The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

Local News

Expansion addresses need to serve critically ill patients

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AdventHealth Connerton has been addressing the needs for critically ill patients for a decade — but it also has had to turn patients away because its beds were full.

An expansion expected to open later this month, will increase the hospital’s ability to serve patients and families in need.

AdventHealth officials had a ribbon cutting ceremony last week to celebrate the completion of a new wing at the hospital, at 9441 Health Center Drive in Connerton.

Debi Martoccio, chief operating officer of AdventHealth Connerton, addresses a crowd during the ribbon cutting ceremony to mark the completion of a 30-bed expansion at the specialty hospital. (B.C.Manion)

The $20.6 million expansion adds 30 beds, bringing the hospital’s total to 77.

It also increases the hospital’s ability to provide care for patients needing care for multisystem organ failure, complex wounds, sepsis, head trauma and other conditions.

“We cater to medically complex, critically ill patients, who need an extended hospital stay,” said Debi Martoccio, chief operating officer of AdventHealth Connerton.

“This is a very exciting chapter in our history,” she said.

“What this expansion will allow us to do is to care for more of these medically complex patients.

The new wing at AdventHealth Connerton has large patient rooms, with modern technology and a sofa that slides open to give visitors a place to rest.

“At this time, with our limited beds, we’ve been at capacity since about 2012. We were having to turn medically complex patients away. There was a moratorium on the expansion of this kind of hospital,” Martoccio said.

But, the moratorium was lifted and the hospital was able to get a license to expand its number of beds, she said.

“Right now, we’re admitting about 650 patients a year. So we’re hoping to take that into the 700s,” Martoccio said.

Denyse Bales-Chubb, CEO of AdventHealth Tampa, told the crowd, “Today represents an important piece of the AdventHealth growth strategy over the next several years. Increasing access points and creating more capacity in our existing facilities is a realization of our promise to the community.

“This positions us well to take care of even more patients and families when they need us the most,” Bales-Chubb said.

“Patients who come to a long-term care facility have very serious medical needs. The team of caretakers here are family.

“It is a special brand of care that delivers our mission of extending the healing ministry of Christ. That’s the kind of care that I want for my family, and for yours,” Bales-Chubb said.

The specialty hospital is one of only a few long-term acute care facilities in Florida with an operating room and intensive care unit, according to hospital officials.

The ribbon cutting at AdventHealth Connerton last week marked the completion of a $20 million expansion.

After the ribbon cutting, tours were offered so visitors could see the new wing before it begins offering care.

Patient rooms are equipped with modern technology and designed with patient comfort in mind. For instance, there are large windows, and a sofa in each private room easily converts to a bed, so visitors can rest there.

The 22,000-square-foot addition includes 20 progressive care unit beds and 10 critical care unit beds. It also includes a large board room, three nursing stations, a revamped chapel, a multipurpose room for staff education, a family consultation room, nurses’ stations and an employee breakroom.

The lobby even has a coffee bar for visitors, said Martoccio, adding she thinks that will be well received.

The decorating theme throughout the wing highlights trees, and that plays homage to the prominent role that timber and sawmills played in Pasco County’s history, Martoccio said.

Published November 13, 2019

Bringing holiday cheer to those in need

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A ceremony was held at Keystone Community Church last week to bless the tent where people will be dropping off donations for the holidays.

The 9 a.m. event, on Nov. 7, was one of six tent blessings taking place simultaneously across Tampa Bay.

About three dozen people gathered at a tent blessing at Keystone Community Church in Lutz last week, to mark the kickoff of the effort to collect donations to help those in need. (B.C. Manion)

About three dozen people gathered at the Lutz event, which kicked off the joint effort of Keystone Community Church and First United Methodist Church to help bring joy to families in need, as part of Metropolitan Ministries’ annual holiday assistance program.

Pastor Kevin Grills, pastor at First United Methodist Church of Land O’ Lakes, presided over the tent blessing.

“The tent is up, so we are asking God’s blessing upon this community and what he would do through us as vehicles in bringing some of the bounty that he has blessed us with back into a community that needs it,” Grills said.

Kirsten Barton, director of corporate partnerships for Metropolitan Ministries, told those gathered that the holiday assistance program began when Rev. Morris E. Hintzman joined Metropolitan Ministries.

Families who received help throughout the year, asked if it would be possible to get a turkey for a traditional holiday meal and some toys for their children, Barton said. Metropolitan’s staff and the generosity of the community responded by providing turkey and toys for hundreds of families.

“Thirty-seven years later, we continue to do what we did back in 1982,” she said, and the ministry doesn’t just help people at the holidays, but provides year-round assistance to families in need.

“This year, with the help of our amazing partners, we will alleviate suffering and promote dignity for 18,000 families in Hillsborough, 5,000 families in Pinellas and 7,000 families here, in Pasco County,” she said.

Angela Hobson, chair of the tent effort at Keystone Community Church, talked about the history of her church’s involvement.

Pastor Kevin Grills, of First United Methodist Church of Land O’ Lakes, led a tent blessing at Keystone Community Church last week. It was one of six tent blessing events being held simultaneously across Tampa Bay.

“My first drive up to see this site that we were moving into is something I will never forget,” she said. “As I turned the corner onto (State Road) 54 and began to see the wide open lot that the church was sitting on, I clearly heard in my spirit: ‘Metropolitan Ministries tent,’” she said.

“I had no idea what I was doing, I just knew I had to move forward being obedient to that voice.

“We moved into the building in September and opened our first collection tent in November.

“The lesson I would learn from that one act of obedience has stayed with me and, over the years, it has grown my willingness to listen to God’s leading and to do what he says.

“Our obedience to him always, always, turns into a blessing for someone else.”

Debbie Gehlen, co-chair of the tent, said it hasn’t always been smooth sailing.

In December of 2016, for instance, the church’s trailer — which was about three-fourths full — was stolen.

When news spread about the theft, the community responded, she said.

“People collected in the community and showed up with checks.

“St. Timothy’s Catholic Church showed up with 600 bags of toys, and they were all marked with gender and age. We received a lot of baby equipment.

“We received an anonymous check one day, for the trailer,” she said.

“We were very upset at the time, but we were really happy with the outcome. It was truly a blessing in disguise,” Gehlen said.

Barton said Metropolitan Ministries is excited to continue its partnership with Keystone Community Church as a collection site, and to “enhance our reach in the area by partnering with First United Methodist Church of Land O’ Lakes, as a distribution point for the Holiday of Hope.”

Jill Swann, a member of First United Methodist of Land O’ Lakes, said, “when this opportunity for distribution came up, we were excited and we are ready to go. Distribution will be for the Pasco clients before Thanksgiving and before Christmas, and we hope to serve 500 families at each holiday.”

Pasco County Commissioner Mike Moore was at the tent blessing, as was Commissioner Jack Mariano.

Moore read a resolution approved by commissioners on Nov. 5, recognizing the efforts by the Keystone Community Church, the United Methodist Church of Land O’ Lakes and Metropolitan Ministries.

Others in the crowd included Summer Robertson, representing U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis’ office, and Sandy Graves, who is involved in a number of Land O’ Lakes and Central Pasco organizations.

Pastor Grills asked those gathered to form a big circle, hold hands and observe 2 minutes of silence to pray to God.

The pastor offered this prayer: “God of mercy, would you fill this space with your spirit, and create an atmosphere of help and healing. Bless those who come asking for help that they wish they did not need. Stir in our hearts and the hearts of those with plenty to give, a desire to do all that we can to ease the burden of others during this holiday season and throughout the year. Bless the gifts of time and work, food and toys and other supplies.

“In this time together, help us to focus not on ourselves, but on the mission you have for this ministry, to alleviate suffering, to promote dignity and to instill self-sufficiency.”

Want to help?
Tent hours at Keystone Community Church, 21010 State Road 54

  • Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
  • Sunday, noon to 3 p.m.

Most needed items: Frozen turkeys and hams, cereal, yams, stuffing, gift cards, teen girl and boy gifts for Christmas (ages 13 to 17), and infant educational toys and gifts.

Volunteering opportunities in Pasco County:

  • Metropolitan Ministries Pasco, 3214 U.S. 19 N., Holiday
  • Keystone Community Church, 21010 State Road 54, Lutz
  • Calvary Assembly of God, 13544 U.S. Bypass, Dade City

To sign up to volunteer at all locations, visit Metromin.org/holiday-central/volunteer.

For information on group volunteering in Pasco County, contact Stacy Wyman at .

Published November 13, 2019

Swamp Fest enjoys nice weather, good crowds

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It wasn’t just fun and games at the 11th annual Swamp Fest in Land O’ Lakes.

There was music, food, rides and entertainment, too.

Jamie Farrell, of Port Richey, drove over to Land O’ Lakes to attend Swamp Fest and enjoy the festivities. Here, Jamie’s 2-year-old son, Mason, surfs down the slide atop of his dad, as his sister, Sarah Shipman, 12, follows close behind on the burlap mat. Mom, Christina Shipman, waited at the finish line. (Fred Bellet)

“It was incredible weather. We had good crowds,” said Doug Hutchinson, festival coordinator.

“Friday night and Saturday night were incredibly busy, and Sunday was very busy,” he said.

The crowds were so large, the main parking area was filled at Land O’ Lakes Heritage Park, and overflow used the parking at Sanders Memorial Elementary STEAM Magnet School.

At times, people who wanted to park had to wait for others to leave the festival, Hutchinson said.

“That’s a great problem to have,” he added.

The event raises money for area schools, nonprofits and community organizations, and is hosted by the Land O’ Lakes High School Booster Club.

On the morning of Nov. 2, before Swamp Fest festivities began, there was a special event to honor Vietnam Veterans.

Sandy Graves organized the event, which Hutchinson said, was “incredibly well-attended.”

Land O’ Lakes High School senior and Art Club member, Heather Li, 17, painted her own face before painting the faces of children at the Swamp Fest.

After it was over, he said Graves told him: “You know what, we’ve got to do this again next year.”

“I said, ‘I’m all for it. It went great.’”

The booster club’s proceeds go for such things as new weights in the weight room, a new sign for the high school off U.S. 41 and other items that are not part of the regular school budget, Hutchinson said.

“The coaches always fill our ears with what we could spend it on, as you can imagine.”

Hutchinson was thrilled with the outcome for this year’s event.

“It wound up being one of the best Swamp Fests that we’ve had, so we’re pretty excited about it,” he said.

Published November 13, 2019

Three-year-old Willow Roundtree giggles as Land O’ Lakes High School Art Club member Cade DeMoree’s brush causes a tickle when she began painting the little girl’s face. Willow’s mom, Julianna Roundtree, steadies Willow’s head. Mom and daughter are visiting grandma, Natalie Gomillion, of Land O’ Lakes.
Seven-year-old Midori Galven, of Land O’ Lakes, tries hooking a fish as a blue water fountain stirs up the water. Midori hooked a shark and won a prize, as her grandfather, Jerry Gordie of Land O’ Lakes, looked on.
There were plenty of choices for food at this year’s Swamp Fest.

Jewish scholar talk: Early rabbis, ancient synagogues

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How did the Jewish faith go from all but destroyed in its structures by the Roman Empire nearly 2,000 years ago, to the modern world religion as we know it today?

To Rabbi Dr. Ruth Langer, that’s the “billion dollar question.”

The internationally recognized Jewish studies scholar visited Saint Leo University on Nov. 5 to present a free lecture titled “Rabbis and the Ancient Synagogue.”

Langer also was on hand to receive the university’s Center for Catholic-Jewish Studies’ Eternal Light Award — recognizing her efforts to promote respectful interreligious dialogue.

Jewish scholar and Rabbi Dr. Ruth Langer was a featured speaker at Saint Leo University, where she gave a free lecture titled ‘Rabbis and the Ancient Synagogue.’ (Courtesy of Jo-Ann Johnston, Saint Leo University)

Langer is an ordained rabbi and professor of Jewish studies at Boston College.

She also is associate director of Boston College’s Center for Christian-Jewish Learning and  author of several books and scholarly articles.

Her talk at Saint Leo spanned from synagogues in late first century Judea to modern times.

Synagogues in Jesus’ time were much smaller in nature, maybe accommodating up to 20 to 30 people at a time, she said.

She acknowledged “there’s very little we can say about what exactly was happening in the (ancient) synagogue based on what archaeological remains show,” but noted New Testament stories mention reading scripture and preaching or teaching based on said scripture.

Langer went on to point out the New Testament makes no mention of a rabbi or “real authority figure” and “no indisputable evidence there was indeed some kind of verbal worship of God” inside these ancient synagogues in the early first century.

Simply, it is believed these ancient synagogues originally functioned more as a Jewish community center and a house of study, rather than a house of worship.

So, how did synagogues develop into a place of prayer that follows rabbinic leadership as its clergy common today?

According to Langer, the rabbinic-synagogue tradition formed slowly following the exile and destruction of the Temple of Jerusalem in the Jewish-Roman in 70 C.E.,  which led to the end of the Jewish monarchy.

The Temple of Jerusalem in ruins, Jews no longer had a place to sacrifice animals as their official form of worshipping God.

“Today’s scholars are pretty well agreed that losing the only place where Jews could fulfill God’s expectation of worship generated a major trauma. Jews were in shock,” Langer noted of this event.

Because of that, Langer explained worship evolved from sacrifice to become “purely verbal,” and “met the needs of the world that no longer had the Jerusalem temple.”

Further, the responsibility for this new form of worship “transformed from belonging to a hereditary priesthood, to resting on the entire community,” she said.

With that, Langer said it was a relatively small group of rabbis who rose up and won out in this endeavor, throughout the Land of Israel and Babylonia initially.

“They (rabbis) fairly quickly found out what temple rituals could be continued elsewhere and how to compensate for those central ones that could not,” Langer said.

To spread influence, Langer explained these early rabbis used persuasion tactics and developed arguments “to convince both rabbis themselves and non-rabbis that there are advantages to participating in public prayer in the synagogue.”

That, she said, included various forms of exhortations in rabbinic text on the significance of community gathering in a synagogue for prayer, such as:

  • “One must pray in a place specifically designated for prayer.”
  • “When one prays within its home, it’s as if one prays encircled within an iron wall.”

(Presumably, praying in the home prevented prayer from reaching God, Langer said.)

  • “Prayer in the synagogue is especially effective, because it’s like an ideal sacrifice in the temple.” (Prayer in a synagogue compensates for the loss of the Temple of Jerusalem, Langer said.)
  • “Prayer offered in the synagogue is guaranteed to work, and failure to participate has dire consequences.”
  • “If one enters synagogue with a buddy to pray, but does not wait for buddy when leaving, then one’s own prayers are ruined.”

But, the shift to get Jews to comply to such edicts didn’t happen overnight.

Langer noted some Jews previously had gotten used to ancient synagogues as not for prayer, but “for all sorts of profane purposes,” such as using the space for funerals, for making rope or fishnets and so on.

Langer said the rabbis’ efforts to get non-rabbis on board to conform to their liturgy and rituals “was a long and bumpy process” that took centuries. In fact, she said it wasn’t until late third century “there were some, but perhaps not all synagogues that housed rabbinic ritual life.” And, it wasn’t even until the end of the first millennial, or another 700 years or so, that the symbiotic rabbi-synagogue union became normalized, she said.

Published November 13, 2019

Two Good Soles drive smashes record

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Pasco County government and its constitutional offices collected more than 3,000 pairs of shoes for local students — smashing a previous record for the annual Two Good Soles Shoes and Socks Drive.

The drive, now in its fourth year, yielded 3,057 pairs of shoes and 13,285 pairs of socks. The items will be donated to students in Pasco County Schools.

Cathy Pearson, Pasco County’s assistant county administrator for public services, set a goal of 2,000 pairs of shoes for this year’s challenge. (Courtesy of Pasco County)

Last year, donations totaled 2,264 pairs of shoes and 6,609 pairs of socks.

Besides vastly exceeding last year’s totals, the collection also shattered the goal of 2,000 shoes set by Cathy Pearson, Pasco County’s assistant county administrator for public services.

Pasco County and Constitutional Office staff gathered at Wendell Krinn Technical High School in New Port Richey on Oct. 29 to officially donate the footwear and tally the results.

Pasco County’s Internal Services Branch won the trophy for the most donations from county branches. The Pasco Property Appraiser’s Office won for most donations collected by a constitutional office, just surpassing the Tax Collector’s Office.

The Public Services Branch placed first in the decorated collection box competition with the Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources Department’s “Playground Box.”

Pearson recapped this year’s efforts for the Pasco County Commission at its Nov. 5 meeting.

She was delighted by the level of giving.

“We have just made some students very, very proud and very happy. That couldn’t have happened without the great community that we have,” Pearson said.

Commission Chairman Ron Oakley was impressed, too.

“If you figure $40 for a pair of shoes, there’s over $120,000 worth of shoes there — just amazing,” he said.

Pearson added: “It’s all for a great cause, it’s all for the kids. I couldn’t be more proud and humble, to be part of this community. Thank you all and we’re looking forward to the fifth annual next October.”

Published November 13, 2019

Hillsborough’s economy showing new signs of growth

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Adam Myers, senior business development manager for the Tampa Bay Economic Development Council, paid a visit to Pasco County a few weeks ago, to share what’s happening on the economic front in Hillsborough County.

Myers outlined some of the major new developments happening in Tampa and Hillsborough County during a membership luncheon meeting of the North Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce.

He assured those gathered that economic development is not something that happens in a vacuum.

Adam Myers is the senior business development manager for the Tampa Bay Economic Development Council. He gave an update on business activity in Hillsborough County, during a recent luncheon meeting of the North Tampa Bay Chamber. (B.C. Manion)

“While we are Hillsborough County-focused, we work with our partners in Pasco County Economic Development and Pinellas County Economic Development, Polk County, Sarasota, Manatee, all of the way up to Hernando County.

“When something great happens in Pasco County, that’s going to benefit Hillsborough County,” said Myers, senior business development manager for the Tampa/Hillsborough economic development agency.

“When something awesome is happening in Hillsborough County and Pinellas County, that’s benefiting Pasco County, as well.

“It’s important to recognize that economic development is really a team sport,” Myers said.

That being said, his talk focused primarily on some of the big things happening in Tampa and Hillsborough County.

For instance, Water Street Tampa, a $3 billion investment in downtown Tampa, is getting underway, he said.

“Now, the buildings are under construction,” Myers said. “The first building is almost done, with USF’s (University of South Florida’s) new medical school. That is bringing a lot of momentum and excitement, and activity and interest in the downtown area.

“Now, they’re seeing the cranes. Now, they’re seeing the walls going up, the buildings going up, the J.W. Marriott going up, everything that’s happening in Phase One of Water Street. OK, now I can almost touch it. It’s tangible,” he said.

Another major project, Midtown Tampa, is planned near Interstate 275 and North Dale Mabry Highway. That’s a $500 million mixed-use project of retail, residential and office, he said.

Riverwalk Place, a 50-story tower is going up in downtown Tampa. The $350 million project is the tallest building on the West Coast of Florida, Myers said.

It began as a mixed-use project, but the condo sales went so well, it was essentially converted to a residential project with retail at the bottom, he said.

Another project, called Heights Union, includes new office space being built at the southwest corner of Palm Avenue and North Tampa Street. Meanwhile, Highwoods Properties is building a new mixed-use project in Westshore.

Myers also noted that Tampa is being recognized by outside evaluators, as a good place to work and live.

Earlier this year, for instance, Zillow ranked Tampa as the No. 1 market for first-time homebuyers.

It’s also a great place to start a business, Myers said.

“Entrepreneurism in Tampa is at an all-time high, and there are more and more resources that are out there that are starting up to help our entrepreneurism ecosystem grow,” he said.

He also shared some of the economic development agency’s statistics.

“Between Oct. 1, 2016 and July 31, 2018: We worked with over 48 companies to make the decision to choose Hillsborough (County),” Myers said. That created nearly 6,200 jobs.

Those jobs, in turn, created nearly 2,300 indirect jobs and 4,060 induced jobs.

Published November 06, 2019

New Aldi stores springing up in Pasco

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The Aldi retail chain is opening three stores to meet new demands of Pasco County’s burgeoning growth.

Construction is underway simultaneously on new Aldi stores in Odessa, Lutz-Wesley Chapel and Zephyrhills.

The grocery chain already has stores in Holiday and Port Richey.

Three new Aldi stores will be opening in Pasco County to keep up with the area’s growing demands. (Courtesy of Aldi)

Matt Thon, vice president for the Aldi’s Haines City division, said the grocery chain looks at many factors, when choosing store locations.

“We want the best sites that are closest to our shoppers and can support a high daily traffic volume,” Thon said.

There’s no doubt about high traffic volume near the Odessa and Lutz-Wesley Chapel locations.

The Odessa store is at the intersection of State Road 54 and Trinity Boulevard, west of the Suncoast Parkway. The Lutz-Wesley Chapel store is near where State Road 54 transitions into State Road 56, near Interstate 75.

The State Road 54/State Road 56 corridor has been bursting with growth in recent years, with new residential and commercial developments.

Aldi’s history dates back to its first store opening in 1961. Since then, it has branched out to have a total of 1,900 locations in 36 states across the country, the retail grocer’s website says.

The grocer also expects to open nearly 2,500 new stores nationwide by 2022, according to the website.

Aldi operates as a grocery store with a variety of foods, including meats and fresh produce. The majority of products are exclusive brands, only found in Aldi stores.

Like other Aldi locations, the Pasco stores will be roughly 12,000 square feet. They also will have an interior layout that’s similar to other stores in the chain.

Pasco County Commissioner Mike Moore said he’s happy to see the new Aldi coming to his district, which will be built almost directly in front of a Costco store.

Moore said he’s been hearing a desire by his constituents for an Aldi store for quite some time.

“It’s great to have options for people. The more options the better. They’re in a good location. That’s for sure,” Moore said.

Having more locations is good for both the company and consumers, Thon said.

He said the bottom line is this: “We want to be conveniently located for our shoppers in Pasco County.”

Published November 06, 2019

Under Construction 11/06/2019

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(Brian Fernandes)

New banking option in Trinity
A new Republic Bank branch is emerging in Trinity. The 3,042-square-foot building is located at 10601 State Road 54 and will have two drive-through lanes. Details on the completion date and opening have not be released.

 

 

 

A restaurant and more retail for Cypress Creek
The Cypress Creek Town Center will have a new building at 25988 Sierra Center Blvd., in Lutz. The 15,287-square-foot structure will be designed for retail and restaurant space. An opening date has not been released.

 

 

 

Urgent care center coming to Lutz
A new medical facility is being added to the Lutz area. Doctors Urgent Care is located at 18981 N. Dale Mabry Highway and will stand at 3,250 square feet. The building’s interior will have a  lab, six patient rooms, a surgery room, an X-ray room and a wellness center. Construction is set to end in December, with a possible January opening.

 

 

Coffee shop, nail salon coming soon
A retail plaza will open at 25595 Sierra Town Centre Blvd, in Lutz. The approximately 4,000-square-foot building is already set to hold a nail salon and a Raining Berries coffee shop, with additional space. Construction could  be wrapped up by early 2020.

 

 

 

Curious about something new that’s popping up in your community? Please send us the location — along with the address, if possible — and we’ll see what we can find out. Send your email to

Saint Leo conference focuses on WWI and its impacts

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Maybe you’re a history teacher, with a penchant for the World War I era.

This World War I-era poster was created by James Montgomery Flagg in 1918 and printed by the American Lithographic Company of New York. It shows Uncle Sam arm-in-arm with Britannia, accompanied by a lion (U.K.) and an eagle (U.S.A.). It will be included in Marco Rimanelli’s presentation at an upcoming conference at Saint Leo University. (Courtesy of Saint Leo University)

Perhaps you have a fascination for the impacts that World War I had on politics, medicine, diplomacy or, even closer to home — your family’s personal history.

Maybe you’re just curious about what life was like in the wider world, during the time of Downton Abbey.

If any of this resonates with you, an upcoming conference at Saint Leo University could be right up your alley.

The university is inviting teachers, history and political buffs, veterans and the general public to a conference that centers on the history of World War I, and subsequent peace-building efforts.

The Nov. 16 event, called the Centennial of World War I & Peace 1914 to 1919 Interdisciplinary Conference, will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., at the university’s campus in St. Leo.

The event comes slightly more than a century after the original Armistice Day — Nov. 11, 1918 —which marked the official end of World War I.

The conference is structured around three panels, with presentations by speakers and time allotted for questions and answers, said Marco Rimanelli, full professor of political sciences and international studies at the university.

The presentations will cover:

  • Military and diplomacy
  • Medical and health care issues in the Great War
  • The impact of the League of Nations

Rimanelli’s presentation is entitled “Alliances & U.S. Military in World War I: ‘Doughboys & Trenches, ‘Over There’”

Members of American Company A, Ninth Machine Gun Battalion set up in a French railroad shop on June 7, 1918. (U.S. National Archives and Record Administration)

“We want to try to give an overview,” said Rimanelli, a driving force behind the conference.

“World War I is essential in the emergence of America as a global super power, as well as the beginning of the demise of the European order,” Rimanelli said.

Panelist Dan DuBois, an assistant professor of history, will focus on how World War I played out in East Asia, in his talk entitled “Aye, What has Become of Civilization?: East Asia & The Great War.”

“To understand the current degree of distrust between the United States and China, that really begins in 1919,” DuBois said.

Interspersed between the panels, Saint Leo faculty members will help take conference-goers back to World War I through poetry readings and musical performances from the era.

Chantelle MacPhee, the university’s chair of language studies and the arts, will read “In Flanders Fields,” a World War I poem by John McCrae, a medic from Canada.

“He wrote it in the memory of those he saw perish with him,” said MacPhee , who herself lost great-uncles in World War I.

American troops going forward to the battle line in the Forest of Argonne. France, September 26, 1918.
(U.S. National Archives and Record Administration)

“In Flanders Fields,” she said, “is the most famous in Canada and is recited every Nov. 11, which is called Remembrance Day.”

Conference attendees also will be able to glean an additional sense of what life was like during World War I through an array of posters featuring combat scenes, war memorabilia, and a glimpse of African-American life at that time.

The $12 admission to the conference deliberately was kept affordable to encourage attendance. Admission includes lunch, snacks and beverages and there is no charge for parking.

Also, Saint Leo University alumni, students, faculty and staff will be admitted free, with proper ID.

Teachers attending the conference may also be eligible to apply for continuing education credit, which Saint Leo University will help to document.

Published November 06, 2019

Tourism to keep booming in Pasco County, officials say

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Tourism is booming in Pasco County — which reported nearly a million visitors last year.

And, the best may be yet to come, according to a presentation by county tourism officials Adam Thomas and Kolby Kucyk Gayson, during a recent Dade City Commission meeting.

The county now brands itself as “Florida’s Sports Coast,” with the tagline, “Let’s Play,” in its tourism pitches. Previously, it used the slogan “Visit Pasco. Open Spaces. Vibrant Places.”

Tree Hoppers Aerial Adventure Park, in Dade City, gives people of all ability levels the chance to experience a ropes course and ziplining. Tree Hoppers is one of Pasco County’s top tourist draws. (File)

It changed its brand in March to highlight the county’s growing list of recreational sports venues and outdoor activities.

“We were in dire need of a rebrand as a destination,” said Gayson, communications manager for Florida’s Sports Coast. “We needed our own identity within the Florida tourism market.”

Now, word is spreading about Pasco County in tourism circles regionally, nationally and even internationally, said Thomas, the county’s tourism director.

“In the past six, seven months, we’ve created some strong destination awareness, so the buzz is starting to get out there about the Sports Coast,” he said.

Thomas expects a noticeable uptick in activity once the Wiregrass Ranch Sports Complex of Pasco County comes online in July 2020 and begins booking events for 2021. The $44 million, 98,000-square-foot indoor space in Wesley Chapel will primarily accommodate basketball, volleyball, cheerleading, dance and gymnastics events.

“We’re thinking on a global scale for that facility,” Thomas said.

“It’s a one-of-a-kind facility,” he said, noting no other facility in the Southeast compares to it.

“We’re offering something that’s unique that people are going to travel around the state to come experience,” Thomas said.

The $44 million Wiregrass Ranch Sports Complex is expect to draw tourists from across the country, and even internationally, after it opens next year. (Courtesy of RADD Sports)

The sports complex will ultimately benefit each surrounding community in Pasco, the tourism director explained.

That’s because, he said, there’ll be opportunities for marketing partnerships with local chambers and merchant’s associations, encouraging visitors to make trips to Dade City, Zephyrhills, New Port Richey and so on.

He put it like this: “The longer (tourists) stay here, the more money they spend. The more money they spend, the greater the economy gets.”

During the presentation, Thomas shared various tourism facts and figures from the past year.

There were 965,000 visitors to Pasco, booking 1.23 million hotel room nights in 2018, he said.

That generated roughly $57.5 million in sales tax for the county.

A group of skydivers enter a plane which they will jump from at Skydive City in Zephyrhills. Skydive City is one of Pasco County’s top tourist attractions. (File)

The economic impact generated an estimated $194 in tax savings for each Pasco household, Thomas added.

Additionally, tourism supports about 7,500 jobs each year, at hotels, restaurants, attractions and other businesses, he said.

That represents 13 percent of all jobs in the county, he said.

The tourism agency’s “bread and butter” is youth and amateur sports tourism. The next most popular categories are leisure and adventure travelers for activities including biking, fishing, boating, ziplining and so on.

He pointed out the county’s top tourist attractions annually, in order, are:

  • Skydive City in Zephyrhills
  • Giraffe Ranch in Dade City
  • Lift Adventure Park in Hudson
  • TreeHoppers Aerial Adventure Park in Dade City
  • Anclote Key Preserve State Park in West Pasco
  • Werner-Boyce Salt Springs State Park in West Pasco

He described adventure attractions as “where the rubber meets the road in pulling the entire 742 square miles of a destination together under one umbrella to call ourselves Florida’s Sports Coast.”

In addition to sports and outdoor recreation, Thomas said a greater focus is being placed on soliciting social, military, education, religious, fraternal groups, as well as business travelers, conventions and corporate retreats.

They’re doing that by leveraging meeting space that’s available at various hotels, golf clubs and local colleges.

“Those are the niche marketing segments or niche influencers that we’re trying to partner with and cater to,” Thomas said.

The bulk of the county’s visitors come from other areas of Florida and the Southeast region, followed by the Northeast and Midwest, he said.

But, he noted, there’s a growing number of international tourists. They made up 9% of all travelers to the area in 2018.

Pasco’s top international market is Canada, Thomas said. They mainly visit between January and April and their primary interests lie in outdoor activities, particularly cycling.

Meanwhile, as tourism grows, Thomas’ department is growing, too.

The agency has six staff members, including Thomas, but also is hiring a corporate tourism sales manager and a digital media producer, he said.

Published November 06, 2019