The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

Local News

Experts offer advice to entrepreneurs

By

A back-to-the-farm movement is spurring a new kind of small business entrepreneur.

From small u-pick blueberry farms to backyard chicken roosts to garden vegetable patches, more and more people are finding their calling in the cottage food industry.

Soo Ahn, assistant professor in food sciences at the University of Florida, is seen in silhouette as she delivers the keynote address at the Tampa Bay Cottage Food Industry Expo at Wiregrass Ranch High School on July 30. (Fred Bellet/Photos)
Soo Ahn, assistant professor in food sciences at the University of Florida, is seen in silhouette as she delivers the keynote address at the Tampa Bay Cottage Food Industry Expo at Wiregrass Ranch High School on July 30.
(Fred Bellet/Photos)

They often set up shop in farmers’ markets, food truck rallies and local festivals.

For many, it is a new direction in their lives.

“This is a dream for some people,” said Whitney Elmore, Pasco County extension director. “It can be the start of something bigger. We can help them do that.”

About 75 people attended the inaugural Tampa Bay Cottage Industry Expo on July 30 at Wiregrass Ranch High School in Wesley Chapel.

The daylong workshop gave participants a chance to learn from experts from the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, the Florida Department of Agricultural and Consumer Sciences, and cottage industry entrepreneurs.

The expo laid the groundwork for what organizers hope will become an annual event.

“I think over the years we will see these exhibits and spaces grow,” said Elmore.

With chicken feeding devices in tow, Joey Holloway, of Holloway Farm Supply in Land O’ Lakes, headed home after leading a seminar on animal production.
With chicken feeding devices in tow, Joey Holloway, of Holloway Farm Supply in Land O’ Lakes, headed home after leading a seminar on animal production.

Participants could choose from sessions on topics such as Fruit and Vegetable Marketing; Social Media: Getting Back to the Basics; Hydroponics Production; and, Cottage Food: Do I Need to Think About Food Safety?

Derek and Annie Muscato, who is an associate director at the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, own Impossible Dreams, an equestrian facility near Gainesville.

But, they want to explore how they could expand their enterprise.

“We’re trying to look at something else,” said Derek Muscato. “I want to possibly learn how to grow crops for myself.”

For anyone new to a cottage food industry or expanding an existing small business, the bureaucratic maze of regulations, that vary widely from state to state, can be difficult.  Even at the local level, rules might be tweaked county to county.

“You really have to check on what kind of rules you have,” said Soo Ahn, keynote speaker and assistant professor with the Food Science and Human Nutrition Department at the University of Florida.

Ahn said the explosion in cottage food industries took off in the early 2000s as people sought healthier, organic foods. Now, 48 states and the District of Columbia have cottage food laws.

The holdouts – Hawaii and New Jersey – have pending laws.

Under Florida law, adopted for the first time in 2011, there are no requirements for permits or food inspections.

However, packaging and labeling on products is required. Complaints can lead to investigations by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Only certain foods are covered under Florida law, and gross annual sales are capped at $15,000.

Participants at the Tampa Bay Cottage Food Industry Expo could learn how to buy their own farm.
Participants at the Tampa Bay Cottage Food Industry Expo could learn how to buy their own farm.

“You can really only operate as a hobby,” Ahn said. But with Florida’s limited regulations, she said, “It’s understandable that we have a lower sales cap.”

Two bills are expected to be introduced to the Florida Legislature in 2017 that could either increase the sales cap or eliminate it.

When states adopt $50,000 and above, or no caps at all, “then, it becomes more like a business,” she said. “It opens more doors.”

Ahn did a study of cottage food industries that found broad inconsistencies in how well people followed regulations or maintained food safety.

Sometimes that was due to lack of education or knowing where to find information, but sometimes, Ahn said, people chose to ignore rules.

And, that can be costly in the event of complaints and inspections.

Sometimes people think because they are selling baked goods from “granny’s recipe” that nothing could go wrong.

But Ahn said, “One little incident can totally close your business down.”

Derek Muscato and his 5-month-old daughter, Ellie Jo, took a break from a seminar on ‘Fruit and Vegetable Crops for West Central Florida.’ He and his wife, Annie Muscato, are thinking of growing crops on their 30-acre farm.
Derek Muscato and his 5-month-old daughter, Ellie Jo, took a break from a seminar on ‘Fruit and Vegetable Crops for West Central Florida.’ He and his wife, Annie Muscato, are thinking of growing crops on their 30-acre farm.

For example, she found that in operations she observed, about 72 percent didn’t provide bathrooms or wash basins. And, only 14 percent used gloves or tools to handle food.

“This (gloves) is like food safety 101,” Ahn said. “But, this is really not observed in most of the market.”
To be economically successful, Ahn said people need to be sure they are in compliance with regulations and maintain food safety.

Measures to do that include keeping a clean kitchen, banning pets from food preparation areas, pre-cutting and pre-packing tasting samples at home before going to the market, and taking food safety and training classes.

A one-day workshop, sponsored by the University of Florida Food Science and Human Nutrition Department, will be held on Aug. 16 in Orlando on “Best Practices of Farmers’ Markets.” For information and to register, visit EventBrite.com.

If you would like to learn more, visit FSHN.ifas.ufl.edu.

Published August 10, 2016

The White Pear is dressing up Wesley Chapel

By

A traffic light, six mannequins, a well-situated picture window – and a love of fashion – are what Nanette Del Valle mixed together to launch her dream job.

Nearly six years ago, she left the paralegal world behind to open The White Pear, a women’s formalwear consignment boutique in Pottsville, Pennsylvania.

On Aug. 2, she opened her second White Pear boutique in Wesley Chapel, at 1045 Bruce B. Downs Blvd., near County Line Road.

Nanette Del Valle opened The White Pear in Wesley Chapel. The women’s formalwear consignment boutique sells once-worn gowns and cocktail dresses for special occasions. (Kathy Steele/Staff Photos)
Nanette Del Valle opened The White Pear in Wesley Chapel. The women’s formalwear consignment boutique sells once-worn gowns and cocktail dresses for special occasions.
(Kathy Steele/Staff Photos)

The original boutique, which started in her home, eventually settled into a brick-and-mortar shop, with five employees and 4,000 dresses.

In its infancy, Del Valle would adorn mannequins in glamorous gowns and cocktail dresses. Motorists pausing at a red light by her house would get an eyeful through her picture window.

“That was my billboard,” she said “I would change the windows weekly.”

A Facebook page, with postings three times a day, also tapped into the social media market. “That’s how it blossomed,” Del Valle said.

She started with about 80 dresses. Most came from the closets of friends and family.

Many of the dresses at the Wesley Chapel shop came from her Pottsville flagship store. But, already Del Valle said she is receiving consignment gowns locally.

Del Valle is sharing retail space with Jennifer Smith, owner of Fancy Frock.

A display table at The White Pear shows off the shoes and accessories that complement the formal gowns sold at the consignment boutique.
A display table at The White Pear shows off the shoes and accessories that complement the formal gowns sold at the consignment boutique.

Smith opened her bridal shop nearly six years ago, selling wedding gowns as well as women’s formalwear for all occasions. But, she is focusing now on her first love – brides and wedding gowns.

“That’s my true passion,” said Smith, a former Pasco County teacher.

Del Valle is filling out the shop with formal gowns and dresses for proms, homecomings, informal weddings and special occasions. All of the once-worn dresses are sold on consignment with a 50/50 split on sales.

She also sells new jewelry and shoes.

A seamstress is in-house to help with alterations.

“It’s a one-stop shop,” Del Valle said.

Del Valle and her husband moved to Wesley Chapel about a year ago, getting ready for retirement in sunny Florida.

But, The White Pear remains her baby, and the future looks bright as Pasco booms with new development.

Jewelry and other accessories can be found at The White Pear, a women’s formalwear consignment boutique in Wesley Chapel.
Jewelry and other accessories can be found at The White Pear, a women’s formalwear consignment boutique in Wesley Chapel.

In Pennsylvania, two formal seasons, in winter and spring, are the biggest selling times.

But Del Valle said, “It’s a different market down here. There are more galas and events where women need a beautiful dress.”

There also is an abundance of high schools with young girls eager to find special gowns for proms.

“There is a need for the service I have,” Del Valle said. “Proms are probably my biggest events.”

She carries high-end designers, such as Jovani, Sherri Hill and Rachel Allan. Prices are 50 to 60 percent off retail, and some dresses cost as little as $25.

Del Valle said she enjoys giving personalized service for customers looking for just the right dress for special occasions. “My husband calls me a memory maker,” she said.

Published August 10, 2016

 

Browning: Schools must improve

By

When the state released its school grades last month, the news wasn’t good for numerous Pasco County schools, or for the district itself.

“The Friday that grades were released, it was not a good day for me. Nor the district,” Superintendent Kurt Browning said at a school board workshop on the issue on Aug. 2.

The state’s report showed a number of Pasco schools slipping a grade, and the district, itself, slipping from a B to a C.

Kurt Browning (File Photo)
Kurt Browning
(File Photo)

On one hand, Browning said, school grades don’t paint a complete picture of a school.

“There’s a lot more that goes into a school than just a single school grade,” he said.

On the other hand, he noted: “People judge the quality of a school based on the school grade, and I get that.”

There were changes in the way the grades were calculated this year, Browning said.

But he added: “You had 66 other districts that were operating under the same rules.”

The district is assessing where it is and why it saw changes, particularly in the increase of C and D schools, Browning said.

“We are really trying to assess why we are where we are,” Browning said.

“We were at 34 (34th in the state) when I took office. We went to 33. Now, we’re at 39,” he said. “Anyway you cut it, slice it or dice it, we’re 39th – and that is not something that appeals to me at all.

“I do think there are things that we can do, that will move the needle,” Browning said.

But he noted, there are no easy fixes.

“I learned a long time ago that the art of educating kids is not like building a widget. You don’t start out with a table full of parts, and at the end of the assembly line they all look the same and function the same,” he said.

At the same time, “we have got to think differently about the way we educate our kids. Apparently, something is not clicking. It’s not producing the results that we absolutely have to have, in order to be successful under the state’s accountability system.”

Whether the district likes the state’s system or not, the superintendent added, “it is, what it is.”

Vanessa Hilton, assistant superintendent for student achievement, provided a presentation explaining differences in the state’s calculations for this year’s grades, noting key areas needing attention and identifying strategies for tackling the issues.

School board member Allen Altman said he doesn’t want to overreact, but at the same time doesn’t want to underreact, either.

Board member Alison Crumbley said the district may want to take a look at what’s working in its A and B schools, too, to see if those practices can be used in other schools.

School board member Cynthia Armstrong said, “You’ve identified what you need to do. The what, but not really the how.”

Armstrong said she’d like another board workshop to get more detail on how the district plans to accomplish the strategies it has laid out.

Browning got the message: “We will schedule another workshop, to delve in, once we kind of put the meat on the bones,” he said.

Published August 10, 2016

Nobody seems to know for sure if Coolidge visited Dade City

By

About a year ago, my first history column for The Laker/Lutz News posed the question: “Did President Calvin Coolidge have lunch in Dade City?”

Since that column published, on Aug. 19, 2015, new information has surfaced that keeps the question open.

Edward Bok and his wife, Mary Louise, are shown here with President Calvin Coolidge and his wife, Grace, on Feb. 1, 1929, the day that Coolidge spoke at the dedication ceremony at Bok Tower Gardens in Lake Wales. (Courtesy of Bok Tower Gardens)
Edward Bok and his wife, Mary Louise, are shown here with President Calvin Coolidge and his wife, Grace, on Feb. 1, 1929, the day that Coolidge spoke at the dedication ceremony at Bok Tower Gardens in Lake Wales.
(Courtesy of Bok Tower Gardens)

At the July meeting of the Pasco County Historical Society, I reminded those gathered that Dade City didn’t appear to offer much back in 1929, when Coolidge was said to have stopped there for lunch.

There’s no doubt President Coolidge was in Florida that year, because he gave a speech at the dedication ceremony for Bok Tower Gardens in Lake Wales.

It’s possible he could have stopped at the Edwinola in Dade City, if he took a detour and came to the area on the Seaboard Airline Railroad.

The Edwinola opened as a hotel in 1912. There, Coolidge could have enjoyed the tea dances held with an orchestra at one end of the large porch.

But, the Valencia Restaurant was not open for business. Neither was the Crest Restaurant.

Lunch on Limoges would not serve its famous pecan chicken until 1981.

And, A Matter of Taste restaurant did not open until 1997.

So why does rumor have it that he lunched at the Gray Moss Inn?

This photograph is believed to be from the dedication day of Bok Tower Gardens on Feb. 1, 1929. (Courtesy of Bok Tower Gardens)
This photograph is believed to be from the dedication day of Bok Tower Gardens on Feb. 1, 1929.
(Courtesy of Bok Tower Gardens)

Supposedly, there was a connection between Coolidge and the owners of the Gray Moss Inn. However, I was never able to confirm that lead.

After my first column was published, though, I heard from Susan Maesen, of Dade City.

She wrote: “Mr. Sanders, I am sorry I didn’t have the opportunity to give you information concerning this article.”

As the daughter of Jack Dudley, Susan has memories of her family running the Gray Moss Inn after the death of her grandmother.

“There were ledgers that each guest had to sign in,” she wrote. “I cannot verify that Coolidge signed a ledger. I can verify my dad telling me that he visited.”

In last year’s column, I indicated there were unconfirmed “tips” that the old guest registry wound up in the hands of Dr. R. D. Sistrunk, who lived a few blocks down the street across from the First Baptist Church.

Now, I know from Susan, that Dr. Sistrunk was her grandfather on her mother’s side.

Legend has it that President Calvin Coolidge ate lunch at the Gray Moss Inn in Dade City, but no documentation has yet been found to verify that. (Courtesy of Helene Eck Sparkman Collection)
Legend has it that President Calvin Coolidge ate lunch at the Gray Moss Inn in Dade City, but no documentation has yet been found to verify that.
(Courtesy of Helene Eck Sparkman Collection)

But, did the Pasco County Historical Society know that Coolidge’s train may have stopped briefly in the early morning hours at Trilby?

Dade City Commissioner Scott Black, who grew up in Trilby, said he was told by the late Clifford Couey, that no one got off the train when it stopped in Trilby, before it departed from there traveling on the Orange Belt Railway en route to St. Petersburg.

I was unable to independently confirm that Coolidge’s train did stop in Trilby. But a year later, it can be documented that Coolidge appeared at the Vinoy Park Hotel, in St. Petersburg, on Jan. 24, 1930.

After my original column on Coolidge was published, Daniel Wright, of Citrus Springs,  wrote: “Perhaps something new will turn up in a private collection that will confirm it one way or the other.”

That is still a real possibility.

So, please, look through your closets and check your attics. If you can find evidence that Coolidge visited Dade City in 1929, I’d love to see it and to share it with readers of this column, which is published regularly in The Laker/Lutz News.

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 August 10, 2016

We’re going to need better thinking caps

By

We are mere days away from a joltingly early start to the new school year, but instead of looking ahead to new supplies that speak of fresh challenges, our gaze has been diverted to an unexpectedly worrisome past.

Results of the Florida Standards Assessments rolled out last month, and, well, yikes.

All of a sudden, your neighborhood A school, or your B school you were absolutely certain was on the rise, is, according to the latest report, backsliding.

Of the 79 Pasco schools for which the state reported grades (four received scores of incomplete), 36 slipped at least one grade. The number of A schools shrank by half, to 14 from 28. Overall, Pasco’s district grade slid from a B to a C.

Those looking for good news will find little, but there is this: The number of schools receiving an F dipped to two from three. So there’s that.

Understandably, the generally glum news triggered general apoplexy. In a carefully worded press release, Pasco Schools Superintendent Kurt Browning nodded to “very challenging times” as a result of “the transition to new standards.”

“New standards” is the key phrase, and about them retiring state Sen. John Legg (R-Trinity), who oversaw the K-12 committee that drafted the perplexing grading scheme, says: Calm down.

Naturally, that’s easier said than done when everything from state education funds to property values to neighborhood and personal prestige are riding on the local school’s grade. As Legg readily concedes, “Everybody wants to go to an A school.”

I mean, Pine View Elementary, which never scored below a B and last year earned an A, suddenly merits a C? And Seven Oaks Elementary, the very principal’s honor roll of grade schools, dips to a B? The tiger moms of Land O’ Lakes and Wesley Chapel cannot be amused.

And still the senator says: Chill. Here’s how Legg, who’s also an administrator at Dayspring Academy, a pre-K-11 Pasco County charter school, lays it out: Schools that dropped a grade or even three did not necessarily change from being good or even excellent to something else entirely.

The reason, instead, is the new and — fingers seriously crossed here — improved grading system, one that doesn’t simply weigh student performance against an absolute standard, but, in an attempt to weed out socioeconomic variables, also grades year-over-year improvement.

Legg likens the new grading plan to a baseball game.

“We saw a lot of schools [from wealthier communities] decline because, basically, they started on third base, and they didn’t get the runner home,” Legg says. “Then you have a school like Lacoochee [Elementary], where the kids come to the plate with two strikes. If teachers can figure out how to get them on base, they deserve points for that.”

Balancing the achievement of schools that bang out gimme RBIs against those that teach the difficult art of reaching first is at the heart of the educational Sabermetrics that inspired the performance-plus-improvement measuring sticks.

To elaborate, schools that draw well-to-do students might hit high marks time and again. While they took home plaudits for their natural advantage, it was an open question whether they were increasing the quality of their students’ learning year-over-year.

Conversely, schools with high populations of free and reduced-lunch students might not score as high academically in any given year as their richer cousins, but if they close the grade-level gap — if their students rise from two years behind to one year behind — that’s a clear indicator that something good is happening.

Earlier grading systems did not account for stagnation or improvement, or for rich-school/poor-school disparities, as top administrators and teachers’ union chiefs alike routinely complained.

The new assessments reflect an imperfect attempt to level the playing field. Accordingly, there is likely to be, at the very least, short-term pain while administrators and teachers probe the maze in search of happier outcomes.

This, of course, assumes such probing is possible. Browning is clearly skeptical, and other administrators have called the new system “complicated and confusing.”

For his part, Legg prefers to think of the new plan as detailed and precise, declaring himself confident the infusion of “additional variables” to the education equation “provides a more accurate description of what’s going on” in each school.

This must have been what the preeminent baseball stat-cruncher Bill James — inventor of Sabermetrics — must have felt like when he discovered his landmark “runs created” stat.

To be clear: The results from 2014-15 set the baseline. The results from 2015-16 are the first to measure year-over-year improvement. That, Legg contends, is “why we saw a variety of directions.” Next year’s reports will provide “an even stronger” indicator of what’s going on within each school, just as year-over-year sales reports indicate how individual stores are faring against history.

This is good stuff to know. And, it’s why Legg pushes back against trashing the A-F grading system.

“If we didn’t have school grades, we couldn’t even ask these questions,” Legg says. “They wouldn’t know what’s happening.

“Take away school grades and we’d go straight back to the ’90s, when kids were graduating from high school and couldn’t read their diplomas. We’d go looking for what went wrong, and there’d be nothing there to figure it out.”

Another session of aggregating data — also known as the school year — looms dead ahead. Here’s hoping everyone involved greets the challenges ahead with perfectly fitted thinking caps.

Because, the work of academic achievement is not for sissies.

Tom Jackson, a resident of New Tampa, is interested in your ideas. To reach him, email .

Published August 3, 2016

Florida at the DNC: Witness to History

By

Last week, the Democrats held their 2016 national convention in Philadelphia — the City of Brotherly Love and Sisterly Affection — and formally nominated Hillary Clinton for president and Sen. Tim Kaine for vice president.

When the balloon drop happened at the 2016 Democratic National Committee, it seemed like the balloons would never stop dropping, besides being plentiful — many of the balloons were huge. (Photos courtesy of Dr. Susan A. MacManus)
When the balloon drop happened at the 2016 Democratic National Committee, it seemed like the balloons would never stop dropping, besides being plentiful — many of the balloons were huge.
(Photos courtesy of Dr. Susan A. MacManus)

The Democratic National Convention followed the Republican National Convention, held the week before in Cleveland. Traditionally, the party that occupies the White House always goes second.

Florida’s 246 delegates headed to Philly knowing they would have a front row seat to watch history in the making — the nomination of the first woman presidential candidate from a major political party.

Hillary Clinton’s journey from her nomination to her acceptance speech was filled with surprises. So, too, were the four days that the delegates spent together.

Great Expectations: Met or not?
Florida delegates arrived in Philly fired up and ready to go, expecting their convention to:

  • Underscore the importance of winning Florida in November. Florida! Florida! Florida! Met? Yes.
  • Avoid any unpleasant surprises such as had occurred at the GOP convention. (Recall the Melania Trump speech plagiarism accusation and Ted Cruz’s refusal to endorse Trump.) Met? No.
  • Unify the party; bring Bernie Sanders supporters into the fold, especially since Sanders himself was being given a prime time speaking spot and had already endorsed Hillary Clinton. Met? Not yet.
  • Showcase the Democrat Party’s diversity (“race, creed, color, ethnicity, income level, education, faith, sexual orientation, gender identity”) and the campaign’s “Stronger Together” theme via media coverage of a diverse line-up of speakers. Met? Yes.
  • Sharply contrast Clinton’s experience and temperament with that of Trump. Met? Yes.
  • Energize delegates to go back home and work hard to elect Democrats all the way down the ballot. Met? Yes.
  • Get a post-convention bounce in the polls erasing the bounce Trump got following the GOP convention. Met? Yes.
From left, Elena McCullough, alternate delegate, of Wesley Chapel; Elaine Togneri, delegate, of New Port Richey; and, Dr. Susan A. MacManus chat at the Florida delegation breakfast. MacManus, a political scientist at the University of South Florida, is a nationally known expert on Florida politics.
From left, Elena McCullough, alternate delegate, of Wesley Chapel; Elaine Togneri, delegate, of New Port Richey; and, Dr. Susan A. MacManus chat at the Florida delegation breakfast. MacManus, a political scientist at the University of South Florida, is a nationally known expert on Florida politics.

On a more personal level, several female delegates made it perfectly clear that what they wanted most out of the convention was to savor the moment when Hillary accepted the nomination. They had supported Hillary in 2008, cried when she lost, and vowed to work hard for her again in 2016. To them the shattering of the glass ceiling with a win by Hillary was a giant step toward getting more women elected to higher-level offices.

Once Again, Florida gets special treatment
While Democrats can win the presidency without winning Florida, they absolutely want to win Florida in 2016 for two big reasons: (1) Florida’s open U.S. Senate seat is seen as critical to Democrats taking back control of that chamber, and (2) to offset any possible Trump victories in Rust Belt states. No surprise then that Florida delegates got special treatment at the DNC:

  • A great hotel location: The Downtown Marriott, also home to the California delegation.
  • Appearances by the “A” list of national speakers at delegation breakfasts: Sen./ VP nominee Tim Kaine, Sen. Bernie Sanders, Congress members Nancy Pelosi, Rosa DeLauro, Luis Gutierrez, Joaquin Castro, Barbara Lee, Joe Kennedy III, Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Sen. Tammy Baldwin, Rev. Jesse Jackson, Gov. Terry McAuliffe (VA), former Gov. Howard Dean, and former U.S. Attorney Gen. Eric Holder, to name a few.
  • Great seats on the convention floor: Besides having great seats, Florida delegates were in a prime location for TV cameras to catch shots of them dancing and engaging in hoopla. Florida delegates rocked!

Best moments

  • Bringing party icons to the stage: President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, First Lady Michelle Obama, former President Bill Clinton. Each of them generated long, loud cheers and helped rally strong support among delegates who do not want to lose the White House.
  • Entertainment with an edge: Clever vignettes were flashed on the screen during down times, made up of “Trumpisms” (his words) and “A Message From Your Possible Next President” spoofs. They drew lots of laughs and sharpened the contrast between The Donald and Hillary.
  • Speakers with targeted messages: Among the more memorable speeches were those by former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who appealed to independent voters to support Clinton; Khizr Kahn, the father of an American Muslim soldier killed in Iraq in 2004 who made the point that not all Muslims are terrorists; and pleas for gun control by Gabby Giffords and Mothers of the Movement (African-American women whose children were killed by gun violence).
  • Chelsea Clinton’s introduction of Hillary: The warm emotional embrace between mother and daughter brought tears to many eyes.
  • Hillary’s acceptance speech: It was not as much the content of her speech as it was the context. So many supporters had waited a lifetime to see the gender barrier broken.
  • The balloon drop: Isn’t it always the best?

Worst moments

  • A lousy way to start a convention was the WikiLeak release of Democratic National Committee emails showing the party had played favorites in the primary by promoting Hillary over Bernie. It incensed the large Sanders delegation, and energized his supporters both inside and outside the convention arena. It resulted in the resignation of DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida. Her appearance at the kickoff Florida delegation breakfast drew loud boos from Bernie supporters and nonstop negative national media coverage.
  • Continued disruptions on the convention floor by Sanders delegates, especially when subjects of Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) or military engagement were raised, but even in the middle of Hillary’s history-making acceptance speech. Hillary supporters complained that Sanders supporters were disrespectful, sore losers. Bernie supporters were themselves divided. Some blamed him for “selling out” when he called for Hillary’s nomination by acclamation. Others let it be known it was ridiculous to expect them to immediately jump onto the Hillary bandwagon. After all, for months they had put all their energy into the Sanders campaign, which had to them become a movement — not just support for an individual. The delegates left Philly with plenty of “Bernie or Bust” and “Never Hillary” sentiment still out there.

Celebrities, not swag
Florida Republicans went home from their convention with swag. Florida Democrats left Philly with photos and memories of “mingling” with stars from the entertainment and sports worlds, each chosen to connect with a specific generation. From the entertainment world: Meryl Streep, Sigourney Weaver, Angela Bassett, Sarah Silverman, Lena Dunham, Elizabeth Banks, Eva Longoria, Chloe Grace Moretz, Star Jones, Alicia Keys, Katy Perry, Lenny Kravitz, and Paul Simon. From the sports world: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

Florida delegates headed back from the convention knowing they’ll need to work hard in what is likely to be another fiercely fought election in the Sunshine State, and in the nation.

By Susan A. MacManus

Dr. Susan A. MacManus is a resident of Land O’ Lakes. She a political scientist at the University of South Florida and was a political analyst for ABC Action News at the 2016 Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia.

Published August 3, 2016

Dade City moves to ban fracking

By

Dade City could soon join other local governments around Florida that are approving laws to ban the practice of extracting oil or natural gas through fracking.

Currently, eight counties and four cities in the state have banned fracking, including Seminole and Alachua counties, and the cities of St. Petersburg and Cape Coral.

Dade City’s City Commission held a first public hearing on its proposed ordinance on July 26. A second public hearing and a vote on the ordinance is scheduled for Aug. 9.

TitleFracking is a process of pumping chemically treated high pressure water into a drilled pipeline to break through rock formations to tap into oil or natural gas reserves.

“It’s very dangerous,” said Sally Redden, a member of the Dade City Garden Club. “No one really knows all of the chemicals because they are trade secrets.”

To date, the industry has blocked efforts to require public notification of what chemicals are used.

Opponents say fracking leads to water contamination, and increases the potential for sinkholes and earthquakes.

Supporters say fracking is safer than coal mining and produces a cleaner energy source.

But, the issue is stirring controversy nationwide.

Most recently it bubbled up during anti-fracking demonstrations at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia.

Last year, Dade City’s elected officials approved a resolution opposing a bill that would give the state sole authority to regulate fracking and leave local governments with no way to opt out.

The bill passed in the Florida House, but fell short by one vote in the Senate.

Camille Hernandez
Camille Hernandez

Anticipating the 2017 legislative session, fracking opponents are pushing now for stronger measures than the approximately 75 resolutions approved statewide last year.

The Dade City Garden Club again is spearheading efforts locally after winning approvals on resolutions from Dade City and the Pasco County commissioners.

A few months ago, they reached out and got support from Dade City Mayor Camille Hernandez for the ordinance.

“We’re trying to be proactive and join other Florida cities that are looking out for the health, welfare and safety of citizens,” said Hernandez, in a phone interview.

Garden club members provided research on fracking to city commissioners as they did prior to last year’s resolution, the mayor said.

“This is really the next step,” she added. “It’s a great example of teamwork.”

Redden anticipates similar efforts with Pasco’s commissioners.

Dade City Attorney Karla Owens drafted the anti-fracking ordinance, which also bans storage, as well as disposal of waste from fracking operations.

Owens said that would help block companies from fracking in other counties and then hauling toxic waste produced during the process to sites in Dade City. In some cases, the waste is injected into underground disposal wells or treated off-site before being discharged into surface waters.

There are competing legislative bills on both sides of the issue.

“It’s hard to know what the legislature is going to do,” Owens said.

So, as a hedge against legal challenges, the ordinance invokes the city’s zoning and land use authority, declaring that fracking isn’t a permitted use within city limits.

Dade City’s ordinance mirrors one from a town in New York that successfully defended against a challenge to its fracking ban by citing local zoning law.

Zoning regulations typically are the kind of local control granted to municipalities and not revocable by the state, Owens said.

Published August 3, 2016

Setting the stage for community gatherings

By

A groundbreaking ceremony is set for Aug. 16 for a stage to be built at the Land O’ Lakes Community Park, at 5401 Land O’ Lakes Blvd.

“It’s been a long wait, but we’re very excited,” said Sandy Graves, of the Heritage Park Foundation, who has played a leading role in helping to bring the vision to life.

“It was (state Rep.) Richard Corcoran, working with the governor, to get our cultural affairs money, to help us do the stage,” Graves said.

“I’m also grateful to the school board and Ray Gadd (Pasco County Schools deputy superintendent) for taking the lead for helping us get together community participation, with different builders and suppliers that helped us do it for the amount of money that we had,” Graves added.

There have been some changes to the design of a stage planned for the Land O’ Lakes Community Park, since this original rendering was drawn. But, the overall appearance will be very similar, said John Petrashek, director of construction services for Pasco County Schools. One big difference, though, is that plans now call for a copper-colored roof. (File Photo)
There have been some changes to the design of a stage planned for the Land O’ Lakes Community Park, since this original rendering was drawn. But, the overall appearance will be very similar, said John Petrashek, director of construction services for Pasco County Schools. One big difference, though, is that plans now call for a copper-colored roof.
(File Photo)

There has been “a great, great response from the community,” said John Petrashek, director of construction services for Pasco County Schools.

“The architect, Peter Gottschalk, is doing this gratis. He’s a local Land O’ Lakes architect. Coastal Design is doing the civil design. They’re doing that pro bono.

“People have really stepped up,” Petrashek said.

Other companies have stepped up to provide free labor and materials at cost, Petrashek noted.

The roof on the stage has been upgraded to a copper-colored roof, he added.

“We wanted it to stand out,” Graves said. “Mary Lynn and Gary Gorsline of Copperstone (Executive Suites) donated $1,600 because we wanted a copper-color roof on it.”

The beginning of construction will signal a major milestone in the quest to give the community a place to gather, Graves said.

Over the years, foundation members sold turkey legs at the community’s Flapjack Festivals, sold coffee at the opening of the Suncoast Parkway, sold water at a balloon festival at Starkey Park, and sold doughnuts and coffee at the Central Pasco Chamber’s community expos.

The biggest boost for the project came last year when the governor approved a $250,000 grant from the Florida Division of Cultural Affairs.

It took three governors to finally get the state’s support, Graves has noted in previous interviews. Gov. Jeb Bush and Gov. Charlie Crist both said no before Scott said yes.

The contract between Pasco County and the state Division of Cultural Affairs calls for the construction to be completed by June of 2017.

The completion can’t come too soon, Graves said, noting some of the people who have been pushing for the stage, sadly, have passed away and won’t be able to see it come to fruition.

Graves envisions plays, concerts and other events at the stage once it’s done.

“I know it’s going to be used well, in the community. We’re just making this park a very, very special park,” she said.

Groundbreaking for Land O’ Lakes community stage:
Aug. 16 at 8 a.m.
Land O’ Lakes Community Center, picnic pavilion, 5401 Land O’ Lakes Blvd.

Published August 3, 2016

Bus riders will get new routes, shorter waits at bus stops

By

Shorter wait times at bus stops on State Road 54 and a new Land O’ Lakes connector bus route are ready for a roll-out.

Effective Aug. 15, riders on Bus Route 54, known as the Cross County Connector, will have new Saturday service, a new route pattern with a bus stop on U.S. 19, and buses that run every hour, not every two hours.

The route will stretch from U.S. 19 to City Hall in Zephyrhills, with stops in between at The Shops at Wiregrass and Tampa Premium Outlets.

Pasco County will give bus riders an upgrade with two new buses that have plush seats, reading lights and luggage racks. (Courtesy of Pasco County)
Pasco County will give bus riders an upgrade with two new buses that have plush seats, reading lights and luggage racks.
(Courtesy of Pasco County)

To ensure the shorter waits, some bus stops with low ridership along Duck Slough Boulevard and within the Trinity area served by Bus Route 23-Little Road will be discontinued.

“It’s going to make our routes more efficient,” said Philip Pumphrey, Pasco County’s public transportation director.

Riders also will get an upgrade with two new 40-foot buses with plush seats, reading lights and luggage racks.

The goal is to give riders more commuting options and a better ride, Pumphrey said.

The Pasco County Commission approved the new service route on State Road 54 at its July 26 meeting in New Port Richey.

The Land O’ Lakes bus service is scheduled for March 18, pending approval of Pasco County’s proposed 2017 budget.

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, 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.

The new bus routes and shorter time waits were among recommendations in a report from Tindale Oliver & Associates. The consulting firm completed a study of the county’s transportation needs into 2040.

By extending Bus Route 54 to U.S. 19, county officials anticipate riders can transfer directly to Bus Route 14-Madison Street; Bus Route 18-Tarpon Springs/Grand Boulevard; Bus Route 25-Rowan Road, and Bus Route 23-Little Road.

There will be fewer transfers overall for riders trying to connect with the cross-county connector and destinations to the east or to board Bus Route 19 for destinations south, and from there to the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority system (PSTA).

Future improvements recommended by Tindale Oliver’s consultants include bus service until 11 :30 p.m., cutting wait times to 30 minutes on all routes and adding Sunday service. The consultants also recommended adding 30-minute local and express bus routes in future, and providing a 15-minute rapid bus service.

Published August 3, 2016

Celebrating St. Leo’s storied past

By

On the surface, the town of St. Leo easily could be underestimated.

After all, the town’s population is just 1,350, and it has a tiny town hall.

But this place of rolling hills recently turned 125, and its history was celebrated with a mass at Saint Leo Abbey, followed by a barbecue luncheon and speeches at Saint Leo University, and then, an ice cream social.

An exterior view of Saint Leo Abbey, where a mass was held to kick off festivities to celebrate the Town of St. Leo’s 125th birthday. (B.C. Manion/Staff Photos)
An exterior view of Saint Leo Abbey, where a mass was held to kick off festivities to celebrate the Town of St. Leo’s 125th birthday.
(B.C. Manion/Staff Photos)

Abbot Isaac Camacho presided over the mass, while luncheon speakers included St. Leo Mayor Richard Christmas, Saint Leo University President Bill Lennox, Pasco County Commissioner Ted Schrader, local historian Bill Dayton and Holy Name Monastery Prioress Sister Roberta Bailey.

Those attending the luncheon had a chance to mill about, perusing tables that displayed artifacts offering a portal into the community’s past.

Items on display included a wedding dress dating to 1914, parts of the first telephone in St. Leo, a quilt with one square featuring the Serenity Prayer, old spectacles, displays from the town’s centennial celebration, historic photographs and newspaper clippings.

A slide show featuring about 250 images played continuously — creating a backdrop that prompted memories and sparked conversations.

During the luncheon, Mayor Christmas thanked Saint Leo University for providing the facilities for the festivities, and praised Town Clerk Joan Miller and Deputy Clerk Andrea Calvert for their hard work in organizing the celebration.

Without all of the help, Christmas said, “what we would have had here today, I think, (would have been) a very short 125th anniversary in the parking lot of St. Leo Town Hall, and we would have died of heat stroke in 5 minutes, and we’d have left.

“It’s really nice that we’re able to be here,” he said.

Pasco County Commissioner Ted Schrader, who grew up in the area, congratulated the town for its historic milestone.

Local historian Bill Dayton shared the story of the Town of St. Leo’s incorporation, which occurred in 1891.
Local historian Bill Dayton shared the story of the Town of St. Leo’s incorporation, which occurred in 1891.

“As some of the pictures were going through (the slide show), it reminded me of the good old days growing up on Lake Jovita,” he said.

He recalls fishing for brim and enjoying the Jaycees’ fish-a-thons.
“Those are the fond, fond memories,” Schrader said.

Sister Mary David was pleased to be at the celebration.

“It’s wonderful that they’re getting in touch with their history, because a lot of times people don’t have any idea, where they came from, or what — what —stands for.

“If we can honor those who came before us, and their hard work and their values, we can grow. It’s like a tree. Those are the roots,” said the sister who just recently celebrated her 50th Jubilee.

A land development option
Historian Bill Dayton shared the story of St. Leo’s beginnings with an audience of around 100.

St. Leo’s history traces back to a time when Florida was in dire financial straits, Dayton said.

The state was on the brink of bankruptcy when Philadelphia financier Hamilton Disston bailed it out by purchasing 4 million acres of land, at 25 cents per acre, Dayton said.

At one time, the Town of St. Leo had its own police department. Now, it receives services from the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office.
At one time, the Town of St. Leo had its own police department. Now, it receives services from the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office.

The transaction occurred in 1881, and Edmund Dunne, a devout Catholic and former chief justice of the Arizona Territory, handled the legal work on the deal.

For his attorney’s fee, Dunne — who wanted to form a Catholic Colony — took his payment in the form of an option to develop 100,000 acres, Dayton said.

Then, he and his cousin, Capt. Hugh Dunne, hiked over much of the northern portion of the Disston Purchase to select the lands for Dunne’s development option, Dayton said.

While scouting that land, the men climbed up a hill — to just about where the university sits today. They saw a beautiful lake, and since it was Saint Jovita’s Feast Day, the lake was christened Lake Jovita, Dayton said.

Judge Dunne claimed the top of the hill for his homestead, and he created a plan for the San Antonio Catholic Colony. That plan called for San Antonio to be the center of the colony, with satellite villages, named for saints, at the points of a compass. Land in between was preserved in forest, Dayton said.

“It was a very sophisticated and advanced land ownership plan,” Dayton said.

Within the colony, Dunne wanted a college, a monastery and a convent, Dayton said. All three came to fruition.

The Benedictine sisters arrived in 1889 and moved into the former Sultenfuss Hotel, at the north end of the square in San Antonio. The monks arrived that same year, to establish a college, which was chartered in 1889 and held its first class in 1890, Dayton said.

There was hostility among the locals when the monks arrived, Dayton said.

“Father Charles (Mohr) received word that a local vigilance committee was talking about burning the monks out,” Dayton said. So, Mohr rode out to the farm of one of the vigilance committee leaders. And, when he arrived, he found that that man was ill, and his wife was exhausted.

Mohr took charge of caring for the man, and the plans for burning out the monks were extinguished, Dayton said.

The great work still goes on
St. Leo’s incorporation stemmed, in part, from a dispute between the monks and the Pasco County Commission, Dayton said. At the time, county commissioners had the authority to order residents into the task of clearing and building roads, he explained.

Mohr was infuriated when commissioners drafted monks to do road labor, Dayton said.

“He wrote an angry letter to the County Commission pointing out that the Constitution of Florida exempted clergymen from road labor,” Dayton said.

Mohr also consulted a leading local lawyer who advised him to pursue incorporation, and that occurred in 1891, the historian said.

Dr. J.F. Corrigan, who had been a wealthy New Yorker, was one of the original colonists and went on to become the town’s first mayor. When he moved to the area, he built a three-story mansion, complete with a private chapel that had received papal sanction, Dayton said.

Dayton concluded his remarks by saying, “The town of St. Leo persists to this day and has maintained its integrity and its identity, and that’s a great accomplishment.”

This sign indicates the location of the Town of St. Leo’s town hall. It shares its space with a substation for the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office.
This sign indicates the location of the Town of St. Leo’s town hall. It shares its space with a substation for the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office.

Sister Roberta Bailey, now serving in her second term as Prioress at Holy Name Monastery, reminded those gathered of the sacrifices that were made through the years, to create the St. Leo that exists today.

“We preserve our stories because we want never to forget that the opportunities we have today were not simply lavished upon us,” Bailey said. “They were purchased at a great price, at travel from home; cold, cracked, work-worn knuckles; study by night with midnight oil; stomachs that ached with hunger; raking, hoeing and manuring groves and gardens; saving, skimping and salvaging.

“What firm faith and incredible courage our founding sisters must have had,” Bailey said. “Imagine what daring it took to venture south into this unknown territory,” Bailey said.

Since arriving in 1889, the sisters have been educators and administrators, town mayors and commissioners, members of various boards, leaders of religious programs and ministries, and involved in work in surrounding communities and in other states.

“Now, here we are at the 46, 516th day of the 127th year of our history — yes, we were here even before St. Leo was a town,” Bailey said.

“The great work still goes on,” she said. “As long as there are gaps between our ideals and our reality, there will always be great work to be done.”

The case for incorporation
“Citizens of St. Leo, as already indicated by the public notices, Feb. 24 is to be the birthday of our little town. Let us turn out in full force on that day. Let nothing keep us at home. Let it be our boast that we cast our vote for incorporation.

“No town can prosper unless there is a unity of spirit among its inhabitants and this unity of spirit can only be brought about by incorporation.

“Incorporation means a long list of benefits that shall certainly be ours after the election — better roads, better feeling, enterprise, success. Come to Dr. Corrigan’s house at 10 a.m. and cast your vote for the prosperity and welfare of the new town.”

Dated: Feb. 16, 1891

Signed: B.M. Wichers, N.P. Bishoff, J.F. Corrigan

A papal honor
Pope Leo XIII conferred on Hon. Edmund Dunne, formerly chief justice of Arizona and new head of the Colony of San Antonio, the title of Count.

— Except from a report by The New York Times, Feb. 22, 1884

Published August 3, 2016