The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

Local News

Beach House to offer assisted living in Wesley Chapel

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Beach House Wiregrass Ranch is some distance from the seashore. But, the senior-living community in style and design will evoke the “good memories of the times families spend together,” according to Allan Brown Jr., co-owner of Prevarian Senior Living.

Brown and Pasco County Commissioner Mike Moore were among about a dozen people who attended the groundbreaking for Beach House on Nov. 1.

Beach House Wiregrass Ranch is a senior living community that will have about 100 residents in assisted living apartments for memory care suites. (Courtesy of Prevarian Senior Living)
Beach House Wiregrass Ranch is a senior living community that will have about 100 residents in assisted living apartments for memory care suites.
(Courtesy of Prevarian Senior Living)

The two-story, approximately 93,000-square-foot facility is expected to open in December 2017. It will be the third Beach House to open in Florida. Others are in Jacksonville and Naples.

“As the population grows in Wesley Chapel and Pasco County, there is a huge need for this assisted living facility,” said Moore, who previously owned a home health care business. “We don’t want to have to drive to Tampa and Hillsborough County to see our loved ones.”

Indeed, Wesley Chapel’s growth is a major reason company owners opted to build on a large parcel fronting State Road 56, at Hueland Pond Boulevard at Wiregrass Ranch.

The area is “amenity rich. It’s very family oriented with a lot of services like restaurants and shops,” said Brown.

Beach House is a short distance east of The Shops at Wiregrass, and the Pasco-Hernando State College Porter Campus.

Allan Brown Jr. (center in sunglasses), co-owner of Prevarian Senior Living, shovels dirt at the groundbreaking for Beach House Wiregrass Ranch, a senior living community that will open in 2017. Pasco County Commissioner Mike Moore (next to Brown) and Hope Allen (in red), executive director of The Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce, also shovel dirt. (Kathy Steele/Staff Photo)
Allan Brown Jr. (center in sunglasses), co-owner of Prevarian Senior Living, shovels dirt at the groundbreaking for Beach House Wiregrass Ranch, a senior living community that will open in 2017. Pasco County Commissioner Mike Moore (next to Brown) and Hope Allen (in red), executive director of The Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce, also shovel dirt.
(Kathy Steele/Staff Photo)

Restaurants, the Tampa Premium Outlets and the anticipated Florida Hospital Center Ice hockey complex also are nearby.

Beach House is an up-to-date living environment that supports senior living, but shouldn’t be confused with a nursing home, Brown said.

“We support health care needs, but we’re not a health care provider,” he added.

For health care, Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel is a nearby resource.

The senior community will have 67 alcove-style, one-bedroom or two-bedroom apartments for assisted living, and 33 suites for memory care residents with Alzheimer’s or dementia.

Residents will have a restaurant-style dining room, as well as a private dining room for family events. There also will be an activities room, salon and spa, a theater, and outdoor living areas.

Beach House Wiregrass Ranch also will have an Extended Congregate Care (ECC) license to allow long-term residency for aging residents, who can access additional health care as needed.

Published November 9, 2016

Distinguished rabbi speaks on interfaith relations

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A renowned rabbi, known affectionately as “the Pope’s rabbi,” thinks significant improvements have been made on the relationship between Catholics and Jews.

That religious leader — Rabbi Abraham Skorka, of Buenos Aires, Argentina — visited Saint Leo University on Nov. 1 for a series of public discussions on interreligious dialogue.

Skorka cultivated a friendship with Pope Francis in the mid-1990s, when Pope Francis was known as Archbishop Jorge Bergoglio. Together, the men wrote the book, “On Heaven and Earth,” published in 2010.

Rabbi Abraham Skorka, of Buenos Aires, Argentina, visited Saint Leo University on Nov. 1 for a series of speaking engagements on interfaith dialogue. (Courtesy of Amanda Topper)
Rabbi Abraham Skorka, of Buenos Aires, Argentina, visited Saint Leo University on Nov. 1 for a series of speaking engagements on interfaith dialogue.
(Courtesy of Amanda Topper)

The book is based on more than 30 TV shows they co-hosted in Argentina.

The 66-year-old Skorka described his association with Pope Francis as “a real friendship.”

“The relationship between us is not a political relationship,” Skorka said. “We share a common value — we speak openly from one to another.”

During the speaking engagement, Skorka heaped praise on Pope Francis, calling him an “extraordinary personality.”

“He tries to perform a real change in humanity,” he said. “He has spiritual courage.”

Deep dialogue, the rabbi said, is crucial to continuing to cultivate positive relationships between Christians and Jews.

“I do consider that there undoubtedly have been great improvements, but…dialogue depends on individuals. It’s not just a movement, but it depends on a great measure on the doing of individuals,” Skorka said.

He added: “If, in the future, we have people who have a great commitment in the concept of dialogue, then yes, we will go ahead.”

He added that Catholic-Jewish relations in the United States are “at a very good level.

“You already have organizations working on the theme,” he said, “and this is very important.”

However, Skorka said he’s witnessed a recent decrease in people practicing what he calls real faith, or living a “deep, religious life.”

He asked: “How many people are really living in a deep sense of religiosity?”

“We don’t really have great models — religious teachers. We are in need of them,” he said.

During his visit, Skorka was honored with the Eternal Light Award, which recognizes those who have made “outstanding contributions” to Catholic-Jewish relations. He was the award’s 13th recipient, presented by the Center for Catholic-Jewish Studies at Saint Leo University.

Matthew Tapie, the center’s director, also believes the relationship between Catholics and Jews “has become stronger” during the past two decades.

It’s partly due to the impact made by the late Pope John Paul II, Tapie said.

Pope John Paul II, who died in 2005, became the first pope known to have made an official papal visit to a synagogue, when he visited the Great Synagogue of Rome, in 1986. Additionally, he was the first pope to visit the German Auschwitz concentration camp in Poland, and often paid homage to Holocaust victims.

“His work is viewed by the Jewish community as enhancing the relationship between Jews and Catholics,” Tapie said.

Tapie said scholars feel the interfaith relationship can progress through interfaith partnerships for social justice action to help oppressed people.

“Part of the healing of relationships…has been Catholics being able to come to terms with a history of (Jewish) persecution,” Tapie said. “Insofar, the relationship is on the way to healing. There’s forgiveness, and forgiveness about a particular thing —persecution.”

Ida Margolis, who chairs GenShoah Southwest Florida, an organization for children of Holocaust survivors, agreed.

“It’s not just words, it’s deeds,” said Margolis.

“It’s the idea of getting to know one another,” she added.

Published November 9, 2016

Learning Gate dishes up a garden party

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Learning Gate Community School threw a garden party and invited its friends.

More than 80 parents, local garden club members and community leaders shared a luncheon feast in a glade beneath the branches of an ancient oak tree.

A short stroll away, fifth-graders guided lunch guests on a tour of the school’s working garden.

Anna Mitchell, 10, in headband, and Emily Slean, 10, explain Ceylon spinach to Hillsborough County Commissioner Ken Hagan and Principal Michelle Mason. (Kathy Steele/Staff Photos)
Anna Mitchell, 10, in headband, and Emily Slean, 10, explain Ceylon spinach to Hillsborough County Commissioner Ken Hagan and Principal Michelle Mason.
(Kathy Steele/Staff Photos)

Kindergarteners through fifth-graders also entertained at the luncheon with songs about nature and Mother Earth.

The annual event, in its third year, brought the school family and the community together to take a peek at what Learning Gate is all about.

“It’s so nice to see people come into our world and see what we’re doing here,” said Principal Michelle Mason.

Learning Gate abides by the motto, “Nature is our best teacher,” and has received a national award for its EcoFest, held each year at Lowry Park Zoo.

“It’s kind of like a secret, a hidden jewel here,” said Michelle Northrup, marketing and parent involvement facilitator. “Our students work in the garden everyday. We do a lot of projects, based on hands-on learning.”

The charter school for kindergarten through sixth grade is tucked away in a wooded area off Hanna Road in Lutz. A school campus for seventh and eighth grades is on Lutz Lake Fern Road.

The school’s hands-on approach can help students build confidence.

Gabrielle Cruz and Alejandro Armstrong and cherries Gabrielle Cruz, 10, and Alejandro Armstrong, 10, got a cool assignment to talk about a Jamaica cherry tree on a warm day at the Learning Gate garden party.
Gabrielle Cruz and Alejandro Armstrong and cherries
Gabrielle Cruz, 10, and Alejandro Armstrong, 10, got a cool assignment to talk about a Jamaica cherry tree on a warm day at the Learning Gate garden party.

“We provide an atmosphere where they are able to explore who they really are,” said Adam Wolford, assistant principal. “This is something that really sticks with them.”

Ten-year-olds Anna Mitchell and Emily Slean said they tend small gardens at home.

They said the school garden offers a fun way to learn.

“We don’t just have to look it up in a book,” Mitchell said.

“We’re always ready to get our hands dirty,” Slean said. Besides, she added, “I love the things that are eatable.”

The classmates gave luncheon guests the rundown on Ceylon spinach, which they explained has medicinal uses and also can be used in soups and salads.

Ten-year-olds Griffin Vazquez and Ezekiel Udozorh handed out samples of freshly brewed hibiscus tea to guests touring the garden. They also took turns giving a plant lesson on the hibiscus acetosella, which can be found in the Dominican Republic and Zambia, and can lower cholesterol and blood pressure.

“They see how the world works, how food is put on the table,” said Wolford.

Chayton Martin and Kiersten Stevens, also both 10, handed out mint leaves, which smell nice, but aren’t good to eat. The plant does have eatable tubers, however, they explained.

Eighth-graders Preston Fischer, left, and Caleb McAllister perform as guests dine under an oak tree at the Learning Gate garden party.
Eighth-graders Preston Fischer, left, and Caleb McAllister perform as guests dine under an oak tree at the Learning Gate garden party.

Ten-year-olds Alejandro Armstrong and Gabrielle Cruz drew a cool assignment on a warm day under a Jamaica cherry tree.

Evan Hill and Cole Vakil, both 10 years old, handed out Seminole pumpkin seeds.  The pumpkin can be used in many recipes, they said.

“This is a really weird one – mac n’ cheese,” Hill said.

Ten-year-olds Kaylie Gagne and Skye Sharpe stood under the shade of a moringa tree, whose tiny leaves are filled with vitamins and make great additions to salads.

“It’s very healthy for you,” Gagne said.

D.J. Rivera and Jacob Koenig, both age 10, handled the “star fruit” tour.

Parents Jamie Meyer and Nicole Rametta sampled the sweet tasting fruit, cut into stars.

“I think it’s wonderful,” said Rametta. “It gives the community members a chance to see how knowledgeable the kids are.”

Published November 9, 2016

Pasco to help homeless ‘navigate’ to better lives

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Pasco County is exploring a new program to address the needs of the homeless population. It would provide a one-stop location to provide shelter, and an array of services and resources for homeless individuals.

County officials are proposing to remodel two vacant buildings at 8239 Youth Lane in Port Richey, formerly the home of a Boys & Girls Club. Described as a “navigation center,” the site would be able to house up to 100 homeless people at a time, and be a central location for nonprofits and other agencies to provide “wraparound services.”

County officials provided Pasco County commissioners with a presentation on the program at the Oct. 24 meeting in New Port Richey. In a 4-1 vote, commissioners agreed to pursue the program, potentially as a 2018 budget item.

“It’s a chance to take a step forward. It’s a chance to give these people a hand up,” said Pasco County Commissioner Mike Moore. “One of the things you don’t see is a facility like this in Pasco County. We’ve got to move forward on this.”

The commissioner serves as chairman of a citizen’s advisory board with the Coalition for Homeless in Pasco County.

Estimates put remodeling costs for the vacant buildings at about $1 million. County officials plan to pursue state funding.

Annual operating cost would be about $600,000, with funds from public and private resources.

The program is modeled after one adopted in San Francisco. County officials also are looking at other programs, including ones in Pinellas and Hillsborough counties.

About 4,500 people are homeless in Pasco, with about 800 chronically homeless. According to the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office, there are more than 100 homeless camps countywide.

Individuals stake out camps often in wooded areas all over the county, including west Pasco, Zephyrhills and Dade City, sheriff’s data shows.

Chase Daniels, assistant executive director of the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office, said, “Having one of these low-barrier shelters would be a game changer in Pasco County.”

Bob Dillinger, public defender in Pinellas and Pasco counties, said more than 30 percent of homeless in Pasco are children. Perceptions of homeless people often are wrong, he said.

“They want a job. They want a safe place to live,” Dillinger said.

One homeless camp at a time would be relocated to the navigation center where people can live while case managers from various agencies provide counseling, job training, health care and educational resources. The end goal is creating a pathway to permanent housing.

The location for the navigation center met with some opposition.

Pasco County Commissioner Jack Mariano cast the lone vote against the proposal and lobbied in favor of the Mike Fasano Regional Hurricane Shelter in Hudson.

“I would like to see us doing a full look,” he said. “If there’s other alternatives, I want to look at those alternatives.”

The hurricane shelter already is equipped to accommodate groups of people, and has a full kitchen, he said.

Greg Phillips, chief executive officer of a nonprofit, Kids Kicking High, also asked commissioners to consider allowing his program to occupy the space at the former Boys & Girls Club. The program offers before and after school classes with a focus on martial arts, and is located off Little Road in New Port Richey.

Sandra Butler’s 8-year-old autistic son recently earned his white belt at Kids Kicking High. “That’s a big accomplishment for him,” she said. “This is a big need for our community.”

While county officials described the navigation center as being secluded, some area area residents expressed concerns during public comment that the navigation center would increase crime in their neighborhood.

County officials hope to dispel those concerns.

“The homeless are here,” said Cathy Pearson, the county’s assistant county administrator for public services. “It’s better to have a place for them than to have them loitering at your business or your lawn.”

Published November 9, 2016

Proposed Bexley Elementary boundaries raise concerns

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Parents raised concerns about potential impacts from proposed boundaries for Bexley Elementary at a Nov. 1 meeting at Oakstead Elementary School.

Parents raised questions about such issues as school choice, transportation and programming for the new school, which draws its name from a subdivision under construction off State Road 54, in Land O’ Lakes.

The new school, set to open in the fall, for the 2017-2018 school year, will provide relief for both Odessa and Oakstead elementary schools, which are operating well above capacity. Odessa is at 131 percent capacity, and Oakstead is at 144 percent. The proposed boundaries will also expand Lake Myrtle Elementary, an older school operating at about 80 percent capacity.

Some parents were dismayed at the likelihood their children will be rezoned to Lake Myrtle, a “B” rated school built in 1984.

This is what Bexley Elementary will look like upon its completion.(Courtesy of Pasco County Schools)
This is what Bexley Elementary will look like upon its completion.(Courtesy of Pasco County Schools)

“I know their school rating isn’t as high as Oakstead Elementary,” said Sarah Davis, whose daughter will attend Lake Myrtle. “I don’t know much about it, so all I can do is my research online, and since it’s not as great as a school, my concern is that she won’t get the help that she needs that’s she’s already getting.”

Dave Scanga, area superintendent for Central Pasco schools, said Lake Myrtle is “a great school.”

“It is an older building,” Scanga said, however, he added, “in terms of the traditions that Lake Myrtle has had, for a long time it’s always been top-notch.”

“I think all of our schools are good,” added Richard Tonello, planning supervisor for Pasco County Schools. “Maybe grades aren’t a reflection of the school. You go to any of our schools, you’re going to see a great group of teachers, and they’re going to look after your child.”

Other parents expressed frustration over Bexley’s current unknowns, such as staffing dynamics and school schedule.

Scanga said potential teachers will be identified in March and April, after a new principal is named in December and assumes duties in February.

“A lot will happen once we get to February, and then it’s the (principal’s) job to let them play out the rest of the hiring and selection.”

He added: “As we get closer to the start of school, there will be all sorts of opportunities for people to come in, see the building and meet the people that are going to be in the building, too.”

Betsy Kuhn, assistant superintendent Pasco County Schools, anticipates several teachers from both Odessa and Oakstead to be reassigned to Bexley.

“It’s a very exciting opportunity for teachers to come in to open a new school, so we typically have a lot of interest,” Kuhn said.

“I think you’ll have a lot of interest from teachers outside our system, in our system, both experienced and new,” she added.

Sorting out transportation issues, too, was another focus of the hour-long meeting.

Scanga said bus routes will be reconfigured to accommodate the new school.

The Pasco County School Board provides free transportation to and from school for students who live more than 2 miles away from school.

Students who are selected to choose a particular school through open enrollment must provide their own transportation.

Pasco County’s school choice open enrollment period runs from Feb. 1 to March 1, for the 2017-2018 school year. Final determinations are expected around April or May. Extenuating circumstances and family hardships will also be considered, school officials said.

For example, students entering the fifth grade may have a greater chance to remain at their current school depending on the influx of school choice requests.

“It’s hard to make a decision until they know exactly how many students are requested,” said Chris Williams, planning services director for Pasco County Schools. “In every past experience, we’ve been able to accommodate fifth graders.”

“It’s a process we go through…to try to accommodate as much as we can,” he added.

Scanga said he understands the frustration from parents, especially those who deliberately moved to a particular community for their children to attend a certain school.

“School rezoning always catches many people off guard,” said Scanga, “and also in terms of not getting what we had planned for, or hoped for.”

Scanga also noted: “One of the challenges we have—and it’s unique—is just how fast the growth is happening right here on the 54 corridor. We’re like ground zero. Much of Florida, like much of the country, just doesn’t have this challenge…of how do we continually provide the best education to children in the best facility possible.”

Last month, a boundary committee recommended boundaries for Bexley Elementary.

The committee selected an option that would include Ballantrae, Suncoast Meadows, Suncoast Pointe, Hayman/Fuentes, Meadowbrook/Sierra Pines, and all of Bexley, which are east of the Suncoast Parkway.

Bexley Elementary also would include Swan View Townhomes, Ivy Lake Estates and Toscano at Suncoast, which are west of the Suncoast Parkway.

At nearly 96,000 square feet, the new school will have a capacity of 878 students, and is expected to have 706 students.

Oakstead, which had 1,095 enrolled students is expected to have 765 students, under the proposed boundaries. Odessa, which had 1,000 students, is expected to have 780, and Lake Myrtle, which had 587 students, is expected to have 616.

Students that would be shifting from Oakstead to Lake Myrtle live in these areas: Morsani, Woodville Palms, Cambridge/Lake Linda, Oakstead Area South, Cypress Cove/Village on the Pond, Meadowview/Country Close and Foxwood/Lake Heron.

The school board is scheduled to hold its first public hearing on the proposed boundaries on Dec. 20 and its second public hearing on Jan. 17, when it is expected to make the final decision on the issue.

While the committee recommends the boundaries, the Pasco County School Board has the final word on where the lines should be drawn.

Boundary guidelines are based on a number of factors, including future growth and capacity, socio-economic balance, school feeder patterns, and transportation.

“All of these guidelines we use, it’s a little bit of a balancing act,” Tonello said.

Bexley Elementary is the first of several schools (additional elementary schools, middle school and high school) planned within the Bexley development.

When those schools are built depends on the amount of growth within the community, as well as the amount of capital funding available, Williams said.

He noted the school district has accumulated nearly $500 million in debt capital, a hurdle in building new schools.

“One of the things that we struggle with as a district is our capital funding,” Williams said. “We are constrained—we can’t always build where we want to because of funding. It might mean adding a classroom wing at an existing school.”

Construction costs for Bexley Elementary total about $20 million.

For more information, visit PascoSchools.org/planning/rezoning.

Published November 9, 2016

Lutz Arts & Crafts show set for December

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With a new venue in place, the 37th annual GFWC Lutz Arts & Crafts Show promises to be “bigger and better than ever.”

The show — one of the most popular events in Hillsborough County — will be on Dec. 3 and Dec. 4 at Keystone Prep High School, 18105 Gunn Highway in Odessa.

After last year’s show was cancelled due to a sinkhole at Lake Park, the GFWC Lutz-Land O’ Lakes Woman’s Club scrambled for about three months to find a new permanent venue location.

The club signed a five-year contract with Keystone Prep to hold the festival on the school’s property, which spans over 60 acres.

“We’ve got a lot more room,” said club chairwoman Faith Sincich.

The 37th annual Lutz Arts & Crafts Show will be held on Dec. 3 and Dec. 4 at Keystone Preparatory High School in Odessa. (File Photo)
The 37th annual Lutz Arts & Crafts Show will be held on Dec. 3 and Dec. 4 at Keystone Preparatory High School in Odessa.
(File Photo)

Other possible venues — Land O’ Lakes Community Center and the Florida State Fairgrounds — were also explored.

“Our club really banded together,” said Kay Taylor, art show director. “We have 100 members, and we had people from the whole club check out venues.”

The club is hoping for a “smooth transition” in the show’s first year at Keystone Prep.

“We’re trying to anticipate every single hiccup that can happen,” Sincich said.

The show director agreed.

“We know we have more to address,” Taylor said, “because the county provided things like dumpsters and electricity.”

After the show’s cancellation in 2015, this year’s event may prove to be one of the largest ever.

The club expects to have 355 vendors — about 50 more than two years ago — and anywhere from 30,000 to 40,000 attendees.

“We’ve never been this full at this time,” Taylor said. “We have a lot of new vendors.”

Additionally, existing vendors, Taylor said, will have more distinctive offerings compared to previous shows.

“What they did 10 years ago isn’t what they’re doing today,” Taylor explained. “The crafts are more sophisticated and evolving. It is a perfect place to go Christmas shopping.”

Attendees can expect to see a wide assortment of items, including paintings and photography, jewelry, plants, and various forms of art — metal art, wood art, yard art.

“If it’s a craft, we have it,” Taylor said. “We’ve got some really unique items coming in this year. There’s a guy that makes lamps out of musical instruments.”

There will also be an eclectic offering of soap crafts, club members said.

“One lady makes hers in the shape of desserts, so her display looks like a bakery,” Sincich said. “It’s really a cool display.”

The show’s food offerings have expanded, too.

The club expects 14 food booths, which will be arranged in a U-shape, resembling a makeshift food court.

“We bumped up our food vendors,” Sincich said. “We have a cake vendor coming in, as well as an award-winning barbecue guy.”

The arts & crafts show is the largest yearly fundraiser for the club, which gives back to the community in the form of college scholarships and donations to local charities.

To make up for the shortage of funds triggered by the cancellation of last year’s show, the woman’s club hosted several smaller events and fundraisers throughout the year.

Yet, it wasn’t enough.

Approximately $16,000 was taken out of the club’s scholarship budget as a direct result of the festival’s cancellation.

“It really hit our budget very hard,” said Pat Serio, head of public relations for the woman’s club. “We had to scale everything back. It’s been a very difficult year for fundraising.”

Show vendors, too, “took a hit” by last year’s cancellation.

“This was a big event for them,” Sincich said, “and the vendors are very anxious to be back.”

Described as a “family friendly event,” the annual shindig is a staple for the Lutz community.

“Typically, it is a very nice weekend,” Sincich said. “One thing I like about it is I see a lot of people and friends. It’s like a huge community event…and I’m really happy to welcome Odessa, because I think that’s kind of a similar community. It’ll be fun to incorporate their community with ours.”

What: 37th annual Lutz Arts & Crafts Show
When: Dec. 3, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Dec. 4, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Where: Keystone Preparatory High School, 18105 Gunn Highway in Odessa
Cost: Free admission to the show, but there will be a $5 parking fee to benefit the school.
For information, call Kay Taylor at (727) 842-8624 or Lois Cohen at (813) 528-1179.

Show Categories (Awards up to $250 in each division)

  • Division I—Painting: Graphics, Drawings, Watercolors, Acrylics
  • Division II—Sculpture: Wood, Clay, etc.
  • Division III—Crafts: Fine, as well as Wood, Jewelry, Wearable Art, etc.
  • Division IV—Photography

Published November 9, 2016

 

Tracing the development of early Lutz

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Once one of the most active stops for wood-burning locomotives, Lutz was settled with just a handful of homesteaders.

William Paul Lutz was a railroad engineer. He and his brother, Charles, played a pivotal role in the history of Lutz, a community north of Tampa. (Photographs courtesy of Susan A. MacManus)
William Paul Lutz was a railroad engineer. He and his brother, Charles, played a pivotal role in the history of Lutz, a community north of Tampa.
(Photographs courtesy of Susan A. MacManus)

There was a store and a couple of houses there in 1907, and once the Tampa Northern Railroad was extended from Brooksville to Tampa that same year, the Concord Stagecoach Line went out of business.

But, that news didn’t discourage two brothers from West Virginia — William Paul Lutz and Charles Henry Lutz.

That’s because one of the largest sawmills in northwest Hillsborough County was the Gulf Pine Lumber Company — which was south of Odessa and owned by Charles Lutz.

In 1909, Charles Lutz built a tram track to carry his lumber 10 miles to the east, connecting his sawmill to the Tampa Northern Railroad at what is now Lutz Lake Fern Road and U.S. 41.

William Lutz — Charles’ brother — was the railroad engineer.

Most of the area was “nothin’ but sand,” according to the recollections of Dorothy Lutz Jones, stepdaughter of William Lutz.

“Then from there on to Tampa, there was nothin’ until you got there, down to the city,” Jones is quoted in an account published by local historian Susan A. MacManus, a professor at the University of South Florida.

First Lutz United Brethren Church was built in 1914. Before that, church members met at Lutz School.
First Lutz United Brethren Church was built in 1914. Before that, church members met at Lutz School.

MacManus and her mother, Elizabeth Riegler MacManus, wrote “Citrus, Sawmills, Critters and Crackers: Life in Early Lutz and Central Pasco County.

William Lutz is reported to have witnessed “strange events” as he engineered his train through such a remote countryside.

“It was not uncommon to come across public hangings and to see some unfortunate soul with his neck still in the noose,” the local history book notes.

According to his wife’s journal, William Lutz sold cars on the side and would take orders for a vehicle, and then strike one on the tracks with his locomotive.

“The railroad would pay for the damaged car, Lutz would buy it, have it repaired, and then sell it to his customer,” according to a published account.

William Lutz exhibited a better side of his nature to the family of Ella McDowell in December 1912. Ella had received a handwritten note thrown from the train by Lutz inviting her to ride with him to Tarpon Springs and spend Christmas with his family.

Trains like these helped pave the way to Florida’s future. (Courtesy of Tampa Bay History Center)
Trains like these helped pave the way to Florida’s future.
(Courtesy of Tampa Bay History Center)

The year — 1912 — was also a memorable year for the local residents demanding their own post office.

That was largely because the investors of the North Tampa Land Company.

C.E. Thomas, the company’s president, had been busy marketing “…a vast settlement where folks could buy tracts of land to farm and raise orange groves,” according to the MacManus’ book.

Thomas would eventually build the new post office, and donate land for the wood-frame schoolhouse, cemetery and church. He even provided jobs with his nursery.

But, when postal officials named the new post office “Lutz” on March 27, 1912, they helped cement the memory of the contributions of the two Lutz brothers, in an area still generally known today as North Tampa.

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 November 9, 2016

 

Local author is inspired by mysterious phenomenon

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The notion of writing about “things that go bump in the night” is not a new idea for novelists.

Many authors have used the presence of unexplained sounds to help create a sense of suspense for their readers.

But, in the case of Alicia White, an author who lives in Wesley Chapel, it was a sound that she actually heard — similar to a sonic boom — that sparked the the idea for her first novel, “The Roar.”

A.M. White was inspired to write her first novel by a mysterious booming sound she has heard in Wesley Chapel. She called that novel ‘The Roar.’ She has finished a sequel and expects the third book in a three-part series to come out next spring. (B.C. Manion/Staff Photo)
A.M. White was inspired to write her first novel by a mysterious booming sound she has heard in Wesley Chapel. She called that novel ‘The Roar.’ She has finished a sequel and expects the third book in a three-part series to come out next spring.
(B.C. Manion/Staff Photo)

White has lived in the Tampa area since 1991, but she didn’t hear the sound until she moved into Wesley Chapel about a year ago and, since then, she’s heard it about five times.

“It rattles things, kind of like a sonic boom would,” she said.

She quickly learned that she was not alone.

“There have been reports within a 15-mile radius,” said White, who uses the pen name A.M. White.

“People make note on social media to get reassurance that they’re not going crazy,” she notes. So far, there’s no explanation for the phenomenon.

The author said she’s heard the sound, and so has her husband, Mark, and their 8-year-old son, Landon. Their 4-year-old Grayson hasn’t heard it, but White’s dad, Gary Orchard, who lives in Lutz, also heard it once while sitting in White’s living room in Westbrook Estates.

“It’s not just this neighborhood. People have reported hearing it in Lexington Oaks, up near Quail Hollow, over to Meadow Pointe,” White said.

The author, who expects to release her second novel, “Into the Roar,” on Nov. 17, said she’s wanted to be a writer since she was young, but never seriously pursued it until last year.

“Last spring, I kind of had a brush with my own mortality. I had a health scare,” she said.

That motivated her to stop thinking about trying her hand at writing and to start doing it.

The second-grade teacher said she finds windows of time for writing after her boys are in bed. She squeezes in about four hours a night for her writing.

She envisions a third book in the series, which she describes as a dystopian novel, in the vein of books like “The Hunger Games” and “Divergent.” She expects her third book to be released in the spring.

White thinks she has an unusual writing process, which she describes as a “reverse-movie” approach.

“I see it playing out in my head, and it just comes out,” she said.

Since she sees what’s happening to her characters — and it can be violent at times — it can be an emotional experience, said White, who teaches at Turner/Bartels K-8, in New Tampa.

In addition to writing her books, White also designed the covers and does all the marketing, through social media, such as Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

By publishing her own work, she owns the rights, but White would like to find a publisher to pick up her books because she’d love a wider audience.

White said she’s encouraged by the feedback she’s been receiving.

“There’s a lot more to it than the money,” she said, noting “The Roar” has attracted readers as young as 12 and as old as 91, and has appealed to both genders.

And, while she’s never stepped foot out of this continent, her book has been read by people in six of the seven continents and by people in 10 different countries.

Reviews on Amazon.com for “The Roar” characterize the novel as “fantastic” and say it deserves five stars. It is described by one reviewer as a “great read.” Another said, “couldn’t put it down.” Another reader summed it up by saying, “Wow!”

Copies of “The Roar” are available through Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble. The paperback sells for $11.99 and the Kindle version is $2.99.

Published November 9, 2016

Hillary Clinton makes a stop in Dade City

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Florida, it seems, is always in play as a must-win state in any presidential election. So, it wasn’t surprising during the last week of the 2016 election to see a frenzy of political activity.

Visits from Donald J. Trump, Hillary Clinton and a roster of surrogates from both campaigns took center stage all across the state, including Clinton’s Nov. 1 stop in Dade City.

Clinton drew several hundred to a get-out-the-vote rally on the lawn in front of the Charles E. Conger Library at the Pasco-Hernando State College East Campus.

Trump did not visit Pasco County during his run for the nation’s top job.

Clinton was joined in Dade City by former Miss Universe Alicia Machado, who has accused Trump of demeaning her as a woman and a Latina.

“I could not be prouder to cast my vote for Hillary Clinton,” said Machado, a former Miss Universe, who accused Trump of ridiculing her for gaining weight and calling her “Miss Piggy” and “Miss Eating Machine.”

Clinton used Machado’s story to hammer Trump as a misogynist whose anti-women comments made him unfit to be president.

But, not everyone at the event was pro-Clinton.

Several yards away about 30 protesters stood behind barricades while waving Trump/Pence signs and sometimes shouting “Lock her up.”

Chants of “Hillary, Hillary, Hillary” rose in response.

Clinton’s biggest cheer came when she pledged to make college tuition-free at state colleges for families making less than $125,000 a year.

The possibility that Clinton could make history by becoming the first female president also heartened supporters.

“It’s a part of history, no matter what color, creed or race you are,” said Dade City resident Debra Greer.

Oliver Hindahl, 14, sported a T-shirt emblazoned with “Madame President: Get used to it.”

He didn’t hear Clinton say anything new in Dade City, but he said, “It was very impressive.”

But, having a woman for president?

“I don’t think it will be all that different,” he said.

To which his mother, Virginia Thom, replied. “I think there’s a generation gap there.”

Tampa resident Chuck Bonham missed a rally Clinton held a week earlier at Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park in downtown Tampa. He couldn’t pass up a second chance.

“She has plenty of experience. She understands government and represented people in the (U.S.) Senate,” said Bonham, who wore a blue ball cap with the message “I (heart) Jesus.”

San Antonio resident Kathy Leitner, 74, came to the rally with her granddaughter, 17-year-old Nicole Payne.

“Hillary Clinton represents my story,” Leitner said. “I remember when girls did not play sports in school. Girls did not take certain classes, like shop.”

Published November 9, 2016

SwampFest gearing up for community-based fair

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SwampFest, hosted by the Land O’ Lakes High School Athletic Booster Club, gives kids and adults a chance to have fun — but also helps raise money to benefit the high school and other local organizations.

This year, the event will feature a new carnival company, said Doug Hutchinson, SwampFest coordinator.

SwampFest will feature 24 rides, a magic act, bands, a DJ, other entertainers, food and carnival games. It’s a local event that offers fun for people of all ages, said Doug Hutchinson, SwampFest coordinator. (File Photo)
SwampFest will feature 24 rides, a magic act, bands, a DJ, other entertainers, food and carnival games. It’s a local event that offers fun for people of all ages, said Doug Hutchinson, SwampFest coordinator.
(File Photos)

“It’s going to be Arnold Amusements. They’re a family oriented, family owned, carnival company. Right now, they’re doing the Hillsborough County Fair down in Brandon,” Hutchinson said.

“Last year, we had a little disappointment because the operator that brought the rides, brought just the rides. We didn’t really have a full complement of games … where it makes it more like a fair,” Hutchinson said.

Arnold Amusements will bring a full Midway, with games, rides and amusements.

The event will last four nights, from Nov. 3 through Nov. 6. Highlights include 24 rides, a magic act, and performances by Stonegrey, Vincent Randazzo, Nunes at Night, DJ Carlos, Nicole’s Dance Center, Show on the Road Tampa and Suncoast Dance.

Hutchinson said the organizers talked to teenagers to find out what they’d like, and they suggested a DJ because they want to dance, Hutchinson said.

The event will be at the Land O’ Lakes Community Center, 5401 Land O’ Lakes Blvd.

SwampFest is an offshoot from Flapjack Festival, a popular Land O’ Lakes event that shifted to Dade City, and then was suspended.

After the Flapjack Festival moved, a group got together to organize SwampFest, said Hutchinson, who was the coordinator for the Flapjack Festival in Land O’ Lakes.

Tickets for Midway rides will be sold individually, or event-goers can purchase armbands for unlimited rides.
Tickets for Midway rides will be sold individually, or event-goers can purchase armbands for unlimited rides.

“We started having it the same weekend as Flapjack used to be. It’s not as big. Our goal is to try to make it more of a community-based fair,” he said.

The event raises money for the Land O’ Lakes High School Booster club, but it also raises money for other groups who sell pre-sale tickets.

Pre-sale armband tickets for unlimited rides are $15 each. On-site armband ride tickets are $25.

Locations selling the pre-sale tickets are: Land O’ Lakes High School cheerleaders, Sunlake High School (guidance office), Sanders Elementary School, Pine View Middle School, Sugar and Spice Daycare and Beef O’ Brady’s at Village Lakes, Wilderness Lakes and Sunlake.

The event has free admission, and generally attracts between 2,000 and 3,000 people, Hutchinson said.

This will be the second year that the event will be at the upgraded Land O’ Lakes Community Center Park.

Hutchinson can’t wait until the park gets its stage, which will be in time for next year’s SwampFest.

“It’s not easy getting some of the entertainment to come out there and play under a tent,” he said. With the stage, it will be easier to persuade musicians to come out to play.

The event was initially held at Land O’ Lakes High, but the community park offers a greater degree of visibility, creating a better opportunity to attract people who are traveling past the event, he said.

Proceeds from SwampFest are used by the booster club to benefit students at Land O’ Lakes High.

“For the first five years, we put pretty much all of our money that we made off of SwampFest into upgrading the weight room,” Hutchinson said.

The boosters also paid for the school’s blue and gold marquee sign.

“That’s a nice sign, and it was definitely overdue,” he said, estimating its cost at about $12,000.

The event is now in its seventh year, having skipped one year because of construction at the park.

It’s the kind of event that brings people together, Hutchinson said.

“The year that we didn’t have it, everybody was complaining because that’s kind of their annual alumni get-together,” he said.

For more information about SwampFest, visit LOLSwampFest.com.

SwampFest
What: A community festival featuring games, rides, entertainment and food
Where: Land O’ Lakes Community Center, 5401 Land O’ Lakes Blvd.
When: Nov. 3 through Nov. 6 (See LOLSwampFest.com for more details)
How much: Free admission; pre-sale unlimited ride armbands, $15; on-site unlimited ride armbands, $25.

Published November 2, 2016