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Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

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Saint Leo to get $20 million wellness center

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Saint Leo University will soon be home to a sprawling $20 million wellness center —integrating student recreation, fitness, health services, counseling services and campus ministry.

A groundbreaking ceremony earlier this month celebrated the forthcoming 59,000-square-foot wellness center, to be situated on the west end of the campus by Lake Jovita.

From left: Jon Akvan, project manager, JLL; Troy Powell, project manager; Creative Contractors Inc.; Dr. Melanie Storms, Saint Leo University senior vice president; Jose Caban, Saint Leo associate vice president of facilities management; Dr. Jeffrey D. Senese, Saint Leo president; Celine-Deon Palmer, student government union president; D. Dewey Mitchell, Saint Leo Board of Trustees chair; Alan Bomstein, CEO, Creative Contractors; and Joshua Bomstein, Creative Contractors president, at the ceremonial groundbreaking of Saint Leo University’s new Wellness Center. (Courtesy of Renee Gerstein, Saint Leo University)

Construction tentatively will begin in April, and university officials hope to open the wellness center in fall 2021.

The new facility will provide space for group exercise, spinning and yoga classes, and a large community fitness center. There also will be two indoor basketball courts, an indoor walking track, a healthy café and smoothie bar, a resort-style outdoor pool with a lakeside infinity edge and outdoor barbecue, as well as a relaxation terrace and garden. There also will be several multipurpose rooms, which could be used as space for meditation, specialty classes, gaming and so on.

Many of those amenities, such as a dedicated cycling and yoga studio, aren’t presently offered on campus. Also, “There will be new machines, new equipment on the fitness floor that we don’t currently have,” said Dr. Melanie Storms, senior vice president at the university, who is  spearheading the wellness center project.

The university’s current recreation and fitness offerings are mainly housed at Marion Bowman Activities & Aquatics Center.

But, once the new wellness center opens, the Bowman Center will become an exclusive training ground for Saint Leo’s various athletic programs, Storms said.

The Bowman Center has been somewhat limited for recreation and intramural activities because the space also is shared by the university’s intercollegiate athletic programs, such as the Saint Leo men’s and women’s basketball and volleyball teams.

Saint Leo University is building a 59,000-square-foot wellness center that integrates student recreation, fitness, health services, counseling services and campus ministry. The $20 million project will be housed on the west end of the campus by Lake Jovita. It is expected to be open by fall 2021. (Courtesy of Saint Leo University)

Because of that, Storms said the regular student body has been pining for a “fully dedicated rec gym” the wellness center will offer.

“We definitely have had high student demand —  voices from the students saying they needed additional space, that the (recreation) hours and offerings just haven’t been sufficient to meet the needs,” Storms said.

The wellness center primarily will be for Saint Leo students, faculty and staff, but some features may be open to be public.

Storms said summer pool memberships will “definitely” be offered to the local community, while public-use options for the fitness center and health services are still being explored by university officials; the university is in talks with several health care providers that potentially could serve the community by delivering medical services on-site.

Storms said student health and counseling services currently offered at DeChantal Hall will move to the new facility once it opens, making it the “single source of health services” at Saint Leo. She added the DeChantal Hall building will stay in use for other purposes for the time being, as it also houses other university departments, such as theology faculty.

The wellness center project has been under discussion for a number of years, but officials say now was the time to proceed — as the school in the fall welcomed its largest incoming group of students in the university’s 130-year history (1,001 new students).

The school now has about 2,100 students on campus, plus more than 700 faculty and staff.

Said Storms, “With the increase that we saw in our student population this past fall, and the anticipated coming in next fall, we just realized it was time; our recreational facilities are overloaded.”

Sister Roberta Bailey, OSB, presented a history of the site, during a ceremony celebrating the groundbreaking for Saint Leo University’s new Wellness Center.

Creative Contractors of Clearwater is serving as the construction firm for the project, while S3 Design Inc., of Braintree, Massachusetts, is handling the architectural design; and JLL of Tampa will provide project management services.

The university has secured financing to proceed on the multi-million project, but also is working to secure private fundraising and state funding, Storms said.

The wellness center is going on land that originally belonged to the Benedictine Sisters of Florida.

With that, Storms believes the facility “fits within the historical context of who they are and how they used the space.”

She observed, “The site is very special in the sense of being dedicated to the mind, body, spirit, and the sort of holistic well-being of the individual, and sort of carrying forward their legacy in that way. It’s beautiful because it’s lakeside, it’s very serene, and I couldn’t think of a better way to use the land than this.”

At the groundbreaking, Saint Leo president Dr. Jeffrey Senese predicted the new wellness center will have a significant impact: “We are creating an iconic building for Pasco County, Tampa Bay and Florida. It is our vision that this building will take your breath away.”

Published February 19, 2020

Political Agenda 02/19/2020

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Pasco Supervisor of Elections website change
The Pasco County Supervisor of Election’s Office has converted its website from a .com to a .gov Internet address, according to a news release.

The switch was made as a security measure, according to the release.

“Elections security continues to be at the forefront in all that we do, which is why we secured the PascoVotes.gov domain. Only official U.S. government websites will have addresses that end in .gov,” the release says. The switch and other security enhancements ensure that PascoVotes.gov is more secure against hijacking or website spoofing, the release adds.

Visitors to PascoVotes.gov can access voting and election information quickly and easily from any device they choose. They can access information on how to register to vote, make address or name changes, update their signatures, and more, according to the release.

Upcoming political club meetings:

Republican clubs joint meeting
The Feb. 24 joint meeting of the Republican Club of Central Pasco and the Pasco Federated Republican Women’s Club will feature the Republican candidates that have filed for the open District 4 Pasco County Commission seat. The candidates are: Gary Bradford, Jeff Miller, Gabe Papadopoulos and Dan Tipton. The meeting will be a “meet-and-greet” session to get to know the candidates and their stances on the issues.

The event is open to the public and the club encourages anyone that seeks to be involved in the political process to attend.  The club meets at Copperstone Executive Suites, 3632 Land O’ Lakes Blvd., in Land O’ Lakes. The social begins at 6:30 p.m., and the business meeting starts at 7 p.m. For more information, call (813) 996-3011.

Land O’ Lakes Democratic Club
The Land O’ Lakes Democratic Club plans to meet on March 4 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., at Brick City Eatery, 16540 Pointe Village Drive in Lutz. The club meets on the first Wednesday of the month in the private room at Brick City Eatery, according to the calendar on the Pasco Democrats’ website.

Young Democrats meeting
The Young Democrats plans to meet on March 10 from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m., at Brick City Eatery, 16540 Pointe Village Drive in Lutz, according to the calendar on the Pasco Democrats’ website.

Wesley Chapel Republican Club
The Wesley Chapel Republican Club plans to meet on March 12 from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m., at Wesley Chapel Toyota, 5300 Eagleston Blvd., in Wesley Chapel. The scheduled speaker is Alexandria Suarez, according to the club’s Facebook page.

East Pasco Republican Club
The East Pasco Republican Club plans to meet on March 17 at 6 p.m., at the Microtel Inns & Suites, 7839 Gall Blvd., in Zephyrhills. The scheduled guest speaker is Dr. Randall Stovall, according to the club’s Facebook page.

Orange Blossom Garden Club has deep roots

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Ever wonder how to attract butterflies to your garden, or unravel the mysteries of growing herbs?

Can you tell the difference between a cattleya, oncidium or phalaenopsis?

Hang out with members of the Orange Blossom Garden Club of Lutz for a day, and you’ll learn all those things and more.

Lee Ann Brown, president of The Orange Blossom Garden Club of Lutz, tries to decide which orchid to buy at Everlast Orchids & Supplies. (Karen Haymon-Long)

The club, whose history dates back to 1941, has 24 members who collectively know all sorts of interesting things about flowers and plants, gardens and pests, rooting, trimming, grafting and growing.

They learned recently at one of their monthly meetings about a smartphone app that helps identify plants. But, then, they already have Harriet Vaughan or Sara Rametta for that.

“Someone in our group always knows what a plant is,” says Lee Ann Brown, club president, while driving members to Everlast Orchids & Supplies in Spring Hill for a club field trip. Along the way, she explains how much members learn from each other and from speakers at their monthly meetings.

At State Road 52 and U.S. 41, she abruptly interrupts herself: “Oh my gosh, I can’t believe they’re taking down all those trees,” she says, wearily.

That’s a theme repeated by others on the outing. Some members – most past 60 – grew up in Florida and remember when the state was much less developed. Some even fought the widening of U.S. 41, the very road they were traveling on, on the way to Spring Hill.

Club members are drawn to a variety of plants and flowers.

Brown — who taught theater to high school students, some of whom made it to Broadway — rescues all sorts of plants from estate sales for a couple of dollars each and coaxes them back to beauty.

Eva Balogh and Darwin Brew ponder between two orchids, before Balogh spots yet a third contender.

“Usually, they just need a little attention,” she says.

Former city planner Barbara Leiby says she learned about begonias at a club meeting and now grows her own.

Another member, Eva Balogh, says, “I can’t limit myself, so I grow everything.” Her friend, Darwin Brew, takes the opposite approach. He has 600 orchids and couldn’t resist buying more at Everlast.

He meticulously labels them and spends days bringing them in from the cold. But, he doesn’t seem to mind.

“It’s fun,’’ he says.

His first orchid was a pink phalaenopsis.

Hong-Chia Lee has 200,000 orchids in his greenhouses off U.S. 41 in Spring Hill. He sells to the public and to florists, garden shops and plant brokers.

“It was 10 bucks, so I bought it, brought it home and put it on a table, and it bloomed and bloomed and bloomed.”

He was captivated.

At Everlast, he helped Eva Balogh decide between a delicate white cattleya hybrid or a yellow one, both with a splash of purple-pink.

“This one has more buds,’’ he tells her, as she spots yet a third choice.

“And, look at that one,” she says, pointing to another prize winner.

There are just so many to choose from.

Hong-Chia Lee and his wife, Andrea Macias, who own Everlast, have 200,000 orchids in greenhouses spanning an acre off U.S. 41 in Spring Hill.

They sell to the public, as well as to florists, garden shops, and to brokers who sell to Lowe’s and other chain stores.

Lee offers growing tips, as he leads 16 garden club members on a tour of his greenhouses.

“Most people do too much to orchids,” he tells the members.

“Just like your husbands, just leave them alone. We like to be left alone,’’ he said, laughing. “They’d rather be dry than wet. Water them every 8 to 10 days. Not every day.”

Since most of his orchids come from Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Thailand and other warm places, they like the heat. One of the best places for them in the winter, he says, is a warm and humid bathroom.

A close-up view of a phalaenopsis.

He spends $30,000 on propane to keep his stock warm every winter, but then, he orders 9,000 plants and 1,200 bags of moss at a time, and 18-wheeler trucks deliver his fertilizer.

Asked how many orchids he has at home, he smiles and says, “Zero.’’

Of course, he doesn’t have to go far to see them.

He and his wife, and his 8-year-old son and 6-year-old daughter, live in a house on their 9-acre nursery property, so, “If I want to see an orchid, I just come here,” he says.

Some garden club members have been to his nursery before and he donates orchids to their annual plant sale, whose proceeds fund a yearly $500 scholarship to a high school senior planning to concentrate on agriculture of some sort.

This year’s sale is March 7 from 9 a.m. to noon, at County Line Produce, at County Line Road and U.S. 41 in Lutz.

Club members also collect canned goods for a food bank and donate throws, socks and other items to a nursing home.

At lunch after their nursery tour, they talk about herbs and coffee plants (they both like shade); bromeliads (The University of South Florida’s Botanical Gardens has pretty ones); bleeding hearts (they’re wonderful, but have to be thinned sometimes); camellias (lovelier than roses); orchids (addictive); deer (bad) and snakes (good).

Their conversations have that good friends’ easy feeling, with no mention of politics, religion, sports or the state of our union.

But, then, that’s what garden clubs are for — friendship, learning and swapping stories about flowers, gardens and other natural wonders.

Garden Club
The Orange Blossom Garden Club of Lutz meets at 10 a.m., on the first Wednesday of the month, from September through June, in the Lutz Civic Center, 98 First Ave., N.W., in Lutz. (December’s meeting is a holiday luncheon and June’s is a scholarship luncheon). For more details, call (813) 949-1301.

Orchid shop
Everlast Orchids & Supplies is at 17019 U.S. 41, Spring Hill. Open Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Call (727) 235-1386, or visit www.EverlastOrchids.com.

By Karen Haymon-Long

Published February 19, 2020

Renowned rabbi lectures on faith, prophets

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Rabbi Jack Bemporad is one of three rabbis who blessed Pope John II before his death.

He also had a personal audience with Pope John XXIII.

And, he is the first person to receive an honorary doctorate degree from Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas in Rome since its founding in 1577.

Renowned religious scholar Rabbi Jack Bemporad was a guest speaker at Saint Leo University earlier this month. His talk centered on faith, the message of the prophets, and the Bible. (Courtesy of Jo-Ann Johnston)

Earlier this month, the renowned religious scholar led a discussion at Saint Leo University on the topic of faith and message of the prophets — through the college’s Center for Catholic-Jewish Studies.

His talk centered mainly around the Book of Amos, the first prophetic book of the Bible to be written. In the Hebrew Bible and Christian Old Testament, Amos was one of the Twelve Minor Prophets. An older contemporary of Hosea and Isaiah, Amos was active during the rule of kings Jeroboam II and Uzziah. He was from the southern Kingdom of Judah but preached in the northern Kingdom of Israel.

Bemporad outlined Amos’ series of teachings that began around 750 B.C., in the northern Kingdom of Israel, where he claimed to have been selected by God to spread his word and confront sinners — specifically judges and leadership who accepted bribes and exploited others.

Bemporad pointed out Amos is credited as “the first person ever in history” to condemn a society that is unjust and takes advantage of the vulnerable, the poor and needy, and so on.

The prophet also foretold the northern Kingdom of Israel would one day be destroyed, because of their behavior of “trusting in weapons,” Bemporad said. The kingdom was destroyed about 30 years later, in 722 B.C.  Said Bemporad, “If you trust in weapons, guess what? There’s no end to that.”

The scholar explained people in that era believed “the day of the Lord” was a day when your country wins all its battles and conquers all its enemies. Amos, however, preached the “day of the Lord,” in its ultimate sense, is a time “when all human beings live a life of peace and tranquility,” Bemporad said.

The rabbi circled it back to present times: “Imagine you could live a life where you don’t have to worry that we’re building trillions of dollars’ worth of nuclear weapons, that we’re not making all kinds of wars and guns so that we can destroy each other, (but) we can really sit and no one be afraid.”

Bemporad mentioned Amos, too, spoke out against animal sacrifices to God — which was a groundbreaking position at that time.

In those days, the priests’ main function was to offer as many animal sacrifices as possible, mainly to absolve sins of the wealthy, Bemporad said.

The religious scholar observed, “They felt by offering animal sacrifices to God, they were fine, ‘Why do I have to worry about the poor and needy, if I’m offering up sacrifice?’”

But, Amos felt and expressed it differently.

God is interested in justice
Bemporad explained: “He’s the first person in history to say, ‘God’s not interested in sacrifices. God’s interested in justice and righteousness.’ That’s a revelation. That’s an absolute revelation. All the other prophets, in one form or another, say something similar to that.”

Bemporad went on to explain the prophet deals with “a fundamental, more profound problem” throughout his teachings: “If you continue living a detestable lifestyle, you will no longer have access to that which is spiritually nourishing.”

Otherwise known as “the great despair,” the rabbi put Amos’ sentiments in different terms.

“Because you pursue exploitation, and wealth and bribery, and lying and cheating, and all that,” Bemporad said, “you won’t have access to God, because it’s not that God isn’t available, it’s that you’re not allowing God to be available.”

It’s a dilemma that proves to be a major theme throughout the Bible, Bemporad said.

“You have so many instances in the Bible where people find, because of the way they live their life, that their habits become such that they sort of have an overlay that prevents them from really experiencing real life in anything that is truly meaningful and truly life — which is that we’re standing up for something that is just and true, and we’re connecting to what is true and what is real,” he said.

Put another way, Bemporad said biblical history is simply about, “how do we relate to God, and how do we relate to our fellow human beings?”

Beyond that, Bemporad stated everything else in this world should be treated as secondary.

He put it like this: “Who cares about the politicians? Who cares about all the businesses? Who cares about all the voyeurism that we see in the press and on TV? Is that really real? Is that really truth? Seek the truth, and it’ll make you free. And, the Bible is the path to find it.”

Bemporad then challenged the audience to spend the rest of their lives studying the Bible.

Of the Bible, he said: “It’s something that you will never fully understand, because it’s too profound, it’s too deep. It’s not only a word of wisdom, but in our respective (Jewish) religion, we believe that it contains in some form or another the word of God, and so anything that has that wisdom to it… is the sort of thing we have to approach it, with first, humility; second, respect; and thirdly, a real sense that if we understand it, if we spend time with it, we will benefit greatly from it.”

Bemporad currently is director of the nonprofit Center for Inter-religious Understanding (CIU) in New Jersey, which he founded in 1992. He also is director of the John Paul II Center and professor of inter-religious studies, both at the Vatican and St. Thomas Aquinas University in Rome.

Published February 19, 2020

Olympic softball legend inspires at Pasco Chamber

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To kick off its 27th annual Business Development Week luncheon, The Greater Pasco Chamber of Commerce brought in a keynote speaker to serve up a different kind of pitch — literally.

It was two-time Olympic softball gold medalist and ESPN lead softball analyst Michele Smith, a Treasure Island resident who has family ties to Pasco County.

Speaking at Spartan Manor in New Port Richey, the softball legend preached a message of perseverance and handling adversity — tying in athletics, broadcasting and the business world.

Two-time Olympic softball gold medalist and ESPN lead softball analyst Michele Smith was the featured guest speaker at a Greater Pasco Chamber of Commerce business luncheon last month. (Kevin Weiss)

Smith is familiar with overcoming setbacks. She suffered a career-threatening injury as a teen, but went on to become one of the most accomplished and recognizable figures in women’s softball.

Smith’s first major hurdle came in July 21, 1986, at 19 years old.

Her father was driving her home from an oral surgeon appointment when a sleeping Smith was thrown from the truck when her car door opened on a turn. She was thrown into a roadside post, chopping off part of her elbow bone and tearing her tricep on her left arm, which severed the muscle and nerve endings in her pitching arm.

At the time, she was coming off a superb freshman year at Oklahoma State and was told by doctors she likely would never pitch.

Smith didn’t accept that diagnosis. She was dead-set on making a comeback.

She put it like this: “I think at 19 I didn’t really realize it and I was a little stubborn. I thought, if I’m never going to pitch again, I’m going to make that decision. I’m certainly going to try to come back from this horrific accident, and so I did.”

Indeed, she made a miraculous recovery.

She was back in the circle in time for her sophomore season, after nine long months of rehab, training and physical therapy. She even returned with greater velocity — adding about 3 mph on her fastball.

“I worked very, very hard to get back,” Smith said. “And, I just kept thinking about this one word —perseverance.”

After the car accident, she had a record-setting career at Oklahoma State. She played professional softball in Japan for 16 years. She was starting pitcher for the gold-medalist U.S. Olympic softball team at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta and 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia; and, she was inducted into the National Softball Hall of Fame.

She put those achievements into perspective.

“When people look at me and think, ‘Wow, as an Olympic athlete, you just must be special and this or that.’ No, I worked really hard, and I overcame a lot, and I loved adversity because it brought out the best in me. It really taught me what I’m able to do and what I’m able to accomplish,” she said.

It turns out her first-ever Olympic softball game was 10 years to the day of the car accident.

During her talk, Smith discussed the importance of perseverance and overcoming adversity, tying in her athletic career to her broadcasting and business ventures. (Courtesy of Michele Smith)

Walking onto that field for the first time, she said, “was just one of the most special things in my life, knowing that you can overcome anything if you put your mind to it, and surround yourself with the right people.”

Smith has leveraged her noteworthy playing career into a very successful and trailblazing  broadcasting career, beginning in 1998 at ESPN. Over the years she has also called games for NBC, CBS Sports Network and TBS, where in 2012 she became the first female broadcaster in history to serve as a commentator for a nationally televised Major League Baseball game.

While the gig is “a lot of fun,” there can be some nerve-wracking moments in live television, Smith said.

“Anything that can go wrong in live television does go wrong,” Smith said, with a chuckle. “A lot of times at home you have no idea that the wheels are falling off the bus.

“I’ve had a lot of very interesting moments as an ESPN analyst, but I do love it,” Smith said.

Learning and memorizing facts and statistics about many teams and new players every year is a challenging aspect of the job.

“It’s a lot of homework, and a lot of studying,” she said.

She also mentioned the increasing popularity of televised women’s softball over the years.

The network has begun broadcasting more college softball in February, in place of some college basketball games, she said.

She also noted that some Women’s College Softball World Series games have been moved to ESPN from alternative ESPN2 because the ratings were exceeding Yankees-Red Sox network game broadcasts.

“Those are big, big monumental moves for our sport, for women’s sports, for girls and women,” she said.

Aside from broadcasting, Smith also has dabbled in commercial real estate. She has purchased and rehabbed old buildings in and around the Treasure Island community.

Smith and her project team have transformed the oldest motel in Treasure Island into a vacation rental property called Sunset Inn & Cottages, rated as the community’s No. 1 hotel by Trip Advisor.

Other projects include turning a former laundromat into an upscale event space in Madeira Beach, and renovating a former St. Petersburg gas station into a craft brewery and BBQ restaurant.

Smith said she takes pride in “taking an old building and making it something where people will come and enjoy themselves, and be able to share very special moments in their lives.”

She encouraged those gathered to take a leap of faith and step outside of their comfort zones, like she did when she took on commercial real estate.

She cited one of her favorite quotes — from LinkedIn co-founder, Reid Hoffman — regarding entrepreneurs and new business owners. He said: “You jump off a cliff and you assemble an airplane on the way down.”

Smith added: “A lot of times you have to disrupt the status quo if you want growth.”

Of course, learning the real estate game has had its share of growing pains and can be humbling, too, she said.

“There will be times I’m calling a game on ESPN and then the next morning I’ll be running around plumbing a toilet or something,” she said, laughing.

Published February 12, 2020

Flu virus spreads in Pasco

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Key indicators that track flu activity remain high nationally, and, after falling during the first two weeks of the year, it increased over the last three weeks, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Dr. John Morrison, a family physician at AdventHealth Wesley Chapel, often educates others about the flu virus and about different ways it can be spread. (Courtesy of AdventHealth Wesley Chapel)

Indicators that track overall severity — including hospitalizations and deaths — are not high at this point in the season, the CDC reports.

Statewide, there were 11 new outbreaks during the week ending Jan. 25, according to the Florida Department of Health. In Pasco County, there were at least five new outbreaks, the agency reported.

During the same week, Florida had seen its highest level of observed infections, in the season this far, the agency added.

The CDC reports that people who are more susceptible to the virus are those age 65 and older, children younger than age 5, and pregnant women.

In Pasco County, the public school district reported there have been outbreaks at six county schools since October.

And, as of Feb. 5, seven influenza-related deaths among children have been reported across Florida, according to the state department of health. All of those deaths involved children who had not been vaccinated, the agency adds.

“The AdventHealth West Florida Division is seeing flu numbers more than twice as high, compared to the same time last year,” said Ashley Jeffery of AdventHealth.

Dr. John Morrison, who practices family medicine at AdventHealth Wesley Chapel, said getting a flu shot is the best form of protection against the virus.

While there are steps that can be taken to reduce the risk of getting the flu, vaccination is the best method, says Dr. John Morrison of AdventHealth Wesley Chapel.

He also offered these preventative tips:

  • Hand-washing
  • Sanitizing surfaces before contact
  • Avoiding close contact with those known to be infected
  • Adequate rest
  • Adequate hydration
  • A healthy diet

“Eating a well-rounded diet can certainly help,” Morrison said. “Fruits and vegetables that are high in vitamin C and zinc can certainly play a role in the immune system.”

On average, 8% of the U.S. population gets sick from the virus each year, according to the CDC.

Be on the lookout for these symptoms of the flu: Coughing, a sore throat, a runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headaches, fatigue and/or diarrhea.

Sources for vaccinations can include local pharmacies, hospitals, clinics and schools.

For more information on the flu virus, visit CDC.gov/Flu/.

Published February 12, 2020

Pasco drops fines on overdue library books

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Pasco County Libraries has joined a national trend and no longer imposes fines on overdue library materials.

The new policy kicked in on Feb. 10.

The timing also coincides with Library Lovers Month, according to a Pasco County news release.

Materials borrowed from the county’s library system will continue to have a due date, but the fines associated for bringing them back late will no longer apply.

Have some overdue books from Pasco County Libraries? Bring them back. The county no longer imposes fines for overdue materials. (File)

Dropping the fines actually saves the library system a substantial amount of money, the system reports.

In Fiscal Year 2019, libraries collected $67,288 in overdue fines, but the administrative cost to manage and collect the fees was $386,345, according to system figures.

Besides saving $319,057, the shift in policy allows library staff to spend more time assisting customers, conducting outreach and offering enrichment programs, the news release adds.

Removing the fees also removes a barrier for some patrons.

“Fines for overdue materials can act as an inequitable barrier to service, disproportionately affecting minors, students, and community members with limited financial resources,” said Libraries Program Manager Robert Harrison. “Libraries have seen increases in return rates, borrowing and library card registrations after adopting fine-free policies.”

The new program kicks off with a “book amnesty” period from Feb. 10 through March 10, when all accumulated fines (large or small) associated with overdue materials will be forgiven once the item is returned.

In addition to loaning books and other materials, Pasco County provides a wide variety of programming.

To learn more about the fine-free policy, visit bit.ly/Fine-FreeFAQ.

For more information about Pasco County Libraries, including the library catalog, E-content,  programs, events and links to all Pasco County Library branches, visit PascoLibraries.org.

Published February 12, 2020

Learning to live with Lewy Body

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Although Lewy Body Dementia has no known cure, identifying its symptoms and employing specific techniques can heighten a patient’s safety.

Gary Joseph LeBlanc, a public speaker for the Dementia Spotlight Foundation, provided an educational presentation on Feb. 5 about the disease at Atria Lutz, an assisted living facility.

Lewy Body Dementia is one of several diseases that inflicts dementia upon people, causing brain degeneration and memory loss.

The Atria Lutz assisted living facility offers a memory care program for its residents who may be dealing with dementia. (Brian Fernandes)

It’s the second most progressive form of dementia, behind Alzheimer’s disease, affecting 1.4 million Americans, according to the Lewy Body Dementia Association.

The condition occurs when protein deposits, called Lewy bodies, build up in the brain.

These areas of the brain regulate behavior, cognition and movement.

The dementia is named after Frederich H. Lewy, a neurologist who discovered the protein deposits in the brain in the early 1900s.

“When these people get to the end of these diseases – their brain is not going to tell their organs how to function anymore,” LeBlanc said.

There are instances when Lewy Body can be underdiagnosed because it shares some of the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease, he said.

Lewy Body and Alzheimer’s both bring about cognitive or memory disorders.

However, Lewy Body affects cognition as it relates to problem solving and complex reasoning.

Alzheimer’s on the other hand affects cognition as it relates to making new experiences into memories.

The symptoms of Lewy Body and Parkinson’s are a hunched posture, stiff muscles, a shuffling walk and trouble initiating movement.

Those who experience dementia within one year of Parkinson’s symptoms are typically diagnosed with Lewy Body.

But, when Parkinson’s symptoms go into effect after a year, patients are usually diagnosed with Parkinson’s.

Other symptoms of Lewy Body include:

  • Declined thinking or reasoning
  • Confusion that varies from day to day
  • Hallucinations
  • Delusions
  • Sleep disturbances

Another symptom associated with Lewy Body is called sundowning, where one becomes more confused or agitated during the afternoon or later in the evening.

It is best to keep individuals who exhibit signs of sundowning productive during the earlier part of the day, LeBlanc said.

Not recognizing faces or surroundings, can cause a patient to experience anxiety.

Signs of such anxiety can include sweaty hands or feet, shortness of breath or heart palpitations.

“If your loved one is tossing and turning, the chances are this is probably all anxiety-related,” LeBlanc said. “If we can control anxiety and depression, [you’re] going to see a whole new patient out of this person.”

Physicians can provide the necessary medications for these symptoms, he said.

The speaker also explained the term ‘elopement,’ which is when a patient wanders away from a safe environment.

That person will typically steer in the direction of their dominant hand, LeBlanc explained.

“If not found in 72 hours, the survival rate is down by 20%,” he said.

The File for Life packet is used in these situations or when a patient is found unconscious in their home.

File for Life is a magnetic pouch where important documents can be placed and put on the refrigerator.

It may provide helpful information to law enforcement, firefighters or search parties about a patient, when lost.

There also are methods that can be beneficial to the patient.

LeBlanc also touched on using redirection to divert a patient’s attention when they are upset. Giving them an activity, such as folding clothes, or showing them old photos to help spark memories, can be helpful.

Setting a routine is important, too, he said.

Daily meals at a specific time at the same location can help keep a patient on track and can help reduce anxiety.

He also recommends keeping the patient social by going outdoors, and he said it’s good to speak to them daily.

However, do not bombard him or her with long sentences, he said. Break them down one small sentence at a time, so the patient can better comprehend what you’re trying to convey, LeBlanc said.

At times, a patient might do some mental time traveling, where he or she believes they’re in a past time or place in their life.

It’s good to explain to that individual what the current date is, but don’t force the issue, LeBlanc said.

Sometimes you have to acclimate to the patient’s reality.

“If the facts don’t matter to him or her, they should not matter to us,” LeBlanc said.

When addressing a patient, it’s more effective to say “we” as opposed to “you,” he added. That helps the patient to view a task as a team effort, which tends to result in a greater likelihood of cooperation.

For more information on this disease, visit the Lewy Body Dementia Association at LBDA.org.

Published February 12, 2020

New subdivision approved off Bell Lake Road

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The Pasco County Commission has approved a rezoning for a 27-home subdivision, at the northwest intersection of Bell Lake and Alpine roads.

The site for the proposed subdivision is about 1 mile east of U.S. 41, in Land O’ Lakes.

The approval will allow houses with a minimum of 40-foot-wide lots to be built on the 9.5-acre site.

The board’s vote, at its Feb. 4 meeting, was the second time it approved the request.

A previous vote, taken on Jan. 7, was voided after it was discovered an error had been made on the public notice of that meeting.

Todd Pressman, representing the applicant, said plans call for a rental home community.

The price points of the homes being constructed there would be in mid-200s to mid-300s, he said, but they are being built for a segment of the market that prefers renting to home ownership.

Pressman showed the board a power point with representations of the type of houses that American Homes 4 Rent plans to build.

Several neighbors spoke against the requested rezoning. They said the lot size is incompatible with surrounding developments.

They also cited concerns about the condition of area roads that would serve the subdivision. Other worries include potential impacts on the area’s drainage, and potential safety hazards for children because the area lacks sidewalks.

One of their biggest concerns, though, was the fact that the company building the homes specializes in rental homes.

They expressed concerns that those living in rental homes are less committed to upkeep because they aren’t as invested as individual homeowners. They also noted that renters tend to be more transient than homeowners.

County Attorney Jeffrey Steinsnyder said that the county doesn’t consider the question of whether a property will be rented, or owned, when deciding land use issues.

The Pasco County Planning Commission recommended denial of the request, citing incompatibility between the requested lot size and the area’s existing development pattern.

But, county planners recommended approval, noting the county’s long-range plan allows up to six dwellings per acre, and saying this development represents an appropriate transition.

Pressman pointed out that the request is for 2.85 dwellings per acre, less than half of what’s allowed in the county’s land use plan. He also cited the property’s planned 200-foot buffer.

But, neighbors said the site plan indicates that the homes will be clustered together, which effectively reduces the lot size.

They said the planned lot sizes simply are not a good fit for the area.

Conditions for approval include a requirement to improve Alpine Road, to the entrance of the subdivision. The development also must install a left-turn lane on Bell Lake Road, and provide  sidewalks on the frontage of the subdivision.

Eric Swanson, land manager for American Homes 4 Rent, a national homebuilder, said the average household income for its renters is $100,000.

He also described the typical renter as an older millennial with a family, and said renters typically stay at a property for two years to three years.

Pasco County Commissioner Kathryn Starkey said this type of housing — rental homes — is a trend across the country, according to Urban Land Institute reports.

Neighbors expressed a variety of concerns.

Troy Gotschall, lives on Ladera Lane, just north of the planned subdivision.

“My biggest concern with this whole project is that the size of the lots do not meet what is in the surrounding area. That’s just not acceptable to us. It doesn’t make sense.

“It really gives us a heartache,” he said.

David Hodierne, who also lives on Ladera Lane, told commissioners: “Obviously, rentals concern us.”

He added: “One of the main questions I ask is: What need is truly being filled here? We have a high-density subdivision going into our rural community.

He cited the county’s declining percentage of owner-occupied homes and pointed to a recent action by commissioners to create a rental registry ordinance. When adopting that ordinance, commissioners cited concerns about the potential problems that result when rental properties are neglected, or attract criminal activity.

Margaret Gotschall, who lives on Fallglo Lane, said “the condition of the roads (Bell Lake and Alpine) is certainly a concern, especially with construction and increased traffic,” she said. “Bell Lake Road has deep, call them, ditches, on the side of the road.

“Alpine Road is very narrow. It’s deteriorating. The shoulders on both sides are caving in. It would need tremendous work to accommodate the additional traffic, and of course, the construction equipment that’s going to be going over these roads while this development is being constructed,” she said.

Karen Joeb, of Alpine Road, said “my grandson gets off the school bus. He steps in a ditch, to get across the road, to get across Alpine to come home.”

Curt Lessl, who lives on Alpine Road, said he’s already lost 160 maple trees in his backyard due to flooding.

“Putting this many homes, 10 feet apart from each other, on that small of property will overload that wetlands, which feeds into the wetlands and the drainage system that feeds into Banjo Lake right behind my property. It’s going to make an impact.

He also asked: “What guarantee do we have that this company, who is going to come in put in these rental properties, is going to maintain those rental properties.

“What’s going to happen when they decide to sell it to some other company that doesn’t have the same interest at heart? And then they sell it, and we’re left holding the bag.”

He urged commissioners: “Leave this area the quiet, small, low-density residential area that it has been for the last 50 years.”

Despite neighbors’ objections, commissioners sided with their planning staff’s recommendation and approved the rezoning, 5-0.

Published February 12, 2020

Will cross-county commuters have a new option?

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Commuters in Pasco, Hillsborough and Pinellas counties could have a new way to get around, as planning continues on a proposed 41-mile bus route connecting the counties.

The plan being considered calls for designated rapid bus transit lanes to be built along the shoulders of Interstate 75 and Interstate 275.

Chris Jadick is the communications director for the Tampa Bay Area Regional Transit Authority (TBARTA). At a North Tampa Bay Chamber breakfast on Feb. 4, he explained to attendees the agency’s plan to expand bus services cross-county. (Courtesy of Chris Jadick of TBARTA)

The route would run from Pasco to Hillsborough County — beginning at State Road 54 in Wesley Chapel, heading south to the University of South Florida and ending in downtown Tampa. The system also would have a leg continuing into Pinellas County, ending in downtown St. Petersburg.

Various bus stations would be built adjacent to the highway and within a 1-mile radius of communities with larger concentrations of commercial development.

Chris Jadick, of the Tampa Bay Area Regional Transit Authority (TBARTA), outlined aspects of the proposed bus rapid transit system during a North Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce breakfast meeting on Feb. 4.

The proposed project carries a price tag of $455 million, and is now in the project development and environment phase, Jadick told those gathered at Pasco-Hernando State College’s Porter Campus.

Alternatives are now being evaluated to determine which would be most beneficial to the public, Jadick said.

The current plan being studied calls for designated lanes to be constructed along Interstates 75 and 275 shoulders, catered for buses only.

Increasing the number of stations could result in lower bus fares for commuters, Jadick said. But, it also affects how quickly riders can get from Point A to Point B.

“This all comes down to speed,” Jadick said. “The more stations you have, where they are, determines how quickly you can get somewhere,” he explained.

The study is scheduled to wrap up by August 2021, he noted.

When 30% of the design plan is set, federal funds will be allocated toward the project, Jadick said, aside from state and local assistance.

The project aims to help address Florida’s low-performance ranking in the area of public transportation, Jadick said.

“There’s no question we have great local transit providers. The problem is regionally. How do we connect Pasco County with the great opportunities in Hillsborough (County), or Hillsborough (County) to Manatee (County)?” he asked.

The regional transit agency oversees five counties: Hernando, Hillsborough, Manatee, Pasco and Pinellas.

The tri-county bus rapid transit system is just part of TBARTA’s 10-year vision plan. Another project in that long-range plan calls for expanded car and vanpool services.

The regional transit agency has been working in conjunction with the Enterprise rental service to provide feasible transportation options for government workers.

Plans are in the works to create a ride-sharing program to help reduce the number of vehicles on the road — which would decrease congestion, shorten commute times and result in cleaner air.

It is not yet clear when either of these new initiatives could begin offering commuters new alternatives.

Published February 12, 2020