The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

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Rattlesnake Festival features snakes, music, food and fun

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It’s a tradition that dates back 49 years, and it takes a community to stage it — but it’s worth the effort because people really seem to have a good time, said Betty Burke, chairwoman of the San Antonio Rattlesnake Festival & Run.

“Once those tents start going up, the atmosphere is charged all over town. Kids start getting excited. It’s a big event for San Antonio,” said Burke, who is a member of the Rotary Club of San Antonio.

The event nearly died three years ago, after the people who organized the festival for decades decided they couldn’t do it.

These children seem to be intrigued by the iguanas. This year’s San Antonio Rattlesnake Festival & Run offers plenty of free activities for children and adults, too. (Photos courtesy of the Rattlesnake Festival & Run)
These children seem to be intrigued by the bearded dragon. This year’s San Antonio Rattlesnake Festival & Run offers plenty of free activities for children and adults, too.
(Photos courtesy of Rattlesnake Festival & Run)

The seven Rotary Clubs of East Pasco took over the event to keep it going, and the Rotary Club of San Antonio took the reins last year, Burke said.

The festival is a community event, in the truest sense of the word, Burke said.

“The community is behind it. We could not do this without the community,” she said.

It’s an event that aims to provide affordable fun for people of all ages.

“Some of the people from other areas thought: ‘Well, rope off the park and charge admission,’ ” Burke said.

But she added: “That’s not the way it works here. You can do that somewhere else, but not in San Antonio.”

Admission and parking are free.

There are four parking lots and there’s a bus to provide rides for those parking in the lot that’s farthest away, because it’s on the other side of State Road 52.

“The entertainment is music all day long, from 10:15 (a.m.) until 5 o’clock. It’s mostly old-time and country music. We have a blue grass. We have an ’80s band,” she said.

“Food — we have quite a variety. We have food trucks and booths. We have hamburgers and cheeseburgers, and fries. We have pizza. Hot dogs. Pulled pork and chicken. We have Caribbean, Cuban, Cajun, churros and this — I can’t wait to see this — there is 30-foot inflatable ice cream cone, and it serves soft-serve ice cream,” she said.

And there’s more.

“We have kettle corn, boiled peanuts, lemonade and iced tea, and believe it or not, one of the big attractions is the fresh, boiled corn on the cob. People say to me, ‘Well, you’re going to have corn on the cob, aren’t you?’” Burke said.

In addition to plentiful food selections, there are scores of free activities.

Those attending the San Antonio Rattlesnake Festival & Run can buy a ticket to find out more about snakes at Jim Mendenhall’s Snake Show.
Those attending the San Antonio Rattlesnake Festival & Run can buy a ticket to find out more about snakes at Jim Mendenhall’s Snake Show.

There are free games for children, free crafts run by the Future Teachers Association from Saint Leo University and demonstrations by Cowboy Tom and his horse, a retired rodeo man who does rope tricks.

“We have a pioneer village, with a blacksmith, a rope winder, a basket maker, a cane weaver. We have a juggler, who even juggles fire,” Burke said.

There’s also a small farm animal exhibit.

And, of course, there’s Jim Mendenhall’s Snake Show.

There is a charge, but it is less expensive than it was before, Burke said.

“We have reduced the (ticket) costs, because a lot of people said it was too expensive for families, and we try to make this affordable for families,” Burke said.

Tickets to the snake show are $5 for adults, and $3 for children 12 and under, except for those age 5 and younger, who get in for free.

Mendenhall’s show is educational, Burke said. He helps people gain a better understanding of snakes — helping them to have a healthy respect for the reptiles, but not to be afraid, she said.

Mendenhall also talks about the important roles that snakes and gopher tortoises have within the environment, Burke said.

The snake show is always popular, but so are the gopher tortoise races, she said.

There was a time when live gopher tortoises were raced at the festival, but those days are long gone. Now, wooden models race, and the races always draw a crowd.

“The kids absolutely love them,” Burke said.

The festival takes considerable effort to pull off.

A crew of roughly 200 volunteers is involved. Numerous groups and organizations play a role in the festival’s success, including the Town of St. Leo, The City of San Antonio, Saint Leo University, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, the Pasco High Interact Club and others.

Dan Devine has been a huge help in organizing the event, Burke said. “We couldn’t have done it without him,” she said.

Proceeds from the event benefit the Rotary Club of San Antonio. It’s the club’s largest fundraiser of the year. Last year, the club, which has 14 members, raised $10,000 for charitable projects, with most of the money spent on projects in Pasco County, Burke said.

The Rotary Club isn’t the only beneficiary from the event, she said.

Residents living near San Antonio take advantage of the crowd, by selling parking spots in their yards, or doing yard sales.

Local businesses also get a boost.

“I own the antique shop right next to the post office, and that’s the biggest day. We make more that day than we do in several months.

“The restaurants are slammed. All of them. It’s a real good boon to the businesses,” Burke added.

She expects a crowd of 5,000 to 6,000 people at the festival this year.

That’s quite a bit, Burke noted, “for the little town of San Antonio.”

For more information, visit RattlesnakeFestival.com, or call (352) 588-4444.

San Antonio Rattlesnake Festival & Run
Where: San Antonio City Park, 12202 Main St., San Antonio
When: Oct. 17, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (The 5-mile and 1-mile runs begin at 8 a.m. Races are for walkers, families, kids and dogs. The entry fee for both races is $25, and $5 for children who are younger than 10 who are accompanied by an adult.)
Highlights: Music, gopher tortoise races, handmade arts and crafts, children’s rides and games, pumpkin patch, farmer’s market, farm animals, food trucks, beer garden, pioneer village and more.
How much: Free admission and parking. Charges for snake show, food and vendor items.
For more information: Call (352) 588-4444, or visit RattlesnakeFestival.com.

Published October 14, 2015

Frights on 41 start Oct. 22

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It doesn’t look like much right now: Wooden frames, piles of masks and some painted signs.

But, when it’s finished, the characters there will try to scare your socks off.

“This is chainsaws, blood and guts,” said Mike Walcott, recreation supervisor for Pasco County Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources. “This is not kids with sheets going ‘Boo!'”

Mike Walcott oversees construction for The Mall, while Katherine Gomez takes notes on what frights go where. Everything will be ready when it opens Oct. 22. (Michael Murillo/Staff Photos)
Mike Walcott oversees construction for The Mall, while Katherine Gomez takes notes on what frights go where. Everything will be ready when it opens Oct. 22.
(Michael Murillo/Staff Photos)

The Haunted House on 41, an annual tradition in Land O’ Lakes — except last year, when center improvements forced its cancellation — will be back in business Oct. 22 through Oct. 24 at the Land O’ Lakes Community Park, 5401 Land O’ Lakes Blvd. Thursday night is a “sneak preview,” which will be free to patrons and will give the cast a chance to get a feel for the concept, which is “The Mall.”

On Friday and Saturday nights, the house will open at 7:30 p.m., and the line will be cut off at 10 p.m. The suggested donation is $1, and nearly 1,000 visitors are expected to check out the attraction during the course of the event.

Those visitors will be transported to “The Mall,” a room at the center that will become a maze of scary shops and characters, complete with props and costumes that aren’t for the faint of heart.

“They’re really bloody, and they’re really scary,” said Katherine Gomez, a junior at Land O’ Lakes High School. She’s one of around 30 people working on the haunted house, coordinating sections and making sure that everything has a general theme but different frights throughout the 2 ½-minute journey.

Benjamin Martin, another junior at Land O’ Lakes High, also has been involved in the construction.

Martin has seen larger, more elaborate haunted houses, like Howl O’ Scream at Busch Gardens, and Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios in Orlando.

But, after working on The Mall, he has a new admiration for the efforts expended to create a scary event from scratch.

And, he’ll remember his own work when he goes back this year.

“Now that I know how much work it takes to set up something like this, I’ll be very appreciative,” Martin said.

The Mall will feature plenty of props and masks, set up for maximum effect.
The Mall will feature plenty of props and masks, set up for maximum effect.

While the Haunted House on 41 is a popular annual tradition that gives residents a few scares, it’s not the actual purpose of the event.

Walcott has been involved in the past 14 haunted houses, and while the end result is Halloween-themed fun, it’s really just a by-product of a simpler goal.

“We want the kids to have a hands-on experience with it,” Walcott said. “I want people who have never used a drill to use a drill. I want people who have never swung a hammer to swing a hammer. And a lot of these kids, they’ve never done that. And, this gives them an opportunity to actually build something.”

What they are building is more complicated than a couple of well-placed scares.

The maze has to lead visitors through the room, but in a way that gives them enough time to experience each separate store in the “mall.” Separate sections are built, so performers can move in and out of their scenes, and each person has to be able to perform their particular role over and over, to scare new visitors as they enter the maze.

The idea is to differentiate each segment, so those making their way through the maze have a variety of experiences.

“This is a huge project where a lot of people are involved. We’re trying to coordinate everything,” Gomez said.

And, when everything has been coordinated, residents will visit the Haunted House on 41 just as they have for years.

It has become a local tradition, Walcott said.

People who used to help put it on now come back from college to take a walk through the house.

The attraction is also a good reason to visit the park, which has undergone nearly $2.5 million in renovations since the last haunted house.

Walcott welcomes the visitors and looks forward to the completion of the haunted house each year, but don’t expect him to go through when it’s done.

Despite seeing it built from nothing, the finished creation is a bit too scary for his tastes.

“I wouldn’t go into it,” Walcott admitted. “I help build this thing, but I wouldn’t go into it. These things freak me out.”

Published October 14, 2015

Diggin’ in the dirt at the library

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Judy Curran enjoys seeing people having fun outdoors.

So, when the chance came her way to get library patrons — young and old, digging in the dirt — she seized the opportunity to put her passion for gardening into motion.

“I get so much peace and joy from it,” said Curran, the youth services provider at the New River Branch Library in Zephyrhills. “It’s my hobby, and I want to share that,” she said.

A Pasco County work policy made it possible.

Marigolds fill the foreground as Judy Curran checks the variety of plants, vegetables and flowers planted in the community garden of the New River Branch Library. Curran, and about a dozen adults and children, tend the garden. (Fred Bellet/Photos)
Marigolds fill the foreground as Judy Curran checks the variety of plants, vegetables and flowers planted in the community garden of the New River Branch Library. Curran, and about a dozen adults and children, tend the garden.
(Fred Bellet/Photos)

A few years ago, employees were encouraged to choose a project that excited them. They could then devote 10 percent of their work hours to making it happen.

This “10 percent initiative” of the county was Curran’s signal to step forward and organize a community garden at the New River branch. It is the only community garden in Pasco sponsored by a library.

Curran put a flier on the bulletin board and got the kind of feedback she needed.

Nearly a year ago, the first sprouts in the garden were small, and so were her first volunteers.

Daisy Scouts planted herbs in a handful of rain barrels that were cut into two halves. The barrels – painted by the Scouts – flank the parking lot and walkway leading to the library’s entrance.

“To me that adds charm,” Curran said. “It’s obvious kids painted these barrels.”

Over time, these first plantings gave way to dwarf fire bushes that now drop their roots into the soil of the rain barrels, and attract butterflies and hummingbirds.

Judy Curran, youth services provider at New River Branch Library, shows off bouquets of lantana.
Judy Curran, youth services provider at New River Branch Library, shows off bouquets of lantana.

And the garden grew again, but this time as a memorial to a friend of the library – Samuel Smith. The teenager died in 2011. He came to the library nearly every day after school.

“He was a volunteer and helped with troubled kids,” Curran said.  “It was heartbreaking when that happened.”

One weekend, his friends planted a flowering garden that blooms with lantana, firecracker bushes, ginger plants and 4 o’ clocks.

Nearby, community gardeners tend raised beds filled with pepper squash, oregano, sorghum and carrots, and a cluster of marigolds. A Japanese plum tree and a peach tree stand tall as stand-alones planted inside more half-size rain barrels.

About a dozen people tend these garden beds. There are individuals, a mother and daughter, and friends.

There is no fee, and Curran hopes to enlist more gardeners.

“I want it to be all inclusive,” she said. “I want families to come and 4-H gardeners. I don’t want anyone to think ‘Oh, I can’t do that’.”

A spider inhabiting a Japanese plum tree fends off an invading insect.
A spider inhabiting a Japanese plum tree fends off an invading insect.

Three plastic swimming pools filled with dirt, rest next to the raised beds, ready for children to try out their green thumbs.

“I have a lot of seeds,” Curran said. “They can come in and plant seeds, and see what happens.”

Curran said books and gardening go together naturally.

“It’s about sharing information,” she said.

Seeds and plants also are shared at plant exchanges.

At the rear of the library, two cisterns catch rainwater.

“That was all the water we used during the dry season,” she said. “We’re trying to go as natural as possible.”

In the future, a compost tumbler is on the wish list.

A mound of mulch is piled next to the garden beds.

A small grant helped seed the garden, and pay for lumber. County employees built the raised beds, including one high enough for disabled gardeners to use. Master gardeners and the Pasco County Cooperative Extension provide expertise and teach classes at the library.

A small sign identifies Nancy G., as the community gardener for one of several raised beds at the community garden at the New River Branch Library.
A small sign identifies Nancy G., as the community gardener for one of several raised beds at the community garden at the New River Branch Library.

“It’s a very cooperative effort between the library, the county’s cooperative extension, master gardeners and the facilities department,” Curran said.

Curran herself is not a master gardener, but gardening is a tradition in her family. She worked side by side in gardens with her father and grandfather.

“I want people to see that they can grow their own food,” she said. “Everywhere I’ve lived, I’ve always had a vegetable garden. There’s a lot you can grow in small spaces.”

The library hosts community garden meetings every third Thursday of the month. The next meeting is Oct. 15 from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

For more information, call New River at (813) 788-6375, or email Curran at .

Published October 14, 2015

Views exchanged on ending Pasco blight

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A proposed ordinance to tackle blight and enforce minimum standards for maintaining commercial buildings drew mostly favorable reviews at a town hall meeting.

But, some remain skeptical about what they see as more government bureaucracy.

Pasco County Commissioners are expected to vote on the proposal on Oct. 20, following a public hearing.

The issue has sparked considerable interest.

Pasco County Commissioner Mike Moore talks with about 100 people at a town hall to discuss proposed regulations aimed at ending commercial blight in the county. (Kathy Steele/Staff Photo)
Pasco County Commissioner Mike Moore talks with about 100 people at a town hall to discuss proposed regulations aimed at ending commercial blight in the county.
(Kathy Steele/Staff Photo)

About 100 people met at the Pasco County Utilities Administration Offices in Land O’ Lakes on Sept. 30 for a town hall meeting, hosted by Pasco County Commissioner Mike Moore.

Pasco County Attorney Jeffrey Steinsnyder, Senior Assistant County Attorney Kristi Sims and Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco joined Moore at the town hall session.

Moore proposed the ordinance during discussions for the county’s fiscal 2016 budget. It is similar to one adopted by Hillsborough County and mirrors codes currently applied to residences.

The new regulations would focus on the major commercial corridors of U.S. 19, U.S. 301 and U.S. 41.

According to Moore, the lack of commercial standards is hurting property values and driving away investors who scout locations in Pasco.

“There’s a good chance they’ll turn their car around and go home,” said Moore. “It brings down surrounding property values. Tell me somebody who says it doesn’t, because they’re wrong.”

In August, Moore met with about 50 Land O’ Lakes residents and business owners. Many at that gathering characterized the ordinance as an example of government overreach.

Among the mostly friendly town hall crowd, some were still unhappy with Moore’s approach on curbing blight.

“Small businesses need a helping hand instead of being slapped around,” said Russell Adams of Russell Adams Realty Inc.

Casie Holloway of the family owned Holloway’s Farm Supply said there is no evidence that new regulations are needed. She said a code enforcement officer could show her only one report from July of blight in Land O’ Lakes, and that case was closed as unfounded.

“I understand the concerns, but if it’s not showing up in (county) logs, I question it,” she said. “The codes are already in place to make this work.”

County code currently defines a blighted structure as “extensively damaged by fire, flood, wind or other natural phenomenon.”

Demolitions can be ordered if the building poses a public safety risk. And, the county can place liens on properties to seek re-imbursement of demolition costs from property owners.

But, supporters say the proposed ordinance would provide stronger enforcement tools.

The ordinance would introduce citations and fines for failure to maintain commercial structures to public safety standards.

For example, regulations would require repairs to holes or defects to exterior walls and roofs, and keeping outside stairs safe and sturdy.

New Port Richey resident Hugh Townsend liked the idea of fines.

“When people get hit in the pocketbook, they conform,” he said.

The ordinance also would be a boost for law enforcement in pushing out squatters and drug dealers from derelict buildings, Nocco said.

If approved, the ordinance would allow a six-month grace period for property owners to bring their commercial buildings into compliance.

“This isn’t to nitpick somebody who doesn’t have a painted window,” said Kelly Miller, president of Colonial Hills Civic Association in New Port Richey. “This is the only way we are going to be able to start getting a handle on this problem.”

Published October 14, 2015

 

Serving up fried chicken, nostalgia

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They come to the Old Lutz School, on U.S. 41, bearing casserole dishes and memories to share.

These are men and women who have deep roots in Lutz and Land O’ Lakes.

Their families helped settle the area, and every year they come to celebrate the connections they feel to the community and each other.

The size of the annual gathering has diminished over time, as people have died or can no longer attend.

Jim Dennison slices up a platter of fresh veggies for the descendants’ day feast at the Old Lutz Schoolhouse. (B.C. Manion/Staff Photos)
Jim Dennison slices up a platter of fresh veggies for the descendants’ day feast at the Old Lutz Schoolhouse.
(B.C. Manion/Staff Photos)

“We have some people who won’t be with us anymore, like Cliff Dennison, bless his heart. He used to do this with me. He’s in a nursing home now,” said Annie Fernandez, the event’s organizer.

“This year, I pretty much did it myself,” said Fernandez, who was born in her grandmother’s front bedroom, off the edge of an orange grove, in 1942.

The annual get-togethers with descendants of Lutz pioneers used to be organized by Elizabeth Riegler MacManus, a local historian, who co-authored with her daughter, Susan A. MacManus, an extensive history of the area called “Citrus, Sawmills, Critters and Crackers: Life in Early Lutz and Central Pasco County.”

Elizabeth MacManus organized the event for 20 years but, after that, Dennison and Fernandez took over the duties.

The group has met in three different locations over the years. First, they gathered at a church, then at the Lutz Community Center, and for the past few years, at the Old Lutz Schoolhouse.

“We have this event every year because everybody likes to get together and chit-chat about things that happened to them a long time ago,” said Fernandez, whose family ties to Lutz date back to around 1920.

It’s a true potluck, said Fernandez said, noting the menu is never known completely until the participants show up with their dish.

At this particular gathering, diners found plenty of options, including fried chicken, broccoli casserole, collard greens, lima beans, potato salad, Swedish meatballs, fresh veggies and other foods. They could wash it down with iced tea and lemonade, and top it off with a piece of cake or other desserts.

Sonya Salter was busy in the food room, arranging items as they came in. Fried chicken was in one spot, salads in another, desserts and so on.

She’s not from Lutz, but came to help both last year and this year because she’s Fernandez’s friend. She said she thinks its great that people get together to share their memories.

Bodde O’ Steen, who was at the gathering, too, said he’s lived in Lutz since 1937.

“I’ve seen a lot of changes. When I got here, there weren’t many people here,” he said, guessing there were about 300 people living in the general vicinity.

People cared about each other, O’ Steen said.

“If you needed help, everybody helped out everybody,” O’ Steen said.

Joe Strickland, Margie Strickland, Annie Fernandez and Bodde O’ Steen pose together at the annual gathering for the descendants of Lutz and Land O’ Lakes pioneers.
Joe Strickland, Margie Strickland, Annie Fernandez and Bodde O’ Steen pose together at the annual gathering for the descendants of Lutz and Land O’ Lakes pioneers.

The area has changed enormously over time, he added. “Everything was orange groves and truck farming.”

The Dennison name is widely known in Lutz, with some of the Dennisons spelling the name with two Ns in the middle, while others use just one.

Regardless of the spelling, the family has strong ties to the area.

The Dennisons came to Lutz shortly after the Coopers, who arrived in Lutz in 1832, said Jim Dennison, a family historian.

“Allen Scott Denison drove the stage coach from Fort Brook, which is Tampa to Fort King, which is now Ocala. That was the Concord-Apopka Stagecoach Company.

“They carried the U.S. Mail. And he lived off County Line Road,” he said.

Jim Dennison’s family lived near the intersection of State Road 54 and Livingston Road.

“Where the Raceway’s gas station canopy is — that’s where our house stood,” said Jim Dennison, who moved away from the area for 22 years but came back when his parents needed him.

He’s been attending the descendants’ gatherings since around 1982.

“My dad (Milford Dennison) used to like to come out, and I would bring him,” Jim Dennison said.

He keeps coming because he enjoys the event.

“This is my family — my family and childhood friends,” Jim Dennison said. “Old-timers like to get together and tell stories on one another.”

“A lot of people just like to come in and chat, and have a little refreshment. We have a good time,” Fernandez said.

Published October 14, 2015

Urban food park could sprout in Pasco

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A St. Petersburg-based entrepreneur is hoping to persuade Pasco County planners that an urban food park would be a boon to the county’s economy and its tourism.

Emmanuel Roux, a longtime restaurateur, and his business partners, presented their concept to members of Pasco County’s Citizens Advisory Food Policy Council. They have met with the county’s planners, as well.

The project, which still needs financial backers, would need about 20 acres.

It could include a community garden, a food-related business incubator, restaurants, rooftop gardens, a bakery, a butchery, yoga classes, a wellness center, and activities that are educational and promote healthy, locally grown food.

TreeThere are sites under consideration and the final design would depend on which site is selected, as well as the community’s interests.

“This is not something we come in with that is cookie-cutter,” said Roux, a principal in the nonprofit Urban Food Park Inc. “It is essentially building synergies. People want more than just a food program. They want to learn something. They want it to be good for the community.”

Roux operated The Garden Restaurant and Redwoods in St. Petersburg. He currently owns Gateau O Chocolat, specializing in flourless, gluten-free cakes.

He has been a longtime supporter of community gardens and the farm-to-table organic food movement.

There are two potential sites for the urban food park, along U.S. 19, near New Port Richey. The most promising is a residential area near the intersection of U.S. 19 and Moog Road, around Holiday.

But, rural sites near Dade City and San Antonio also might be considered.

Roux and his team are in discussions with county planners.

“We may see this as a pilot project,” said Todd Engala, a planner with Pasco’s Long Range Planning Group.

Engala also advises with the citizen’s food policy group, which has a long-range goal of recommending policies that promote nutritional, and affordable food in Pasco.

The food park concept could potentially unite rural and urban sites in east and west Pasco, Engala said.

But, there is a sticking point.

Roux’s proposal is for the county to enter an agreement with his team for consulting services.

“The development process really is a consulting process,” said Derek Spilman, a partner in Urban Food Park and also in UFB Consultants Inc.

But the county wants a business plan.

“This is new ground for both of us,” said Engala. “We want to see this idea flourish, but it would need some kind of backing or funding. We’re at the point of trying to figure it out.”

Roux initially began looking for a site in St. Petersburg along the Fred Marquis Pinellas Trail. That has not yet materialized, but some vendors, including owners of a flower shop and ice cream shop, have expressed interest in the Pasco venture.

Food policy council member Jeff Wright said he would like the group to provide more details on their project.

“I would encourage them to talk to Pasco businesses that want to expand that are already here,” he said. “You’ll get more traction doing that.”

The intent is for Pasco residents to take the lead on this, said Roux. “The first choice should be given to residents in Pasco County. We are fully aware of that.”

Published October 14, 2015

Pasco denies medical marijuana zoning appeal

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Pasco County commissioners denied a zoning appeal from a local businessman who wants to qualify for Florida’s program to manufacture and distribute a non-euphoric form of medical marijuana.

Florida legislators approved the use and sale in 2014 of a low-strain of medical marijuana, known as “Charlotte’s web,” but the state has yet to launch the program.

An announcement to award permits to five of 28 applicants is expected shortly.

Steven Smith, a partner in Good Life Development & Investment Group LLC, had planned to be among those applicants.

Smith has a warehouse at One Pasco Center, off State Road 52, and an adjacent property that both are zoned light industrial.

Smith and his partners were preparing an application for the state, when he sought a letter from the county that would show the company’s properties were zoned for medical marijuana uses.

In a July 6 letter, Pasco County Zoning Administrator Denise Hernandez notified Smith that his stated use of the properties “to grow medical marijuana” is not permitted in light industrial.

Commissioners unanimously upheld her decision.

But, Smith said, “They are making a decision not based on law. It’s based on how they want things in the county.”

However, Assistant County Attorney Kristi Sims backed up that ruling at the public hearing.

Ronnie Deese, a property owner at One Pasco Center, said he agreed with the zoning administrator’s decision and didn’t feel comfortable with Smith’s plan.

Attorney Larry Hersch, who represents Smith, argued that his client’s inquiry wasn’t focused solely on growing marijuana. Light industrial zoning allows manufacturing, compounding, processing, packaging, treatment and distribution of products, including pharmaceuticals, Hersch said. Retail sales of drugs also are permitted, he added.

As Pasco County Chairman Ted Schrader called for a vote by commissioners, he said, “We’re not going to sit here and split hairs.”

Afterward, Smith said he has spent thousands of dollars preparing his application to the state including a $60,000 fee. His business missed the state’s application deadline, but Smith said he could still pursue a partnership as a subcontractor for another company. Or, if the legislature increases the number of permits, he could apply then.

“This decision is ridiculous,” Smith said. “We’re not going to stop here.”

Published October 14, 2015 

Speakers present their wish list to lawmakers

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Speaker after speaker stepped up to the podium to present their request to Pasco County’s state lawmakers.

They wanted funding to help a nonprofit.

They wanted lawmakers to put in a good word with state highway officials.

Or, they wanted their backing for a special cause.

About 100 people gathered on Sept. 29 in the gymnasium of Sunlake High School in Land O’ Lakes for a public forum, hosted by Pasco’s legislative delegation.

Sunlake High Band members played the National Anthem at the public forum hosted by Pasco County’s legislative delegation in the high school gymnasium. (Kathy Steele/Staff Photo)
Sunlake High Band members played the National Anthem at the public forum hosted by Pasco County’s legislative delegation in the high school gymnasium.
(Kathy Steele/Staff Photo)

State Representatives Amanda Murphy, Richard Corcoran and Danny Burgess, and State Senators John Legg and Wilton Simpson listened for nearly three hours, as about 60 representatives of nonprofits, counties and municipalities, civic groups and individual citizens talked about the needs in their communities.

The forum is an annual tradition held prior to the annual legislative session, which is scheduled to convene on Jan. 12, 2016.

Corcoran, a Republican from Land O’ Lakes, will hold the powerful position of Speaker of the House.

Nearly all of the speakers gave lawmakers packets of information detailing specific funding needs or particular policies they want the delegation members to support or reject.

Requests covered a broad range of topics from public safety and school construction, to voter registration and smoke-free beaches and parks.

Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco advocated for tougher laws to help clamp down on illegal sales of synthetic marijuana.

Current law makes no distinction between the sale of one packet of the illegal substance or 1,000 packets, he said.

“We’re not trying to go after the person with a substance problem,” the sheriff said. “What we’re trying to do is go after the dealer.”

Nocco also urged lawmakers to address the growing problem of terrorist threats made via social media including threats to “shoot up” a school or church.

“There is no law in effect where we can go after them,” Nocco said. But he added, “People make statements and words have meanings.”

Sunlake High School student Mykenzie Robertson lobbied for a state law to ban smoking at public beaches and parks. Robertson is active with Tobacco Free Partnership of Pasco County and the statewide Students Working Against Tobacco (SWAT).

“Parks, to me, are a place for healthy recreation,” she said.

Robertson also joined with Sunlake High School student Ormond Derrick later to talk about the problem of substance abuse among young people.

Pasco County Supervisor of Elections Brian Corley asked lawmakers to consider adding veteran’s registration cards and gun permits to the list of approved identification for voters.

Corley also advocated for at least some of a voter’s personal information to be shielded from public records laws.

Now, access is open “to anyone and everyone,” Corley said. He cited a case of a man in New Hampshire who used Pasco County voter registration data to contact people for business purposes.

A handful of voters de-registered as a result of for-profit businesses accessing their information, Corley said. “That’s sad,” he said. “I think you would agree.”

Protecting data also was on the agenda for Pasco County Clerk and Comptroller Paula O’Neil who talked about the budget challenges in keeping up with technology to allow access, but also protect public records.

“About 95 percent of civil filings are electronic,” she said. “And that will soon be 100 percent.”

Funding issues are facing Pasco County’s school district as it tries to keep up with the explosive growth of new subdivisions, said Pasco School Superintendent Kurt Browning.

New residential development, especially along the State Road 54 corridor through Land O’ Lakes and Wesley Chapel, is pumping up school enrollments.

Sunlake High, for instance, was built for 1,800 students. But Browning said, “We exceeded that number. There are very few schools that don’t exceed what they were built for,” Browning said.

Oakstead Elementary School has 1,200 students in a school built for 762 students.

“Where do we put these kids?” Browning said. “We put them in portables. We cannot build schools fast enough.”

He made a pitch for lawmakers to approve a bill that would give local school boards the autonomy to increase existing property tax millage by half a mill. Board members would need to approve the increase by a super-majority or a unanimous vote, he said.

Pasco County’s Government Affairs Officer Ralph Lair presented lawmakers with a list of priority projects and issues for the coming year, including a state loan for widening State Road 56.

Another issue is funding for the Coast to Coast Connector Trail, which will link Florida’s west and east coasts from St. Petersburg to Titusville. The Florida Department of Transportation will decide which of two routes will be built for one of the trail’s segments. One route goes through northeast Pasco, while another would bypass Pasco.

Pasco officials hope to convince the state roads department to build both routes and create a loop.

“Just have that one on your radar,” Lair said.

Other speakers included Timothy Beard, president of the Pasco-Hernando State College. Help for a performing arts center was among his funding requests.

Brian Anderson advocated for veterans and discussed his nonprofit, Veterans Alternatives, which provides alternative therapies for veterans with Post Traumatic Stress Disorders.

Representatives for Pasco Fine Arts Council, Habitat for Humanity, AMIKids Pasco and the Good Samaritan Health Clinic of Pasco also brought their concerns and talked about their program successes.

Peggy Wood of the Florida Federation of Garden Clubs and Janice Howie of the Nature Coast Chapter of Florida Native Plant Society spoke about environmental issues.

Howie said her organization supported Amendment 1, a constitutional amendment approved by 75 percent of voters to use real estate taxes to purchase land for conservation. In the last legislature, only a fraction of the anticipated $700 million was budgeted for land purchases.

“There is an opportunity to do better this year,” said Howie who is conservation chairwoman.

Wood asked lawmakers to oppose a bill that would bypass local control and give the state sole authority to regulate hydraulic fracturing, often called “fracking,” which is a controversial method of oil drilling.

At least 15 counties in Florida have approved bans on fracking, Wood said.

Texas has passed a bill that bypasses local authority, Wood said. “Now Texas has fracking, whether they (local government) want it or not.”

Published October 7, 2015

Task forces will tackle Pasco congestion issues

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There is trouble on State Road 54 and State Road 56.

Everyone can see the snarled traffic and congestion on a daily basis, and it is clear that it will only get worse with time.

“We’re obviously in a growing community in Tampa Bay,” said Jim Edwards, transportation manager for Pasco’s Metropolitan Planning Organization. “The dirt is turning in a lot of areas. We all see that.”

Unprecedented growth along this corridor is turning pastures and open fields into brick-and-mortar shops, offices, business parks and houses.

Congestion near State Road 54 and U.S. 41 helps to illustrate the problem of an increasing number of cars using the State Road 54/State Road 56 corridor, as new businesses and subdivisions pop up. Some are predicting major traffic hassles with the opening of Tampa Premium Outlets and other planned developments. (File Photo)
Congestion near State Road 54 and U.S. 41 helps to illustrate the problem of an increasing number of cars using the State Road 54/State Road 56 corridor, as new businesses and subdivisions pop up. Some are predicting major traffic hassles with the opening of Tampa Premium Outlets and other planned developments.
(File Photo)

More is on the drawing board, or in the minds, of developers who see fiscal opportunities just over the horizon.

On Sept. 24, the MPO kicked off a series of public workshops with two separate volunteer task forces that will serve as advisory boards to the MPO. The focus is on improvements on State Road 54 and State Road 56 corridor from U.S. 19 to Bruce B. Downs Boulevard.

The recommendations from these groups will be the basis for updating the Mobility 2040 Long Range Transportation Plan.

Each task force is assigned to examine the corridor in segments, with the East Task Force studying the roadway east of U.S. 41, and the West Task Force studying the roadway west of U.S. 41.

By February, the goal is to have about a half-dozen recommendations for highway and transit options, or a combination of both, to present to the MPO. Options that will be scrutinized include express lanes for buses and general traffic, light rail, bus rapid transit, toll roads and elevated lanes.

The MPO board then can choose a more in-depth study of the selected alternatives before adopting one that would be vetted at a public hearing.

If that wins final approval, Pasco County officials and the Florida Department of Transportation would add the project to the county’s long-range transportation vision and seek funding over the next 20 years.

“We want to give it force. We want to give it importance,” said Edwards. “It’s an opportunity to do something, and it’s also a costly issue.”

Consultants with Tindale Oliver will help guide the task forces.

The initial meeting outlined duties and expectations of task force members, and overviews of past studies done on State Road 54 and State Road 56. Members selected Sandy Graves of the Central Pasco Chamber of Commerce as the group’s chairwoman. Former Zephyrhills Mayor Cliff McDuffie is vice-chairman.

Graves hopes attention will be given to fixing the intersection of State Road 54 and U.S. 41.

“Historically, this has always been a traffic nightmare,” she said. “This is a 2040 (plan), but they’ve got to do something in 2016. So, I’m hoping something will come out of this to fix that.”

That intersection is one of seven already identified by MPO as “hot spots,” but not so much for congestion. The others are Little Road, Gunn Highway, Suncoast Parkway, Collier Parkway, Interstate 75 and Bruce B. Downs Boulevard.

“The main issue today is not necessarily through traffic, but turns,” said Ali Atefi, an MPO transportation planner.

The next meeting for the East Task Force is Dec. 3. The West Task Force kicked off its workshops on Sept. 29, after publication deadline for The Laker/Lutz News. It will meet again on Dec. 1.

According to MPO data, population growth and new jobs will be driving forces in the county’s future transportation needs.

The county’s population from 2010 to 2040 is projected to double from more than 450,000 residents to more than 905,000 residents. Jobs will triple from more than 125,000 to nearly 375,000 by 2040, the study found.

Development along the State Road 54 and State Road 56 corridor will account for about 30 percent of the county’s total increase in residents, and about 31 percent of its jobs.

Empty-nesters and the millennial generation are among those who will populate the county over the next 20 years.

Despite the age gap of these groups, they both want many of the same amenities such as shops, restaurants and safe, walkable communities, said Matt Armstrong, Pasco’s executive planner for the Long Range Planning Group.

“The patterns of what we think we need…we have to make those choices now,” he said. “We have to figure out what pieces of TOD (transit-oriented development) do we think we can accommodate now so, when the time comes, we’re ready for it. We can’t go back and change patterns of development at that point.”

Published October 7, 2015

Dade City joins Pasco’s 911 system

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911Dade City Police Chief Ray Velboom could see the need for better communications between his police officers and deputies with the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office, on a daily basis.

Each agency had 911 centers operating on different radio frequencies.

“We’re surrounded by the county. We interact with them every day,” said Velboom. But, a deputy who needed assistance just outside city limits might be sent backup from 10 miles away, when a Dade City police officer was a few blocks away.

Critical time can be lost and the safety of police officers jeopardized, Velboom said.

On Oct. 5, a consolidation of the Dade City 911 Center and Pasco County’s Public Safety Communications addressed that problem.

Two staff members from Dade City completed weeks of training with the new consolidated system and transferred to Pasco’s Emergency Operations Center in New Port Richey.

The consolidation had been under discussion for two years as a way to increase both public safety and efficiency.

“It just made sense,” Velboom said.

The consolidation also reduces duplication because Dade City police officers now will file police reports on the county’s system. Both agencies previously had separate records management systems.

“We’ll be sharing all the data,” said Velboom.

Dade City will pay the county about $90,000 a year.

Velboom will serve on a board of directors that will oversee emergency operations, including the hiring and firing of staff.

“We have some ownership of this,” he said.

Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco said law enforcement agencies across the country are moving toward consolidation, in part due to recommendations that emerged after the 9/11 terrorists attacks.

“We have realized that public safety communications is critical for the safety of our citizens and first responders,” Nocco said.

Several months ago, the Pasco County Commission approved hiring of eight additional call takers for the county’s emergency operations.

Call takers answer 911 calls and relay information to dispatchers who use GPS tracking to pinpoint locations of patrol units for both Dade City and the county.

Pasco County has 15 administrative staff members and 82 operational members.

About 600,000 calls for service are answered each year.

The increasing volume of calls is complicated by the disappearance of landline phone service in favor of cellphones, Velboom said.

Under the old separate systems, a resident who called 911 in Dade City from a cellphone would reach the county’s emergency center in New Port Richey. That call would then be transferred to Dade City’s emergency center where information had to be repeated, and there was a chance of a dropped call.

“About 75 to 80 percent of 911 calls come in on cellphones,” Velboom said. “And cellphone calling is going to go up.”

Consolidation also has brought improvements regarding how calls are handled.

In years past, dispatchers were trained to handle one of three types of calls: police, fire or medical. Velboom said now dispatchers are cross-trained in all three protocols.

“One dispatcher can answer every call,” he said. “It makes it so much easier.”

Published October 7, 2015