The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

Local News

Raising awareness about drugged driving

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A case of drugged driving forever changed the lives of parents Joey and Tammy Leonard.

Now their mission is to ensure other families don’t experience the same anguish they must handle every day.

On Oct. 12, 2015, the Leonards lost their daughter, Kassidy Leonard, her husband, William Griggs, and their 12-day-old baby granddaughter, Kimberlynn Dawn Griggs, after a horrific head-on collision with an impaired driver in Tennessee.

The driver, Benjamin Franklin, then 28, had crossed over the road into the oncoming lanes and struck Grigg’s vehicle on State Highway 13 in Houston County, Tennessee.

The young family was instantly killed.

Kassidy Leonard, her husband, William Griggs, and their 12-day-old baby daughter, Kimberlynn Dawn Griggs, were killed by a drug impaired driver in October 2015. Kassidy’s parents, Joey and Tammy Leonard, shared their personal story during a driving prevention seminar at the Pasco-Hernando State College East Campus in Dade City. (Courtesy of Joey and Tammy Leonard)

Franklin, who was under the influence of oxycodone, methamphetamine and amphetamines at the time of the crash, survived.

He was later sentenced to 36 years in prison for vehicular homicide.

“We say we received a life sentence, because of a senseless, preventable act of a grown man. It’s difficult for us to understand,” said Joey Leonard, associate dean of academic affairs and retention services at PHSC’s East Campus.

The Leonards shared their personal story during a panel discussion on drugged driving prevention at the Pasco-Hernando State College East Campus in Dade City.

Topics centered on the consequences of impaired driving, along with the risks of illegal and prescription drug use while operating a motor vehicle. Law enforcement and medical professionals weighed in.

The Jan. 30 event was part of the college’s ongoing Community Awareness Series available to community members, students, faculty and staff.

The issues
The National Institute of Drug Abuse says the use of illicit drugs or misuse of prescription drugs can make driving a car unsafe — just like driving after drinking alcohol — putting the driver, passengers and others who share the road at risk.

The effects of specific drugs differ depending on how they act in the brain, according to the organization.

For example, marijuana can slow reaction time, impair judgment of time and distance, and decrease coordination. Drivers who have used cocaine or methamphetamine can be aggressive and reckless when driving. Certain kinds of sedatives, called benzodiazepines, can cause dizziness and drowsiness.

Drugged driving is widespread nationally.

According to the 2016 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), 11.8 million people age 16 drove under the influence of illicit drugs in 2016, the latest data published on the topic.

Approximately 21 percent of the 31,666 fatal crashes in the U.S., in 2015 involved at least one driver who tested positive for drugs after the incident, according to federal data released to USA TODAY and interviews with leaders in the field.

In Florida, there were 281 drug-related crash fatalities in 2015. That figure has risen every year since 2010, when 109 drug-related crash fatalities reported.

Panelists extensively pinpointed the use of marijuana.

Each warned students about the risks, especially when operating a vehicle.

“Marijuana alters your judgment, and it’s something you shouldn’t be doing before you get behind the wheel of a car,” said panelist Jessica Boh, who’s in her final year at the University of Florida’s College of Pharmacy.

Pasco Sheriff deputy Barry Nixon, another panelist, many times has witnessed the effects of those driving under the influence of marijuana.

Nixon explained many of his marijuana-related DUI arrests have been those traveling over 100 miles per hour, usually in a 45 mph zone.

“When you smoke marijuana, your heart rate goes up, your pulse goes up,” Nixon said.

“The impairment effects can last in your body for 24 hours. Just like with pain medication or anything, you don’t know how long it’s going to affect you or what it’s going to do. …. You don’t know what it does for you.”

Recreational drugs aren’t the only problems, however.

Drugged driving can also extend to over-the-counter medications and prescription medications, Boh explained.

“The reality is, any medication can affect your ability to drive,” she said.

Her advice is to read prescription labels and consult a pharmacist on how different drugs can affect driving and how it may interact with other medications.

“It’s your responsibility to know whether or not those medications impair you,” Boh said.

“If it makes you dizzy or lightheaded, it’s probably not a good idea to take it and then get behind the wheel of a car. There’s a lot of dangerous interactions that can happen with over-the-counter medications and prescription medications.”

Seeking solutions
The topic of drug culture also was discussed during the event.

Panelist James Lear set the blame on pop culture, particularly for negatively influencing millennial by glamorizing drug use.

Lear is a medical consultant at Becton Dickinson and has worked in the pharmacy industry for nearly 30 years, with expertise in a drug diversion programming.

“Shun pop culture,” Lear said. “Find somewhere else to find your values from.”

Lear also urged students to look out for each other and not fall into the peer pressure of abusing drugs and alcohol.

In the event of drug or alcohol use, he advised students to call a cab or ride-sharing service, like Uber or Lyft, instead of getting behind the wheel. “There’s no excuse to not make sure you have a safe way home,” he said.

Lear also encouraged students to get involved in their community and local politics to influence regulatory measures on public safety issues.

“Change your world. Change the way you live in it, and be an influence for good,” Lear said.

Since that tragic day in 2015, the Leonard family created a website, StopDruggedDriving.net, to educate and raise awareness about drugged driving and drugged driving fatalities, as well as provide resources for those struggling with addiction. They’ve also been advocates for strengthening penalties for drugged driving.

“Our prayer is that one day drugged driving will cease to exist and other families will never have to put up with the tragic loss of loved ones that we have,” Tammy Leonard said.

For more information, visit StopDruggedDriving.net.

Published February 7, 2018

Sinkhole response: Fence and landscaping?

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Pasco County likely will opt to close off a sinkhole that swallowed two houses in Lake Padgett Estates with a fence and landscaping, to mimic, as much as possible, the appearance of a retention pond.

Consultants say that other options, including rebuilding Ocean Pines Drive, would risk additional environmental damage.

Consultants also recommend against building cul-de-sacs near the sinkhole, which Pasco County officials had hoped garbage trucks and emergency vehicles could use.

Instead, the county will determine if a “hammerhead” turn-around would be feasible if it is placed on an easement next to a residence, but at a safe distance from the sinkhole.

A sinkhole on Ocean Pines Drive in Lake Padgett Estates opened up in July 2017 and swallowed two houses. (File)

Kevin Guthrie, assistant county administrator for public safety, outlined those recommendations at a recent workshop with the Pasco County Commission.

No decision has been made yet, and Guthrie plans to meet with area residents to review the consultant’s report.

If the county installs the fence and landscaping, Ocean Pines would remain closed off at the site of the sinkhole.

On one side of the sinkhole, it would retain its current name. The other side would be renamed.

Estimates on fencing and landscaping were pegged at about $50,000 during an October workshop to review options.

According to consultants, rebuilding the roadway with sheet piles driven underground would create strong vibrations and risk unsettling the sinkhole and surrounding areas.

At any time, even 20 years into the future, the road could collapse, Guthrie said.

“We may put people in danger by doing so,” he said. “Even to put a cul-de-sac, we may do more harm to the environment.”

The sinkhole opened on July 14, 2017, at 21825 Ocean Pines Drive. It eventually swallowed two houses, a motorcycle and a boat.

Seven additional houses have been condemned as unsafe.

The county approved $1.3 million for initial cleanup and stabilization of the site.

At an October workshop, county commissioners had reviewed a range of options.

  • Build a fence around the sinkhole with a cul-de-sac on each side, at an estimated cost of $1.7 million
  • Connect the sinkhole to Lake Saxon with a cul-de-sac to each side of the lake, at a cost of $2.5 million
  • Rebuild Ocean Pines Drive, which runs between the sinkhole, at a cost of $800,000

Published February 7, 2018

Bond issue for jail and fire rescue expansions?

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Pasco County commissioners are considering a possible referendum to see voter approval for a 30-year bond issue that would pay for a jail expansion, four new fire stations, and the expansion of five existing fire stations.

The $185 million bond issue, earmarked for public safety, would be placed before voters on the November ballot.

County commissioners got preliminary data on the bond at a Jan. 30 workshop in Dade City. The matter will be discussed again at a Feb. 13 workshop in New Port Richey.

If approved, households on average could expect to pay about $22.50 a year, based on a home value of about $100,000.

Station 22, at 9930 Land O’ Lakes Boulevard, is on a list of Pasco County fire stations that need to be upgraded, and potentially could benefit from a proposed bond. (Kathy Steele)

Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco and Pasco Fire Chief Scott Cassin made their cases for why the bond is needed.

“We’re between a rock and a hard place now,” Nocco said.

The county’s detention center, in Land O’ Lakes, is overcrowded, and the situation is getting worse. The facility was built to house 1,432 inmates, but on Jan. 29 held 1,842 inmates, according to county jail records.

By 2020, projections peg inmate population at nearly 2,400 a day.

The bond issue would pay for a 1,000-bed expansion.

At the present time, some inmates sleep on the floor or on cots, as jail cells routinely are filled to capacity, Nocco said.

“The rate of growth is tremendous,” he said. “The need for public safety is there.”

Sheriff’s officials have looked at two options to relieve overcrowding.

One would involve agreements with other counties to house Pasco’s inmates. Of nine counties contacted, Polk and Seminole counties responded.

Polk would house up to 200 inmates daily at a cost of about $8.2 million a year. Seminole would house 50 inmates daily at a cost of about $1.4 million.

Those costs don’t include transportation or medical costs, Nocco said.

The second option would be to lease stainless steel trailers to place on jail property. More than 100 inmates could be housed in six trailers. A three-year lease would cost about $1.9 million.

Fencing, camera security systems, food, and additional staff would be needed as well, for an estimated cost of about $900,000, the sheriff said.

Both options would be temporary solutions until the existing jail could be expanded, Nocco said.

Pasco’s fire rescue department also has challenges in responding to emergency calls as the county’s population explodes.

“We’re responding to more calls every day as a result of population growth,” said Pasco Fire Chief Scott Cassin.

Currently, there generally are no new stations being built “where people are moving,” Cassin said.

One exception is a new fire station at Overpass Road in Wesley Chapel in an area booming with new development, including master-planned communities of Epperson and Mirada. Construction is slated to begin in May or June, Cassin said.

The need for more fire stations is apparent from current data, he added.

On Jan. 22, Cassin said there were 265 emergency calls. Response time for 90 percent of those calls was under 15 minutes, but he said, “The (call volume) is going off the chart.”

In 2017, fire rescue responded to about 71,000 emergency calls. That is expected to increase to about 100,000 in the next eight years.

To cover the county, about 65 percent of the time, fire trucks are sent to locations outside their assigned zones, which impacts response times, said Cassin.

In the next four years, Cassin said four new stations should be built.

They would be located at Suncoast Parkway and State Road 52; State Road 52 and Majestic Parkway; Meadow Pointe, by State Road 56; and Bexley, off State Road 54. In addition, five stations need to be expanded and upgraded, he said.

They would be at U.S. 41 and Central Boulevard; Seven Springs Boulevard; U.S. 19 and Cross Bayou Boulevard; Shady Hills; and, Crystal Springs.

If the bond were approved, the county would still need to find money for operational costs.

“That is something we’d have to figure out how to do,” said Pasco County Administrator Dan Biles.

County commissioners also face funding needs for necessary repairs and upgrades at county parks, and improvements to county libraries.

Pasco County Commissioner Kathryn Starkey would like to include parks and libraries in the same bond as the jails and fire rescue.

“Can’t we get revenue for capital repairs for a few more dollars?” Starkey said.

During the economic recession, funding for parks and libraries were repeatedly cut.

“There’s no doubt the parks have been stripped and stripped,” said Pasco County Chairman Mike Wells Jr.

Biles said he would provide additional information on funding parks and libraries at the Feb. 13 workshop.

Published February 7, 2018

‘Get Loud!’ takes aim at sexual assault, domestic violence

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Cheers normally reverberate through Wiregrass Ranch High School’s gymnasium when a boys basketball player on the home team scores.

That didn’t happen though during the initial minutes of the varsity team’s Jan. 30 game against Sunlake High School.

Instead, spectators remained silent, in response to signs being shown to them that said “Shhh” and “Be Quiet.”

Lots of people wore purple to a special event staged during the Jan. 30 basketball game between Wiregrass Ranch and Sunlake high schools. The goal was to raise awareness about the problems of power-based violence, including domestic violence and sexual assault. (B.C. Manion)

The crowd kept quiet until the ninth point was scored and then —responding to signs that said “Break the Silence” — spectators roared.

Obviously, there was a lot more going on than just a routine basketball game.

In fact, a full-fledged public awareness campaign was being staged, too.

Wiregrass Ranch High School’s basketball game was the venue for “Get Loud!”

The event was presented by the high school, in Wesley Chapel, in conjunction with the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay and Sunrise of Pasco County Inc. Domestic and Sexual Violence Center. It also was supported through a Tampa Bay Lightning Foundation Community Heroes grant.

Staying silent for nine points was intended to call attention to the fact that every 9 seconds in the United States a woman is assaulted or beaten.

Besides making people more aware of the problem, the event aims to spread the message that it’s time to break the silence about these forms of violence, which are sometimes deadly.

Wiregrass Ranch senior Gabby Azzolina led the efforts to bring the event to her school. She said people don’t realize the extent of the problem, and survivors don’t know where to turn for help.

“So many people don’t know there are facilities to help and numbers to call,” Azzolina said. “I want them to know that it’s OK to get loud about it, and break the silence. The Crisis Center’s number is 2-1-1.”

Mathematics teacher Amy Munroe helped Azzolina to organize the event at Wiregrass Ranch.

Munroe said she was happy to help when she was asked. She hopes that more people will begin talking about the problem, as a result of the event.

“Just to be able to talk about it, is a big deal,” Munroe said.

Buttons at the ‘Get Loud!’ event helped spread the message of the problems of sexual assault and domestic violence.

Dottie Urbanek Nash, director of education and prevention for Sunrise, said these kinds of events are important.

“Awareness campaigns like this are wonderful. They do a lot to get the word out about what’s happening, locally. Unfortunately, we tend to think that domestic violence doesn’t happen here,” she said.

It’s also important for people to know there are ways to help prevent these types of violence, she said.

The Wiregrass Ranch event evolved out of a conversation between Gabby’s mom, Madeline Azzolina, and Denise Cassedy, whose daughter, Katie, initiated the first “Get Loud!” event at Robinson High School two years ago.

After Katie graduated, her sister, Carolina, got involved, and now — Robinson, Plant and Hillsborough high schools in Tampa have “Get Loud!” events.

Wiregrass Ranch intends to make this an annual event, Munroe said.

Some sobering statistics

  • One of every three women have been victims of some form of physical violence by an intimate partner within her lifetime. The same is true for one in every four men.
  • One in five women has been sexually assaulted.
  • One in seven women has been stalked. The same is true for one in 18 men.
  • Nearly two-thirds of all sexual assaults are not reported to the police.

Source: The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence.

Do you need help? Call 2-1-1

Published February 7, 2018

North Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce makes debut

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A new chamber came into view last summer with the merger of The Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce and The Greater Pasco Chamber of Commerce.

Now a new name is representing the combined chambers, which will now be known as the North Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce, according to an email sent to chamber members from Zack Kalarickal, the chamber’s board chairman.

Zack Kalarickal, chairman of the board of directors for North Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce

The name brings “renewed focus on the broader geography that is home to those we serve and consistent with the momentum of this evolving community,” the email states.

National and international businesses are seeking to invest in Pasco County’s growth, and the new name provides “a readily identifiable location,” as well as describing the inclusive nature of the merged chamber, according to the email.

The North Tampa Bay chamber has about 830 members and is the largest in Pasco County. It serves Wesley Chapel, New Tampa, Lutz, Land O’ Lakes, Trinity, Odessa and New Port Richey.

“We happen to be in a great part of the county with so much dynamic growth,” said Kalarickal, a dentist and owner of Wesley Chapel Dentistry.

The North Tampa Bay name acknowledges that growth, but Kalarickal said the chamber will “co-brand” the uniqueness of every community within its membership.

In his email, he cites the long history of Wesley Chapel and its chamber, which began in 1998 with only a small group of business owners.

It had grown in recent years to nearly 600 members prior to merging with the Greater Pasco chamber in July.

In January, the chamber moved to a new location at 1868 Highland Oaks Blvd., Suite A. The office is in the Highland Oaks Medical Center, off State Road 54.

In the next months, more transition work is needed, Kalarickal said.

The board of directors went from 17 to 24 members.

A day-long planning session was held to discuss an overall strategic plan. Standing committees were formed.

And, North Tampa Bay members were invited to participate in a logo design contest. The winning entry will be announced on March 8.

For information, call the chamber at (813) 994-8534.

Published February 7, 2018

Reptiles rule at GatorWorld

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At this Central Florida tourist attraction, there are hundreds of alligators — to be seen, fed, and in some cases, touched.

GatorWorld Parks of Florida opened its gates to visitors of all ages last fall, in Wildwood, on State Route 44 in Sumter County.

Young gators wait on a platform for visitors to feed them from above with morsels of turkey sausage. (Fred Bellet)

The 15-acre park, off Interstate 75, is a family friendly attraction.

Visitors can drive through the park and have prime viewing of more than 400 alligators in their natural Florida habitat.

When they enter the park through the main gateway on Highway 44, visitors drive onto a gravel roadway that snakes through the front end of the park. As they drive along, visitors get close-up views of full-grown gators lounging in roadside pools — behind protective fencing, of course.

Specially constructed pools surround the enclosed common areas for gators to wander, simulating their natural habitat.

It another section of the park, visitors can feed smaller gators from a raised platform by dangling poles — specifically built for that purpose — which often have a morsel of turkey sausage for the gators.

GatorWorld Parks of Florida guide and alligator handler, Inverness resident, Gavin Courterier, 17, taped the mouth shut of a baby alligator before visitors were permitted to pet the creature. His father, Casey Courterier, handles the larger alligators.

For those who want a bit more adventure, it’s even possible to hold and pet some of the baby gators. These gators, which are about a year old, have their snouts taped shut, to allow them to be safely caressed.

Just a handful of the park’s gators can be touched, since they’ve become socialized over time, said Gavin Courterier, a 17-year-old guide and alligator handler at GatorWorld.

“At first they were trying to not be held at all, but they get used to it. They stay pretty calm,” Courterier said, as he gently held a baby gator for guests to pet.

He noted, these young creatures grow about 2 inches to 3 inches a year, in their their new, stable habitat. “They can control their heart rate and metabolism so that they don’t grow too quick,” he said.

Gavin’s father, Casey Courterier, is also an alligator handler at the park.

He became comfortable with the reptilian species after several months of studying their tendencies, watching videos and learning to handle farm-raised gators. The job now comes second nature to him.

“They’re like dogs,” Casey Courterier said, as he used the butt end of a rake to calmly direct a full-grown gator in a pen. “They all have their own personalities. They’ll let you know how close you can get. They talk just like a dog would. They hiss instead of growl. They’ll get angry if I get into my feeding position with my bell and don’t feed them. They’ll make funny noises at you, like, ‘Come on, get with the program.’”

Besides its unique offering to tourists, GatorWorld Park has created a sanctuary for alligators, young and old.

Park officials work with a network of trappers, including the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, to acquire its gator stock.

Founder of GatorWorld Parks of Florida Don Buckner said the time was right for for GatorWorld Park.

The 400-plus gators come from Florida, Mississippi and Louisiana, and even South America and northern Mexico.

The largest gator on the property measures almost 13 feet. Countless others measure between 7 feet and 9 feet.

Some are rescued gators. Others are nuisance gators removed — which would have been sold for their hide and meat.

“They get to retire here peacefully, instead of being a nuisance to all of the golfers around the state at night, especially in The Villages,” said Mary Wymer, who handles marketing and communications for GatorWorld.

In the secure environment, where they are fed and cared for, these gators can live up to 80 years, compared to 40 years to 45 years in the wild.

“You can tell by their behavior a farm-raised (gator) versus a nuisance,” Casey Courterier said. “But, it only takes a short amount of time for them to calm down and enjoy the resort habitat they have.”

GatorWorld was founded and developed by Don Buckner, an entrepreneur credited with starting Vac-Tron Equipment. That company, headquartered in Okahumpka, designs and manufactures a brand of portable environmental vacuum clean-up equipment.

Visiting from Nashville, Tennessee, 4-year-old Cosby Turner finds himself in a tight spot, between his dad Brice Turner and a baby alligator his dad was checking out in the park’s petting area. The baby alligator’s snout is taped shut because young teeth tend to be sharp.

Buckner’s idea for “building a business around alligators” has been in the works for years.

Buckner was part of a trade delegation to South America, back in 2000, accompanying Jeb Bush, who was then Florida’s governor.

The Orlando Tourism Commission was on the trip, too, and Buckner took part in discussions about tourist interests in Florida. He soon learned that “seeing an alligator” ranks up there with visiting theme parks and the beach by out-of-state tourists visiting Florida.

Buckner developed the GatorWorld trademark around 2004, then decided to finally make it a reality after investing some capital in recent years.

“There’s 110 million tourists that come to Florida every year,” Buckner said, “so why not capitalize on some of that?”

Thinking outside the box, he conceived of a “drive-through” alligator park, where visitors could get a comprehensive experience in an hour or less.

“The challenges to see an alligator are pretty high,” Bucker explained. “There’s ways to do it, but it’s an all-day affair, it’s expensive, and the location’s not ideal. So those three things we tried to overcome by being in the right location, having the right cost and then not taking all day.”

There’s more than just alligators to see, too.

Casey Courterier knows his alligators. Feeding and maintaining the alligator’s environment, Courterier has no problem with the 7-foot, 8-foot and 9-foot alligators.

The park also features a petting zoo with goats, sheep and pigs, chickens, miniature cows, and even a bunny farm.

Adding a petting zoo to the main attraction was a concept that just evolved over time, Buckner said, anticipating young visitors would also enjoy the opportunity to interact with small animals in a friendly setting.

Said Buckner, “I call it a ‘might as well.’ We did the feeding stations, so we might as well have bunnies, might as well have rabbits, might as well have chickens; who knows what the next ‘might as well’ is.”

Park hours are Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., in the winter. GatorWorld Parks of Florida is closed Sundays.

Entry fee for the drive-through park is $22 per adult, with various discounts for veterans, children and seniors.

For information, visit GatorWorldParks.com.

Published February 7, 2018

Mission 22 helps fight the war on veteran suicides

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U.S. military personnel are trained to go into combat and face deadly dangers, but it turns out that adjusting to life after leaving active duty can sometimes pose greater perils.

That was the message that Shawn Huber brought to the Jan. 23 luncheon meeting of the Rotary Club of Lutz at the Heritage Harbor Country Club.

Shawn Huber, an ambassador for Mission 22, talks about the problem of military veteran suicides during a Rotary Club of Lutz meeting on Jan. 23. An estimated 20 veterans die by suicide each day, according to research by the department of Veteran Affairs. (B.C. Manion)

Huber, an ambassador for Mission 22, talked about that organization’s efforts to reduce the number of veterans who lose their lives to suicide.

An estimated 20 veterans die by suicide each day, according to research by the department of Veterans Affairs.

It’s a problem that led to the creation of Mission 22, said Huber, noting that he went to high school with one of the group’s original founders.

“What Mission 22 is looking for is financial donations to get these guys through treatment,” he said. It also needs ambassadors to help organize local events.

So many wounded warriors have injuries that cannot be seen, Huber said.

“People are like: ‘How do you know when people are going through this?’

“You don’t.

“If you’re missing an arm or a leg, I know you’ve been injured, right? But, if you don’t show any outward sign of injury — it’s all internal — people pass it off as if there is nothing wrong with you,” Huber said.

“The thing about military families — the wives and children know that Dad comes and goes. “What happens when Dad comes home and stays home. They don’t know how to handle them,” Huber said. “They try to ‘fix’ them.”

Veterans leave the service, where they were part of a team and had a specific role, to return to society, where they are no longer part of that team and can’t find a job that correlates with the one they left, Huber said.

“You were trained to do a job, and that job doesn’t exist,” Huber said.

Many are suffering from PTSD, too.

“They start drinking. They’re doing drugs,” he said.

“There are people that I’ve talked to — who have been on between 25 and 47 different drugs at once,” Huber added.

Some people who end their life by suicide choose that route, he said, because “in their minds, sometimes, this is the easiest way for them not put a burden on their friends and their family,” he said.

When someone ends his or her life, people often wonder: “What is the one thing that pushes them over the edge?” Huber said. “It’s not one thing.”

And, it’s often not easy to tell who might need some help, Huber added.

“You very rarely will find out who in your neighborhood is coming back from the military, unless they’re damaged physically and they’re missing a limb,” he said.

“We want to create awareness,” Huber added.

“What I’ve volunteered to do is that when people are ready and they want to make a change in their lives, I take them from where they are, to better.

Mission 22 has two treatment programs that focus on Traumatic Brain Injury and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. The goal is not to medicate and mask the problems our veterans are facing, but to heal them. The creation of these Mission 22 Healing Projects will allow us to support even more veterans through groundbreaking treatments.

One program can be done at home, and the other is done at a treatment facility in North Carolina.

For specifics about each program, visit Mission22.com.

Published February 7, 2018

Horses, quilts and homespun skills

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Attendees snapped open lawn chairs to settle back and watch festivities at the annual Farm Festival and Quilt Show. (Richard K. Riley)

Pioneer Florida Museum & Village put the spotlight on farm life, and the homespun skills passed down through generations at its annual Farm Festival and Quilt Show.

The event was held on museum grounds in Dade City on Feb. 4 and Feb. 5.

Large crowds gathered during the Draft Horse Pulling Competition to cheer their favorite teams. The contest pitted 20 horse teams against each other, each demonstrating horse power and strength.

Two horses went head-to-head in the horse pulling contest.

Local quilters exhibited their sewing skills, with displays of quilts in all colors, sizes and designs. Quilts, clothing remnants and supplies also were available for purchase.

Festival-goers could watch cane grinding and syrup-making, stroll through an arts and crafts show, shop with vendors and enjoy folk musicians.

A 1914 Ford Model T was among several antique cars on display.

Published February 7, 2018

Linda MacDonald, of Zephyrhills, inspects the stitching on a quilt being judged at the Farm Festival and Quilt Show in Dade City.
Dulcimer Connection entertained with classic and folk music.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bill Scaife makes adjustments on a quilting machine that is for sale at his business, Itching for Stitching.
Joyce Duncan, of Dade City, sat in her husband’s 1914 Ford Model T at an antique vehicle show.

Pasco joins lawsuit seeking opioid settlement

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Pasco County has joined the national trend for municipalities to fight back against distributors and manufacturers of opioid medications.

County commissioners voted to become one of several plaintiffs in litigation that seeks to replicate the kind of payouts attorneys won in the late 1990s against the tobacco industry.

Pensacola-based Levin Papantonio will represent Pasco County. The law firm is part of a consortium that is pursuing lawsuits in several states including West Virginia, Ohio and Kentucky.

Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco (File)

At stake is money that could be made available to the county for drug addiction treatment and the costs to law enforcement.

Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco spoke in favor of the lawsuit, prior to the county commissioners’ vote on Jan. 23 in New Port Richey.

“We feel the epidemic every day,” Nocco said.

In 2016, Pasco County had 165 drug overdose deaths, and 120 were related to opioids.

This is a legacy of marketing strategies that promoted prescription opioids as safe and nonaddictive, the sheriff said.

“It’s actually a pill that made them addicts,” Nocco said. “Someone is accountable for it. They should be sued,” the sheriff said.

Nocco noted the unexpected consequences from the state’s successful closure of pill mills, which distributed the opioids. He said people addicted to prescription pain medications turned to other sources, including heroin and fentanyl.

The sheriff recalled an instance when officers found a man beating on the chest of a homeless man. Initially, it appeared to be an assault. Instead, Nocco said it was a heroin overdose.

“He was trying to revive him,” Nocco said.

Pasco County deputies routinely carry Narcan, a medication that can help reverse the effects of an overdose.

In December, Pasco County commissioners heard a workshop presentation from attorney Jeff Gaddy, of Levin Papantonio.

The local law firm of Lucas/Magazine initially approached the county about the lawsuit proposal.

No upfront costs will be charged to the county. If a settlement is reached, attorneys would be eligible for a maximum 25 percent contingency fee from the county’s share of the settlement.

The lawsuits are filed against drug distributors and manufacturers. They allege that false claims were made about the safety of opioids, and excessive pill distribution that amounted to a “public nuisance.”

The lawsuits also allege that distributors failed to report suspicious orders to the federal Drug Enforcement Administration, as required by law.

Any settlement would seek to establish abatement funds that would be used to recoup public dollars spent battling the opioid crisis.

Published January 31, 2018

Rezoning of some west Pasco schools invalid, judge says

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A circuit court judge has invalidated school rezoning actions by the Pasco County School Board for some of the district’s west schools, citing violations of a public notice requirement and of the state’s Sunshine Law.

In a ruling dated Jan. 10, Circuit Court Judge Kimberly Sharpe Byrd determined that members of the district’s boundary committee “held discussions on Boundary Committee business outside of a noticed public hearing, and when it held breakout sessions of the middle school and high school groups.”

The school board also violated a section of the state’s public notice requirements, according to the judge.

Pasco County Schools Superintendent Kurt Browning addresses reporters during a news conference about a judge’s decision to invalidate rezoning of some west Pasco schools based on the judge’s findings of Sunshine Law and public notice requirements. (B.C. Manion)

The judge’s ruling did not affect any zonings involving schools in other parts of the county.

In response to Byrd’s findings, Pasco School Superintendent Kurt Browning held a news conference to discuss the ruling and talk about the district’s next steps.

“Our attorneys are currently determining how to respond to the order,” he said, and It will be up to the Pasco County School Board to decide how to proceed.

Meanwhile, Browning gave parents of all students affected by the invalidated rezoning the opportunity to choose to return to the school they were rezoned from, or stay where they are at, for the rest of the school year.

Parents had the opportunity, before Jan. 20, to indicate their wishes via a form on the district’s website.

“Parents who don’t complete the form will be presumed to want (their student) to stay in their current school,” Browning said.

“We believe it would be entirely disruptive of us to just literally give parents no choice, give students no choice and pick them up out of classrooms, let’s say Friday, and Monday they start back at Seven Springs Middle and J.W. Mitchell (High School),” Browning said.

The vast majority of parents opted to keep their children at the school they had been reassigned to attend.

During the news conference, Browning said the district expects to rezone schools again before the beginning of the 2018-2019 school year, so it is possible that someone could choose to leave River Ridge to go back to J.W. Mitchell, and then be rezoned back into River Ridge again.

“The same thing could be said of Seven Springs Middle and River Ridge Middle, as well,” he said.

It is possible that the upcoming rezoning on the west side of the district will include additional schools, Browning said.

That rezoning will be done using the district’s new rezoning procedure, Browning said.

“I eliminated the boundary committee. The committee was problematic,” Browning said. “I think this order exposed that there were opportunities for possible Sunshine violations, and according to the judge (there were) four Sunshine violations.”

Besides citing communications outside of committee meetings, the judge also had a problem with breakout sessions used.

Individuals could not hear what was going during them, and there were sidebar conversations, Browning said.

“It’s problematic. I think If you are going to be making public decisions, they need to be made in the public, where people can hear them and they can participate at the appropriate time.

“I think this has taught us a lesson. I think it will send a message to school districts and county commissions and local governments across the state,” Browning said.

Under the new rezoning procedure, the superintendent determines a rezoning is needed, has proposed boundaries prepared, takes them to a public workshop and then takes the final recommendation to the school board for action.

“It follows the process that the department of transportation uses when they go to site a road,” Browning said.

Browning said he understands that parents don’t want their children to be rezoned.

“As a parent of two boys that went through this system, I would not want to be told that I’m going to have to take my children out of Pasco High School, where I went to school, where my mother went to school and send them to another school in Pasco County.

“Fundamentally, it’s aggravating,” he said.

However, the district has to accommodate growth and must redraw boundaries to address school crowding, Browning said.

Published January 31, 2018