Council and other city officials felt it was prudent to cancel the event in the interest of health and safety. The issue was discussed at length during a Nov. 9 regular meeting.

As an alternative to the holiday festival, Main Street Zephyrhills and Zephyrhills CRA are organizing a smaller downtown gathering on Dec. 5 from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., at the town square on Fifth Avenue.

Activities will include a Christmas tree lighting ceremony, pictures with Santa, food trucks and a family movie.

Meanwhile, scrapping the full-blown parade is on par with other local municipalities that also have canceled similarly sized Christmas-themed events. Dade City has canceled its Christmas festival, as has Lakeland and Plant City, respectively

Because of those cancellations, city leaders voiced concerns that an influx of residents from other communities would flock to Zephyrhills to check out its Christmas parade, if it had one.

Officials also said it would be difficult to create controlled entrance points, check temperatures and make sure everyone followed mask-wearing and social distancing guidelines.

Zephyrhills City Manager Billy Poe underscored the impact if someone (or multiple people) with COVID-19 showed up to a full-scale Christmas festival.

“It just takes one and it’s a mess for us,” Poe said at the meeting. “(It’d be) a news media frenzy on Zephyrhills on, ‘How did you have this large event that you weren’t able to control?’”

Poe went on to explain there’s a difference between a city sponsoring such an event and a private organization or location — such as Busch Gardens, Disney, the Grove at Wesley Chapel.

Those groups, Poe said, “have very controlled entrance points” to maintain order and safety protocols.

The increasing positivity rates in local schools is another concern, the city manager said, noting, “I know that a couple of us have had kids impacted multiple times this year already.”

While concurring with Poe’s comments relating to public safety, Council President Charles Proctor said it’s a shame the event has to be canceled.

“I’ve lived in this city for over 30 years and I’ve never missed a Christmas Parade, so it breaks my heart that because of all this, we have to do what we have to do, unfortunately,” Proctor said.

“The last thing I want is for us to have an event and somebody get sick, and then the city is thrown under the bus for not being responsible. It’s hard to make decisions like this and shut down, but our hands are tied with the guidelines. I mean, we have to do what we have to do to keep our citizens safe.”

Published November 25, 2020

Meals On Wheels for Kids expands

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The Tampa Bay Network to End Hunger (TBNEH), a tri-county leader in hunger relief, research and program development, will expand Meals On Wheels for Kids (MOW4Kids) into Lutz (zip codes 33548, 33549) and Safety Harbor (zip codes 33759, 34695, 33761), in Hillsborough and Pinellas Counties, respectively.

The program will begin delivering food to children attending school from home the week of Nov. 30. Deliveries will take place out of Mort Elementary School in Tampa and Mattie Williams Neighborhood Family Center in Safety Harbor, in partnership with the Nutrition Services and Transportation Departments at Pinellas County Schools and Hillsborough County Schools.

The Network’s innovative MOW4Kids program launched this past March, and was developed in response to COVID-19 school closures, to serve children (18 years or younger) with meals delivered to their homes by volunteers.

The program presents an alternative option for kids that are not able to access meal distribution sites throughout the county and/or kids that have difficulty accessing open food pantries.

Currently, MOW4KIDS serves Clearwater, Gulfport, Lealman, and St. Petersburg in Pinellas County; Tampa (33612 and 33613) and Wimauma in Hillsborough County; Dade City in Pasco County, and will continue to expand the program, to include Safety Harbor and Lutz.

Volunteers with level 2 background checks will help deliver Meals On Wheels for Kids on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays starting at 10 a.m., and will board public school buses, along with the bus driver, to then go out and deliver shelf-stable boxes of food and cold meal packs to children and families.

At the core of this program is nutritious food delivered to the homes of children and their families, and it will provide meals and shelf-stable groceries, including produce, as resources allow.

Children may experience an increase in overall nutrition, food security, and feelings of social connectedness from volunteers stopping by.
To receive meals delivered to your home, visit NetworkToEndHunger.org/mow4kids/, or call (813) 344-5837.

Volunteers are needed each week to help pack boxes and deliver meals on various days throughout the week out of Mort Elementary School in Tampa and Mattie Williams Neighborhood Family Center in Safety Harbor. Routes take about an hour to complete. To sign up, visit NetworkToEndHunger.org/volunteer/.

The Network also is currently accepting donations at NetworkToEndHunger.org, to help support the MOW4Kids program. A donation of $20 will provide a week of Meals On Wheels for Kids deliveries to children in need.

Published November 25, 2020

Gulfside Hospice Helps Over 1,000 Pasco Families Every Year

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November is National Hospice Month, and hospice is the bridge that helps terminally ill patients and their families navigate the health care system in the final stages of life, while also providing emotional and social services support for the entire family.

In Pasco County, Gulfside Healthcare Services has been providing hospice services for more than 30 years, and helps over 3,000 families every year care for their loved ones, and provides grief counseling and spiritual guidance to help patients through their final journey.

Heading up hospice services at Gulfside is Kathy Postiglione, who started work at the agency 15 years ago as a registered nurse, and today is chief operating officer and senior vice president.

“As a nurse, what attracted me to hospice care in the beginning, and still captures my heart today, is its holistic approach to patient care that is driven by the patient and family,” said Postiglione. “It is the most personal type of care found in nursing, and one that has not changed much since the hospice movement was founded in the 1970s.”

The hospice philosophy provides care in the comfort, security and privacy of wherever a patient calls home, by bringing together a team of professionals who addresses the patient’s physical, emotional, social and spiritual needs.

“Our team of nurses, physicians, chaplains and social workers works together to find out what the patient needs, discuss the best options for his or her wishes, and helps to set pain management goals,” said Postiglione.

Hospice care begins with a discussion between the doctor and terminally ill patient and the family, who together agree to bring hospice in for a consultation.

“Often it’s the patient who says, ‘I’m done, and no longer wants additional treatments,’” explains Postiglione.

The initial meeting can be in a patient’s home, hospital, assisted living facility or nursing home, and include nurses, both RN and LPNs, hospice medical staff, social worker and chaplain.

“We also work with the patient to identify personal goals they want to accomplish – it could be to write their personal story, put together a video, try to re-connect with family members and friends they have lost touch with, and often mend some bridges,” said Postiglione.

Once a patient enters hospice care, the Gulfside team provides interdisciplinary medical support and services, which are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It also has resources to help with legal and financial services involving end-of-life care.

“Patients and families are often so overwhelmed by what needs to be done, that they are very anxious.  We break down the tasks and set up a plan to help them accomplish their goals, while providing the care the patient needs to relieve pain, and make the journey as peaceful and comfortable as possible,” explains Postiglione.

Being in hospice care does not mean patients need to give up treatments, and often continue to see their own doctors.

“Patients sometimes want to continue their treatments, and we are here to support the patient in any way we can,” said Postiglione.

Since its establishment in 1989, Gulfside Hospice has grown from an organization run primarily by volunteers, to a full-service health care entity that employs nearly 400 people with an average census of 650 patients.  When Gulfside began operations, it had just 15 employees and was servicing 50 patients.

While most patients are older adults and seniors, often diagnosed with cancer, Gulfside Hospice also cares for terminally ill children and young adults. Patients come into hospice when their prognosis is less than six months, and the average length of stay in the program is 70 days.

One area that makes Gulfside Hospice unique compared to other hospice organizations is its ability to provide patients with more expensive medications.

“When a patient has a need for a more expensive medication, we never deny the request, because we have the resources to provide medication that Medicare may not pay for,” said Postiglione.

Gulfside has been able to keep up with Pasco’s population growth because of its ability to attract top professionals to its team.

“We place a tremendous value on our employees, and consistently seek feedback from them on their challenges, equipment they need, the schedules that work best for their families,” said Postiglione. “We have a very dedicated group of people, most whom have worked here for many years, because of the high satisfaction they get by working with our patients and families.”

Gulfside Healthcare Services also works with over 300 volunteers, many who become involved after hospice has cared for a loved one.

“Many of our volunteers give the gift of presence  —  which is staying with patients who may not have family or friends close by, until they pass. Others work in our dietary area, bringing meals to patients in our in-patient facilities. We also have volunteers who take care of patients’ pets, play music for patients, and many volunteer at our thrift stores, do office work and help at fundraising events,” said Postiglione.

For patients needing critical nursing care, Gulfside Hospice operates the Rucki Hospice Care Center in Zephyrhills and the Gulfside Center for Hospice Care at Heather Hill Healthcare Center in New Port Richey. Its thrift shops are located in Lutz, Dade City, Zephyrhills, New Port Richey and Hudson.

“People are often surprised at the range of services we offer at Gulfside Hospice,” said Postiglione. “We are proud of our ability to help many Pasco families in one of their greatest times of need.”

Address: 2061 Collier Parkway, Land O’ Lakes, FL 34639
Website: Gulfside.org
Info: (800) 561-4883

Published November 18, 2020

Their stories — and foods — are varied

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A small group of entrepreneurs gathered recently to sell their goods at a drive-thru vendor fair at the University of Florida/Pasco County Extension’s One Stop Shop, at 15029 14th St., in Dade City.

Those wishing to make a purchase could swing by on Oct. 29 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., to order items and purchase them, from the comfort of their cars.

Hillbilly Farms prepares gluten-free foods. The company’s founders sold the storefront, but are still selling items prepared at an incubator commercial kitchen in Dade City. (Courtesy of Pasco Economic Development Council)

The idea was to support the small businesses, while providing a safe place to shop, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Participating vendors included Hillbilly Farms Bakery Shops, Charm City Eats, Lanky Lassie’s Shortbread, Superfood Bakeshop, and Chef Sweets of Luminous Concession.

The stories, shared by some small business owners taking part in the event, are as varied as the foods they sold.

Rhoda Mazerolle, of Hillbilly Farms Bakery, previously sold her gluten-free foods from a storefront that she operated with her husband. They have sold that store and have scaled down, but she continues to prepared wholesale foods at the SMARTstart commercial kitchen, at the One Stop Shop.

The commercial kitchen initiative is the result of a partnership between the Pasco Extension Office, which is part of the University of Florida Institute for Food and Agricultural Sciences, Pasco County and Pasco County Economic Development Council Inc., with assistance from Welbilt, an industrial kitchen company.

Amy Henninger, of Charm City Eats, is a newcomer to the Pasco County area — moving here less than two months ago.

She said the commercial kitchen allows her food truck — which specializes in authentic Maryland cuisine — to operate.

Charm City Eats offers authentic Baltimore cuisine. The company was one of the vendors taking part in a recent drive-thru vendor fair at the One Stop Shop in Dade City.

Charm City Eats offers such foods as broiled crab cakes, slow-smoked pit beef, Baltimore fried chicken, hot chicken and hand-cut fries.

Getting into the food business is a big departure for her, she said, noting she used to run a copier company in Baltimore.

But, the pandemic has been a turning point, she said.

“I’m going to be turning 40 soon, and I was just sick of the corporate world, and quotas and nonsense, and stress and all of that. I just wanted to do something different and work for myself,” Henninger said.

Plus, her fiancé loves to cook.

Like Henninger, Mary Katherine Mason Souter — who owns Lanky Lassie’s Shortbread — was greatly influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic.

In fact, the entrepreneur said she’s had her shortbread business for years, but it was always a “very, very side hustle, hobby.”

It turned into a full-time career, she said, “100% because of COVID.”

The owner of Lanky Lassie’s estimates she’s baked about 5,000 pounds of shortbread since being laid off from her previous full-time job of doing interior designs and selecting furniture for hotels.

Before turning all of her attention to running a baking company, she did interior designs and selected furniture for hotels.

That came to a halt earlier this year, when she was furloughed in April, then laid off in July.

“Since April, I have made about 5,000 pounds of shortbread,” said the baker, who uses her maiden name, Mason, on her business documents.

Her company’s slogan — “Long legs, short bread” — is a reference to her height, of 6 feet.

She’s grateful for the SMARTstart kitchen.

“Without that kitchen, I would not be able to have my business because in order to be able to ship legally and sell legally online, you have to have your manufacturing license.

“The only way you can have your manufacturing license is to have your commercial kitchen, and it has to be inspected by the Department of Agriculture,” she said.

It turns out that the kitchen is just 2 miles away from where she lives in Dade City.

Dan Mitchell, Pasco EDC’s SMARTstart program coordinator, said “the drive-thru vendor fair was a way for our community to experience the new food businesses that have been developing at the incubator.”

It also gave entrepreneurs a chance to get some feedback and hone their skills, Mitchell added.

Whitney C. Elmore, director of Pasco County Extension, said she’s proud of the vendors who produce their foods at the incubator kitchen.

“They’ve persevered during the pandemic – some had lost their job as a result and we were there, along with Pasco EDC, to provide the resources they needed to start their business,” she said.

“Our vendors provide phenomenal products,” Elmore added, “We were excited to showcase them in a drive-through vendor fair at our One Stop Shop in Dade City.”

Published November 18, 2020

Input sought on 301/98/Clinton Avenue realignment

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Efforts are underway to enhance a busy and sometimes dangerous roadway intersection that passes through Dade City and unincorporated Pasco County.

The Florida Department of Transportation has developed five possible alternative corridor alignments, to alleviate the traffic issues where U.S. 301 and U.S. 98 merge and intersect with Clinton Avenue. A so-called Corridor B is viewed as the best option. Public comment on the alternative corridor project is being accepted through Nov. 25. (Courtesy of Florida Department of Transportation)

The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) District 7 office has developed and unveiled recommended corridor realignment improvements for the U.S. 301/U.S. 98/Clinton Avenue intersection — via the agency’s Alternative Corridor Evaluation (ACE) process.

A virtual public information presentation was released on Nov. 4 online. This meeting provided an opportunity to review the corridor alternatives and provide input.

Proposed improvements seek to:

  • Eliminate the current closely spaced intersections of U.S. 301 at U.S. 98 and U.S. 301 at Clinton Avenue
  • Facilitate east/west travel
  • Maximize the benefits of the improvements to Clinton Avenue and designation as State Road 52 west of U.S. 301
  • Enhance safety along the corridor

With those objectives in mind, five proposed corridor options were developed in FDOT’s ACE study, which were shared in detail in the prerecorded online presentation.

Each of the proposed corridor routes are 250 feet wide to allow for flexibility in developing proposed alignments that avoid potential constraints. It also is anticipated that a four-lane, expandable to six-lane — in divided sections — will be developed for corridor consistency.

The closely spaced major intersections of U.S. 301 at U.S. 98 and U.S. 301 at Clinton Avenue are only 1,500 feet apart and have roadways with high traffic volume. Traveling through the area requires turning and weaving movements that result in crash rates that exceed the statewide average, according to the Florida Department of Transportation. (Courtesy of Florida Department of Transportation)

From the five alignment alternatives, the state transportation department is recommending the Corridor B option, to proceed to the project development and environmental (PD&E) study.

The 1.91-mile Corridor B route begins approximately 485 feet north of Townsend Road, and diverts U.S. 98 to the north along the east side of mobile home parks along Wilds Roads, until it ties into Clinton Avenue, east of U.S. 301.

The corridor, according to FDOT, “will impact primarily rural and farmland properties as well as a few residential properties, concentrated at the northern end of the proposed realignment.” The total cost of the recommended corridor alignment is estimated between $27.8 million and $38.3 million, according to the presentation.

Here are the other proposed corridor alternatives studied:

  • Corridor A — 0.88-mile route begins approximately 3,300 feet southeast of the intersection of U.S. 98 and U.S. 301, and diverts U.S. 98 to the north, and ties into Clinton Avenue, east of U.S. 301
  • Corridor C — 3.48-mile route begins approximately 725 feet northeast of the overpass of U.S. 98 and Old Lakeland Highway, and diverts U.S. 98 to the north, mirroring the existing geometry of Old Lakeland Highway until it ties into Clinton Avenue
  • Corridor D — 0.80-mile route begins approximately 350 north of the entrance to the Grove Ridge RV resort and diverts U.S. 98 to the west, and continues until it intersect U.S. 301 at an existing median opening
  • Corridor E — 1.47-mile route begins approximately at the intersection of U.S. 98 and Jim Jordan Road, and diverts U.S. 98 to the west, and continues until it intersects U.S. 301

How the corridors compare
The state’s presentation summarized the drawbacks of those corridors, as compared to Corridor B.

This is the Florida Department of Transportation’s recommended alternative for the U.S. 301/U.S. 98/Clinton Avenue intersection, referred to as Corridor B. The 1.91-mile route begins approximately 485 feet north of Townsend Road, and diverts U.S. 98 to the north along the east side of mobile home parks along Wilds Roads, until it ties into Clinton Avenue, east of U.S. 301. Cost is estimated between $27.8 million and $38.3 million. (Courtesy of Florida Department of Transportation)

Corridors D and E “do not meet the purpose and need criterion of eliminating the closely spaced major intersections and are proposed for elimination from consideration.”

Corridor C “has the greatest involvement with the natural, social, cultural and physical environment, engineering issues,” the presentation said. Corridor A “has greater social impacts (than Corridor B), including the potential relocations and potential effects to the Harmony Heights and South Clinton Heights communities,” it added.

Corridor A has an estimated project cost from just under $13 million to $17.5 million, while Corridor C comes in at a projected cost between just below $51 million to $69.4 million.

Public comments on Corridor B and other alternatives will be received through Nov. 25, and can be made by visiting FDOTd7Studies.com/US301US98INT/ or emailing FDOT District 7 project manager Brian Shroyer at .

The next steps in the project development process include the PD&E phase, design phase, right of way acquisition and then construction.

There’s no set time frame on the project, but it’s anticipated construction wouldn’t begin for at least several more years.

PascThe PD&E study should be ready sometime in early 2022, Shroyer wrote in an email to The Laker/Lutz News.

The PD&E phase would look at the road width, number of lanes, sidewalks and trails that may be necessary.

Then, depending on if funding is secured for right of way and construction during that time, it could take a couple years after that before shovel hits dirt, Shroyer said.

Reasons for intersection improvements
District 7 of FDOT initiated the planning phase of the U.S. 301/U.S. 98/Clinton Avenue intersection project in early 2019.

The U.S. 98 intersection realignment is listed among the needs detailed in the Pasco County Metropolitan Planning Organization’s Mobility 2045 long-range transportation plan.

Efforts are underway to seek an alternative corridor where U.S. 301 and U.S. 98 merge and intersect with Clinton Avenue in Dade City and unincorporated Pasco County. The new roadway is aimed at easing traffic and reducing accidents. (File)

The virtual presentation — which remains available online on FDOT’s website — outlined the necessity for alterations to the busy intersection.

It was explained how the closely spaced major intersections of U.S. 301 at U.S. 98 and U.S. 301 at Clinton Avenue are only 1,500 feet apart and have roadways with high traffic volume (feeder and receiver roadway segments have an annual average daily traffic of 5,000 vehicles or greater).

Because of this, traveling through the area requires turning and weaving movements that result in crash rates that exceed the statewide average, the presentation explained.

The data shows that the  closely spaced intersections have crash rates that exceed the statewide average.

Between 2013 to 2017, the U.S. 301/U.S. 98 intersection saw 68 crashes, while the U.S. 301/Clinton Avenue intersection saw 72 crashes during that period, according to FDOT studies.

Furthermore, the realignment of State Road 52 from east of McKendree Road to east of U.S. 301 will serve as an additional east/west route in the regional transportation network. Because of this, traffic at the U.S.301/U.S 98 and U.S 301/Clinton Avenue intersections is anticipated to increase, exacerbating the current intersection safety concerns, according to the presentation.

Maps, drawings, and other information are available for review under the documents tab on the project website, fdotd7studies.com/US301US98INT/.

Plans also can be viewed in person at:

  • The FDOT District 7 Headquarters, 11201 N. Malcolm McKinley Drive in Tampa
  • Hugh Embry Library, 14215 Fourth St., in Dade City

Published November 18, 2020

Zephyrhills renews utility billing service

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Utility customers and Zephyrhills city staffers can breathe a collective sigh of relief: For the next year at least, MuniBilling will continue to handle the city’s utility billing.

That means customers will be able to continue to view their water consumption and make payments, without switching to another company.

The Zephyrhills City Council made that official announcement during the council’s Nov. 9 meeting.

The City of Zephyrhills has renewed its contract on utility billing services with MuniBilling, a North Carolina-based firm that provides cloud-based utility billing software for governments and private companies. The renewal comes a year after the city was forced to scramble to find a new utility billing provider, after it was informed that Fathom Water Management was going out of business. (File)

Last November, the city had to change its water billing provider after it was informed that Fathom Water Management was going out of business. The notice came from the Arizona-based company in a Saturday email — telling the city it had three weeks to find a different provider to service utility customers.

The bombshell — or what city officials describe “a disastrous day” — forced the city to scramble for a new utility billing provider, subsequently requiring the complete overhaul of billing system software and repository information, as well as bill printing.

“It was quite an undertaking,” Zephyrhills Finance Director Ted Beason recalled. “I used to be thin and had a lot of hair before that process, so it’s had a toll on the staff.”

By December, the city was able to land with MuniBilling, who converted the city’s billing data to their software and offered call center services within a period of days.

Customers were able to provide their same username and account number on MuniBilling as they did on Fathom. Also, the company combined 1,700 irrigation accounts on the same bill as household meters.

That first-year agreement with MuniBilling came with an $812,000 price tag, or $5.99 per active account (roughly 11,300) for 12 months.

Now, in continuing the relationship for a second year, MuniBilling services will drop to $541,000 ($3.99 per account for 12 months), yielding a savings of $271,000 for the city, the finance director says.

“We’re now in a position where we can take advantage of our second year of our contract with MuniBilling,” Beason explained to the Zephyrhills City Council. “We think it’s worth the second year of the contract, and we think they performed well enough that we’d like to push forward.”

Beason highlighted other program benefits, too.

The firm’s associated integrated customer portal — WaterSmart — allows customers to make online payments, set up autopay and review data on their water consumption. The program also sends email and text notifications to customers on abnormal water usage. A meter showing 20 gallons of water being used in the middle of the night may signal a leaking toilet, for example.

Beason called the feature “a total win” as it allows customers to resolve a potential issue before seeing major effects on the following month’s bill.

“It’s very much the case of, we don’t want to produce boomerang bills. As we notice the problem, reach out to the customer and try to head off the problem before it really becomes expensive for them,” explained Beason.

However, the finance director acknowledged there were some hiccups in the early days of the MuniBilling partnership, including: inexperience of the firm’s call center staff; software that didn’t smoothly handle old customer move-outs and new customer move-ins; and, deposit refunds requiring a lot of effort by city staff.

But, Beason noted the company in June added “a really good project manager” who “seems to be in tune with not repeating the same mistakes more than once, and goes ahead and gets that taken care of quickly.”

Zephyrhills City Manager Billy Poe also went to bat in favor of renewing MuniBilling’s contract.

Poe told council members he’d “highly recommend against” changing gears and searching for a new water billing provider.

If that was to be the case, Poe, perhaps half-jokingly, said: “We probably will not have a finance director or many utility employees,” referencing the stress and workload involved in transitioning from one utility billing firm to another.

Other city staffers didn’t have to put up much of an argument, as council members likewise expressed their satisfaction with the MuniBilling and WaterSmart system.

Said Councilwoman Jodi Wilkeson: “For me personally, I think that the bill is easier to read. I think that it’s pretty consistent when it arrives and for the general customer experience, overall, has been pretty positive.”

Council President Charles Proctor also shared upbeat comments about MuniBilling, noting he has not received many complaints from utility customers.

Efforts to modernize the city’s water billing system had been in the works for some time.

Prior to signing up with Fathom more than five years ago, Zephyrhills leaders expressed the need to shift to state-of-the-art, cloud-based technology that can monitor for leaks and spikes in water usage, and provide more accuracy and consistency in meter readings and billings.

Confidence in the city’s billing system had eroded in recent years because of inaccurate meter readings, broken meters, leaks that went undiscovered and other problems.

Residential and commercial customers then reported incorrect billing, including a $100,000 error in the Zephyrhills bottled water account.

Yet, even the initial Fathom rollout led to numerous complaints from residents, who saw their bills go up after installation of new bar meters provided more precise water-usage readings, finding leaks the old system did not detect.

Published November 18, 2020

Pasco drivers can save money on fines this week

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Operation Green Light gives motorists a chance to pay unpaid court fines and fees, and get back onto the road, at a reduced price.

The event is happening in Pasco County from Nov. 18 through Nov. 20.

By paying their fines during this window of opportunity, drivers can save big on collections, penalties, and interest, according to a news release from the office of Pasco County Clerk & Comptroller Nikki Alvarez-Sowles.

“This is an important moment for drivers who have seen their licenses suspended over unpaid court obligations,” Alvarez-Sowles said, in the release. “So much of our modern lives depends on having reliable transportation, and for most of us, that means being able to drive.

“During Operation Green Light, penalties, interest, and collections fees that have been piling up can, in many cases, be waived. For those who can’t pay their obligations in total, we offer payment plans that allow driving privileges to be restored, too.”

There are three ways to participate: in person, phone, online.

Deputy Clerks will be available at both courthouses – the Robert Sumner Judicial Center (Dade City) and the West Pasco Judicial Center (New Port Richey) – during business hours, which are 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., for in-person assistance.

Sidelined motorists can skip the trip and get squared away by telephone: (352) 521-4542, Option 1; or (727) 847-8031, Option 2, between 7:30 a.m. and 6 p.m.

And, anytime during the three-day event, access will be offered to a special Operation Green Light web page: https://www.pascoclerk.com/856/Operation-Green-Light.

Those with licenses suspended over failure to pay child support, DUI, failure to complete a driver’s course ordered by the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV), traffic-related felony, or deemed by FLHSMV as a habitual traffic offender may not be eligible to participate, according to the release.

Drivers wanting to get a grasp on the financial obligations pending against their license may check their status here: https://services.flhsmv.gov/DLCheck/.

Published November 18, 2020

Donations top $5,600 for Sunrise of Pasco

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Donations exceeding $5,600 came in to the Pasco County Tax Collector’s Office during the month of September to support the Sunrise of Pasco’s Domestic & Violence Center.

Representatives of Pasco County Tax Collector Mike Fasano’s office and from Sunrise of Pasco’s Domestic & Violence Center stand near the tax collector’s office with a check representing the amount of contributions raised for the group. (Courtesy of Pasco County Tax Collector Mike Fasano)

Tax Collector Mike Fasano’s five offices collected the donations, which will be used to benefit the center that aims to end domestic and sexual violence, by providing prevention and intervention services to those in need, according to a release from Fasano’s office.

“We greatly appreciate you for supporting us through your Charity of the Month Program,”  Kelly Sinn, CEO of Sunrise of Pasco, told Fasano, in the news release. “We are beyond grateful that you selected us for this opportunity and are overwhelmed by the generous donations from our amazing community members. Your donation of $5,624.92 will help Sunrise of Pasco carry out our mission of assisting survivors of abuse.”

In the release, Fasano responded: “Sunrise of Pasco has made a positive impact on our community for decades. Our office was honored to be able to help advance their efforts by including Sunrise of Pasco as part of our Charity of the Month program. We know that every dollar raised will be spent to help families, mothers and their children, right here in Pasco County. Despite the challenges, financial and otherwise, that COVID has brought to so many people this year, the fact that over $5,600 was raised for Sunrise of Pasco speaks volumes as to the generosity of our community and to the fine reputation Sunrise of Pasco has earned over the years.”

The Charity of the Month program is a year-round effort to bring as much attention to as many charities, both big and small, who serve those in need or are less fortunate. For more information about the charitable giving program at the Pasco County Tax Collector’s Office, contact Assistant Tax Collector Greg Giordano at (727) 847-8179, or visit PascoTaxes.com. For more information about services provided at Sunrise of Pasco, please call Vicki Wiggins, director of development at (352) 521-3358.

Published November 18, 2020

Fence law changed Florida’s cattle industry

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Florida passed a fence law in 1949 — the same year Steve Melton was born.

“This is amazing to me that within my lifetime we have gone from open range cattle to what you see today,” Melton said, during a recent meeting of the Pasco County Historical Society in Dade City.

This cow, in northeastern Pasco County, stands in a pasture behind a barbed wire fence. Florida was the last state to pass a fence law, to keep cattle penned into properties. (File)

“When you drive in the morning and see the green pastures, and the housing developments, you have to remember it was open range not that long ago,” recalled Melton, whose family has farming and ranching operations on the northeastern edge of Pasco County.

How ranchers transformed the state’s agriculture open ranges and woods to improved pastures was the topic of Melton’s talk before an audience of roughly 50 people.

Those gathered had waited six months to hear from the cattle rancher and cowboy poet because of concerns about gatherings during the COVID-19 global pandemic.

The state’s fence law — Chapter 588 of the Florida Statutes — makes it possible for approximately 19,000 livestock farms to coexist with the state’s rapid population and commercial growth.

Complaints about traffic accidents with stray cattle had finally convinced more and more ranchers to permanently fence in their herds.

But, the state’s history with cattle began about 500 years before that.

Melton offered a historical glimpse of the role cattle has played in Florida, since explorer Ponce de Leon brought them to the New World, in 1521.

During the Civil War, Florida became the main supplier of beef to the Confederate army.

But, the cattle industry didn’t enter its golden age until the period of Reconstruction, when a thriving trade opened with Cuba.

Turpentine enterprises were abundant in Pasco County during the early 1900s. After the turpentine was removed, turpentine companies would abandon the properties or sell the land for $2 an acre or less, making it possible for ranchers and others to acquire large land holdings. (Courtesy of Jeff Cannon)

Ranchers bred and raised “cracker cattle” to graze on wire grass, and native plants in pinewoods and wet weather ponds.

That began to change in the 1800s.

“Not many know this, but turpentine was the state’s largest industry at that time,” Melton said.

Turpentine was manufactured from pine sap taken from old-growth trees. It was used for the so-called naval store industry for all products derived from pine resin, such as soap, paint, varnish, shoe polish, lubricants, linoleum, and roofing materials.

The distillation process left the trees mostly barren.

Then, Melton said, the turpentine companies would either walk away or sell their land for less than $2 an acre.

Low land prices create opportunity
“Cattlemen and others with some money started to buy huge tracts of land,” Melton said.

Landowners expanded their holdings, including the Barthle Brothers Ranch and the Krusen Land and Timber Company in East Pasco, the Wiregrass Ranch in Central Pasco, and the Starkey Ranch in West Pasco County.

“The main thing that changed our agriculture at this point was watermelons,” Melton explains.

Watermelon growers headed to the big ranchers and made deals to clear the land.

Since they needed fresh ground when planting, this meant that each year the trees would be pushed and cleared to plant a new crop of watermelon.

Hundreds of boxcars loaded with watermelons were shipped out from the railroad sidings in Trilby by local growers over 60 years ago. The Trilby depot can still be seen on the grounds of the Pioneer Florida Museum and Village north of Dade City. (Courtesy of Scott Black)

“They had a unique way of clearing the land,” Melton told his audience.

“They would take a couple of D8 Caterpillar bulldozers and tie a ship anchor chain between them, and drag this back and forth across the field to clear scrub and light timber,” Melton said.

In the late 1940s and early 1950s, watermelon growers found an early market up north for shipping product for the Memorial Day family picnics.

The ranchers benefited because their land was cleared, for free, by the watermelon growers.

After the watermelon harvests, alyceclover was planted first as a seed crop.

When planting Baha as an improved pasture grass, and with genetics greatly improving the size and quality of beef, ranchers could average one calf per 13 acres instead of one calve per 15 acres.

“The beef industry in Florida completely changed,” Melton observed.

“Most all ranchers run a cow-calf operation. Meaning they keep the momma cow and sell the calves for beef.”

Steve Melton is an agricultural businessman, rancher, farmer, poet, and owner of one of the largest privately held farm machinery museums in Florida. (Courtesy of Doug Sanders)

Increased calf production necessitated economies in savings with giant feed lots operating in Texas, Kansas, Arizona and New Mexico.

“The calves are fed to be 2-year-old, 100-pound steers or heifers, and then sold to a packer,” Melton explains.

Only four or five packing houses in the United States are still cost-effective with the feed lots out west.

“Cattle ranching, which had once been a family enterprise utilizing the open-range, became a capital-intensive agribusiness by the 1980s,” Melton concluded.

Florida was the last state to pass a fence law.

Dade City’s William M. Larkin, a long-time cattle rancher and prominent lawyer, drafted the fence law that was adopted by the Florida Legislature.

Larkin wound up fencing about 15,000 acres of his ranch with woven wire, purchased from Sears, Roebuck and Company.

Doug Sanders has a penchant for unearthing interesting stories about local history. His sleuthing skills have been developed through his experiences in newspaper and government work. If you have an idea for a future history column, contact Doug at .

Published November 18, 2020

North Tampa Bay Chamber awards bestowed

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The North Tampa Bay Chamber presented its 2020 Celebrating Excellence Awards, honoring local companies and individuals that have benefited the community, and have demonstrated commitment and resilience during the past year.

Because of the global COVID-19 pandemic, the chamber reimagined its annual awards ceremony — bestowing the honors on companies exemplifying the chamber’s core values of integrity, inclusivity, collaboration and innovation, according to a chamber news release.

The chamber also recognized individuals who have gone above and beyond to serve the community, presenting them with Community Hero awards. And, it recognized an individual who embodies all of the chamber’s core values, through the organization’s chairman’s award.

The awards ceremony was held virtually, on Nov. 12. A number of organizations hosted watch parties in different locations, while some chamber members watched from the comfort of their own homes.

Recipients of this year’s honors are:

Excellence in Integrity Award: The Laker/Lutz News. This award honors an organization that demonstrated commitment and resilience during the past year has benefited the community and region.

Excellence in Collaboration Award: Sarah Vande Berg Tennis and Wellness Center. This award honors an organization that has sought to build bridges and partner with individuals and groups that has strengthened the community and region during the past year.

Excellence in Inclusivity Award: Pasco-Hernando State College — Porter Campus. This award honors an organization that has demonstrated, through its organizational culture or in service to the community, leadership in diversity and inclusion practice during the past year.

Excellence in Innovation Award: Pinot’s Palette. This award honors an organization that demonstrated unique ingenuity during the past year has benefited the community and region.

Community Heroes: Ghada and Lufti Judallah; Troy Stevenson; and, Dr. Paula O’Neil. Through their efforts, these individuals exemplified their concern and a compassionate response to the pandemic.

Chairman’s Award: Roberto Saez. This award honors the myriad ways that Roberto Saez has contributed to creating a better community. He has given generously to charitable causes, has supported scholarships and has shared his talents, without charge, on chamber projects.

Published November 18, 2020