Local News

Pasco’s top teacher says he’s ‘living the dream’

February 13, 2014 By B.C. Manion

When Pat Connolly was in high school, he thought he had his future mapped out.

He planned to become an engineer and had even been accepted to attend the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Pat Connolly jots out a problem during his Advanced Placement calculus class at Land O’ Lakes High School. Connolly recently was named Teacher of the Year for Pasco County Schools. (Photo by B.C. Manion)

All that changed, however, after he began tutoring some high school peers.

As he worked with them, Connolly saw the light bulb go on in their heads when they understood what he was teaching.

“I felt then that I’d been given a gift, and it became my moral responsibility to the universe to use that gift,” said Connolly, recently named Teacher of the Year in Pasco County Schools.

Instead of going to MIT, Connolly headed to the University of Chicago where he earned a degree in mathematics and picked up some classes in education. Even then, Connolly said he understood that there’s both an art and a science to teaching.

It’s not enough to have mastery of the material one’s teaching, said Connolly, who teaches mathematics at Land O’ Lakes High School. It’s also essential to able to convey it in a way that connects with students.

“They (students) trust me to take them on this ride called education. And, without that trust, I can’t do what I do,” he said. “I think I have earned that trust from them. I’ve shown them that I care about them. I’ve shown them I have interesting things to teach them, and that I have faith that they can learn it.”

Even after decades of teaching, Connolly still delights in seeing that light bulb go on when a student finally catches on after struggling with a concept. He often sees that light go on when he’s introducing new ideas.

“They’ve got no clue what you are talking about,” he said. “Then, after five minutes, you get a bunch of them nodding. Then, you finally get this one kid, after 15 or 20 minutes, he’s like, ‘I got it!’”

Watching students become confident in their ability to learn is satisfying, Connolly said. Students in his Advanced Placement calculus class describe him as a teacher who is not only in full command of the material he’s presenting, but also can relate mathematics to just about anything in life.

“He knows like everything,” said Carlos Osorno, the high school’s senior class president. “Anything we talk about, even random topics that come up in class, you really don’t know how he knows everything.”

Classmate Andrea Slouha agreed. “Any subject you ask him about, he seems to always have an answer for it. I don’t think he’s ever said, ‘I don’t know’ to anything.”

Vincent Trang, who has taken Connolly’s classes for two years, described him as a teacher who wants his students to succeed.

“He’s a really helpful teacher,” he said. “There are some times when I don’t understand a concept. He would take the time to make sure I understood it.

“I think he loves teaching,” Trang said.

Robin Hanna, another AP calculus student, said she took the class because of Connolly’s good reputation, and he’s lived up to the billing.

“He has turned out to be really interesting,” Hanna said. “There’s never a dull day in this class. I have learned a lot — not just about math, but about how certain things work and about how math can be applied to real-life situations. Just a lot of random facts, too, because he can go off on tangents.”

Another student, Ryan Kova, said Connolly is tuned into students and can tell if his lessons are getting through to them.

Connolly has been teaching in Pasco County Schools since 1989, first at Ridgewood High School, then transferring to Land O’ Lakes two years later.

His wife Sherri is a teacher at Centennial Elementary School, her school for 25 years. They live in Zephyrhills and have three adult children, Shanna Harper and Sara and Shane Connolly.

Before arriving in Pasco County, Connolly taught for five years in Missouri, followed by six years as an instructor at the Naval Nuclear Power School in Orlando, as well as two years at the Naval Academy Preparatory School.

Connolly had considered retiring at the end of this school year, then seeking out a teaching job overseas. But he put those plans on hold to instead run for president of the teacher’s union.

If he wins, he’ll finish out the school year and take on that role. If he loses, he’ll stay on for another year at Land O’ Lakes High and pursue overseas teaching opportunities the following year.

For now, though, he’s enjoying the privilege of teaching. He said people think he’s joking when he says he’s “thrilled to be here” or that he’s “living the dream.”

But he’s serious.

In his application for Pasco’s Teacher of the Year, he explained his love for teaching by describing a scene from the movie “City Slickers.”

In that scene, a character named Curly explains the key to happiness is finding the one thing that really matters to you and sticking to it, no matter what.

“It seems teaching is my one thing,” Connolly wrote.

Published Feb. 12, 2014

Meditation, massage, yoga provide different Valentine’s Day event

February 13, 2014 By Michael Murillo

While many couples will spend the days leading up to Valentine’s Day scrambling for dinner reservations and buying the traditional (and expected) flowers and chocolates, a few will be doing things very differently.

Energia Wellness Studio offers a variety of yoga classes, but its couples yoga event Feb. 13 combines yoga, meditation and massage techniques just in time for Valentine’s Day. (Courtesy of Virna Lichter) — Energia Wellness Studio offers a variety of yoga classes, but its couples yoga event Feb. 13 combines yoga, meditation and massage techniques just in time for Valentine’s Day.
(Courtesy of Virna Lichter)

They’ll provide balance for each other, meditating, and learning how to give soothing hand massages.

Energia Wellness Studio in Wesley Chapel is having a couples yoga class Feb. 13. The class, which is limited to just 10 couples, will include a one-hour yoga session, followed by meditation and hand massage instruction.

Virna Lichter, who owns the studio and will run the meditation portion of the class, said that making yoga and meditation part of a couple’s schedule this week will provide a more interactive experience than the traditional Valentine’s Day routine.

“One of the things, of course, is connecting with each other,” she said. “It’s a time when people are going to be relaxed and they’re going to be having fun, and they’re going to be helping each other.”

In contrast to a crowded restaurant, the yoga and meditation session will only have up to nine other like-minded couples in a relaxed setting.

Lichter also explained that previous yoga experience is not necessary, and couples shouldn’t rule out participating because of poor flexibility. In fact, flexibility issues should be more incentive to consider trying yoga.

“A lot of people say ‘I can’t do yoga because I’m not flexible.’ Well, that’s one of the reasons you should do yoga, so that you can become flexible,” she said. “This is a good opportunity for them to see that anyone can do yoga.”

Yoga instructor Nancy Sayle, who will run the physical yoga portion, also believes that couples will not only get to experience something different together, they’ll also learn about each other by interacting in a yoga setting.

“You’ll see your partner’s strengths and weaknesses, and you’ll surprise each other,” she said. Couples will be in constant physical contact as they distribute weight in order to achieve balance, and work together to complete the pose correctly. Both partners also will have a chance to give and receive hand massages, learning techniques that they can take with them when they leave the studio.

There can be even more benefits if one person has yoga experience but the other is a novice, Lichter said. An opportunity to see a partner doing something in a comfortable setting allows them to view each other in a different light, no matter how long they’ve been together.

And Lichter knows from experience: Although she has been a yoga instructor herself for six years, her husband of 15 years saw her in a class for the first time just last week. The experience, she said, was enlightening and positive.

“He saw me in a very different light that he had never seen before,” Lichter said. “He was so thrilled. He said ‘Wow, you’re so good at this!’ It was a really interesting connection.”

The idea is to feel connected with a partner and comfortable with the idea that they tried something new together, Lichter said, but mostly to leave with a positive state of mind and a degree of happiness they might not have had before.

“You don’t have to have a reason to be joyful,” she said. “The meditation and the yoga, together, it teaches you how to breathe again and to be joyful.”

The class starts at 6 p.m. at the studio, located at 3836 Flatiron Loop, Suite 101 in Wesley Chapel. The cost is $35 per couple if reservations are made in advance, and $40 per couple if made on Feb. 13.

Couples should bring yoga mats and wear comfortable workout clothing when participating.

For more information, visit EnergiaWellnessStudio.com, or call (813) 973-7300.

Published Feb. 12, 2014

Business Digest 02-12-14

February 13, 2014 By Michael Hinman

Community Business Expo coming
The Central Pasco Chamber of Commerce will host its 2014 Community Business Expo March 14 and March 15 at the Land O’ Lakes Recreation Complex, 3032 Collier Parkway in Land O’ Lakes.

The event runs from 4 p.m. to 7 pm., March 14, and from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., on March 15, with the theme “The Price is Right – Shop Local.”

Sponsorships and booth space remain available, but are limited.

For more information, visit CentralPascoChamber.com, or call (813) 909-2722.

RadioShack mum about store closings
Not long after it impressed Super Bowl viewers with its commercial featuring a number of 1980s pop culture icons, retail chain RadioShack Corp., won’t address a published report that it plans to close 500 of its more than 4,400 stores nationwide.

The Fort Worth, Texas-based company has been remodeling stores as a way to reinvent itself. Yet, the store has continued to suffer losses, most recently $208.8 million through the first nine months of 2013, compared to a $76.1 million loss the year before, according to filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

RadioShack operates two stores in the area, according to its company website, at 23012 State Road 54 in Lutz, as well as at the Shops at Pebble Creek at 19416 Bruce B. Downs Blvd., in New Tampa.

March meeting for Women-n-Charge
Women-n-Charge will meet March 7 beginning at 11:30 a.m., at Pebble Creek Country Club, 10550 Regents Park Drive in Tampa.

Speaking is Debra Lombardozzi, who will talk about how to identify personality types so that people can communicate more effectively.

Cost is $15 for members ahead of the meeting, and $18 for all guests and those who haven’t prepaid by March 5.

For more information, call (813) 600-9849, or email .

Denny’s to help families of fallen officers
Denny’s restaurants will raise money for a Florida organization that provides financial support to families of law enforcement officers when killed in the line of duty throughout February.

More than 140 Denny’s locations will take part in the campaign for Tour de Force, with a goal to raise $75,000 for the nonprofit organization.

Visitors to the restaurants can pledge $3, and receive $9 worth of Denny’s coupons in return, with 100 percent of all proceeds being donated to the families of fallen heroes.

“We hope our support of this wonderful organization will help to make a continued difference in the lives of the families of those brave men and women who were taken from us too soon,” said Denise Gaines, senior manager of field marketing for Denny’s, in a release.

In 2013, four Florida officers were killed in the line of duty in Broward, Charlotte, Polk and St. Lucie counties.

To also help raise money, police officers throughout the area will sell the 2014 Tour de Force charity bike ride patches for $5 that honors the four officers killed. Denny’s serves as the title sponsor for the bike ride, a five-day, 270-mile ride from North Miami Beach to Daytona Beach in April.

Since its inaugural ride in 1997, Tour de Force has raised more than $300,000 for the families of fallen officers and law enforcement-related organizations.

For more information on the group, visit FloridaTourdeForce.org.

Denny’s has a location at the Flying J Travel Plaza at 29933 State Road 52 in San Antonio. Other locations are in Tampa, Brooksville and New Port Richey.

Law book publishers settle with state
West Publishing Corp. and Thomson Reuters Tax Accounting Inc., has agreed to provide up to $6 million in restitution to consumers who received law books, newsletters and other publications that the consumers had not intended to order.

Automatic subscription renewals and automatic product shipments are known as “negative option plans,” and consumers must be told clearly about the terms of such plans, and agree to the terms, in order for plans to be lawful under Florida’s Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act, according to state attorney general Pam Bondi.

The two companies allegedly placed customers into automatic subscription renewals and automated shipment plans for their publications without adequate disclosures, according to Bondi.

Refunds will be offered to all Florida customers who, after Jan. 31, 2010, unknowingly paid for certain publications that were automatically shipped, or for subscriptions that were automatically renewed.

The two publishers also have agreed to modify their business practices to ensure that automatic shipment plans and automatic renewal of subscriptions are put in place only after all appropriate disclosures have been provided to customers, and the customers have provided affirmative consent to the terms.

Democrats claim flood insurance bill has stalled in House

February 6, 2014 By Michael Hinman

When U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis pulled hundreds of angry residents into a crowded council chambers in New Port Richey last December, he vowed to make changes at the federal level to alleviate massive flood insurance hikes.

Flood insurance reform passed in 2012 hasn’t rolled out the way lawmakers had hoped, with many homeowners — especially living in high-risk flood zones — facing premium increases of thousands of dollars. An effort to fix the bill in Washington, D.C., could be blocked by House Speaker John Boehner some Florida Democrats say. (File Photo)

But it looks like the Palm Harbor Republican’s efforts are being stopped in their tracks — by his own party’s Congressional leader.

At least that’s what the Florida delegation of Democrats in Congress are claiming in a letter to House Speaker John Boehner in Washington, D.C. That letter, signed by all eight Florida Democrats serving in the U.S. House of Representatives, urges Boehner to allow the bill to move forward “on behalf the millions of families and small business owners” they represent.

“The unreasonable flood insurance increases are particularly harmful to middle class families across Florida,” the letter said, adding that 180 Congressional members from both the Democratic and Republican side of the aisle have co-sponsored the Homeowner Flood Insurance Affordability Act of 2013.

“Expeditious action is necessary because huge flood insurance bills are now coming due,” the letter continued. “We share the frustration of our neighbors that many of the changes adopted by FEMA are outside the original intent of the Biggert-Waters Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2012. Unless you take up a solution now, greater economic harm will be inflicted in Florida and around the country.”

Since it suffered major losses from storms like Katrina and Sandy, the National Flood Insurance Program — a federal insurance plan administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency — have raised premiums considerably since October, when Biggert-Waters took effect. One Pasco County homeowner told Bilirakis and other government leaders in December that his insurance had grown to $2,000 a month, close to the cost of his $2,500 monthly mortgage.

“If we don’t get a fix, they are going to foreclose on my property,” the resident said at the time. “I cannot physically make my payment.”

In a statement to The Laker/Lutz News, Bilirakis didn’t address the Democratic claim that the Speaker is tabling the bill, but did say that he wasn’t giving up.

“I have been working diligently to address the astronomical flood insurance rate increases homeowners across the country are experiencing, and I remain committed to finding a long-term solution,” Bilirakis said. “These rate increases will have grave financial impacts on current and future homeowners and could threaten our housing market’s recovery.”

Bilirakis said he remains “hopeful and confident” that an agreement can be reached to address the flood insurance system’s solvency and affordability.

The Biggert-Waters Flood Insurance Reform Act passed Congress and was signed by President Obama in 2012. The bill phases out government subsidies for premiums in long-standing policies, but caps the annual increases at 25 percent.

Pasco County Commissioner Kathryn Starkey, who has been championing flood insurance reform from the county level, says she’s surprised if the bill in Congress did indeed stall, but she can also understand why.

“It doesn’t affect a lot of people in the country, and I think a lot of people don’t understand it,” she said. “I hear it all the time. ‘I don’t want to subsidize them. They should be paying their fair share.’ I think people on the water would agree on that. What’s going on here, however, is that they need this program to be implemented fairly and wisely, and it’s just not happening.”

Somehow, the idea of reforming flood insurance is becoming a partisan issue, and it shouldn’t be, Starkey said.

“Something’s gone awry, and it’s not a political thing,” she said. “They need to look at their science and their math, and help these poor people.”

State Sen. Wilton Simpson, R-Trilby, is not waiting for the federal government to take action. He’s already a co-sponsor for S.B. 542, which is set to go before an appropriations subcommittee on Feb. 6.

The bill, according to Simpson, creates flexible options for policyholders to choose from so that they can reach an affordable level of coverage. The hallmark of the bill allows policyholders the option of covering either the outstanding balance of their mortgage, or the replacement cost of their property.

Through his spokesperson, Simpson reiterated his position that the U.S. Congress “must work together, regardless of party affiliation, to fix this serious issue” for his constituents.

Published Feb. 5, 2014

Pasco superintendent pushes for culture of caring

February 6, 2014 By B.C. Manion

Planning is underway for Pasco County Schools’ second youth summit aimed at reducing violence and creating more inclusive schools throughout the district.

Students gathered last year at the Pasco County school system’s first youth summit to talk about ways to take aim at problems of bullying and create a culture of caring in schools and offices around the district. (File Photo)

The Together We Stand Youth and Community Summit 2014 will be on June 10 at River Ridge Center for the Performing Arts at River Ridge High School.

The first planning session for this year’s event was on Jan. 21.

This year’s theme is “building safer, more inclusive schools and communities, and reducing violence,’’ according to school district spokeswoman Linda Cobbe.

Speakers and guests have not yet been fully determined, but the event will include Roy Kaplan, last year’s keynote speaker, and Pasco County Schools superintendent Kurt Browning. The daylong seminar will include a keynote address, breakout sessions, networking, lunch and a panel discussion.

An online application will be available soon for speakers and exhibitors. Online registration for the free event will start in April.

The summit is one of the tangible ways that Browning is trying to promote an increased “culture of caring and respect” in the county’s public schools.

The lack of civility and lack of respect are issues that Browning has frequently discussed. He wrote about those concerns in an op-ed piece published last December in The Laker/Lutz News after the violent death of a 16-year-old. Another teenager was charged with the crime.

“When that op-ed was penned, I think it had a sense of frustration, desperation, in it,” Browning said.

“I know it will take deliberate and tough conversations within families and communities to help kids learn how to deal with conflict and cope with adversity appropriately. We must work together,” the superintendent wrote in the piece.

His words struck a chord with readers.

“I did get a number of emails, as well as people stopping me out in the community, when I’ve walked through schools, teachers have stopped me, administrators,” Browning said. “They agree. We’ve lost civility. We’ve lost respect. We have become, in my opinion, a society of entitlement — with no accountability, no responsibility.”

There are no easy answers, Browning said.

“This is like nailing Jell-O to a tree,” Browning said. “It’s such a pervasive, complex issue. It is a societal issue. It is a cultural issue. And yet, the school district is expected to fix it.”

Technology adds to the challenge.

“Technology is both a blessing and a curse. It’s a blessing because of the things that we can do with kids today in the classroom are incredible,” Browning said. “It’s a curse because we have technological advances in our school being used inappropriately.”

Photos taken with smart phones often end up in cyberspace. And once the images are circulating, they’re out there forever, Browning said.

Cyberbullying is an issue, too.

The district also must deal with electronic posts in which students threaten to harm others or themselves, Browning said. A student making a flippant remark can set off a whole chain reaction of activity.

“We’ve got to notify district staff, we’ve got to notify law enforcement, we reach out to moms and dads,” he said.

So how does this all get back to the culture of caring and respect?

“It starts at home. It starts at home,” Browning said. “These kids are sponges. They watch moms and dads. They watch neighborhood kids. They watch other adults. And these kids are going to model what they see.”

For his part, the superintendent sets a tone of high expectation for the district’s staff. When it comes to influencing student behavior on campus, Browning believes that students are key to elevating the standard of behavior among their peers.

This year, Browning wants middle school students to be involved in planning the youth summit. Behavior problems begin to develop when children are young, so the district needs to address them — and involve students at younger ages — in helping to find solutions.

In addition to supporting the youth summit, Browning encourages student initiatives aimed at building respect at schools throughout the district, and he wants district administrators to support the youth-led efforts.

Browning believes that, essentially, people have the same needs and desires.

“When you take our skin color off of us, we all look the same,” he said. “Our emotions are the same. We express them differently. Our desires are the same. We want to be successful. We want to be loved. We want to be cared for. We want to be respected.

“Even the hardest of hard kids want to be cared for, loved and respected. I’m convinced of that,” Browning said. “We need to be respectful. We need to be civil. We need to be caring.”

Browning welcomes suggestion and help from the community. Those who would like to help or have ideas can email him at .

Published Feb. 5, 2014

Local businesses reach out to help shooting victim’s family

February 6, 2014 By Michael Murillo

The management and employees at World of Beer and Moe’s Southwest Grill in Land O’Lakes hope that patrons spend a lot of money on Feb. 8. But it’s not an attempt to maximize profits.

Chad Oulson, right, was killed Jan. 13 during an altercation at Cobb Theatres Grove 16 & CineBistro, leaving behind his wife, Nicole, and daughter Alexis. A fundraiser is slated for Feb. 8 in Land O’ Lakes. (Courtesy of Oulson Family)

Instead, it’s a benefit event designed to help a local family after a horrific loss.

Chad Oulson was shot and killed Jan. 13 in a dispute at the Cobb Theatres Grove 16 & CineBistro movie theater in Wesley Chapel. The story made national news and a suspect is in custody. But now his widow, Nicole, and their young daughter, Alexis, must continue without him.

World of Beer and Moe’s, located on Collier Parkway, decided that hosting an event to raise money would be a good way to help.

“We want to be tied in with our community, and what better way than to help out in this tragic situation,” said Amanda Edwards, general manager at World of Beer Land O’Lakes. While the tavern has no direct ties to the Oulson family, they were enthusiastic to host the event when contacted by Edwards’ booking agent.

They hope to raise at least $5,000 for the family, Edwards said.

To reach that goal, World of Beer is donating $1 from every draft beer sold from 7 p.m. until 1 a.m. that evening. They also will have an auction for a gift basket containing World of Beer and other brewery items.

In addition, there will be a raffle in which half the money will go to the winner and the other half to the Oulson family.

Moe’s Southwest Grill also is contributing to the event by pledging 25 percent of its sales for the entire day.

“I grew up in Lutz (and) Land O’Lakes my whole life. It’s such a small, tight-knit community. It’s all about family out here,” said Ryan Campbell, general manager of Moe’s. “We’ve always stuck together, so why not stick together in a time of hurt?” Campbell is the son of Guy Campbell, who owns both businesses involved in the event.

The benefit falls on a busy night for Moe’s, which should lead to a larger donation for the family, Campbell said. But his young employees also have helped get the word out to make sure the evening is as busy as possible.

“They’ve all been passing out flyers at school, trying to get people on board and trying to get people in so we can raise as much money as possible,” Campbell said.

While helping out is important to Edwards, as a member of the community it also hits close to home in other ways. Oulson left behind a daughter just shy of her second birthday. Edwards, a mother of two girls herself, delivered a son just last week. She said that the family’s loss made an impression on her, and it became important to help from a personal standpoint.

“Being a mother, I couldn’t imagine being left without a husband, and I know the monetary burden of a death in the family,” she said.

The event begins at 7 p.m., and patrons must be at least 21 to attend. Live music will be performed by Keko & Mo’ Gravy.

World of Beer is located at 2081 Collier Parkway, and Moe’s Southwest Grill is located at 2087 Collier Parkway.

For more information, call (813) 948-9400.

If you go
WHAT: Fundraiser for Oulson family
WHEN: Feb. 8, beginning at 7 p.m.
WHERE: World of Beer, 2081 Collier Parkway, Land O’ Lakes; Moe’s Southwest Grill, 2087 Collier Parkway, Land O’ Lakes
INFO: (813) 948-9400

Update: This story was clarified on 2/19/14 to identify the booking agent as belonging to Amanda Edwards.

Published Feb. 5, 2014

Wilson not convinced Pasco needs elevated road

February 6, 2014 By Michael Hinman

It’s no secret Pasco County Commissioner Henry Wilson doesn’t put a lot of faith into studies, statistics or consultants. And that’s not changing at all when it comes to the proposed elevated road for the State Road 54/56 corridor.

Pasco County officials have used a series of diagrams, like this cutaway, that show how an elevated road over the State Road 54/56 corridor could expand the existing highway from six lanes to 10. (Courtesy of Pasco County Commission) — Pasco County officials have used a series of diagrams, like this cutaway, that show how an elevated road over the State Road 54/56 corridor could expand the existing highway from six lanes to 10.
(Courtesy of Pasco County Commission)

In fact, he told the Republican Club of Central Pasco last week that if county planning and development administrator Richard Gehring can sell the privately proposed toll road he advocates to the public, he’d buy him dinner at the pricey Bern’s Steak House in Tampa.

“I want to put out this disclaimer right now,” Wilson told the group. “I was the only one of the five commissioners that has opposed this from the beginning, because I don’t think we need it.”

County officials have talked about how future growth in Pasco and the rest of the region will create significant congestion on the existing State Road 54 and State Road 56 in coming years, but that’s congestion Wilson says he hasn’t seen.

“Before I was in office, I spent 14 years travelling from New Port Richey to Tampa, and the only time I hit congestion was in Hillsborough County,” he said. “This is something that will help Hillsborough, not Pasco.”

Yet, county officials have warned against comparing current traffic issues to those that might happen in the future. In a recent meeting with the Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce, Pasco County administrator Michele Baker credited forward thinking that expanded the lanes in the State Road 54/56 corridor for keeping congestion under control in the present.

“We know we’ll never build enough roads to prevent congestion from occurring,” Baker said last month. Places to build east-west roads in the county are limited because of the amount of preservation land and planned development that exists, especially in the central part of the county. That limits most of the talk to both the State Road 54/56 corridor in the southern part of the county, and State Road 52 and the county line road bordering Hernando County to the north.

“When you look at all the entitlements out there, even if we didn’t approve one new development again, we’re going to need at least 20 east-west lanes,” Baker said. The two major roads have between six and eight lanes, but officials have to ask themselves, “where are the rest of those lanes going to come from?”

Wilson, however, said the idea of needing a 20-lane road in the State Road 54/56 corridor is wrong. Very few places in the country have roads that large, and nearly all of them serve populations counted in the millions, like Los Angeles and Las Vegas. It’s nearly impossible to imagine the need for it here.

And the fear of such a large road is driving the support behind the elevated road, Wilson said.

“Since I have been in office, we try to say that we are business friendly,” he said. The elevated road “is probably the least business-friendly thing we could do.”

How the elevated road would move forward is based on studies conducted by the Florida Department of Transportation, Wilson said.

“It doesn’t say anything about it being determined by Pasco County needs, or Pasco County wants, or Pasco County anything,” he said. “And we know that a government study can say anything we want it to say. Just like statistics. We can make it say anything you want it to say.”

A private road development group, International Infrastructure Partners Inc., has asked the FDOT to give up key right-of-way along the State Road 54/56 corridor to build an elevated toll road that would connect Zephyrhills at U.S. 301, and New Port Richey at U.S. 19. The 33-mile project would be constructed through private money, with returns coming from toll revenue.

Although the project is commonly known as an elevated road, Baker said no one should expect every mile of it will be above the ground. Some pieces could be much lower.

“Are they going to build an elevated road from U.S. 19 to U.S. 301? There’s no reason to,” Baker said. “The whole road doesn’t require that, and it doesn’t make sense.”

Flyovers would have to occur at major intersections, however, like where State Road 54 and Land O’ Lakes Boulevard meet, an intersection that already draws 100,000 cars a day, according to the county. And the goal would be to prevent flyovers similar to what’s found on U.S. 19 in Pinellas County, splitting entire areas in half, and forcing many businesses to face a giant wall where the road elevates, Baker said.

Yet, the need for such a structure is at least a decade away, if not more, Wilson said. And that means the county can convince the FDOT to slow down a bit on the project.

“If we don’t need it for 15 to 20 years, then there is probably going to be a better option in the next few years,” he said.

Published Feb. 5, 2014

Wesley Chapel High senior ranks among state’s top 14

February 6, 2014 By B.C. Manion

She didn’t move on to the nationals, but Savannah Renberg was among 14 young women from across the state vying for that chance.

Renberg, a senior at Wesley Chapel High School, was one of 16 Distinguished Young Women in Florida selected to compete earlier this month in Winter Garden.

Distinguished Young Women is a national scholarship program in which high school seniors from across the country compete for scholarships. The competition requires contestants to interview effectively, demonstrate physical fitness, and perform on stage.

The young women first compete in local events to advance to the state competition, and then on to the national level.

While 16 qualified for the state contest, it turns out only 14 — including Renberg — made the trip to Winter Garden.

Renberg, who is a member of Suncoast Dance Theatre in Lutz and has been dancing since she was 1, showcased her dancing skills in the competition. While the 18-year-old wasn’t one of the top finishers, Renberg said she’s glad she took part.

“It was just a very unique experience,” said Renberg, who is the senior class president at her school. “Every day we would have rehearsal. I kept forgetting that there was a contest, that there was going to be a winner at the end because it just felt like, to me, like a performance.”

She also enjoyed meeting young women from across the state, and they became fast friends.

“There weren’t any cliques or anything. We all have the same desires,” Renberg said. The Distinguished Young Women requires its participants to be academically focused.

For her part, Renberg has a 3.9 unweighted GPA on a 4.0 scale, and a 4.4 weighted GPA when college-level coursework is considered.

Renberg became aware of the program through a friend and decided to give it a shot. While she knows she eventually wants to be a college professor teaching literature classes, she’s not sure what college she’ll attend. So far, she’s been accepted to the University of North Florida and Winthrop University in South Carolina.

“I’m waiting for my acceptance to Troy University,” Renberg said about the college in Alabama. She wants to go there because it has a dance program, and she’d like to minor in dance.

Renberg credits her mom, Sharon Renberg — a first-grade teacher at Chester Taylor Elementary School outside of Zephyrhills — for helping to develop a love for teaching and learning. After volunteering in her mom’s class, Renberg said she thinks she would be suited for teaching older students.

She’s attracted to the university level because that would enable her to teach and to continue pursuing her love for learning at the same time.

The Winter Garden contest was friendly, Renberg said, and when it was over, the competitors planned to stay in touch.

“We all were swapping numbers and Instagrams and Twitters,” she said.

They’ve even talked of going on a road trip together to cheer on the young women who will represent Florida at the 57th Annual Distinguished Young Women National Finals this summer in Mobile, Ala.

The young women there will compete for more than $130,000 in cash scholarships.

Renberg hopes the Florida contestants make the trip to Mobile.

“I think it would be fun,” Renberg said.

Published Feb. 5, 2014

Program helps seniors get back to work

February 6, 2014 By B.C. Manion

Pasco County senior citizens who are 55 or older and have been out of work for a year or more may be able to benefit from The Experience Works Community Service Employment Program.

The program is reaching out to older residents in central and eastern Pasco County who need help getting back into the work force, said Dorothy Myles, state director for Experience Works. To be eligible, applicants must have an individual income of $14,588 year or less, or $19,663 or less for a family of two.

A limited number of slots are available, but there always is turnover as people land full-time jobs, move, or exit the program for other reasons, Myles said.

Participants work for 21 hours a week, receiving the minimum wage of $7.93 an hour. By handling community service jobs, participants can update their skills and use those new skills as a springboard to land permanent jobs.

The program also helps participants pursue jobs they are interested in, Myles said.

“We assist them. This is participant driven,” she said.

The worker indicates the kind of job they’re interested in and the program seeks to help them secure it, Myles said. Some workers who begin part-time positions are hired on to handle full-time roles by the organizations that participate in the program. There also are cases when the participating organization isn’t able to hire the employee, but can alert the worker to an opportunity elsewhere.

Besides providing opportunities for workers to enhance their skills, the program also can help them in their job search and offer referrals for other services, Myles said.

Some program participants were laid off and have been unable to find a job for more than a year, while others have been out of the workforce for years, she said. Some have encountered bias against older workers.

“We do realize, too, that there is some age discrimination out there,” Myles said.

She believes misperceptions about older workers often can be overcome when an employer is able to witness an experienced person’s work ethic in action.

The program is having an enrollment fair on Feb. 25 and Feb. 26 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., at Career Central, Room A, 4440 Grand Blvd., in New Port Richey.

For additional information, call (888) 859-1051, or visit www.ExperienceWorks.org.

Latest industrial construction to boost area jobs profile

February 6, 2014 By Michael Hinman

Central Pasco County continues its bid to become the high-technology hub of the Tampa Bay region with the start of a 135,000-square-foot office center at ComPark 75. And last week, development owner Larry Morgan welcomed Gov. Rick Scott and other dignitaries for a ceremonial groundbreaking at his latest $15 million effort.

Larry Morgan, center, chief executive of Morgan Family Ventures, stands with Gov. Rick Scott, left, and Ross Kirk, executive managing director of Cassidy Turley, in front of Building C at ComPark in Lutz. Lawmakers labeled the construction off Wesley Chapel Boulevard the first major commercial construction in Pasco County since the start of the economic recession. (Photo by Michael Hinman)

“There is something else much more important going on here than just the construction of these buildings,” Morgan, chief executive of Morgan Family Ventures and former owner of Tires Plus, told the crowd outside of his Building C on the chilly, damp morning. “The American way is for the people to have the opportunity to invest their money and time and things of that nature, and that entrepreneurial spirit certainly exists here at ComPark.”

The walls for Building C are already up, with the larger Building D planned to be built not far behind it on Pet Lane. Both buildings will offer more than 30 office units ranging in size from 3,030 square feet to 5,175 square feet. Three of the units in Building C have already been leased, including the Pasco County Tax Collector’s office, which signed on after a Wesley Chapel location at The Grove fell through.

Getting the building off the ground required more than 30 permits, but the bureaucratic red tape has not been as restrictive as it once was, Morgan said. The county has come a long way.

“I have been a critic of regulation my whole business life, but things are definitely getting better in Pasco,” he said. “The whole county organization is getting better.”

The construction project has employed nearly 600 people, and will create more than 250 jobs once the units start filling up. Many of those jobs, Morgan said, would be high-waged.

And that could give a local boost to Scott, who is facing a tough re-election this year potentially against his predecessor, Charlie Crist, and working to raise what has been consistently low approval ratings.

“We all care about what happens to you,” Scott said. “We want jobs. The most important thing we can do is create an environment that will get to work.”

Sen. John Legg, R-Lutz, says he can only see growth in Wesley Chapel’s future thanks to projects like ComPark.

“Wesley Chapel is the hotbed of economic opportunities in the state of Florida,” he said, adding that government can help developers by getting “out of the way.”

“It’s an honor to get out of your way and let you do your job,” Legg said.

ComPark 75 is 60 acres of developable land just off Wesley Chapel Boulevard to the west of Tampa North Aero Park.

Only three units remain available in the first phase of ComPark’s construction of two nearby buildings that total a little more than 100,000 square feet. Morgan also hopes to build a four-story office building on the eastern side of the property fronting Interstate 75.

New State Rep. Amanda Murphy, who succeeded Mike Fasano in the Florida Legislature, was the only Democratic lawmaker on hand at the ceremony. She said the ComPark project would help the entire county, although she did wish it was in her district.

“I am a little jealous because the other side of the county doesn’t get something as wonderful and beautiful as this,” said Murphy, who is based in New Port Richey. “But it benefits all of Pasco County, and that’s what it’s all about.”

Published Feb. 5, 2014