The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

Local News

Shoe Carnival steps into Land O’ Lakes

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Shoe Carnival will host a grand opening in the Village Lakes Shopping Center on April 1, real estate officials with the shoe company have announced.

That’s no April Fool’s Day joke.

The store is planning a soft opening a few days before, on March 27.

The new shoe shop will be located in a suite next door to Ross Dress for Less.

Shoe Carnival is planning a grand opening in a storefront next to Ross Dress for Less, at the Village Lakes Shopping Center in Land O’ Lakes.
(Kathy Steele)

Construction workers are busy getting the approximately 7,800-square-foot store ready for its debut.

Village Lakes Shopping Center opened in the 1980s.

Former occupants in the center included Walmart and Sweetbay Supermarket, which formerly was Kash n Karry.

Center tenants now include Ross Dress for Less, Marshalls, You Fit Health Club, Dollar Tree and Beef O’ Brady’s.

The national chain shoe store conducts research to determine locations, largely zeroing in on “underserved” markets, said Jeff Fink, vice president of Shoe Carnival’s real estate department.

“We liked the shopping center, and we liked the community,” Fink said.

Other Shoe Carnival stores in the region operate in Tampa, Bradenton, Brandon, Largo, St. Petersburg and Spring Hill.

Published March 29, 2017

Ford’s Garage to open across from Tampa Premium Outlets

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Ford’s Garage, a restaurant that opened its first location in Fort Myers in 2012 and has been in expansion mode since, is bringing its brand of dining to a booming area off State Road 56.

This is a sneak peak of what the new Ford’s Garage, built off of State Road 56, will look like.
(Courtesy of Joe Sale)

The new location is scheduled to open the week of April 3.

Besides the Fort Myers location and the new site in Central Pasco, Ford’s Garage has restaurants in Cape Coral, Estero and Brandon, as well.

“Our entire team has been working hard to prepare for this expansion,” Marc Brown, managing partner, said in a news release.

“We are excited to introduce our innovative and entertaining dining experience to new friends in Wesley Chapel and its surrounding areas,” he added.

Ford’s Garage is a tribute to the legendary Henry Ford. The original Ford’s Garage is in Historic Downtown Fort Myers, just minutes from Henry Ford’s winter estate.

Ford’s Garage combines the look of a 1920s service station with the feel of a modern-day prime burger and craft beer joint, the news release says.

Its menu includes a variety of burgers all served on a Brioche or European pretzel bun. It also serves comfort dishes, such as Chicken Henry and the Pulled Pork Mac N’ Cheese.

A look at what’s on the menu for the new Ford’s Garage location, scheduled to open during the week of April 3 off State Road 56, across from Tampa Premium Outlets.
(Courtesy of Sky Strategic Marketing)

“We pride ourselves in having a relentless drive for quality in our food, drink, atmosphere and customer service,” Brown says.

The new location is at 25526 Sierra Center Blvd., directly across from the Tampa Premium Outlets.

The Ford’s Garage brand is officially licensed by the Ford Motor Company.

Ford’s Garage, operated and managed by 23 Restaurant Services, is planning to add locations in Westchase, Countryside, St. Petersburg and Lakeland, in Florida. It also is planning new locations in Dearborn, Michigan and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

For more information, visit FordsGarageUSA.com.

Published March 22, 2017

Land O’ Lakes buses to roll out in May

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Land O’ Lakes residents can soon step aboard buses on a special circular route through the community.

By May 22, Pasco County expects to begin the new route. A tentative ribbon cutting will be on May 18 at a bus stop at the Land O’ Lakes Community Center, at 5401 Land O’ Lakes Blvd.

The first buses would roll a few days later.

A Land O’ Lakes circulator bus route is scheduled to begin by May 22.
(Courtesy of Pasco County)

The announcement came at a March 9 board meeting of the Pasco County Metropolitan Planning Organization in Dade City.

Previously, county officials had hoped to begin the route in March.

“This is going to be another win for Pasco County,” said Kevin Hoyt, the county’s transportation operations manager. “We are all extremely excited.”

The route will move north on U.S. 41 with bus stops that include the Central Pasco Chamber of Commerce, the Land O’ Lakes Community Center, the post office, Land O’ Lakes High School and the detention center.

A loop eastward along State Road 54 will have stops at Collier Commons and the Land O’ Lakes Branch Library.

There also will be a stop at the Target Super Store on North Dale Mabry Highway, where riders can transfer to buses operated by the Hillsborough County Area Regional Transit system, known as HART.

The Land O’ Lakes circulator route is one of three the county put on its 2017 list of capital improvement projects.

Estimated costs for the circulator route were about $300,000 a year for operations, and a one-time purchase of a bus at a cost of about $110,000.

Two other routes along State Road 54 and in the Moon Lake area of New Port Richey already are operating.

Published March 22, 2017

Zephyrhills adding new technician

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To help the city of Zephyrhills address annexations, rezoning and land-use changes, a new technician is being added to the municipal payroll.

A Geographic Information Systems (GIS) technician is being added to help manage the city’s geographical database.

The technician will provide ongoing mapping analysis for the city.

The Zephyrhills City Council unanimously approved the new position on March 13, and the job was advertised on March 14.

For the current budget year, the technician will be regular part-time with no benefits, Steve Spina, the city manager said.

The city of Zephyrhills plans to hire a full-time Geographic Information Systems technician to assist with future mapping and planning analysis for the municipality.
(File)

The job, however, may become full-time “with a salary not to exceed $39, 239.69.”

The position, meanwhile, will be paid out of the city’s General Fund, Utility Fund and Sanitation Fund, due to the variety of work involved.

During the past decade, various city employees have contributed to the creation and management of the city’s GIS database, incorporating GIS shape data files, information and maps.

For instance, the assistant city planner’s job description allocates 10 percent of job duties toward GIS.

The city also has a planning intern, Kevie Defranc, assisting the utilities department with GIS mapping.

Defranc, a student in University of South Florida’s Masters of Urban Planning program, recently discovered several properties annexed into Zephyrhills that were not on the city’s tax roll.

Defranc’s findings reportedly brought in several thousand dollars to the city, including one parcel that uncovered $50,000 in unpaid taxes.

But, as workloads pile up, Spina said the city now requires a single point of contact “educationally trained to handle the duties and responsibilities” of GIS.

Addressing the council, Spina said it took city staff about a year and a half to upgrade all of the city’s maps, and reform rezoning and land use changes, from prior years.

Moreover, he noted, all of the city’s GIS data and maps will need continual updates, as the city grows and develops.

In addition to planning, the technician will assist other departments on special projects, such as categorizing dumpster locations, utility line locations and sidewalks throughout the city.

“The position’s a real asset to the planning department,” Spina said. “There’s just a wealth of things that can be done, in addition to the planning.”

Public works director Shane Leblanc also addressed the council to offer his support for the newly created position.

Leblanc said GIS responsibilities could prove even more critical once the city transitions to an automated garbage collection, where optimized routes for drivers can be identified and developed.

“As technology evolves, GIS is just going to continue to be a more important asset, especially for public works,” Leblanc said.

Published March 22, 2017

Larkin’s legacy goes beyond ‘tough guy’ reputation

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William M. Larkin’s reputation for being a tough character outlasted his lifetime.

Known as “The Meanest Man in Pasco County,” some people still recall that moniker applied to the Dade City man, nearly a half century after his death in 1973.

William M. Larkin is photographed on his land that was later donated to the Pioneer Florida Museum and Village.
(Courtesy of Rabun L. Battle Collection)

Larkin reinforced that image by keeping a single-shot .22 rifle in the gun rack of his truck — a statement that often left a lasting impression with young cowboys.

“Someone once wrote a letter to him, but they didn’t know his address,” said Bobby Tesar, recalling Larkin’s legendary reputation. “So, they addressed the letter to “The Meanest Man in Pasco County”—and he got the letter!”

But, Larkin is known around Pasco County for much more than being considered a man with a difficult disposition.

During his lifetime, he was a cattleman and lawyer, a member of the Pasco County School Board and the chairman of the Southwest Florida Water Management District.

He established the first Santa Gertrudis herd in Florida in the early 1940s.

“He gave the first bull “Rex” water and hay while penned in his side yard on Church Avenue,” said Ray Battle, who is Larkin’s cousin.

Larkin transported Rex from Texas, in a trailer he pulled with his own car.

Larkin’s neighbors soon would learn all about Rex and about Pancho, a 6-foot tall sire brought to Dade City from the world-famous King Ranch in south Texas. That ranch, founded in 1853, now stretches into six Texas counties, encompassing 825,000 acres.

U.S. 98 split the Larkin Ranch after its construction in the early 1950s, but it still has two cattle underpasses, similar to the one pictured here. William M. Larkin came up with the idea, to herd his cattle from Polk County to Pasco County.
(Courtesy of Doug Sanders)

The Larkins made frequent trips to King Ranch, to expand their cattle herd in Pasco County.

In 1940, the United States Department of Agriculture recognized what Larkin already knew: Santa Gertrudis was a distinctive beef breed, adaptable to most climates.

“A Santa Gertrudis female can remain in production well past her 12th birthday and may stay in the breeding herd as long as 18 years,” reports the current Santa Gertrudis Breeders International website.

Gaining additional calves over other cattlemen in Pasco County was perhaps a key reason that Larkin began searching for more land.

Another primary reason was the success of his law practice that he operated along with his brother, E. B. Larkin.

This painting of ‘Pancho,’ the Larkin’s most prolific Santa Gertrudis bull, hung for many years at the Crest Restaurant in downtown Dade City.
(Courtesy of Doug Sanders)

Larkin’s law practice enabled him to begin extensive land buying, including acreage along the Withlacoochee and Hillsborough rivers, Battle said.

“He also had his eye on some rich land north of Dade City, which he got from 41 different property owners,” Battle added.

With hundreds of acres along County Road 35-A (Old Lakeland Highway) and the Atlantic Coastline Railroad, Larkin would complain that the exit to his ranch was blocked whenever the train was parked there for long periods of time.

At breakfast one morning at the Crest Restaurant, Larkin told Charles Edwards that the train had pulled away that day with nearly half of the cars left behind.

“He said that he disconnected them!” Edwards recalled.

“I asked him about it a few months later, and he said they hadn’t parked there again,” Edwards added.

Larkin used the railroad to his advantage when unloading large bulldozers at the depot to help begin constructing levees on that rich land north of Dade City.

Draining the swampy marshes with high hammocks into improved pasture “required a dragline and expensive labor,” Battle explained.

Purchased in 1924, the Larkin home on Church Avenue was originally built as a three-room cottage in 1884. It was part of a 10-acre spread that was later platted as one of the first subdivisions in Dade City.
(Courtesy of Doug Sanders)

Larkin also brought seven pumps with 28-inch propellers from South Florida to discharge water into what became the Duck Lake Canal.

The canal remains a major drainage system, along with the Larkin Canal, for the greater Dade City area and that rich land still known as “The Little Everglades Ranch.”

Larkin was responsible for drafting the fence law for the Florida Legislature, and because of its 1949 passage, Florida remains a ”closed range” state — making cattle drives through the state’s towns and cities a thing of the past.

To abide by the ruling and to keep cattle on his own land, Larkin fenced 15,000 acres, stretching from north Dade City to south of the Polk County line.

So in addition to his reputation for being difficult, Larkin was known for quite a few accomplishments.

Plus, not everyone believed he was mean.

Kitty Register Fisher recalls the time when her father was in the hospital and her mother had just lost a baby.

“We were getting really low on food, and Mr.  Larkin showed up with food to help us.

“To my family he was a good man,” Fisher said.

Could it be — that beneath that tough exterior — William M. Larkin, of Dade City, was actually a nice guy?

Doug Sanders has a penchant for unearthing interesting stories about local history. His sleuthing skills have been developed through his experiences in newspaper and government work. If you have an idea for a future history column, contact Doug at .

Published March 22, 2017

Former police station to become temporary city hall

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As construction on the new City Hall complex ramps up, Zephyrhills city staff will shuffle operations to a familiar building.

Beginning this summer, most city departments will relocate temporarily into the former Zephyrhills police station, at 5344 Ninth St.

Construction on a new $6.2 million City Hall complex is slated to begin this summer. The plan calls for a two-story building of 19,615 square feet, situated between the city’s public library and fire department on Eighth Street.
(File)

City council members approved a 12-month lease agreement between the city and Dannie Jordan, of RTD Construction. It calls for the city to pay $4,000 per month for use of the 5,200-square-foot building, from June 1 to May 1.

The city also has an exclusive option to extend the contract month-to-month for up to six months.

Council members took the action on March 13, during a regularly scheduled meeting.

Once the staff has moved, the existing City Hall, at 5335 Eighth St, will be demolished to make way for construction of a new $6.2 million complex.

The plan, which was approved in January, calls for a two-story building of 19,615 square feet, situated between the city’s public library and fire department on Eighth Street.

With a modern stone and brick exterior, the new City Hall follows an architectural template similar to the Zephyrhills Public Library.

Compared to the current City Hall, the complex’s interior will be equipped with more open workspaces and multifunctional meeting rooms.

Meanwhile, the former police station will accommodate most city departments, as construction is ongoing.

However, two departments — Planning and Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) — will set up shop in the Jeffries House, at 38537 Fifth Ave.

As construction begins on a new City Hall complex, government employees will relocate temporarily into the former Zephyrhills police station, at 5344 Ninth St. The city signed a 12-month lease to use the 5,200-square-foot building between June 17 and May 1.
(Courtesy of City of Zephyrhills)

City Manager Steve Spina said the old police station is move-in ready, and has lines already pre-wired for city-owned computers and phones.

“The building will be a perfect fit for us in terms of a relocation site during the construction of the new city hall,” Spina said.

Only a few minor changes are needed, such as widening a window for customers to access the City Clerk’s office, Spina said.

Besides ample workspace, the old police quarters should result in some cost savings for the city, which originally budgeted $120,000 for a relocation site.

In other related action, the city council approved the purchase of the Disabled American Veterans (DAV) chapter building, at 5325 Eighth St.

The agreement calls for the city to pay the chapter $55,000 net, plus minimal closing costs.

The .16-acre property, appraised at $71,200, sits on two lots measuring 50 feet-by-140 feet.

In November, the council authorized obtaining an appraisal to determine the value of the property after DAV Chapter 65 announced it was shutting operations.

The now-vacant property — adjacent to the current City Hall along Sixth Avenue — includes a 924-square-foot main building, a 450-square-foot aluminum storage building and a 335-square-foot concrete block building.

The main DAV building was slated to provide temporary office space for the city’s Building Department, but an inspection unveiled various facility issues, including roof leakages.
The building instead will be torn down to make way for additional parking and sidewalks along Sixth Avenue.

The property, moreover, encompasses the city’s vision of a courtyard plaza and walkway, linking the new City Hall and the city’s public library, and fire department on Eighth Street.

“We’re buying it for the big picture,” Spina said last month. “Part of the appeal of the area is it would be a government complex.”

Published March 22, 2017

Bay Hope Church plans big expansion

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When Van Dyke Church began in 1985, it met in the cafeteria at Claywell Elementary School in Northdale, and the church was named for its planned future location, on Van Dyke Road in Lutz.

It never did build on Van Dyke Road, though, because the land was taken through eminent domain for the Veterans Expressway project, said Matthew Hartsfield, the church’s pastor.

Instead, the church was established at 17030 Lakeshore Road, where it remains today.

So, in a sense, it never was accurately named.

When the church felt a calling to expand its role, it also decided to change its name to Bay Hope to reflect its new vision and mission.

Matthew Hartsfield is pastor of Bay Hope Church, at 17030 Lakeshore Road in Lutz. The church is planning a $6 million project to enhance its children and student ministries, and is planning to create satellite campuses around Tampa Bay.
(B.C. Manion)

Bay Hope wants to be involved in reaching out to people throughout the Tampa Bay area, to offer them a church home, Hartsfield said.

But, it isn’t trying to attract all of those new disciples to its Lutz location.

It doesn’t feel called to create a mega-church in Lutz, or on another campus. Hartsfield said.

Instead, he said, “We felt God impress upon our hearts that we needed to multiply well beyond this campus.”

So, Bay Hope wants to help to revive churches that are faltering, to reopen those that have closed and to plant new ones in areas experiencing population growth, Hartsfield said.

The goal is to “mobilize 30,000 disciples of Jesus Christ in Tampa Bay, by the year 2030, for the transformation of the world,” Hartsfield said.

First though, Bay Hope wants to maximize the use of its current property in Lutz.

It expects to have a groundbreaking this summer for a $6 million project.

“We’ve been working with our architect to renovate the campus to primarily create whole new, innovative spaces for children’s and student ministries,” he said.

The spaces will be bright and airy, he said.

“The goal is to make the campus a lot more functional for families with children and teenagers,” Hartsfield said. The project also includes additional children and nursery space, as well, and a larger, relocated coffee house.

“It’s basically a campus refresh,” Hartsfield said.

While making those improvements, Bay Hope is also making plans to extend its reach into other communities.

“We felt God calling us to multiply campuses of Bay Hope Church, across Tampa Bay, to reach every neighborhood with a vital, local congregation of Bay Hope Church,” Hartsfield said.

There are two primary ways that will happen, he said.

One approach calls for reviving faltering churches or reopening churches that have closed.

There are churches across the Tampa Bay area that have a great legacy, “but just due to some natural church lifecycles, they no longer have the resources, they no longer have the people, so they’re either in decline, or they’ve already closed,” he said.

“A good number of them will already be United Methodist Churches, so we’re working with the Florida Conference on their strategy to reach every neighborhood. We’ll partner with the Florida Conference of the United Methodist Church to re-birth these legacy churches,” Hartsfield said.

The other approach calls for setting up new Bay Hope campuses in storefronts, schools, movie theaters or other locations, to provide a church home for people in growing communities.

“Some of these might be smaller, more targeted campuses in a small neighborhood. Some of them might be larger and more regionally connecting,” Hartsfield said.

“We want to be very open to the wind of the spirit, in terms of every geographic location in Tampa Bay, from urban to suburban to rural and to ethnically diverse campuses,” he added.

Bay Hope defines Tampa Bay as being Hillsborough, Pinellas and Pasco counties. Those counties are projected to have a total population of 3 million by 2030, and the goal is engage at least 1 percent of that number, or 30,000, as disciples of Christ, within that time frame, Hartsfield said.

In one sense, Bay Hope’s quest is in keeping with how the United Methodist Church took root.

“Our Wesleyan Methodist heritage is a basically multi-site heritage, from back in the circuit-riding days of John Wesley,” Hartsfield said.

Bay Hope’s initiative comes at a time when national reports reveal a continuing slide in membership rates among traditional congregational churches.

Hartsfield is not dissuaded.

“We don’t have a single discouraged or pessimistic bone in our body about connecting people to Jesus. We are wildly optimistic about bringing the hope of Jesus to Tampa Bay,” Hartsfield said.

Published March 22, 2017

Fitness expert offers tips to get healthy, stay healthy

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Are you really healthy?

That was the main question posed by fitness professional Casio Jones, during a recent Community Awareness Series event, presented by Pasco-Hernando State College.

Jones is the wellness director for Florida Hospital Zephyrhills CREATION Health and Wellness Center, at 38233 Daughtery Road.

Speaking to dozens of students, faculty and community members at Pasco-Hernando State College’s East Campus in Dade City, Casio Jones offered nutritional and fitness tips. He warned that poor diet choices and lack of exercise can lead to major issues later in life.
(Kevin Weiss)

Jones held an educational and interactive discussion on March 14 at PHSC’s East campus in Dade City.

There, he spoke to a classroom filled with students, faculty and members of the community.

Upbeat and energetic, Jones offered up a “Cliff Notes” version for maintaining health, and presented several pillars for living life to its fullest.

Jones, who holds a master’s in health administration challenged the members of the audience to match their health efforts with their financial efforts.

He probed: “All that money in your bank account — how does that benefit you when you’re in a hospital bed, or just are not feeling good?”

Good or poor health, he said, all comes down to lifestyle choices.

“It’s simple. The choices that we make can affect our ability to exist with, or without, a chronic disease,” Jones explained.

The health and fitness professional cited a statistic by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), claiming 90 percent of the 10 leading causes of death are due to poor lifestyle choices.

He added his own blunt assessment: “I think that’s our biggest threat to our nation.”

Moreover, 1.4 million Americans die each year from a combination of cancer, heart disease, diabetes and stroke, according to the CDC.

For Jones, the staggering figures strike close to his heart.
Several relatives, including his mother and brother, suffer from Type 2 diabetes.

“I refuse to have diabetes,” Jones said. “I make different choices in my life, because I know there’s a (family) flaw.”

He warned poor choices — unhealthy food and drinks, lack of exercise, smoking — can contribute to “bad consequences” over time.

“We have to have a new mindset,” Jones said, “that what I’m doing today can affect tomorrow.”

He advised the crowd to refrain from refined sugar, alcohol and processed foods.

Those products, Jones said, “destroy your body.”

“Moderation can be deceiving,” he explained. “A little bit adds up.”

Jones, too, suggested keeping meat intake under 10 percent of all food consumption, surprising many in the audience.

He said animal products, especially those high in saturated fat, should instead be substituted with plant-based foods.
“Your body needs clean, whole nutrients,” he explained. “If you don’t have the energy to exercise, it has a lot to do with how you eat. Your body needs fuel — the right fuel.”

Besides offering several dietary parameters, Jones’ presentation also centered on exercise — and ways to get more of it.

Setting achievable goals is a good way to start, he said.

His suggestions include using the stairs more often, parking far away from various shopping destinations and taking daily evening strolls with a friend.

Small changes can equal big results.

Finding an enjoyable activity or sport is yet another simple way to be more physically active, Jones said.
“Find excuses to move,” he said. “Discover something you enjoy doing.”

Jones’ talk also included the need to maintain emotional and mental well-being.

Adequate rest, getting outdoors each day and an overall optimistic attitude goes a long way toward relieving tension and stress, he said.

“Focus on the good things,” he said, “and don’t pay attention to the small, negative things.”

Since 2011, Jones was instrumental in overseeing the development of the new Florida Hospital Zephyrhills CREATION Health Wellness Center, which opened last February.

The 13,000-square-foot, 24-hour fitness facility offers various group classes, healthy living seminars and a wellness spa.

Since the grand opening more than a year ago, the facility’s membership has grown from 465 members to over 2,050 members, Jones said.

“We are enjoying the impact we are making in our community,” he said. “It’s just a safe environment for people to come and learn.”

For information, visit FHZWellness.com.

Published March 22, 2017

Dogs trot out a few new tricks on their day in Dade City

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Dogs were lapping up good times during Dogs’ Day in Dade City, on a beautiful Saturday at Agnes Lamb Park.

Dr. Jayapriya Raj of Florida Hospital, Zephyrhills’ Critical Care Office in Dade City, holds Mario and Kylo next to her son, Danny Moses, 9. They live in Wesley Chapel.
(Richard K. Riley)

Fifty-one dogs joined the dog parade at 10 a.m., and nearly two dozen competed in individual contests.

Dogs’ Day in Dade City, now in its eighth year, is an event that’s aimed at giving dogs a chance to have fun, while their owners have a good time, too.

Dogs, and their owners, could take part in an assortment of activities, and seemed to be enjoying themselves.

It was an event that attracted Dade City Mayor Camille Hernandez, Dade City Police Chief Ray Velboom, pageant queens, high school volunteers and pet owners from all sorts of places, including St. Petersburg and Boston.

There were also a variety of goodies on sale, both for pets and for their human companions.

Published March 22, 2017

Pasco, administrator agree to terms

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Daniel F. Biles has agreed to contract terms to become Pasco County’s next administrator.

The final step to hiring Biles is expected on March 28, when the Pasco County Commission will vote on Biles’ contract.

All five commissioners ranked Biles as their top choice on March 14, after a day of public and private interviews with the candidate.

Commissioners also authorized the board’s chairman, Mike Moore, to negotiate a contract with Biles.

Biles has signed off on the offer sheet, Moore said.

The new administrator will receive an annual salary of $220,000, under terms of the contract offer, Moore said.

Biles now works as deputy county manager in Jefferson County, Alabama, located in Birmingham.

Moore is delighted that Biles has accepted the offer.

“I’m definitely excited about it,” Moore said. “He’s going to bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to our area, at a time when we are seeing a lot of great things happening in the county.”

Pasco is growing in both population and economic development, Moore noted.

The chairman also expects Biles to play an instrumental role when it comes to infrastructure and stormwater projects because of the knowledge that Biles has developed through his previous experiences.

Biles will replace County Administrator Michele Baker, who is retiring. She has been in the role since 2013, following a lengthy career with the county.

In addition to his work in Jefferson County, Biles served in the military and worked in private business.

Biles was among a list of 11 candidates recommended by the Chicago-based recruitment firm of GovHR USA. Commissioners decided to interview five of those candidates.

Both Moore and Commissioner Mike Wells said Biles stood out, among a pool of top-notch candidates.

Both were impressed by the combination of skills and experiences that Biles brings to the role.

Moore also appreciated the way Biles conducted himself throughout the interview process.

Biles appeared to be relaxed and engaged, Moore said.

“I watched how he interacted with folks, during the meet-and-greet period,” Moore said. “He just felt at home, to me, talking to people.

“Something else that stood out is that his spouse flew down with him, too. His spouse came to the meet-and-greet. She sat with him, while he was interacting with others. She also came and sat in the public interviews that we did, as a group, too,” Moore said.

“Obviously, you really take it serious if you make that decision to bring your spouse down,” Moore said.

That fact didn’t escape Wells’ notice, either, and it left a positive impression.

Wells said Biles obviously had done his homework and, he said, Biles clearly values the importance of customer service.

Moore also noted: “When I had my private interview with him, too, going one on one, he was very comfortable during that conversation. I never felt once that he was trying to oversell me.”

Besides being factual, “he (Biles) was bringing great ideas to the table,” Moore said.

After commissioners offered Biles the job, Moore said he was chatting with him, and Biles mentioned that today’s technology will enable him to be out and about in the county, while remaining accessible.

Moore thinks that’s important.

“When you’re a leader like that, your team needs to see you, and the community needs to see you,” Moore said.

Published March 22, 2017