Local News

Sharing the tradition of southern cooking

October 7, 2015 By Special to The Laker/Lutz News

I grew up with southern cooks.

My mother hailed from Maysville, Georgia, and my father was born in Fort Myers, with a maternal side hailing from the Panhandle.

My father always claimed to be “more southern” than my mother, because he was born farther south of the Mason-Dixon line.

Sandy Graves, a resident of Land O’ Lakes, is active in numerous community efforts, including the push to bring an outdoor stage to the Land O’ Lakes Community Park. The stage is expected to be built in 2016.

One of the things I observed through the years is that much southern cooking doesn’t involve using a recipe. Instead, it is passed down, as one cook shows another how to make a dish.

In my family, that’s true of such things as collard greens, dumplings, cornbread — and anything that’s fried.

Of course, there’s no such thing as a southern vegetable without including a ham hock, ham bone or some salt pork.

Indeed, every part of the hog can find its way into southern cooking.

My great-grandmother made some of the best “cracklin’ ” (fried pork skin) cornbread you’ve ever tasted, and I could go on and on with stories about our family’s southern culinary delights.

One of my favorite southern meals includes collard greens and ham hocks.

I am fortunate to have a neighbor who grows collard greens in his backyard, and every year we have the mandatory New Year’s Day meal of ham, collard greens, rice, black-eyed peas and stewed tomatoes. The collard greens and black-eyed peas are for luck and money.

Here’s my recipe for collard greens and ham hocks.

Collard Greens and Ham Hocks

4 pounds collard greens (best if cut fresh from the garden)

2 precooked smoked ham hocks (a Honey Baked ham bone is a nice substitute, if cooking more collards)

2 teaspoons sugar

Salt and pepper, to taste

Water

Rinse your greens several times under cold water to remove dirt or sand. After cleaning the greens, remove the leaf from the stem in strips — using your hands or kitchen scissors.

Place collards in Dutch oven and cover with water. Add sugar.

If all of the greens do not fit, just add more greens, as they boil down.

Place ham hocks on top and heat water to boiling, and then reduce to simmer.

Cover greens and continue to simmer for about 1 hour, until greens are tender.

Stir your greens often, and keep sufficient water level, so all the collards simmer.

About halfway through cooking, add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve with ham, rice and black-eyed peas and cornbread.

(Those who like additional seasoning can add some pepper sauce, to taste, once the meal has been served).

By Sandy Graves

Published October 7, 2015

Reaching out to help a friend

September 30, 2015 By B.C. Manion

They are unlikely friends.

She is 63 and he is 24.

She lives in New Tampa, and he lives in Roatan, Honduras.

But Sally Hillman and William Brown-Santos have a friendship that transcends their ages and backgrounds, and now, Hillman is trying to help her friend.

Hillman and her husband, Dave, met Brown-Santos about seven years ago when the couple was taking a shore excursion off a cruise ship at the port of Roatan, Honduras.

They had visited a park to see the monkeys and parrots, and Brown-Santos was their tour guide.

Hillman felt an instant connection.

“He was so pleasant, and knowledgeable and funny,” she said.

Sally Hillman and William Brown-Santos pose behind Hillman’s New Tampa residence. Hillman is trying to help Brown-Santos find treatment to restore as much movement as possible to his right arm and hand. (B.C. Manion/Staff Photo) — Sally Hillman and William Brown-Santos pose behind Hillman’s New Tampa residence. Hillman is trying to help Brown-Santos find treatment to restore as much movement as possible to his right arm and hand.
(B.C. Manion/Staff Photo)

At the end of the tour, Hillman approached Brown-Santos to let him know she would like to stay in touch. He gave her his contact information, but since he’s in the habit of shortening his last name to Brown, the letter she sent didn’t reach him.

About six months later, Hillman and her husband made the same cruise, this time taking the trip with her son and his friend.

While there, she overheard Brown-Santos’ voice, and they reconnected. This time, the connection stuck.

They began corresponding, then texting and sending messages via Facebook.

A couple of years later, Hillman went to Honduras again, this time with her daughter. They had the chance to spend time with Brown-Santos’ family.

All along, Hillman felt that Brown-Santos had been put in her life for a reason.

Then, on Feb. 9, she received a frantic call from Brown-Santos’ mother.

He had been driving his motorcycle at a high rate of speed, had skirted around a car parked on a curb, and ran head-on into a motorcyclist.

At the scene, he was choking on his own blood, until a friend intervened.

Brown-Santos’ injuries are severe.

He still can’t move his right arm and can barely move the first three fingers in his right hand. He lives with excruciating pain.

Hillman felt compelled to help.

She reached out to Dr. Michael Craven, a long-time chiropractor in Land O’ Lakes, where she used to live and who had treated her in the past.

She said she knew Craven to be a good man.

Craven said she talked to his wife and asked her if he would help, as a humanitarian, Christian gesture.

Craven agreed to help.

“When you see something in the community that touches your heart, and you have the opportunity to reach out and do something about it, that’s pretty much why we got involved,” Craven said.

So, Hillman set out to bring Brown-Santos to the United States.

That turned out to be much more complicated than expected. It took six months for Brown-Santos to get a visa.

He arrived on Aug. 18.

The next day, they went to see Craven.

After examining Brown-Santos, the chiropractor knew that there wasn’t a simple treatment plan for the injuries.

“It was just discouraging from that moment,” Hillman said.

Craven ordered an MRI from Rose Radiology, who discounted the rate for the case, and Craven picked up the rest of the expense, Hillman said.

They got the MRI results. The result was a torn labrum. It’s called a SLAP lesion, which stands for superior labrum, anterior, posterior.

Next, they went to Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel.

“I told them the whole story,” Hillman said.

They examined Brown-Santos and consulted with the orthopedic surgeon on call.

Hillman and Brown-Santos did a follow-up appointment with the orthopedic surgeon.

“He’s fearful that this is permanent. He’s referred us to a neurologist,
Hillman said.

That news hit her hard.

“I’m crying in the doctor’s office,” Hillman said. “I didn’t walk away with an optimistic view. That’s why I cried.”

The appointment with the neurologist, which was Sept. 25, involved another test to find out the extent of the damage.

“That will help to determine how severe the injuries are, and what possible steps could be taken,” Hillman said.

If surgery is required, Craven hopes an orthopedic surgeon will step forward to volunteer to handle the case. He doesn’t think a Go Fund Me account will raise a sufficient amount to cover those costs.
Brown-Santos is grateful for the help he’s received so far, and he’s prepared to face any outcome.

“It’s a blessing. It’s the first time in life somebody tried to do something nice for me,” Brown-Santos said.

“If I can get better, I’ll be the happiest man in the world. If not, that’s God’s plan, and I just have to live with that. I really truly believe in God. So, I’m just going to keep praying and have faith that everything can work for the good.

“If he doesn’t heal me, it doesn’t mean he doesn’t love me.

“I’m going to just leave it in God’s hands,” Brown-Santos said.

Want to help? Go to William’s Recovery Fund at GoFundMe.com/mj3g9k7h.

Published September 30, 2015

Still no answer for sky-high water bills

September 30, 2015 By Kathy Steele

Some residents with unexplainably high water fees will have to wait a bit longer to learn what, if any, adjustments will be made on their bills.

Pasco County commissioners first must decide how to amend existing rules regarding how the county issues credited refunds in cases involving a sudden spike in water usage that defies explanation.

The county’s water department has recommended that customers in these cases would receive credits of as much as 50 percent, as a one-time only adjustment.

But, some commissioners wanted to slash bills even more after hearing from upset customers at their Sept. 22 meeting.

Pasco County Commissioner Mike Wells was ready to “zero out” at least one customer’s bill for more than $3,300. “We have an opportunity to do it right.”

However, Pasco County Attorney Jeffery Steinsnyder reminded commissioners that the county is banned from giving away the water it buys from Tampa Bay Water Authority.

Chairman Ted Schrader said the rules should be changed for all before granting relief in any one case. “You’re asking ratepayers to subsidize their bills,” he said.

Pasco County Commissioner Jack Mariano said the water department’s plan fell short.

“I’d like to see them brought down to what a normal bill would be,” Mariano said.

In the next weeks, county officials plan to set a public hearing for adopting a revised ordinance.

An audit by the county’s inspector general’s office recently reviewed more than 300 cases where customers were billed for higher than average water usages. They could qualify for refunds in cases of billing errors or leaks. But the county’s rules don’t cover the rare situations where the high water usage is a mystery.

Louise Gritmon, who received that bill for more than $3,300, would be satisfied with paying her usual amount of around $40 a month.

Under the water department’s recommendation, her bill would only be cut to about $1,600.

“I’m going to keep fighting this,” Gritmon said.

Ramona Nelson also challenged her bill for more than $562. Her monthly bills also run about $40, or slightly higher.

Nelson said there were no broken pipes or leaks, and no repairs needed at her home. “I want my money back,” Nelson said.

She has gotten a partial credit from the county, but still owes more than $360.

The county billed Gritmon and her husband in July 2014 for using 614,000 gallons of water over 18 days when their house was vacant.

Gritmon maintains no leaks were found, and engineers have told her it is impossible for that much water to flow through her water meter in that time frame. It would be the equivalent of consuming about 5 million plastic bottles of water, Gritmon told commissioners.

“I don’t disagree that it’s mind-boggling,” said Pasco County Utilities Director Bruce Kennedy after the commissioners’ meeting. But, he added, “I don’t know that there were any mistakes.”

He pointed to the audit’s findings that the county’s water meters were tested and found accurate. Kennedy also said he had to apply existing rules in determining refunds.

It was Gritmon’s complaint last year that prompted the eight-month audit.

While the audit found the meters worked properly, the report also found deficiencies in the county’s meter reading and billing procedures. There also were problems with software for a new automated system, inaccessible meters and inconsistent readings.

The audit looked at water bills issued between June 1, 2014, and April 15, 2015. Of 337 accounts reviewed by the county, 317, including Gritmon’s and Nelson’s, had from one to six bills that exceeded 120 percent of the annual average charge.

Following the commissioners’ meeting, Kennedy walked over to Gritmon and offered an apology for the drawn-out process.

Gritmon said she appreciated the gesture.

“Better late than never.”

Published September 30, 2015

Vision still needed for Wiregrass sports complex

September 30, 2015 By Kathy Steele

Pasco County commissioners were introduced to a study that recommends building a multi-use indoor sports complex on parkland near The Shops at Wiregrass.

But a more in-depth review between the Tourism Development Council and the commissioners will have to wait for a public workshop slated for late October or early November.

At the Sept. 22 commissioners’ meeting, Charlie Johnson, president of Chicago-based Johnson Consulting Co., spent a few minutes going over the firm’s report, officially released in August.

“Economically, you’re healthy,” Johnson told commissioners. “I think it’s (indoor facility) very positive and trends are very supportive of this.”

In addition to the indoor complex, ball fields also would be built outdoors, but the focus, at least initially, would be on such indoor sports as volleyball, basketball, wrestling, cheerleading and martial arts.

Johnson cited facilities in Round Rock, Texas, and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, as examples of municipalities with successful indoor facilities.

The Porter family donated more than 200 acres near the Wiregrass mall in 2012 with a stipulation that if a sports complex didn’t happen, then a park would be developed.

But, just what to put on the land has eluded the county ever since.

Last year, a proposal from Pasco Sports LLC, a partnership between James Talton and former major league baseball player Gary Sheffield, fell apart over financial issues. The project would have included a youth baseball camp, with 20 ball fields and on-site dormitories.

The feasibility study, however, dismisses baseball as a good option.

“This site is very attractive. The market is robust enough to support some type of facility.” Johnson said. “But, baseball and soccer are really quite built-out throughout the state.”

The study suggests that Pasco would be competing, for instance, with a $27 million complex proposed in Seminole County. The complex would include 15 ball fields for baseball, softball, soccer and lacrosse.

Within the past week, a proposal to build an Atlanta Braves training facility in St. Petersburg has emerged. The project also would include a youth baseball component. The Gary Sheffield Sports Foundation is one of the partners in the project with the Atlanta Braves.

Some commissioners have suggested that the Porter family has concerns about the feasibility study.

“I think there is going to be some negative feelings on this by the Porters,” said Pasco County Commissioner Jack Mariano.

Pasco County Administrator Michele Baker said she had spoken with family members, and they would be invited to participate in the upcoming workshop.

“We’re committed to a very engaged and active dialogue,” Baker said.

Published September 30, 2015

Stepping into the world of dementia

September 30, 2015 By B.C. Manion

The tourists sat waiting for instructions.

They filled out forms. They answered questions. Then, they began putting on special equipment.

They put ridged plastic insoles into their shoes.

They put on plastic gloves for protection and a different outer glove for each hand.

Then, they stepped up a few steps into a dim room, where they donned special headphones and glasses.

Next, they were asked to perform a list of tasks.

People wait to experience ‘The Virtual Dementia Tour.’ When taking the tour, they wear gloves, headphones and glasses, and walk on ridged plastic insoles in their shoes in an experience that simulates impacts of dementia. (B.C. Manion/Staff Photos) — People wait to experience ‘The Virtual Dementia Tour.’ When taking the tour, they wear gloves, headphones and glasses, and walk on ridged plastic insoles in their shoes in an experience that simulates impacts of dementia.
(B.C. Manion/Staff Photos)

Through the headphones they heard recordings of chatter and continual noises. The glasses obscured their vision.

It didn’t take long to discover that the experiences on this “Virtual Dementia Tour” were disorienting and frustrating.

“I felt lost. I really felt lost,” Grace Walker said. “You can’t see, you can’t hear. You’re mixed up,” said the woman who works in housekeeping at American House Zephyrhills, on Pretty Pond Road.

That’s understandable, said Glen Scharfeld, a senior care specialist and owner of Senior Helpers, based in Spring Hill.

His company brought a mobile Virtual Dementia Tour to American House Zephyrhills last week.

The Virtual Dementia Tour was created by P.K. Beville, a geriatric specialist, as her postgraduate work. It is a scientifically proven method that builds sensitivity and awareness in individuals caring for those with dementia by temporarily altering participants’ physical and sensory abilities.

The tour is designed to simulate:

Loss of auditory interpretation and increased confusion
Loss of central and peripheral vision
Loss of sensory nerves and fine motor skills
Onset of arthritis and neuropathy

Beville donated the program to Second Wind Dreams, which has provided the experience worldwide.

An estimated 44.4 million people worldwide, including 5.2 million Americans, are living with dementia, the Second Wind Dream’s website reports.

This mobile unit is rigged to give people an opportunity to experience the impacts of dementia. The idea is to promote greater awareness, sensitivity and empathy for caregivers of people experiencing dementia.

“The Virtual Dementia Tour is designed to emulate mid-level dementia,” Scharfeld said.

“We provide this education to the community, to families, family caregivers. The reason we’re here is that there are caregivers here who deal with dementia every day. It’s designed to promote empathy and for people to understand what people are going through,” he added.

The experience helps people step inside the shoes of individuals who are living with dementia.

“We’re here to help you empathize with them and be patient with them,” Scharfeld said, as he chatted with some staff members from American House Zephyrhills, who had just completed the tour.

“We age. We get older. Our senses start to diminish. With dementia, it’s a whole different ballgame. What you’ve got to realize is that the brain, the brain cells are depleted in the different areas of the brain,” Scharfeld said.

“It takes the most recent memories, and they’re gone.

“People don’t remember stuff that just happened. They may remember their daughter as 30 years ago.

“They may think that they’re 30 years younger than they are. They won’t believe when they look in the mirror. It’s like, ‘Who is that? Who is that?’ You say, ‘That’s you.’ And they’ll say, ‘That’s not me. That’s an old lady,” he said.

Scharfeld is a retired law enforcement officer, who worked in Hillsborough County. He used to encounter people with dementia when responding to calls.

“I didn’t know that when I was running code to a burglary in progress, (it was) because a lady saw herself in the slider. She thought there’s somebody out there.

“Or, they’ll think the people on the TV are actually in the house,” Scharfeld said.

The sounds coming through the headphones enable those on the tour to experience the kind of confusion that people with dementia have in processing information.

“The person is sitting there. They’re confused. Some caregivers think, if I talk louder, they’re going to get it.

It’s not the hearing. It’s the processing,” Scharfeld said.

“They hear bits and fragments. That’s why they do crazy stuff. You ask someone to something, and they wind up doing something else,” he said. “The caregiver gets mad and frustrated.”

“We’re here to promote to you, empathy,” Scharfeld said.

The Virtual Dementia Tour has spread to 17 different countries, he said.

“What we did is, we took it mobile,” he said. “We basically have a house on wheels. We’re independently owned. This is our rig.

“I wanted to bring it to the community,” he said.

To find out more about future stops on the tour, call (352) 835-7191.

Published September 30, 2015

Pasco County’s namesake led an interesting life

September 30, 2015 By Special to The Laker/Lutz News

Some of us may know a bit about where the names for Collier and Flagler counties came from.

But for those who don’t, it was Barron Collier who constructed the Tamiami Trail through the Everglades, connecting the two coasts of Florida.

And, Henry Flagler was a key figure in the development of the Atlantic coast of Florida as the founder of the Florida East Coast Railway.

But how much do we know about where Pasco County got its name?

The historic courthouse in Dade City was named for Samuel W. Pasco. (B.C. Manion/Staff Photo) — The historic courthouse in Dade City was named for Samuel W. Pasco.
(B.C. Manion/Staff Photo)

The county is named after Samuel W. Pasco, who was born in London, when Charles Dickens was still a young newspaper reporter for The Morning Chronicle.

Pasco was born in a family of Cornish ancestry on June 28, 1834, some 200 feet from St. Paul’s Cathedral.

He immigrated to the United States with his family and settled in Charlestown, Massachusetts in 1846.

A strong student, Pasco graduated from Harvard College in 1858. He was recommended to a group of Southern Planters in Jefferson County, Florida. They wanted to educate their children with Pasco as the Principal of the Waukeenah Academy.

But that appointment didn’t last long.

When Fort Sumter was bombarded at the start of the Civil War three years later, Pasco closed the academy and, he along with 15 of his older students, enlisted in the Confederate army on August 10, 1861.

They served in the Third Florida Volunteers.

One former student, Pvt. Tom Pettus, was wounded during a heavy exchange of fire in July 1863 near Jackson, Mississippi.

According to Clarence Smith’s wartime diary “Camp Fires of the Confederacy,” Pasco searched and found Pettus among the wounded during the heat of battle. Although Pettus died the next day, Pasco received a commendation from the vice president of the Confederacy.

He also spent a week in January 1863 in Brooksville to get some stragglers to return to fight.

In the fall of that year, Pasco was left on the field with his legs shattered by a lead “minnie” bullet during the battle of Chickamauga, near Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Pasco was taken prisoner and spent nearly six months in different hospitals before being transferred to a Union Army prisoner-of-war camp in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Despite having Northern friends who tried to persuade him to take an oath of allegiance to the Union, Pasco did not and was held captive for 14 months, when he was released in March 1865, as part of an exchange of prisoners.

He was paroled with the rank of sergeant.

In 1869, he married Jessie Denham of Monticello, Florida. They had two daughters and three sons. His son, William Denham Pasco, was a lieutenant in the Spanish-American War, when he was killed on Oct. 29, 1900.

Pasco was a Baptist and a prominent Mason. He was elected president of Florida’s Constitutional Convention in 1885. He also served as Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives in 1887.

During the 1880s, the southern part of Hernando County was filling rapidly with settlers.

“We all were weary of traveling the sand trails of Brooksville, the county seat, to attend court, or transact other business of varied nature,” Dr. Richard C. Bankston recalled, in a letter dated Nov. 25, 1927.

As a local member of the State Legislature, Bankston’s recollections described the need for a new county. He also noted there was opposition to the proposed name of “Banner County.”

At that time the Florida House and Senate were in joint session, voting for a United States Senator and they unanimously elected Pasco.

Bankston saw his opportunity.

“I immediately went to the committee room,” he wrote, “where I had a desk and changed our bill making the name Pasco instead of Banner,” he wrote.

Within four hours on June 2, 1887, Gov. E. A. Perry signed into law a bill to divide Hernando County and to create Citrus and Pasco counties.

On June 9, 1899, President William McKinley appointed Pasco as a member of the Isthmian Canal Commission, the presidential committee that laid the groundwork for construction of the Panama Canal.

Pasco made his first recorded visit to the county bearing his name during the State Farmer’s Alliance meeting in Dade City on Oct. 28, 1891.

One newspaper reported: “Senator Pasco, who was not barred from the meeting because of being a lawyer, went on record against the sub-treasury plan.”

Seven years later, Pasco appeared again in Dade City to attend a Democratic rally that “was fairly well attended, considering the late hour at which it was held,” according to an account by another newspaper.

There are no records that Samuel W. Pasco ever lived in Pasco County.

But, for Pasco’s descendants, who attended the Pasco County Centennial in 1987, it must have been a proud occasion, to see the name of their ancestry on government offices, county vehicles and other local landmarks.

Doug Sanders can be reached at .

Descendants of Samuel Pasco and Jessie Denham
• John, b. Sept. 20, 1880, Monticello, Florida; d. May 5, 1961, Richmond, Virginia. Graduated from Virginia Military Institute in 1900 (General George Marshall’s class)
• Col. Hansell Merrill Pasco, b. October 1915, Thomasville, Georgia; d. November 2008, Richmond, Virginia. He was Secretary of the Army General Staff during World War II.
• Attending the Pasco County Centennial in 1987: Mallory Pasco

Sources
Samuel Pasco at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
Jonathan C. Sheppard, “By the Noble Daring of Her Sons“: The Florida Brigade of the Army of Tennessee, ProQuest, 2008.
Publications of the Florida Historical Society, 1908. Page 33.
Bill Dayton, member and former chairman, Dade City Historic Preservation Advisory Board.
Madonna Jervis Wise, author; “Images of America: Dade City” (2014). Arcadia publishing.

By Doug Sanders

Published September 30, 2015

A ride through history, with rare and exotic cars

September 30, 2015 By B.C. Manion

It’s not located on a busy thoroughfare, but people who enjoy exotic cars, or who have a penchant for innovation, will find much to enjoy at the Tampa Bay Automobile Museum.

This is a place where history comes to life through vehicles.

The museum houses the private collection of Alain Cerf, owner of Polypack, a business located next door.

Polypack, which began outside of Paris, is a manufacturer of automatic packaging machinery.

As visitors approach The Tampa Bay Auto Museum, they may wonder what awaits them inside. Once they walk in, they’ll find a collection of vehicles that, beyond being visually appealing, also help tell the story of automobile design. (B.C. Manion/Staff Photos) — As visitors approach The Tampa Bay Auto Museum, they may wonder what awaits them inside. Once they walk in, they’ll find a collection of vehicles that, beyond being visually appealing, also help tell the story of automobile design.
(B.C. Manion/Staff Photos)

Cerf opened the museum on March 19, 2005, to share his unique collection with the general public.

“The founder of the business was born and raised in France and actually began the business in France, had a factory just outside of Paris,” said John Perodeau, a museum employee.

“They started doing work in the United States and in the mid-1970s, he moved his business and his family from Paris, France, to Pinellas Park, Florida.

“When they moved, they brought not only the business and the family, but they brought what were then the family cars.

“The first three cars in here, and then a couple of more that are in the back, are the cars that came with them across the Atlantic.

“The rest of the cars in the collection have been selected because they display some sort of innovative engineering or technology, something that was new, different and pioneering for its time,” Perodeau said.

“We’re not a typical classic car museum. We don’t have Duesenbergs and Packards and Pierce-Arrows. They’re very nice cars, but their engineering was conventional, and we focus on the unconventional.

“We focus on engineering innovations in automobiles,” Perodeau added.

Something else that’s unusual?

This is the first impression you’ll get when you walk into the Tampa Bay Auto Museum in Pinellas Park. Besides offering scores of visual treats, the museum tells a story of creativity and ingenuity, as expressed through vehicles.

The cars in this museum sometimes can be seen tooling down the road.

“They all have Florida license plates. They’re registered and insured. They may get taken home at the end of the day after work. They go out on weekends. They go to parades and car shows. They don’t just sit here in the museum,” Perodeau said.

The collection has a total of 63 cars.

Visitors are free to get close to them and take as many photos as they want.

They are asked not to touch the cars, but if they’d like to look under the hood or inside the car, they can ask the museum staff to give them that closer look.

Staff members are knowledgeable about the history of automobiles and new developments.

Perodeau and Gary Lasasso, another museum staffer, welcome queries.

“If you have a question on any of the cars, one of us will get you an answer,” Perodeau said.

During a recent visit, Lasasso pointed out innovations of various vehicles, talked about the people who designed and manufactured them, and offered historical context, too.

The 12,000-square-foot gallery space includes examples of some of the finest early approaches to aerodynamic shapes and packaging, front wheel drive, unibody construction, and pioneering uses of materials such as cast aluminum and pressed steel.

Designed by the young Jacques Gerin, the 1925 Gerin Aerodyne is a prototype mid-engined saloon car which marked a significant departure from other vehicles of its day.

The innovation of engineers such as Paul Jaray (the designer of the Zeppelin airships), Gabriel Voisin (aircraft from World War I and beyond), Edmund Rumpler (aircraft from World War I and beyond) and Jean Albert Gregoire (Tracta front wheel drive) are present in automobiles throughout the collection.

There are also examples that celebrate the work of Dr. Ferdinand Porsche, Hans Ledwinka and others.

Lasasso is a huge fan of Gregoire.

In fact, he admires Gregoire’s innovations so much that he created a sculpture – displayed on a museum wall — to honor him.

The display includes automobiles from France, Germany, England, Ireland, the United States and the former Czechoslovakia.

There are so many interesting vehicles on display, and there is so much to learn about them, that visitors can easily spend a few hours there and have plenty of reasons to come back again.

If you go
What: The Tampa Bay Auto Museum is a collection of rare and exotic cars
Where: 3301 Gateway Centre Blvd., in Pinellas Park
How much: Admission: $8 per person, $6 for seniors, and $5 for students and for those in groups of 12 or more. Children under 6 are free. (Guided tours are available, if arranged in advance.)
When: The museum is open from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m., on Mondays and Wednesdays through Saturdays. It is open noon until 4 p.m., on Sundays. It is closed on Tuesdays and holidays.
More information: Call (727) 579-8226, or visit TBAuto.org.

Published September 30, 2015

Golf may be back in play at Plantation Palms

September 23, 2015 By Kathy Steele

Plantation Palms Golf Course could reopen within coming months, according to posts on a Facebook page and an online blog created by a residents’ group, Project Bring Back Our Course.

A potential buyer, Rocky Morgan of GSP Business Alliance, is nearing a deadline to buy the closed golf course, located within Plantation Palms subdivision, off Collier Parkway.

In a telephone interview, Rob Rochlin of Dennis Realty told The Laker/Lutz News that Morgan has until the end of September to complete “due diligence” on the purchase.

A potential buyer for the Plantation Palms Golf Course plans to refurbish the clubhouse and golf course, which have been closed since 2014. (Kathy Steele/Staff Photos) — A potential buyer for the Plantation Palms Golf Course plans to refurbish the clubhouse and golf course, which have been closed since 2014.
(Kathy Steele/Staff Photos)

According to the online blog in a posting on Sept. 13, a closing could happen no later than Nov. 3, and possibly sooner.

The driving range, clubhouse, restaurant and bar could reopen by the end of the year, with the course opening in early-to-mid-2016. Full and social club memberships would be offered to people living in the subdivision, as well as to people outside of Plantation Palms, according to the blog.

The goal of the Bring Back Our Course group, the blog states, “is to protect Plantation Palms’ property values.”

According to a Sept. 19 blog posting, Morgan has enlisted professional golfer Jimmy Wright to join his team as president and chief executive officer of “Golf Operations.”

No sales price is available, but the real estate firm in the past has listed the property as a short sale for $1.2 million.

Native American Bank in Denver backed the mortgage for the 156-acre property, when MJS Golf Group bought the golf course in 2011 for about $2.2 million. Mitchell Osceola, Jayson Ray and Steven McDonald own the company.

No one with the company could be reached for comment.

Financial challenges in recent years have plagued the course’s operations. It was shut down for one week in 2013, then, re-opened before shutting down again in May 2014.

In recent weeks, landscapers have mowed the grass and cleared undergrowth on the Plantation Palms Golf Course

Court records show debts have been a problem as at least two companies, John Deere Landscaping and Lake Master Aquatic Weed Control, filed lawsuits for nonpayment of services. Courts awarded judgments against MSJ.

There also was at least one lien from the Florida Department of Revenue, since paid off.

In prior interviews with The Laker/Lutz News, Ray told a reporter that the recession and bad weather limited the rounds of golf and hurt efforts to make the course a success.

County records show TLGFY, LLC- Capital One filed a tax deed for one of two parcels for the golf course on June 30. The application covers tax years 2012 through 2014. However, the tax deed likely won’t be sent to the Pasco County Clerk’s office until early 2016.

A second golf course parcel has delinquent taxes, also for 2012 through 2014. Tax certificates were issued, but county officials say if the 2012 taxes are paid, that would delay a potential filing of a tax deed on that parcel.

Those issues would be cleared away with the sale. “A new buyer can’t have clear title without that,” Rochlin said.

Surveys are posted on the website showing about 90 percent approval from residents who favor the sale. A meet-and-greet with Plantation Palms’ residents took place at Hampton Inn on Sept. 2. The Bring Back Our Course members met separately with residents of The Reserve, which has its own homeowners’ association.

Media reports highlight past unsuccessful efforts by Morgan to buy Waterville Golf Course in Cleveland, Tennessee, and Turkey Greek Golf Course in Gainesville. But according to the blog, Morgan addressed questions related to those ventures at the residents’ meeting.

In recent weeks, Morgan has hired landscapers to spruce up the course, mowing grass and clearing undergrowth.

Part of his management program for the course is to provide lawn services that would generate revenues to help with golf course operations.

Residents would choose a landscaper from a “preferred provider” list of companies that would work for Morgan, according to the blog.

“The primary focus is on selling landscaping services bundled with club memberships both inside and outside of Plantation Palms,” the blog states.

Published September 23, 2015

Jewish community reflects, atones on Yom Kippur

September 23, 2015 By Michael Murillo

Congregation Mekor Shalom, 14005A N. Dale Mabry Highway, has grown to more than 100 households since it was founded a little more than two years ago.

Members come from Lutz, from Land O’ Lakes, from Wesley Chapel, from Zephyrhills, and many other parts of Tampa Bay.

And most of those households, if not all, will be stopping in on Wednesday, during the one time on the calendar where everyone comes together.

“I call it tax season for clergy,” said Hazzan Jodi Sered-Lever.

As Hazzan, she’s Mekor Shalom’s clergy who leads them in prayer. She’s also their founding spiritual leader.

Hazzan Jodi Sered-Lever prepares Zachary Marlow for his Bar Mitzvah at Congregation Mekor Shalom. Like all Jewish synagogues, the congregation is also preparing for Yom Kippur services Sept. 23. (Michael Murillo/Staff Photo) — Hazzan Jodi Sered-Lever prepares Zachary Marlow for his Bar Mitzvah at Congregation Mekor Shalom. Like all Jewish synagogues, the congregation is also preparing for Yom Kippur services Sept. 23.
(Michael Murillo/Staff Photo)

The occasion is Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Atonement, which is Sept. 23 this year. Part of the High Holy Days, along with Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, it’s considered by many to be the most significant date on the Jewish calendar.

While it’s a time for reflection and forgiveness, it’s definitely not a time for judging the congregation at Mekor Shalom.

Sered-Lever knows the seats will be filled more than during the weekly Sabbath services on Friday nights and Saturday mornings. Whether it’s a treasured family tradition or a sense of obligation to participate in the High Holidays, many members who don’t attend services regularly are looking for a seat at Yom Kippur.

And that’s fine for Sered-Lever. Whether someone attends every weekend, or hasn’t been there since the last Yom Kippur service, she wants everyone to feel welcomed and valued.

“I don’t use guilt in any of my religious practices. I meet people where they’re at,” she said. “I’m glad to see you when you’re here. I’m glad to have your involvement; I’m glad to have your gifts. Because each person’s gifts are appreciated, and they’re not just monetary, and they’re not just numbers showing up.”

Those who do attend will arrive in a different state than usual. Yom Kippur observers fast from the previous sundown until that day’s sundown (with medical exceptions), refrain from working or wearing leather shoes, do not bathe and do not anoint themselves in perfume or cologne. They forego many daily comforts and rituals in order to focus more on asking for forgiveness, not only to God, but to other people their actions may have affected over the past year. Much of the day is spent in prayer and reflection.

And they’ll not only pray, but hear the Hazzan speak on a special topic. She didn’t reveal this year’s subject, but previously she’s focused on the concept of a proper apology. Instead of a half-hearted “I’m sorry you feel that way” statement, she encouraged her congregation to take ownership in their apologies, and to deliver them with authenticity.

Whether they come to pray on Yom Kippur out of a sense of tradition once a year, or always attend weekly services, Sered-Lever wants every member to get the most out of the experience. She believes that true reflection on actions and behaviors, and an earnest desire to improve oneself, can have great benefits for an individual even after Yom Kippur ends.

“You get out of it what you put into it,” Sered-Lever said. “If you take this time and really use it for this purpose, you have the greatest chance of being able to evolve as a person, and develop your relationships and connections, and be the best person you can be.”

While it might be the one time of year that every seat is filled (during some busy times, events might also be held at the nearby Carrollwood Country Club), Sered-Lever doesn’t approach her job differently because there might be more of the congregation listening. She’s still grateful for the attendees, appreciates their participation, and strives to give them a welcoming experience from the moment they walk in the door.

Her schedule doesn’t change much, either. In the days leading up to Yom Kippur, the Hazzan spent time instructing Zachary Marlow, 13, as he prepared for his Bar Mitzvah, the ceremony that celebrates a Jewish boy taking on the religious obligations and observances of a man. A Jewish girl taking part in the same ceremony is known as a Bat Mitzvah.

Zachary’s mother, Susan, serves on the congregation’s board of trustees. She believes that even in Jewish households where they don’t attend regular services, the need to connect with the community during the High Holidays is strong.

“Even if you weren’t in a religious household, you always went on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. You always do. That’s just what Jews do, for the most part. It’s a very cultural thing. It’s a way of life for us, and we take that into adulthood,” she said.

Both adults and children attend Mekor Shalom, ranging in ages from infants to those in their 90s. And whatever their reasons for attending Yom Kippur or any other service, Sered-Lever will keep working to make it a positive experience each time they step into the synagogue.

“It’s all about creating a safe and nurturing environment for people to be. This is a sanctuary,” she said. “It’s a safe community and people should feel comfortable, and people should feel that there is a message with which they can connect.”

The Yom Kippur service will begin at 9 a.m. The final service will begin at 6 p.m. For information, call (813) 963-1818 or visit MekorShalom.org.

Chabad at Wiregrass, 2124 Ashley Oaks Circle in Wesley Chapel, will also have Yom Kippur services. They begin with a morning service at 10 a.m., with the final service beginning at 6 p.m. For information, call (813) 642-3244 or visit ChabadAtWiregrass.com.

Published September 23, 2015

The Florida Wildlife Corridor Expeditions reveal Florida’s wild side

September 23, 2015 By Kathy Steele

Motorists zipping along Interstate 4 between Tampa and Orlando can’t see from their ribbon of asphalt how close they are to the wild side of Florida.

But the Green Swamp is all around.

Bear biologist Joe Guthrie snorkels at the Manatee Springs Park. In winter, manatees come to the spring in large numbers to enjoy its warm waters. (Photos courtesy of Carlton Ward Jr.) — Bear biologist Joe Guthrie snorkels at the Manatee Springs Park. In winter, manatees come to the spring in large numbers to enjoy its warm waters.
(Photos courtesy of Carlton Ward Jr.)

Often called the “liquid heart” of the state, the swamp is headwaters for four major rivers: Peace, Withlacoochee, Ocklawaha and Hillsborough.

Natural habitat, hiking trails, blueways and wildlife corridors spread across Polk, Lake, Sumter, Hernando and Pasco counties.

“This is wild Florida history in plain site,” said Carlton Ward Jr., a conservation photojournalist whose photographic art captures the beauty of the state’s wild side and its Cracker history of cowboys and ranches.

On Sept. 15, more than 100 people filled the Selby Auditorium on the campus of Saint Leo University for a presentation on the Florida Wildlife Corridor Expeditions, in 2012 and 2015.

Saint Leo’s School of Arts and Sciences, departments of Language Studies and the Arts, and Mathematics and Science sponsored the event.

Expedition members set up camp along the Apalachicola River, under a clear, star-studded night.

“He is a very accomplished speaker, combining words and pictures that allow us to hear clearly the importance of conservation,” said Mary Spoto, the dean of Arts and Sciences. “It’s something good for our students to hear and also the public.”

The first expedition of 1,000 miles in 100 days traversed peninsular Florida from the Everglades National Park to the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge in southern Georgia.

The most recent expedition of 1,000 miles in 70 days began in January, following a path from central Florida, across the Panhandle to Alabama, ending at the Gulf Island National Seashore. Along the way “trail mixers” were held to invite the public to join in the trek.

The goal is to bring awareness about the need to protect and connect Florida’s rural lands, its waterways and the natural paths to habitats traveled by Florida’s diverse wildlife, including the Florida black bear and the Florida panther.

Ward sees his photographs as a way to connect art’s inspiration with science’s knowledge.

He collaborated with bear biologist Joe Guthrie and environmentalist Mallory Lykes Dimmitt on the “Florida Wildlife Expedition Corridor,” a book chronicling the 2012 expedition. A second book on the 2015 expedition will be published in November.

“I’ve always had a connection to conservation,” Ward said.

But he didn’t think of Florida first as his focus.

As a graduate student, he traveled on the first of nine trips to central and western Africa. But each time he came home, he noticed Florida’s changing landscape.

“There was a part of Florida that I knew was missing,” Ward said.

He began photographically to tell the story of Florida’s conservation through its cattle ranches, handed down through generations. He published “Florida Cowboys: Keepers of the Last Frontier” in 2009.

That multigenerational stewardship kept some of Florida’s wildlife habitats intact, said Ward, an eighth-generation Floridian.

“Some of the ranchers I’ve met are some of the best conservationists I know,” Ward said.

It was once possible, he said, to hike and camp for two to three nights without seeing a fence. But Florida’s population, which numbered about 2 million in the 1940s, is now about 20 million. Pressures from development are increasing, Ward said.

Early on the 10th day of the expedition, Carlton Ward Jr., set up his camera on shore and paddled along the Chassahowitzka River.

Research on the Florida black bear in 2010 revealed the disconnects along the wildlife corridors and the vast distances that are traveled during a life cycle.

A black bear, tagged with a GPS tracking collar and known as M34, went on a 500-mile walkabout through Florida from Sebring to nearly the Green Swamp in the Orlando area. The bear halted at I-4, in a location, where other species ended up as road kill trying to cross over to what should be natural habitat for bears.

But Ward said, “That bear couldn’t find a safe path to get there.”

Instead, it retreated southward somewhere near Fort Myers, where the collar automatically dropped off.

Ward remains optimistic, however, about the future.

“It doesn’t have to be this way,” Ward said. “We can accommodate a lot of people and sustain natural corridors.”

Wildlife underpasses and overpasses, for example, can preserve natural pathways and keep corridors connected.

“It’s not just about buying land,” he said. “It’s about incentivizing compatible land uses.”

His optimism springs also from the heroes he has met on the expeditions.

The Aucilla River flows from Georgia on the east side of Red Hills between Thomasville, Georgia, and Tallahassee.

M.C. Davis, who died recently, created the Nokuse Plantation, which contains the largest pine leaf forest in the southeastern United States. Davis acquired more than 50,000 acres for his pine leaf restoration project, which borders Eglin Air Force Base in the Panhandle.

Davis partnered with Eglin and the Florida Department of Transportation to build three wildlife underpasses on U.S. 331.

Another hero is Kendall Schoelles, a third-generation oysterman. “That man is committed to a life from generations past,” Ward said.

In 2016, Ward said he would continue to focus efforts on preserving the wildlife corridor. One issue for Ward and other environmentalists is Amendment 1, which voters overwhelmingly approved in 2014. The constitutional amendment potentially could bring $700 million in real estate taxes into the state’s coffers to acquire conservation land.

However, lawmakers stirred controversy when they approved a budget with $88 million earmarked for land purchases.

“We have to stay loud about it for sure,” Ward said.

For information on the expeditions and the Florida Wildlife Corridor, visit FloridaWildlifeCorridor.org.

Published September 23, 2015