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Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

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Seeking a sensory room to serve students with autism

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Dan Reyes has often witnessed the benefits of a sensory environment for his 13-year-old son, Jacob, who has autism.

Each Sunday, his family attends LifePoint Church in New Tampa, which has a sensory room devoted to children with special needs.

“He absolutely loves going into that room,” Reyes said. “He’s happy in there. He’s active, and it’s a very engaging room when sometimes other environments are not.”

Weightman Middle School seventh-grader Jacob Reyes is one of many students with autism who could benefit from a sensory room. (Courtesy of Dan Reyes)

The caring parent also wants a similar setting made available for Jacob and his fellow classmates at Weightman Middle School, in Wesley Chapel.

So, earlier this month, Reyes launched a GoFundMe page to build a sensory room at the school, where his son is a seventh-grader.

Throughout the school year, Reyes worked closely with school administration and teachers to develop a budget plan for a fully equipped sensory room — something he hopes “will have a lasting impact for years to come.”

A sensory room is a specially designed room that combines a range of stimuli to help individuals develop and engage their senses. These can include lights, colors, sounds, sensory soft play objects, and aromas within a safe environment that allows the person using it to explore and interact without risk.

These rooms are credited with helping those who have learning difficulties, such as   developmental disabilities or sensory impairments, to learn to interact with the world around them, and build up their confidence.

Such rooms often include a variety of items with vestibular input (items that allow users to spin, swing or hang), visual input and lighting, olfactory (smell), proprioception (items that allow the user to be squished or hugged), tactile, touch, feel, and auditory output.

Some examples include swings, bouncing chairs, lava lamps, fluorescent light filters, scented oils, scented playdoh, therapy balls, mini trampolines, textured puzzles, vibrating kids toys, sound pillows, and indoor wind chimes.

Several of those items will be purchased to meet the needs of current, as well as incoming, students.

As of April 16, nearly $4,000 of the $35,000 goal has been raised on the GoFundMe page.

Additionally, the school has held a beanie baby sale, sponsored dinners and set up other fundraisers at local restaurants to make the sensory room project a reality.

Weightman Middle has about 30 students in its Access Points Social Behavior Communication Program, geared toward students with severe and continuous behavioral needs, communication and sensory needs associated with autism spectrum disorder.

For the time being, the school is utilizing a makeshift sensory space that accommodates just one student at a time. It includes a handful of donated and purchased sensory items like a piano mat, drumsticks and tumble balls, along with some other handmade playthings.

But, Weightman staff hopes to have a full-size sensory room ready by the start of the 2018-2019 school year.

This is an image of a sensory room, which is specially designed to combine a range of stimuli to help individuals develop and engage their senses. The rooms are credited with helping those who have learning difficulties, such as developmental disabilities or sensory impairments, to learn how to interact with the world around them, and build up their confidence. (Courtesy of Edutopia)

The designated room would take the place of a regular-size classroom situated in the school’s Exceptional Student Education (ESE) unit, where it’s expected to exhibit a “nature theme” on walls and carpeting.

Teachers would have the possibility of scheduling classes in the sensory room, or could take students there, as needed. The room could also be utilized at the beginning of the school day or in 30-minute break periods.

Assistant Principal Laurie Johnson, who supervises the school’s ESE department, said such a space would allow special-needs students to self-explore and find items that best meet their sensory needs to calm their behaviors.

For instance, one student may relax by spinning. Another may enjoy a swinging motion. Others, moreover, may utilize a punching bag to release frustration.

“If their sensory needs are not met, then often they can start to experience behavioral problems,” Johnson said.

Without that sensory input and output, students with autism may exhibit aggressive behaviors, such as biting and self-harm, educators explained. Others may resort to crying or the inability to stop moving.

“It’s not that they’re acting out ‘just because.’ They are acting out because they have a need and it’s not being met,” said varying exceptionalities teacher Loretta Seekins.

Having those sensory needs met helps those students become more attentive during lessons, Seekins said.

“You’re not going to get any educational benefit by a student that can’t focus,” she said.

The teacher added a sensory room would also reinforce and enhance communication and socialization skills among the school’s autistic population.

Seekins said the idea is to help students become more acclimated to being in environments where others are doing things, talking and socializing.

“It’s not something that will happen overnight, but you’re building toward that,” she said.

School behavioral specialist Leslie Monticco agrees such a room is imperative for nonverbal students to better express themselves and self-regulate. “To have somewhere to go as an escape is huge,” she said. “It is a need.”

Weightman Middle Principal Rachel Fowler has fully endorsed the sensory room.

She stressed the importance for students to receive support for all their needs, not just academically.

“We do a lot for social interaction and having that space outside of a regular classroom is essential, so they can remove themselves and truly use those other senses to help their brain,” Fowler said.

To donate to the sensory room project, visit GoFundMe.com/sensory-room-for-children-wautism.

Published April 18, 2018

Approval recommended for TECO solar farm

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Opponents are disappointed

A proposed solar farm in northeast Pasco County cleared the first hurdle needed for approval — despite impassioned pleas and even tears from area residents who oppose it.

The Pasco County Planning Commission recently voted 6-3 to recommend approval of the project to the Pasco County Commission, which has the final say.

Tampa Electric Company, or TECO, needs a special exception permit to build the solar farm on about 350 acres on two sides of Blanton Road. Portions of the site are bordered by Frazee Hill and Platt roads. The site is north and west of Pasco-Hernando State College’s East Campus.

It’s not clear when the county commissioners will take up the issue.

There is a 30-day appeal period for challenges to be filed against the planning commission’s decision.

Additional delays would come if an appeal is filed.

Nearly 240 people crowded into West Pasco Government Center in New Port Richey on April 9 for a five-hour public hearing on the proposed project.

Tampa Electric Company operates a solar farm in Big Bend. (File)

Opponents objected to the loss of unique scenic views in a gateway area into Dade City, which is known for its rolling hills.

“This is by no means something that fits in this area,” said Gregory Ostovich, who lives near the proposed site.

“This is clean energy,” he said. “However, there is a term called visual pollution. This is spewing huge amounts of visual pollution in our area that trees will not hide, shrubs will not hide.”

About 250 acres of the proposed solar farm site are owned by State Sen. Wilton Simpson and his wife, Kathryn Simpson. Additional acreage is owned by James Gross & Ranch Inc., according to county records.

If built, TECO officials propose investing about $75 million and anticipate production of about 53 megawatts of power. About 464,000 photovoltaic panels would be installed that would track the sun daily from east to west, and feed power to TECO’s electric grid.

Over the next decade, TECO plans to invest $850 million in 10 solar projects that would provide energy to about 100,000 homes in Florida.

The electric company has about 20,000 customers in Pasco County, but company officials said the solar farm’s energy production would be shared by all of TECO’s service-area customers.

Consultants and TECO officials laid out a site plan that they said would produce clean energy and protect wildlife.

They provided renderings of a buffer of trees and shrubs along the roadway that would largely block views of the panels, and maintain Dade City’s rural character. They also emphasized cost efficiencies of solar compared to other fuels.

“Photovoltaic is going to be a good neighbor,” said Mark Ward, TECO’s director of renewables.

The project had some supporters at the hearing, including Charles Lee, director of advocacy for Audubon Florida.

Lee said TECO has been generous in protecting wetlands and creating a 660-foot buffer zone for an eagle’s nest in the southeast corner of the site.

In testimony during the hearing, a TECO representative committed to keeping that corner undeveloped “in perpetuity.”

“I understand that neighbors would like things to remain the same,” Audubon’s Lee said. “Renewable energy is important. We believe it is a good site. We believe the impacts have been well taken care of. We think the applicants have done an exemplary job of setting aside an area (for an eagle’s nest). This is not normally what we see.”

Landowners who would sell to TECO, if the project is approved, also supported it.

Members of the Jordan family, which harvested citrus groves for decades, described years of struggle to hold onto their way of life. But, the citrus greening disease has devastated Florida’s citrus industry, they said.

“It is not viable,” said Alice Jordan. “We can’t do it anymore, folks.”

But, opponents kept coming back to what they and Dade City would lose.

Laura Myers described the beautiful views she and her family had in a new home they bought on top of the hill overlooking the solar farm site.

“That’s not going to be covered by their buffering,” she said. “Instead of God’s sunrise, we are going to be looking at solar panels.”

Property owner Gordon Comer and his attorney, Gordon Schiff, contend the project doesn’t meet the county’s land use regulations including a northeast rural protection plan.

Comer said he was a real estate developer with 20 years of experience in Hillsborough, Pinellas and Polk counties.

“I am not opposed to appropriate development moving in,” he said. But, the solar project, he added, would substantially diminish the quality of life and property values.

Schiff declined to comment if an appeal would be filed.

The matter produced sharp differences among the planning commissioners as well.

“This is just the wrong place,” said Art Woodworth Jr. “There are plenty of other places TECO can site solar. I can’t understand why TECO is so intent on jamming this down the throats of northeast Pasco (residents).”

Planning Commission Charles Grey, who supported the solar farm proposal, acknowledged that perhaps a better location could be found.

But, Grey said: “Every time you find a location, someone will say ‘that is not a great spot. You need to put it over there.’

“It’s a beautiful area,” Grey said. “I want to see it preserved.”

But, Grey continued: “Everyone has rights. Not just you. Property owners have rights too.”

Published April 28, 2018

Selena Schulz is Everyday Hero protecting Pasco animals

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Selena Schulz is growing up in a family that includes two dogs, and a guinea pig named Desmond.

Once in a while, there also are the stray dogs, cats and unexpected critters that her father brings home.

Selena Schulz, center, received the Everyday Hero Award from the Rotary Club of Wesley Chapel Noon for her volunteer service for animal welfare. Rotary club president Kent Ross and club member Shari Mokhtari presented the award.
(Courtesy of Wesley Chapel Noon Rotary)

One time it was a chicken. But, more likely, it’s a friendless dog or cat that Kurt Schulz found on the side of the road. They are all in need of tender loving care.

“He’s a plumber, so he’s out and about,” said Selena’s mother, Jomary Schulz. “He brings them home and rehabilitates them. He and Selena give them baths. We call whatever rescue groups that can help.”

Loving animals is an embedded value for this Hudson family.

Selena, age 12, takes that to heart. She devotes hours of volunteer service to collect donations of supplies and money for animal shelters and animal welfare groups. She is also the author of three books. Donations for the books are split between various animal charities and the costs of printing more books to get more donations.

She will be at the Fourth Annual Oxford Exchange Book Fair in Tampa on April 29, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The Rotary Club of Wesley Chapel Noon recognized Selena in March as an “Everyday Hero” for her efforts on behalf of animal welfare.

“I’ve always been around animals,” Selena said. “There was never a time I didn’t have a dog. I’ve bonded with them. They’re my friends.”

There is Snowy, a Labrador/German shepherd; Cici, a Shar-Pei/boxer; and Desmond.

The sixth grader is a student at Countryside Montessori Charter School in Land O’ Lakes.

“My future goal is to be a CEO (chief executive officer),” said Selena.

And, to continue helping animals who need a friend and a home, she said.

It was on her eighth birthday that Selena found a way to combine her passion with volunteer service.

She celebrated with a party at Pasco County Animal Services. Instead of gifts, she asked for donations for the animal shelter.

People delivered.

Selena Schulz is the author of three books, including ‘A Bed A Buck A Buddy: Cici’s Amazing Adventure.’ She donates sales of her books to animal welfare organizations. (Courtesy of Selene Schulz)

The shelter received more than 120 pounds of dry dog food, 62 pounds of dry cat food, lots of toys and treats, towels, bedding, blankets and one leash.

Selena got the idea during a shelter visit.

“I saw that they weren’t having beds to sleep in,” she said. “They had newspaper piles.”

Birthday presents can be nice, but helping a dog or cat in need seemed more important, Selena said.

Selena has kept up with her volunteer efforts and found new ways to help out.

She has a website, Abedabuckabuddy.com, with links to the nonprofits that receive donations. She has written three books including “Cici’s Amazing Birthday.” Cats got equal time in her next book, “Purr-fect Friends Forever.”

Selena also wrote a song and created a music video.

For her 10th birthday, Selena hosted a community pet adoption event, again at Pasco County Animal Services.

Local businesses donated balloons and refreshments, including cupcakes. Her goal was for 20 dogs and cats (10 of each) to be adopted that day. She got her wish.

At the book fair, Selena will have her newest book, “The Squeaky Surprise,” on display. Desmond gets credit for this one.

She wanted to increase awareness that cats and dogs aren’t the only ones needing adoption from shelters.

One of her favorite charities is Cindy’s Pets. The nonprofit provides pet food to seniors who get meals delivered through Meals on Wheels.

Selena gives donations to the charity. She also helps package and deliver food for the seniors, and their pets.

Some seniors don’t have the means to buy or travel to get pet supplies, so Selena said, “some of the food for the seniors went to their animals.”

Since her eighth birthday, Selena has visited animal shelters across the country and in Canada. She also has been guest speaker at several schools.

“We’ve gone from looking for events to people asking her to be part of their events,” said Jomary Schulz.

What: Fourth Annual Oxford Exchange Book Fair
When: April 29, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Where: 420 W. Kennedy Blvd., Tampa
Cost: Free
Details: More than 40 local authors will participate
Info: (813) 253-0222; ; or OxfordExchange.com

Published April 18, 2018

Rays 2020 pitches a new ballpark for Ybor

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Though recent on-field performances may suggest otherwise, the Tampa Bay Rays’ long-term future in the region should generate excitement to the community and fans alike.

At least that was the pitch from Jason Woody to a room filled with business leaders and elected officials at the North Tampa Bay Chamber’s breakfast meeting earlier this month, at Pasco-Hernando State College’s Porter Campus in Wesley Chapel.

Woody, president and CEO of Lions Eye Institute for Transplant & Research, spoke on behalf of Tampa Bay Rays 2020. He’s on the advisory board for the privately funded nonprofit organization dedicated to bringing a new Rays ballpark to Tampa.

Jason Woody, president and CEO of Lions Eye Institute for Transplant & Research, serves on the Rays 2020 advisory board. He was the featured speaker at the North Tampa Chamber’s April 3 breakfast meeting at Pasco-Hernando State College’s Porter Campus in Wesley Chapel. (Courtesy of North Tampa Bay Chamber)

Woody is making the rounds discussing the group’s initiatives and the progress made since the Rays officially announced a new stadium site in Ybor City, in February.

While the total costs and funding sources have not been identified, the initiative calls for relocating the Rays from Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg to a 14-acre parcel along Adamo Drive, between Channelside Drive and 15th Street, and adjacent to the Lee Roy Selmon Crosstown Expressway. An additional option to acquire 27 acres is also available, if expansion is needed for parking and so on.

Woody branded the Ybor stadium site as “a perfect anchor, a perfect bookend” to the $3 billion Water Street development in downtown Tampa orchestrated by Tampa Bay Lightning owner Jeff Vinik.

Rays 2020 was co-founded by Sykes Enterprises CEO Chuck Sykes and Ron Christaldi, partner at Shumaker, Loop and Kendrick. It now features several Tampa business leaders and volunteers ensuring the baseball franchise remains in Tampa Bay.

The leadership team helped secure the land from Darryl Shaw, the CEO of BluePearl Veterinary Partners and a major developer in Ybor City.

Said Woody, “Most of the…problems coming up with the ability to build a new ballpark is the location and the land. They got the landowners together to say, ‘Hey, if it was to come here…would you be on board?’ and that’s what they did.”

He jokingly added, “The last thing you want is find out you’re going to build a great ballpark and somebody’s home is where the pitcher’s mound is.”

Conversations of a new Rays ballpark have been ongoing for over a decade, since Stuart Sternberg took controlling ownership of the team.

Those talks were heightened from perennially poor attendance and low revenues —

even in times of winning seasons and playoff berths.

Ample blame has been placed at the current stadium location, frequently an inconvenience for Tampa residents forced to fight rush-hour traffic and cross the congested Howard Franklin Bridge.

The more centralized Ybor City site, however, promises to deliver convenient access for a much higher yield of people living and working nearby. About 300,000 people live or work within 5 miles of the proposed stadium site. Moreover, about 1.6 million people live or work within 35 miles of the location.

Woody said those numbers “are almost triple” in comparison to Tropicana Field, while noting about 50 percent to 70 percent of the Rays current attendance is from people living in Hillsborough County.

“Every county in proximity had more attendees show up to a game than in (St Petersburg’s) backyard,” he said.

“People don’t realize this, but I’m not sure that even if we wanted to keep the Rays in St. Pete that Major League Baseball would allow it to happen. We don’t have the attendance. We don’t have the numbers,” he added.

The Rays contract with St. Pete runs through 2027, but the city has agreed to let the team pay to leave early. Some leaders, including Hillsborough County Commissioner Ken Hagan, say the first Rays game in Ybor City could happen by 2022.

Woody also shared some details about what the new ballpark may look like, and what it may cost.

Tampa Bay Rays 2020 is a privately funded nonprofit organization dedicated to bringing a new Rays ballpark to Tampa. (Courtesy of Tampa Bay Rays 2020)

Early sketches show an indoor ballpark without an upper deck, seating about 30,000 — considerably smaller than the Tropicana Field’s capacity of 47,000.

Woody portrayed it as “a unique ballpark” that delivers the intimacy of a spring training game, close enough “to hear the crack of the bat.”

While renderings show an option for a retractable roof, Woody pointed out the added maintenance and expense costs — upward of $100 million. He also cited the unreliability of retractable roofs, based on experiences of other MLB clubs.

“If you have looked, they have not been that successful. Some stadiums have had to manually close the roofs, which takes almost two days to manually retract it,” Woody explained.

The ballpark is still in design, so an exact figure hasn’t been determined, but Woody said its construction cost is “probably in the neighborhood” of $600 million to $800 million.

As for financing the stadium project, Woody suggested tourist development taxes could be utilized, along with contributions from Rays ownership, private funding and stadium naming rights.

“The very first thing is, we have to figure what this is going to cost and how much (the Rays) are going to come in, and then we’ll work from there,” he said.

Woody mentioned each of the Rays’ corporate sponsors have agreed to support the team’s move to Ybor City. There’s also the ‘Rays 100,’ a collection of 100 executives and civic leaders willing to serve as ambassadors for the effort to move the Rays across Tampa Bay.

The Rays 100 group, unveiled earlier this month, is expected to enlist local businesses and corporations to pledge financial support for a new stadium, through corporate boxes and season tickets.

Said Woody, “Two things make a baseball team successful — corporate sponsorships and butts in the seats. That’s the cheat code. Revenue goes up, you have a budget, and you can get better players on the field.”

Toward the the end of the meeting, a Rays 2020 representative extended an invitation to the North Tampa Bay Chamber to sign a letter of support for a new stadium.

In response, chamber members belted out a resounding “Yes!” — accompanied by a loud burst of applause.

For more information on Rays 2020, visit TampaBayRays2020.com.

Published April 18, 2018

The ultimate path of I-75 shaped Pasco County’s future

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Robert Frost has a famous poem that talks about two roads diverging in the woods, and how taking the one less traveled by made all of the difference.

In Pasco County’s case, the final alignment of Interstate 75 had similar, far-reaching implications.

Back in the 1960s, before I-75 began construction, locals debated with state officials about where the interstate highway should go.

This 1956 photograph shows a dirt road, which would later be paved to become State Road 54 in Wesley Chapel. (Courtesy of the Department of Transportation, State Archives of Florida)

The county’s power base in Dade City argued for a path closer to that settlement, which at the time had a population of about 4,700.

After all, it was the largest town between Ocala and Tampa during the 1960s.

Several interstate routes already had been moved — in response to public outcry around the state — including in Ocala, Tampa and Wildwood.

Dade City leaders decided to push for an alignment closer to their community, which they believed would be an economic boost.

In 1961, the Dade City Chamber championed moving I-75’s path closer to the city.

The Pasco County Commission passed a resolution favoring the shift.

Commissioners proposed that the route would leave Hernando County and continue south, passing west of Trilby, and continuing to a point about 1 ½ miles northwest of Dade City, then turning southwest to pass 2 miles west of Dade City, and 1 mile east of St. Leo.

Sydney Houston, of the Dade City Chamber, led a public relations campaign that encouraged telegrams and letter-writing.

Those pushing for I-75 to be closer to Dade City lamented the damage that had been done to the city’s economic prowess from the closing of Cummer & Sons Cypress in Lacoochee and from the discontinuation of single-strength canning at Pasco Packing.

They predicted that I-75 circumventing the town would trigger additional economic stress.

They claimed the official plan to enter the state at the Georgia line and then move due south to the Sumter-Hernando County line, where it veered to the southwest toward Tampa, would hurt Pasco County whose population and power base was in the eastern portion of the county.

Popular sentiments claimed Pasco would benefit more, if the interstate sliced through an area closer to Dade City.

This 1956 photograph shows a well-paved Highway 52 near Dade City, as compared to the dirt road near Wesley Chapel.

Initially, their efforts made little headway.

Gov. Farris Bryant retorted that the present alignment of I-75 was justified, via John R. Phillips, chairman of the State Road Board.

However, in response to community outcry, a public hearing was set at the county courthouse on Aug. 8, 1961.

More than 200 people crowded into the circuit courtroom.

O. Perry, state road department engineer, listened intently.

Pasco Commissioner Robert K. Butler pleaded for the I-75 shift.

County Clerk of the Circuit Court Stanley Burnside contended that I-75’s bypassing Dade City would ignore an essential resource — the National Guard unit of the 51st Infantry stationed in Dade City. That unit would be deployed to metropolitan centers in need, and moving I-75 would delay its response times, he said.

Dade City Chamber Director Ed Carren proclaimed by realigning the route the greatest number of people would be served — including Pasco’s largest population living in Dade City, San Antonio, Lacoochee and Zephyrhills, and residents in neighboring Lakeland, Plant City and other communities, in Polk and Hillsborough counties.

George Sanford, a city planner from Lakeland, and representatives of the Lakeland Chamber of Commerce endorsed the plan. They believed the thoroughfare would provide direct access to U.S. 98.

Attorney Bill Larkin, who had been instrumental in getting U.S. 301 positioned through Dade City, pointed to the scenic beauty that the altered route would allow motorists to view – the hills, groves and land of the area.

This 1966 photo shows the completed Interstate 75, near the closest access to Dade City. Resident Jeanette Reilly, a retired educator and a member of the Pasco County History Society, recalled that soon after completion of I-75, one could travel for several miles without seeing another driver. Note in this photograph, there are just four cars.

Undoubtedly, the Dade City contingent did not anticipate the opposition that would be wielded by the towns of San Antonio and Brooksville.

San Antonio Mayor Joe Herrmann was worried that the new route would cut through the middle of several small citrus groves, whereas the current route passed through large acreages allowing resulting damages to be more easily absorbed.

Representatives from Brooksville, the county seat of neighboring Hernando County, had grown accustomed to the existing plan and stood firm in their defense of the governor’s map.

Dade City’s champions failed in their efforts to shift I-75’s path.

If they had prevailed, Burnside, now 97, is confident the altered path would have made a real difference in Dade City’s economic development.

Instead, it was Wesley Chapel’s growth that was fueled by I-75’s path.

What a difference an interstate makes
Growth in the aftermath of I-75 literally put Wesley Chapel on the map.

The community had fewer than 100 residents before I-75 was built — about 2 ½ times smaller than the population needed, to be recognized by a circle on the map by the U.S. Census Bureau.

Throughout most of its history, Wesley Chapel had been known for its open ranges, lumber and turpentine-making operations, and sparse population.

Highway 54 was a dirt path used by carts to haul resin to the turpentine stills and for wagons to carry lumber from sawmills to the railroad line.

But since I-75 sliced through, the landscape in Wesley Chapel has changed from a place dominated by orange groves and cattle ranches to one which features scores of housing subdivisions, a hospital, a state college, numerous schools, two regional shopping malls, several churches and all sorts of businesses.

Wesley Chapel’s population has grown. U.S. Census figures put the community’s population at more than 44,000 in 2016. That compares to Dade City’s population of 7,099, at the same time.

Still, both communities have their strengths.

Wesley Chapel residents have more choices, now.

Dade City residents, though, can enjoy the quiet streets, historic buildings and ambience that combine to give the community its widely recognized Old Florida charm.

By Madonna Jervis Wise

Madonna Jervis Wise is a local historian who has written local history books about Dade City, Zephyrhills and Wesley Chapel.

Published April 18, 2018

New retirement community arriving soon in Land O’ Lakes

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A new retirement community is coming to Land O’ Lakes, which will offer independent living, assistant living and memory care housing options.

Keystone Place at Terra Bella will be opening soon in Land O’ Lakes. The development will feature independent, assistant living and memory care apartments. It also will boast an array of amenities including a pub, a theater, a heated swimming pool, a beauty salon, a library and restaurant-style dining. (Courtesy of The Roche Associates)

Keystone Place at Terra Bella is expected to open within months at 2200 Livingston Road in Land O’ Lakes.

The development will have 140 total apartments, with 62 dedicated to independent living, 56 to assisted living and 22 to memory care, said Beth Barber, the development’s executive director.

The idea is to provide a continuum of care on one campus, so residents won’t have to move away when they need a greater degree of care, she said. Current residents will have priority for access to the assisted living and memory care accommodations.

Those moving in won’t need to pay a large entrance fee or buy-in cost, Barber added.

The development will have:

  • One-bedroom and two-bedroom apartments in independent living
  • Studio, one-bedroom and two-bedroom in assisted living
  • Studio and one-bedroom in memory care

Square footages vary, based on floor plans.

The retirement community also will provide an array of services with an increased level of assistance for residents in the assisted living and memory care apartments.

Residents also will be able to enjoy a host of amenities, including a pub, a theater, a heated swimming pool, a beauty salon and a library, Barber said. It also has a chapel.

A wide assortment of activities also will be offered — to provide opportunities for learning, socializing and having fun, she added.

Costs vary based on the type of apartment and the level of services provided.

The apartment designs are different, too.

Keystone Place at Terra Bella is coming to the area because “definitely there was a need for senior housing in Land O’ Lakes,” Barber said. “It is such a growing area.”

Barber noted that people she has chatted with have confirmed the need for senior housing in the area, and they want a place that will allow them to continue to live in Land O’ Lakes.

Keystone Place at Terra Bella is now taking reservations.

For more information, call (813) 388-2121, or visit KeystonePlaceAtTerraBella.com.

Published April 18, 2018

Political Agenda 4/18/2018

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Zephyrhills City Council election results
The results are in from the April 10 election for seats on the Zephyrhills City Council.

Jodi Wilkeson has been elected to the District 3 seat, and Charles E. Proctor has been re-elected to the District 5 seat.

Wilson received 553 votes, which represented 45.89 percent of the vote in the District 3 election. Cory Paul Sommers came in second, with 376 votes or 31.20 percent of the vote, and Devin J. Alexander placed third, with 276 votes, representing 22.90 percent of the vote.

Proctor was re-elected with 751 votes, representing 63.54 percent of the vote. His opponent, William David Seville received 431 votes, representing 36.46 percent of the vote.

Meetings

  • The Democratic Hispanic Caucus of Pasco County will meet on April 24 from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., at the Brick City Eatery, 16540 Pointe Village Drive in Lutz.
  • The Republican Club of Central Pasco will meet April 23 at the Copperstone Executive Suites, 3632 Land O’ Lakes Blvd., Land O’ Lakes. Pasco County Supervisor of Elections Brian Corley will be the speaker. The social starts at 6:30 p.m., followed by the meeting at 7 p.m.

Endorsements

  • Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco has endorsed Mike Moore for re-election to the District 2 seat of the Pasco County Commission, according to Moore’s campaign.

Political Agenda is a column that runs only during election years.

It gives candidates a place to announce they are seeking political office. It lets voters know of upcoming Meet the Candidate nights or political forums.

It is a place where political clubs can announce upcoming meetings, and it will include news that is pertinent to voters for upcoming elections. It will not include political fundraising events.

There is never a guarantee of publication, but we do consider each item we receive. Please submit items for consideration at least two weeks prior to the desired publication date. Send submissions to .

Celebrating the value of good deeds

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The threat of rain and severe weather cut short the festivities for the first annual Appreciate Pasco Festival at Land O’ Lakes Heritage Park, but that didn’t detract from the purpose of the event — which was to call attention to the good people do.

Jim Mason, a singer and songwriter from Spring Hill, performs on the Heritage Park stage. He’s been a musician for more than 40 years. (Randy Underhill)

The event was organized as a way to celebrate local Pasco County volunteers, as well as recognize International Good Deeds Day.

Good Deeds Day was established in 2007, and during the past decade it has swept across the globe, including people of all cultures and backgrounds. Last year, the international day was celebrated in 100 countries, making it the largest and most far-reaching global day of good.

The Pasco County event, held April 15, was the first of its kind in Tampa Bay and was planned by a group of Pasco County volunteer activists.

Despite the uncooperative weather, those attending were enthusiastic, and in a generally good mood.

There was plenty of music, provided by Florida Folk Show, WMNF radio station, food by Whaley’s BBQ and Sno Shack, and local volunteer venders.

Next year, Good Deeds Day will be held around the world on April 9, and that will also mark Pasco County’s second annual Appreciate Pasco.

By Randy Underhill

Published April 18, 2018

Lis Saltigerald, left, and Denise Johnson with Pasco Pride, represented one of several organizations at the festival.
Jason Bean and his dog, Busterbrown, relax and enjoy music performed by Florida Folk Show singers and songwriters at the first Appreciate Pasco: A Community Volunteer Appreciation Festival.
Isabella Churilla, seated, of New Tampa, applies paint to her rock at the CPRock tent, as Tracy Teza-Kersey, middle, and owner Alison Foster observe at a festival aimed to express appreciation on April 15 at Land O’ Lakes Heritage Park.
Big Jim Allen, a singer and songwriter from the Florida Folk Show, entertains the crowd during the Appreciate Pasco: A Community Volunteer Appreciation Festival.
Phlebotomist Dolly Torris, of Tampa, takes blood from donor Zakir Shareef, 25, from New Port Richey, in the Big Red Bus parked in the field of Land O’ Lakes Heritage Park during the festival.
Tom Soudiero, a singer and songwriter from Dade City, was the first performer of the day. Here, he’s singing one of his original songs.

Citizens can help shape Pasco’s future

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The Pasco County Commission’s decisions are partly guided by resident responses to the annual Pasco County Citizen Survey, which officially opened April 2.

The Citizen Survey, which was first launched in 2009, is conducted every year to collect feedback on numerous topics related to Pasco County’s future. These topics include transportation, parks and libraries, emergency services, safety, growth, and the importance and quality of services.

Thousands respond to the online survey each year, which is intended to help commissioners with planning discussions and decision-making.

“We invite everyone in Pasco to participate in the Online Citizen Survey,” said Marc Bellas, organizational performance management director.

“The survey allows you to be part of the decision-making process and helps the board understand what issues are important to our citizens,” he said.

The survey will be available until May 18, and can be accessed a few ways:

  • Go to Pasco County’s homepage at PascoCountyFl.net, and click on the survey link.
  • Use the MyPasco app, by clicking on the 2018 Citizen Survey button.
  • Use the Pasco County Facebook or Twitter pages.
  • Click directly on the survey link at bit.ly/2pGs3Z6.

Results from previous Citizen Surveys are available at bit.ly/2G1DReq.

Published April 18, 2018

Showing some appreciation for those who do good

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This is a festival that takes time out to celebrate the good that people do in their communities.

The name of the event is Appreciate Pasco: A Community Volunteer Appreciation Festival, and it will feature entertainment, food, prizes, awards and recognitions.

It also will highlight Good Deeds Day, an international event held in 93 countries, to recognize good works that often go unnoticed, but that help make the world a better place.

The appreciation festival will be held on April 15 from noon to 6 p.m., at the Land O’ Lakes Heritage Park, 5401 Land O’ Lakes Blvd., in Land O’ Lakes.

“We anticipate it will kick off in flying colors and it will be an annual event,” said Appreciate Pasco organizer Elise Mysels.

Appreciate Pasco kicks off several other annual celebrations, including annual National Volunteer Week, Health Care Volunteer Week, National Park Service Volunteer Week, and Worldwide Volunteer Recognition Day on April 20. It also coincides with National Representation Day, which focuses on ending corruption in government.

Over the past three months, Mysels and a core group of about five volunteers, known as the Pasco County Volunteer Activists, have worked to pull Appreciate Pasco together.

It’s the first festival of its kind in the Tampa Bay area for Good Deeds Day and Representation Day, said Mysels.

“There are a lot of people in our community that do stuff behind the scenes that nobody knows about,” said Mysels. “They deserve to be recognized. We’re trying to make this an initiative that supports smaller types of groups and organizations, and bring to the forefront their needs and causes.”

Entertainment kicks off at noon at the park’s new bandstand, with WMNF radio station’s Florida Folk Show. WMNF is a co-sponsor of the festival through Represent.us.

Performers will be Ronny Elliott, a singer/songwriter and WMNF co-host; The Florida Boys, a Pinellas County-based trio; Tom Scudiero, a Dade City singer/songwriter; Treble Hook, whose real name is Scotty Lee Rexroat, a Dunedin-based singer/songwriter; Jim Mason, a Spring Hill native, with more than 40 years in the recording industry with performers, such as, Peter, Paul and Mary, John Lennon and Buffalo Springfield; and, Dottie South.

More than 70 businesses, vendors, civic organizations, and nonprofits from Tampa Bay are expected to participate. They include Courteous Canine; Arts in Motion Pasco; Davis Family Hearing; Harley-Davidson of Tampa; Ferman Buick-GMC; Moore-Mickens Education Center; Gulfside Hospice; Sierra Club; Represent.us Pasco County; Catholic Charities; Oasis Pregnancy Centers; Sunrise Pasco; Women’s March; and Organize Florida.

The nonprofit, OneBlood, will drive up its Big Red Bus for blood donations, and free wellness checkups.

Attendees can vote for their favorite nonprofit, with monetary awards going to the top three vote-getters.

Food vendors are Whaley’s BBQ, Vallarta’s Mexican Restaurant and the Sno Shack.

International Good Deeds Day began in 2007 as an initiative organized by Ruach Tova of the Ted Arison Family Foundation. The event’s partner is the nonprofit Points of Light, which was founded by President George H.W. Bush.

Good Deeds Day and Points of Light promote innovative programs that engage volunteers in providing public service. The event day focuses on 17 sustainable development goals adopted by the United Nations, including eliminating poverty; gender equality; affordable, clean energy; decent work and economic growth; good health; and climate action.

Good deeds, large and small, can change the world, Mysels said.

“Good deeds can be something as small as a smile or holding a door open for someone,” she said.

What: Appreciate Pasco: A Community Volunteer Appreciation Festival
When: April 15, noon to 6 p.m.
Where: Land O’ Lakes Heritage Park, 5401 Land O’ Lakes Blvd., Land O’ Lakes
Cost: Free
Details: The festival celebrates volunteers in Tampa Bay, with arts and crafts, entertainment, food, prizes, and volunteer awards and recognition.
Info: ActionNetwork.org/events/appreciate-pasco-festival

Published April 11, 2018