Local News

United Way of Pasco plans to expand its reach

February 13, 2019 By Brian Fernandes

As he assumes the helm of United Way of Pasco County, Chuck Anderson said he plans to build on the organization’s previous successes.

Anderson became president and CEO of the organization on Jan. 14, succeeding Alice Delgardo, who retired.

Chuck Anderson, the new president and CEO for United Way of Pasco County, plans to expand community outreach in the county. (Brian Fernandes)

He recently moved to the area from Fort Myers, and he’s well aware of Pasco County’s growing population and increasing demand for services.

United Way is already known for its collaborative work, but Anderson wants to expand those efforts.

The United Way recently got involved as an intermediary, to address financial shortfalls two agencies were facing because of the recent federal government shutdown.

The lack of federal money put the continued operation of two nonprofit agencies in jeopardy.

“The county (Pasco County) and United Way (of Pasco) worked collaboratively to put together a pool of funds to keep two of those programs running,” Anderson said.

He understands, personally, the impacts that a federal shutdown can have because his daughter is a federal employee and has dealt with the consequences of not being paid.

One way to help people who are struggling is to assist them with filling out their federal tax forms, he said. United Way has a program that can help people secure their tax refund checks, he said.

“It puts many dollars back in the pockets of people who otherwise would be indigent,” Anderson said.

The Connecticut native holds a master’s degree in social work and a master’s degree in business — and said that both have served him well throughout his career.

Previously, he taught at Florida Atlantic University and Florida Gulf Coast University.

He also worked for four years at Catholic Charities, a United Way affiliate, serving as a district director and overseeing the organization’s efforts in Lee, Hendry and Glades counties.

In that position, he helped to advance food pantries, senior services, the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and programs for at-risk youth.

He also is passionate about tackling the problem of human trafficking.

Anderson said he was associated with a program that spanned 10 counties and utilized intensive casework.

“We were able to help people go from [being] unable to care for themselves to becoming independent, self-sufficient and able to function successfully in society,” he said.

Anderson believes that those who have resources need to reach out to those who lack them.

He said his life in public service has been fueled by a belief of the power that comes from engaging with other people.

“I thought the best way to help build positive change in the community was by working in the community,” stated Anderson. “It really is holding out your hand and helping somebody up.”

The United Way leader said he intends to implement this principle in Pasco County.

Published February 13, 2019

Paulie Palooza has a new venue

February 13, 2019 By Brian Fernandes

The annual Paulie Palooza will return to liven Downtown Zephyrhills on Feb. 23, but this year, the event has a new venue: Main Street Zephyrhills at 38537 Fifth Ave.

The new location was selected to incorporate downtown businesses into the festival, said Leesa Fryer, event planning specialist at Gulf Hospice and Pasco Palliative Care.

Aside from shopping at vendors, the Paulie Palooza fest in Zephyrhills allows patrons to relax on lawn chairs with refreshments, while listening to musical performances. (Courtesy of Gulfside Hospice and Pasco Palliative Care)

The festival, now in its seventh year, will be from noon to 9 p.m.

Guests can enjoy offerings from a variety of vendors, including food, arts, crafts and jewelry. There will be face-painting for kids, too.

And, the Zephyrhills Brewing Company will be there.

Items will be auctioned off, and there will be prize drawings for items that have been donated by local businesses.

Live musical performances will be given throughout the day.

Admission wristbands are available for a $5 donation. Parking is free and pets are allowed.

Visitors are asked to bring their own lawn chairs, as seating is limited.

All proceeds benefit Gulf Hospice and Pasco Palliative Care.

To register as a vendor, purchase a wristband or for additional information, visit GulfSide.org.

Paulie Palooza
Where: Main Street Zephyrhills, 38537 Fifth Ave., Zephyrhills
When: Feb. 23 from noon to 9 p.m.
Cost: Free
Details: The festival features vendors, prizes and musical performances.
Info: To register as a vendor, purchase wristbands or for additional information, visit GulfSide.org.

Published February 13, 2019

Pigz in Z’Hlls attracts record crowd

February 13, 2019 By Special to The Laker/Lutz News

The ninth annual Pigz in Z’Hills BBQ & Blues Festival attracted more than 13,000 people, according to event organizers.

Smoke emanates from the grill, as Edwin Alvarez, of Kissimmee, prepares chicken on a stick, which is called Pincho. Alvarez and his boss, Luis Merced, of Largo, prepared food for patrons at the barbecue festival. (File)

Event-goers headed to the festival venue, at the Zephyrhills Municipal Airport, to enjoy a day of live performances by blues musicians and other bands, and to enjoy barbecue chicken, pork, brisket, ribs and foods offered by other vendors.

Fifty-three teams competed in the professional and backyard categories, with the professional teams having a chance of winning $10,000 in prizes.

Backyard Bro’s took the grand champion honors, while Pig Chika Cow Cow, was the reserve champion.

The backyard division winners were: LaFamigilia BBQ, grand champion; Quid Pro Q, reserve champion; and Bahr’s Smokin’ Butts, third place.

There were also 42 teams, of two people each, that vied for $500 in prize money in the event’s inaugural cornhole competition.

Efforts have already begun to prepare for next year’s event, slated for Jan. 18, 2020.

Published February 13, 2019

Architect selected for $48 million technical education center

February 13, 2019 By Special to The Laker/Lutz News

The Pasco County School Board has selected Hepner Architects Inc., to provide architectural services for the design of the new east-central Pasco technical center the district plans to build.

The facility, which has a construction budget of $48 million, is planned for the northeast corner of Handcart Road and Fairview Heights Road, in Wesley Chapel.

Hepner’s fee includes architectural design, civil engineering, structural engineering and other services for a total fixed basic fee of $2,880,000.

The agreement also includes not to exceed confirmed additional services allowances in the amount of $403,570, and a not to exceed reimbursable allowance $30,000.

Hepner was selected from a short list of three architectural firms that the school board approved in November, and it was ranked No. 1 during the interview process.

The center will be designed for 900 students in grades nine through 12, although the district may opt to incorporate post-secondary programs, according to documents included with the board’s agenda item.

The center is scheduled to open in the fall of 2022.

Published February 13, 2019

Saint Leo instructor competes on Jeopardy

February 6, 2019 By B.C. Manion

Frank Orlando, a political science instructor at Saint Leo University, has wanted to compete on Jeopardy ever since he was a little boy — and last month, his episode aired.

It all began by passing the contestant exam in March, then proceeding to the in-person interview in Tampa in May. After that, he was included in the potential contestant pool.

“At the end of October, I got a call from Los Angeles. They said, ‘Come on out, at the end of November. I said, “OK, I’ll be there,” he recalled.

Frank Orlando during his appearance on Jeopardy. (Courtesy of Saint Leo University)

Being on the show was exciting, and sharing the experience with about 60 faculty, staff and students during a watch party at Saint Leo University was fun, said Orlando, who teaches undergraduate students and directs the Saint Leo Polling Institute.

The experience on the national quiz show was similar to what he expected.

In Jeopardy, contestants compete in three rounds, Jeopardy, Double Jeopardy and Final Jeopardy. They receive five clues in six categories, which are assigned dollar values based on perceived difficulty.

Each contestant has a signaling device, which they use to buzz in to attempt a response, which must be made in the form of a question.

Orlando said he has always enjoyed trivia.

“I played Quiz Bowl growing up. I was the captain of our Quiz Bowl team,” he said, plus there’s a faculty trivia team from Saint Leo that plays together. He also has fond memories of watching Jeopardy with his grandparents.

So for him, it was a sweet moment, indeed, when he heard the announcer say: “This is Jeopardy” during filming.

The handheld signaling device, however, was not quite as thrilling, he said.

Frank Orlando leans forward as people cheer at a watch party in his honor at Saint Leo University. (Courtesy of Saint Leo, Mike Williams)

“The buzzer is really a tough thing to get the timing down on. You can’t buzz in when you know the answer, you have to buzz in when the question is finished being read. There’s a person who manually opens up the buzzer system,” he said, and lights go on, which the players can see.

“You read the question as fast as you can. You try to figure out the answer. And then you kind of wait for these lights to turn on (indicating that the buzzer has been activated).

“Early on, I got a couple right in a row and I felt good about buzzing in, and then I think the other players got in a better rhythm,” he said.

During his appearance, Orlando wore a blue suit, with a blue tie and a light blue shirt.

He would have preferred wearing a green suit, to signify Saint Leo University and his undergraduate school, Michigan State University. But, green didn’t mesh with the set, so he couldn’t wear that.

He prepared for the show by checking what he already knew.

“I went through a lot of old archives of questions. I coded them for different categories: literature, music, television, sports,” he said.

He felt confident about history, geography, political science, sports and music, so he focused on the categories of literature and art — primarily from around the time of the Renaissance.

His studies paid off on a question in the category World through Literature.

The clue was: “Nadine Gordimer’s final novel, 2012’s “No Time Like the Present,” is the story of an interracial couple in this country.”

Orlando’s response to the clue was: “What is South Africa?”

He was also fortunate in another category called “Italian on vacation.”

“My family is Italian. That really helped me out,” he said.

But, he even though he focused on the arts and literature — it didn’t help him in Final Jeopardy.

The question was in the category of Contemporary Art, not one of Orlando’s strengths.

Still, he wasn’t entirely disappointed.

“One of my main goals was to at least make it to Final Jeopardy, and I accomplished that,” he said.

Published February 06, 2019

$75 million hospital expansion expected to open in 2020

February 6, 2019 By B.C. Manion

Motorists driving near St. Joseph’s Hospital-North may wonder why there’s a massive crane towering over the medical center.

The answer’s simple: The hospital is undergoing a $75 million expansion that will double its capacity and will support additional services.

An aerial view of the $75 million construction expansion underway at St. Joseph’s Hospital-North. This photograph was captured by a drone. (Courtesy of St. Joseph’s Hospital-North)

Construction crews already have built four additional operating suites in shelled spaces that were included during the original construction, and the work continues on a two-floor expansion.

“We recently celebrated our topping out, which is tradition in the construction world when that final beam of steel goes up,” said Sara Dodds, operations director at St. Joseph’s Hospital-North.

Each of the new floors in the hospital will have 54 patient rooms, Dodds said.

The expansion is expected to be finished and ready for use in early 2020, roughly a decade after the hospital opened , at 4211 Van Dyke Road in Lutz.

Enlarging the facility was always part of the long-term plan, but area growth prompted the work to be done sooner than originally expected, Dodds said.

And, population growth continues within the hospital’s primary service area, which is within a 5-mile radius.

Between 2018 and 2023, the expected growth within that area is about 7.5 percent, which is more than double the 3.5 expected growth rate of the United States during that period.

Sara Dodds, the operations director at St. Joseph’s Hospital-North, is overseeing an expansion that aims to address needs in an area that’s growing at twice the pace of the rest of the United States. (B.C. Manion)

Plus, more than 25 percent of that growth is expected to be people who are 65 and older, and 11.4 percent is ages 55 to 64, age groups which tend to have a greater need for health care services, Dodds said.

The expansion aims to respond to those growing needs.

“We’re doubling our inpatient bed capacity. So, currently we have 108 beds, and we’ll be going to 216 beds,” she said.

Other elements of the expansion include adding to the hospital’s intensive care unit, its progressive care units, and its area for physical and respiratory therapy.

The hospital also will have a dedicated hemodialysis unit, enabling it to expand its outpatient infusions.

When the expansion is completed and the patient rooms are full, the hospital expects to add around 200 positions, including clinical staff and support services.

Unless there are unforeseen circumstances, the competition of the project will roughly coincide with the hospital’s 10-year anniversary.

At the time of its opening, St. Joseph’s Hospital-North was the first new hospital that had been built in Hillsborough County for 30 years. Before that, area residents had to drive for miles to get to the nearest hospital.

In another change, the hospital installed metal detectors in November.

“I often get the question: Did something happen? The answer is no. It’s just our organization’s commitment to add another layer of safety for our patients, our team, our physicians, our visitors,” Dodds said.

St. Joseph’s Hospital-North
By the numbers – 2018
Discharges: 8081 (Inpatient only); 16,498 (discharges with observation patients)
Births: 429
Total Surgeries: 3,953
Total Endoscopies: 3,345
Total Cardiac Catheterizations: 790
Emergency Department Visits: 41,316
Team Members: 809

Published February 06, 2019

Local outlook brighter than in many other housing markets

February 6, 2019 By B.C. Manion

The housing market has its challenges, but Florida continues to enjoy a better situation than markets in many other parts of the country.

At least that was the message delivered by two experts at the Tampa Bay Builders Association 2019 Economic Forecast briefing on Jan. 23 at Tampa’s River Center at Julian B. Lane Park, in downtown Tampa.

Robert Dietz, chief economist of the National Association of Homebuilders, and Lesley Deutch, with John Burns Real Estate Consulting, shared their expertise on the outlook for the housing market, and discussed various factors that influence its performance.

Dietz focused on the national picture.

“Despite the fact that Florida is really kind of benefiting from strong population growth, the national market is slowing down,” Dietz said. “A lot of that has to do with higher interest rates, where we are in the economic cycle.”

The current growth cycle, which is 116 months old will exceed the record growth cycle of 120 months, which was achieved during the 1990s, Dietz said.

But, Dietz observed: “The thing that’s important to keep in mind, however, is Ben Bernanke, the former chair of the Federal Reserve, said ‘Economic growth cycles don’t die of old age. They’re murdered, and they’re murdered by the Federal Reserve.’

“Our forecast is for two (interest) rate hikes right now. Wall Street is saying zero for 2019,” Dietz said.

“The big macro risk is the labor market,” Dietz said. “The good news is that the unemployment rate is below 4 percent. We do think it’s going to rise later in 2020, when we hit that growth recession.”

Labor shortages result in wage growth, which generally is good for housing demand, he said.

However, he noted: “Keep in mind there’s two kinds of income growth in an economy. There’s income growth that’s generated by productivity growth. That’s fine.

“And then there’s wage growth that comes about as businesses are competing over an increasingly scarce labor pool. That’s inflation. That’s what the Fed is worried about. That’s why they’re trying to raise rates before that happens,” he said.

Dietz is projecting that the fixed-rate 30-year mortgage will be around 5.1 percent or 5.2 percent.

“That’s the good news. It’s not going to rise much higher than what we’ve already seen,” he said. Still, he added: “Given the current levels of pricing, a 5-percent mortgage interest rate is enough to stall the housing market. If you would have asked me five years ago where that point was, I would have, without hesitation, said 6 percent.”

While interest rates have an impact on demand, there are other considerations, too, including the ability to get a loan, Dietz said.

The increase in student loans and auto loans is crowding out the ability of younger households to get home loans, Dietz said.

There are 1.5 trillion student loans, which is up 136 percent since the Great Recession, he said.

In general, student loans can lead to degrees, which can mean a lifetime of higher income and the ability to buy a bigger house, he said.

“The problem is the 40 percent of four-year college students who go to college and drop out. No degree and $20,000 in student loans. That’s pure dead-weight loss,” Dietz said.

Auto loans are an issue, too.

“Car sales have done very well for the past four or five years. The problem is, seven-year car loans, no money down,” he said.

He also noted the increasing number of 25-year-olds to 34-year-olds who are living at home with their parents. Twenty years ago, that number stood at one in 10; now, it’s one in five.

Overall, however, the demographics are good.

“The demand for single-family housing is going to grow and grow and grow” because the peak age of millennials is about 28, and half of new homes are purchased by those between 35 and 55,” Dietz said.

Affordability is an issue
“The worst markets are the West Coast. In San Francisco and Los Angeles, fewer than 1 in 10 home sales are affordable for a typical family. For that reason, you are seeing population leaving California and going places like Idaho. Boise is now listed as unaffordable because of population demand,” he said.

The Tampa/St. Petersburg market is relatively affordable, Dietz said. It has been enjoying population growth, and in 2017, its population grew by 1.8 percent, compared to the national growth rate of 0.6 percent.

He’s projecting single-family construction in the Tampa region “to be better than the nation as a whole, but slower than what we’ve seen in the last few years.”

He also expects the size of single-family homes to continue to decline, and points to the 24 percent growth in townhome construction as an indicator of that trend.

Dietz also predicts that multifamily construction will be slightly negative because of tighter financing, and that remodeling will soften, too.

Deutch took a closer look at Florida, and the Tampa market area.

“Florida, as a whole, is much stronger than the rest of the country,” Deutch said.

“Tampa is a very, very solid — fundamentally solid — housing market,” she said.

“From a national perspective, Tampa is very, very affordable. From a local perspective, it’s getting a little bit more unaffordable. All of Tampa and all of the Florida markets are benefitting from (their) relative affordability,” she said.

However, she noted: “We’re not immune to what’s happening in the rest of the country.”

The biggest impediment to increased residential construction is affordability, she said.

“Home prices are way above the peak — 24 percent higher than the peak of new home prices and resale prices are getting up there, too.”

“It’s not just only builders increasing their home prices. The construction prices, labor costs, land costs, have all gone up. And, all of this is really constraining a faster pace of growth for Tampa’s market. This is what’s causing the slower home sales.”

Despite the challenges, companies can manage through them, she said.

The key is understanding the consumer, Deutch said.

Her company did a consumer survey of 25,000 new home shoppers across the country, dividing them into nine consumer categories: Young singles, single parents, mature singles, young couples, empty-nesters, active adults, young families, families plus and mature families.

“So, if you’re a home builder and you sold a home to an empty-nester, they’re going to be very happy to meet the warranty manager at 10 a.m., in the morning. They don’t really have a whole lot of things to do.

“But if you sold that home to a single parent, do you think they’re going to be sitting at home waiting for the warranty guy to come in at 10 o’clock in the morning?

“All of these people are going to act completely differently,” she said.

“You really have to understand who your buyer is. There is going to be more competition,” Deutch said. “They’re out there. There is demand, but how are you going to get them?”

Housing trends
John Burns Real Estate Consulting does monthly surveys with 350 builders across the country, asking the same questions each month, to get a pulse on the market.

Here are some questions and results:

“Where are home prices going? Month-to-month.”
In 2017: 31 percent said home prices are increasing; 65 percent said they are flat; 4 percent said they are declining.
In 2018: 5 percent said they are increasing; 72 percent said they are flat; 23 percent said they’re declining.

Where do you see single-family home sales over the next six months?
In 2017: 66 percent said they’re going to be good; 33 percent said they’re going to be fair; none said they were poor
In 2018: 24 percent said they’re good; 71 percent said fair; 5 percent said poor.

Published February 06, 2019

Lutz teen and her service dog are off to college

February 6, 2019 By Kevin Weiss

Leigh Dittman knew she’d need some help when she got to college.

After all, the Lutz resident lives life from her wheelchair.

She was born with a rare genetic disorder called osteogenesis imperfecta, or brittle bone disease.

The disease prevents her body from absorbing needed calcium levels due to a collagen deficiency.

Lutz resident and University of Tampa freshman student Leigh Dittman with her service dog, Nerf. Dittman suffers from a rare genetic disorder called osteogenesis imperfecta, or brittle bone disease, which makes her bones weaker than normal and more prone to fractures. Nerf responds to more than 40 commands, including retrieving dropped items for Leigh, pulling her wheelchair, carrying her backpack, and other tasks that enable her to lead a more independent life. (Courtesy of Canine Companions)

Simply put, the condition makes her bones weaker than normal and more prone to fractures.

“It’s like a sponge,” Leigh said. “It doesn’t matter how much milk I drink; my body can only handle so much.”

The number of people affected with osteogenesis imperfecta in the United States is unknown.

Estimates range from as few as 20,000 and as many as 50,000, according to the Osteogenesis Foundation.

Throughout her school years leading to college, Leigh had a one-on-one aide who would help get her to and from class.

As she geared up for her freshman year at the University of Tampa, though, she wanted more independence.

Leigh put it this way: “With college, I’m training to be an adult, and I can’t be a successful adult if I’m relying on another adult.”

That’s where Nerf enters the picture.

The 3-year-old, black Labrador/golden retriever mix is a highly-trained service dog that responds to more than 40 commands.

He retrieves dropped items like pencils and water bottles for Leigh. He pulls her wheelchair around campus. He carries her backpack. He can even close doors, and turn light switches on and off.

In certain cases, Nerf doesn’t even need to be told what to do.

“He reads what I need,” said the freshman nursing student.

“At home, I’m notorious for dropping my socks when I put my clothes away, so at this point, I don’t even tell him to pick it up. He just sees it and he’s like, ‘I know what you need.’”

The bond between owner and dog goes beyond helping with everyday tasks.

Nerf is always there, at her side
Besides providing practical support, Nerf adds emotional support and companionship, too, when times are stressful, and when Leigh is feeling overwhelmed from her class load and final exams.

“He’ll curl up right next to me, and he’ll just stay there while I get work done; it’s just nice to reach over and have him sitting there,” she said.

Nerf came to Leigh by way of Canine Companions, a nonprofit organization that breeds, trains, and places assistance dogs for people with disabilities.

The organization provides dogs and related services free of charge.

It presently has more than 2,300 active graduate teams nationwide.

Fourteen of those teams — including Nerf and Leigh— are based in Hillsborough and Pasco counties.

Leigh came across Canine Companions a few years ago and decided to apply to the organization’s wait list.

Her family had never had a dog, let alone a pet of any kind.

Naturally, it took a bit of persuading to get the go-ahead from her parents for her to apply for the program. But, they eventually relented.

“I was like, ‘It’s a pet, but it’s a helpful pet,’” Leigh joked.

Since they were matched last summer, the two have been inseparable.

Leigh had to wait about three years after applying to be selected for a service dog.

Nerf and Leigh paired following a rigorous two-week training session at Canine Companions Southeast Regional Center in Orlando.

During training, Leigh learned all of Nerf’s commands and how to properly care for him.

She worked with several other dogs during the training stay, but Nerf proved to be the best to meet her unique needs.

Leigh recalls Nerf being goofy and energetic when they first met. At the same time, he was gentle and sweet, she said.

“I loved him from the beginning; he just fit,” Leigh said.

From the outset, even before training began, Canine Companions trainers had an inkling Nerf would be Leigh’s choice, said Jen Hanes, participant program manager at the Canine Companions Southeast Regional Center.

Hanes said Nerf had the ideal temperament and skills for someone with Leigh’s disability.

Nerf is calm, responsive and loves to work, yet isn’t so high energy that he requires more management on Leigh’s part, Hanes explained.

“There’s more than one dog that could work with Leigh, but we felt like Nerf was just the perfect match for her,” Hanes said.

The match has been life changing, Leigh said, noting it’s now impossible to imagine not having Nerf at her side.

Sometimes, the college student will leave Nerf at home to go to a concert or friend’s house. When she’s without him, she feels “very untethered” and “like part of me is missing.”

“It’s weird if don’t have him,” Leigh said. “I mean, it’s like as if I didn’t have my wheelchair; I don’t leave if I don’t have it.”

The bond they share goes both ways
Leigh depends on Nerf and Nerf depends on Leigh.

“He’s so well-trained and he can do so many things, but at the same time he is a pet. He does need to be cared for and loved, and made sure that he is healthy and things like that,” Leigh explained.

Nerf is a magnet for attention when the two are out and about.

People come up “all the time” to try to pet Nerf, as the two of them the University of Tampa campus, she said.

“I definitely had quite a few people in my classes last semester asking me questions,” Leigh said. “It can be a good conversation because it can be a good education for people that don’t have service animals.”

Meanwhile, Leigh doesn’t ask for special treatment from others.

“I never expect people to make accommodations or to treat me differently,” Leigh said. “I just may need to take the ramp instead of the stairs.”

She prides herself on being an achiever; poised to accomplish many of the same goals of able-bodied people.

At Gaither High School, Leigh graduated at the top of her senior class.

She played in the school’s Chamber Orchestra.

She was president of the American Sign Language Club.

She went to football games and enjoyed hanging out with friends.

“I was very active,” Leigh said. “I had that drive and the attitude of, ‘I’m going to do well, therefore I will do well.’”

She’s taken that same approach with her to college, with a goal of becoming a neonatal intensive care unit nurse.

With Nerf at her side, of course.

Published February 06, 2019

Sex traffickers use social media to lure victims

February 6, 2019 By Kevin Weiss

As the use and popularity of social media continue to grow — particularly among youths — they also are a go-to forum for human sex traffickers to lure potential victims.

At least that’s what panelists conveyed during a recent human trafficking awareness seminar at Pasco-Hernando State College’s Porter Campus at Wiregrass Ranch, in Wesley Chapel.

About 300 people attended a recent human trafficking awareness seminar at
Pasco-Hernando State College’s Porter Campus at Wiregrass Ranch. Much of the discussion focused on online recruitment tactics of sex traffickers. Panelists included Pasco County Superintendent Kurt Browning, Pasco Sheriff’s Office Cpl. Alan Wilkett, Paving the Way CEO Jan Edwards, Pasco County Commission on Human Trafficking chair Liana Dean, and Christine Ashurst, a human trafficking survivor. (Kevin Weiss)

Pasco Sheriff Cpl. Alan Wilkett, who was one of the panelists, said his agency has a running list of about 40 websites, games and apps that can be used and exploited by sex traffickers for recruiting and grooming purposes, especially to reach minors.

“It used to be parks and malls, and playgrounds and ballfields,” Wilkett said, but now human traffickers are increasing the use of online tools.

He cautioned about using online video mobile apps, such as Meerkat, Periscope and Omegle, as well as free chat apps including Kik Messenger — because each allows its users to interact with strangers.

“That’s where the danger is,” Wilkett warned.

Predators and traffickers also use the chat feature in Xbox and PlayStation games to find vulnerable youths, Wilkett said.

In those games, traffickers will pose as a teenager, then try to build a ‘friendship’ and set up a face-to-face meet with the target, he explained.

“Anywhere that there’s kids, the predator’s going to be there.

“If your kids have (games and apps) that have that chat feature in it, you’ve got problems, because now there is a door for them to come in and begin that recruitment process,” Wilkett said.

Wilkett also drew attention to bogus model auditions that are being used as a sex trafficking trap.

It works like this, Wilkett said: Sex traffickers will pose as a model agent for a large corporation and begin the grooming process by taking headshots. They methodically progress to bathing suit shots, and then more risqué poses.

In some of these cases, the grooming process will last a couple of weeks; in others, as quickly as 72 hours.

“They go in for their first headshot, and 72 hours later, they’re being trafficked,” Wilkett said.

He also mentioned free online dating sites, such as PlentyOfFish, where sex traffickers place ads to lure adults.

Panelist Jan Edwards, CEO of the antitrafficking nonprofit Paving The Way, advised parents to monitor their children’s online activity.

That’s important, she said, because children often accept friend and follower requests on all forms of media — even when they don’t know the person making the request.

It’s important to have access to all of their devices, Edwards said, because youths have discovered ways to hide online content on their smartphones and tablets. They use special vault apps, such as Calculator+, an app which seemingly looks and acts like a calculator.

“Know what they’re doing,” Edwards said. “Kids need to understand they’re the commodity, they’re the target.”

Panelist Christine Ashurst, a child sex trafficking survivor, reiterated those sentiments.

“Social media and the Internet has absolutely, in my opinion, proliferated the (human trafficking) problem so exponentially. It’s so insane right now.”

Human trafficking is a multibillion dollar industry that enslaves approximately 25 million people around the world, according to the Polaris Project, a nonprofit, nongovernmental organization that works to combat and prevent modern-day slavery and human trafficking.

The United States leads all other countries in the demand for trafficked victims.

Florida ranks No. 3 in the volume of calls to the National Human Trafficking Hotline.

Meanwhile, Tampa Bay is “a hotspot” for human trafficking, said panelist Liana Dean, who chairs the Pasco County Commission on Human Trafficking.

“There’s different figures reported, but we definitely say that it is an issue in the Tampa Bay area and in Pasco,” Dean said.

It’s a crime that occurs in ‘plain sight’
Human trafficking is known as a “hidden crime,” she said, because there isn’t much awareness about it.

“It’s happening right in front of us, and because we don’t know what to look for, we don’t recognize that it’s happening in front of us,” Dean said.

“This is not a problem that one individual or one organization can solve. It takes an entire community,” she said.

Panelists agreed that having meaningful conversations about the problem is the first step toward combating it.

Edwards put it this way: “Human trafficking is so pervasive because we don’t want to deal with it, (and) we don’t want to talk about it.”

However, she continued: “The moment we actually open our mouths and have that dialogue with somebody, we can save a life. We can save a life just by sharing one benign fact, just by clicking ‘Share’ on something. That’s how we disrupt it — is we have the uncomfortable conversations with people and we start to get them comfortable in talking about it,” she said.

The seminar was part of PHSC’s ongoing community awareness series and co-hosted by the Pasco County Commission on Human Trafficking and the U.S. Institute Against Human Trafficking.

The event also featured a screening of Edward’s award-winning film, “Trapped in the Trade,” which shines a light on how children and teenagers can be easily and intentionally recruited into the world of sex trafficking.

Published February 06, 2019

Bring on the quilts, draft horses and antique cars

February 6, 2019 By Special to The Laker/Lutz News

If you enjoy stepping back to a simpler time, the Farm Fest & Quilt Show at the Pioneer Florida Museum & Village was probably your kind of gathering.

A small-pieced quilt catches the eye of Maya Clausen, who said she and her family made the trip over from Longwood to check out the work of the artistic quilters. (Fred Bellet)

Quilters showed off their works and draft horses demonstrated their strength during the event, which featured an array of activities designed to appeal to people of all ages.

Event-goers could peruse quilts made by local quilters, pick up some quilting supplies, or have their quilts appraised, for a fee, by Brenda Grampsas throughout the day.

There were opportunities to watch cane grinding and syrup making, check out some antique cars and take part in various children’s activities. There was live entertainment, too.

The draft horse pull competition drew a crowd.

Those attending were invited to bring their lawn chairs, to grab a pulled pork dinner or sandwich from the concession stand and to find themselves a spot to watch the mighty horses compete.