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Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

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Cannabis dispensaries coming to Dade City?

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The Dade City Commission during a workshop session directed city staff to draft an amendment to the city’s land development regulations that would allow medical marijuana dispensaries within one of the city’s zoning districts.

Commissioners, at their Sept. 24 workshop, indicated that the dispensaries should be allowed in the general commercial zoning district.

That zoning district generally spans U.S. 301/U.S. 98 south and north of town and certain pockets of the Community Redevelopment Area (CRA) district, but avoids much of the city’s historic downtown main street and central business district.

The City of Dade City is considering an ordinance that would permit medical marijuana treatment centers in one of its business zoning districts. (File)

The amended ordinance would require any future standalone pharmacies and drug stores to locate within the general commercial district only, as Florida statutes prevent municipalities from enacting regulations that restrict dispensaries more so than traditional pharmacies.

However, existing pharmacies in other zoning districts would be grandfathered in and would be able to continue to operate as a legal non-conforming entity.

The workshop session set direction only.

Any drafted ordinance will come before the city’s planning board and have two public hearings before a formal commission vote.

The majority of commissioners concurred that limiting dispensaries and pharmacies to the general commercial district would offer convenient access for local residents facing debilitating conditions, and still preserve the historical integrity of the downtown area’s specialty shops and mom-and-pop businesses.

“The general commercial (district) seems to accomplish what we’re trying to do,” Dade City Mayor Camille Hernandez said. “We’re trying to find places within our municipality limits that we can have these (medical marijuana) facilities without adversely affecting merchants’ concerns, but also be sensitive to the needs of folks that are in need.”

Commissioner Jim Shive agreed the general commercial district “seems to have less impact to the direct downtown around the merchants,” but noted he is concerned about some existing pharmacies being deemed legal nonconforming.

“I think we all want to be very compassionate people,” he said, “but we all want to do the right thing.”

Commissioner Scott Black was the lone commissioner who favored an outright ban medical on marijuana treatment centers within the municipality.

He said dispensaries are “readily available” throughout Pasco County and have become more accessible compared to a few years ago.

The county presently has three medical cannabis dispensaries in New Port Richey and another situated near the Land O’ Lakes-Lutz county line.

“It’s much more convenient to go 20 miles now than it was before (Amendment 2) was passed when you couldn’t get it at all,” Black said.

Black also had reservations about any dispensary ordinance that could prevent a locally owned pharmacy or drugstore from opening up somewhere downtown.

Black observed: “Keep in mind, what you have is a goal for a livable, workable downtown, in terms of if you want a pharmacy downtown or don’t.”

Since 2016, the city has enacted five six-month moratoriums, or temporary ban, on the sale of medical marijuana while staff researched its potential impacts on the community.

The latest six-month moratorium expired Sept. 21. If no action is taken, dispensaries could theoretically locate in multiple zoning districts, including the historic downtown area.

It’s not the first time commissioners have sought to allow dispensaries in designated areas.

The commission earlier this year directed staffers to draft an ordinance that would have permitted dispensaries in all zoning districts where the city allows pharmacies, except in the CRA district.

However, the city’s planning board recommended denial of the drafted ordinance, primarily due to language that makes existing pharmacies and drugstores in the district legal nonconforming uses.

The planning board subsequently recommended the commission to extend the moratorium, which they did.

At the latest workshop, new Dade City Senior Planner Melanie Romagnoli pointed out the previously drafted ordinance wasn’t exactly kosher, because the CRA district isn’t truly a business zoning district. “We would have to rezone everybody in the downtown to a certain district and then ban it from that certain district to practice zoning law,” she explained.

When asked by the commission for a recommendation, Romagnoli all but endorsed allowing dispensaries within city limits in some form or another.

“Coming from a pure zoning standpoint, I don’t view medical marijuana as the recreational pot that a lot of people are concerned about,” the city planner said. “It’s heavily controlled, it’s heavily regulated, and you have to have a prescription to get, so I view that particular product as going to get your prescription antibiotics, and my personal opinion is we should not regulate what is sold inside of a pharmacy if it’s already regulated at the state and federal levels. I don’t want to deny medical access to those who may need it.”

The mayor followed that sentiment, saying dispensaries should to be examined in a “medical context” to serve local residents stricken with illnesses like cancer, glaucoma and so forth.

Said Hernandez: “My heart just can’t do anything but go, ‘Hey, wow, there’s a condition and a need that needs to be addressed that we can provide access to.’ You can argue about the location of it and all that, but still having access to it is very important.”

Published October 2, 2019

Pasco opens first incubator kitchen

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An incubator kitchen has opened in Dade City, to promote economic development through food businesses.

The new facility is a collaborative effort between University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS)-Pasco County extension, the Pasco Economic Development Council, Inc.’s SMARTstart incubator program and Pasco County.

The kitchen was officially unveiled on Sept. 23, during a ribbon cutting at the Stallings Building, in Dade City.

Mark Richardson, Ron Oakley, Michael Anderson and Mick Hughes congregate inside the new incubator kitchen at Dade City’s Stallings Building. The kitchen is expected to support education and economic development.
(Brian Fernandes)

Pasco County Commission Chairman Ron Oakley, told those gathered, “This kitchen is going to do great things for Pasco County. It’s going to start those businesses off, and then they’re going to create jobs.”

The incubator will be operated in a renovated kitchen, where participants will  learn culinary skills and entrepreneurs will have a launchpad for new businesses.

Dr. Whitney Elmore said she had that vision in mind, when she first saw the building five years ago.

“Turning this corner out here on 14th Street, I saw this county-owned (Stallings)building sitting unused in a community that was, frankly, in need of resource development and economic opportunity.

“I saw this building’s potential to become an educational outreach center where members of the community, and all of Pasco County, could come for educational services and furthermore, empowerment,” Elmore said.

The Stallings Building, also now known as the One Stop Shop, was established in 1991.

It had been vacant when Elmore, the director for the Pasco Extension Office, came across it.

She has helped to establish the building as a hub for educational classes and food demonstrations.

The kitchen was not in a suitable condition for showing demonstrations, Elmore said.

The University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences-Pasco County Extension, recently unveiled its new incubator kitchen at the Stallings Building in Dade City.

The renovation has been three years in the making, she added.

The $30,000-project included refurbishing the oven hood, installing a built-in grease trap and new ceiling tiles. There also is a pantry closet to store dry foods and other products.

Welbilt, a kitchen equipment company, donated a stove, oven, a three-compartment sink, stainless steel counters, an ice maker, a fridge and a freezer.

“Not only did they donate that kitchen equipment that you see in there,” the director said, “they helped us figure out what needs to go where, to optimize safety and to optimize utility of the different parts.”

And Welbilt is planning to do more, Elmore said.

Oakley said the project is a “public-private partnership, working together for the betterment of the community.”

After the ceremonial ribbon cutting, guests had the opportunity to tour the newly-built kitchen.

What sets the incubator kitchen apart from other commercial kitchens, said Elmore, is that it’s open to the public to stock and preserve food.

The kitchen can be a learning space and can serve as a stock room, for a culinary instructor about to teach a class.

The storage space can be used by food trucks, too.

Those using the kitchen for storage will pay a fee.

Dan Mitchell, manager of Pasco Economic Development Council’s SMARTstart incubator program, has been involved in the project, too.

SMARTstart offers memberships so people can take advantage of the kitchen.

“When we start a new entrepreneur [as] a member, we build an action plan for them,” Mitchell explained. “If they think it’s going to take them a year to launch, we meet with them once a month, we coach them, we hold them accountable and we help them get to that launch date.”

Elmore said the kitchen will help people develop skills to be culinary entrepreneurs. She also thinks it will be an incentive for migrant workers to stay within the region.

Elmore also believes the kitchen will give people healthier food options, which will lead to fewer chronic illnesses.

The kitchen could help reduce crime, too, she said.

“We know through many different models all across the nation, and all kinds of studies, that if you offer economic opportunity, job growth development [and] educational services, that you can cut down on the crime,” Elmore explained.

And with a community garden based outside the Stallings Building, the kitchen provides a convenient space for preparing one’s own produce.

Long-term plans include starting an educational program for single mothers to become businesswomen within the food industry, as well as adding new incubator kitchens throughout Pasco County.

“That’s our goal,” said Mitchell, “to knock down the barriers to entries to starting a business, and be that launching pad.”

Economic summit to focus on industrial hub

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Local business and government leaders in Zephyrhills will join together for an event that will spotlight the city’s industrial corridor and ongoing efforts to cultivate high-wage manufacturing jobs.

The third annual Zephyrhills Economic Summit is scheduled for Oct. 9 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., at Zephyrhills City Hall, 5335 Eighth St., in Zephyrhills.

The summit primarily will focus on the city’s forthcoming industrial corridor master plan and Zephyrhills Municipal Airport runway extension, according to a press release from the Greater Zephyrhills Chamber of Commerce.

Greater Zephyrhills Chamber of Commerce executive director Melonie Monson is organizing the third annual Zephyrhills Economic Summit.

Other topics will broach infrastructure and the East Pasco roadway network, plus updates on various state and county intergovernmental collaboration projects in the region.

The event is presented by the Zephyrhills Economic Development Coalition (ZEDC) in partnership with the City of Zephyrhills and the Zephyrhills chamber.

Registration is $10 and will include lunch and continental breakfast.

The summit will feature interactive discussions and presentations from the following speakers:

  • Billy Poe, Zephyrhills city manager Billy Poe
  • Dr. Randy Stovall, Zephyrhills chamber president
  • Todd Vande Berg, city planning director
  • Mohsen Mohammadi, chief operations officer for American Infrastructure Development
  • David Gwynn, District 7 secretary for the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT)
  • Randy Maggard, State Rep. District 38
  • Ron Oakley, chairman of the Pasco County Commission
  • Tom Ryan, economic development manager for Pasco Economic Development Council, Inc.
  • Danielle Ruiz, economic development manager for Duke Energy

Zephyrhills’ proposed industrial development hub focuses on a large grouping of industrial properties and adjacent areas within the Chancey Road corridor and municipal airport.

The planning area is generally bound by Melrose Avenue to the north, the CSX Transportation railroad and U.S. 301 to the west, Pattie Road to the south, and Barry Road and the Upper Hillsborough Wildlife Management Area to the east. That encompasses approximately 9.76 square miles (6,248 acres), including 33% within Zephyrhills and the remainder in unincorporated Pasco County — representing the largest aggregation of industrial lands in Pasco.

Zephyrhills chamber executive director Melonie Monson, who’s organizing the summit, underscored the need to build out the industrial corridor, to recruit employment-generating manufacturing companies and to develop a middle-class workforce in Zephyrhills.

The city is pining for a “medium-sized industrial manufacturer,” Monson said, to give local high school graduates a place to work, so they can remain in the community.

The chamber director believes that Zephyrhills could attract such a company soon. She cited the city’s recent efforts to partner with Pasco County to spend millions of dollars to extend water and sewer to the industrial site.

“It’s just ready for industry, it just is,” she said.

Monson put it this way: “We’re excited the city’s being proactive instead of reactive, so when that big person hits and says, ‘I want to come here,’ we’ll be ready for that and say, ‘Here’s your spot, this is what we have, these are the incentives, this is your workforce.’

“That’s what we’re working toward, to put all those pieces together to make sure that we get what we want here,” Monson said.

She said the industrial corridor also could pave the way for other companies in distribution, light manufacturing, aviation and so on.

“I believe it’s going to have a lot of different textures to it,” the chamber executive said.

She is encouraged by the city’s direction in recent years of attracting younger families and groups to live, work and play.

She mentioned the downtown area alone has added a brewery, a billiards hall and axe-throwing venue, and other things to do.

Zephyrhills also is in the midst of getting a state-of-the-art tennis center and thousands of new homes and apartments.

The city recently landed its first Starbucks and Wawa. A Chick-Fil-A in the works.

Other notable businesses set to come online include Aldi Supermarket, PetSmart, Marriott Fairfield Hotel and Dollar General.

“We’re getting there. In the last three or four years you’ve just seen this huge spur of development,” Monson said.

Previous Zephyrhills economic summits focused on the medical community and education. Monson said next year’s will likely be geared around workforce development.

The summits encourage stakeholders to collaborate to help move Zephyrhills forward as a viable community.

“We’re the only community in Pasco County that’s doing something like this — where we have a coalition that really focuses on pro-business, pro-education, trying to make our community stand out in the midst of all of the other communities.

“We just every year want to make sure that we let people know what we really have here and what we’re doing and why you might want to come and be a part of the Zephyrhills community,” Monson said.

For information and to register for the summit, contact Greater Zephyrhills Chamber of Commerce director Melonie Monson at (813) 782-1913 or

Published October 2, 2019

 

 

North Tampa Bay Chamber wins top state award

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The North Tampa Bay Chamber recently was named the 2019 Chamber of the Year for the state of Florida during the Florida Association of Chamber Professionals annual conference in Daytona Beach.

The chamber was honored for its accomplishments, including its acquisition of two chambers within the past five years that led to its official name change and logo, as well as its involvement in numerous initiatives.

Hope Allen, president/CEO of the chamber said the award is a testament to the chamber’s board, its ambassadors, its staff and the area’s vibrant business community.

Hope Allen is the president/CEO of the North Tampa Bay Chamber, which recently was named the 2019 Chamber of the Year by the Florida Association of Chamber Professionals. Allen also received an individual award for her 15 years of service as a chamber professional. (File)

“This is something we’ve been working toward since I took over the organization,” said Allen, who joined the chamber seven years ago, when it was known as the Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce. “We had not been ready in the past because we did not have a strategic plan and we did not have an audit.”

But the organization achieved those goals and was able to apply for the honor this year, and proceeded to take home the top prize.

“We, essentially, as chamber professionals, build communities. This is validation that we are going, not only in the right direction, but we’re doing it extraordinarily well,” Allen said.

The application has nine different components, including such things as accomplishments, financial stability, governmental relations, membership, strategic planning, communications and special events.

In the area of governmental relations, for instance, the chamber had to describe its activity at the local, state and federal level, Allen said.

“We were able to speak to all of that,” Allen said, noting that she went to Washington, D.C., with the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition.

“What I took away from that summit is, ‘global is very local.’ As leader of this chamber, we need to make sure we understand that.”

It’s important, for example, to realize that tariffs have a local impact, she said.

At the local level, the chamber has advocated for increased transportation options, and at the state level, it has pushed for lower business rent taxes.

“We have an issue filter, here. If it doesn’t align with pro-business legislation, we are not dealing with it,” Allen said.

Only chambers that have been audited can apply for the chamber of the year award, which, of course, requires a financial investment, Allen said.

“We came back with a clean audit,” the chamber executive said, noting  that the audit covered not only budgetary issues, but also looked at employee records, crisis management, separation of duties, job descriptions and other organizational categories.

The state judges also consider a chamber’s strategic plan, its technology plan and its communications plan.

In the communications arena, the North Tampa Bay Chamber issues news releases, maintains a website, announces events, uses newsletters and varies its communications, based on the audience, Allen said.

For instance, “we have different messaging for potential members” than for existing members, she said.

The state honor also considers special events that are presented by chambers. That counts for 5% of the score, Allen said.

For much of its history, the chamber was “ very, very dependent on event income,” Allen said.

But in 2013, the board of directors decided to switch the chamber’s focus from presenting parties, pageants and parades’ to becoming the area’s connector, convener and catalyst, Allen said, during a recent talk about the chamber’s 20-year history.

That shift was a risk because it relied on investment by members, Allen said, but the organization was thinking ahead.

Now, the chamber focuses its energy on serving the business needs of its 739 members.

“We don’t sell the chamber,” she said. “The chamber is not something we feel is a widget. It’s an investment in your business. It’s a different pot of money from your branding and your marketing. It’s a business expense, in our opinion.

“Do you know who does sell the chamber? Our members. They sell it for us because they can see the return on their investment,” Allen said.

Published October 2, 2019

Sunlake High teacher lands geography fellowship

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In her AP Human Geography classes, Sunlake High School teacher Anne Cullison strives to “lift the veil” on what the world is really like.

She often tells her students: “Everything is geography, and geography is everything.”

The local educator soon will get a chance to broaden her knowledge and add to her kit of tools for teaching.

She is one of just 50 teachers nationwide selected as a 2019 American Geographical Society (AGS) Teacher Fellow. This is the second time she has been selected for the honor. The first time was in 2016.

Sunlake High School social studies teacher Anne Cullison was recently named a 2019 American Geographical Society (AGS) Teacher Fellow. She is one of just 50 teachers nationwide selected to the year-long fellowship program. (File)

The AGS fellowship is a year-long professional development opportunity that enables geography teachers to incorporate open source mapping into their classrooms. It also provides supplementary resources and materials.

As part of this year’s fellowship, Cullison will attend the AGS Fall Symposium in Nov. 21 and Nov. 22, at Columbia University in New York City.

The symposium, titled “Geography 2050: Borders and a Borderless World,” gives the fellows an opportunity to interact with geography and geospatial leaders from across the country. They also receive professional training in open source mapping.

Samantha Power, U.S Ambassador to the United Nations under President Barack Obama (2013-17), will be the keynote speaker.

Other scheduled speakers include National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency director Robert Sharp and Nada Bakos, a former CIA analyst and targeting officer who was instrumental in tracking down Osama bin Laden and other terrorist figures.

Cullison, in her seventh year at Sunlake, is eager to learn and network with fellow educators and professionals “who actually work in the field that I’m teaching about.

“I really enjoy getting to listen to people who are so incredibly knowledgeable of that real-world application side of what we actually do — what I spend my days talking about,” Cullison said.

She also appreciates being selected for the honor.

“It feels great. It’s a great way to feel recognized for working hard with kids to get them to see the world in a different way,” Cullison said.

She now teaches about 170 students across five AP Human Geography classes.

Coursework in her class goes far beyond simply labeling areas on a map and learning the basics of other cultures, she explained. It attempts to answer the what, where and why of human patterns, and the social and environmental consequences of that.

She put it like this: “It’s more about, ‘Why are some countries successful and others aren’t? Why are there people starving in some places and some places aren’t? Why do some people practice one religion and then others something else, and how does that affect the politics, the culture and languages they speak and everything?’”

In essence, she said, it enables her students “to see the world in a different way.”

Before arriving at Sunlake, Cullison taught social studies at Rushe and Pine View middle schools, in Land O’ Lakes.

Cullison studied political science at the University of Central Florida and University of South Florida.

Her first teaching experience came during an internship with the U.S. Department of Defense’s Near East South Asia Center for Strategic Studies in Washington D.C.

There, she was tasked with educating Middle Eastern government and military officials on American foreign policy in that region.

The experience, she said, “gave me the first touch of, ‘I really like teaching. I want to be able to help people understand where (other) people are coming from.’”

She said it also helped her to gain insight on why other peoples’ perspectives are sometimes different.

Cullison is eager to use the fellowship to introduce more open source mapping tools in her classroom.

Open source mapping is a collaborative volunteer project to create better, digital maps available of an area, specifically in less developed nations.

Cullison said the program is particularly useful for search and recovery efforts after natural disasters.

It allows first responders “to see what something is or was” in destroyed areas — whether it be schools, homes, buildings, roads and so on, she said.

“It’s really all about being able to identify and locate, and mark what computers can’t do,” the educator said.

Two years ago, her classes utilized the mapping program to aid humanitarians and first responders in Puerto Rico, in the wake of Hurricane Maria.

It helped in the search and recovery efforts to find people who had been injured by the natural disaster, or those who had not survived, she said.

Published Oct. 2, 2019

Savor a slice of ‘Old Florida’ beauty

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Residents who live on the eastern side of Pasco County don’t have to travel far to get an idea of what “Old Florida” was like.

They can find evidence of that loveliness all around the locale’s corners and bends.

Perhaps that’s why those with deep ties to this part of the county fight so fiercely to protect their piece of paradise, and why the area attracts newcomers who want to put their stakes down to partake in the beauty, too.

With its lush landscapes, rolling hills, fertile farmland, historic places and outdoor spaces — the area offers much to enjoy and admire.

The incredible view of the setting sun over Lake Pasadena, as seen from the Dade City home of Derek Thomas. Thomas lives on Fort King Road, near the top of Leheup Hill, which is one of the area’s highest elevations at 240 feet above sea level. This ‘mountain’ is part of a series of rolling hills in the area. (Christine Holtzman)

 

Nature’s beauty can be found at the Withlacoochee River Park, in Dade City. The Withlacoochee River cuts through the 406 acres of forested land, brimming with an abundance of wildlife. Park amenities include fishing piers, boardwalks, canoe/kayak access, picnic and camping areas, shelters/pavilions, trails, playgrounds, and an observation tower.
Tucked away in an area across State Road 52 from Saint Leo University, (next to the golf course), there are two historic grottos.
The Gethsemane Grotto, was built by local men from San Antonio in 1933, to depict Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. The construction contains natural stones, such as Florida coral, limestone and flint.

 

 

 

The Lady of Lourdes Grotto was built in 1916, and is the final resting place of the Saint Leo Abbey’s first Abbot, Charles Mohr, OSB.
The historic Capt. H.B. Jeffries House, 38537 5th Avenue in Zephyrhills, was built in 1911, for city founder and Civil War veteran Capt. Harold B. Jeffries. Today, the building is used by the non-profit Main Street Zephyrhills, Inc., a group dedicated to the preservation, revitalization and the economic vitality of the downtown business district.
Many farms dot the East Pasco landscape, an area that is rich in agriculture. These silos on a farm at the corner of St. Joe Road and Bellamy Brothers Boulevard, peak above the lush pasture.

 

 

 

 

 

Pasco County’s budget tops $1.4 billion

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The Pasco County Commission has adopted a proposed budget topping $1.4 billion for fiscal year 2020.

The property tax rate did not change, but revenues collected by the county will go up because of an expanded county tax base due to new construction and property value increases.

Also, property owners will pay additional taxes to generate revenues needed to pay for four bond issues voters adopted to support a jail expansion, additional fire stations, park improvements and upgraded libraries.

The tax rates adopted by a 4-0, with Commission Chairman Ron Oakley absent, were:

  • Property tax: 7.6076 mills
  • Municipal fire service unit: 1.8036 mills
  • Jail (bond issue): 0.0277 mills
  • Fire rescue (bond issue): 0.0222 mills
  • Parks (bond issue): 0.0100 mills
  • Library (bond issue): 0.0096 mills

The aggregate millage rate is 9.3666 mills.

“The county realized a 9.3% increase in taxable assessed values over the past year,” said Robert Goehig, county budget director. Overall, the county’s budget is $1,465,713,041.

“Compared to the current fiscal year, the final general fund expenditure budget represents an increase of $44 million,” Goehig said.

This year’s budget includes a $20 million increase in the county’s reserves, the budget director said.

The budget also:

  • Fully funds the sheriff’s budget request
  • Includes a 6 percent wage increase for the board and constitutional officer employees
  • Includes $6.8 million for initiatives, including the restoration of library hours, an emergency generator replacement plan and other items.

Also, Goehig noted, there’s  $6.6 million for investments in infrastructure, such as the Starkey Ranch District Park baseball fields; two roller hockey rinks in partnership with the Tampa Bay Lightning; various information technology projects; and, the facilities master plan.

No transportation millage was levied last year and none was proposed this year.

The county’s Municipal Fire Service Unit Fund, which has a tax levy of 1.8036 mills, will generate an additional $4 million because of an increase in property values.

Those funds will be spent to support the negotiated firefighter wage increase and staffing for new fire stations.

No one spoke for or against the budget during the comment period of the public hearing.

Published October 2, 2019

Under Construction 10/02/19

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Motorists in Odessa will have another option for auto parts and equipment when the new AutoZone shop begins operation at 12090 State Road 54. It is expected to open in November. (Brian Fernandes)

AutoZone shop
Motorists will have another convenient spot to pick up automobile parts and accessories with the soon-to-come AutoZone shop. The 6,815-square-foot facility will be located at 12090 State Road 54 in Odessa. Construction began in September. The store is expected to open in November.

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Checkers quick-stop restaurant, going up at 5505 Gall Blvd., is nearing completion in Zephyrhills.

Checkers restaurant
A Checkers fast-food hub is coming soon to serve hungry patrons in Zephyrhills. The 900-square-foot restaurant, at 5505 Gall Blvd., will have a single drive-thru lane and an outdoor patio. Construction began in August. An opening is expected in November.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Located in front of The Preserve residential community in Odessa, off State Road 54, a new Publix is emerging. Construction of the supermarket, at 2189 Sembler Drive, began in August.

Publix supermarket
A Publix grocery store is emerging at the front entrance of The Preserve residential community in Odessa. The store, approximately 27,600 square feet,  will be located at 2189 Sembler Drive, off State Road 54. Construction began in August.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Grease Monkey- Oil Changes & More, will be a convenient spot for vehicle tune-ups at 5847 Gall Blvd., in Zephyrhills.

Oil change stop
Retail chain Grease Monkey – Oil Changes & More, is opening its sixth mechanic shop in Florida. The 1,300-square-foot facility is located at 5847 Gall Blvd., in Zephyrhills. It will have three vehicle bays for basic auto oil change and maintenance. The shop is expected to open in October.

Dade City to hold first monarch festival

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Dade City is getting ready for its first Monarch Butterfly Festival.

The Dade City Monarch Butterfly Festival will offer visitors insightful tips on caring for the monarch butterfly species. (Courtesy of Dade City Garden Club)

The Oct. 12 event, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., will celebrate Dade City’s induction as a  Monarch City USA. The designation refers to the city’s efforts in maintaining the survival of monarch butterflies.

Vendors will offer food and items for sale, including pottery, birdbaths, metal art and jewelry, to name just a few of the options.

The day also includes educational presentations on the monarch butterflies. There will be butterflies there, too, of course, as well as their eggs and caterpillars.

Plants will be on sale, too, including milkweed – a nutritional source for monarch butterflies.

There will be a kids’ area where butterfly-themed crafts can be designed and photos can be taken with an oversized butterfly.

Visitors will be able to take a stroll and view wildlife, and also can purchase tickets for a chance to win a hand-crafted potting bench. Tickets will sell for $2 each, or six for $10.

Admission and parking are free.

The function will be held at Hibiscus Park at Seventh Street and Bougainvillea Avenue in Dade City. It is being presented by the Dade City Garden Club and the Dade City Youth Council.

Tickets can be purchased in advance at the Out of Our Hands Gallery, 14245 Seventh St. in Dade City or on the day of the event.

For additional information, contact Joan Hepscher at (908) 890-4630 or at .

What: Dade City Monarch Butterfly Festival

Where: Hibiscus Park, Seventh Street and Bougainvillea Avenue in Dade City

When: Oct. 12 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Cost: Free

Details: Dade City will celebrate its induction as a Monarch City USA, which means it aims to help maintain the survival of monarch butterflies. Educational presentations and plant sales will be available, along with activities for kids.

Info: contact Joan Hepscher at (908) 890-4630 or at .

Published October 2, 2019

 

Pasco County Schools secures $1 million grant

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Pasco County Schools is among a dozen school districts across the country selected to receive a Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation grant, as part of the Professional Learning Partnerships Initiative.

Pasco County Schools Superintendent Kurt Browning said a $1 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will be used for professional development of teachers, to help them effectively deliver a new middle school mathematics curriculum. (File)

The school district will use the $1 million grant in partnership with the initiative to prepare teachers for a new middle school math curriculum, Illustrative Math (Open Up Resources).

The grant money will be used to provide teacher with professional learning to ensure that instruction is meeting the needs of all students.

Superintendent Kurt Browning said the district is honored to be selected by the Gates Foundation for the opportunity.

Browning said the grant will help the district to strengthen performance in mathematics at the middle school level, by ensuring teachers receive professional learning opportunities to help them effectively deliver the curriculum to students.

“Students will be able to make connections between what they learned in elementary school, to help them prepare for high school,” Browning said.

The district has already implemented a new mathematics curriculum at the elementary level, and this training will help teachers help students make a seamless transition at middle school, Browning said.

“My end goal is to make sure that when students graduate, they are prepared,” Browning said.

“It was a competitive grant,” Browning said. “We’re doing great things in Pasco. We’re thinking outside the box, and we’re thinking differently.”

Pasco has made significant efforts to provide teachers with resources to help them understand the Florida Standards and to deliver standards-aligned instruction, according to a district news release. The work will continue with this grant and the Professional Learning Partnerships Initiative.

Published October 2, 2019