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Pasco sheriff updates crime efforts

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At The Greater Zephyrhills Chamber of Commerce monthly meeting, Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco talked about a wide range of law enforcement issues.

He touched on many topics, including drug-related offenses, human trafficking, and the rise of officer-involved shootings nationwide.

Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco talks about many topics, including the recent nationwide string of officer-involved shootings. (Kevin Weiss/Staff Photo)
Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco talks about many topics, including the recent nationwide string of officer-involved shootings.
(Kevin Weiss/Staff Photo)

Addressing a crowd of about 100, the sheriff said “shake-and-bake” meth and prescription drug usage continue to be a pervasive problem countywide, ultimately leading to a sizable percentage of the county’s burglaries.

Last year, nearly 2,400 burglaries were reported in Pasco County, according to the Federal Department of Law Enforcement.

“That’s the driver of crime in our community — the addiction issue,” Nocco said, at the Aug. 4 breakfast meeting.

“All the burglaries, that’s what really is hurting us right now — people breaking in because of their addictions.

“That is a major disease that law enforcement can’t fight by itself,” Nocco added.

Though he declined to provide many details due to active investigations, the sheriff noted the fight against human trafficking is “going very well.”

“In the next couple of weeks, you’ll hear about some cases we’re working on,” he said. “We’re just working with the State’s Attorney Office to make sure we’ve got a prosecution.”

In May, Pasco sheriff’s deputies busted a New Port Richey human trafficking ring that targeted women in strip clubs along U.S. 19.

Curbing those instances of illegal activity, Nocco said, starts with residents reporting suspicious behavior.

“We need your help in fighting human trafficking,” he said. “The places you’re going to see that is in smaller restaurants, nail salons and massage parlors; if you see a massage parlor with lights on at 12 o’clock at night, something’s not right.”

He continued: “We go to Dade City a lot because of the migrant population and the fields, where a lot of horrific things happen.”

Throughout the meeting, Nocco spent time discussing the recent attacks on law enforcement officers nationwide.

“The stress of our families right now is tremendous,” Nocco said. “We’re in the uniform and we feel the stress, but at the same time…our spouses and our children are living through a time right now that they’ve never really had to live through before.”

As of July 20, there’s been a 78 percent spike in firearms-related officer fatalities, according to a report by the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund.

Thirty-two officers have died in firearms-related incidents so far this year, including 14 that were ambush-style attacks, the report shows. During the same period last year, 18 officers were shot and killed in the line of duty, including three that were considered ambush-style attacks.

“As we talk about these shootings, one of the things…that’s a bigger issue in my eyes is the sovereign citizens movement,” Nocco said. “It was not just about anti-law enforcement, but it was about anti-government. Law enforcement — we’re the forefront of government, we’re the symbol of government and everything that’s happening, we’re just the tip of the iceberg.”

Sovereigns reportedly believe that they get to decide which laws to obey and which to ignore, and don’t think they should have to pay taxes.

A 2011 FBI bulletin called the sovereign citizens movement “a growing domestic threat to law enforcement.”

According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, the sovereign citizens movement totals about 300,000 members and “has been growing at a fast pace since the late 2000s.”

The 29-year-old gunman who killed three Baton Rouge police officers in an ambush-style attack on July 17 was later found to be a member of an anti-government sovereign citizens group, multiple news outlets reported.

“Sovereign citizens — that is an alarming sound,” Nocco said, “because they have killed law enforcement officers across the country; we actually had a sovereign citizen in Spring Hill who had 14 AK-47s and was ready for a shootout with law enforcement.”

The increasingly risky climate of working in law enforcement has altered the handling of response procedures within the department, the sheriff said.

“We do not have enough deputies to put two in a car, but when we’re responding to a call, we’re sending two deputies,” Nocco said. “And, that could be anything — it could be a shoplifter at a convenience store, but now we’re sending two (deputies) because you never know what the call may be.”

Published August 10, 2016

Bicycling safety on meeting agenda

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San Antonio’s rolling hills are a draw for bicyclists who want scenic routes and more than flat roadway to test their bicycling skills.

San Antonio hosted the Gran Fondo Florida in March. The bicycle race was one of eight events in the nation for the Gran Fondo National Championship Series. (File Photo)
San Antonio hosted the Gran Fondo Florida in March. The bicycle race was one of eight events in the nation for the Gran Fondo National Championship Series.
(File Photo)

But, keeping mostly two-lane blacktop road lanes inviting, as well as safe, will be among topics discussed at a public meeting hosted by Pasco County Chairwoman Kathryn Starkey on Aug. 11 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., at the Pasco County Historic Courthouse, at 37918 Meridian Ave., in Dade City.

Attendees will be asked to identify bicycling routes throughout San Antonio Hills; potential areas for building shoulders on roadways for safety; identifying construction areas that could be a danger to bicyclists; and how to promote bicycling and tourism.

For information or to direct comments to the Pasco County Metropolitan Planning Commission, email , or call (727) 847-8140.

Kids offer practical advice to battle substance abuse

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The youths sat at the front of the room, sharing how substance abuse had affected their lives.

One lost her 27-year-old brother to an overdose.

Another was removed from her drug-addicted mother.

Others have relatives or friends who are living with substance abuse problems.

Six of the panelists are members of a group called STAND Above the Influence. The acronym stands for Safe Teens AgaiNst Drugs.

The group is a team of youth leaders who aim to end youth substance abuse in Pasco County through education.

STAND Above the Influence is a team of youth leaders who aim to help end substance misuse in Pasco County. To find out more about STAND, which stands for Safe Teens AgaiNst Drugs, email , or call (727) 315-8651.

The seventh member of the panel, from PACE School for Girls, shared her personal struggles with drug addiction. She’s in recovery now.

Panel members assembled at the Land O’ Lakes Community Center to address a room filled with professionals who work in law enforcement, politics, substance abuse treatment and other professions involved in preventing substance abuse or responding to people with addictions.

The panel was made up of Jazmyn Perkins, Ariana Santillana, Mariah Morales, Jesseca Powell, Ormond Derr, Devin Lindsey-Brock and Destiny Dale.

They had plenty to say.

Parents should avoid sending mixed messages to their kids, panelists said. When parents tell their kids not to smoke, use drugs or drink — the message lacks credibility if the parents are engaged in those activities themselves.

Parents need to take the time to talk and listen to their kids — to really get to know them, one panelist said.

“Be open,” the panelist said. “Talk to me like I’m an adult.”

Kids and parents need to be able to talk — to not have screaming matches when they disagree, another panelist said.

Having crisis counselors and social workers available on campus would help, so that kids could turn to trained professionals, another panelist suggested.

It’s important for parents to understand their child’s point of view, another panelist said.

More work is needed to reduce the availability of drugs, not only at schools — but also in the home and the community.

Prescription pills and alcohol are often readily accessible in the home, panelists said.

Drugs are also available on school campuses, and kids develop code words to let other kids know that they have drugs for sale, panelists said.

Having occasional sweeps through the school with drug-sniffing canines can help uncover drugs that are hidden on campus, one panelist said.

Panelists also talked about why kids use drugs.

Some do it because of peer pressure and the desire to fit in.

Others use drugs to cope with whatever pressures they are facing.

Some want to experiment. Others, to rebel.

Drug use is often glamorized in popular culture, and Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter and other social media channels often give the appearance that people who are using drugs are having the time of their lives, some panelists said.

Those social media posts can make people who are at home watching television want to join the kids who seem to be having such a good time, panelists added.

But there are other ways to fit in, they said. Kids can join teams, or clubs, or find some other way to be involved and have fun.

Joining organizations such as STAND offers opportunities to attend conferences, give presentations and take part in other events, panelists said.

Behavioral health classes would help, too, a panelist said.

Kids need to have a better idea of the effect that substance abuse has on their brains and their bodies.

There’s also a lot to be said for having a chance to listen to someone who has suffered through the struggles of addiction and is now in recovery, panelists said.

The key, one panelist said, is “staying busy, staying focused.”

Another panelist offered this advice for avoiding drug use: “Do stuff that makes you happy.”

Published August 10, 2016

Van delivers services to veterans

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The Pasco Mobile Vet Center rolled into the parking lot at the neighborhood shopping center in Zephyrhills, ready for a day of outreach to military veterans.

By 10 a.m., five veterans had stopped by to check out the mobile van and learn about resources they could tap into as they transition to civilian life, seek help with employment or find a place to live.

Julie Hayes, veterans’ representative with CareerSource Pasco Hernando, and Frank Jones, van driver and veterans’ outreach program specialist at the Pasco County Vet Center, brought services to veterans aboard the Pasco Mobile Vet Center. (Staff Photo)
Julie Hayes, veterans’ representative with CareerSource Pasco Hernando, and Frank Jones, van driver and veterans’ outreach program specialist at the Pasco County Vet Center, brought services to veterans aboard the Pasco Mobile Vet Center.
(Kathy Steele/Staff Photo)

It was a typical day of outreach for Frank Jones and Julie Hayes. Jones is a mobile van driver and veterans’ outreach program specialist with the Pasco County Vet Center in New Port Richey. Hayes is a veterans’ representative with CareerSource Pasco Hernando.

The van travels to various locations throughout the state. On average, it makes 10 to 12 stops a month.

“The idea is to take services to veterans in rural areas who don’t have access to services,” Jones said.

Services are offered to combat veterans and their families, but no veteran is turned away, Jones said.

The mobile vet center also provides help for first responders who are combat veterans.

Services include screening for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), referrals for sexual trauma counseling, marital/family counseling, bereavement counseling, information and referrals to community resources, and referrals for benefits assistance.

All information provided by veterans is confidential.

Whether they are still on active duty or are in transition, Jones said, “They don’t have to worry about their commander finding out.”

Often, there are no serious problems, Jones said. Sometimes, he noted, “They just want to talk about their issues.”

Jones has an easy rapport with veterans. He has been there.

He served as a U.S. Army medic in Cairo, and was diagnosed later with noncombat PTSD.

In 1999, he was a homeless veteran, and had a drinking problem.

Today, Jones is a 12-year recovering alcoholic who is married and buying his own home.

“I kind of know where they are coming from,” he said.

Hayes is based at the Dade City CareerSource site, and works with veterans in Pasco and Hernando counties.

“I help them get job-ready,” said the woman who served more than four years in the U.S. Navy in a noncombat role during the Gulf War.

She assesses what veterans need to re-enter the job market, helps with interviewing skills, job training and referrals to Pasco-Hernando State College.

“A lot of it is skills they are missing,” she said. “They do have a unique set of skills they bring to employers, but a lot of times employers don’t recognize that. They aren’t seeing the whole picture of the veterans.”

Many are degree-ready or they may have military-based skills in communications and technology, but Hayes said, “They don’t have up-to-date certification as a civilian. They don’t have that piece of paper.”

Though Jones is based in New Port Richey, the mobile van covers much of central and south Florida. Another mobile van, based in Jacksonville, travels through northern Florida and into southern Georgia.

Nationwide, the veterans’ affairs department operates about 300 community-based vet centers, according to the department’s website.

About 80 vans also provide services to demobilization active military bases, as well as National Guard armories and Reserve Centers, and do local outreach at shopping centers and other community locations.

Each van is equipped with state-of-the-art technology, including laptops, telephones, remote data view, satellite televisions and video conferencing.

Jones said the van can handle one-on-one interviews or groups of up to about 10 people.

The vet centers and mobile vans are part of the care provided through the veterans’ affairs office, and are separate from the veteran’s hospitals and health care system.

The vet centers were launched in 1979 as outreach to Vietnam veterans.

“It’s evolved now to all combat veterans, not just Vietnam veterans,” Jones said.

Veterans’ Affairs rolled out the mobile vans about four years ago.

They sometimes are mobilized for national tragedies, including the aftereffects of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans.

Recently, three mobile centers traveled to Orlando after the mass shooting at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando. Staff members helped with bereavement, notifications to families and counseling for anyone struggling with loss.

On the agenda is a “Stand Down” event on Sept. 29, Sept. 30 and Oct. 1 at the Veterans Memorial Park in Hudson. These multiday efforts provide a range of services including clothes, hot meals, showers, counseling, dental cleanings, Alcoholic Anonymous meetings, and court services to homeless veterans.

Jones expects to roll his van into the park.

“We travel where they need us,” he said.

For information, visit VetCenter.va.gov, call Pasco County Vet Center at (727) 372-1854 or the Combat Call Center at (877) 927-8387.

For information on CareerSource, visit CareerSourcePascoHernando.com.

Published August 10, 2016

Experts offer advice to entrepreneurs

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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