Local News

Make a choice to stay alive, speaker says

September 25, 2013 By B.C. Manion

“I’d like you to imagine the most important person in your life,” Cara Filler told the crowd in Gaither High School’s auditorium.

“With your eyes closed, imagine what your life would be without them.”

That’s how Filler began her talk during a motivational speaking appearance in front of Gaither’s senior class.

The most important person in Filler’s life was her twin sister, Mairin Johnston. But she died the day after they shared their 18th birthday, not long after they graduated from high school.

It was a car accident just three miles away from the mall where both had just been hired to work at a Disney store. Mairin left the mall with her boyfriend driving, allegedly hitting speeds of 110 mph in a 35-mph zone. He lost control of the car and crashed.

The boyfriend sustained some minor injuries. He paid a $150 speeding ticket and spent 15 days in jail. Mairin lost her life.

This was Filler’s best friend. The person who was going to be her maid of honor. The one who would be hanging out with her when they were in their 80s.

Now Filler shares her story through the “Drive to Save Lives” tour, talking about the importance of making smart choices to stay safe.

She made similar stops at Wharton and Steinbrenner high schools, too, which were among the 10 schools in Florida she visited to spread her message.

Students Against Destructive Decisions, better known as SADD, and the Florida Department of Transportation sponsored Filler’s appearances.

“FDOT, for the first time, has put teen safe driving as part of their strategic plan,” said Danielle Branciforte, SADD’s state coordinator. These kinds of presentations remind students “that there are consequences for every action,” Branciforte said.

At times during Filler’s hour-long talk, one could hear a pin drop in the auditorium. At other times, the place rocked with laughter. In the end, students gave Filler a standing ovation.

Many said they appreciated her candor, her humor and her practical advice.

Filler, who grew up in Vancouver, B.C., now lives north of Portland, Ore.

She travels around the country, coaxing audience members to keep themselves safe and avoid becoming statistics. She gives about 150 talks a year and has been doing that for 18 years.

“I can tell you the second my sister died,” said Filler, who was driving behind her sister and witnessed the crash. She could only watch as emergency workers at the scene were unable to save her. “She died because she made a bad choice.”

Filler said she continues to give the talks because she wants her sister’s death to have meaning.

“I’m sick and tired of car crashes being the No. 1 killer of youth,” Filler said. “I watched them rip the car apart to try to get my sister out. There was nothing they could do for her.”

While recounting her sister’s death was dramatic and poignant, Filler’s talk also painted a portrait of the joys and hassles of life as a twin.

She used self-deprecating humor to build connections with the audience, believing that if she can make the kids laugh, she can also make them listen.

Gaither principal Marie Whelan told students that she is always concerned about their safety, and she encouraged them to look out for themselves and their friends. She wants to see them walk across the stage on graduation day next June.

“I want you to be able to be that maid of honor or best man in your best friends’ weddings,” Whelan said. “I want you to be there for them, when their children are born and all of those special moments in life.”

Sharon Hall, program manager for Mothers Against Drunk Driving, knows too well the depth of Filler’s pain.

State troopers knocked at Hall’s door at 11 one night five years ago to tell her that her 26-year-old son, Louis B. Hall, was killed in a wreck on the Lee Roy Selmon Expressway. He was a passenger.

“The driver was speeding, and impaired, and lost control,” Hall said.

Some members of Gaither’s SADD chapter said they think Filler’s comments will hit home with their peers.

“I think she gave great tips on how to prevent accidents,” said Autumn Riedy, 17. “Every day teenagers go to parties and you can prevent stuff (from) happening.”

Brad Smith, 17, said he thinks Filler’s talk “really opened the eyes of a lot of students who think, ‘It’s not going to happen to me.’

“We’re all going to college next year. This is a good message to keep in the back of your heads, to make good decisions. Sometimes just saying, ‘No,’ is all you have to say,” Smith said.

It’s also important to intervene, to help friends avoid foolish actions, Smith said.

“If you don’t say something and something happens, you’re going to regret it,” he said.

Distracted driving is a big issue, said Brittany French, 17.

“My dad is always telling me not to text and drive,” she said. “You’re looking down. You’re not really paying attention.”

French connected when Filler asked the crowd to imagine the person closest to them.

“Personally, mine would be my little sister,” French said. “She’s my everything. I couldn’t imagine my life without her.”

There are times when teenagers know it’s not safe to get in a car with friends, but might not know how to say no. Motivational speaker Cara Filler offers these four approaches:
• Don’t get in the car — There are always other options, Filler said.
• If you’re already in a car, and it’s dangerous, get out of the car — “Speak up for yourself,” Filler said. “My sister didn’t. That’s why she’s dead.”
• Lie if you have to — “Tell the driver you have to pee,” Filler said. Or tell the driver “you think you’re going to puke.”
• Call your parents — Not popular, Filler said, but it’s a move that can save lives.
Teenagers not driving can also volunteer to be the “designated texter,” to make sure the driver doesn’t do that.
And if all else fails? “Hide the car keys,” Filler said.

— B.C. Manion

Seifert cultivates gardens, artistic talent

September 25, 2013 By B.C. Manion

It doesn’t take long to see that something unusual is going on at this 5-acre spread in Dade City.

The topiaries at the front of the property are a dead giveaway that creativity has found a home here.

There’s a horse with a mane made of vines. Three mushrooms squat beneath giant oaks. A dolphin leaps in mid-flight. And a baby elephant, complete with a water-hose trunk, serves as a giant planter.

These are just a few tangible examples of Cindy Seifert’s imagination at work.

Cindy Seifert poses with her topiary horse, one of many pieces she plans to have at her home in Dade City. (Photo by B.C. Manion)

Walk out behind the artist’s home and you’ll find a butterfly garden, with plenty of winged creatures hanging out.

She’ll show you where the herbs used to be, before the butterflies gobbled them up. And, she’ll guide you to a bush, where caterpillars are munching away — preparing for the time when they’ll become cocoons and later emerge as winged beauties.

Glance to the rear of her yard and you’ll see a garden shed that looks like an old-fashioned wood-plank building.

Ah, but appearances are deceiving — Seifert’s shed is made of plywood, painted to look like planks.

Step inside her office and you’ll find more examples of Seifert’s works of whimsy. There’s a carousel figure and some caricature sculptures.

And, poke your head into the basement and you’ll find a classroom, where Seifert has begun offering classes for women and children.

“What they learn to do is think like artists. They learn to identify shapes,” she said.

Her students learn to recognize how objects of everyday life are made up of various shapes.”

“Everything,” according to Seifert, “is made of shapes.”

The artist is also passionate about nature and teaches people how to design their own butterfly gardens.

Her classes are $20 an hour. It typically takes four one-hour classes to learn how to design a butterfly garden, said Seifert, who is actually self-taught.

“I’ve been creating art ever since I was a very small child,” said the woman who grew up in Ohio. “My first paying job, I was in third-grade. My girlfriend’s father commissioned me to paint a picture for their dairy farm, a cow’s picture. After that, the dairy farmers hired me to paint pictures.

“I was able to make a sizable side income.”

She later worked as a commercial artist. Now, she creates sculptures, murals, portraits and other works. She does much of her business online.

Seifert became interested in creating topiaries after making carousel figures about 15 years ago.

“There was an art show at the Northdale Library, the original location down in Tampa, and I brought one of my carousel figures in,” she said. “The response was overwhelming.”

As a result of that show, Seifert was commissioned to build some carousel figures for the children’s area at the library.

“The topiaries are actually built off the blueprints I created to build the carousel figures,” Seifert said, adding she doesn’t use pressed molds or prefabricate her works. “Everything is handcrafted. I design everything, blueprint everything.”

Seifert decided to start offering lessons so she could share her knowledge and her love for art and gardening. She calls her classes “Lessons from Cindy Seifert Art Gardens.”

At the moment, she has just five students, but she believes she’s been called to create the program.

“I think that God puts us here for a reason — to share our knowledge, and I think that it is a privilege,” Seifert said. “God has given me stewardship of all of these things here in my life, — to be able to not just cultivate a garden, but to cultivate minds.”

For more information about Cindy Seifert, her art and her classes, visit www.CindySeifertArt.com, or call (352) 588-3832.

Hair-raising fundraising event planned for Land O’ Lakes teen

September 25, 2013 By Michael Hinman

Emily Raymond was just 1 when her hair first starting falling out.

She was diagnosed with an autoimmune form of alopecia, where Emily’s immune system attacks hair follicles, preventing new hair from growing.

As a young girl, Emily covered her head with hats or bandanas. But since seventh grade, the now 17-year-old Land O’ Lakes High School senior has worn wigs,

“When I got my first wig, I didn’t really want to wear it,” Raymond said. “I was just afraid to, I guess.”

It took Audrey Pease three years to grow her hair this long, and only seconds for stylist Lucy Rosado of Susan’s Mane Tamer in Lutz to cut it off. It’s all to support Emily Raymond, background, and Locks of Love. (Photo by Michael Hinman)

Good wigs, especially those made from natural human hair, are expensive, ranging in price from $700 to $2,000, she said. That’s why nonprofit groups like Locks of Love are so needed.

“I am definitely grateful,” said Raymond, who plans to attend Pasco-Hernando Community College next year to begin studying to become a dental hygienist. “It’s wonderful that people want to grow their hair out and donate it to for others to wear.”

That’s what Audrey Pease, a Mary Kay cosmetics sales consultant, decided to do for Raymond. Pease met her when Raymond was just 12. Her son and Raymond’s brother attended Boy Scout meetings together, and Raymond would tag along.

“I didn’t really understand what was going on with her,” Pease said. “But when I learned what was wrong, and what it costs to buy wigs, I knew I had to help.”

Pease tried a fundraiser through Mary Kay, raising $100 for a wig. But as an encore, Pease decided to add something to this year’s fundraiser — she would actually donate some of her hair.

“I’d been growing it for three years, and I didn’t want to get it cut until it was long enough to help Emily,” Pease said.

Locks of Love, which started in 1997, requires hair donations to be at least 10 inches long. It has to be bundled in a ponytail or braid, and cannot be bleached. Pease had 12 inches of hair ready to go, and it took just seconds for stylist Lucy Rosado to cut it away.

“I love my new haircut,” Pease said afterward. “My hair had been getting in my face a lot, and made it hard for me to turn my head while I was driving. It’s shorter now than what it was when I first started to grow it out, so it will take some getting used to.”

Pease’s hair will not necessarily go to Raymond. However, such donations can save Locks of Love money from acquiring hair from other sources, thus bringing their overall costs down. The nonprofit does sell hair it doesn’t or can’t use, a controversial practice it says is necessary to help offset manufacturing costs. That includes shorter and gray hair.

While Raymond won’t benefit directly from Pease’s hair donation, she will benefit from Pease’s latest fundraiser. Through Nov. 15, Pease is donating 40 percent of her Mary Kay sales to help Raymond get a new wig.

“That’s pretty much everything I make from the sale,” Pease said. “But it’s absolutely worth it.”

Raymond has two wigs custom-made for her right now, but she really only uses one. At one point she had four, but she donated two of hers to a family friend who also was losing her hair.

“I joke around with my friends that I could just get a bunch of different-colored wigs, and wear a different wig each and every day,” Raymond said. “I want to do it.”

For more information on Audrey Pease’s fundraising benefit for Emily Raymond, visit tinyurl.com/RaymondLocks.

On your marks, get set, wobble

September 25, 2013 By B.C. Manion

Runners who enjoy starting their Thanksgiving Day with a Turkey Trot will have a new option this holiday season.

Instead of driving to the Turkey Trot in Clearwater or the FishHawk Turkey Trot, area runners will be able to do a 5-kilometer or a one-miler at the first Wiregrass Wobble Turkey Trot at The Shops at Wiregrass in Wesley Chapel. The race will begin at 7:30 a.m. on Nov. 28.

A look at some of the participants of a weekly Thursday night run at The Shops at Wiregrass in Wesley Chapel. The Thursday night runners inspired the idea for the Wiregrass Wobble Turkey Trot, scheduled for the first time this coming Thanksgiving. (Photo by B.C. Manion)

Brink, the race director, came up with the idea for the Wiregrass Wobble. However, he credits his wife Erica with coming up with the name and dreaming up the prize that winners will receive — an engraved carving board for use at their holiday gatherings later in the day.

Besides giving runners a new race, the event is raising money for Feeding America Tampa Bay and the New Tampa YMCA.

Brink, who is general manager of Fitniche at The Shops at Wiregrass, said the idea for the event came out of the weekly run he organizes at the mall every Thursday night.

There are two groups of runners who run at the mall with one heading out at 6 p.m., and the second at 6:30 p.m., Brink said.

Since they always meet on Thursdays, they decided to do a morning run last Thanksgiving.

They announced that plan about a week before Thanksgiving, Brink said. Much to his surprise, roughly 150 people showed up.

Brink figured if that many people turned out with just a week’s notice, the event could draw substantially more runners with more lead time. Thus began the planning for this year’s event, which Brink believes will attract at least 1,000 runners.

“We have Seven Oaks and Meadow Pointe and all of these giant neighborhoods within a few miles of here that are (homes to) young families,” Brink said.

He expects runners to come from such communities as Wesley Chapel, New Tampa, Zephyrhills, Dade City, Land O’ Lakes and Lutz.

Lutz resident Jonathan Bosque, 18, said he plans to be there. The Freedom High student has run at the Turkey Trot in Clearwater for the past three years.

“I just love running,” Bosque said. “This is a great community place for running.”

Brink said he expects the Wiregrass Wobble to become a premier event for the area because the other Turkey Trots are so far away.

“The Clearwater one is the biggest one. They have about 15,000 people doing four different races,” Brink said. “To get down there, to get parking, to get registered, everything like that, it’s going to take over an hour to do all that.

“There’s so many people in the North Tampa area that have no desire to wake up that early on Thanksgiving morning. So, really the area needed something like this. I think we’re going to have a huge turnout,” Brink said.

He also noted that once the county gets a planned park built on adjacent land in Wiregrass Ranch, organizers can add a 10k run.

The route of the Wiregrass Wobble’s 5k will go around the mall and Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel, ending to the top of the mall’s parking garage.

“Doing 3.1 miles takes some maneuvering,” Brink said, noting the idea is to keep the race off busy roads. “Luckily we have a really big parking garage over there — that will give us some distance.”

The race director thinks the event will be a popular choice for families who want to take a walk or run before settling down later to their Thanksgiving meals. He also thinks it will be a nice option for people who are having family in for the holiday.

“People are traveling on Thanksgiving to be with family. They’re looking for something to do together,” Brink said.

Runners who register early enough will receive a T-shirt that’s designed to keep them dry and cool while they race. The 5k will also be a chip-timed event, Brink said. The chip ensures that racers are timed from the start line to the finish.

Registration is $25 for the 5k and $20 for the one-miler.

Runners who sign up in person at any Fitniche location or the New Tampa YMCA can get a $5 discount if they donate five nonperishable goods for the food bank, Brink said.

Registrations are also being accepted online at signmeup.com.

Runners will also be able to register on race day.

<b><i>Story updated to reflect correct date of Nov. 28.</b></i>

Sleeping Pasco communities reawakened with new homes

September 25, 2013 By Michael Hinman

Just a few years ago, if you built it, hundreds would come to line up wanting to buy it.

It was a housing boom like no other seen before, a bubble that popped so loudly, it almost took the nation’s entire economy with it.

Connerton has just a few hundred of the proposed 8,000 homes built off U.S. 41, but that will continue to grow, especially as the housing market rebounds. Since its relaunch in May, Connerton has already closed on 40 new homes. (Photo by Michael Hinman)

One of the states hit worst by the housing crash was Florida, especially Pasco County, which saw unprecedented new home growth right before the market came to a screeching halt. Suddenly communities that once had to figure out how to build homes fast enough were now trying to figure out how to sell the homes they already had. Life switched from community developers making huge profits, to just trying to survive.

And it was clear that not everyone was going to make it through — with all eyes on Connerton.

“There were a few times when we thought the market was getting better, only to find it didn’t,” said Stewart Gibbons, an executive-turned-consultant with Connerton.

The community, which was considered one of Pasco’s crown jewel developments when it was first proposed in the 1990s, was designed to eventually bring 8,000 homes just off U.S. 41 just south of State Road 52. By the time of the crash, however, just 300 homes had been built, and there was tremendous concern by some there wouldn’t be any more. Especially when Terrabrook, Connerton’s original developer, pulled out in 2009.

“There was a lot of information out there, frankly some information that was incorrect and slanted, and naturally, when you’re a large community, people are going to focus on you,” Gibbons said. “We certainly saw the effects of that to some degree.”

However, Connerton may be emerging from dark times. The construction industry, dormant for years, has now returned. And since relaunching under a new owner last May — CoastOak Group and Hayman Woods LLC — Connerton has sold some 40 homes, and is poised to do even more before the year is out.

And Connerton is not alone. Some of Pasco’s other large communities, which suffered during the downturn, are starting to come back. And the timing couldn’t be better to see more people calling this part of the county home.

Bright future?

“We love the Tampa market,” said Barbara Kininmonth, sales and marketing director for Crown Community Development, which owns the WaterGrass development off Curley Road. “We love it so much that we sold out all our single-family lots at WaterGrass.”

The community, designed for just under 1,200 homes, has more than 600 in the books already. With the first phase complete, Crown now has plans to start 356 additional homes using five builders — Standard Pacific Homes, Ryland Homes, Homes by WestBay, Bakerfield Luxury Homes and Arthur Rutenberg Homes.

Sales picked up briskly once the housing market returned because WaterGrass spent the money needed to maintain common areas, and to keep it attractive for any potential buyers who wandered in.

“We develop communities across the country, and our standards never decreased,” Kininmonth said. “The level of upkeep for the community never changed. We worked to make sure lots were ready for builders, and we continued on plans for parks and other amenities, all as they were originally planned” during the boom.

The spring quarter has made many builders optimistic. Metrostudy, a company that tracks housing data across the country, said the Tampa Bay area experienced 1,838 housing starts during that time period, up nearly 48 percent from a year ago. However, actual closings are down a bit compared to the same time in 2012, off by just less than 6 percent. That may be because of the lukewarm job growth in the area.

“We’re very bullish on the whole Tampa market,” said David Caillouette, the owner’s representative for LakeShore Ranch off U.S. 41, not far from Connerton. “I would love to see job growth come back because housing is dependent on job growth.”

Last spring, 33,300 new jobs were reported in the Tampa Bay region, according to the same Metrostudy report, up nearly 3 percent. However, unemployment rates are still fluctuating between 6.9 percent and 7.2 percent. Yet, it’s a far cry from more than 9 percent unemployment, which is where Florida was a year ago.

Help wanted

Some of the jobs coming back are construction. In fact, the only reason why the construction industry hasn’t grown faster is because there aren’t enough skilled people in the area to fill the jobs.

And that could slow housing growth in Pasco.

“We lost an awful lot of the labor force” after the crash, said Connerton’s Gibbons, who also speaks on behalf of the Tampa Bay Builders Association. “They just wanted jobs, so many people moved on to other geographic areas like Texas, and others left the industry altogether, and probably won’t be coming back.”

Also possibly hurting some communities is the Pasco County Commission’s recent failure to pass a gas tax hike. Such money could’ve been used to maintain worn roads, like those found in communities trying to get back on their feet. Connerton, for example, built its roads several years ago, but depends on the county to maintain them.

“If you don’t maintain potholes, they only get bigger and more expensive to fix,” Gibbons said. “The tax would’ve cost people an additional $2 or $3 a month, which seemed like a fairly modest number. The county has such a strong emphasis on economic development, but it’s hard to do if the roads are bad.”

Since the housing crash of 2008, there have been several starts and stops in the market that only teased a recovery. That has resulted in a cautious approach by builders, even as Pasco’s demand for homes continue to grow.

“We don’t want a repeat of a few years ago where everyone built far more homes than people were actually able to buy,” said LakeShore Ranch’s Caillouette.

“People wanted to move to the suburbs before the economy went south, and Pasco was the next spot they were all going to. We expect we’ll be picking up right where we left off.”

Except now at a much different — and slower — pace.

Public is invited to peace-building program

September 25, 2013 By Special to The Laker/Lutz News

A peace-building program, sponsored by Saint Leo University and some other organizations, will be offered at two locations on Sept. 30.

The event will feature Rabbi Ron Kronish, director of the Interreligious Coordinating Council in Israel, and Qadi (Judge) Iyad Zahalka, head of the Muslim Sharia Court in Jerusalem. They will discuss “The Other Peace Process–Interreligious Dialogue in the Service of Peace.”

The speakers will share their thinking on grassroots efforts at peace building. The event will be hosted by Saint Leo’s Center for Catholic-Jewish Studies.

The program will be presented twice. The first session is scheduled from 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., in the Student Community Center, Greenfelder-Denlinger, 33701 State Road 52 in Saint Leo, four miles east of Interstate 75.

An evening session is scheduled from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Congregation Beth Am, 2030 W. Fletcher Ave. in Tampa.

The event is free and open to the public, but space is limited so admission will be first-come, first-serve.

Besides Saint Leo, other sponsors of the event are Congregation Beth Am, University Ministry and West Central Florida Pathology Associates/Harvey Feld M.D.

For more information and to register, contact Abraham Peck, executive director of

Saint Leo University’s Center for Catholic-Jewish Studies, at (352) 588-7298 or .

Suncoast Parkway ramps to close this weekend

September 25, 2013 By Michael Hinman

Ongoing construction on the Veterans Expressway and Suncoast Parkway could mean some delays and detours in the coming weeks.

The Florida Department of Transportation plans to close the State Road 54 northbound off-ramp of the Suncoast Parkway from 9 p.m. Sept. 25 to 6 a.m. Sept. 26 for the installation of a temporary asphalt and barrier wall. The southbound off-ramp of County Line Road will be closed from 9 p.m. Sept. 26 to 6 a.m. Sept. 27 for the same reason.

This is all part of the continued conversion project that will make the entire Suncoast Parkway all-electronic tolling between Van Dyke Road and U.S. 98. The total project is costing $24.2 million. It includes gantry foundation installation, toll plaza equipment buildings, asphalt milling and resurfacing, roadway reconstruction and widening, lighting, drainage, utilities and final landscape work.

The 42-mile project is expected to be completed by June 2015.

Throughout the rest of the Veterans Expressway, drivers should prepare for general lane closures nightly from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m.

FDOT asks that motorists drive with caution through work zones, and adhere to posted detour signs and speed limits. Speeding fines are doubled in construction zones when workers are present.

Motorists in Pasco won’t pay extra at pump

September 18, 2013 By B.C. Manion

Motorists buying gas in Pasco County won’t be faced with an extra nickel-a-gallon tax after a divided Pasco County Commission rejected the proposed increase.

Raising the tax would have required four votes, but during a four-plus-hour public hearing, it became clear that the 5-cent hike lacked the votes to pass.

Chairman Ted Schrader and members Kathryn Starkey and Pat Mulieri supported the additional tax, but commissioners Jack Mariano and Henry Wilson were opposed. The increase needed four votes to pass.

Efforts to compromise by reducing the tax also failed to gain support by Mariano or Wilson.

Instead, the commission decided to shift money out of other gas tax revenues to cover road and bridge maintenance costs. Those funds were intended for road construction projects that now will be built later or removed from the county’s long-range capital improvement plan. Commissioners are expected to weigh in on which roads will be removed from that list before taking their second and final vote on the county’s budget.

The vote to reject the additional gas tax followed extensive public comment, with more than 30 speakers weighing in on the issue.

The testimony broke down into two basic arguments.

Those who favored the tax said the county needs to address deteriorating road conditions. They called the gas tax an investment that would help support the county’s quest to attract more jobs. They said better roads would improve the quality of life and would help give residents the option to stay in Pasco to work, instead of commuting elsewhere.

Those opposed to the tax said that it unfairly burdens those who can least afford it, including single moms driving children to school, middle-aged people looking for jobs, and elderly people heading to medical appointments.

They also argued the government needs to find ways to live within its budget, instead of making taxpayers foot the bill.

“A lot of people are really hurting,” said Denis Murray of Zephyrhills. “There’s a lot of retired people living here. There’s a lot of unemployed people living here. You’re going to hit them right in the pocketbook.”

Barbara Wilhite, an attorney who represented T. Rowe Price, which plans to build an office campus in Pasco, said that having quality infrastructure was a critical issue in attracting the company. She urged commissioners to remain committed to their vision to move the county forward.

“Your leadership is being tested tonight,” she said.

“I think you’re foolish if you turn this down,” Mulieri told her colleagues

But Wilson said he observed those speaking in favor of the tax “make a lot of money,” while those who spoke against it, don’t.

The 5-cent-a-gallon gas tax, which would not have applied to diesel fuel, would have generated $8.1 million a year in revenues, according to county estimates.

While commissioners rejected the gas tax, they unanimously supported a property tax rate increase. Based on the new tax rate, the owner of a $100,000 house, assuming a $50,000 homestead exemption, will pay $33 more a year in property taxes.

Commissioners are scheduled to their final vote on the county’s proposed budget at 6:30 p.m. on Sept. 24 at 7530 Little Road, New Port Richey.

Comics publisher finds magic in Wesley Chapel writer

September 18, 2013 By Michael Hinman

When the last book in J.K. Rowling’s bestselling series, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows,” was released in 2007, Jason De La Torre was in line ready for his copy.

The next Harry Potter could come right from Pasco County. Writer Jason De La Torre has signed a deal to publish his comic book series ‘Star Mage’ with the nation’s sixth-largest distributor. (Photo courtesy of Jason De La Torre)

But once he finished the book, the Wesley Chapel resident realized a troubling fact: There was now a magical void in the world of literature.

So using his own money, De La Torre created “Star Mage,” an enchanting story told in comic book form that takes a young wizard out into space. He wrote the story, hired an artist to ink it. And then shopped it around to all the major comic book publishers.

And De La Torre’s work has paid off. Last week he signed a deal with IDW Publishing in San Diego that will put his story on the shelves of bookstores all over the country next April.

“I grew up reading comics, and I’ve always had a love for them,” De La Torre said. “At one point, in 2011, I just started wondering what goes into being a comic book writer. I knew I couldn’t draw worth a lick, but I knew I could come up with an interesting story.”

“Star Mage” centers around Darien Connors, a 14-year-old boy who discovers he has magical abilities. That discovery, however, pulls him into a war that involves not only his family, but the entire galaxy as well.

“You don’t want to be a cheap rip-off of Harry Potter,” De La Torre said. “You definitely have to be sure the ideas you’re going with are original. That is what I try to do, come up with the most original story I could, but keeping some of the familiarity with what I love and what is successful out there, too.”

Darien’s skills do have a much different explanation. It is part of a practice known as Kishpu, and he’s not the only one that can do it. He quickly teams up with three young friends — Anthaar, Tirwa and Unura — and soon find themselves in battle with a hated enemy, Orasmas Xul Sarrum.

“Star Mage” has all the elements young comic book readers are looking for, while developing a story that will give them something completely new, De La Torre said.

De La Torre was born and raised in Tampa, and moved to Wesley Chapel with his wife Rita in 2007. During the day he’s a tech guy with a healthcare company. His evenings, however, are spent writing the first six issues of “Star Mage,” which IDW will release as a limited series in the spring.

If all goes well, and sales are strong, it could lead to a regular monthly series for “Star Mage” by the end of next year.

Each comic issue takes about 90 days to create from start to finish, with most of that time devoted to the art. Ray Dillon inked the first issue, previously making a name for himself with projects based on Peter Pan and the HBO series “Game of Thrones.” Franco Cespedes takes over after that, continuing a world where science-fiction and magical fantasy collide.

IDW is a newer company, founded in 1999, but it already is the nation’s sixth-largest publisher for many popular franchises like “My Little Pony,” “True Blood,” “Star Trek” and “Transformers.” IDW has even had some of its comics optioned for films by studios like Paramount Pictures and Dimension Films.

With comic book adaptations making billions of dollars at the box office, De La Torre said he can’t help but dream of seeing “Star Mage” on the silver screen.

“If there was a movie, I definitely would want them to respect the original material,” De La Torre said. “But I understand that comics and the actual movie business are two different things, they have to appeal to a much broader audience. That is a part of life.”

And that life could change for De La Torre pretty quickly if “Star Mage” becomes a success. It could mean full-time devotion to writing, and possibly even adapting some of his other independently published novels to the comic form as well.

“I can guarantee you, I will be taking pictures the minute my comic book shows up on the shelf,” De La Torre said. “I have a lot of ideas I’m ready to work on, and I’ll always be focused on things that I would enjoy, and maybe others will enjoy as well.”

Passing the baton to my future daughter-in-law

September 18, 2013 By Diane Kortus

When my son Andy announced his engagement recently, I had flashbacks to his childhood at the same time I was offering congratulations and best wishes.

Andy Mathes, son of Publisher Diane Kortus, and Erin Morgan became engaged in Savannah, Ga., over Labor Day weekend.

When Andy was born 25 years ago, I believed no one could ever love him as much as I did. From the time he was an adorable tow-headed baby to a defiant teenager to an honorable man, I have loved Andy unconditionally. In good times and bad, no matter how angry I got when he tormented his little sister or did not call to tell me when he’d be home, and I’d stay up worrying.

But now another woman loves my son in a way I never can — as his future wife. And I find that a bit humbling, knowing there is someone else with whom Andy shares his deepest thoughts and emotions.

But I am getting ahead of myself. Let me first tell you the love story of Andy Mathes and Erin Morgan.

A Lake Wobegon reference stopped Andy last October as he passed by a table full of teachers in a bar in Yuma, Ariz. A first lieutenant in the U.S. Marines, Andy was out west conducting training. Erin was in Yuma as a second-year middle school teacher. The two met when Andy overheard Erin and her friends talking about Garrison Keillor and the “Prairie Home Companion” radio show.

I’m from Minnesota and my children grew up listening to Garrison most Saturday evenings. By the time they were in kindergarten they knew all about Lake Wobegon, the town where “all the women are strong, all the men are good looking and all the children are above average.”

Growing up, Andy spent summers with his Minnesota relatives, and although a Florida native, I’ve always thought he was a Midwesterner at heart. As it turned out, Erin is from Appleton, Wis., and is a graduate of St. Mary’s University in Winona, Minn. With that Minnesota connection, Andy and Erin had enough in common to begin dating.

Andy called me after meeting Erin and told me he had that instinctive feeling that “she was the one.” While I loved that Erin had good Midwestern values and was of the same Catholic faith, I was not as sure as my idealistic son that he had truly met his future wife.

Of course, Andy proved me wrong. After three weeks in Yuma, Andy went back to his platoon in Camp Lejeune, N.C., and he and Erin continued to talk every day. They met next in the Twin Cities over New Year’s, when Andy conjured up a plan to visit his grandparents after spending Christmas in Land O’ Lakes with me and his sister, Rachel.

Andy rendezvoused with Erin in St. Paul, who got away from her family in Appleton to meet up with Andy in the snow.

And that’s how it came to be that my father and stepmother met Erin before I did, along with my many sisters, brothers, nieces and nephews.

Two months later, Rachel and I finally met Erin. We planned a weekend where we could all meet, and Andy could show Erin the Naval Academy in Annapolis where he had graduated. Not only was Erin charming, but she and Rachel also seemed to have an instant, sisterly connection. I began to think that maybe Andy’s premonition was right.

I wasn’t surprised this spring when Erin decided to apply for teaching positions in school districts close to Camp Lejeune, and was proud when she quickly got a job teaching fourth grade. She joined Andy in North Carolina this summer.

Andy and Erin’s engagement is clouded with both joy and uncertainty. Andy leaves this week for training in southern California before he deploys to Afghanistan this fall. There he will be part of a team of Marines advising the Afghan National Army.

When Andy returns next July, he and Erin will finalize their wedding plans, a celebration that will likely be in Appleton in November, in the church where Erin grew up.

While of course I worry about my son’s deployment, I am comforted knowing he is loved by a wonderful young woman who shares his dreams, and will be waiting for him when he returns home.

And that is truly all any mother wants. To pass the baton on to another woman who will embrace her son in love and share a future of happiness with him.