The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

Local News

Costco Wholesale wants giant sign

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A planning oversight committee gave tentative approval to a large display sign for Costco Wholesale, slated to open next to Tampa Premium Outlets.

It takes the membership warehouse chain a step closer to permitting and construction. Company officials have not announced an opening date.

Costco received approval in January for the sale of beer, wine and liquor.

The approximately 153,000-square-foot warehouse building will have a separate liquor store of about 2,100 square feet.

Architect Doug Brookbank, principal at MG2 Global, represented the company at the Jan. 25 hearing at the county’s Development Review Committee. Committee members review recommendations from the county’s planning department.

The Pasco County Commission will have the final say.

Costco officials asked to increase the sign’s size from about 600 square feet to about 1,700 square feet.

In return for the larger sign, the company would forego installing nine smaller signs that met county requirements.

If the larger sign were approved, the overall sign space would be reduced by 35 percent.

“We believe this is not unreasonable considering the size of the structure (warehouse) itself,” said Denise Hernandez, the county’s zoning manager.

Costco would join a cluster of new retail either already opened or under construction, off State Road 56 at Interstate 75.

Tampa Premium Outlets opened in October with nearly a 100 outlet stores including Nike, Coach, Tommy Hilfiger and Fossil.

Culver’s restaurant and Cheddar’s Casual Café are under construction. Chick-Fil-A, Kohl’s, Panda Express, and BJ’s Restaurant and Brewhouse also are planned as part of Cypress Creek Town Center.

Published February 10, 2016

Names being sought for Elem W

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Pasco County School Board members are seeking suggestions for a formal name for a new school being built in the Wiregrass Ranch area of Wesley Chapel.

Crews are bustling around the site, as construction work continues on the school, which has been known generically as Elementary W.

The school board is asking the public, district staff and students to suggest names so that it can select one before the structure opens.

Classes are scheduled to begin at the new elementary school in August.

Crews are bustling around the site of Elementary W, off Mansfield Boulevard in the Wiregrass Ranch area in Wesley Chapel. The Pasco County School Board is seeking suggestions for a permanent name for the school. (B.C. Manion/Staff Photo)
Crews are bustling around the site of Elementary W, off Mansfield Boulevard in the Wiregrass Ranch area in Wesley Chapel. The Pasco County School Board is seeking suggestions for a permanent name for the school.
(B.C. Manion/Staff Photo)

The structure is being built on Mansfield Boulevard, across from John Long Middle School, and down the street from Wiregrass Ranch High School and Porter Campus at Wiregrass Ranch.

When it opens, it will give Wesley Chapel students the opportunity to attend kindergarten through college, along the same road.

School board policy encourages the community, educators and students to suggest names for district schools.

The school board prefers to name schools after the general location, features of the area, or historical information about the school’s location, and the suggested name must be descriptive and brief, according to a school district news release.

If the name of an individual is submitted, it should be of a person of prominence, recognized for his or her outstanding civic or educational contribution, the news release adds. The board will only consider naming a school after an elected official or school district employee has been deceased for two or more years, or has left public office or district employment more than two years ago.

Once a name is adopted, it is considered permanent unless the facility or its use changes.

If you would like to suggest a permanent name for the school now known as Elem W, submit your suggestions with a brief explanation for each school name by Feb. 29.

Email submissions using the Subject “Elementary W” to , fax them to (813) 794-2716, or mail them to: Linda Cobbe, Communications & Government Relations Department, 7227 Land O’ Lakes Blvd., Land O’ Lakes, 34638.

Published February 3, 2016

 

Amici Pizza plans stand-alone location

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Owners of Amici Pizza & Deli are planning to build a new stand-alone restaurant, with additional retail space, on Wesley Chapel Boulevard.

The new restaurant is a short distance from the existing Amici restaurant in Grand Oaks Square, at Wesley Chapel and Pet Lane.

Andrea and Josephine Mannino, are heading toward a construction start of Amici Plaza in spring with an opening likely by the end of 2016.

Pasco County records show a conceptual plan with about 3,000 square feet for the restaurant, and about 1,800 square feet for retail.

“We’d like to have our own building and a bigger kitchen,” said Andrea Mannino.

No decisions have been made on the additional retail space, he said.

The site is located at the corner of Magnolia Boulevard and Wesley Chapel Boulevard, which is also known as County Road 54.

Pasco County is moving forward with acquisition of right-of-way along County Road 54 to prepare for the expansion of the two-lane road into a four-lane road at the junction of State Road 56 and State Road 54 to Progress Parkway.

The road design also would allow for future expansion to six lanes.

County records show that construction on the $46 million project would begin in fall 2018 and would be completed in fall 2019.

To accommodate the placement of the restaurant and plaza, the Manninos’ requested the county reduce by 9 feet the amount of land acquired for the road project, and also requested a reduction in building setbacks.

The county’s Development Review Committee has recommended approval to the Pasco County Commission, which has the final say. Commissioners are scheduled to consider the request on Feb. 9.

At the same meeting, commissioners also will consider the restaurant’s request for a beer and wine license.

Construction of Amici Plaza will adopt “low impact development principles,” said Stuart Artman, director of engineering projects for Moody Engineering, Inc.

Instead of an open-air storm water pond, the site would have an underground storage vault to capture and disperse rainwater. That can decrease potential flooding problems, and provides more area for amenities such as a sidewalk around the restaurant that is separate from the public sidewalk built along the roadway.

The site also places parking spaces to the side and rear of the restaurant, another “smart growth” trend in development.

“It makes for a more compact and walkable site, which the county is encouraging,” said Chief Assistant County Attorney David Goldstein.

Published February 3, 2016 

 

Wastewater plant is set to retire

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Due to increasing maintenance and operation expenses at the Dale Mabry Wastewater Treatment Plant, the county expects to retire the plant.

To prepare to end operations at the 40-year-old plant, the county is installing a six-mile stretch of 24-inch and 36-inch reclaimed water pipeline transmission main, and a new pump station to transfer wastewater flows from the Dale Mabry plant’s location to the Northwest Regional Water Reclamation Facility.

The pump station, as well as reclaimed water tanks, will replace the Dale Mabry plant, which will be demolished, likely in early 2017.

Once the wastewater facilities at the Dale Mabry site are removed, it will leave a majority of the site as a green space, which is likely to become a county park.

Construction of the Dale Mabry Wastewater Diversion project is in full force, with a six-mile stretch of water transmission piping being installed along Gunn Highway. The installation of the 24-inch and 36-inch piping should be complete over the next few months. (Courtesy of Alice Ramos of the Valerin Group)
Construction of the Dale Mabry Wastewater Diversion project is in full force, with a six-mile stretch of water transmission piping being installed along Gunn Highway.
The installation of the 24-inch and 36-inch piping should be complete over the next few months.
(Courtesy of Alice Ramos of the Valerin Group)

The Dale Mabry Wastewater Diversion Project is one of three components of the larger, $240 million Northwest Hillsborough Wastewater Consolidation Project.

The other phases involve expanding the Northwest facility to accept and treat additional wastewater flows, as well as retiring the River Oaks Wastewater Treatment Plant.

The Dale Mabry portion of the project costs approximately $35 million.

Officials say the entire program will improve treatment efficiency, reduce power costs and minimize future rate impacts.

“It’s kind of like an old air conditioner. When you replace your old air conditioner, it’s like, ‘Wow, I really saved a lot of money,’” said Thomas Rawls, program manager of the Northwest Hillsborough Wastewater Consolidation Project. “When we transfer that flow to the new plant, it’s like you’re getting better motors, better energy savings.

“Everything’s more efficient.”

Barring any delays, the Rawls said the entire project should be completed by December—ensuring the pumps, pipeline and plant all work in conjunction with one another.

“We have to make sure the (Northwest) plant can absorb that (water) flow because we use a biological treatment system…there’s actually living organisms that treat our wastewater, and you don’t want to shock them,” Rawls explained about the flow transfer. “It’s like you’re sending them a new type of food, if you want to call it.”

The county expects the entire Northwest Wastewater program to save the county approximately $80 million over the next 20 years. Water rates will not rise for residents, officials say.

“As soon as we start transferring that (water flow), the county’s saving money,” Rawls said.

Rawls referred to the project as “the perfect storm,” for beginning construction this year, due to the county’s good credit rating and bond capacity. Plus, the county was staring down the barrel of “$10 (million)-$20 million” in repairs alone at the Dale Mabry plant site.

“It’s like an old car — you’re either going to junk it, or you’re going to rebuild it make it a pristine car,” the project manager explained. “We’ve got the fiscal ability, the county’s administration is behind it, the citizens are behind it, and it’s just a good mesh of everything.

“Five to 10 years ago — in the middle of that recession — it wasn’t the best time to go out and do this,” he said.

Construction crews are currently installing transmission pipelines along Gunn Highway between the Veterans Expressway and Lynn Turner Road—which should wrap up in the next few months.

With drills going underneath major intersections at Brushy Creek and the Veterans Expressway, there have been a small section of lane closures.

“We’re doing a directional drill that goes down 40 feet underground…and comes up on the other side,” said Rawls. “We don’t want to affect all the traffic in those big intersections, but we’ll have to close some of the median. It’s better than cutting through the intersection and disrupting all that traffic.”

Rawls said the project’s construction has “stayed pretty true” with its timelines, especially since the county is using a “design-build” form of project delivery, where both the designer (McKim & Creed Engineering) and contractor (Westra Construction) are working hand in hand.

“If they come across a problem out there, they have a team of engineers and experts out there that can get together, figure out the issue and keep moving, so there’s less impact on the community,” Rawls said. “It’s not going to linger on for years and years.”

During the winter months, Rawls noted it’s much easier to lay pipe into the ground, because there’s not as much rain.

“We can properly compact the (piping), and backfill it while it’s drier,” he explained. “We kind of held off during the holidays, but we’re hitting it hard now. We’re picking it up full steam.”

Published February 3, 2016

Scenic vistas are in U.S. 301 vision plan

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Between Zephyrhills and Dade City, a ribbon of asphalt connects two cities with distinct characteristics.

At either end, U.S. 301 is a gateway into two versions of small town America.

Between those places, motorists are treated to scenic vistas, rolling hills and wooded valleys.

“Anyone who drives it understands the uniqueness,” said James Edwards, director of Pasco County’s Metropolitan Planning Organization.

But, there are pressures building along U.S. 301, as developers make room for new subdivisions, shops and offices.

The Florida Department of Transportation will complete resurfacing of U.S. 301 in 2016, and also build a 10-foot wide multi-use trail paralleling the roadway. (File Photo)
The Florida Department of Transportation will complete resurfacing of U.S. 301 in 2016, and also build a 10-foot wide multi-use trail paralleling the roadway.
(File Photo)

The test is how to make room for growth, but also preserve the character of two cities and the state highway in between.

Edwards and Randy Mejeur, associate principal with AECOM, presented a long-range strategic vision plan on Jan. 25 for development along U.S. 301, from Kossik Road to the U.S. 98 bypass.

The plan emerged from three public workshops that gathered input from area residents, developers and business owners.

Pasco MPO funded the vision efforts. Representatives of Zephyrhills, Dade City and the Florida Department of Transportation participated.

“We think we’ve packaged a consensus out there,” Edwards said. “There really was no foundation. I think we’ve built the foundation.”

Mejeur said the workshops were heavily attended.

About 72 percent who participated either approved or strongly approved the proposed vision. About 11 percent either opposed or strongly opposed the plan and 18 percent was neutral.

Highlights of the vision plan are:

  • To maintain four lanes, with a trail system
  • To build reverse frontage roads, parallel to U.S. 301, but for use by local traffic
  • To have a minimum number of traffic signals and median cuts
  • To support development, but to have landscaping, buffering, and preservation of hills and vistas
  • To create unique gateways for Zephyrhills and Dade City

“They didn’t want to see Zephyrhills and Dade City all mashed up,” Mejeur said. “They wanted to keep distinct looks.”

And, they didn’t want the highway to be lined with strip malls.

Trail connections were priorities, too, Mejeur said.

“If we can preserve the character while accommodating traffic, I think that would be great,” said Zephyrhills Councilman Lance Smith.

Councilman Charlie Proctor had concerns about right-of-way purchases.

Edwards said, “We would see it as a friendly buy and not a condemnation. It is possible to come to terms.”

The state transportation department began resurfacing U.S. 301 in 2015, from Kossik Road to Bougainvillea Avenue, near the U.S. 98 bypass. The approximately six-mile road project also includes construction of a 10-foot wide multi-use trail paralleling the highway. Completion of the project is expected in the spring.

The new trail eventually is slated to link with Hardy Trail in Dade City.

Mejeur said a bicycle and pedestrian analysis for the area should be done “to look at how movement occurs, so that they continue to occur in a safe way.”

Next steps include the Pasco planning organization partnering with the state transportation department on a realignment study for U.S. 98 and Clinton Avenue. There is no funding as yet for the realignment, but other road projects to extend Clinton and to realign State Road 52 are in design phase.

The Dade City Council is expected to receive a similar presentation on the U.S. 301 vision plan soon.

Published February 3, 2016

Local man makes unique jewelry

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For Dan Balk, creating jewelry for a living wasn’t his original path in life.

But, he’s glad it’s turned out that way.

Balk, who operates a jewelry studio from his home in Lutz, has been making jewelry since 2008—around the time the United States’ recession was in full swing.

With a background in athletic training and physical therapy, the New Jersey native spent 13 years working as an associate dean of education for a massage school in Tampa. Simultaneously, he worked as a massage therapist for the Tampa Bay Mutiny and the New York Yankees.

However, once the nation’s economy took a tailspin for the worse, Balk’s seemingly stable career was no more.

Dan Balk handles the entire jewelry-making process for all of his pieces. (Courtesy of Nataly Balk)
Dan Balk handles the entire jewelry-making process for all of his pieces.
(Courtesy of Nataly Balk)

His massage school went bankrupt, and the Yankees, like many companies at the time, began laying off employees.

“Massage is very much a luxury for people, and people weren’t spending that type of money at that time,” Balk explained. “I must’ve sent 2,000 to 3,000 resumes in any one of the fields I was licensed to work in, and nothing was happening.”

With a wife and two children to support, Balk was at a crossroads — until his father-in-law, Roberto Vengoechea, suggested Balk make some “trinkets” to sell in the meantime.

Taking up Vengoechea’s suggestion, Balk served a 28-day apprenticeship under the guidance of his father-in-law, a master jeweler in Black Mountain, North Carolina.

Vengoechea’s tutelage turned out to be a  “cathartic” and “powerful” experience for Balk.

It was like the planets began to align, he said.

“I really, really loved what I was watching him do, and what I was doing,” Balk said. “What a boon for us that I was able to learn from someone who was so well-versed in the trade.

“We haven’t looked back since,” he said. “This is was what I was made to do.”

The craft of making jewelry by hand is declining, Balk said, due in part to the proliferation of graphic design, 3D printing and overseas production.

“All of these things that were done by hand — in a couple generations, if we don’t teach other people, they’re lost,” Balk said. “As a craftsperson, you’re under an obligation to teach.”

Balk designs and fabricates every piece of jewelry from raw materials.

Typically, the process can involve as many as five or six different parties, from the time a piece is designed until it is sold, he said.

Balk handles the entire jewelry-making process—whether it’s a ring, a pendant, a necklace or a bracelet.

He leaves the “business side of things” to his wife, Nataly.

“I create all of my own (metal) sheets, I make all of my own (silver and gold) alloys, I design all of my own pieces, and I finish them; I set all of my own stones, and I select my stones. When I can cut and polish the stones myself, I do that myself,” Balk said. “That’s a premium — that the artist had direct contact with a piece all the way through to completion.”

Depending on the type of jewelry and its complexity, Balk may spend anywhere from a few days to a week on a piece.

While most of his jewelry designs are labeled as “modern and futuristic,” there’s essentially no limit as to what Balk can create based on a customer’s request.

From that standpoint, each piece of jewelry made by Balk is “one of a kind,” and not constrained to basic round rings and singular stones.

One customer, for instance, had rings and pendants made out of antique silverware. Another had a wedding band containing fossilized dinosaur bone. Others have had shark’s teeth and sea glass casted into their personalized pieces.

“If you have the idea, it probably can be made. Because I do it all myself, I’m not limited by just the components I can buy,” Balk explained. “Some (jewelers) say, ‘I do customer ordering — these are the settings you can choose, and these are the bands you can choose.’ We don’t do that; we can make anything you want to make.

“It’s not limited by a picture in the catalog.”

A look at one of the rings Balk recently completed. (Kevin Weiss/Staff Photo)
A look at one of the rings Balk recently completed.
(Kevin Weiss/Staff Photo)

After operating the Singing Stone Gallery in Ybor City for six years, Balk has been working out of his home jewelry studio in Lutz since last August.

The change in work location logistically made more sense, especially for teaching jewelry classes, which he’s done since 2012.

Balk’s daily “five-step commute” to work allows him to both focus on his craft and teach hands-on, personalized classes in a relaxed setting.

“We’re really getting to know each person that comes in. It’s not a class of 17 or 18 people that leave after an hour,” Balk’s wife said. “He’s taking you into his studio and saying, ‘Let me tell you everything I know, and if you have any questions, please let me know.’ He starts very calmly and patiently, and explains everything.”

With Valentine’s Day fast approaching, men will often surprise their partner by taking them to one of Balk’s jewelry making classes — a unique experience compared to a typical dinner date.

“I’m not against a good meal, and they are memorable when they are good, but you have that night, you eat your food and the next day, you’re done. This kind of thing—you’re making a memory,” Balk said.

“It’s an experience as well as a timeless piece that you keep forever,” Nataly said.

For more information, call (813) 728-4325, or email .

Published February 3, 2016

Food, quilts and horse pulls on tap this weekend

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The Pioneer Florida Museum & Village is gearing up for its 26th annual Farm Festival and Quilt Show.

This quilt is an example of a Hoffman challenge quilt. (Courtesy of The Pioneer Florida Museum & Village)
This quilt is an example of a Hoffman challenge quilt.
(Courtesy of The Pioneer Florida Museum & Village)

The two-day event features a Southern Draft Horse Pulling Competition on Feb. 6, and a quilt show and other activities on both Feb. 6 and Feb. 7.

The event is very popular, said Brenda Minton, the museum’s event coordinator.

“It usually brings in about 2,500 to 3,000 people. We expect more than that this year, because we have heavily promoted it,” she said.

Quilt lovers will be able to see quilts on display, and also will be able to buy supplies and take part in a raffle to try to win a quilt, provided by Quilts of Plum Lane in Dade City.

“Each year it (the quilt) is donated by someone different,” Minton said, noting the proceeds from the two-day event, including the raffle, benefit the nonprofit museum.

The museum relies on admissions and rentals to provide the revenue needed for its operations, she said.

Other highlights of the Farm Festival and Quilt Show include cane grinding and syrup making on Saturday, and arts and crafts show, traditional crafts and festival vendors.

There also will be a number of children’s activities.

No coolers or pets are allowed, and no food or beverage can be brought on-site, but there will be a concession stand.

On Saturday, festivalgoers will be able to buy a fried chicken dinner or a pulled pork dinner. The organizers decided to offer both to be sure they don’t run out of food, Minton said.

There also will be live entertainment. The lineup features The Dulcimer Connection, ColdIron, and the Sarah Rose Band.

The New River Poets will also be providing entertainment, Minton said. They’ll be doing skits in the schoolhouse.

Festivities take place at the museum, 15602 Pioneer Museum Road, 1 mile north of downtown Dade City, just off U.S. 301.

Event hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., on Feb. 6, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., on Feb. 7.

Admission is $10 for adults and $5 for children, ages 6 through 12. Admission is free for children under age 5.

Published February 3, 2016

Efforts on to modernize water billing

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Water customers in Zephyrhills could soon get a new billing system, with state-of-the art, cloud-based technology that can monitor for leaks and spikes in water usage.

The Zephyrhills City Council gave the green light to negotiate a contract with Fathom, an Arizona-based company serving 150 public water systems with more than four million meters.

City officials believe the new system can provide more accuracy and consistency in meter readings and billings.

Dripping faucet, low angle view

Confidence in the city’s billing system has eroded in recent years because of inaccurate meter readings, broken meters, leaks that went undiscovered and other problems.

Residential and commercial customers have reported incorrect billing, including a $100,000 error in the Zephyrhills bottled water account.

“We have a large lack of confidence with a lot of our customers,” Zephyrhills City Manager Steve Spina told council members at the Jan. 25 meeting.

With Fathom’s new technology, Spina said, “We anticipate more accurate readings on our meters. We feel pretty confident in recommending it to you.”

If the contract is approved on Feb. 8, city officials will move forward with plans to buy 6,000 new meters for about $120,000.

The contract with Fathom would be for five years, with two opportunities for five-year extensions.

It would take about a year to transition from the current system to Fathom’s system.

Fathom would handle billing and provide access to a 24-hour call center in Phoenix or Atlanta, or both. There also would be Internet and mobile access to services, including payments through bank accounts, mail, telephone applications and credit card.

In-person customer service also would be available.

Current staffing at the city could decrease from about five employees to two employees, but no layoffs would occur, city officials said.

Instead, some employees could be transferred to other city positions.

The city’s 12,000 water customers get their drinking water supply from the Floridan aquifer.

Multiple public wells are permitted largely within the Hillsborough River Groundwater Basin.

The new system is expected to save as much as $1.6 million during a 15-year period, according to Fathom’s projections.

Because of startup costs, the city would likely break even the first year.

Projections show current revenue losses of about $800,000 annually would decrease over time to about $35,000.

Losses generally result from water loss from undetected leaks, incorrect accounts and write-offs of unpaid bills.

Fathom’s system reads meters 120 times a month to detect leaks, stoppages and other water-flow issues.

The overall cost savings projection seemed high to some council members, but negotiations with Fathom were supported unanimously.

“I think it’s going to bring benefits to the city to give this a shot,” said City Council Attorney Joe Poblick. “I believe we’re going to save money.”

All agreed that something must be done to replace the existing system.

“The current system evidently is failing us now,” said Councilman Lance Smith. “We need to make a change now. I like the technology.”

Everything is moving toward mobile devices and cloud technology, Smith added.

Councilman Alan Knight said the city should monitor the results, quarterly or monthly, to make sure of the new system’s efficiencies. “I want some accountability,” he said.

Published February 3, 2016

Forgiveness brings freedom, genocide survivor says

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There was a time when Immaculee Ilibagiza didn’t think she’d live to see another day.

Now, she rejoices for each new day because it gives her a chance to share her faith.

Ilibagiza, author of “Left to Tell: Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust,” was at St. Timothy Catholic Church on Jan. 27 and Jan. 28, sharing her story of survival — which she attributes to God’s immense love.

The church invited her to speak, as part of its celebration of the Jubilee year of Mercy.

Immaculee Ilibagiza signs copies of her book, ‘Left to Tell: Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust.’ (B.C. Manion/Staff Photo)
Immaculee Ilibagiza signs copies of her book, ‘Left to Tell: Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust.’
(B.C. Manion/Staff Photo)

Pope Francis has declared a Jubilee of Mercy, which began Dec. 8 and runs through Nov. 20, 2016, according to the National Catholic Reporter. The pope has called on Catholics around the world to use the ongoing Jubilee year of mercy to “open wide” the doors of their hearts to forgive others and to work against social exclusion.

Ilibagiza’s message fits perfectly with that theme.

She grew up in a small village in Rwanda and had been attending the National University of Rwanda to study electrical and mechanical engineering.

She was home on Easter break in April of 1994 when the assassination of the Hutu president sparked months of massacres of Tutsi tribe members throughout the country.

To spare his daughter from rape and murder, Ilibagiza’s father told her to run to the home of a Hutu pastor, who was a family friend. The pastor hid her and seven other women in a cramped 3-foot-by-4-foot bathroom for 91 days.

“We stayed in that bathroom three months. We never spoke to each other those three months,” she said.

During that time, her faith was crushed and challenged.

She knew that any tiny noise could lead to her death.

The Hutu killers stormed into the pastor’s house and searched through it. They looked on the roof, under the beds and in the ceiling.

As she feared for her life, she asked God to give her a sign. She asked him to keep the intruders from finding the bathroom door.

In a 60 Minutes interview, the pastor said one of the intruders put his hand on the doorknob, but didn’t turn it.

That’s when Ilibagiza said she knew, without doubt, that God is real.

It took her quite some time, though, to reach a point where she could forgive the murderers.

She said she used to pray the “Our Father,” but couldn’t sincerely ask God “to forgive” those who had trespassed against her, so she skipped that part of the prayer.

Eventually, though, she realized that the prayer was instituted by Jesus, so she had to find a way to forgive the people who brutally killed her family, friends and other members of the tribe.

That’s when she began praying for the ability to forgive.

She then realized that would require true surrender. So, she prayed for that.

The words that Jesus spoke, as he was dying on the cross, provided guidance, she said.

During his agony, he uttered, “Forgive them Father, they don’t know what they do,” she said.

And, it occurred to her that the people wielding machetes were like the people who killed Jesus.

“They have been blinded by hatred, selfishness, all of those things have taken over, blinded them,” she said.

And, it also reminded her that everyone is capable to choosing the wrong path.

“All of us we become blind, when we go into hatred, when we become selfish,” she said.

Forgiveness, however, frees those who have been harmed to move away from the hatred and to choose peace, she said.

Her change of heart did not come overnight and did not come easily, she said.

When she went into that bathroom, she said, she weighed 115 pounds and when she came out, she weighed 65 pounds.

“Every bone was out,” she said. “People were running away from me when I came out, ‘Look at her, she became a skeleton.’

But, that wasn’t her only or most important transformation.

“Inside my heart, I felt so beautiful. Inside my heart, I was smiling,” she said.

“I knew who I was. I’m a child of God. I’m not going to hate. I’m going to pray.”

February 3, 2016

Festival offers face-painting, food and fun

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Thousands headed to Dade City on Jan. 30 to the 19th annual Kumquat Festival.

Thousands flocked to Dade City to enjoy the activities and displays at the annual Kumquat Festival. (Fred Bellet/Photos)
Thousands flocked to Dade City to enjoy the activities and displays at the annual Kumquat Festival.
(Fred Bellet/Photos)

The traffic coming off Interstate 75 was moving slow, as cars stacked up on the way to the festival.

The fairground’s lot filled quickly, with lines of festival-goers waiting to be shuttled to the event in historic downtown Dade City.

Even as late as 2:30 p.m., people were still arriving and forming lines at the shuttle stop, gearing up for an afternoon of music, shopping and kumquat pie.

They also had a chance to sample kumquat salsa, check out a car show, grab a bite to eat and enjoy many other activities.

An army of volunteers help to ensure that the event — which attracts people from the Tampa Bay region and beyond — runs smoothly.

For many people, the event is their first introduction to downtown Dade City.

Lanette Sharp, 8, of Spring Hill is a walking work of art.
Lanette Sharp, 8, of Spring Hill is a walking work of art.

More than 400 vendors set up booths with arts and crafts, handmade quilts, knitted caps of alpaca, locally harvested honey, soaps and jewelry.

Local antique shops, restaurants and delis saw a steady stream of people as well. Miss Pasco County walked past Lunch on Limoges where guests inside dined on pecan chicken and crab cakes.

Outside Dade City’s historic courthouse, downhome country musicians entertained a toe-tapping crowd resting in fold-out chairs.

More lines formed at the Kumquat Growers tent for free samples of everything kumquat – jams, jellies, marmalade, chutney, and vinaigrette.

Kumquat pie and kumquat ice cream were favorites. Some people walked back to their cars hugging planters with kumquat trees to plant in their yards.

And, another festival in celebration of the sweet and tangy citrus fruit put Dade City and St. Joseph in the spotlight, again.

Published February 3, 2016

Miss Kumquat Festival Kathleen Switzer shows off her climbing skills in the children's games area of the Kumquat Festival. 
Miss Kumquat Festival Kathleen Switzer shows off her climbing skills in the children’s games area of the Kumquat Festival.

Bartenders at the open air drinks and T-shirt sales of Kokopelli's Restaurant. Kelsey LaBarbera, left, of Odessa and Michelle Jenkins, of Tampa, staffed the counter with Sue Queen, Kokopelli owner. 

Bartenders at the open air drinks and T-shirt sales of Kokopelli’s Restaurant. Kelsey LaBarbera, left, of Odessa and Michelle Jenkins, of Tampa, staffed the counter with Sue Queen, Kokopelli owner.