The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

Local News

Wiregrass, Pasco high schools chart big enrollment gains

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Hordes of Wiregrass Ranch High School students head to portable classrooms each morning, as the school copes with an enrollment of 2,255.

Students stream toward their classes at Wiregrass Ranch High School, which has 30 portable classrooms to accommodate its burgeoning enrollment. The school must have four lunch periods to feed its hungry masses. (Courtesy of Wiregrass Ranch High School)
Students stream toward their classes at Wiregrass Ranch High School, which has 30 portable classrooms to accommodate its burgeoning enrollment. The school must have four lunch periods to feed its hungry masses.
(Courtesy of Wiregrass Ranch High School)

The school now has 30 portable classrooms, and must have four lunch periods to accommodate its swelling enrollment, said its principal, Robyn White. The high school, at 2909 Mansfield Blvd., in Wesley Chapel, had 165 more students this year than last, as of the 10th day of classes, according to Pasco County school district figures.

Some of that growth was anticipated because of a larger freshman class, White said. But the school picked up about 70 more students than it expected.

She attributes that growth to an increase in the construction of new homes and apartments in the area.

The school added 10 portable classrooms this year, enabling it to reduce the number of teachers floating between classrooms, White said. Last year, there were 11 teachers who floated between classrooms. This year, there are four.

Pasco High School’s enrollment grew by 182 students — the biggest increase among the district schools within The Laker/Lutz News coverage area.

As of the 10th day, Pasco’s enrollment was 1,575.

“We weren’t shocked,” said Pasco principal Karin Kadlub. “We were ready for those numbers.”

The school, at 36850 State Road 54 in Dade City, keeps a close pulse on enrollments at its feeder schools, Kadlub said. Because the number of eighth-graders was up at Pasco and Centennial middle schools last year, Kadlub knew there would be more freshmen at Pasco High this year.

She also knew that the school would pick up students from Academy at the Farm, a public charter school that doesn’t have a high school program.

Increased development in the area also is boosting Pasco High’s enrollment, Kadlub said.

John Long Middle School, at 2025 Mansfield Blvd., also experienced an uptick in its enrollment. Its 10th-day count was 1,659, up 116 students over last year at the same time.

Seven Oaks Elementary School, 27633 Mystic Oak Blvd., in Wesley Chapel, grew by 96 students, bringing its total to 1,009.

Most of the public schools within The Laker/Lutz News coverage area had enrollment fluctuations of fewer than 50 students, plus or minus. Some exceptions were Sand Pine Elementary School, down by 64; Centennial Middle School, down by 62; and Weightman Middle School, down by 87.

Pasco Middle School was up by 62, Watergrass Elementary School was up by 60; and Sunlake High School also was up by 60.

Published September 10, 2014

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An era ends: Cash tolls go extinct on Veterans

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Toll roads have been a part of American life since the first such paths opened for business in Pennsylvania and New York in the late 18th century.

From the very beginning, passage on these roads required horse riders — and later vehicle drivers — to come face-to-face with a toll collector. But not anymore.

The Sugarwood toll plaza on the Veterans Expressway is undergoing construction as tollbooths are removed and electronic sensors read the vehicle’s prepaid SunPass. (Fred Bellet/Photo)
The Sugarwood toll plaza on the Veterans Expressway is undergoing construction as tollbooths are removed and electronic sensors read the vehicle’s prepaid SunPass.
(Fred Bellet/Photo)

Last week, the Veterans Expressway parted ways with its last toll collector when the Florida Department of Transportation officially closed the Sugarwood plaza just south of the Pasco County line. It’s the end of an era, as drivers no longer need to rummage for loose change in their car. Instead, SunPass transponders and license plate scanners will help drivers pay the required toll as cash itself becomes obsolete on the Veterans.

“Unlike the old days, back when we first built the Florida Turnpike in the 1950s, most of the people who use roads like this are not people on a leisurely vacation drive,” said Christa Deason, public information officer for Florida’s Turnpike Enterprise. “Now they are commuters, and they are on a fast track to get to work in the morning, and get home at night. They want to keep driving.”

Sugarwood accepted its last cash toll around midnight Sept. 4. By late Friday afternoon, drivers heading north or south on the Veterans no longer had to stop. Technology had won.

When the Veterans Expressway first opened in 1994, traveling the 15-mile stretch was possible only by cash or a rarely used prepaid card that required a hefty cash balance. FDOT introduced SunPass on the Veterans in 2001 after a successful rollout two years earlier on the Florida Turnpike.

At first, SunPass was embraced by a select few, but that has changed over the years, Deason said. Now a third of Florida’s drivers are SunPass users, and 84 percent of travelers on the Veterans and the Suncoast Parkway have a transponder in their car.

“This is just a logical evolution of the road,” Deason said. “Fewer and fewer people were paying cash, and we’ve been phasing out collectors ever since.”

The introduction of the Suncoast in 2001 has caused traffic to explode on the Veterans, especially Pasco residents looking to get to jobs in Hillsborough and Pinellas counties, Deason said.

In its first year, more than 19,500 cars drove through the Anderson toll plaza each day, while 8,600 ventured past Sugarwood. Now, Anderson welcomes 59,400 cars each day, while Sugarwood deals with 44,200.

That prompted the state to spend $380 million to not only convert the Veterans to cash-free tolling, but to expand the roadway to six lanes. It’s created a mess along the road, with commuters having to navigate through construction cones. But this could be the last major construction project on the Veterans … ever.

“We don’t have any more room to expand the road,” said Tracie Rose, a Lutz-based project engineer with Jacobs Engineering, the firm contracted by FDOT to complete the work. “This will be as wide as we get. So it’s going to have to last us.”

Now that the toll conversion is complete, work crews can fully concentrate on widening the road. But even with that focus, the project won’t be completed until 2016.

Deason didn’t have an exact count of the number of toll collectors the Veterans employed at its peak, but did say that the state has been winding down hiring new collectors over the past several years. The few that were left up to last week have either moved on, or are getting help from the company that managed the toll collectors.

“We had some long-term employees,” Deason said. “We even had one or two that started out on the Sunshine Skyway Bridge back when they accepted tokens. Some of them took this opportunity to finally get that chance to retire.”
The tollbooths located along the Suncoast, including the one between State Road 54 and State Road 52, will remain the way it is. Cash tolls are still collected in those main plazas, with the option of using a full-speed express lane around the plaza for those with SunPass.

Just so you know …
Michael Hinman, the reporter for this story, spent a little bit of time as a toll collector himself. He worked at both the Anderson Road and Sugarwood toll plazas in the mid-1990s, not long after the Veterans Expressway first opened.

Published September 10, 2014

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Business Digest 09-10-14

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ME Hobbies opens in Lutz
ME Hobbies has opened a new store at 1904 Oak Grove Blvd., in Lutz, and will host a grand opening and ribbon cutting on Sept. 13.

“We’ve enjoyed hobbies our whole lives, and want to share that with the community,” said Edward Karpoich, the chief executive of ME Hobbies, in a release.

The grand opening will be Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., with music by Koss Music, face painting by Fuentes Fantabulous Facepainting, balloons, free train rides, and free food, ice cream and drinks provided by Sam’s Club in Wesley Chapel.

The Central Pasco Chamber of Commerce will host the weekend event.

CareerSource offering employee training
CareerSource Pasco Hernando is offering assistance through the Employed Worker Training program to help businesses stay on the cutting edge of the current, growing economy.

Trained business service consultants are helping companies increase skilled labor productivity and become more competitive in today’s market, the agency said, in a release. The program also provides financial assistance to employers who wish to invest in their employees.

The program also provides up to 50 percent of the employers’ direct training costs to be reimbursed through the agency. Last year, the local CareerSource office helped provide 150 certifications.

For additional information, visit CareerSourcePascoHernando.com, or call Sunnye Fredia at (352) 247-0761.

Mixer, luncheon with PHHCC
The Pasco Hernando Hispanic Chamber of Commerce will host a mixer Sept. 10 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., at BB&T, 26644 Silver Maple Parkway in Wesley Chapel.

The chamber will host a luncheon Sept. 16 at 11:30 a.m., at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, 20735 Leonard Road in Lutz.

WC Chamber mixer
The Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce will host a mixer Sept. 11 at 6 p.m., at Hyundai of Wesley Chapel, 27000 Wesley Chapel Blvd.

The event includes food, beverages, music, prizes and on-site chair massages.

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

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

For information, call (813) 073-1657.

Dade City chamber wants award winners
The Greater Dade City Chamber of Commerce will host its annual awards banquet Oct. 16. With that, it’s seeking nominations for various awards.

Typically, awards are open to members who have been a part of the chamber in good standing for at least a year. Some of the categories include Business Leader of the Year, Large Business of the Year, Small Business of the Year, Civic Association of the Year and Citizen of the Year.

To learn more about how to nominate, contact Jo Uber at the chamber office at (352) 567-3769, or email her at .

Nominations sought for business awards
Bright House Networks and local chambers of commerce are seeking nominations for its second annual Regional Business Awards.

The awards honor companies, organizations and people who have made an impact with their products, services and thought leadership in the business community.

Nominations are currently being accepted through Sept. 26 in four categories ranging from small business to large business, including a category for start-ups.

Bright House will award prizes including commercial television production, airtime, customer newsletter and cash, with a total value of more than $1 million.

Those interested in applying can visit tinyurl.com/BrightHouseAwards.

The winning businesses will be honored at a dinner Feb. 5 at the Tampa Convention Center.

The $100 application fee is waived for members of local participating chambers of commerce.

Bank stands up to cancer
Fifth Third Bank has returned its “Pay to the Order Of” campaign that earlier this year raised more than $2.3 million for Stand Up to Cancer.

The campaign was first launched in January and leverages new checking accounts to help drive donations that support collaborative cancer research programs, the company said in a release. For each new customer who opens a checking account with direct deposit, and makes three online bill payments, Fifth Third will give $150 to the customer and donate $150 to the cancer organization, more commonly known as SU2C.

The campaign runs through Oct. 17.

Bank offers student sweepstakes
Fifth Third Bank has launched its annual Student Banking Sweepstakes.

Through Sept. 30, students who open a checking account will be automatically entered into a sweepstakes offering $10,000 toward college tuition.

Last year’s winner was Tre’ Watson, a rising football star at Tampa Catholic High School.

For more information, visit 53.com/students.

Kumquat Festival selling sponsorship packages
The Greater Dade City Chamber of Commerce is now accepting reservation packages for the 2015 Kumquat Festival, set to take place Jan. 31.

Packages start at $500, and include logos and links on the KumquatFestival.org website, as well as booth space at the festival. Premier packages, which run from $1,000 to $5,000, include additional features.

The event is expected to draw 45,000 people from Florida, who live here seasonally, and who are visiting.

For information, call John Moors at (352) 567-3769, or email .

Upcoming Rotary Club of Lutz meetings
The Rotary Club of Lutz meets every Tuesday at 7 a.m., at Heritage Harbor Golf & Country Club, 19502 Heritage Harbor Parkway in Lutz.

Cost is $10 and includes a continental breakfast, juice and coffee. Visitors are welcome.

Upcoming speakers include:

• Sept. 16 — Jessica Spencer on Amendment 2

• Sept. 23 — Dr. Paul Bowman on skin cancer prevention and treatment

• Sept. 30 — Kim Thompson on the secret behind nutrition labels

• Oct. 7 — Maj. Ruth VanDyke, an author discussing her book on women in the military

• Oct. 14 — Diane Kortus, president and owner of The Laker/Lutz News

• Oct. 21 — U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis

• Oct. 28 — Michael Walters on water management

• Nov. 4 — Byron Poore on what successful investing and salsa have in common

For information, call (813) 857-7089.

East Pasco Networking Group
The East Pasco Networking Group has scheduled several speakers for the coming months. The group meets every other week at the Village Inn at 5214 Gall Blvd., in Zephyrhills. Networking begins at 8 a.m., with the meeting starting at 8:30 a.m.

Upcoming speakers include:

• George Swatzbaugh of Emerald Home Inspection Service LLC, Sept. 23

• Bob Hatfield from U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis’ office, Oct. 14

• Jack Mariano, Pasco County commissioner, Oct. 28

Also, the group will have its early fall mixer Sept. 16.

Political Agenda 09-10-14

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(Courtesy of Erika Remsberg)
(Courtesy of Erika Remsberg)

A moment with Crist
Beverly Ledbetter, the Democratic candidate for Florida House District 38, poses with Democratic gubernatorial candidate, and former governor, Charlie Crist during the West Central Florida Federation of Labor/United School Employees of Pasco Labor Day event.

Lieutenant governor coming to Zephyrhills
The Conservative Club of East Pasco will host Lt. Gov. Carlos Lopez-Cantera on Sept. 22 at 6:30 p.m., at the Zephyrhills Woman’s Club, 38549 Fifth Ave., in Zephyrhills.

Lopez-Cantera was born in Madrid, Spain, and graduated from Miami-Dade College before receiving his MBA at the University of Miami.

He’s a former majority whip in the Florida House of Representatives, and was elected the property appraiser of Miami-Dade County in 2012 before earning the appointment as lieutenant governor following the resignation of Jennifer Carroll.

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

Audit comes up perfect for Pasco
A random check of three precincts by an elections canvassing board resulted in perfect marks for the Pasco County Supervisor of Elections office during last month’s primary election.

The audit conducted manual counts of select races at those precincts, and compared them to the totals aggregated by computer on election night, looking for any count discrepancies.

The canvassing board checked precincts at Trilby Lodge on Old Trilby Road in Dade City, Betmar Acres on Apache Street in Zephyrhills, and Shady Oaks on Castle Drive in Zephyrhills.

Pasco housing committee to meet
Pasco County’s Affordable Housing Advisory Committee will have its first meeting Sept. 15 beginning at 9 a.m., at the Central Pasco Government Center, 4111 Land O’ Lakes Blvd.

For information, email

East Pasco Democrats to meet
The East Pasco Democratic Club will meet Sept. 15 at 7 p.m., at The Commons, 38130 Pretty Pond Road, in Zephyrhills.

Speakers will be Beverly Ledbetter and Erika Remsberg. Ledbetter is the Democratic Candidate for Florida House District 38, while Remsberg is the Democratic candidate for Pasco County Commission District 2.

Landscaper at PACA meeting
Chris Dewey, the Florida Friendly Landscaping program coordinator for the Pasco County Cooperative Extension office, will be the guest speaker at the Pasco Alliance of Community Associations monthly meeting Sept. 11 at 7 p.m., at the Land O’ Lakes Community Center, 5401 Land O’ Lakes Blvd.

PACA is a not-for-profit organization whose members include 70 of Pasco County’s homeowners associations, community development districts and condominium associations, as well as individuals residing in Pasco County.

For information, call Ron Litts at (813) 475-4561.

Burgess to hold barbecue fundraiser
Danny Burgess, the Republican candidate for Florida House District 38, will host a barbecue fundraiser Sept. 20, beginning at 6 p.m., at the Nathe barn, 16530 Jessamine Road in Dade City.

For information, call Patsy Nathe at (352) 588-3107, or Jean Nathe at (813) 783-4364.

Poll workers needed for November elections
Energetic? Service-oriented? Then the Pasco County supervisor of elections may be looking for you.

Poll workers are needed for the general election Nov. 4. Positions are paid, but potential candidates will need to be able to stand, bend, stoop, lift approximately 30 pounds, and have normal vision and manual and physical dexterity.

Applicants also need to write and read English, have an email address, and be able to work the entire day from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.

All positions receive mandatory paid training the month preceding the election.

For information, call (800) 851-8754, or visit PascoVotes.com.

Moore fundraiser
Mike Moore, the Republican candidate for Pasco County Commission District 2, will host a fundraiser Sept. 24 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., at Beef O’ Brady’s, 14136 Seventh St., in Dade City.

For information, email .

Mobile hours for Ross
U.S. Rep. Dennis Ross, R-Lakeland, will host mobile office hours Oct. 14 from 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., at the Lutz Library, 101 W. Lutz Lake Fern Road in Lutz.

The final date for mobile hours after this will be Dec. 9.

For more information, call (863) 644-8215, or (813) 752-4790.

Free rides to the polls
Pasco County Public Transportation will do its part to help get out the vote by offering free rides to the polls on election days for the upcoming cycle.

The deal was worked out between PCPT and county elections supervisor Brian Corley, and was approved by the Pasco County Commission last week.

On election day Nov. 4, voters who present their voter information card will ride free to their local polling location. The goal is to encourage and promote participation in the election process, while also introducing public transportation as a viable option for travel throughout the county, said PCPT director Michael Carroll.

In return, Corley’s office will use available media advertising and respective websites to inform potential riders and voters how to access and navigate the transit system.

Labor Day domination: Travel ball team wins Fort Myers tourney

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When a baseball team goes to a tournament and scores 40 runs while only giving up five, you’d expect them to win the tournament handily.

Ryan Glass, left, C.J. VanEyk and Cam Coakley were part of the Carrollwood Gators’ 6-0 run at the Perfect Game Labor Day Classic in Fort Myers. (Michael Murillo/Staff Photo)
Ryan Glass, left, C.J. VanEyk and Cam Coakley were part of the Carrollwood Gators’ 6-0 run at the Perfect Game Labor Day Classic in Fort Myers.
(Michael Murillo/Staff Photo)

And when the Carrollwood Gators competed in the Perfect Game’s World Wood-Bat Association Labor Day Classic in Fort Myers, that’s exactly what happened.

The Gators’ 16U team — for athletes graduating high school in 2017 — went through the tournament with a perfect 6-0 record, claimed the title, and earned Most Valuable Player and Most Valuable Pitcher honors as well.

Performing well at a Perfect Game event is a big deal, according to Danny Rodriguez, general manager and founder of the Carrollwood Gators.

“It’s the organization to go to in order to get your boys seen on a college and a pro level,” he said.

In addition to the victory at the recent 16-team Perfect Game tournament, the Gators also finished in the top 16 of the organization’s 100-team Memorial Day tournament, and in the top eight of its 86-team Fourth of July tournament.

While the Gator athletes also play on their high school teams — several attend Steinbrenner High School, and most live in Lutz or Land O’ Lakes — the travel ball team offers them extra opportunities to get noticed by college scouts. The Perfect Game system is extremely competitive, Rodriguez said, and good performances in tournaments will get the club — and its players — noticed by colleges around the country.

The 16U team should have a national ranking after the victory; the general manager is hoping for a top 10 spot when they’re released in a couple of weeks.

That kind of recognition is essential for players looking to extend their careers beyond high school, Rodriguez said. In addition to playing in high school, a quality travel ball team experience is essential to helping athletes take that next step.

“It’s a must,” he said. “If they want to go to the next level, they need to go to the college showcases that they want to go to, and they need to be a part of something that’s going to get them seen, that’s going to be right there in front of the college coaches.”

Rodriguez tries to help get his athletes noticed by colleges, and said the tournament win will only increase the stature of the program. Athletes playing for the Carrollwood Gators have gone on to play in schools like Pasco-Hernando State College, the University of Florida, the University of South Florida, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and Alabama State University. Some students attend on full scholarships as well.

While all the teams in the Perfect Game system are talented, the Gators do things differently. Instead of large-scale tryouts that draw athletes from different cities, or even states, and multiple teams representing each club, the team prefers to draw from local talent, mostly hand-selected athletes who play different positions.

That keeps the traveling team small: The Gators brought just 11 players to the recent tournament. And according to head coach Pete Mocny, there are significant benefits to their philosophy.

“They all know each other from previous travel teams,” Mocny said of the players. “The team chemistry is big in helping us do a little extra to beat the sometimes more-talented teams. We can still really compete, and many times beat them.”

C.J. VanEyk, a Steinbrenner student whose pitching was instrumental in the team’s only close game at the tournament, a 5-3 semifinal win, agrees.

“Everybody knows each other really well. We have good chemistry and everybody gets to play more with a smaller team,” he said. “We hit the ball really good, and we had the pitching to back it up. And when you do that, you can’t really be beat.”

Strong fundamentals were another reason why the Gators weren’t beaten at the tournament, Mocny said. The team committed no errors in the first five games, and shut out their opponent in the final by a score of 7-0. As a result, it was one of the best performances the coach has seen from the team.

“It’s easy to coach them,” Mocny said. “I’m proud of them. They did a great job out there.”

And Rodriguez believes the team that achieved so much is full of players who can achieve even more in college.

“Every single one has the talent,” he said. “If they play it right and they keep their grades (up), there’s a place in college for each one of those players.”

Published September 10, 2014

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Rebels fall to Miami in FBA title game

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The Tampa Bay Rebels, a semi-professional basketball team that plays its home games at Freedom High School, always seem to finish their seasons the same way: In the Florida Basketball Association championship game.

Hard work during training camp led to another strong season for the Tampa Bay Rebels, which fell just short of the title for the second year in a row. (Courtesy of Tampa Bay Rebels)
Hard work during training camp led to another strong season for the Tampa Bay Rebels, which fell just short of the title for the second year in a row.
(Courtesy of Tampa Bay Rebels)

For the third year in a row, the Rebels were one of two teams left standing. But while they took the title in 2012, the last two years have ended with a loss — this time a 98-82 defeat to the Miami Midnites on Aug. 10.

While it was a disappointing end to the year — it was the first time they were held to under 90 points all season, and just the second time they were held to under 100 — it was still another impressive campaign. A 10-2 record meant they’ve compiled a 31-4 mark over the past three regular seasons.

Finishing with a loss to the Midnites was a tough-but-familiar feeling for the club. Miami was the only team that beat them all year: The Rebels lost two home contests to Miami while winning one against them on the road during the regular season.

Add in a third loss to the Midnites in the title game, and those setbacks mean Tampa Bay had a successful 2014 season, but finished runner-up to Miami in 2014.

The Rebels’ 2015 season will begin next spring. For more information, visit TampaBayRebels.com.

Published September 10, 2014

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Veterans lobbying for where in Pasco new VA clinic should go

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The men and women who have served our country during times of war, or in case of war, have been fighting a new conflict to ensure they have access to the federally provided health care they were promised.

But now part of that battle might turn into a turf war between the west and east sides of Pasco County.

Kathleen Fogarty, chief of the James A. Haley VA Medical Center in Tampa, shares some of the issues her facility has faced in recent months during a packed town hall meeting of veterans hosted by U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis, right. (Michael Hinman/Staff Photo)
Kathleen Fogarty, chief of the James A. Haley VA Medical Center in Tampa, shares some of the issues her facility has faced in recent months during a packed town hall meeting of veterans hosted by U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis, right.
(Michael Hinman/Staff Photo)

Veterans gathered at the West Pasco Government Center last week to tell U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis where they want to build a new consolidated center made possible thanks to a Veterans Affairs bill signed by President Barack Obama last month.

The bill has set aside $1.3 billion to create or expand 27 VA clinics around the country, including Florida’s only new one — a planned 114,000-square-foot facility that would consolidate five existing locations on the west side of the county.

Many veterans have come to depend on having those centers in New Port Richey and Port Richey, and some are balking at the idea of moving the new consolidated center into Land O’ Lakes, or even into Zephyrhills or Dade City.

No plans have been finalized, or even proposed, on where this new facility would take place. But a majority of those speaking up last week were pushing for the government to take over the former Community Hospital campus in New Port Richey. That hospital shut down in 2012 after its owner, HCA Healthcare, opened the new Medical Center at Trinity on State Road 54 just east of Little Road.

But bringing that building up to the standards needed for a new VA clinic could be costly.

“We tried to get Community Hospital about seven years ago,” said one veteran, Paul Rizzo. “We met with the VA, and they turned us down, because they said the building was unsafe. It was only built for one floor, but it’s three floors.”

Despite that, Rizzo wants to have the new clinic there.

“I still say that Community Hospital is one of the best places that we could use,” he said. “It’s been standing there for 50 years now, so how is that unsafe? They say we need a complete overhaul of the building there, but what we really need is a complete overhaul of the VA.”

The Land O’ Lakes area has also been shared as a possible location for a new VA clinic, since it’s in central Pasco. However, east Pasco also remains on the radar simply because of the available land out there in case VA officials decide to build something new.

But getting out that way might create as many problems as simply going to the James Haley VA Medical Center in Tampa, some say. Plus, a clinic already exists near Florida Hospital Zephyrhills. That facility will not be a part of the consolidation, officials said.

“Most people, especially disabled veterans, have financial problems, and transportation is a huge factor in their lives,” said Lauren Price, an Iraqi war veteran who is one of the founders of the VeteranWarriors advocacy group. “We have some limited mass transit here in West Pasco, and there is much more minimal mass transit that gets out to Trinity. And before someone offers all that real estate out in Dade City or Zephyrhills, I will remind them that the only mass transit out there are the mud swamp runs.”

Despite hosting the town hall, Bilirakis will have minimal input on where the new facility will be located, he said. That decision, instead, will rely on the VA department itself, which also will receive an additional $10 billion to outsource some of the care to private doctors when VA officials get behind. It also gives Robert McDonald, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs secretary, the power to remove senior executives not meeting expectations more easily than before.

Congress put the legislation in motion this past summer after a series of reports highlighting backlogs in service and other problems at VA hospitals around the country. A government investigation found some of those hospitals were guilty of flubbing appointment lists while supervisors turned a blind eye.

The report, however, said there was nothing connecting the delays created by that activity with preventable deaths.

But some of the veterans in New Port Richey still feel like they’ve been treated improperly by the system. However, James Haley VA Medical Center chief Kathleen Fogarty said many of the delays and problems experienced locally are from the sheer volume facilities like hers have taken on.

“I am very pleased to tell you that all of our clinics were audited, and we did not have any discrepancies in the scheduling,” Fogarty said. “But will I tell you that we don’t have any waiting lists? Absolutely not.”

That’s because her system handles 89,000 unique patients every year, she said. Haley has 4,000 patients a day, and conducts 42,000 consultations a month.

“I am very blessed to have the University of South Florida a bridge away from me,” Fogarty said. “They don’t have a hospital they use to train all of their doctors. We are the primary facility they use, which is a great thing for us because I think we get the best doctors out there.”

Besides where the new consolidated clinic should be located, the more than 100 veterans who attended also shared some of the services they’d like to see there. That includes urgent care, physical therapy, radiology, women’s care and greater access to dental, Bilirakis spokeswoman Summer Robertson said.

If any other veterans wants to express their preferences on where the clinic should go and what should be there, they can call Bilirakis’ office at (813) 501-4942, or send an email to the congressman through his website at Bilirakis.house.gov.

Published September 3, 2014

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Putting the ‘cool’ back in Oscar Cooler Sports Complex

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When it comes to baseball, a level playing field is crucial.

That’s one of the reasons a fundraising effort is under way to buy a better grade of clay for the baseball diamonds at the Oscar Cooler Sports Complex.

A player warms up in a batting cage at the Oscar Cooler Sports Complex. More batting cages are needed to meet the demand. (Courtesy of Lutz Baseball)
A player warms up in a batting cage at the Oscar Cooler Sports Complex. More batting cages are needed to meet the demand.
(Courtesy of Lutz Baseball)

Warming up properly is important, as well, to improve form and prevent injuries. And that explains the goal of building additional batting cages for the baseball teams that compete at the park, located at 766 E. Lutz Lake Fern Road.

The fundraising effort — which includes a baseball clinic, a golf tournament and an equipment drive — aims to raise money for improvements at the park, said Jeff Stanislow, a member of the Lutz Baseball board.

The organizers came up with a catchy name for their effort, asking people to “Put the Cool Back in Oscar Cooler Park.” They also enlisted the aid of Lou Piniella, whose career in Major League Baseball spanned a half-century, including stints as a player, manager, broadcaster and consultant.

The University of South Florida baseball program also is pitching in by hosting a clinic for players, to help them hone their skills. And Domingo Ayala — a baseball celebrity known for providing comic relief — will be there, too.

Piniella will be a keynote speaker at a banquet following a golf tournament that is at Avila Golf & Country Club on Sept. 15. Organizers hope to attract about 200 baseball players to the clinic and about 120 golfers to the golf tournament.

They want to raise enough money to pay for six new batting cages and some repairs to existing cages. The goal is to have the new baseball cages ready by next February, in time for the spring season.

Organizers also hope to purchase some clay to top dress the diamonds, to help prevent bad bounces and help prevent injuries to players.

“For years we’ve been using the less expensive clay because it’s $300 a truckload, and baseball clay is $1,500 a truckload,” Stanislow said.

Besides reducing bad ball hops and preventing injuries, the more expensive clay lasts longer, he said.

Piniella agreed to volunteer his time to help the cause because he has friends at Oscar Cooler park, Stanislow said, and he lives at Avila, where the golf tournament is being held.

About 300 players compete in the fall league, and about 400 play in the spring league, Stanislow said. About three-quarters come from Lutz, but there also are players from Odessa, Land O’ Lakes and Wesley Chapel.

The park hosts some practice sessions for travel ball teams during the off-season, as well.

“The park is an important place for kids. A place to build relationships. A place to build teamwork,” Stanislow said.

It also provides a healthy alternative to video games or other diversions, which can get them into trouble, he added.

Giving young people healthy diversions was exactly what the late Oscar Cooler had in mind when he pushed Hillsborough County commissioners to provide land for a baseball field in Lutz. When commissioners were dragging their heels about providing funding to build the baseball facility, Cooler recruited community volunteers to get the job done.

That was decades ago. Since then, thousands of youths have enjoyed a sports complex that has brought together generations of families to play and watch sports.

“When you have something of that kind of legacy, that’s been part of a community for so long, it’s really important to embrace that and have that story continue on,” Stanislow said.

Lutz Baseball is a nonprofit organization. For more information, visit LutzBaseball.com.

If you go …
WHAT: ‘Domingo’ Day at Oscar Cooler Sports Complex
WHEN: Sept. 14, with registration at 10:30 a.m., and event concluding with a 3 p.m. awards ceremony
DETAILS: Baseball clinics led by the University of South Florida baseball team, with visits from baseball celebrity Domingo
Ayala; a hit, run and throw contest; a keynote speech from Ayala; and an awards presentation.
COST: $25

VIP Tent Access
Those wanting more personal access to Domingo Ayala can have their pictures taken with him in a VIP tent. Cost is $50 per person, $150 per family

Play It Again Sports equipment drive:
Sept. 14 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., at parking lot at Oscar Cooler Park, 766 E. Lutz Lake Fern Road

Play It Again Sports will purchase used sporting equipment from people who wish to donate. Proceeds will help improve the baseball facilities at Oscar Cooler Park. The company will purchase equipment used in all sorts of sports.

Charity Golf and Banquet:
WHERE: Avila Golf & Country Club, 943 Guisando De Avila in Tampa
WHO: Baseball legend Lou Piniella, keynote speaker
WHEN: Sept. 15, with golf tournament at 1 p.m. The banquet and silent auction is from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.
COST: Packages and sponsorships range from $75 to $5,000
INFO: LutzBaseball.com

Published September 3, 2014

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Dwindling ranks of golfers handicap golf courses

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Golf courses are in trouble, and Florida — which boasts more golf courses than any other state in the nation — could be hit the hardest.

The latest to experience trouble is Scotland Yards Golf Club on U.S. 301 in Dade City. The bank that holds the mortgage on the course, First National Bank of Pasco, started foreclosure proceedings against the 100-acre course last month. However, course owner David Rinaldo says those problems look worse than they actually are.

Golf courses are a favorite pastime of many older players, but have not really attracted the younger generation. For golfers like Richard Buddy of Wesley Chapel, it might be harder to find golf courses in the future. (Courtesy of Ron Ludwin)
Golf courses are a favorite pastime of many older players, but have not really attracted the younger generation. For golfers like Richard Buddy of Wesley Chapel, it might be harder to find golf courses in the future.
(Courtesy of Ron Ludwin)

“The course has financial issues like every golf course in America,” Rinaldo told The Laker/Lutz News in an email. “But it is not shutting down.”

Golf courses are suffering financially in different parts of the country, especially Florida, as interest in the sport wanes from its peak over the last few decades. Last year, 160 golf courses shut down in the nation, and 300 have closed in the last few years, the National Golf Foundation reported, according to published reports.

Florida has more than 1,200 courses, enough to have one course for every 16,000 people. That’s just too many for the market to sustain, one golf pro says, especially with other recreational activities that may be less time consuming and less expensive competing against the game.

“Golf was in its heyday 20 or 30 years ago, when that was the thing to do, both socially and sports wise,” said Laura Sanderson, a pro at Meadow Oaks Golf & Country Club in Hudson. “Everyone built a bunch of golf courses because, back then, we could keep them full. But now people’s interests have changed, especially the younger generation. People just have better things to do with their time and money.”

The summer season hasn’t helped, when many seasonal residents are in their northern homes, and those remaining finding it too hot to hit the links. Even Meadow Oaks, which averages 275 golfers a day during the peak season, is seeing just a little more than 100 during the summer months.

But getting through those times means knowing that it’s coming, and being ready for it. Quail Hollow Golf Course in Wesley Chapel, for example, has focused on attracting a lot of non-golf events like motorcycle shows and big band performances, Sanderson said.

“You just have to take care of where you’re at,” said Nic Kalojiannis, one of the people in the ownership group that leases and manages Heritage Harbor Golf and Country Club in Lutz. “We do a lot of weddings, sweet 16s, and golf tournaments. It’s a process as a whole that you need to have, just to try and get you through tough seasonal times. Like this year, it’s rained pretty much all day every day, it seems like.”

These events give exposure to the golf course, which is owned by the Heritage Harbor Community Development District.

“We’re out here on Lutz Lake Fern Road off of North Dale Mabry, and we have a beautiful sign and the upkeep is really nice,” Kalojiannis said. “But the clubhouse was built in the back, kind of off the beaten path. We always have people coming in to our events telling us they didn’t even know we were back here.”

Other courses, however, would likely struggle no matter what they tried to do. And all of that goes back to how golf courses were originally financed.

Mortgages — typically in the millions of dollars — were structured in a way that a course could pay its note and still make a profit by charging $70 a round, for example.

“People don’t have that kind of excess money anymore, or if they do, they are not really willing to put it toward golf,” Sanderson said.

Instead, many have to cut fees, and then find ways to save expenses. More often than not, golf courses choose to skimp on maintenance — which could drive away even more golfers, and make their financial situation worse.

Even after Plantation Palms Golf Club in Land O’ Lakes shut down in May, maintenance crews kept the course in mostly good shape. However, when the workers stopped coming, the course fell into disrepair.

“After a matter of a couple months of that, it becomes completely unplayable,” Sanderson said. “You’ll lose the greens, and it’s not that you can just go back and mow it. You’ll have to replace it, and that could cost you $1 million right there.”

Plantation Palms was put up for sale last month for $1.2 million, considerably down from the $2.2 million MJS Golf Club LLC paid for it in 2011.

Plantation Palms was one of many communities in the region, and in the country, anchored by golf courses. But that’s not happening anymore. Some homeowners in Plantation Palms complained about the loss of home value, and many golf course designers have turned to Europe and Asia to build new courses, not finding any market in the United States.

But is golf fighting for its life? Sanderson doesn’t think so. It’s more about “righting the ship.”

“Golf is still strong, we just have too much product out there, too many courses out there,” she said. “We definitely need to grow the industry from the standpoint of the younger generation, but we’re just shaking out some of the excess courses. The ones that survive are going to end up being good in the long run.”

Published September 3, 2014

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‘Something for everybody’ is Haslam’s Book Store’s mantra

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If you’re a reader, or know a reader, chances are you’ll find a book to purchase or a gift to buy at Haslam’s Book Store, a St. Petersburg institution since 1933.

Step inside Florida’s largest bookstore and it soon becomes clear you could spend days perusing its vast collection.

Ray Hinst III and Ray Hinst Jr., help customers find what they’re looking for at Haslam’s Book Store, Florida’s largest bookstore in St. Petersburg. The store stocks hundreds of thousands of new and used books. (B.C. Manion/Staff Photo)
Ray Hinst III and Ray Hinst Jr., help customers find what they’re looking for at Haslam’s Book Store, Florida’s largest bookstore in St. Petersburg. The store stocks hundreds of thousands of new and used books.
(B.C. Manion/Staff Photo)

John and Mary Haslam opened the store, which is now situated at 2025 Central Ave., at the height of the Great Depression. In the beginning, the store rented reading materials to patrons for a few cents a day, said Ray Hinst Jr., who now operates the bookstore along with is wife and partner, Suzanne Haslam. Their son, Ray Hinst III, also works at the store, representing the fourth generation of the family-owned business.

Over the years, the bookstore has operated at four locations, expanding along the way. It now takes up about three-quarters of a city block, offering 300,000 to 400,000 new and used books.

“It’s bigger than a lot of libraries, and nowadays, we have more books than a lot of libraries,” said Hinst. Jr.

Its diverse selection of new and used books is intentional.

“We try to have something for everybody. We specialize in what the cash register says the community and the market wants,” Hinst said. “We don’t have an agenda. If there’s a category that sells and there are books available in that category, we’ll go ahead and do it.”

Over the years, the store’s selection evolved.

After World War II, it began offering new books, initially to help fill a need in the construction industry for contractors to prepare for licensing exams.

Then it added a large selection of Bibles, inspired by Hinst’s father-in-law, Charles Haslam, who worked at the store and was a preacher.

“There’s a need for it,” Hinst said. “Folks should have someplace where they can go to have a spiritual resource. That room includes many sides of the spiritual coin.”

The store also has how-to books covering every imaginable topic — from how to be a better writer, to choosing plants for your garden, to perfecting your crochet.

There’s a vast collection of books that are entertaining, amusing or mysterious, including works from Florida writers such as Tim Dorsey, Randy Wayne White, James Swain and Carl Hiaasen.

Book collectors may find it helpful to make an occasional visit to Haslam’s, to help them find that rare book, or two. And parents who want to encourage reading can check out the offerings in the store’s children’s section.

Over the years, Hinst has seen scores of changes in the bookselling industry. Many of the large bookstores have closed because of real estate prices. And electronic publishing and e-books, for instance, have had a considerable impact.

It’s far easier for authors to publish electronically and to have books printed on demand. But the number of publishers printing traditional bound books has plummeted.

The number of titles on the market has soared, but it’s harder to ferret out quality, Hinst said.

“There’s all kinds of stuff out there that you can download. How do you choose?” he asked. “Anyone with a laptop or a tablet or one of these (smartphone) can write a book, and for very, very nominal amounts of money, can publish both electronically and in a printed, bound version. Not everybody has extraordinary and literary command of the English language and so, it can be problematic.”

Besides selling books, Haslam’s also buys them. Hinst suggests anyone who wants to sell him books call ahead to see if he’s interested.

The popularity of authors waxes and wanes, he explained. There are instances when the store would have been interested in a particular author 10 years ago, but isn’t now.

“The people who read that author are generally no longer with us,” Hinst explained.

Values for books fluctuate, too.

“Some things have remained valuable over the years, and as time goes by, may increase in value,” he said. “Other things have peaked in their value, but they’ll hold it. Other things lose their value.”

Demand plays a role, too.

“I may have nine or 10 of them, in which case, I don’t want yours. I don’t care how much it’s worth,” Hinst added.

Ultimately, he said, “we are investing our money in it, so we determine how much we want to invest.”

Besides its size, Haslam’s also is uncommon because it has remained a family operation for more than eight decades. Hinst thinks that’s because the enterprise provides ample challenge for the family members and employees who work there.

“You have to pay attention to your customers, to your market. If your market changes, you need to change with it,” Hinst said. “In a lot of cases, that may be what happens to family businesses, the market changes – there’s an evolution in the service or the product in which they have chosen to engage, and they don’t make that transition. They don’t reflect what’s going on.”

The business is devoted to the preservation of the printed word, but it’s also aware of the importance of profit, Hinst said.

“Keep in mind, we’re a business. We’re not a library,” he said. “We’re not here out of the goodness of our hearts, only. The cash register, we have learned over the decades, is a good guide to success.”

Being a new and used bookseller also offers its own kind of adventure, he said.

“For me, as a buyer, every day is like Christmas. You open up that box of books and you never know what’s going to be in there,” Hinst said. “You never know what phone call you’re going to get – ‘I got some of these’ or ‘I got one of those.’

“It’s that kind of thing that makes it interesting to come to work every day,” he said.

Despite the increasing popularity of electronic readers, Hinst expects printed books to have staying power.

People often ask him: “What are you going to do when books go away?’

He typically responds: “We don’t think they’re going to go away.”

When people buy a book, Hinst noted, they own it. No one can come along later to edit or delete it.

It’s handy, too. No batteries required.

Published September 3, 2014

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