Local News

Plantation Palms golf course to reopen

May 25, 2016 By Kathy Steele

After a hiatus of more than two years, activities are expected to begin again at the Plantation Palms Golf Course.

A new owner took possession on May 16 and plans to get the golf course’s fairways and greens ready for use within a few months.

Bill Place, owner of Ace Golf Inc., bought the golf course and clubhouse for about $700,000 in a short sale approved by the U.S. Department of Justice. His general manager picked up the keys to the clubhouse at the closing, said Rob Rochlin of Dennis Realty.

Place is on vacation in Africa.

In an email sent to The Laker/Lutz News in late April, Place said he hoped to have the golf course open within four months.

Plantation Palms golf course and clubhouse, which have been closed for about two years, are expected to be reopened by Ace Golf, the new owner, in about four months. (File Photo) — Plantation Palms golf course and clubhouse, which have been closed for about two years, are expected to be reopened by Ace Golf, the new owner, in about four months.
(File Photo)

After years of neglect, the golf course needs extensive work, including restoration of the fairways and greens, Place said, in a later email on May 18.

“Grass and weeds grew up to 6 feet high!” Place said. “The greens are all dead, and most of the fairways will have to be re-grassed.”

Almost everything from the parking lot to the clubhouse has to be renewed.

“It’s been an eyesore,” said Tim Hodes, president of the Plantation Palms Homeowners Association. But, he added, “We’re embracing it and looking forward to it reopening.”

A low estimate on the cost to get the golf course ready would be about $800,000, Rochlin said.

With the rainy season around the corner, he added, “You have the window of opportunity. Now is the time to get it right.”

Place said social and golf memberships will be available, with public play during most hours.

In addition, the more than 800 Plantation Palms’ residents will support the renovations by purchasing social memberships for each of the next five years. Plans also are to add a 3,000-square-foot banquet room overlooking the golf course. It will be available for weddings, meetings and other events.

Place said he expects to open a version of Mulligan’s Irish Pub at Plantation Palms, similar to restaurants at other golf courses owned by Ace Golf.

Plantation Palms’ golf course is regarded as one of the top courses in Tampa Bay, with a 4-star rating from Golf Digest, Place said in his email.

Rochlin has been marketing the 156-acre golf course for two years. It also has a driving range, clubhouse, restaurant and bar.

MJS Golf Group bought the property in 2011 for about $2.1 million, financed by the Native American Bank of Denver. But, owners Mitchell Osceola, Jayson Ray and Steven McDonald were plagued with recurring financial losses and debts.

The course shut down briefly in 2013, then reopened briefly, only to close for good in May 2014.

Rocky Morgan of GSP Business Alliance stepped forward in 2015 to say he would buy the course. But, Rochlin said Morgan never came through with money to finance the sale.

Because the mortgage holder – Native American Bank of Denver – serves Native Americans, the short sale had to be approved by the U.S. Department of Justice.

Place has extensive experience in golf course and driving range management in the Tampa Bay area.

His company, Ace Golf, owns and operates Crescent Oaks and Wentworth golf clubs in Tarpon Springs, and Pebble Creek in New Tampa. Place also has driving ranges in Brandon and Riverview.

Plantation Palms was an attractive acquisition, Place said, because of its proximity to his other golf courses and the huge growth on State Road 54.

“I think the right guy got it,” Rochlin said.

Published May 25, 2016

Sandy Graves: All aboard the — shudder — ‘Trump train’

May 25, 2016 By Tom Jackson

The picture leapt off my Facebook feed as though it were spring-loaded. Right there among the cat videos, awkward jokes and advertisements for Jaguars, among the goofy quizzes and the “mind-blowing facts you weren’t taught in school,” there she was: Sandy Graves, Land O’ Lakes historian and voice of reason, in a trademark Donald Trump ball cap. Garish red, with TRUMP emblazoned in navy across the crown and below it in white the celebrity billionaire’s trademark slogan, “Make America Great Again.”

See for yourself. It’s right over there, next to all these words.

Debbie Hannifan, of Polk County, left, and Sandy Graves, of Land O’ Lakes, sport ‘Trump Make America Great Again’ ball caps at the quarterly session of the Republican Party of Florida meeting in Tampa on May 14. (Courtesy of Sandy Graves) — Debbie Hannifan, of Polk County, left, and Sandy Graves, of Land O’ Lakes, sport ‘Trump Make America Great Again’ ball caps at the quarterly session of the Republican Party of Florida meeting in Tampa on May 14.
(Courtesy of Sandy Graves)

But, it wasn’t the hat so much as what was below it that held my trained eye: Graves was not grimacing. Not in the least. Instead, peering over the shoulder of her pal Debbie Hannifan, Polk County’s Republican state committeewoman, Graves was immortalized in the process of — there is no other word for this — beaming.

In that cap. That garish red, shouting cap.

This was — is — not the look of one of those establishment Republicans resigned to fate. It’s not even the look of a party regular who has examined the most likely choices for November and, as a GOP regular might who’d been force-fed John McCain or Bob Dole, shrug that, her nominee is the better of two disappointing choices, the lesser of two evils.

Nope. There’s genuineness in those eyes beneath that curved brim, and a sincere turn to the corners of her mouth. Our Sandy might have boarded the — ugh — Trump train late and even reluctantly — it surely was both, as we shall see — but now that she’s found her seat, she’s ready to make the argument on behalf of the reality TV king.

She concedes there’s obligation at work here. “As a state committeewoman,” she says, “I always was going to be for the last one standing.” And, she’s not reluctant to play the any-of-our-guys-are-better-than-their-guys (or Hillary) card.

However, in a year with an electorate fairly bellowing out a theme of disgust and discord from the left and right, November’s winner will need more than “the other one is worse” working for him/her. At last, Graves says she’s ready to make the “more” argument.

It bears noting she started the campaign a fan of Carly Fiorina. “I thought it was time for a woman,” Graves says, echoing a sentiment with which certain Democrats will readily agree, “but it had to be the right woman.”

The former head of Hewlett-Packard was the briefest of shooting stars across the crowded Republican firmament. There was the glittering performance at the first kids’ table debate that boosted her to that memorable a face-to-look-at-that-face Trump beatdown when she made the main stage. But, like the brightest meteorites, she quickly flamed out.

And Trump? Says Graves, eyes rolling, “He was in my top 18.”

On the other hand, Graves didn’t start out a Ronald Reagan fan, either. She volunteered early in 1980 for former Texas Gov. John Connolly, famous for having been wounded in the front seat of the limousine when President Kennedy was assassinated.

“Lots of Republicans didn’t want Reagan,” she says. “He did some things in California [as governor] that weren’t conservative at all.” That’s true. Google “Republican liberal California governor.”

“But, look how that worked out,” she resumes. “Ronald Reagan surprised a lot of people. It could happen again.” For the sake of argument, let’s play along.

What’s Graves’ anatomy of Trump’s appeal? For openers, he stuck up for then-candidate Ben Carson at a debate when the good doctor noted it had been long time between questions for him. “That showed me he’ll have our backs.”

She admires his children, none of whom show the slightest symptoms of “affluenza” — dopiness that comes from being an indulged child of privilege.

She thinks he’s right to demand toughness on border security and immigration, issues she considers pivotal, no matter how far down the list they’ve ranked in primary election exit polls.

Graves also gives him credit for calling out international trade deals, and for pushing allies to pony up for the cost of their national defense.

This being so very much not the place to argue the important nuances of either issue — Trump doesn’t do nuance anyway — let’s turn, instead, to what, in the final analysis, might have illuminated the smile under that cap.

After eight years of a president who has treated the country he leads like the title of a turn-of-the-Millennium Broadway musical — “I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change” — arrayed against the prospect of at least four more entrenching years of his policies, Sandy Graves is finally aligned with Donald Trump because “I believe [he] loves America.” Without hesitation or qualification.

And so she wears the hat. Happily.

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

Residents share ideas for improving Zephyr Park

May 25, 2016 By Kevin Weiss

Refurbished tennis courts, state-of-the art playground equipment and an increased presence of law enforcement officers are just a few examples of the many requests local residents have for the redevelopment of Zephyr Park.

Dozens of people gathered to offer their ideas for improvements at Zephyr Park, during a May 12 open house at the Alice Hall Community Center.

The Zephyrhills Community Redevelopment Agency organized the public session to solicit public participation in developing the park’s master plan, which will be presented to the Zephyrhills Parks & Recreation Board and the City Council in August.

Zephyrhills CRA director Gail Hamilton, left, speaks with residents during an open house at the Alice Hall Community Center on May 12. (Kevin Weiss/Staff Photos) — Zephyrhills CRA director Gail Hamilton, left, speaks with residents during an open house at the Alice Hall Community Center on May 12.
(Kevin Weiss/Staff Photos)

Representatives from Kimley-Horn and Associates Inc. — the park’s design team — also were present to answer residents’ question on the planning process.

Residents were able to see several graphics featuring possible park amenities, such as various types of pavilions, public art displays, water splash pads and playgrounds.

Attendees also could fill out comment cards and provide priority rankings on park changes they’d like to see.

“What I really want to do is get an idea of what the residents want — to get a concept of it,” said Gail Hamilton, CRA director for Zephyrhills. “The citizens of Zephyrhills deserve an urban park as good as anything you would find in Tampa or in St. Pete.”

Shown is an aerial map of Zephyr Park and surrounding streets.

Hamilton said it’s critical for the city to have a “great park system” to help increase the value within the CRA district, which is a 520-acre area that essentially encompasses the center spine of the city, generally between Hercules Park to C Avenue, and from Zephyr Park to 17th Street.

“We are competing with Wesley Chapel, we are competing with every city in central Florida, so…by improving the park, people who live in this neighborhood, their homes become more valuable,” she explained.

“We could entice someone to build homes nearby that’s market rate, not low-income. So, we’re really looking to not only build a park, but also improve the surroundings around it,” Hamilton said.

She also said she’d like to see a few water features added to the park’s master plan to accentuate Zephyrhills’ branding as the “City of Pure Water.”

“We want to create this natural environment of what a creek in ‘real Florida’ or ‘natural Florida’ would look like…and return a portion of the park to its natural state,” Hamilton said, adding a children’s water park would be a nice addition, too.

The most popular topic, however, was the resurfacing of the park’s five tennis courts.

Open house attendees filled out comment cards listing what additions they’d like to see improved at Zephyr Park ‘today’ and in the ‘future.’

“The single most used thing in this park is the tennis courts,” said Fred Hall, who lives in East Pasco. “There’s not a thing on any of (the image) boards relating to the tennis courts. That’s the only thing I would use at this point. That’s what’s keeping this park alive is those tennis courts, and nobody even addresses that in this survey that they’re doing, which is sad.”

Hall added the courts are currently almost unplayable due to the number of “lumps and cracks” that have popped up over time.

“We spend our money in this town,” he said. “If they get much worse, all the people that are playing here, they’ll go spend all their money going someplace else.”

That’s what one Zephyrhills family already does.

Brad Bricker said he regularly takes his four children to Common Ground Park in Lakeland, referring to that park as a “destination to go to.”

“Common Ground is such a fun park because the adults are playing, the kids are playing, there’s stuff where everybody wants to get on the equipment and play,” Bricker said. “Their tennis courts actually have a pro shop and a place where they can actually have tennis events. I see something like that happening, where there’s actually tennis competitions happening and more new-age, modernized-type equipment.”

He continued, “(Zephyr Park) has tennis courts, but there’s not really anything happening with them in that sense. If there was a stadium-style tennis court here, you could bring in events…and have a park where people want to drive from other areas to come to.”

Bricker added the park “definitely needs” some new features, whatever they may be.

“It is pretty much outdated,” he said. “Even the newer equipment they’ve put in over the years is kind of…fading and dilapidated.”

Another Zephyrhills resident, Lani Prilliman, is glad the city is finally getting around to improving the park. She said she’d like to see to more law enforcement and lighting at night to curb suspicious activity she’s witnessed.

“There’s been some issues in the evenings,” Prilliman said.

However, Prilliman sees the park’s long-term potential.

“It is a diamond in the rough,” she said. “The park just needs some updating and some sprucing up. I’ve been here a long time, and the park seems to not get much attention.”

While the CRA and park’s design team will consider the residents’ suggestions, Hamilton emphasized that a park with significant amenities could attract hundreds of people into Zephyrhills every day.

“I’m trying to do a great urban park and not just a park for 20 people,” Hamilton said.

Hamilton said she plans to seek state grants, corporate sponsorships and find out what kind of funding the city can provide, to determine a budget for the master plan.

Published May 25, 2016

Brick roads preserve a sense of history

May 25, 2016 By Doug Sanders

When four people tripped and fell during Dade City’s Church Street Christmas celebration in 2000, the incident triggered an unexpected outcome.

The strollers were enjoying a holiday outing when they stumbled across holes in the street where asphalt paving had worn through to the brick street beneath.

This company logo is frequently found on the brick streets in Dade City. In 1933, the Southern Clay Manufacturing Company had contracts with Miami, Jacksonville, St. Augustine and St. Petersburg. At least 80,000 bricks were made daily for streets. The company also made fire and chemical bricks, clay sewer pipe, various construction bricks and telephone line conduit.
(Photos courtesy of Doug Sanders)

The city’s director of public works, Ron Ferguson, reported at a January 2001 City Commission meeting that no one was injured.

But, what to do about the holes in the street?

According to records obtained from Angie Guy, Dade City’s city clerk, a consensus was reached.
The city’s historic preservation advisory board recommended that city crews “strip asphalt from Church Avenue” and make repairs with salvaged brick and new brick, if necessary, “to significantly enhance historic preservation in Dade City.”

The City Commission agreed to the brick restoration “after considerable discussion and on recommendation of staff.”

Removing the asphalt without damaging the bricks would prove to be no easy task, according to a St. Petersburg Times report from some 16 years ago.

“With all the work that has to be done just on a daily basis, we did not think we could do it,” Ferguson told the newspaper.

On April 5, 2001, the city started a “pilot program” with five city employees, a Bobcat Skill loader, a Caterpillar backhoe, a 10-yard dump truck, and some improvised hand tools.

In his progress report to the City Commission, Ferguson indicated that a 2-inch layer of asphalt had been cleared on Church Avenue from Eighth Street to 17th Street.

Work was done “after 9:30 a.m., to allow school traffic time to leave the area,” Ferguson’s report said.

Stanley Burnside, born in 1920, and his father Archie Burnside, served a combined total of 17 terms as the Pasco County Clerk of the Circuit Court. The younger Burnside graduated from Pasco High School in 1937.

Additional equipment was needed to clean “fine pieces of crushed asphalt and dirt” by using a tractor equipped with a water tank and the city’s street sweeper.

It cost a total of $4,133.78 to expose the layer of red bricks that had been laid more than 70 years ago.

Each one of the bricks was from the Southern Clay Manufacturing Company, in Robbins, Tennessee.

Ninety-six-year-old Stanley Burnside lives near Church Avenue, which is the only street in Pasco County designated a national historic site.

To him, the brick streets bring back memories of a different era when people were riding in Model-T Fords and Warren G. Harding was the 29th President of the United States.

On a recent Sunday afternoon, Burnside agreed to walk the two blocks from his townhome in downtown Dade City to the corner of 12th Street and Meridian Avenue.

Standing at the same spot as he did in 1927, he is photographed with Rodney B. Cox Elementary School over his right shoulder.

“I was 7 years old, but I still remember them laying down the brick by hand,” Burnside recalled.

From Meridian Avenue heading north, the brickwork was laid without any mortar and was headed straight to what was then the Dade City Grammar School, at the far end of 12th Street.

Burnside often walks past this same corner on his daily walks, which sometimes gives him time to think about the brick streets in Dade City.

“You might say they last forever,” says Burnside, who celebrated his 96th birthday on May 23.

Over the years, maintaining the brick streets has posed its share of challenges.

City Manager Ben Bolan described some of them in a 1988 interview with The Tampa Tribune.

Because of the difficulty in finding skilled labor to do the maintenance work, Bolan recommended that Fifth Street and 10th Street be repaved, due to sections of those brick streets being uneven, creating a potential hazard, if drivers didn’t slow down.

But, the consensus of the City Commission was the same then as it was for Church Avenue.

“(The Commission’s) general philosophy is that there will never be another brick street paved over in Dade City,” Bolan was quoted by the newspaper 28 years ago.

And, to this day, there hasn’t been.

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

Lutz Learning Center seeks expansion

May 25, 2016 By Kevin Weiss

The Lutz Learning Center is looking to expand operations into Pasco County.

The school, located on a 1-acre campus at 621 Sunset Lane in Lutz, is seeking an additional site to accommodate more families, said Kimberly Wilson, the school’s director of innovation.

“We’re bursting at the seams,” she said referring to the current campus.

The independent private school currently has an enrollment of 120 students, ranging from pre-kindergarten to sixth grade.

Wilson noted grades seven and eight will be added next year, with an eventual goal of serving high school students once the expansion is in place.

The school uses a “Limitless Potential” philosophy and a “Differentiated Instruction Curriculum” model, in which students are advanced based on where they belong socially, emotionally and academically.

For example, a student may be in their first grade year, but understands concepts equivalent to a third-grader.

“We look at education like the rungs on a ladder,” Wilson said. “Our model is very different, so we don’t use grades, meaning just because a child is in their second grade year doesn’t mean that they’re only around second grade kids. Basically, every child is two years academically advanced.

“We plug a child in where they belong…and encourage them to just climb as high as they can.”

Annual tuition at the school ranges from $7,700 to $8,500.

The original campus — built in 1980 — will still remain, Wilson said.

Published May 25, 2016

Lutz Learning Center starts All Pro Dad chapter

May 25, 2016 By Kevin Weiss

Kimberly Wilson found out about the All Pro Dad program after sifting through a few children’s books a parent had recently donated to the Lutz Learning Center.

That parent was legendary NFL coach and Hall of Famer Tony Dungy.

Tony Dungy, left, has a chat with John Viscardo, one of the dads in attendance. (Photos courtesy of Lutz Learning Center) — Tony Dungy, left, has a chat with John Viscardo, one of the dads in attendance.
(Photos courtesy of Lutz Learning Center)

After speaking with Dungy and finding out more about the Family First-based fatherhood program, Wilson, the learning center’s director of innovation, was “ecstatic” about creating a chapter at the independent private school, which currently serves 120 students.

“This is really all about connecting dads with their kids, and giving them that time to connect together,” Wilson said. “Have breakfast and sit and hang out, and get to know your kids and have meaningful discussions.”

That’s what happened at the first chapter meeting on May 18, when 15 dads bonded and shared a meal with their young ones at the Lutz Learning Center campus.

The new chapter will meet quarterly during the school year, with each session focusing on a particular topic. May’s topic was “Finishing Well.”

Fifteen fathers attended the Lutz Learning Center’s first All-Pro Dad Chapter meeting on May 18. The program uses football themes to tout the importance of being a good father.

The overall goal of the discussion was to empower children to “complete what they start” and “do their best” in all aspects of life.

The topic of “Finishing Well” also provided an opportunity for Dungy to reflect on one of his coaching experiences from nearly a decade ago, when he was the head coach of the Indianapolis Colts.

It was the 2007 AFC Championship game, where Dungy’s team faced the New England Patriots, and quickly fell behind 21-3. They eventually mounted a historic comeback to capture the Super Bowl XLI title, with a score of 38-34.

“Everything went wrong early in the game…and it would have been easy to give up and say, ‘Oh well.’ But we didn’t,” Dungy said. “Our guys continued to play hard and work hard…and encourage each other.

“If you continue to encourage even when things aren’t going well and do your best, things usually work out,” Dungy said.

Throughout the early morning session, the private school’s dads underwent positive affirmation activities hoping to ensure their young children know that their fathers support them.

This sign tells dads what they need to do at the All Pro Dad meeting.

Part of the morning involved a human knot disentanglement puzzle exercise, that required teamwork, patience and perseverance, from both the dads and the learning center’s students.

It turned out to be an “awesome” experience for one dad in attendance.

“It makes you appreciate being a dad more,” school parent John Viscardo said. “It really gets you talking to your kids in a nontraditional fashion.”

All-Pro Dad was launched in 1997 by Mark Merrill, with Dungy’s help.

The goal of the program is to use football themes to speak out on the importance of being a good father, the program’s website says.

“I think really the idea behind it was getting men to understand how important just a few minutes of connecting with your kids can be,” Dungy said. “Coming to school, getting them involved in knowing where the school is, knowing the teachers, letting the kids know it’s important — it sends a great message.”

The program has spread to 1,293 schools across 46 states.

Published May 25, 2016

Author with local ties has best-seller

May 25, 2016 By Kevin Weiss

It’s been seven years since Karen Pashley last visited Dade City, but she was excited to have the chance to reconnect with area friends.

Pashley was in town Friday for a book signing of her best-selling Christian novel, “Precious in His Sight,” released just last month.

Karen Pashley is the author of ‘Precious in His Sight,’ a best-selling Christian novel released last month. Pashley lived in Dade City from 1997 to 2009, and still owns a home there.
(Photos courtesy of Adams PR Group)

In the first week of its release, the novel catapulted to No. 2 on Amazon’s Christian nonfiction best-seller list. It also was endorsed by New York Times’ best-selling author Denise Jackson, the wife of country music icon, Alan Jackson.

It’s been a surreal experience for the first-time novelist, who was surprised by her sudden popularity.

“As a first-time novelist, this isn’t what we gear ourselves up for. We hope that our family and friends will read it and that will be it,” Pashley said. “I knew the book had merit, but it’s so hard to get recognition in this publishing industry with the rise of independent publishing.

“People are apparently resonating with this story, sharing it with their friends, and it’s just really exciting what is happening,” Pashley said.

In a nutshell, the book centers on a scandalous affair of a prominent southern Christian couple, and how it affects the husband, wife and mistress.

“It’s the story of three people entangled in this web,” Pashley said. “The story is written from all three points of view — the wife’s point of view as she discovers her husband’s affair, from the husband’s point of view as he tries to work his way out of the mess he’s gotten himself into, and from the mistress’ point of view — and the struggles that they go through during the course of the year the book takes place.

“It’s kind of a story of betrayal and heartbreak, but it’s also a story of tremendous hope in light of very, very difficult circumstances,” she added.

The author said the book’s title is also very relevant to the story, which readers will eventually discover.

“As readers work their way through the novel, they’ll have an ‘ah ha moment’ where they’ll understand why the title is what it is,” Pashley said.

‘Precious is His Sight’ is a novel that centers on a scandalous affair of a prominent southern Christian couple.

“There’s a lot of symbolism in this book, a lot of deep layers, a story within a story. The title plays into the plot, but it also plays into the turning point for my characters and their journey and understanding that we’re all really important in this world, and we all are worthy of being loved,” the author added.

Pashley’s vision for the book came through a daydream several years ago, in what she described as a “really unique experience.”

“Most writers maybe have to search for their inspiration from somewhere, but this story literally dropped in my mind like a movie,” she said. “The whole thing played out from beginning to end — the settings, the characters, the plot, the twists, everything. I jotted all my notes down and stuck it in a drawer, and then a couple years later, in a moment of epiphany, I decided to try my hand at writing a book, and I pulled that old notebook out and the story had never left me.”

However, writing the book became a significant task for Pashley, who was just starting the project when she was diagnosed with Meniere’s disease, a disorder of the inner ear that causes vertigo.

“I had to work off and on with it,” said Pashley, who is now in remission.

“Looking at a computer is a major trigger, so I had a very hard time working for several years because of the period of time where I just couldn’t look at the light, so it took an immense effort to get the draft finished,” she explained.

After the book was awarded first place in the unpublished novels competition at the 2014 Blue Ridge Writer’s Conference, Pashley figured she’d move forward with fully completing the novel, and publishing it.

“I wasn’t willing to put my name on something until I knew it was going to be the best that I could make it, so I guess that’s why I was patient and put the time in to really learn the craft, and get a lot of feedback early on from people in the industry,” Pashley explained.

“In the course of learning how to put together a proper novel, you don’t just sit down and write it. I attended many workshops and conferences, and met with editors all over the country.”

As she tours the country on book signings and other speaking engagements, Pashley is finishing up a companion study guide to go along with the novel, allowing book clubs and Bible study groups to incorporate it into their discussions.

Pashley says the companion guide, which is expected to be ready for order in July, will “really cultivate all the feelings and the thoughts that (readers) are going to have when they finish reading the book.”

As for future novels, Pashley already has outlined a sequel.

“I’ll hopefully be carving out some time for that,” she said, adding, “I’m taking a trip to British Columbia for two weeks where I can watch the bears and draft for the sequel.”

Pashley and her husband lived in Dade City from 1997 to 2009, until the family relocated to Nashville, Tennessee.

Before living in Dade City, the New York native resided in Spring Hill, Florida, for 11 years.

The family still owns their Dade City home, Pashley said.

She thinks her Pasco ties should help spread the visibility of the novel through the rest of the Sunshine State.

“I knew going into this that I wanted…to make myself available to women’s groups, church groups, book clubs and bookstores in Florida. I still do have a lot of connections in the area,” she said. “It’s just kind of getting our feet wet. I hope to be back in the Florida area, especially the Tampa Bay area.

“This is just our first whirl,” Pashley said.

Published May 25, 2016

Two local chambers consider joining forces

May 25, 2016 By Kathy Steele

The Central Pasco Chamber of Commerce and the Trinity-Odessa Chamber of Commerce are considering a merger.

An exploratory committee is beginning meetings this week, with an eye toward seeing if combining the two chambers will yield positive results for both chambers and their members, said Elayne Bassinger, president of the Central Pasco Chamber.

Bassinger said the Central Pasco Chamber was approached by the Trinity-Odessa Chamber, with the idea that a merger may be mutually beneficial.

Initially, the chairman of Trinity-Odessa Chamber’s board, Todd Pillars, and its incoming chairman, Mike Kelley, met with Bassinger and Terri Dusek, incoming president for the Central Pasco Chamber.

“When there was an interest in seeing if this would be doable, then the executive board from Trinity-Odessa met with the executive board of Central Pasco Chamber; from there we decided there would be an exploratory committee,” Bassinger said.

The exploratory committee is made up of the four-member executive board of the Central Pasco Chamber and four members of the executive board of the Trinity-Odessa Chamber.

The committee will consider the logistics and benefits of a merger.

If the chambers merged, the single chamber would have about 800 members. Currently, both chambers each have about 400 members.

The larger chamber would provide a stronger voice, enabling it to be a stronger advocate for issues that are important to businesses in the area, Bassinger said.

“Financially, we would be a stronger chamber,” Bassinger added, noting the two chambers could pool their resources.

Businesses who are now members of both chambers would need just a single membership, too, she noted.

“That also frees up our companies to sponsor more because when you’re splitting your advertising dollars between a number of chambers, then you’re more limited in the resources you have to support each of those chambers,” Bassinger said.

While noting a number of benefits, Bassinger emphasized that no decision has been reached yet.

“We really are in the preliminary stages of making sure that it’s good for the members, as well as for the chambers,” she said.

“After doing our due diligence, if a recommendation is that a merger is what we think would be the best for the chambers and the members, then that would be taken to our respective boards for approval,” Bassinger said.

The chambers issued a joint news release that a merger is being considered, to ensure that everyone has accurate information, Bassinger said.

“We were already hearing that we had merged,” Bassinger said. “Yes, we are talking, but in in no way has that been cemented.”

“We hope within 60 days that we would at least have a recommendation,” she said.

If a merger is approved, then “we would like to move as quickly as possible to make that happen and make it as seamless as we can also, for both sides,” she said.

In merging the two organizations, the goal would be to preserve current activities that are important to the individual chamber, Bassinger said.

“We would look at what was important to each chamber, and how we would work that in,” Bassinger said. For instance, Wednesday morning networking at Hungry Harry’s Family Bar-B-Que would be preserved because that’s important for Central Pasco Chamber members, she said.

Mike Kelley, the incoming chairman of the Trinity-Odessa Chamber, said his organization is interested in the merger because of all of the growth occurring in the Central Pasco area.

In the news release about the merger talks, Pillars noted: “The strengths of each organization compliment the other and it is believed that one combined organization will be stronger, more effective and more efficient.”

The Trinity-Odessa Chamber organized in 2014.

The Central Pasco Chamber, celebrating its 41st year, is the third-oldest chamber in Pasco County, Bassinger said.

Published May 25, 2016

Rubber ducks create a splashing success

May 25, 2016 By Kathy Steele

The crowd cheered.

The loudspeaker broadcast a quacking-good tune – “Disco, Disco Duck.”

And, with a quick dumping of about 2,000 rubber ducks into Lake Padgett, the flock of ducks floated off, with a push from a high-pressure fire hose squirted into the water.

The rubber ducks, numbered on their underside, were adopted through donations. The owner of the duck that floated to first-place also won a bonus of $2,500. Some 68 prizes were awarded to the first ducks that floated to the finish line, out of a field of more than 2,000. (Fred Bellet/Photos) — The rubber ducks, numbered on their underside, were adopted through donations. The owner of the duck that floated to first-place also won a bonus of $2,500. Some 68 prizes were awarded to the first ducks that floated to the finish line, out of a field of more than 2,000.
(Fred Bellet/Photos)

Prizes went to donors whose ducks were among the first 68 to hit the finish line. But, the true winners were the community organizations that will receive donations from the Rotary Club of Wesley Chapel Noon.

More than 100 people came to the service club’s Duck Derby on May 21. Held for the first time this year, it is intended to become an annual event.

The all-day affair brought out families that shared shady spots on the lawn behind Hungry Harry’s Family Bar-B-Que, off Land O’ Lakes Boulevard.

They enjoyed live music and dined from a buffet of Hungry Harry’s barbecue, beans, chicken, and macaroni and cheese.

Ducks could be adopted at prices ranging from $5 for a single duck to $100 for a flock of 25.

The inflatable Rotary International sign is reflected in the sunglasses of Geoff Kranich, a member of the Rotary Club of Trinity. Kranich helped Erin Meyer, president of the Wesley Chapel Rotary, install the inflatable sign at the entrance to the Duck Derby.

Marcey Knight, 16, and Abri Woods, 17, worked at a drink table, taking tickets and handing out cool refreshments.

The Wiregrass Ranch High School students are members of Interact, a school-sponsored club that provides opportunities for community service.

Children bounced in the bouncy house, slid down an inflated slide or played carnival-like games for prizes.

Sales of the rubber ducks, barbecue and drinks went toward community projects, organizations or student scholarships.

“We support a variety of charities every year,” said Erin Meyer, club president.

Local and international projects and groups that receive the club’s donations include Pasco Education Foundation, Everyday Blessings, Farmworkers Self-Help, Habitat for Humanity, Sunrise Women’s Shelter and installation of water filters in third-world countries.

Jimmy Mason, in the foreground, of the Wesley Chapel Rotary goes after an errant rubber duck that jumped the floating lane during the Duck Derby.

In all, 68 prizes were handed out including a $2,500 grand prize to Brian and Isabelle Dunleavy. Other prizes included a fishing trip for five with a charter boat captain, two nights at Saddlebrook Resort, a $250 certificate for automobile repairs from TWA Firestone, a wine basket, pet grooming, and bowling games from Royal Lanes.

Derby sponsors included Fun Services of Land O’ Lakes, Sam’s Club, Cash 4 Gold, The Laker/Lutz News, and Hungry Harry’s Family Bar-B-Que.

The Wesley Chapel Rotary Club Noon hosts fundraising events annually to aid local community organizations or projects. The duck derby is expected to become a yearly tradition.

“Things like this allow us to have fellowship as a club and also to give back to the community,” said Kelly Mothershead, past president of the club.

Mike McDonald, of Trinity, was one of the performers at the Duck Derby held behind Hungry Harry’s Bar Family Bar-B-Que on U.S. 41. Held for the first time in Land O’ Lakes, it is expected to be an annual event.

Events like the duck derby create a presence in the community, said Rebecca Smith, chairwoman of the club’s foundation.

“We kind of touch everybody, and the more the merrier,” Smith said.

The Webelos of Cub Scout Pack No. 149 in Wesley Chapel helped build the duck derby course. They practiced their skills in tying square knots to link together the colorful noodles that marked the course’s boundaries.

“It was fun,” said 6-year-old Andrew Holliday.

His family bought a few ducks the day of the race, and enjoyed a picnic lunch.

“We just wanted to see what it was like,” said Brian Holliday, Andrew’s father.

Brother Connor, 5, sat in a lawn chair, with a plate piled high with his favorite food – mac n’ cheese.

At the shoreline, children waded into the lake, splashing and tossing small pebbles into the water. Or, they wandered over to climb inside the cab of the fire truck parked nearby. Pasco County Fire Rescue provided the hose and water to get the duck derby moving along.

At the derby’s finish line, club members plucked the winning ducks from the water and popped them into plastic bags for identification. Each duck had a number printed on its belly.

The disco dance tune “Disco, Disco, Duck” kept the festivities bouncing along.

“Wasn’t that adorable?” said Smith, who is already ready to join in the fun next year.

Published May 25, 2016

After professional death, a glimmer of life

May 18, 2016 By Tom Jackson

The abrupt unpleasantness that recently befell The Tampa Tribune is still very much with me. It is sure to linger for quite some time. The newspaper had been my home for nearly a quarter-century, and I had grown attached.

The Tribune was more than a place to work and draw a steady paycheck. It wasn’t a place for punching time clocks. It was a calling, and it was family. I may recover the former; I shall always grieve the latter.

I was a kid reared near the Hillsborough River who left town only as a result of the death of the afternoon paper — the Tampa Times — where I’d cut my journalistic teeth. So, yes, I was on staff when both Tampa papers died. Believe me, that was not the sort of history I set out to make when, just 17, I fell in love with the business at the sight of my first byline, seven stilted paragraphs about a high school basketball game.

I wandered a bit after that first closing: a shade shy of three years in Washington D.C., almost seven on the Left Coast. The Tribune brought me home from far-off Sacramento, where the time zone never quite fit me, and you had to change planes to see family — as even seventh-generation Californians said, quaintly — “back East.”

And back home is where I stuck, most of seven years downtown on the river, a dozen winding miles downstream from my boyhood stomping grounds, then roughly 18 years and a month in Pasco County, watching it grow and change.

Understand this about newspapers, whether they are dailies publishing urgently about the prior day’s events, or weeklies such as this one that reflect, provide context and project what’s ahead: They are woven into the fabric of their communities.

When they perish, as they increasingly do — the dailies, anyway — squeezed by forces beyond their command, it diminishes the localities they once served. That loss is felt, even after the newspaper’s readers have readjusted and moved on, their memories of the old broadsheet dulled by time, and the fast rush of the endless news cycle streaming on their mobiles.

Am I suggesting the demise of a newspaper is somehow more devastating than when an air conditioner manufacturer or a giant cookie factory packs up and heads to Mexico? No. That would require hubris beyond even me.

Carrier and Nabisco gave jobs and life to Indianapolis and the southwest side of Chicago, and it’s hard to imagine anything soon arriving to replace them. While the Tribune also gave jobs and life, and reliably reported the pulse of its coverage areas to the very end, fans of the printed page can turn to reliable substitutes. You have one before you now.

That conceded, I am rooting, hard, for my colleagues who find themselves without jobs, without ready conduits for their skills and talents, without the thrum of deadlines organizing their lives.

As they scramble to resume, in some fashion, careers battered by difficult facts, I am fortunate to have landed here, to have reclaimed the blessing of filling white space with my words, even if it is just one day a week. At least for that one day, I will have the chance to feel normal. Normalcy after a life-shattering upheaval is a welcome blessing.

Some of you know me. After 18 years and a month, I know many of you. But, in this debut column I am not going to presume anything. Instead, I am going to rely on the example set for me some 30 years ago by a friend who inevitably reintroduced himself at nearly every encounter.

Never mind that our wives and daughters were great friends, that we frequently visited each other’s homes and, in fact, that we spent a year teaching Sunday school together. Until the December day we set out bound for Tampa, he’d inevitably greet me with his right hand extended and an introduction on his lips.

In that friendly spirit, hello. I’m Tom Jackson.

I like (in no particular order) cake donuts with chocolate icing (not jelly-filled, no matter what my wife and the heir-apparent think), pulled-pork barbecue, thunderstorms, the Florida Gators, the St. Louis Cardinals, smallish government, low taxes, Paula O’Neil’s glow, Mike Fasano’s fervor, Jack Mariano’s goofy grin, honorary mayor’s races, the Beach Boys, the unflagging sincerity of retiring Toys for Tots leader Bob Loring, golf, Friday night football, the plans for the interchange at Interstate 75 and State Road 56, Chris Nocco’s handshake, energetic border disputes, Ted Schrader’s accent (yours, too, Kurt Browning) and the triumph of ordinary folks over life’s daunting challenges.

Yes. Especially triumphs. Especially now.

By Tom Jackson

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