Local News

TAMPA – With Hurricane Milton approaching, the Tampa Bay community raced to pick up the pieces and clean up from Hurricane Helene.

When Tampa Mayor Jane Castor put out a call for local companies to help, Nick Friedman, co-founder of College HUNKS Hauling Junk & Moving, stepped up. 

His company partnered with Tampa to help remove trash and debris from Helene before Milton strikes.

“Our communities have been knocked down, and now, we’re getting kicked,” Friedman said. “But this is a resilient country, and we will make it through.”

Friedman’s home, his parents’ and in-laws’ homes were flooded and damaged by Helene. He wanted his business to help prevent others from going through the same pain of rebuilding.

Many local streets were lined with water-damaged items – soaked mattresses, ruined furniture, and other debris – that were put out for collection after Helene.

With Milton closing in, the concern was those items becoming dangerous projectiles. 

College HUNKS crews had removed 39 truckloads of debris the Sunday and Monday before Hurricane Milton’s arrival. 

The moving and junk removal company has more than 200 franchise locations nationwide, including hard-hit areas like Tampa and Asheville, N.C.

“In Asheville, some of our HUNKS are even sleeping, eating and showering at our office there because they lost their homes, and then, they’re going out on our trucks to help with the cleanup,” Friedman said.

ST. LEO – Saint Leo University will close the following locations for students from Oct. 7 to 10 in response to Tropical Storm Milton:

• University Campus, 33701 County Road 52, St. Leo.
• Tampa Education Center (1403 N. Howard Ave., Tampa.
• Center for Adult Learning (University Campusand Pasco-Hernando State College locations.

Classes offered at these locations are canceled. Students should not report to these locations.

Students at the Key West Education Center (Naval Air Station Key West, A-718 Essex Circle, Key West) should look for instruction from the base for closure information.

All other university locations are operating business as usual, but should continue to monitor www.saintleo.edu for updates.

Employees of Saint Leo need to report to work Oct. 7 to prepare their areas for the storm. After Oct. 7, only essential personnel will be permitted at these locations Oct. 8 to 10.

The university will continue to monitor Tropical Storm Milton in partnership with appropriate agencies through the week.

Information about reopening will be provided following the storm on the Saint Leo University website and through the Everbridge app, which is the university’s emergency notification system.

TAMPA – Bread on the Bay and Gasparilla Pizzeria are so good at preparing Cuban sandwiches, you could say they have it down to a science. 

MOSI, Tampa’s Museum of Science & Industry, recognized the two restaurants as winners of its Science of the Cuban Sandwich event Sept. 28.

Bread on the Bay was the Cuban sandwich of choice among event judges while Gasparilla Pizzeria was the people’s champ. 

Last year’s inaugural champion, Havana Fresca, as well as Zydeco Brew Werks MOSI, both won honorable mention. 

The event was one part delicious and one part educational as MOSI exhibits explored the physics of the perfect press, the chemistry of flavor combinations and the biology of taste. 

“Our goal at MOSI is to make science fun and relatable,” MOSI CEO John Graydon Smith said. “Events like Science of the Cuban Sandwich let us take something everyone loves and show them how science is at the heart of things we do every day. It’s all about making those real-world connections that leave a lasting impact.”

The event was presented by The Mosaic Company. Jackie Barron, public affairs manager, said the firm supports events that strengthen local communities and highlight the importance of food. 

“Our community investments focus on food, water and enriching local spaces,” Barron said “The Science of the Cuban Sandwich brings all those elements together in a fresh and engaging way.”

TAMPA – Andrea Badaan, a Wesley Chapel woman who has beaten breast cancer, was recognized Sept. 29 during the Tampa Bay Buccaneers game as the AdventHealth Goal Getter.

Andrea was diagnosed with breast cancer in June 2022. She received treatment and support at AdventHealth Wesley Chapel. Now that she is cancer free, she participates in awareness events in her community and supports others who are going through treatment for breast cancer.

Andrea said the experience has made her stronger. The support she received during treatment at AdventHealth inspired her to help others.

“The medical staff and professionals are awesome.” Andrea said. “They are so dedicated and passionate and by getting help, I’m helping others, just by sharing my story.”

LAND O’ LAKES – Superintendent Kurt Browning said he was proud of how Pasco County Schools opened and staffed five shelters in anticipation of Hurricane Helene. 

Shelters were at Centennial Middle (Dade City); Fivay High (Hudson); Wiregrass Ranch High (Wesley Chapel); River Ridge middle and high (New Port Richey); and Sunlake High (Land O’ Lakes).

“The superintendent’s immediate staff just coalesced so quickly to address all the needs from finances to staffing of shelters to payroll to damage control, mitigation, employee care, battening down schools,” Browning said during the Oct. 1 school board meeting. “I can’t thank them enough for what they did, and it just wasn’t between the hours of 8 and 5.”

Browning said the district is assessing employees that have been adversely impacted by the storm. 

“We do have several principals and also one of our assistant superintendents who were impacted by the storm and they’ve all been continuing to do their work as well as trying to keep their lives in order and support their staff who were also affected,” said Tom Barker, assistant superintendent for elementary schools. “I echo the sentiment that we have amazing staff in this county.“

Jeff Larsen, president of the United School Employees of Pasco, said the response to Hurricane Helene demonstrated how district staff are heroes.

Larsen said many district employees left work on Wednesday to assist members of the community staying at shelters. And several have been helping with hurricane recovery.

“On Monday, many of these impacted people paused their own recovery efforts to come to work,” Larsen said. “I know of teachers and (school-related personnel) that lost everything due to flooding and they still came to work on Monday.”

One teacher told Larsen, “I just wanted my students to be able to feel normal.“

I’d like to take a moment to acknowledge the catastrophic loss that some of our families, employees and community members suffered last week due to Hurricane Helene. 

We know you are hurting, and we will do what we can to support you. 

Thank you to all our employees, our community partners, our first responders for your efforts to keep our Pasco residents safe during the storm, and for all the help cleaning up and coming to aid all of our residents in the aftermath.

We had our employees away from their own families working in shelters and evaluating damages to our sites.

I want to thank the superintendent and his staff for keeping the board informed throughout the weekend. 

This storm was devastating to our community and across several states as we know 

I know we are all feeling the impacts and are concerned about everyone’s well-being. 

As we get back to business today, let’s keep our students and our employees as well as all our Pasco residents at the forefront of our decisions – all the decisions we make as we always do. 

Colleen Beaudoin, a District 2 representative, on the Pasco County Schools Board of Education, gave these remarks Oct. 1 during the school board meeting. 

The Pasco County Board of County Commissioners recently recognized Suzanne Renczkowski for having worked for Pasco Economic Development Council for 30 years.

She is currently Pasco EDC’s director of operations.

The Pasco County Committee of 100 originally hired her on July 18, 1994. Its name officially changed to Pasco Economic Development Council on Oct. 1, 1998.

Pasco EDC is dedicated to the growth and prosperity of Pasco County through the development of a sustainable and diversified economy.  

Renczkowski, who is now 63, said she plans to work for Pasco EDC for two more years until she reaches the magic age of 65 when she will qualify for Medicare.

She added that her husband of 43 years, John Renczkowski, has already retired.

“Suzanne Renczkowski has been devoted to the Pasco Economic Development Council and its mission and vision for 30 years, demonstrating unwavering commitment and dedication to enhancing the professional landscape of Pasco County since beginning her career with them in 1994,” said part of the resolution the board adopted in August to recognize her accomplishments.

“Oh, gosh, no!” she said when asked if she had anticipated working for Pasco EDC for three decades. 

“It’s worked out well with me and my family. I like to work Monday through Friday and to have a very stable work environment,” Renczkowski said. 

Her job there has been very satisfying, said Renczkowski, who works in a significant support role for the organization.

“This job’s never boring because it’s always changing,” she said. That’s because of how Pasco County has continued to grow over the years, even during 2009 when the national economy took a downturn, she added.

As director of operations she is responsible for, among other things, serving as executive assistant to Bill Cronin, who has been Pasco EDC’s president/CEO since Jan. 19, 2016. She also assisted two other former chief executives – John Hagen, who led Pasco EDC from January 2010 to October 2015; and Mary Jane Stanley, who headed up Pasco EDC – and its predecessor the Pasco County Committee of 100 – from 1994 to June 30, 2009. 

Some of Renczkowski’s other duties include handling the organization’s payroll, accounts payable and receivable, and playing a pivotal role in the planning and execution of all major events for Pasco EDC, including the Annual Awards, NetFest and the Holiday Social.

She’s not quite as heavily involved in as many of those major roles now because Pasco EDC currently has a staff of 14 people, she said. This is a lot more employees than were working for the Committee of 100 when she started there in 1994, she added.

Although much of her work has been done “behind the scenes,” as she described it, Renczkowski said she’s thrilled about the number of things her employer has been able to accomplish during the time she has worked for them.

Some of her coworkers refer to her as the “office psychologist,” Renczkowski said with a chuckle. She explained that is because they come to her for help when they have questions or concerns. She’s able to help them, she said, because she knows a lot of the history of both Pasco EDC and Pasco County. 

The board’s resolution also gave Renczkowski credit for having “served as a mentor to many team members over the years.”

She has a solid background in business because she is a graduate of Taylor Business Institute, based in New Jersey. Renczkowski was one of its students during 1980 while she had worked for eye surgeon Dr. John Norris as he was developing cataract surgery with Dr. Gills. And she also took business courses at Saint Leo University in 1993 while working there as its public affairs coordinator, part of the board’s resolution said.

“Suzanne’s commitment to the betterment of Pasco County throughout her extensive career has not only bolstered economic development in Pasco County but has been an inspiration to many and has shown true passion for her community,” the board’s resolution said.