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Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

Local News

Business Digest -3-18-15

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Business luncheon
The Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce will host its Lunch N’ Learn Business Forum March 19 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., at the chamber’s boardroom, 6013 Wesley Chapel Blvd., Suite 105. The forum is held on the third Thursday each month.

Guest speakers will be Albert Verile and Kirby Lavallee of SharpLine Investigations. They will discuss how to protect your business against fraud.

The cost is $15 including lunch. An RSVP is required.

For information, call the chamber office at (813) 994-8534.

Employment fair in New Port Richey
CareerSource Pasco Hernando will have an employment fair March 24 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., at 6347 Grand Blvd., in New Port Richey.

The event is free and open to the public.

Dress professionally and bring plenty of resumes.

For information, contact CareerSource Pasco Hernando at (727) 484-3400, or visit CareerSourcePascoHernando.com.

Insurance ribbon cutting
Gunter and Gunter Insurance will host an open house and grand opening March 24 from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., at 28969 State Road 54 in Wesley Chapel.

Suncoast Auto Glass will be on-site for free windshield repair. There will be giveaways, and people who sign up for free automobile insurance quotes will be entered in a drawing for a $100 gift card from Publix Super Market. Catering will be provided by The Private Chef.

For information, call the Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce at (813) 994-8534, or Gunter and Gunter at (813) 994-3900.

New mattress shop opens
Mighty Mattresses is open for business at 21126 State Road 54 in Lutz. The discount mattress retailer had a ribbon cutting on March 3.

The store is on the southwest corner of State Road 54 and Land O’ Lakes Boulevard with an entrance off State Road 54.

Employ Veterans Seminar
Are you an employer interested in hiring veterans? The Greater Zephyrhills Chamber of Commerce and the office of U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis will co-host the Employ Veterans Seminar March 31 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 pm., at the Microtel Inn & Suites, 7839 Gall Blvd., in Zephyrhills.

RSVP for this free seminar by March 27. A light lunch will be served.

Representatives from state agencies will be there to answer questions about available incentives and funding for job-specific training.

For information and to make reservations, call (813) 782-1913, or email .

Grants for businesswomen
Are you a businesswoman who could use $1,000?

Women-n-Charge is offering two $1,000 grants this spring. The grants can be used toward business-related equipment or services and continuing education. The nonprofit’s mission, in part, is to support and assist professional women in managing their businesses more effectively.

Learn more about the grants at Women-n-Charge.com. Applications are available online and are due April 15.

For information, contact Judy Nicolosi, treasurer of Women-n-Charge, at (813) 600-9848, or email .

East Pasco Networking Group
The East Pasco Networking Group will meet March 24 at Rose’s Café at 38426 Fifth Ave., in Zephyrhills.

Networking begins at 8 a.m., with the meeting starting at 8:30 a.m.

Leja Apple, former Miss Pasco and former Miss Nature’s Coast, is the guest speaker.

For information, call Nils Lenz at (813) 782-9491, or email him at .

Meet Zephyrhills physician
The Greater Zephyrhills Chamber of Commerce will host an open house and ribbon cutting March 27 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., for Dr. Stacy Taylor-Hunt, a doctor of osteopathy.

She is joining the staff at Florida Hospital Zephyrhills Family Medicine, Suite B, 37908 Daughtery Road in Zephyrhills.

Free glucose, blood pressure and/or BMI screenings will be available.

Sandwiches, salads, desserts and beverages will be provided.

Two-day career fair
Pasco-Hernando State College will host Opportunity 2015 Hernando County Career Fair April 9 from 3:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., and April 10 from 9 a.m. to noon, at the North Campus, Building B Conference Center, 11415 Ponce de Leon Blvd., in Brooksville.

On April 9, free seminars will focus on resume writing, interview skills, and proper attire and etiquette for interviews. The keynote speaker will be Steve Wilson of Pasco-Hernando State College.

On April 10, local employers will accept resumes and perform on-the-spot interviews. Dress professionally and bring lots of resumes.

The event is free, but preregistration is required at HernandoCountyCareerFair2015eventbrite.com.

For information, call Nicole Miller at (352) 7907-5174, or Steve Wilson at (352) 293-1123.

Rotary Club needs bee sponsors
The Rotary Club of Wesley Chapel Noon needs sponsors for the third annual “BEE Part of the Buzz” adult spelling bee.

The spelling bee will be April 10 at 6:30 p.m., at the Tampa Bay Golf & Country Club, 10641 Old Tampa Bay Drive in San Antonio. Teams compete in three rounds with words progressing in spelling difficulty from easy to intermediate to difficult.

Spectators cheer on their favorite teams in a fun event that helps raise funds for the Pasco Education Foundation. Donations range from $1,500 for a Queen Bee sponsorship to $150 for a four-person team.

For information, email Erin Meyer at .

Business Link available monthly
Business Link, a monthly small business gathering hosted by the San Antonio Citizens Federal Credit Union, meets the second Wednesday of each month beginning at 7:30 a.m.

The meeting is designed to provide a networking and information-sharing platform for the business community.

For locations, details and to reserve a seat, email , or call (352) 588-2732, ext. 1237.

Wesley Chapel networking group
Networking for Your Success meets every Thursday at 8 a.m., at Lexington Oaks Country Club, 2615 Lexington Oaks Blvd., in Wesley Chapel.

Cost is $5, and annual membership to the group is $79.

Still moving after all these years

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Phyllis Goodlad has won so many awards at athletic event for seniors, there’s too many to mention.

And when you talk to her, she never mentions them.

“What’s behind is behind. You’ve got to keep your sights on the future,” she said. At 86, she’s been collecting medals and trophies for decades.

Phyllis Goodlad, 86, is often on a bicycle, in the pool or on the road traveling to different competitions. She took part in cycling and swimming in last year's Florida Senior games. (Michael Murillo/Staff Photo)
Phyllis Goodlad, 86, is often on a bicycle, in the pool or on the road traveling to different competitions. She took part in cycling and swimming in last year’s Florida Senior games.
(Michael Murillo/Staff Photo)

She doesn’t even know where most of them are. A couple of trophies can be seen in her home, but the majority are likely stored away in other rooms or in a shed at her home in Dade City.

Sometimes she even forgets to pick them up after she wins her events, she said.

Goodlad doesn’t even like to say she won or came in first place. She simply says “I did well,” so as not to seem boastful.

Her reluctance to appear prideful might stem from being a little girl in Wexford, Ireland before World War II, a time when women weren’t encouraged to participate in athletics, much less to excel at them.

“I was brought up where you couldn’t do sports, because ladies did not do that,” Goodlad recalled.

But they could marry athletes, and she found one in her husband, Terry.

“He was an all-around athlete. When I met him, he was going to turn pro as a boxer, and I don’t like boxing,” Goodlad recalled. “I gave him a choice.”

Terry chose love over a boxing glove, and they had been married for nearly 60 years, when he passed away in 2007.

During their marriage, her husband became an expert runner and cyclist, and traveled to participate in several sports around the world.

The interest rubbed off on Goodlad. She found herself trying new sports such as cross-country skiing, race-walking (where she holds Masters records in the United States and Canada) and triathlons.

She competed in last year’s Florida Senior Games in cycling and swimming.

And when she enters an athletic contest, she often wins.

She entered a triathlon at the National Senior Games in Cleveland, Ohio, a couple of years ago. After some coaxing, Goodlad admits she took first place.

But the victories and awards aren’t what are important to her.

She values the friendships she makes, the fun of competing and the health benefits that keep her in the water or on the course.

Those are the things that keep her feeling young.

“I don’t think of my age until I have to put it down,” Goodlad said.

Her athletic participation also keeps her mentally sharp. She enjoys setting goals for herself, using her tablet to research future events, and focusing on the next competition or event.

While most people in their mid-80s aren’t training for their next cycling event or swimming race, Goodlad said that seniors can and should do more to stay active.

Like most people, she watches some television — especially when the Olympics or Tour de France are on — but doesn’t make it her main activity for the day.

Doing something that requires physical exertion is harder than sitting in a chair and watching a program, she said, but the latter activities don’t provide any health benefits.

Even if someone’s health isn’t perfect, doing something is better than doing nothing, and can still make a big difference in their lives, Goodlad said.

“Get involved, even if it’s only for a short time in the morning or a short time in the afternoon or evening. Just don’t stay home all the time,” Goodlad advises. “Even if it’s only walking to the end of the street. Park your car as far away from the store as you can. Just that little but of walking is amazing. It’ll start you on a journey that will only give you the greatest pleasure you can think of.”

Goodlad’s journey takes her to Lakeland several times a week for swimming practice, and to Canada for several months out of the year, where she visits family in between traveling to competitions. She also will likely head to the National Senior Games in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, this July.

Even though she’ll be 87 this year, she’s still looking to try new things. She always wanted to take up fencing, and now that her granddaughter is trying it, she wonders if that might be a new opportunity.

The fact that she’s never done something before doesn’t deter her. Goodlad once entered a kayaking competition despite never setting foot in one. She took second place.

So if you want to try something new, her advice is to give it a shot, enjoy the journey, and don’t let a lack of experience hold you back.

“Nobody knows anything until they learn it,” Goodlad said.

Published March 11, 2015

No horsing around: Avalon’s Students Prep For Equestrian Shows

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The Reflections community in Lutz has beautiful houses, well-maintained areas and a peaceful, suburban aesthetic.

And 30 acres for riding, training and showing horses.

Annaliese Donaldson-Pham and her horse, Tirza, are preparing a move into national competition. She began riding at age 3. (Michael Murillo/Staff Photo)
Annaliese Donaldson-Pham and her horse, Tirza, are preparing a move into national competition. She began riding at age 3.
(Michael Murillo/Staff Photo)

“It’s been here 20 years. They built that (the housing development) about 11 years ago,” said Pam Roush, trainer and owner of Avalon Stables, 18029 Lake Reflections Blvd. Before that, the property was a farm for thoroughbreds. Then Roush bought it and converted it to an area for training and lessons, and the Veterans Expressway helped the area develop residentially.

Now, Avalon Stables almost looks tucked away in a subdivision, but a quick detour off the main road leads to dozens of stables, large training areas and a little community all its own.

“We kind of call it our ‘barn family,’” said assistant trainer Lonna Glover. “Usually in the afternoons, everybody is here. It’s a big social thing for a lot of our customers.”

Saturday mornings also are a popular time, with riders and family gathering at the pavilion to watch lessons, socialize and support each other.

While Avalon Stables is a fun place for its riders, it also can be serious business. Many students own their own horse and keep it at Avalon. A horse can easily cost what you’d pay for a new car, Glover explained, and adding several hundred dollars a month for care and maintenance means it’s for riders looking to improve and become successful at competitions.

But owning a horse isn’t a requirement to participate. Some riders simply pay for lessons and use horses on-site that are designated for student use. And whether they’re gunning for recognition at a show, or just having fun on the weekends, horse riding and training can relieve stress.

The pursuit requires the kind of concentration that doesn’t leave room for outside pressures to creep in.

“Most people like to come out here to just relax and do something different, because they can’t think of anything else while they’re sitting up there,” Glover said. “They have to think of what they’re doing and how they’re doing it.”

Children with attention challenges often find their focus improving when they’re on a horse, because every movement works in concert to keep the animal behaving as it should, Roush explained.

Brooklyn Krone, 12, has been coming to Avalon for seven years. She spends three days a week working with her horse, Breve Latte, to make a jump from Academy level shows to A level. She’s almost there, and still enjoys the training process after all these years.

“It’s just really fun. I get to meet a lot of people and spend time with horses,” she said. Krone is working hard on form and body placement, which is a big part of the judging. It’s important to maneuver the horse properly using complex signals and motions, but maintain a smooth and comfortable look, as if the two work together naturally.

And even though it’s hard work, it’s a welcome respite from the stresses of her virtual school schedule.

“Usually when I have a really hard day at school, it just takes my mind off of things,” Krone said. She hopes to reach A level in the next couple of months.

Annaliese Donaldson-Pham, 12, can’t remember a time when she wasn’t riding. She’s been with Avalon for a couple of years, but began riding when she was 3.

“I just love the connection between you and your horse,” she said. And she’s building a connection with Tirza, a horse she acquired to focus on performing as she plans to make a jump of her own in the showing circuit. A competitor at A level for more than three years, Donaldson-Pham is looking to go national, and works weekly with Tirza to get ready for tougher competition.

Seeing her students improve and advance in competition is a particular source of pride for Roush.

“I love my kids. It’s the best,” she said. “It’s why we do it.” It also becomes a lifelong passion for many of them, she said, building from an interest that began as children into a consistent part of their lives as adults.

Krone agrees.

“I definitely see myself doing this for a long time,” she said.

The spring break camp at Avalon, which lasts a week, began on March 9.

Summer camp dates begin in June.

For more information, call (813) 765-7162 or visit AvalonStables.com.

Published March 11, 2015

Three cheers for state champs

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When Pasco-Hernando State College won a state championship last month, there was a lot of cheering.

Not just from fans or family members.

The cheering actually came from the team itself.

Because that’s exactly how they won the title – from cheering.

Practice and teamwork have helped Pasco-Hernando State College’s cheerleading squad claim a state title. (Michael Murillo/Staff Photo)
Practice and teamwork have helped Pasco-Hernando State College’s cheerleading squad claim a state title.
(Michael Murillo/Staff Photo)

The PHSC cheer team won the College Co-Ed Level Six division state title at The American Cheer & Dance Championships for Florida, held Feb. 7 at the Florida State Fair. Their routine, which lasted 2 minutes and 30 seconds, earned a score of 92.30 out of 100, which earned the team first place in their division.

“I’m very proud of them,” said Sophia Haddad, the team’s head coach.

Haddad is in her first year leading the team, but she’s no stranger to PHSC cheerleading. She helped start the cheer team as a student back in 2009, and was part of the cheerleading squad that also won a state title a few years ago.

At just 23 years old, Haddad has athletes on the team who are older than her.

She considers it an advantage, to be close in age to the cheerleaders on her squad.

It helps her connect with the team, and she’s not afraid to get on the mat herself and demonstrate what to do, if it will help get her message across.

“I can see it through their eyes,” Haddad said. “I think I can relate a little bit more to them.”

As a former state champion, she also can relate to their success.

Haddad writes the team’s routines, and said she’s able to highlight their strengths in a way that judges will notice.

Those strengths include moves like stunting and pyramids, which require not just physical ability and skill, but a level of trust and teamwork that’s hard to achieve.

The team’s success stems not only from the members’ talent.

A good attitude, Haddad said, is essential to creating a successful routine and a championship squad.

“You can come in and have good skill, but if you’re not a team player and you don’t have the right attitude, then you’re not anything to the team. You’re not helping them in any way. If anything, you bring them down.”

Right now nobody is bringing down the Conquistadors, who will travel to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, for the national championships, which begin March 20.

The team will compete as a group and also in a separate stunting category.

Haddad has a good feeling about how they’ll perform on the national stage.

Karlee Roach, a PHSC sophomore who attended Land O’ Lakes High School, shares Haddad’s optimism about the team’s prospects.

Roach cheered for her school as a Gator, but said things become a little more intense at the college level when a state title is on the line.

“The pressure of it, representing our school, was very, very different than high school,” Roach said.

Winning the title also brought special satisfaction for her.

In high school, she felt like the squad during her senior year had the talent to win the state championship, but it didn’t finish in the top three.

She still believes the scoring was questionable and did not represent what the team achieved on the mat.

Winning at PHSC has provided some validation for Roach and her squad.

“That is why I wanted to join the cheerleading team here, because I wanted to prove that I am not fourth. I am first. And it’s not just me. It’s the team. We are,” Roach said.

Roach takes her cheerleading seriously, and she proves it outside of practice and competitions. She’s in the gym three or four times a week, doing weight training or cardio to stay at her best. Everybody on the team puts in their time to perform at a championship level, she said.

But for all that work, many people still think of the cheerleaders as the people on the side of a game, or simply dancing around. They don’t see the practice time, the injuries, the training and the teamwork that goes into building a winning program.

“A lot of work goes into it, and nobody realizes how much,” Roach said.

At PHSC, that’s changing.

Roach has been stopped by faculty and school administrators and congratulated for the team’s success. Over time, people are recognizing that the team’s hard work is paying off, and it feels nice to be noticed for their accomplishments.

For Haddad, those accomplishments include being good students. As an academic advisor for the school, she knows the importance of making sure athletes put importance on their classes.

Cheerleading helps in those and other areas, by teaching team members the importance of working in groups and providing support, whether it’s at the base of a pyramid — helping get the best out of a teammate, or focusing on a common goal, like a state or perhaps a national title.

“I’m really lucky. I have a great team,” Haddad said. “They have great attitudes, they’re great students. The overall package. And that’s really what I look for. You can’t be a good cheerleader here if you’re not a good student. You have to have both.”

Published March 11, 2015

Zephyrhills Chamber of Commerce pays it forward

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The scent of barbecue and the sounds of bands belting out the blues aren’t the only sweet things to come out of the fifth annual Pigz in Z’Hills BBQ and Blues Fest at the Zephyrhills Municipal Airport.

There’s also the money that the event generates.

Children rode the ‘rails’ at the Pigz in Z’Hills BBQ and Blues Fest on Jan. 17. The event was sponsored by the Greater Zephyrhills Chamber of Commerce, which has donated $15,000 to local youth and civic groups. (File Photo)
Children rode the ‘rails’ at the Pigz in Z’Hills BBQ and Blues Fest on Jan. 17. The event was sponsored by the Greater Zephyrhills Chamber of Commerce, which has donated $15,000 to local youth and civic groups.
(File Photo)

This year, the Greater Zephyrhills Chamber of Commerce handed out more than $15,000 in donations to eight civic clubs and youth groups, thanks to money raised through the event. The donations ranged from $750 to $1,500.

The chamber also announced new scholarships of $1,000 each for performing arts and culinary arts that will be presented to two graduating Zephyrhills High School students in May.

“We are fortunate to have a community that embraces volunteer service and grateful for the enthusiasm by businesses and community organizations that support this event,” said Vonnie Mikkelsen, the chamber’s executive director.

Groups that received the money are excited about what it can do.

The YMCA of East Pasco will spend its donation to send four students and a supervisor to the YMCA’s Blue Ridge leadership program in Black Mountain, North Carolina this summer.

“It’s a huge event,” says AJ Hernandez, the East Pasco YMCA’s program director. “It’s a great opportunity for the kids to network. It’s a great learning experience.”

The students work year-round to collect funds to pay for the trip with car washes, drawings, dinner events and selling snacks at sports events.

The Zephyrhills Museum of Military History, at 39444 South Ave., in Zephyrhills, will be getting some display cases, mannequins and other items to freshen up its look, said Cliff Moffett.

“It’s going to be huge for us,” Moffett said. “We need a lot of stuff to make the museum up-to-date and more modern.”

He thinks the museum visitors will enjoy the acquisitions.

Visitors, he said, “like to see something new.”

The museum is open on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

It also hosts some special events. It had an event on Dec. 7 to remember the day that the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, on Dec. 7, 1941. It is planning a similar event on June 6, to honor D-Day in World War II.

About three-dozen members of the Interact Club at Zephyrhills High School plan to pass on their donation to a local charity at the end of the year. The club is the high school extension of the Noon Rotary Club of Zephyrhills.

Last year, the students donated funds to Sunrise Domestic Violence Center, Thomas Promise Foundation, Habitat for Humanity and East Pasco Meals on Wheels. They usually visit and do volunteer service at area charities throughout the year before deciding which charities will receive donations.

“They gain a broader understanding of the needs that are out there,” said Amy Chappell, the club’s advisor. She also serves on the chamber’s board of directors but not on the committee that awards the donations. “Locally, it’s an eye opener to the needs that are right here.”

In addition to local initiatives, club members reach out to global organizations that work on issues such as clean drinking water and human trafficking. But, Chappell said the local volunteer work gives them a unique perspective.

“They see what a difference it can make,” she said.

Other groups and organizations that received donations were the Pasco County Sheriff’s Mounted Posse, Sunshine Swampers 4 x 4 Club Inc., Zephyr Airport Cadet Squadron, Zephyrhills High School Drama Club and Zephyrhills Army JROTC.

Nearly 10,000 people attended the barbecue and blues event.

Published March 11, 2015

Charter school public hearing is finally here

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After months of delay, a public hearing on a proposed charter school at the southwest corner of Lutz Lake Fern and Sunlake Boulevard is slated for the evening of March 16.

The proposed Sunlake Academy has faced stiff opposition throughout the process from residents who live near the proposed school that would be built on a 7.4-acre site, as well as objections from area homeowner associations, the Lutz Citizens Coalition, the Lutz Civic Association and the GFWC Lutz-Land O’ Lakes Woman’s Clubs.

Pat and Joe Serio, who live next to the proposed Sunlake Academy, are adamantly opposed to the school, which they say would ruin the quiet enjoyment of their property. (B.C. Manion/Staff Photo)
Pat and Joe Serio, who live next to the proposed Sunlake Academy, are adamantly opposed to the school, which they say would ruin the quiet enjoyment of their property.
(B.C. Manion/Staff Photo)

Since its initial application, Charter Schools Inc., has reduced the number of students who would attend the school. The applicant also has substantially increased its proposed buffering and agreed to transportation improvements.

As the application stands now, the school would allow up to 870 kindergarten through eighth grade students, over two phases.

Changes made by the applicant don’t satisfy Pat and Joe Serio, whose property abuts the proposed school.

“We are absolutely opposed,” Pat Serio said.

Joe Serio said that he objects not only to the proposed charter school, but also to the entire process being used to consider the request.

“I look at it, at the special application, as an end-run around the zoning regulations,” Joe Serio said.

The Hillsborough County Commission adopted the Lutz Community Plan and the North Dale Mabry Corridor Plan, he said. “Now, they’re just abandoning them. They’re making a mockery of the whole process. The citizens worked hard on that,” he said.

With special use applications, a land-use hearing officer makes the final decision on a request, instead of the Hillsborough County Commission.

“We feel that we’re Ground Zero here. It is literally our backyard,” she said.

“The traffic plan doesn’t take into consideration what’s going to happen once people begin to realize the Sunlake (Boulevard) is open to Route (State Road) 54 and start using it,” Joe Serio said.

Traffic is already backing up on Lutz Lake Fern Road, as people wait to turn left to get onto Sunlake Boulevard to head over to State Road 54, he said.

The couple is also concerned about potential flooding, fumes from car emissions and noise from children playing outdoors.

“The whole process seems very tilted toward developers,” Pat Serio said.

Mike White, president and founder of the Lutz Citizens Coalition, said the coalition remains opposed to the proposed school.

“It is not an appropriate transitional use,” White said. “It’s not transitional, due to the density,” he said.

Too many cars will be coming and going at peak hours, White said, adding a more appropriate use would be one which spreads the traffic throughout the business day.

Michael Horner, a professional planner representing the applicant, said in an email that his client has “worked diligently to address any and all concerns expressed by staff and the HOA/neighbors, including over a half-million dollars of roadway and other improvements, turn lanes, signal modifications, etc.”

Additionally, as a condition of approval, the applicant has agreed to spend close to $50,000 to extend a 6-foot wall across the entire western property boundary, according to Horner.

Significant setbacks and landscaping buffer are proposed as well — 10 times the buffer required by the county’s land development code, Horner added.

“Bottom line, this school is a very appropriate land use for this property,” Horner said, noting it is supported by the county’s long-range plan and land development code.

Sunlake Academy public hearing
March 16, 6 p.m.

Second floor board chambers at the Fred B. Karl County Center, 601 E. Kennedy Blvd., in Tampa

Published March 11, 2015

Pasco and Hillsborough counties are partners in growth

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The explosion of new development in Pasco and Hillsborough counties is good news for governments that count on robust tax revenues to balance budgets. But, the rooftop subdivisions and shopping malls sprouting along busy highways that link these two prospering counties bring new challenges that likely will require a regional approach to solve.

Transportation, including public transit, is among the most critical issues.

“Everything is connected, but all roads – no pun intended – lead back to transportation,” said Hillsborough County Administrator Mike Merrill.

The recession temporarily slammed the brakes on new investments. But with marketplace confidence in the driver’s seat again, developers are accelerating their pace to build thousands of new homes, malls, hotels and restaurants.

In Pasco County, much of the activity is centered on State Road 54, the east-west corridor on the county’s southern border. The heaviest activity on State Road 54 so far is at its interchanges at Interstate 75 and the Suncoast Parkway.

Another Pasco hot spot is U.S. 19, the north-south corridor on the county’s western side.

Both State Road 54 and U.S. 19 are expected to have expanding development and concentrations of new residents, according to Pasco County Administrator Michele Baker.

Future growth plans, driven by incentives, will set the path for where future development – commercial and residential – should go, she said. But she added: “You cannot build your way out of traffic congestion.”

During the past two decades, Pasco has seen cow pastures and citrus groves vanish as land is plowed over for subdivisions and shopping centers. Rush hours are a daily ritual — a commuter conga line of motorists leaving and returning to the county’s bedroom communities.

Density plays a role in deciding which transportation projects should get priority.

“You need a certain amount of congestion before you see people on the bus,” Baker said.

Baker and Merrill shared their insights on the future of their counties and of the Tampa Bay region with about 50 people who attended the monthly meeting of the Tampa Bay Builders Association on Feb. 26.

Much of Pasco’s growth emerged from development along U.S. 19 in Pinellas County and from I-75 and U.S. 301 in Hillsborough County, Baker said.

“People moved up here for quality of life and housing, but we orient ourselves to the counties to the south,” Baker said.

Slightly less than 50 percent of Pasco residents of employment age commute daily to Hillsborough and Pinellas counties.

“We’re trying to make that less every day,” Baker said.

The transportation network linking Hillsborough, Pinellas and Pasco isn’t simply about commuters, however. Goods and services must move along the same network, Baker said.

“We do have to work to try to solve the problem,” she said.

Hillsborough is dealing with its own growth explosion.

It is courting opportunities to attract corporate headquarters, it is watching downtown Tampa’s revitalization, pondering a new site for the Tampa Bay Rays, and delivering expanded services and infrastructure to new residents.

In the next 20 years Hillsborough is expected to add about 600,000 residents, Merrill said.

“Along with (Pinellas County Administrator Mark Woodward) we are working much more closely than I’ve ever seen, since 1988, because we are dependent on each other,” Merrill said.

Improved communications and collaborations are good for all counties, Baker agreed.

“Our futures do grow together,” she said.

The challenge is to develop regional strategies without overlooking each individual county’s needs, Baker said.

As businesses look to expand and don’t have room in Hillsborough and Pinellas, they will look elsewhere, Baker said.

But she posed this question: “Rather than let them leap frog from the Tampa Bay region, how do we work to keep them here…without cherry picking from each other?”

The two counties take different approaches to revenue resources.

About 70 percent of Hillsborough’s tax revenues flow from property taxes, while Pasco gets about 35 percent of its money from property taxes. The majority of Pasco’s revenues are filled in with sales and gas taxes, and the renewed Penny for Pasco program.

Baker said Pasco historically has taken a “pay as you go” approach with developers paying higher impact fees than Hillsborough to cover the costs of infrastructure, such as roads and sewers, to support new growth.

But Baker also pointed out that Pasco County has the lowest permitting fees in the region.

Hillsborough needs greater diversity in its revenue sources, Merrill said.

“The struggle in Hillsborough County is how to go forward. It’s not easy to make that shift overnight,” Merrill said.

Pasco County has been focused on changing what Baker described as a “culture of no.”

Along those lines, county officials have taken steps to eliminate and streamline business regulations and to promote a more customer friendly attitude among county employees, Baker said.

“We are not all the way there, but we are picking up steam and making good headway,” Baker said.

Published March 11, 2015

Multi-use trail being built on U.S. 301

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A resurfacing project will give motorists a smoother ride along a 6-mile stretch of U.S. 301 — one of Dade City’s busiest commercial corridors.

But there is a new travel lane opening for pedestrians and bicyclists, too. Work on the $12.5 million project should be finished by spring 2016.

Anna Crerand takes a break from strolling, while her 4-year-old daughter Genevieve and 2-year-old son Jude inspect a monument along the Hardy Trail in Dade City. (Kathy Steele/Staff Photo)
Anna Crerand takes a break from strolling, while her 4-year-old daughter Genevieve and 2-year-old son Jude inspect a monument along the Hardy Trail in Dade City.
(Kathy Steele/Staff Photo)

As motorists whiz past on the new asphalt, pedestrians and bicyclists can stroll or pedal along a parallel 10-foot wide multi-use trail.

Previously, road construction usually meant only new asphalt or more traffic lanes for motorized vehicles.

But transportation plans these days often build in multiple modes of travel from Point A to Point B, and places in between.

This project is one of several upcoming initiatives to develop master plans to guide new development, transportation, and parks and recreation.

Pasco County officials asked the Florida Department of Transportation for the trail. It is more often the case that 5-foot wide sidewalks are installed when roads are repaved, said Allen Howell, a bicycle and pedestrian planner with the Pasco County Metropolitan Planning Organization.

The organization reviews and recommends long-range transportation plans for the county.

The planning organization has taken note of the uptick in new residential and commercial development between Dade City and Zephyrhills.

“We felt there would be more benefit to having a 10-foot trail,” said Howell. “There seems to be more activity going on in the area.”

The trail will extend along the west side of U.S. 301 from Kossik Road north to a sidewalk at Dade Avenue. Road paving will cover about 6 miles from Kossik to Bougainvillea Avenue in Dade City. A new traffic signal also is planned at the junction of U.S. 301 and U.S. 98.

The trail eventually will hook up with existing and planned trail segments – including Hardy Trail in Dade City – to form a regional network extending from Hillsborough County to the Withlacoochee Trail Head in Pasco.

A study will be completed over the next year to create a vision for future development on U.S. 301 from Kossik to the U.S. 98 Bypass including a transportation strategy. A public workshop will be held from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on March 12 at the City of Zephyrhills Council Chambers, 5335 Eighth St.

The northern extension of Hardy Trail is a priority of Pasco MPO. Construction is slated to begin in 2017.

Preserving the scenic beauty of the area has been a concern of residents, Howell said. “They have nice rolling vistas and rolling hills, and they want to keep them,” he said.

Area residents already take advantage of Hardy Trail.

On a bright afternoon in Dade City, Anna Crerand pulled her 2-year-old son, Jude, in a red wagon along Hardy Trail. Charlie, 5, and Genevieve, 4, pushed off on their scooters.

Crerand loves the nearly 1-mile trail that meanders through wooded neighborhoods from a trailhead at Church Avenue near downtown. And she is pleased about the county’s future trail plans.

“It gives me a place to exercise and it’s an easy way to connect with downtown,” she said. “I feel good about taking the kids on the trail.”

Her family moved to Dade City about five years ago.

“This is a big bonus knowing the trail is here,” Crerand said. “We didn’t know how much we’d enjoy it. It’s nice to see people in the community. You’re all engaged in the same thing.”

In late afternoon more residents showed up to walk or jog the trail either on their own, or with a dog in tow.

Multi-use trails promote healthy lifestyles and also make Dade City more attractive to tourists and people looking to relocate, said Dade City Mayor Camille Hernandez.

The new trail promotes that.

“People have access to a community where they can bike and walk more easily,” Hernandez said.

It also makes good business sense, she added.

“You want a good road to ride on, but for businesses coming to Dade City or East Pasco, this is an important feature,” she said. “It’s an important piece of quality of life to make sure the roads are drivable and well maintained. It’s a very heavily traveled road.”

Hand-in-hand with the repaving and trail, Dade City is beautifying U.S. 98 Bypass. The approximately $113,000 project is funded with about $26,000 from the Florida Department of Transportation. The remainder is from the city through the Penny for Pasco program.

“We talk about a gateway,” Hernandez said. “It looks much nicer. I think it’s an added touch when people decide if they want to live here. They say ‘wow, it was a beautiful town.’ “

Howell said municipalities are more aware now of the “complete streets” concept when streets are designed for vehicles, pedestrians, bicyclists and bus riders, with a focus on increased safety and beauty.

It is better in the long run to build multi-use trails when possible rather than come back later to retrofit a street, he said.

As enhancement to the trail system, Pasco MPO is working on a master plan for parks and recreation with the potential for creating new parks with connecting trails that reduce the need for residents to drive.

“In a lot of places people have to actually get in a car and drive over even though they can see the park,” Howell said. “We’re trying to avoid that by making a more robust trail system.”

Published March 11, 2015

Business Digest 04-11-15

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Local businesses honored
The Pasco-Hernando Hispanic Chamber of Commerce recognized area businesses at its 2014 Annual Awards Banquet on Feb. 27, 2015.

Award winners were Rivera Chiropractic, small business of the year; Latin Twist Café, medium business of the year; Wesley Chapel Toyota, large business of the year; and Sunrise of Pasco County Inc., nonprofit of the year.

John Jay Anglada was named volunteer of the year.

Rotary of Wesley Chapel Sunrise
Kelly Rossi of Eckerd will speak at the Rotary of Wesley Chapel Sunrise meeting March 13 at 7:15 a.m. She will discuss Eckerd’s Raising Hope program, a supportive service for children entering foster care in Pasco County.

The club meets at 7:15 a.m., every Friday, at the Quail Hollow Golf & Country Club, 6225 Old Pasco Road, Wesley Chapel, FL 33544. Breakfast is $10. Guests and new members are always welcome.

If you are interested in getting more involved through civic engagement or have a relevant topic to share with the club, contact Cheryl Pollock at , or call her at (813) 924-0731.

Networking opportunity
Central Pasco Chamber of Commerce will sponsor Wednesday Morning Networking March 18, from 7:30 a.m. to 9 a.m., at Hungry Harry’s Family Bar-B-Que, 3116 Land O’ Lakes Blvd. The $7 cost includes breakfast.

There will be a short networking presentation followed by an opportunity for each guest to present a “30 Second Commercial.”

For information, call (813) 909-2722 or email .

Johnson & Johnson to create 700 jobs
The Hillsborough County Commission has agreed to pay up to $2.1 million in incentive payments to Johnson & Johnson Inc., which plans to open a North American shared services headquarters. The deal is expected to produce about 700 jobs.

The county incentives are a match to the state’s $7 million awarded to the pharmaceutical and health care products company to generate higher-wage jobs.

County officials expect Johnson & Johnson to invest $23.5 million while creating jobs with an average annual wage of at least $75,000. The county’s incentives will be paid on a per job basis over four years, beginning in fiscal year 2017.

Russian businesswomen come to Rotary Club
The Rotary Club of Lutz will welcome six Russian women business entrepreneurs as special keynote speakers March 17 at 7 a.m. The women are participating in The Open World Leadership program, an independent agency of the United States Congress. For information on the program, visit OpenWorld.gov.

The Rotary Club meets every Tuesday at Heritage Harbor Golf & Country Club, 19502 Heritage Harbor Parkway, Lutz. Meeting and breakfast cost $10. Guests and new members are welcome.

For information, call Doug Andrews (813) 857-7089.

Dade City chamber breakfast
The Greater Dade City Chamber of Commerce Business Breakfast will be March 17 at 7:30 a.m., at Kafe Kokopelli, 37940 Live Oak Ave., Dade City.

Guests must RSVP if attending. The cost is $5 at the door.

San Antonio Citizen’s Federal Credit Union is sponsoring the breakfast.

For information, call Jo Uber at (352) 567-3769.

Starkey Ranch names homebuilder
Taylor Morrison will build 560 homes in the 220-acre Esplanade at Starkey Ranch, one of several subdivisions within the master-planned community in Odessa off State Road 54, according to a press release from Wheelock Communities, Starkey Ranch’s developer.

The gated village will have a private clubhouse, heated resort-style pool and spa, tennis courts and a fitness center. Esplanade is expected to open in early 2016.

The Starkey Ranch Welcome Center will open this spring, with a late spring opening planned for the community’s first subdivision, Whitfield Park.

Grants for businesswomen
Are you a businesswoman who could use $1,000?

Women-n-Charge is offering two $1,000 grants this spring. The grants can be used towards business-related equipment or services and continuing education. The nonprofit’s mission, in part, is to support and assist professional women in managing their businesses more effectively.

Learn more about the grants at Women-n-Charge.com. Applications are available online and are due April 15.

For information, contact Judy Nicolosi, treasurer of Women-n-Charge, at (813) 600-9848, or email .

East Pasco Networking Group
The East Pasco Networking Group will meet March 24 at Rose’s Café at 38426 Fifth Ave., in Zephyrhills.

Networking begins at 8 a.m., with the meeting starting at 8:30 a.m.

Leja Apple, former Miss Pasco and former Miss Nature’s Coast, is the guest speaker.

For information, call Nils Lenz at (813) 782-9491, or email him at .

Rotary Club needs bee sponsors
The Rotary Club of Wesley Chapel Noon needs sponsors for the third annual “BEE Part of the Buzz” adult spelling bee.

The spelling bee will be April 10 at 6:30 p.m., at the Tampa Bay Golf & Country Club, 10641 Old Tampa Bay Drive in San Antonio. Teams compete in three rounds with words progressing in spelling difficulty from easy to intermediate to difficult.

Spectators cheer on their favorite teams in a fun event that helps raise funds for the Pasco Education Foundation. Donations range from $1,500 for a Queen Bee sponsorship to $150 for a four-person team.

For information, email Erin Meyer at .

Business Link available monthly
Business Link, a monthly small business gathering hosted by the San Antonio Citizens Federal Credit Union, meets the second Wednesday of each month beginning at 7:30 a.m.

The meeting is designed to provide a networking and information-sharing platform for the business community.

For locations, details and to reserve a seat, email , or call (352) 588-2732, ext. 1237.

Wesley Chapel networking group
Networking for Your Success meets every Thursday at 8 a.m., at Lexington Oaks Country Club, 2615 Lexington Oaks Blvd., in Wesley Chapel.

Cost is $5, and annual membership to the group is $79.

Dade City chamber needs volunteers
The Greater Dade City Chamber of Commerce is looking for some volunteers to help with the chamber event season.

With winter residents returning to the area, there are a number of activities the chamber needs help to staff. The chamber is looking for people who are friendly and outgoing, who have knowledge of the local area and activities, and are team-oriented.

For information, email .

 

Second-grader advises Orlando aquarium

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When Land O’ Lakes resident Maddy Smith was asked to serve on a special panel for Sea Life Orlando, a new aquarium, it gave her an opportunity to share her thoughts on marine education and conservation.

The second-grader also is taking part in events leading up to the aquarium’s May 4 opening.

Maddy Smith of Land O' Lakes loves talking about her fishing class, and it helped the second-grader get selected to a special panel for a new aquarium opening in Orlando this May. (Courtesy of Jessica Smith)
Maddy Smith of Land O’ Lakes loves talking about her fishing class, and it helped the second-grader get selected to a special panel for a new aquarium opening in Orlando this May.
(Courtesy of Jessica Smith)

She just has to be sure nothing conflicts with her bedtime at 8 p.m.

Maddy attends Imagine School Land O’ Lakes, a Pasco County charter school for children in kindergarten through eighth grade.

She is one of just six children selected to the aquarium’s Young Environmentalists Panel. Before the aquarium opens, she’ll oversee the habitats’ progress and will watch the animals get accustomed to their new home.

She’ll also be on hand as a VIP for the grand opening.

“She was completely in shock and excited,” her mother, Jessica Smith, said in describing how Maddy reacted when she learned she had been selected. “She felt really special.”

The honor wasn’t a random selection.

Maddy had to earn her way onto the panel.

To qualify, children had to submit an essay or video talking about their interest in conservation and the environment.

The seven-year-old made a video discussing Florida’s marine animals, and she shared her enthusiasm for a fishing class she takes at her church.

“Last Saturday, I caught and released three freshwater fish!” Maddy said in the one-minute video. “Kids can do a lot to help our environment when we learn about how to be safe around Florida’s wildlife.”

Some parents may take the lead and do a lot of the work on a child’s project, but that didn’t happen in this case.

Maddy’s mother made it clear that it was her daughter’s video from start to finish. She gave Maddy advice and helped her express her thoughts, but it was the young girl’s concept, topics and presentation that won the judges over.

“I do everything I can to help her, but I’m not going to do her work for her,” Smith said. “She has to own it.”

And when she owned it, she wasn’t even nervous about speaking into the camera.

“I just wanted to talk about my fishing and the environment,” Maddy said.

In addition to serving on the panel, Maddy enjoys her fishing classes and also plays piano. But her parents also make sure that she has time to relax and unwind and isn’t overwhelmed by too many activities.

“There’s probably two evenings during the whole week where she has stuff,” Smith said. “And then we try to make sure that she has enough unstructured time to read and play, because she’s a child.”

She’s also a child who enjoys science — her favorite class in school — and wants to keep learning.

Her mother credits Imagine School with giving Maddy the opportunity to expand her interests in a supportive environment.

“We love it. This is actually her first year at Imagine,” Smith said. “I think it’s excited her and inspired her. The teachers give her a lot of individual attention.”

And now that Maddy’s on the Young Environmentalists Panel, she can focus on teaching others about marine wildlife, as she stated in the video that got her the job.

“I want to help other kids learn about Florida’s water system and taking care of animals that live there,” she said, while being filmed.

Published March 4, 2015