The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

Local News

Proposed road connection remains controversial

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A proposed 700-home addition to K-Bar Ranch is reopening arguments on the long-debated road connection of Kinnan Street in Hillsborough County and Mansfield Boulevard in Pasco County.

Hillsborough and Pasco officials have disagreed over the connector for at least a decade.

And, Kinnan and Mansfield remain dead-end roadways separated by a weedy plot of land — about 30 feet to 40 feet long.

Barricades are set up on Mansfield Boulevard in Pasco County, where the road dead-ends a short distance from Kinnan Street in the K-Bar ranch development in New Tampa. (File)

Tampa City Council members voted May 3 to postpone a decision on the K-Bar Ranch expansion in New Tampa until June 28.

The added time is to give Hillsborough, Pasco and developers another chance to reach agreement – to connect or not to connect.

However, Pasco isn’t likely to be ready with an answer before September at the earliest.

Pasco County commissioners approved the “Wesley Chapel Roadway Connections Study” in 2017. The study is looking at three potential connectors between the two counties. One is Kinnan and Mansfield.

Other connections under consideration would extend Wyndfields and Meadow Pointe boulevards in Pasco to link with existing and future roads in the K-Bar ranch.

A draft report is scheduled for May 15, but a final recommendation from Pasco’s Metropolitan Planning Organization won’t be presented to the Pasco County Commission until September.

“We’re sticking to our timeline of getting the study and getting public input,” said Pasco County Commissioner Mike Moore. “We represent the citizens of Pasco, not the citizens of Hillsborough or Tampa. That’s what we have to be concerned with, what will have a negative impact, what will have a positive impact.”

For residents of New Tampa, the lack of a north/south connector is a traffic hardship on a daily basis. The drive toward Wesley Chapel follows a circuitous route that adds miles and minutes to the trip, coming and going.

“Many of them feel locked in their neighborhoods,” said Tampa City Councilman Luis Viera. “It’s very important to them to have the connector.”

Viera has, to date, been the lone vote on Tampa city council against the K-Bar project, based on the uncertainty over Kinnan and Mansfield.

“It’s a crisis of governments not really working together,” he said. He added, “I certainly hope we can use all of our power…to advocate for this connection to be made.”

Viera said he would bring up the topic on May 11 at a public meeting of the Tampa Bay Transportation Management Area Leadership Group. The group includes representatives from Pinellas County, Pasco, Hillsborough and Tampa, and generally discusses regional transportation issues.

The meeting will be at 9:30 a.m., at the Pasco County Utilities Administration Building, at 19420 Central Blvd., in Land O’ Lakes.

Area residents in Hillsborough and Pasco have competing petitions at Change.org, for and against the connection.

Meadow Pointe II resident Chris Dillinger organized opposition. He lives near the connector site in Pasco, and has children who attend area schools.

Opening Mansfield to additional traffic is a safety issue, he said. “I’m very, very concerned about it,” Dillinger said.

Meadow Pointe II residents also opposed a rezoning for a 7-Eleven gas station and convenience store at Mansfield and County Line Road. The matter was postponed in January to a “time uncertain.”

7-Eleven wants to build there in anticipation of Mansfield and Kinnan linking, and the additional traffic that will flow onto Mansfield, Dillinger said. “That’s still out there,” he added.

Published May 9, 2018

Budget talks look at next two years

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As the Pasco County Commission contemplates the county’s budget for fiscal year 2019, it’s also thinking about the budget for 2020.

Commissioners are looking ahead, because they know that a referendum on the November ballot could have a sizable impact on the county’s budget.

Voters will decide on Nov. 8 whether to expand homestead exemptions by $25,000. If the referendum passes, Pasco County stands to lose an estimated $10 million to $12 million in property tax revenues.

So, instead of looking at just this year’s budget, commissioners are taking a close look on any expenses that could affect future budgets.

Pasco County Administrator Dan Biles has asked department heads to submit flat budgets, with little to no increase.

There are 14 potential budget initiatives that will compete for property tax revenues in the 2019 budget.

Expanded library hours is one of the initiatives competing for the funds. Libraries slated to get more hours in 2019 are Hugh Embry Branch Library in Dade City and Hudson Regional Library in Hudson.

Other budget initiatives include the 911 Call Center and salary increases for county employees.

Salary raises would be 2 percent for cost of living, and 2 percent for merit.

Biles said employees “are our most important resources.

“That’s my No. 1 priority, taking care of our employees. We need to stay competitive.”

As they consider budget priorities, commissioners also are facing a Pasco County Sheriff’s budget request for a total of about $12.6 million.

Of that, about $7.2 million is for operations, with about $5.4 million for the cost of temporary housing for inmates at the overcrowded Land O’ Lakes Detention Center.

The county’s 2018 budget came in at about $1.3 billion, with no change to the existing millage rate.

The millage rate determines how much the county collects from property taxes.

Estimates on new property tax revenues for 2019 have increased slightly. In February, county officials anticipated a 7.5 percent increase of about $13.3 million.

The estimate now is for about an 8 percent increase, or $14.2 million. However, once deductions are made for items such as payments for special tax districts, community redevelopment areas, and temporary housing for inmates, the county’s portion of new money dips to about $3.7 million.

Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco’s operations budget – separate from inmates’ temporary housing – is about a 6 percent increase. That’s a smaller increase than the $8.1 million requested in 2018, which paid for raises, equipment and new hires.

Nocco brought up the issue of overcrowding at a February workshop with commissioners.

In his budget letter to the board on May 1, Nocco puts the blame for the matter on the “failure of (the) past County administration.”

No action in past years was taken to approve a 1,000-bed expansion, estimated at around $128 million.

Now, according to Nocco, the county can expect an annual bill of about $9.8 million to pay for temporary housing, until the jail expansion is built.

“It has now become a burdensome, unfunded liability for the county,” Nocco states in his letter, which commissioners didn’t receive until after their May 1 workshop.

At the February workshop, county commissioners discussed placing bond issues before the voters to pay for the jail expansion, other public safety projects, and libraries.

No decision has been made.

Current options for inmate’s temporary housing include transferring some inmates to Seminole County, possibly Hernando County, and installing trailers at the detention center. The cost of a contract with Seminole is estimated at $2.5 million, with another $2.4 million for trailers at the detention center.

Pasco County officials expect to receive the final taxable assessed values from the Pasco County Property Appraiser by July 1.

Commissioners would then set the millage rate on July 10, and the budget would be finalized in September.

The fiscal year for 2019 begins Oct. 1.

Published May 9, 2018

Three Wesley Chapel teams competing at world finals

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Three teams from Wesley Chapel are heading to Iowa State University to compete at the 2018 Odyssey of the Mind World Finals, in Ames, Iowa.

Some competitors from all three teams already know what it’s like to compete on the world stage.

That’s because they were members of Wesley Chapel Elementary, which brought home the top prize.

Members of one of the Thomas E. Weightman teams that are going to World Finals are, from left: Jake Piller, Zachary Mihelich, Claire Donahue, an adult spontaneous judge, Miriame Melaika, Izzy Piller and Maya Kurian. (Courtesy of Brian Mihelich)

The students on last year’s Wesley Chapel Elementary team are now divided between this year’s three qualifying teams. One is at Wesley Chapel Elementary and the other two are from Thomas E. Weightman Middle, just down the road.

To get to the 39th World Finals, tens of thousands of students from around the globe used their creativity and teamwork to create original solutions to problems, according to the Odyssey of the Mind website.

Brian Mihelich, coach of one of the Weightman teams, said the kids who won last year have benefitted their new teams.

“To get to that level, you have to be so dynamic and creative — definitely by having those kids on separate teams, it contributed, without a doubt,” Mihelich said.

The Wesley Chapel Elementary team won first place at the regional, state and world competitions last year, and hopes to repeat that accomplishment this year.

Three of the original team members remain on the elementary school team, while the others went to middle school teams.

Maya Kurian, Zachary Mihelich, Jake Piller, Izzy Piller and Reeya Latchana work together to make a prop for an Odyssey of the Mind competition.

Experience in the competition helps, said Mihelich, who has coached for four years.

“We’ve got two kids on the team that have been with Odyssey for five years. One that’s been in Odyssey for three years; one for two years; and then one, it’s their first year,” he said.

He thinks the program helps young students develop a new way of approaching challenges.

“I believe that this is one of the most valuable programs that are out there. It’s academic, combined with the performing arts. When you put the two together, it’s a different way of thinking,” he said.  “Odyssey of the Mind is all about coming up with a solution to a problem that no one else would.”

It also gives students a chance to compete with students from all over the world, and it’s a program for students from kindergarten through college.

Mihelich’s son, Zachary, who is on the team, “absolutely loves it,” the coach said.

“He is so incredibly passionate about Odyssey. He loves the teamwork side, the creative side, the competitive side.”

Izzy Piller and Zachary Mihelich work on one of the team’s props.

Mihelich added: “Every team has a little different level of intensity. My group — they’re pretty competitive,” he said. They set a goal at the beginning of the year to qualify for the world competition.

Early on, they were meeting about 40 hours a month. Later on, it increased to about 80 hours a month.

“My garage is 100 percent OM (Odyssey of the Mind),” said Mihelich, who lives in Epperson.

The team works hard, Mihelich said, but their parents also play an important role.

“I’ve got some really committed, just awesome parents this year, too. Without the parents’ full support — behind their kids and me as a coach, and just the team in general — it wouldn’t be possible. These parents have been phenomenal.

As the teams gear up to compete at World, they’re also raising money.

Mihelich’s team is holding car washes and taking orders for boxes of Krispy Kreme doughnuts.

Anyone who would like to help any of the teams can reach out to either Wesley Chapel Elementary or Thomas E. Weightman Middle, to get in touch with the coaches.

Those wishing to help Mihelich’s team can reach him at .

Published May 9, 2018

Pasco High student earns top score in nation

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Madison Hoyle spent hours upon hours reviewing practice problems and quizlets, so she’d be fully prepared for the Cambridge International AS Psychology exam.

It turns out that was time well-spent for the Pasco High senior.

Hoyle was recently recognized by Cambridge Assessment International Education for achieving the highest score in the nation on the psychology exam, outperforming all other American students.

Pasco High School senior Madison Hoyle was recently recognized for scoring highest in the nation on the Psychology AS. (Courtesy of Madison Hoyle)

Her actual score was not released because of Cambridge’s data privacy policy.

Hoyle and other Pasco High students in the Cambridge program took the two-part, written psychology exam last May.

The first paper required students to recall details of well-known psychological studies, such as the Milgram and Stanford Prison experiments.

The second paper required students to evaluate the experiments by explaining given strengths and weaknesses, and providing a better, alternative study themselves.

Hoyle, in a recent interview with The Laker/Lutz News, said she was “blown away” when she heard about the high mark.

Nevertheless, Hoyle admitted the exam as a whole wasn’t too difficult, noting the first written exercise was easier than the second “just because it was a lot of being able to memorize.”

Said Hoyle, “I pretty much spent like three days memorizing all that stuff, so I knew pretty much that I was pretty good on paper one. Paper two was challenging because you kind of had to talk about all the studies as a whole and compare them.”

The Cambridge curriculum can be compared to Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) curricula, whereby students in the high school program can earn college credits and an international diploma. Those who earn the diploma also qualify for a Florida Bright Futures College scholarship.

In 2017, students in the United States completed nearly 100,000 Cambridge International AS & A Level exams, a record number and an increase of 23 percent over the prior school year, according to Cambridge International.

Hoyle, a Zephyrhills native, has been taking Cambridge classes at Pasco High since her freshman year.

In choosing the accelerated academic program, it was a matter of convenience compared to the IB program at Land O’ Lakes High School.

Hoyle said she was debating whether to do IB or Cambridge and decided on Cambridge because she didn’t want to get up really early to take a bus over to Land O’ Lakes.

She also liked the fact that Cambridge didn’t require her “to take classes like fine arts and gym and that kind of thing, and I could actually take classes that were interesting that would also count as college credit.”

Because of all the Cambridge credits she earned, Hoyle said her college freshman year will be mostly complete.

Hoyle will attend Florida Gulf Coast University in the fall, where she plans to study biology. She eventually wants to go to medical school and become an emergency room doctor.

She said the Cambridge program helped her to become a better learner, which may ease the transition to college life.

In some instances, Cambridge courses were more challenging than AP courses, the student said.

“I think the fact that all of the (Cambridge) tests were written helped because I actually had to know things to be able to write them down, instead of being able to try and guess on it,” Hoyle said.

“Even though there are some written responses on AP, it’s primarily multiple choice, so even if you don’t know how to do the problem, there’s a chance that you can kind of guess on it. With Cambridge, there’s really no way to go around that. You actually have to have the information and be able to do it.”

Hoyle wasn’t the only Pasco High student recognized by Cambridge International.

Thirty of her peers were also recipients for Cambridge Learner Awards for their achievement on Cambridge examinations for the 2016-2017 school year.

And, Pasco County Schools as a whole was named District of the Year — Medium Sized Cambridge District.

The district was recognized for expanding access to Cambridge exams by more than 100 percent and achieving a pass rate of 76 percent.

The district launched the Cambridge education program at Pasco High and Pasco Middle schools in 2014.

The acceleration program has since been incorporated into San Antonio Elementary, Paul R. Smith Middle and Anclote High schools.

Pasco High teacher Erika Simmons administers several Cambridge courses, including psychology.

She taught many of the students recognized by Cambridge, including Hoyle.

“They’re a tremendously bright group of kids that for being part of a program so new, they’ve been able to thrive and be very successful, and patient,” the teacher said.

Simmons, who previously taught AP classes for several years at Wiregrass Ranch High, explained it was a “huge change” for instructors and students adjusting to the Cambridge educational style.

In the AS-level Psychology course, for example, students focused on 20 different studies or experiments in depth, ranging from biological to social psychology. The students were then required to not only have in-depth knowledge about each study but also be able to critically evaluate the study on topics, such as usefulness, validity, reliability and ethics.

Said Simmons, “The biggest thing is (students) learn to really be critical thinkers… and they learn how to really deconstruct information. They do a lot of reflecting on the process of learning, and I think that whole reflection process pushes them to another area of learning that AP really doesn’t offer as much.”

She continued: “They’re taught to question the validity, the credibility of sources, whether it’s in psychology, chemistry, in the news. They’ve learned to be critical of things, as well as getting multiple perspectives on things…and then analyzing, ‘OK, well which one of these do I go with? What do I support?’”

Simmons was initially astonished, yet ultimately not surprised, when she heard Hoyle achieved the nation’s highest mark on last May’s psychology exam.

The teacher described Hoyle as “incredibly diligent and focused.”

Simmons added: “She’s an out-of-the box thinker. She doesn’t come to deal with the generic ideas. She does bring new ideas and questions in her studies.

“Last year, when I would grade Madison’s papers or I’d grade the whole class, if I was frustrated that kids weren’t getting it, I could always go to Madison’s paper and be like, ‘OK, I know she’s going to get it because she always did. It was consistent. …I don’t think she got anything but As on her exams last year, so I knew that she always showed that she knew what she was doing. I never worried about her,” the teacher said.

Pasco High School Cambridge Scholar Award winners

  • Andrew Hull
  • Carrie Greene
  • Tam-An Hoang
  • Kayleigh Heather
  • Drew Johnston
  • Julia Gregory
  • Madison Jender
  • Madison Hoyle
  • Sylvia Martinez
  • Molly Bentley
  • Savannah Jividen
  • Mackenzie Green
  • Taylor Hays-Lankford
  • Elizabeth Coleman
  • Allyson Worthy
  • Brendan College
  • Brittnee Hampton
  • Hazel Wilburn
  • Lindsey Torres
  • Akosua Kissi
  • Nathalie Sawczuk
  • Micaela Blomeley
  • Annemarie Peacock
  • Amber Wood
  • Susana Stripling
  • Maunel Tarango
  • Brian Andruskiewicz
  • Emily Weiser
  • Jillyan Jerkins
  • Cara Dwyer

Published May 9, 2018

Local man is named minority business person of the year

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Brian Butler was the only employee of his company — Vistra Communications — when he launched the business out of his home in Lutz in 2007.

It wasn’t exactly the best time to launch an ambitious plan.

The real estate market crashed and the nation’s economy cratered.

Brian Butler, president and CEO of Vistra Communications, pitches in during laundry day. Vistra provides ongoing support to the Laundry Project, which helps families in need through providing laundry services, converting coin laundries into community centers of hope. (Courtesy of Vistra Communications)

“I started my business in the toughest economy we’d seen in 30 years,” he recalled.

There were days when he considered giving up.

But then, as now, the business leader said anyone starting a new venture needs to stick with it.

“You can’t afford to give up,” said Butler, who is president and chief executive officer of his company. “There are opportunities out there. You’ve just got to have a plan.”

Vistra Communications now has about 70 employees with offices in Lutz, Tampa, Miami and Washington D.C.

And, on May 4, Butler will receive the 2018 U.S. Small Business Administration’s Minority Business Person of the Year — for the state of Florida and the South Florida District.

He is one of nine recipients who will be honored at a luncheon during the 31st annual Government Small Business Conference at the Holiday Inn Tampa Westshore.

Butler began thinking like a business owner early on.

During his formative years, while growing up in Palm Beach County, he had newspaper routes — flinging newspapers onto lawns.

Even then, he flexed his organizational skills.

“I was business-oriented as an elementary school kid,” Butler said. “I hired two friends to fold, so I could deliver more newspapers.”

Brian Butler reads to children at Mort Elementary School. Butler serves as CEO Mentor for the Mort Elementary School principal through The Council for Educational Change.

He followed a straight path into a business career in marketing and communications.

After he graduated from high school, he attended Hampton University, a historically black college in Virginia that was founded in 1868 to give education to freed men.

He decided to attend the college after visiting a friend who was going to school there.

He knew immediately it was the place for him.

“The campus is just beautiful,” Butler said.

The opportunity to earn a college degree there “just resonated with me,” said Butler, who received a Bachelor of Science in marketing.

Butler received a three-year scholarship from the university’s R.O.T.C. program, and upon graduation was a commissioned officer in the U.S. Army. He commanded combat troops in Kuwait during Desert Storm in 1990.

There were lessons learned from the military that translated to his values in running a company later.

“I’m focused on treating people right. And, I operate (my business) with values found in the community,” he said.

He earned a master’s degree in business administration from Central Michigan University and a master’s in national security strategy from the National War College.

He stepped back into civilian life in 1988 and spent a year at the Washington D.C., powerhouse public relations and communications firm Fleishman & Hillard International Communications.

He put his uniform back on after that, and served as spokesman and chief of communications for the U.S. Army secretary. He was on the staff and communications team for the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

After 22 years of military service, he retired as a colonel in 2006.

However, retirement was more like a transition to a new beginning.

The next year, he founded Vistra Communications.

In the early days, Butler frequently worked with nonprofits.

Brian Butler spends some time with students at Mort Elementary School.

One of his first accounts was the private charter school, Brooks-DeBartolo Collegiate High School. The school was founded by former Tampa Bay Buccaneer Derrick Brooks and former San Francisco 49ers owner Eddie DeBartolo, Jr.

Butler also won a contract with Central Command at MacDill Air Force Base, in Tampa, providing communications and consulting services.

Vistra’s clients today include businesses in health care, information technology, transportation, airports, entertainment, sports, and local and federal government.

Over the years, Butler and Vistra have received many honors and awards.

Tampa Bay Business Journal ranked Vistra as the No. 1 public relations firm in 2016 and 2017. It was the Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce’s Small Business of the Year in 2016, for 21-50 employees. Vistra also was singled out in 2016 as the SBA South Florida District Veteran-Owned Small Business of the Year.

Last year, Vistra acquired Tampa-based Marketing Associates USA. The Tampa company is now a division of Vistra.

A shared interest in Trinity Café brought Butler together with Jeff Darrey, president of Marketing Associates.

Darrey founded Trinity Café, a nonprofit restaurant that feeds the homeless.

Butler believes that community service is a basic foundation of a successful business. To that end, he serves on several boards and committees, including Florida Hospital Tampa Foundation, Minority Enterprise Development Corporation, Mort Elementary School Cabinet and Conference of Minority Transportation Officials. He also is a founding member of USO (United Services Organization) Tampa Bay.

Butler is especially proud of the Laundry Project, an effort of the Florida nonprofit Current Initiatives.

Volunteers come to area coin laundries in Tampa Bay and pay for laundry fees, help with laundry services and create a community day.

“It’s part of my foundation and part of our company,” Butler said. “It’s exciting to make a difference right at home.”

Published May 2, 2018

Take a walk on the wild side during American Wetlands month

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Nature-lovers can explore four of Hillsborough County’s most scenic wetlands areas during free tours being offered as part of American Wetlands Month.

Myriad bird species make their home in Alderman’s Ford Conservation Park, such as red-shouldered hawks. (Courtesy of Hillsborough County)

The guided tours are being offered by the wetlands division of the Environmental Protection Commission of Hillsborough County, and the Conservation and Environmental Lands Management Department of Hillsborough County.

Guides will give tour-takers a chance to learn about different kinds of plants and find out why wetlands are important, said Jackie Jordan, wetlands division project manager for the Environmental Protection Commission of Hillsborough County.

Some of those benefits include serving as a habitat for many wildlife species, providing recreational opportunities, filtering drinking water and reducing flooding hazards, Jordan said.

This is the schedule of the upcoming tours:

  • May 5 from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m.: Lettuce Lake Conservation Park, 6920 E. Fletcher Ave., in Tampa.
  • May 11 from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m.: Lutz Lake Fern Trailhead, 7020 Lutz Lake Fern Road in Odessa.
  • May 19 from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m.: Alderman’s Ford Conservation Park, 100 Alderman’s Ford Park Drive in Plant City (There is more than one entrance, this one is the best one to use).
  • May 25 from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m.: Upper Tampa Bay Conservation Park, 8001 Double Branch Road in Tampa.

Although the tours are free, there is a $2 park entry fee per vehicle, for up to eight people.

Other things to know about these tours:

  • Anyone under 18 must be accompanied by adult
  • Hikers will walk a distance of 1 mile to 2 miles

Those planning to go on the tour are advised to bring water in a refillable container, a hat, sunglasses, sunscreen and bug spray.

Bringing a camera is a good idea, too, Jordan said, noting there will likely be some photo opportunities.

Published May 2, 2018

Green Dot program teaches violence prevention

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Central Pasco Huddle hosted a community discussion and learning session at the Land O’ Lakes Branch Library on violence prevention.

The huddle is a locally organized group of the Central Gulf Coast chapter of the Women’s March Florida.

Its members, who come from Wesley Chapel, Land O’ Lakes, and Lutz, meet monthly in Land O’ Lakes, said huddle member Charity Henesy-Brooks.

The goal is to find activities “to make Pasco better for people,” she said. “We’re going to do more events like this for Pasco’s women and children.”

Green Dot coordinator for Sunrise of Pasco County, Aubrey Hall, led discussion on violence prevention at Land O’ Lakes Branch Library. The workshop was sponsored by the Central Pasco Huddle of the Women’s March Florida. (Kathy Steele)

Aubrey Hall, Green Dot coordinator with Sunrise of Pasco County Inc., led the recent workshop – “Embrace Your Voice.”

Combatting violence in all its forms “is daunting,” she said. “How do we change something that is so ingrained?”

Cultural change isn’t something that happens quickly, she added.

She said, though, that she’s encouraged by the #metoo movement, which is prompting people – mostly women – to come forward to tell their stories.

Green Dot is a violence prevention program that seeks to enlist the help of bystanders — who witness violence in everyday situations.

Green Dot provides educational awareness, training and actions that can reduce sexual assault, dating/domestic violence and stalking.

Green Dot serves more than 300 colleges and universities across the country.

Sunrise at Pasco works with students at Saint Leo University.

“To stop violence, we first have to recognize what it is,” Hall said.

Examples of violence include physical, sexual, verbal, economic and psychological assaults where one person has real or perceived power over another person.

People often overlook economic issues, Hall said. But, she noted: “Economic abuse is present in 98 percent of domestic violence abuses.”

She also explained that stalking can go beyond physically shadowing another person.

“You can be stalked by someone you never see now because of social media,” Hall said. “It’s so normal to like and follow.”

Hall led the workshop participants through a series of activities to identify early, immediate and after signs of sexual assault, stalking and dating/domestic violence.

She also addressed bullying.

Participants watched videos that had no sound to help them learn how to recognize body language cues, in different scenarios, of stalking and domestic violence. The videos show bystanders reacting to each situation.

“Being able to identify behavior, that’s going to be key,” Hall said.

Working in two teams, the workshop participants came up with ways that bystanders could choose to intervene, either directly or indirectly, to stop or calm down volatile situations.

They also discussed the barriers that often prevent bystanders from becoming involved.

Sometimes those barriers are the fear of becoming a target, or of being retaliated against, or of being uncomfortable, or not knowing where to seek help.

The Green Dot program offers the “three Ds” as guidelines to follow.

Those are:

  • Direct action: Asking someone to stop his or her behavior.
  • Delegating action: Calling 911, human resources or the school’s campus police. (The key is “making sure it’s someone who can do something,” Hall said.)
  • Distraction or delay: This can be done by possibly asking a question. “Do anything that allows the tension to break,” Hall said.

The Green Dot program launched at the University of Kentucky in 2006, as a sexual assault, domestic violence and stalking prevention program. It was funded with a grant from the U.S. Department of Justice.

The program was adapted for high schools, and expanded to other colleges. A nonprofit, known as Green Dot, etc Inc., was established, and its headquarters moved from Kentucky to Washington D.C.

In 2017, it also got a new name – Alteristic.

For information, visit SunrisePasco.org/green-dot-rev.

For information on Central Pasco Huddle, email .

Published May 2, 2018

Homeless shelter to help families find housing

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A “one-stop navigation center” for the homeless population in Pasco County will provide temporary shelter for families, instead of the initial plan to help single adult men and women.

If opened, the center would be Pasco’s first homeless shelter.

An estimated $100,000 annual cost for around-the-clock security at the facility and neighborhood opposition to the original plan prompted the shift in the shelter’s purpose.

A public meeting in 2017 to discuss a proposed homeless shelter drew a large, impassioned crowd. (File)

“We realized the need was great for families, and we will have more funding (opportunities) for families,” said Don Anderson, chief executive officer for the Homeless Coalition of Pasco County.

A public meeting to discuss the new concept will be held May 16 at 6 p.m., at the Pasco County Commission board room in New Port Richey. Additional outreach to residents in nearby neighborhoods also is planned.

Commissioners voted on April 24 to continue the public hearing for a conditional use permit for the facility until June 19.

That will allow time to amend the coalition’s application, and to hear from area residents.

Commissioners have been supportive of the project, and previously approved funding to remodel the center.

Commissioner Jack Mariano, however, has been critical of the county’s choice of location.

Residents from Crane’s Roost, a neighborhood of about 90 homes, off Little Road, said the homeless population needs help, but they think the proposed location is wrong.

They worry about increased solicitations, crime and lowered property values.

Business owners at Ridge Plaza, adjacent to the Youth Lane site, have objected, too.

The commission’s boardroom was packed during the public hearing in 2017, with people equally passionate on both sides of the issue.

A former Boys & Girls Club in New Port Richey is being proposed as a temporary shelter for homeless families.

Advocates for the center point to its location near bus stops, government offices and service agencies as a good fit to help people in need. They also say Pasco County has been unresponsive in the past in meeting the needs of its homeless population, which at times has been counted as high as 3,000 people.

The center would operate at the two-building campus formerly leased by the county to the Boys & Girls Club, at the end of Youth Lane, off Little Road.

Under the initial concept, the goal was to house 50 to 75 homeless adult men and women for an average of 90 days at the navigation center. They would receive help in locating housing, jobs, job training and health care.

A survey by the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office found about 100 homeless camps throughout the county. The initiative would focus on one camp at a time.

Under the new plan, the coalition’s “housing first” program would provide temporary shelter to families for 30 days to 60 days.

Anderson said an average stay could be 45 days or less. He anticipates housing about four families to six families at a time.

The coalition’s administrative offices would operate from Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. People would receive help with job training, showers, health care, behavioral health care, case management, resume building and financial literacy.

The only food services provided would be to families staying at the center.

The people who are served at the coalition’s location on Pine Street are polite and respectful, Anderson said.

“They are really looking for services that can help them get out of their situation,” he said.

Anderson said he was hopeful that the new direction for the navigation center will be well-received.

“We really want to take advantage of their (the county’s) willingness to do something in the community for the homeless,” Anderson said.

Published May 2, 2018

Explore underwater delights at Mote Marine

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Of all the wonders at Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium, kids seem to love watching sharks the most.

River otters, baby gators, tubby manatees, sea turtles and scary stingrays draw crowds, too.

But, the sharks – bonnetheads, hammerheads, nurse, blacknose and more, in the Shark Zone – are the superstars here.

A little girl snaps a picture of a curious manatee at Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium just before feeding time.
(Karen Haymon Long)

No wonder the aquarium features a pretty vicious-looking shark on the cover of its brochures and on its logo.

That explains the 135,000-gallon shark habitat in the main aquarium, too.

At 11 a.m., every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, follow the crowds to the Shark Zone in the main aquarium to see the shark-training sessions and watch the creatures swim to specific places for food.

Who knew sharks could be trained?

Friendly, knowledgeable trainers answer questions and tell a bit about sharks in the wild. Hammerheads, they say, can live 25 to 35 years and pick up electrical pulses from all living things through electro receptors.

“Hammerheads’ heads are like metal detectors,” one trainer explains to a group of shark gawkers.

Behind the scenes, Mote scientists are researching why sharks and their cousins, stingrays, rarely get cancer. They’re hoping what they discover may lead them to human cancer treatments.

That’s one of the beauties of Mote – it’s both a marine laboratory and an aquarium, open daily to the public.

A shark swims in Mote Aquarium’s Shark Zone, the most popular place in Mote’s complex in Sarasota.

It’s a big place, divided into two areas across the street from each other, so plan plenty of time, and go on a weekday if you can. It can get very busy on weekends.

Depending on what you like to see, ask when feedings are scheduled, so you can see more action.

We started at the Marine Mammal Center across the street from the main aquarium because we wanted to see the manatee feedings at 1 p.m.

We often see manatees in the wild off the city pier in Safety Harbor. But, here you can see them so much better through the glass tanks, floating along and even swimming up to the glass, to stare at us staring at them.

Who wouldn’t be excited to see how adorable they are, with their huge eyes and round bodies that earned them the nickname sea cows?

When trainers throw them big heads of iceberg lettuce the giant creatures float around munching it while we humans take photos of them.

A few steps away, three sea turtles paddle around inside stone habitats. They were all injured in the wild and brought to Mote for rehabilitation.

Volunteers answer questions about them, and tell you their names and how they were injured. A young volunteer, wearing a blue Mote T-shirt, introduced us to Squirt 2, a Kemp’s Ridley sea turtle who was hit by a boat propeller in the Peace River.

An Australian Spotted Jelly glows cobalt blue and looks almost like something from outer space.

He said Squirt 2 has a broken jaw, so he can’t eat shellfish, his natural diet. The sea turtle will stay in the marine center where he’s fed and cared for by Mote workers.

The volunteer talked softly to Squirt 2, who looked up at him from his stone tank as if he was listening.

“You’re so lucky to work here,” I told him.

He smiled and admitted, “It’s a nice way to spend the day.”

Around the corner, three river otters – Huck, Jane and Pippi – frolic around a glass-enclosed habitat, swimming underwater for a while, then slithering out of the water onto rocks. At 1:30 p.m., trainers come out to feed the three, that, like the sharks, go to specific places to get food on command.

Like the manatees, they’re adorable and many kids were taking pictures of them with cellphones, as were the adults.

In other glass-enclosed habitats sat caimans, which are kin to alligators, and turtles.  Sometimes, they’re replaced by gators or crocodiles.

We see gators all the time, too – they actually sit on our lawn by the pond behind our house. But, it’s still interesting to see caimans, which have stubbier snouts than gators and narrower bodies than crocs.

Upstairs, tanks hold other marvels, such as cobalt-blue Australian spotted jellyfish, snook, and displays on what Mote is doing to restore and conserve coral reefs.

On the way out, a sea turtle skeleton keeps guard from a circular display, looking like a giant, prehistoric alien.

A display at Mote’s aquarium gives an underwater view of what coral reefs look like in the wild. An orange and white clownfish swims amidst the colorful coral.

Behind the scenes, and not accessible to the public, are sea turtle, dolphin and whale hospitals.

Back at the main aquarium, visitors learn about Florida’s coastal and freshwater habitats by looking at all sorts of displays of everything from living coral to a diamondback terrapin, clownfish, lobsters, a yellow moray eel, red grouper and blue moon jellyfish.

We especially liked the seahorse display, where we saw babies that were born on Jan. 30, then slightly larger babies born last November. A volunteer told us Mote sells seahorses to other labs to help reduce the wild seahorse market.

A temporary exhibit through June 15 features marine-inspired sculptures made from debris found along Oregon’s coast. Called “Washed Ashore,” it is an awareness-through-art initiative.

Mote has big plans for a new $130 million aquarium to be built starting next year on 5 acres, south of University Parkway off Interstate 75 in Sarasota. A fundraising effort is going on now for the 110,000-square-foot Mote Science Education Aquarium, which Mote officials say could be the “Silicon Valley of marine science and technology in Southwest Florida.”

They say the new aquarium, within sight of the interstate, will attract more Floridians and visitors to learn about marine life, while current facilities will give Mote more space for research labs.

Until then, visitors can enjoy the otters, manatees, turtles, and the ever-prowling, popular sharks at Mote’s longtime aquarium.

Mote Marine Laboratories & Aquarium
Where: 1600 Ken Thompson Parkway, Sarasota, just north of St. Armands Circle
When: Open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., daily
Cost: Adults, $22; ages 3-12, $16; under age 3, free. Parking free
Details: Check out the Shark Zone, watch Manatees being fed, get a look at all kinds of sea creatures and find out about current research involving marine life.
Info: Call (941) 388-4441, ext. 416, or visit Mote.org.

Additional Mote Adventures:

  • Sea Life Encounter Cruises, an hour-and-45-minute cruise in Sarasota and Roberts bays on pontoon boats; combo cost for the cruise and admission to aquarium: adults, $44; ages 3-12, $37. Cruise price alone: adults, $29; ages 3-16, $25. For details, call (904) 388-4200; visit SarasotaBayExplorers.com.
  • Full Moon Paddles, the next one on May 29, are led by Mote educators. For reservations, call (941) 388-4441, ext. 348, or email .
  • Other guided kayak trips, nature safari eco-tours, private charters are more options. See SarasotaBayExplorers.com.

 

Where to eat

  • The aquarium’s 1950s-style Deep Sea Diner offers everything from burgers and hotdogs, to salads, wraps and fruit smoothies.
  • Columbia Restaurant, 411 St. Armands Circle
  • The Old Salty Dog, 1601 B Ken Thompson Parkway
  • New Pass Grill & Bait Shop, 1505 Ken Thompson Parkway

 

Nearby Attraction
Just off St. Armands Circle, at 55 S. Boulevard of the Presidents, visit the newest Clyde Butcher Gallery, where you’ll find limited edition, and signed black and white photographs of mostly Florida scenes by the widely known photographer.

By Karen Haymon Long

Published May 2, 2018

Upcoming events on the political scene

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Club meetings

  • The Land O Lakes Democratic Club will meet May 2 at 6:30 p.m., at the Brick City Eatery, 16540 Pointe Village Drive, Suite 198, in Lutz. Noemi McGregor, president of the Democratic Hispanic Caucus of Florida, is the guest speaker.
  • The Democratic Environmental Caucus of Florida — Pasco Chapter will meet May 9 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., at the community center at Land O’ Lakes Heritage Park, Room No. 1, 5401 Land O Lakes Blvd., in Land O’ Lakes.

Summer kickoff picnic
Kelly Smith, a candidate for the District 2 seat on the Pasco County Commission, is hosting a Volunteer Thank You/ Summer Kick Off Picnic May 6 from noon to 2 p.m., at Jay B. Starkey Wilderness Park. For more information, email .

Endorsement
Former Pasco County Commission Pat Mulieri has endorsed Mike Moore in his re-election bid for the District 2 seat on the board, according to Moore’s campaign.

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