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Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

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El Dorado Furniture opening fall 2019 at Brightwork Crossing

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The largest Hispanic-owned furniture retailer in the United States plans to open a new store in the mixed-use, residential and commercial project, known as Brightwork Crossing.

An apartment complex at Brightwork Crossing is under construction at State Road 54 and Wesley Chapel Boulevard. Shops and a hotel are planned, too.

A new Burger King restaurant recently opened on a parcel, fronting State Road 54.

The estimated opening for El Dorado Furniture Store is fall 2019, according to Pedro Capo, chief operating officer of the family-owned business.

This is an aerial view of an El Dorado Furniture Store that opened in Cutler Bay, in Miami-Dade County. Company officials are in early stages of planning a store in Pasco County that would open in fall 2019. (Courtesy of Smith Aerial Photos/El Dorado Furniture Store)

Bowman Consulting Inc., filed a preliminary site plan for El Dorado Furniture, and had a pre-application meeting with Pasco County planners in July.

“Everything is looking good,” said Capo.

The Miami-based business is expanding elsewhere in Florida, including new stores in Naples and Fort Myers. A former Sports Authority on Tyrone Boulevard, and a Babies R Us, will be remodeled and opened as El Dorado stores.

The site plan for El Dorado shows a two-story, 70,000-square-foot building, with access from Ashley Creek Trail.

Ashley Creek is among new roads built, internal to Brightwork Crossing. Maren Way is a new road off State Road 54, leading to Burger King and the apartments.

A WaWa gas and convenience store also is featured on the site plan, across from the furniture store. It also has access from Ashley Creek.

The recent El Dorado Furniture store opening in Naples is the company’s 16th store, said Capo.

The company has wanted to move into Pasco for awhile, and looked at a site about five years ago, east of Interstate 75. Tampa Premium Outlets was still in planning stages.

“It was too soon. Then, the recession came in,” said Capo. “But, now the timing is right.”

Company founder, Manuel Capo, left Cuba after the Fidel Castro regime confiscated the family’s chain of furniture stores, known as Casa Capo. Capo and two of his six sons sailed a small boat, named El Dorado, to Mexico, and then settled in Miami, according to the website.

The rest of the family later joined them.

Capo opened El Dorado (named for the boat) in 1967 in Little Havana.

Manuel Capo died nearly 10 years ago. His sons now operate the family business, which is recognized among the top 50 furniture retailers in the country, the website adds.

In the early 1990s, the family designed a unique showroom concept, featuring the El Dorado “boulevard.” Customers stroll along a streetscape, dotted with old-fashioned benches and street lamps, 16th century-inspired stained glass windows, and Egyptian hieroglyphics.

Capo said the parking lot also features old-fashioned street lights and brick pavers to begin what is essentially a neighborhood experience.

Typically, customers in most furniture stores might spent 20 minutes, but El Dorado customers stay as long as an hour, he added. “They can just relax, enjoy a cup of coffee and wander around,” Capo said.

The store has more than 20 storefronts, and specialty furniture shops, which showcase various furniture styles from contemporary to traditional.

Same-day delivery is available in many instances.

“Being Hispanic, typically the whole family comes to shop,” Capo said. “They’d bring anybody that fit in the car, even their neighbors.”

But, he said, the boulevard concept proved successful “for everybody. We do have people for all over the world to look at our boulevard.”

Pasco County commissioners approved Brightwork Crossing in August 2017. The development will have about 350 apartments, 250,000 square feet of offices, retail, and a 150-room hotel.

The approximately 32-acre site is off State Road 54, west of Wesley Chapel Boulevard. It is behind the Shell gas station and Walgreen’s drugstore.

State Road 54 and Wesley Chapel are at the epicenter of retail growth in Pasco. Tampa Premium Outlets, a row of restaurants, a new At Home store and Costco are among the projects that opened on the south side of State Road 56.

Cypress Creek Town Center, on the north side of State Road 56, is filling up with restaurants, including Bahama Breeze Island Grill, Mellow Mushroom, and Chuy’s Tex Mex. The Hyatt Place Hotel is almost ready for its grand opening.

Other planned shops include HomeGoods, Blaze Pizza and Hobby Lobby.

Published August 1, 2018

Car dealerships arriving in Wesley Chapel

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Pasco County is in the market to add to its luxury car dealerships with BMW as the potential tenant of a proposed showroom near The Shops at Wiregrass.

Japanese-auto dealership Mitsubishi also appears to want into Pasco’s market, with a showroom located west of Eagleston Boulevard at Bruce B. Downs Boulevard.

Representatives of Spring Engineering Inc., filed a pre-application for “BMW-Wesley Chapel,” and recently met with Pasco County planners.

Spring Engineering representatives could not be reached for comment.

Preliminary site plans show a 37,000-square-foot showroom and space for 216 new vehicles. The dealership also would have a pre-owned vehicle division and service department.

The 32-acre site is located at the southeast corner of State Road 56 and Mansfield Boulevard, east of the Wiregrass mall. The property is owned by Solly Branch Holdings LLC, which lists J.D. Porter and his sister, Quinn Porter, as company officers, according to state records.

If the dealership materializes, BMW would be the fourth luxury automobile dealerships to gravitate to Pasco in the past three years. It would join previously opened dealerships for Lexus, Mercedes Benz and Audi.

According to its website, Springs Engineering’s clients include BMW of Ocala, Mini of Wesley Chapel, Jaguar of Orlando, and Lamborghini of Broward (County).

Another site plan identifies “WC Mitsubishi” as the potential tenant for an approximately 4-acre site near Toyota, Honda and Lexus dealerships.

Jacobs Holdings WC LLC, filed the pre-application for WC Mitsubishi, which would be a new and used auto dealership of about 17,600 square feet.

Daniel Jacobs is listed as the prime officer of Jacobs Holdings WC LLC, as well as chief executive officer of Jacobs Automotive Group and owner of Jacobs Auto Enterprise Inc., according to state records.

He is listed on the pre-application as the purchaser. The property is owned by DDG Holdings LLC, according to county records.

Jacobs wasn’t available for comment.

Published August 1, 2018

Pasco school district adopts new mental health plan

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The Pasco County School Board has approved a plan that allocates additional funding provided by the Florida Legislature to address youth mental health needs.

The Legislature’s decision to provide more money to address mental health issues came in response to the Valentine’s Day shooting spree at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland.

Ray Gadd, deputy superintendent of Pasco County Schools

The Pasco school district was allocated slightly more than $1.7 million in mental health funding, according to Melissa Musselwhite, director of student support programs and services for the district.

Ninety percent of the funding must be spent to provide mental health services and 10 percent can be spent on prevention, she said.

So, the district has designated $1.4 million for services for at-risk youths and slightly more than $150,000 for prevention services. It also has allocated $123,000 for public charter schools.

The district’s plan calls for contracting with Central Florida Behavioral Network to help the district manage access to mental health services and help the district with data reporting.

It also will help the district with wraparound services for students.

“Many times we refer kids out and parents don’t go. We need to be sure that we’re diligent about tracking those kids and following up,” Musselwhite told the Pasco County School Board during a workshop on July 24.

The district’s plan, which required school board approval, was due to the state by Aug. 1.

Board members approved the plan at their evening meeting on July 24.

“There hasn’t be a comprehensive approach to referring kids out for services and support, and the follow-up and the wraparound with the family,” Musselwhite said, noting she would spend close to $100,000 in general fund money every year for a limited number of students.

By working with Central Behavioral Florida Network, the district will be expanding its reach to community resources that it didn’t know about before, Musselwhite said.

The mental health plan also includes:

  • Contracting with behavioral analysts to work one-on-one with students most at risk
  • Training in youth mental health first aid
  • Training in trauma-informed care
  • Training in Positive Behavior Intervention
  • Increased funding for alternatives to suspensions program
  • Additional adult assistance to help with students who are severely at risk for various reasons
  • Increased data collection to help the district make more informed decisions
  • Refining threat assessment procedures to be sure the law enforcement and district personnel are speaking the same language
  • Adding a high-performing school nurse, school psychologist and school social worker who will serve in a coaching/mentoring role for district staff

The district also plans to incorporate Social Emotional Learning across the curriculum, to help kids to learn how to effectively deal with anger, disappointment and difficult situations that arise.

Ray Gadd, deputy superintendent, is a proponent of the approach.

Social Emotional Learning helps kids “deal with the emotions of maybe not being the best player on the team, or not being able to play nine innings every game, or maybe having to sit on the bench for the good of the team,” Gadd said.

“Those things are upsetting to some folks, but how do you learn to handle that because those things that happen in life.

“SEL is trying to help teachers understand how to help kids to build foundational skills so they learn to manage those troublesome behaviors,” Gadd said.

Musselwhite said the district is looking for ways to embed SEL across the curriculum, “so that it’s not something stand-alone, and that it can be holistically done throughout the district, not in one subject or during your time with your school counselor.”

Gadd put it like this: “What we need is more SEL and less people with guns. If I had my choice, I would have rather have seen the Legislature fund a lot of SEL programs all around the state to help kids build those foundational skills so they never get to a point where they want to shoot people.”

Also, the district plans to add another Crisis Intervention Team.

It has four teams and will be adding a fifth.

“There was a huge increase, a 46 percent increase, in our crisis callouts for the crisis intervention team over the last year,” Musselwhite said. “It was pretty taxing last year on the four teams that we had.”

The teams are voluntary and are made up of student services team members and school counselors, who receive additional training to respond to crisis situations throughout the district.

Published August 1, 2018

Land O’ Lakes High to get more parking spaces

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Land O’ Lakes High School is undergoing a massive renovation project that is essentially giving the high school a new look and expanding its capacity by more than 400 students.

The Pasco County School Board voted last week to approve $1.2 million in changes to the project.

Providing 60 additional parking spaces was among a list of items that Betsy Kuhn, assistant superintendent for support services, presented to the board for approval.

“Parking has become a serious issue at Land O’ Lakes High School,” Kuhn said, and more parking will be needed as the school expands.

Pasco County School Board member Colleen Beaudoin said the additional parking is needed.

“I get lots of calls about parking at Land O’ Lakes High School,” Beaudoin said.

Other items included in the change order are:

  • Remove and replace existing flammable storage building and resurface an adjacent roadway to improve access for emergency vehicles
  • Update interior finishes such as paint, flooring, lighting, wall base and acoustical panels in the Music and Exceptional Student Education Rooms, to bring those areas in line with the balance of the remodel
  • Remove and replace two air handling units and heaters for the gymnasium, including modification of electrical, as required, and provide new controls connected with the central control system
  • Provide new metal exterior doors, frames and hardware for the gym.

Even though these items were not part of the original scope of the project, they can be completed within the project’s original construction budget, Kuhn said.

Published August 1, 2018

Senator’s charity comes out on top

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The Pasco County Tax Collector’s Office recently featured Lauren’s Kids as its charity of choice, and raised $12,346.48 for the organization.

State Sen. Lauren Book, fifth from left, accepts a hefty check for Lauren’s Kids from monies raised through the Pasco County Tax Collector’s offices. From left: Pasco County Tax Collector Mike Fasano; Becky Bennett, director of development Pasco Kids First; Wendi Wininger and Judy Rosier, Pasco tax collector’s office; State Sen. Lauren Book; Zoraya Melo and Linda McNally (Dade City manager), Pasco tax collector’s office; Michelle Vancuren, director of operations Pasco County Tax Collector; Miranda Hager, trauma counselor Pasco Kids First; and Chris Peynado, Pasco tax collector’s office. (Courtesy of Pasco County Tax Collector)

Lauren’s Kids, created in 2007 by State Sen. Lauren Book, is a statewide organization that works daily to prevent childhood sexual abuse through education and awareness.

Book, herself, is a victim of childhood sexual abuse at the hands of a trusted caregiver. She has taken her own experiences and turned them into an opportunity to help children find hope and healing.

The five branches of the Pasco County Tax Collector’s Office promoted the Lauren’s Kids specialty license plate, and accepted cash donations during the month-long campaign. Customers also could check-off the voluntary charitable donation box through renewals.

The senator said, in a release, “Thanks to the support of the Pasco County Tax Collector’s Office, we are able to prevent abuse, protect childhood, and help survivors heal. Nothing is more important than keeping Florida’s innocent children safe, and we thank our partners in Pasco for helping to shine light in dark places.”

For more information regarding Lauren’s Kids, visit LaurensKids.org.

For details about charitable promotions sponsored by the Pasco tax collector’s office, call Greg Giordano at (727) 847-8179, or visit PascoTaxes.com.

Published August 1, 2018

Work to get started on makeover of Zephyrhills High School

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A major overhaul is planned at Zephyrhills High School, and the Pasco County School Board approved a contract last week to get started on the project.

The board approved a contract not-to-exceed $396,846 with Creative Contractors to complete the early site package for the project.

“We will be bringing a full presentation in the fall on the entire project,” said Betsy Kuhn, assistant superintendent for support services. “This is just what gets us started.”

The construction phase will be split into two contracts: One for the renovation work and one for the addition.

The first phase will involve building a new classroom building, Mike Gude, director of construction services and code compliance, told the The Laker/Lutz News in a previous interview.

When the new building is completed, students can be shifted into that building and another phase of the project can begin, Gude said.

When the project is finished, the high school’s capacity is expected to increase by about 500 students.

Published August 1, 2018

Wilton Simpson reflects on Parkland in Dade City visit

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More than five months removed from being one of the deadliest school shootings in U.S. history, the massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland is still a considerable talking point for legislators statewide.

At least that — and the state’s ensuing school safety actions — was at the forefront of discussion in State Sen. Wilton Simpson’s recent stop in Dade City.

Speaking before a standing-room-only crowd at The Greater Dade City Chamber of Commerce July monthly breakfast meeting, the Florida Senate majority leader talked extensively about the Valentine’s Day shooting, where a lone gunman killed 17 students and staff members, and injured 17 others.

State Sen. Wilton Simpson was the featured guest speaker at a Greater Dade City Chamber of Commerce July 17 breakfast meeting at Florida Hospital Dade City. (Courtesy of Richard K. Riley)

In response to multiple questions from the audience, the state senator outlined several “failures” that may have prompted the school shooting — which have been reviewed and investigated through the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Commission.

Simpson blasted the Broward County school district’s diversion program called PROMISE, which offers alternatives to arrests for some misdemeanors.

That initiative, he said, “did not use law enforcement appropriately to deal with children with bad behavior and bad activities.”

As an example, Simpson noted the accused gunman and former student, Nikolas Cruz, was visited by police “around 30 to 40 times” over the course of several years prior to the Feb. 14 Parkland shooting massacre.

“You had a child who was clearly mentally deranged in a school system that was causing major problems — they didn’t trust him to bring a backpack to that school — and we allowed him, as a society, to stay in that school. We allowed that. We put everybody at risk because of this one person’s rights to be in that school. We gotta rethink that, probably,” said Simpson, who represents Hernando and Citrus counties, and parts of Pasco County.

Simpson bluntly called out Broward school leaders and local law enforcement for not appropriately vetting all tips related to the alleged gunman’s continually disturbing behavior.

“The sheriff should’ve been fired, the superintendent of schools should be fired, (and) those school board members probably will be replaced in this election,” Simpson said.

He added: “When you look at our responsibility as adults in society, we failed, on so many levels, the Parkland kids.”

Simpson also set the blame on a lack of parental responsibility in the case, and other similar instances that have occurred nationwide: “(Many) parents don’t do anything anymore, don’t raise their kids. Kids get home, they get on a video game; they’re on a video game all day — and that’s what’s raising our kids,” he said.

Simpson also discussed the state’s response efforts in the aftermath of the Parkland shooting.

He, along with incoming Senate President Bill Galvano, visited the Parkland school the day after the massacre.

Simpson told the audience: “We saw the destruction — a very tragic incident. We had to work through that issue and make sure that doesn’t happen again, right?”

Out of it came the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Act, which enacts several measures, including requiring all Florida school districts to provide one or more safe-school officers at each school facility beginning in the 2018-2019 school year.

In addition to permitting a school guardian program, the $400 million spending package allocates nearly $100 million apiece for mental health assistance, and improving and hardening the physical security of school buildings.

The legislation also tightened gun laws.

The new minimum age to purchase a firearm is 21, up from 18, with a few exceptions. A three-day waiting period is now required for most gun purchases. And, it’s now illegal to sell or possess “bump stocks,” which allow semiautomatic rifles to fire faster.

Simpson defended the legislation on the whole: “I think what we did was come out with something that I think will be long-lasting. Not perfect, but substantially good public policy to protect our kids and our school system, so we’re very proud of that.

“We were really working 20 hours a day on this stuff. We had folks coming from all over the state — families of the victims, sheriffs all over the state, counselors from all over the state. We were working day and night, putting those together and vetting those things.”

Also in response to the Parkland school massacre, Simpson noted the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) has added a group of staffers whose sole job is to take and investigate complaints about possible suspicious or troubling behavior in schools, via a mobile app unit.

“A student now can go right into the system at FDLE and say, ‘This kid has got serious problems and is threatening gun violence or something in our schools,’” Simpson said.

The state lawmaker also touched on Florida’s economy during his speaking engagement.

He mentioned a handful of funding projects the Florida Legislature has tackled the last several years related to improving public education and transportation infrastructure, and also deepwater seaports and waterways — all of which he believes puts the state in an enviable position, long-term.

“Florida’s trajectory is much better than, I believe, the rest of the country, because of that economic investment that we’re making in our future,” he said.

Simpson also highlighted the state’s AAA bond rating, pointing out the state has paid off about $7 billion in debt over the last six years, while also cutting nearly that same figure in taxes during that period.

Published July 25, 2018

Shoppers can stretch their dollars during sales tax holiday

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Shoppers who want a tax break can take advantage of the 2018 Back-to-School Tax Holiday, which runs Aug. 3 through Aug. 5.

During the tax holiday, no sales tax or local option tax — also known as a discretionary sales surtax — will be collected on:

  • Clothing, footwear and certain accessories selling for $60 or less per item
  • Certain school supplies, selling for $15 or less per item

Nationally, total back-to-school spending, including kindergarten through college, is expected to reach $82.8 billion, slightly less than last year’s $83.6 billion. That’s according to a survey released by the National Retail Federation, and Prosper Insights and Analytics.

The survey shows that those with young people heading to college, as well as college and graduate students themselves, plan to spend $942.17 each, down from last year’s $969.88. The total of $55.3 billion is an all-time high in the history of the survey, up from last year’s record of $54.1 billion.

Families with children in elementary school through high school plan to spend an average of $684.79, compared to last year’s total of $687.22, for a total of $27.5 billion. That’s the third-highest total in the history of the survey, following the peak of $30.3 billion in 2012 and $29.5 billion last year.

The survey also broke down the type of expected expenditures. Back-to-school shoppers expect to spend:

  • $236.90 on clothing
  • $187.10 on electronics, such as computers, calculators or phones
  • $138.66 on shoes
  • $122.13 on supplies such as notebooks, pencils, backpacks and lunchboxes

A news release from the National Retail Federation said the biggest change being seen this year related to expenditures for electronics, which have decreased slightly.

“Items like laptops, tablets and smartphones are now an everyday part of household life and aren’t necessarily a purchase parents save for the start of the school year, resulting in a slight decrease in spending in that category,” Mark Mathews, vice president of research for the National Retail Federation, said in a release.

During Florida’s tax-holiday, it’s important to remember that the exemption is based on the sales price of each item, not the total sale amount. So, it’s possible to buy three $59 dresses at the same time and still get the exemption, because each item meets the requirement of having a selling price of $60 or less.

Another thing that’s good to know is that there is no limit on how many tax-exempt items can be purchased during the sales tax holiday.

Back-to-school supplies and clothing items are tax exempt Aug. 3 through Aug. 5
Clothing is defined as: “any article of wearing apparel, including all footwear (except skis, swim fins, rollerblades and skates) intended to be worn on or about the human body. Clothing does not include watches, watchband, jewelry, umbrellas or handkerchiefs.”

The items must sell for $60 or less to be exempt.

“The exemption does not apply to sales of clothing, wallets or bags in a theme park, entertainment complex, public lodging establishment or airport.”

School supplies are defined as: “pens, pencils, erasers, crayons, notebooks, notebook filler paper, legal pads, binders, lunchboxes, construction paper, markers, folders, poster board, composition books, poster paper, scissors, cellophane tape, glue, paste, rulers, computer disks, protractors, compasses and calculators.”

The school supplies must sell for $15 or less to be exempt.

Published July 25, 2018

Local horsewoman wins with You Bet Your Roses

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Nancy Massey Perkins made a decision on Mother’s Day two years ago that it was time to buy a horse.

“I bought her sight unseen, except for the video I watched on the Internet,” said Perkins, the daughter of two Zephyrhills’ pioneer families. “I thought she was cute and moved really good.”

Her instincts were right about the 2-year-old mare.

You Bet Your Roses, at age 4, is now a two-time reserve world champion after an impressive showing at the 53rd annual Pinto World Championship in Oklahoma, in June.

Nancy Massey Perkins skillfully guided You Bet Your Roses, aka Sierra, through an obstacle course at the Pinto World Championship in Oklahoma. (Courtesy of Nancy Massey Perkins)

The world championship is one of the largest gatherings of Pinto horses, miniatures and ponies. Riders and horses come from around the world, including Sweden and Canada.

Competitive categories include Western, English, driving, pleasure, halter, roping, and special events and trials.

Perkins, at age 66, is one of the oldest amateur competitors in her age 50-and-older class.

However, You Bet Your Roses – also known by the barn name Sierra – is an up-and-coming youngster in the horse world.

With little more than a year of training by Perkins, Sierra showed her mettle in the show ring. She shone in a competition against horses with more experience.

“She competed with world champions and former world champions,” Perkins said.

You Bet Your Roses and Perkins earned a reserve world champion, or runner-up, in the walk/trot trail class, among 26 competitors. They finished just shy of first place.

Perkins and You Bet Your Roses also won a reserve world championship in a halter competition among 3- and 4-year old horses; a third place in English showmanship; and 10th in another halter competition.

Perkins’ favorite is the trail class, where the rider and horse navigate an obstacle course with precision, control and timing.

It is much more involved and complicated than showmanship, said her husband, Donald “Dusty” Perkins.

“She is very capable of coming out with a win,” he said. “Nancy knows how to get them to be sharp. It’s her personality with the horse.”

Perkins said she banked on training and Sierra’s willingness to listen to her.

“It had to be a team approach,” Perkins said. “Sierra trusted me, and that to me was the highlight of my whole trip, really that my horse came through, and she listened.”

From their first meeting, Perkins knew she had a special horse.

Nancy Massey Perkins and You Bet Your Roses won two reserve championships at the Pinto World Championship in Oklahoma. They brought home other awards, too.

“She’s laid back, highly intelligent and really sweet,” she said. “She loves people.”

Her first two years were spent in Oklahoma on the Osage Indian Reservation.

When Sierra arrived, Perkins contacted owners of Red Hawk Ranch in Wimauma to do a Native American blessing.

“I felt the need to do that, since she grew up on an Indian reservation,” Perkins said. “I felt the need to honor the culture.”

Perkins is no novice in the horse arena.

She has a trophy case filled with ribbons, belts and accolades from more than 40 years of international horse shows aboard the quarter horses she has raised and trained.

She was honored as “amateur supreme champion” by the American Quarter Horse Association, with her horse, League Magnum Force. He went by the barn name of Bubba.

You Bet Your Roses, aka Sierra, is registered with the American Paint Horse Association and the American Pinto Horse Association.

She has the color pattern of a tobiano pinto horse, with white across her withers and hip.

Her sire is Gentlemen Send Roses, who is fourth on the American Paint Horse Association’s Performance Sire list for 2017. Her dam is a full-blooded quarter horse.

“She’s the spitting image of her daddy,” said Perkins.

Perkins’ father, Boyd “Bud” Massey, bought Perkins her first horse at age 11.

She knew pretty quickly she wanted to show horses.

So, at age 16, Bud Massey, gave her a choice of a used car or a horse. She took the horse.

But, she didn’t get her first choice of an Appaloosa.

Instead, her father bought a registered quarter horse.

She has been a passionate, and award-winning, horsewoman since.

Perkins traces her roots back to Pasco County’s pioneer days.

Bud Massey cut hair at his Zephyrhills’ barbershop for more than 52 years. It was the longest continuously operated barbershop in Pasco.

Massey Road is named for the family.

Before marrying Perkins’ father, her mother — Hazel Richburg — grew up on Handcart Road in Zephyrhills.

“They were actively involved as my cheering crew all my life,” the horsewoman said.

Perkins worked as a teacher for 35 years in Pasco County schools. She is still a substitute teacher to pay for her “hobby.”

She is unusual in being both an owner and a trainer. Most owners hire trainers, and in some cases, might not see their horse except at horse shows.

Perkins is strictly hands-on.

Horses learn by your body language, she said.

Her years teaching students also taught Perkins something about patience.

“Nothing is learned under harsh treatment,” she said. “You’ve got to adapt to every class. It taught me patience. You can’t push things. You have to wait for (Sierra’s) ‘ah, ha moment.’”

She credits trainers, such as Kim Beilein, with encouraging her, and in advising her about what’s right and wrong with her performances.

“I’ve forged some great relationships with trainers who have really helped me out,” Perkins said.

Published July 25, 2018

Lake Park: It’s a go-to place for fun

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The common lament — ‘there’s nothing to do,’ could not be farther from the truth at Lake Park, a one-stop shop for solitary getaways and fun family activities at 17302 N. Dale Mabry Highway in Lutz.

Fourteen-year-old Dalton Gerbase, No. 9, of Odessa, is leading 14-year-old Evan Hall, No. 111, of Hudson. Trailing in third place is Thomas Flint, age 13, from Palm Harbor, as they race for the finish line at the Tampa BMX Raceway. (Randy Underhill)

For $2 per car, visitors to the 589-acre park will find themselves surrounded by recreational options.

There are pavilions and grills for those wanting to picnic, plus nearby playgrounds for the kids.

There are five lakes, as well as a boat ramp, canoe rentals and kayaking.

There also are places to fish, to watch birds and to go horseback riding.

For people who enjoy fitness activities, there’s a 2-mile path for walkers, joggers, runners and bicyclists.

And, for those who prefer a bit of solitude, there are plenty of spots where you can sit back and relax.

Marsha Johnson, left, and Andrew Johnson, both of Ruskin, fish for brim (bluegill) at one the five lakes at Lake Park. The park also offers a boat and kayak launch, and canoe rentals.

Lake Park also boasts some unique features, too, including the Tampa BMX Raceway, the Gasparilla Bowmen Archery Club and the Hurricane R/C club.

The Tampa BMX Raceway track was established in 1974 and revamped in 1989. It is operated by volunteers and through donations. Competitive racing starts on Fridays at 8 p.m., and on Sundays at 4 p.m.

The track hosts local competitions and larger BMX-sanctioned events. BMX Raceway is open to the public, except when there is an event.

The Hurricane R/C club track, not far from the BMX Raceway, is a dirt track laid out with jumps and tight curves. The challenging terrain requires the radio-control operators to stay focused in order to keep the cars upright and moving. This track also is open to the public, except during events.

David Humphrey gives his 11-year-old son, Meric, some instructions on arrow placement, as Meric prepares for target practice on a Sunday morning at the Lake Park archery range. The father-son duo is from Land O’ Lakes.

The Gasparilla Bowmen Archery Club operates on a range that is tucked away in the woods for safety reasons. Those using the range must follow a trail to the secluded area, where they will find an array of paper targets attached to bales of hay. The targets are stationed at varying distances.

The club holds competitive shooting, along with raffles, and different archery-related events. Gasparilla Bowmen Archery Club, a well-established organization, is widely known throughout Tampa Bay.

So, whether you’re looking for a place to have fun with your family or friends, or merely wanting to enjoy some solitary time, chances are you’ll find what you need at Lake Park.

The park is open during the spring and summer from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., and during the fall and winter from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

By Randy Underhill

Published July 25, 2018