Local News

Big improvements are underway at Land O’ Lakes park

December 11, 2014 By B.C. Manion

Work is underway on a $2.4 million improvement project at the Land O’ Lakes Community Park, next to the Land O’ Lakes Community Center.

The project includes the addition of a lighted football field and a football practice field, a multipurpose trail, a multipurpose court, and 165 parking spaces, said Martha Campbell, assistant director of Pasco County’s parks and recreation department.

The Land O’ Lakes Community Park is being upgraded. Sanders Memorial STEAM Magnet School, which sits right behind it, also is in the midst of a major reconstruction project. The county and school district are working together to share facilities for various uses. (B.C. Manion/Staff Photo)

Work on the project began Nov. 17, she said, and the contractor has 200 days to complete the work. The community center, at 5401 Land O’ Lakes Blvd., will remain open while the project is being completed.

Sandy Graves, president of the Heritage Park Foundation, is delighted that efforts have started to upgrade the park. The foundation has pushed for park improvements for years.

Ultimately, the foundation wants to see a stage added to create a community gathering space, Graves said. Members are busy raising local funding for that project, but they also hope state officials will contribute to the effort.

Graves appeared at the Dec. 3 meeting of the Pasco County Legislative Delegation, asking its members to see if they can find any funding to help make the foundation’s vision a reality. Graves hopes that state lawmakers can provide $75,000 in funding for the project, which would be matched with local funds.

“Our community is ready and willing to do it,” Graves said, but it needs some help.

She envisions a time when students will perform band and choral concerts at the park, and present plays there, as well. She thinks it will be a great venue for local festivals and for entertainment, such as Shakespeare in the Park.

Heritage Park Foundation members also imagine a time when park visitors will stroll along a path lined with historical markers that help to tell the story of the community’s history and families.

In addition to the walking trail, which will feature markers detailing facts about the area’s history, the park also will have an outdoor stage. The Heritage Park Foundation has advocated for such an amenity for years to provide a focal point for community gatherings.

While the county works to create improvements to the park, Pasco County Schools is working on a major reconstruction and new building project at Sanders Memorial STEAM Magnet School. STEAM stands for science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics.

That school, which will become the county’s first magnet facility, is adjacent to the community center and park.

The school board and county officials have forged an agreement that allows both parties to benefit from each other’s projects and will create greater public access to their facilities. School board member Cynthia Armstrong lauded the partnership as being a wise use of taxpayer dollars.

Published December 10, 2014

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New ordinance could have predators on the run

December 11, 2014 By Michael Hinman

Registered sexual predators and offenders already have to stay at least 1,000 feet away from areas where kids might congregate. If Mike Moore gets his way, those convicted of sexual crimes could be pushed back even further.

Moore, who joined the Pasco County Commission last month, is expected to propose a new countywide ordinance in January that would increase the distance registered predators and offenders have to stay away from children areas at 2,500 feet, or nearly a half-mile. That would include everything from schools and day cares, to the thousands of bus stops located around the county.

And if that means there’s nowhere left for predators or offenders to live, Pasco County sheriff Chris Nocco says he’s OK with that.

“It’s not a bad day if they all leave the county,” he said. “You get a guy who did a sexual battery on an 11-year-old girl, and I propose that anybody who is against this, let that person move into your house. If you feel like we’re beating up on that person, let them move into your house, or let them move next door to you.”

It’s not clear exactly where those who are convicted and registered predators and offenders would be able to live, but Moore said during a news conference Monday there are some pockets in the county that would still be legal if the ordinance were to pass. It might come off as highly restrictive for those who have been convicted of crimes, but the safety of children should come first and foremost, the commissioner added.

“Anything we can do to reduce the opportunity for sexual offenders and sexual predators to come into contact with these children is a positive for us,” Moore said. “Looking from the outside and looking in, they’ll understand that Pasco is a safe place.”

Although Moore has not discussed the proposal with other commissioners, he said he has talked to the county attorney, Jeffrey Steinsnyder. A draft of the ordinance might echo similar ones in other areas, including one in Miami-Dade County. The ordinance there strengthens state law that already restricts those convicted of a sexual battery, lewd and lascivious act on or in the presence of a child under 16, the sexual performance by a child, or selling or buying of minors for portrayal in sexually explicit conduct, to reside within 1,000 feet of any school, day care center or playground.

The Miami-Dade ordinance, however, only restricts residency within 2,500 feet of a school. The Pasco ordinance, Moore and Nocco said, also would include bus stops, day care centers, libraries, assisted living facilities and nursing homes.

“Anywhere that our most vulnerable citizens congregate,” Moore said.

The Miami-Dade restrictions were enough to prompt the American Civil Liberties Union to file a lawsuit in federal court, claiming the ordinance is too onerous, and does not give registered predators or offenders any place to live.

Moore won’t let this hamper his efforts to move the proposal forward, however.

“We can’t be scared of lawsuits when we propose an ordinance,” he said.

Such an ordinance would have to be approved by the full county commission, which will not even officially get an introduction to Moore’s plan until its next regularly scheduled meeting on Jan. 13.

Nocco was a vocal supporter of Moore during his political campaign to replace longtime commissioner Pat Mulieri. Nocco appeared in a television advertisement as well as mailers supporting the commission campaign.

Published December 10, 2014

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Extra innings for Wesley Chapel baseball park?

December 11, 2014 By Michael Hinman

An ambitious plan to bring a major youth-oriented baseball complex to the Wiregrass Ranch area of Wesley Chapel might be coming apart. Yet, the developers of the plan aren’t giving up, and are even willing to continue on without $11 million in funding from Pasco County.

Pasco Sports LLC, a partnership between Blue Marble Strategic’s James Talton and retired Major League Baseball star Gary Sheffield, missed a deadline to file a financial plan with Pasco County officials Friday, a little more than a week after county commissioners gave them more time to get money together.

Major League Baseball star and Tampa native Gary Sheffield talks to some representatives of Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel after a September meeting with the Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce. Sheffield and development partner James Talton have a new plan to bring a youth baseball complex to Pasco County. (File Photo)

“I am very disappointed that they were unable to obtain the financing by today’s deadline,” Pasco County administrator Michele Baker said last week in a statement. “However, we still believe very strongly in the concept. Youth sports are an important component of our tourism plan, and the Wiregrass location is geographically well positioned for the region. We look forward to continued dialogue with interested parties in order to bring a sports complex like this to Pasco County.”

Pasco Sports was looking to get $11 million in county tourism funding to help construct the project, along with $23 million of its own money. However, getting a financial backer to front the private side of the deal has been problematic for Talton and Sheffield in recent weeks, forcing some scale-back from what was originally a $70 million project.

The key to the deal, at least in the eyes of the Pasco County commission, was a $3 million pledge to guarantee loans on the project, something Sheffield told commissioners just before Thanksgiving that he would be willing to front himself, if need be.

“In our minds, this is just another step in the process, and we have every intention of getting this project completed,” Talton told The Laker/Lutz News in an email over the weekend.

The commission, based on what Ted Schrader told Talton and Sheffield at the pre-Thanksgiving meeting, is expected to terminate the agreement it has with Pasco Sports at its next meeting in January. Talton, however, said that’s exactly what he now wants to happen.

“The current agreement is being terminated,” he said. “I literally cannot work based on the current financing environment. We will negotiate new terms and have financing in place upon execution so we can move forward immediately.”

In fact, Talton said the county would no longer be asked to invest $11 million into the project, as long as it releases Pasco Sports from its obligation to pay fixed and contingent county revenue, as well as the company’s obligation to secure funding by a specific date and at a specific amount. Talton shared this in a letter to Pasco County administrator Michele Baker Nov. 25.

The county, however, would still be responsible for funding and construction of the connector road between Wiregrass Ranch Road and the park, Talton said. While Pasco would save the $11 million, it would not receive a piece of the revenue generated by the sports park when it goes into operation under this revised plan.

Talton told members of the Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce last October that his project — consisting of 19 baseball fields, dormitories and other sports-related amenities — could create an estimated 8,000 jobs and a $318 million annual economic impact boost to the county.

Commissioners wanted to make a final decision on the $11 million investment at its January meeting, but in order to do that, the developers needed to have paperwork submitted by the end of the day Dec. 5. That would then give county officials time to review the paperwork before it was presented to commissioners.

Published December 10, 2014

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Wanted: New bikes to spread Christmas cheer

December 11, 2014 By B.C. Manion

What began as one couple’s attempt to teach their daughter about the struggles that many families are faced with has broadened into an effort to bring new bicycles to children who have little prospect of ever owning a new set of wheels.

Todd and Cindy Caroline of Lutz began providing new bicycles to children from less fortunate families about six years ago. They wanted their daughter Zoye, now 9, to understand that not all families are as blessed as theirs has been, Cindy Caroline said.

Todd Caroline gets ready to deliver new bicycles during a previous Christmas Bicycle Drive. Caroline and his wife, Cindy, began giving new bikes to children from less fortunate families six years ago. (Courtesy of Cindy Caroline)

Over time, the effort branched out.

At first, the Carolines simply asked people attending their annual Christmas party to bring a new bike to help brighten a child’s holiday, Caroline said. Then, they decided to shift the effort over to their company — Caroline Contractors LLC — so they could reach out to their suppliers, business associates and other members of the community to help.

This is the fourth year that the company has had its Christmas bicycle drive. Each year, it collects at least 100 new bicycles, or the family makes up the difference.

But this year, it has a substantially more ambitious goal. It wants to collect 1,000 new bikes.

Caroline knows that that’s more of a dream than a goal, but she’s open to miracles.

In the past, the couple has given the bicycles to other charitable groups, Caroline said, and those groups have distributed the bicycles primarily to children living in East Tampa communities.

This year, the focus has shifted to helping local children, Caroline said. She attributes the switch to a conversation she had with Suzanne Beauchaine, an account manager for The Laker/Lutz News.

Beauchaine had asked her why the new bikes didn’t go to local children, and Caroline responded it was because she didn’t have a local event. That prompted the Lutz woman to consider staging a local event to give away the bikes.

Buoyed by Beauchaine’s encouragement, Caroline began making telephone calls. First she contacted local schools — Schwarzkopf Elementary in Lutz and Myrtle Lake, Pine View, Connerton, Oakstead and Odessa in central Pasco — to see if they could help identify children from families in need.

Then, she began calling around to local organizations and businesses to see if they could help.

Caroline called Chad Hudson at Hungry Harry’s Family Bar-B-Que, who stepped up in a big way. The popular Land O’ Lakes restaurant is providing food and the use of its Lake House for a party on Dec. 21 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

Charlene Ierna of the Lutz-based Ierna’s Heating & Cooling is providing a bounce house for the party. The kids will get free haircuts, too, courtesy of Star’s Organic Spa as well as Cameo Salon & Spa.

Caroline still is trying to line up live entertainment, but at the very least, she said she will have holiday music over a loudspeaker system.

She’s also trying to collect turkeys and other holiday foods to give to each family.

“We just want to be able to bless these families because life is very hard every day for them,” Caroline said. “They struggle. I’d really like to be able to give the families a Christmas dinner.”

Besides the local groups that already have stepped up, Caroline said she’s reached out to members of the Central Pasco Chamber of Commerce and is hoping they come through to help ensure there are enough bikes for each child to take one home.

“Our office used to be right next to the Central Pasco Chamber of Commerce, so our heart is Land O’ Lakes,” Caroline said. “My husband grew up here. He went to Land O’ Lakes High, so he’s homegrown here.”

She’s also looking for a source that can provide free or discounted helmets, worrying about the children being safe as they ride their bicycles.

Donations from the general public also are gratefully accepted, Caroline said. It typically costs $50 to $80 for a new bike, depending on the size.

“If I can get a bike for every child that comes, I’ll do it,” she said. “If I can’t, I’ll do a lottery-type system.”

Some people may wonder why the focus is on providing new bikes, instead of food or other items.

“You go out on a bike and you forget all about whatever the troubles at home,” she said. “I want them to have fun.”

Ways to help
Here are four ways you can help to make a child’s Christmas special:

Drop off a new bicycle at Caroline Contractors, 19003 Apian Way, Lutz; or Central Pasco Chamber of Commerce, 2810 Land O’ Lakes Blvd., Land O’ Lakes.

Purchase a bicycle and have it picked up.

Order a bicycle online from Walmart or Target and have it shipped to Lutz, where it will be picked up.

Contribute money to purchase a bicycle, which range in cost from $50 to $80, depending on size.

For more information, or to schedule a pickup, call Cindy Caroline at (813) 931-4611, or email her at .

Published December 10, 2014

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A spike in success: PHSC finishes eighth in national volleyball tournament

December 11, 2014 By Michael Murillo

When Pasco-Hernando State College began spring preparations for the 2014 volleyball season, only four players showed up.

That wasn’t a sign of poor attendance. They really only had four players at the time.

The Lady Quistas brought a stout defense into the NJCAA Division II national tournament last month. Their successful season ended with an eighth-place finish for Pasco-Hernando State College. (Courtesy of Pasco-Hernando State College)

While the athletes were honing their skills, the coaching staff was busy recruiting a class of 11 freshmen players. And with all the new faces came a lot of questions.

“Bringing in 11 freshmen, you have no idea if they’re going to be able to manage the practices and how they’re going to get along together,” Coach Kim Whitney said. “You can’t really predict all that. There’s a lot to factor in.”

Whitney might have seen a lot of potential in her young team, but it would have been tough to predict the kind of success they had this year. Of those 11 freshmen, nine players stuck with the team, and they finished with a regular season record of 35-5.

They qualified for their regional tournament, which has happened every year at PHSC during Whitney’s successful 11-year tenure as coach. But they also won that tournament, held Nov. 7-8 in Wilmington, North Carolina. That accomplishment qualified them for the National Junior College Activities Association national volleyball tournament for Division II, held Nov. 20-22 in Phoenix, where they finished eighth.

The national tournament appearance ended up being the second-best finish in school history, slotted only behind their national title run back in 2010. Overall, they closed out the season with a 39-8 record.

Earning the regional championship was a special moment for both the coach and the team.

“Getting that win at regionals was really big,” Whitney said. “It was a moment I really celebrated, and I know the girls really celebrated also. It’s not just a given. You have to work hard no matter how well your season has gone.”

While their regular season went well, it didn’t start out that way. The Conquistadors were just 5-3 after eight games, and even making their regional tournament was no sure thing. But they pulled together like a family, Whitney said, with the sophomores guiding and encouraging their younger teammates.

As a result, they went on two separate 15-match win streaks and established themselves as a successful and talented group.

So talented, in fact, that they overcame some jitters to win their first game against Waubonsee Community College of Illinois in straight sets at the national tournament, which put them in the winners bracket. But afterward, they ran into tough opponents from Columbus State Community College of Ohio, Des Moines Area Community College, and Illinois Central College. Despite some tinkering with the lineups, PHSC closed out its national tournament appearance with three losses.

While that isn’t the finish they wanted, Whitney said the experience — including coming up short at the end — was good for her team.

“I definitely think you learn a lot when you go through losses,” she said. “You hate to go through them. And the kids who hate losses, you know that those are the kids who are competitive and they want to win.

There wasn’t a dry eye among the players after their first tournament defeat.

“Sometimes you have to face those moments,” Whitney said. “But I think sometimes they make you better.”

Even though they lost their final contest against Illinois Central, she said, they played more like their regular selves and battled hard in a close, five-set match.

While Whitney is proud of the team’s accomplishments, she knows the future looks pretty bright for PHSC volleyball as well. The team is losing its experienced sophomores, yet the coach believes the regional success and tournament experience will help her freshmen when they take the court in 2015.

In fact, Whitney’s players are so enthusiastic about their prospects, they aren’t waiting for next year.

“They’re playing volleyball already,” she said. “You’d expect them to be like, ‘I just need a break, and this has been a long season.’ But they’re out there ready to play.

“I think that they’re really excited about the group that’s coming back.”

Published December 10, 2014

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On The Agenda 12-10-14

December 11, 2014 By Special to The Laker/Lutz News

Mulieri to speak at PACA
Former Pasco County commissioner Pat Mulieri will be the guest speaker at the next Pasco Alliance of Community Associations meeting, taking place Dec. 11 at 7 p.m., at the Land O’ Lakes Community Center, 5401 Land O’ Lakes Blvd.

PACA is an organization that brings together 70 of the county’s homeowner associations, community development districts, and condominium associations, as well as individuals residing in Pasco County.

For information, call Ron Litts at (813) 475-4561, or visit MyPACA.org.

Utilities department moving
The Dade City utilities department will be closed to walk-in customers on Dec. 12, reopening at its new location at 38054 Pasco Ave., on Dec. 15.

The department’s mailing address and telephone numbers will not change, however. The mailing address is P.O. Box 1355, Dade City, 33526, and the phone numbers are (352) 523-5053 and (352) 521-1462.

Those wishing to pay their utility bills can set up an automatic draft from a bank account, pay over the phone with a credit or debit card, pay by mail, or use a drop box located on the right side of the building.

The department is typically open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Ananth Prasad leaving FDOT
Ananth Prasad, who has led the Florida Department of Transportation since Rick Scott was first elected governor, will step down from that job Jan. 2.

“Secretary Prasad … has been pivotal to making sure we could make a record investment of over $10 billion in our transportation system this year,” Scott said, in a release. “Secretary Prasad has also helped Florida become a major force in international trade because of his commitment to expanding our Florida ports and airports.”

The Florida Transportation Commission is being tasked with recommending Prasad’s replacement, which likely won’t come until early next year.

Lifetime hunting, fishing licenses reduced
Gov. Rick Scott is using his executive order powers to offer lifetime sportsman’s licenses at a greatly reduced cost for children and young adults.

Through the end of the year, Florida residents younger than 22 can purchase a lifetime license that covers saltwater and freshwater recreational fishing, hunting, and most associated permits, for $500.

A lifetime license is true to its name, giving the holder the of that license the ability to hunt and fish in Florida for the rest of the person’s life, even if they are no longer a resident of the state.

Licenses can be purchased at all Florida county tax collectors’ offices, or online at License.MyFWC.com.

For information, call (888) 347-4356.

Corcoran to lead appropriations committee
State Rep. Richard Corcoran has been appointed the chairman of the House’s Appropriations Committee for the coming legislative session.

Florida House Speaker Steve Crisafulli, R-Merritt Island, named Corcoran to the seat last month, to bring his “wealth of knowledge and expertise” to the position.

“His skills and experience will be well-suited in his role,” Crisafulli said, in a release.

With Corcoran in line to become the next speaker, Crisafulli said he was looking for a way to include Corcoran into the operations of the House the same way Will Weatherford did for Crisafulli when he was the speaker.

“I intend to follow the same model during my tenure,” Crisafulli said.

Corcoran, R-Trinity, won re-election without opposition this past cycle.

Business Digest 12-10-14

December 11, 2014 By Special to The Laker/Lutz News

(Courtesy of Ierna's Heating & Cooling) — (Courtesy of Ierna’s Heating & Cooling)

Introducing Cole Dair
Wendy Majetic of Wesley Chapel won $500 for naming the new mascot for Ierna’s Heating & Cooling. ‘Cole Dair’ was the winning entry she submitted, and picked up a check with her husband Shane Majetic. Ierna’s is located on U.S. 41 in Lutz, and can be reached at IernaAir.com.

Costco eyeing town center site
The world’s third-largest retailer is looking to set up shop in Pasco County, and become the first major store associated with the Cypress Creek Town Center.

Costco Wholesale Corp., is set to meet with county officials just before Christmas about opening a 153,000-square-foot store at the shopping center, located near the intersection of State Road 56 and Interstate 75. It is slated for an 18-acre outparcel, part of the overall property currently controlled by Pasco 54 Ltd., Pasco Ranch Inc., and JG Cypress Creek LLC.

This would be Pasco County’s first Costco store, and the first one to be built in the Tampa Bay area north of Brandon. The only other location in the region is in Clearwater.

Costco has the potential to make a tremendous economic impact on the county and the region. The average retail employee makes $20 an hour, nearly double that of other retail workers, according to a 2013 report by Businessweek. Employees at the company typically start out at $11.50 an hour, and after five years, can reach as high as $19.50.

At Walmart’s similar Sam’s Club stores, according to the same report, workers start at $10 an hour, and typically reach $12.50 after five years.

No official announcement has been made on when Costco would break ground, let alone open. However, work already has begun on Tampa Premium Outlets, slated to open late next year, not far from where the Costco is planned.

Dairy Queen wants to build in Land O’ Lakes
The Terra Bella area of Land O’ Lakes, where a new apartment community was announced just last month, could very well have a new Dairy Queen come in on its coattails.

Robin Kendall of EMK Consultants of Florida, was scheduled to meet Monday with Pasco County officials behind closed doors to help plan a new 3,076-square-foot Dairy Queen restaurant that would be located next to Christian Brothers Automotive on State Road 54. It would be just in front of the Dance and Gymnastics Academy of Tampa and Discovery Point Child Center, both located on Venezia Drive.

The project would involve several parcels along the north side of State Road 54 just east of Christian Brothers, land that is currently owned by K&B Flagship LLC of Orlando. It would be located between Via Bella Boulevard and Livingston Road.

If built, it would be the fifth such store in Pasco County, joining ones on Gall Boulevard in Zephyrhills, on Wesley Chapel Boulevard, and two others in New Port Richey.

That area of Land O’ Lakes already is heavily traveled by commuters and residents using Interstate 75 and the Suncoast Parkway, but would have an even stronger local boost when Alta Terra Bella — a 311-unit luxury apartment complex — is completed just west of it near 20 Mile Level Road.

Plans for the Dairy Queen are still in the preliminary stages, and it’s unclear when construction would start.

Toy drive for farmworkers
The Pasco Hernando Hispanic Chamber of Commerce is hosting a holiday toy drive party Dec. 11 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., at D&S Hall, 1914 Oak Grove Blvd., in Lutz.

Admission is $10, or free with a new unwrapped toy. For members, it’s also free with a toy, or $5 empty-handed.

The drive supports farmworkers, and also raises money for the chamber’s scholarship fund.

For information, call John Jay at (813) 296-3232.

Christian business group to meet
Christian Business Connections-Central Pasco will have its next meeting Jan. 8 at 7:45 a.m., at the Quail Hollow Golf & Country Club, 6225 Old Pasco Road in Wesley Chapel.

Laurie Hill, a member of the Christian Chamber of Commerce of Tampa Bay and author of the book “I Am in Business,” will be the speaker.

Admission is $9, which includes a buffet.

For information, contact Rene Van Hout at , or at (813) 300-7511.

New AT&T store in Zephyrhills
AT&T has opened a new authorized retail location in Zephyrhills to help meet what the company describes as the growing needs in Pasco County.

Cellular World recently had its grand opening at 7886 Gall Blvd., in the shopping plaza across from the Walmart.

Store hours are Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Catholic Business Networking seeks members
The Catholic Business Networking group is looking for Catholic business owners, employees and supporters interested in joining it for regular meetings every Tuesday from 7:30 a.m. to 9 a.m., at Our Lady of the Rosary Church, 2348 Collier Parkway, Land O’ Lakes.

The group has annual dues of $60, and there is a minimum attendance requirement of two meetings per month.

For information, call (813) 833-4737, or visit CBNTampa.com.

Harvester creates opportunities to develop children’s faith

December 4, 2014 By B.C. Manion

Harvester United Methodist Church in Land O’ Lakes recently had two celebrations to mark the beginning of a new era there.

The first was an open house. The second: A consecration service to bless the church’s expanded space.

Harvester has come a long way since it began 18 years ago in temporary quarters at Denham Oaks Elementary School. Within six years, the church found a permanent home at 2432 Collier Parkway, and is now made up of about 225 families, with members coming primarily from Lutz, Land O’ Lakes, Odessa and Wesley Chapel.

Lilly Miller is enjoying herself during a celebration at Harvester United Methodist Church. The church has doubled its size, which will enable it to offer Bible lessons more specifically tailored to children of different ages. (Courtesy of Harvester United Methodist Church)

It has two Sunday morning services, with a traditional service at 9 and a contemporary service at 11.

A couple weeks ago, Harvester unveiled two new wings, doubling the facility’s size and substantially enhancing its ability to serve young children, teenagers and community outreach programs.

The initial structure was 5,000 square feet. Now, with the completed expansion, it has doubled its size to 10,000 square feet, said Gary Evans, a lay leader at the church.

The west wing, which extends toward Collier Parkway, houses a large space for the church’s youth group, some classroom space for adult Bible studies and other uses, and some additional restrooms. The children’s wing, on the east side of the building going toward the rear of the church property, has substantially increased the space available for children’s programming.

There’s room for toddlers and preschoolers, as well as separate rooms for kindergarten and first-grade children, second- and third-grade children, and fourth- and fifth-grade children.

The new arrangement will allow the church to deliver its lessons more effectively, said Candice Wolff, director of children’s ministry.

“Our children need to be separated out by age groups, so we can teach them the Bible at their age level,” Wolff said.

Lessons can be tailored to children as young as 2, said Wolff, a former middle school teacher for Pasco County Schools.

“They’re capable, even from a young age, of learning the memory verses,” she said. “They walk out knowing the Bible stories.”

She’s thrilled about being able to reach children at their own level and engaging them in their faith journey.

It took several months to obtain the necessary permits from Pasco County for the $850,000 project, Evans said. Construction began in May, and work wrapped up last month.

Besides helping the children at the church, Evans said, the larger space enables Harvester to do more community outreach work.

“A goal of mine is to utilize this space for whatever mission work we can do,” Evans said. “We have Boy Scouts. We have Girl Scouts. Hospice meets here. We’ve had Alcoholics Anonymous groups meet here.

“If it’s a good community activity, we will allow our space to be used to support the community.”

The church also expects to be able to double its popular vacation Bible school, he said.

“We like to reach out to the community and we get a lot of kids,” office administrator Sheila Fitzgerald said.

In the past it has involved about 100 kids, plus 30 volunteers.

“But we’ve been limited by how many kids we could do for VBS by the size of our facilities,” Evans said. “So, next summer we think we might be able to do 150 to 200 kids.”

Harvester also is considering the potential for housing a Christian day school a couple of days a week, or opening a preschool, Evans said. The church has the necessary permits to have a school on its grounds.

However, there are no firm plans at the moment.

“When the right situation comes along, we will definitely be doing that,” Evans said. When that is, we don’t know.”

WHAT: Christmas Camp, “The Miracle of Jesus.”
WHY: Children have a chance to experience the Christmas story as they travel through a recreation of Bethlehem.
WHEN: Dec. 13 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
WHERE: Harvester United Methodist Church, 2432 Collier Parkway, Land O’ Lakes
COST: $10 per child, includes a pizza lunch

Published December 3, 2014

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Porters give blood, sweat, tears to Wiregrass Ranch development

December 4, 2014 By Michael Hinman

Not too long ago, Tampa mayor Bob Buckhorn called Pasco County a bedroom community, doing nothing more than supplement the economic engine of his county, Hillsborough.

Whether Buckhorn’s observation of Pasco is accurate or not now is not what J.D. Porter is focused on. Instead, he wants to make sure that’s not the Pasco County of tomorrow.

J.D. Porter, right, joins his late father, Don, in groundbreaking ceremonies that helped create what would become the Wiregrass Ranch development area in Pasco County. The Porter family has owned much of the land for decades. (File Photo)

“Bedroom communities are not the future,” Porter recently told members of the Pasco Alliance for Community Associations.

Porter represents his family in the expansive Wiregrass Ranch project that is converting thousands of acres of grazing and agricultural land into sustainable residential neighborhoods and corporate parks in the greater Wesley Chapel area.

The land is part of more than 14,000 acres the Porter family picked up in 1941 at $1.73 an acre when their previous land holdings in Zephyrhills were grabbed to create what would become the municipal airport there.

Porter’s uncle would be the first to flip his land, doubling his money in just four years in what would later become Meadow Pointe. But J.D.’s grandfather James and father Don would hold on for decades.

“We could’ve easily sold out to a bunch of different developers, but none of them represented the legacy that my dad and my grandfather really embraced,” J.D. Porter said. “They wanted to do all the things they didn’t have growing up. That is why you see a college and a hospital, something other communities don’t have after 35 years. Here, you see them in before there is even a rooftop at Wiregrass.”

Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel far exceeded any of the initial expectations, and already is running at capacity, Porter said.

Pasco-Hernando State College’s Porter Campus at Wiregrass Ranch opened in 2013 already saw its enrollment jump more than 22 percent in its second year.

The Shops at Wiregrass, which opened in 2008 at the corner of State Road 56 and Bruce B. Downs Boulevard, makes more money per square foot — about $15 more — than Tampa’s International Mall, Porter said.

Property nearby along the east side of State Road 56 is planned for more of a mixed use, including the possibility of constructing apartments up to five stories tall.

“It would be for young professionals working at the hospital, at the college, or even with Raymond James, they might be able to catch some of those buyers,” Porter said. Rents there could run as high as $1.25 a square foot — or $1,375 for a 1,100-square-foot unit — well above some of the typical prices of about $1 per square foot.

Porter doesn’t want to just start and stop with young professionals, however. Instead, he envisions having a community that serves all walks of life, from birth to retirement. That’s why that particular area also includes plans for a 300-unit active adult community that could save families having to drive to places like Zephyrhills or the University of South Florida area to see older relatives.

Pasco has not had tremendous luck in attracting big-name employers to the county, but Raymond James Financial is still at the table, Porter said. The St. Petersburg-based financial company announced in 2011 plans to build two 100,000-square-foot buildings that could bring 750 jobs to the area by 2024. The county and state even kicked in $15 million in tax incentives to help make it happen.

Raymond James, however, missed its 2012 target date to start construction. Making matters worse, the company says it will likely delay that project up to five years simply because they’re not ready to expand.

“We think it’s a great site over time,” Raymond James’ chief executive Paul Reilly said during an October symposium. “But right now, we don’t need the space, and when we need the space, we’ll look at expansion there, or see what happens to our other facilities.”

But it’s just not the economy holding that project up, Porter said. It’s the federal government.

“We have all the permits from Pasco County, and all the permits from Swiftmud,” Porter said, referring to the Southwest Florida Water Management District. “What we’ve been waiting for over the past 16 months is the Army Corps of Engineers. There are a lot of things I’d rather do than deal with these people. It is disgusting.”

Although there are a lot of hands in the Wiregrass Ranch pot when it comes to development, Porter refuses to take a backseat.

“So much blood, sweat and tears go into this,” he said. “But you only get one shot to do it right.”

Published December 3, 2014

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Rushe Middle goes extra mile to encourage reading

December 4, 2014 By B.C. Manion

Students from Rushe Middle School traipsed through Barnes & Noble at The Shops at Wiregrass, on a scavenger hunt to solve a riddle.

They went from place to place picking up new clues in a search that finally led them to the discovery of the selection for the book the We Be Book’n club will read over the next few months.

Sgt. Robert Loring, a veteran who served in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve, unveils the book that the We Be Book’n book club is reading at Rushe Middle School. (B.C. Manion/Staff Photo)

The big unveil took place on Nov. 11, and the school-wide book club will read the young adult adaptation of “Unbroken” by Laura Hillenbrand. It tells the story of Olympian Louis Zamperini’s journey from airman to castaway to captive.

Students, accompanied by their parents, dropped by a table to get pointers on how the scavenger hunt worked, and picked up their first clue. As they solved one clue in one part of the bookstore, they received another clue that led them to a different part of the bookstore.

They concluded their search by meeting former Sgt. Robert Loring, a veteran who was a qualified parachute jumpmaster in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve.

Rushe faculty members Dawn Gilliland and Kelli Rapaport came up with the idea of creating a school-wide book club, according to school principal David Salerno. The principal was quickly onboard with the idea, and Rushe’s teachers, staff and parents have been great supporters, Gilliland said.

Gilliland — an information and communication technology literacy coach at Rushe — and Rapport, an intensive reading teacher, said the book club aims to motivate kids to read. So far, more than 100 students have joined the voluntary club.

“It’s just for fun,” Rapaport said. “We just want to get kids excited about literacy.”

Both women view themselves as avid readers and want to pass along their love of the written word to Rushe’s students. They selected an informational text because they want to help students develop the ability to read for information. They also wanted students to see that these kinds of books can be fascinating.

“We see kids who just aren’t reading, especially informational texts,” Gilliland said. “They don’t have that passion.”

Hillenbrand’s book recounts a story about perseverance, Salerno said. It’s a character trait he hopes students will develop.

The message Salerno hopes students will get from the book is this: “No matter what barriers you have, you can overcome them.” Salerno thinks the book is a good choice because it introduces students to a genre they don’t normally read.

The big reveal at Barnes & Noble capped weeks of buildup. Rushe staff members helped create a sense of excitement through dramatizations during which they pretended to beg for the book title’s name, offered bribes for the name, and even broke down crying.

Yet, Gilliland and Rapaport refused to give out the title.

At one point, they wrapped copies of the book in brown paper and marked them with the words “confidential” and “top secret,” and placed them at various places around the school. Teachers also talked up the big reveal.

Rapaport and Gilliland worked with the managers at Barnes & Noble to plan the event. Gilliland’s husband Jeff joined the teachers to developer the clues.

“Every clue has to go with what’s in the book,” Rapaport said. “It’s really previewing the content for them ahead of time.”

Jennifer Kosowski, whose daughter Brooke is a seventh-grader at Rushe, appreciates the efforts the school is making to encourage reading.

“It’s fun,” she said. “It gets them in here and gets them interested in reading.”

Brooke said she had fun figuring out the clues, noting some of them weren’t very easy.

The Barnes & Noble event is just one of many activities the school has planned for the book club. Over the next few months, as they read the book, a number of special events will take place that center on the book’s themes.

For instance, the school will have a mock Olympics because the book’s main character was an Olympian. The final event will be a lock-in at the school’s David Estabrook Collaboration Center, where students and staff members will spend the night playing games, watching movies, and having a chance to win prizes.

Published December 3, 2014

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