Local News

Political Agenda 02-05-14

February 6, 2014 By Michael Hinman

Ross officially running again
U.S. Rep. Dennis Ross, R-Lakeland, officially announced the start of his re-election campaign on Jan. 21 at events in Lakeland and Plant City.

Ross, currently in his second term, is a conservative Republican with a platform to lower taxes, protect individual freedoms, and reduce government mandates.

“It has been an honor and a privilege to work on behalf of the good people of Polk and Hillsborough (counties) these past three years in Congress,” Ross said in a release. “I care deeply about our community, and I have been tirelessly fighting for families across the 15th District to ensure that they can keep more of their hard-earned money and maintain their freedoms. I will continue to do all that I can to promote job growth and certainty for the future.”

Ross has already raised more than $380,000, and so far would face former television journalist Alan Cohn in the general election if no one else files to run.

Littlefield won’t seek endorsements
Former State Rep. Ken Littlefield knows his main primary opponent in the Pasco County Commission race has some major endorsements from other local leaders, but he isn’t looking for any himself.

“I will be asking you for your vote because you like me, and because I’ve been able to explain to you” my experience, Littlefield told the Republican Club of Central Pasco last week. “Rather, I will never come to you and say, ‘Vote for me’ because there’s another elected official that thinks I’m pretty cool. I will never come to you and say ‘Vote for me’ because there is another leader in our county who thinks I’m pretty good.”

Littlefield is referring to one of his Republican primary challengers, Mike Moore, who already touts nine endorsements on his campaign website. They are from people like Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco, Pasco County Schools superintendent Kurt Browning, and two mayors — Tim Newlon of San Antonio, and Danny Burgess of Zephyrhills.

Littlefield entered the race Jan. 16, and has yet to file campaign finance reports. Moore, however, is leading the money pack with just under $41,000 raised. The third Republican in the race, Bob Robertson, has raised a little more than $10,000 since announcing his candidacy last summer.

Business Digest 02-05-14

February 6, 2014 By Michael Hinman

St. Luke’s welcomes Glass
Dr. Paul Glass has joined St. Luke’s Cataract & Laser Institute as an optometrist.

He will work in conjunction with many St. Luke’s specialties, including cataract, retina, and glaucoma.

Glass previously led an optometry practice at Sam’s Club in Wesley Chapel. He attended the University of Miami before transferring on an accelerated path to Nova Southeastern University’s College of Optometry.

Glass will work out of St. Luke’s Tarpon Springs, Tampa and St. Petersburg offices.

For more information, call (800) 282-9905, or visit StLukesEye.com.

New name for Gulfside Hospice
Gulfside Hospice now has a new name: Gulfside Hospice & Pasco Palliative Care.

The new name, according to a release, highlights care across the spectrum for patients facing both end-of-life and chronic illness. Gulfside Hospice provides care to Pasco County residents facing a terminal illness with six months or less to live. Pasco Palliative Care patients can receive care at any stage of a chronic sickness, and can continue seeking curative treatment for their illness.

Gulfside Hospice was initially licensed in 1989, and serves more than 375 patients daily. The company employs 250 professionals, and has more than 550 volunteers.

For more information, call (800) 561-4883, or visit GHPPC.org.

Campaign starts for Bayfront Health
Bayfront Health Dade City has launched a multi-media campaign to help spread the word of not only the hospital’s new name, but also what it describes as multiple benefits of having access to its Bayfront Health network.

That network is comprised of seven hospitals and more than 6,000 professionals serving the central Gulf Coast.

The campaign has already launched in January with billboards, and will move into print, radio and television advertising by the middle of February.

“This network gives us the ability to offer a broader range of expertise and services to the community we serve, and it creates tremendous opportunities for our dedicated staff and physicians,” said Shauna McKinnon, chief executive of Bayfront Health Dade City, in a release.

Bayfront Health St. Petersburg will be the flagship hospital for the new network, with other facilities located in Brooksville, Port Charlotte, Punta Gorda, Spring Hill and Venice.

Retail jobs grow by 5.5 percent
Florida retailers added 55,000 jobs between December 2012 and last December — an annual growth rate of 5.5 percent, according to the January release of employment numbers from the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity.

From that, retail trade accounted for nearly a third of the 192,900 jobs created in Florida in 2013, and topped the statewide job growth rate of 2.6 percent, according to the Florida Retail Federation.

The growth of retail in Florida has fueled an increase in sales tax collections, which account for approximately $21 billion of the state budget, the group added.

Overall, the greater Tampa Bay area led all Florida metropolitan areas in over-the-year job growth, according to Gov. Rick Scott’s office, gaining 35,400 new jobs. Unemployment during that period also dropped from 7.9 percent in December 2012 to 5.9 percent last December.

The biggest gains in the area came in trade, transportation and utilities with 9,500 jobs. Close behind was education and health services with 8,500 jobs, followed by professional and business services with 7,900 jobs.

More than 5,700 construction jobs were created compared to the year before, while financial activities added 4,000 jobs.

In December, Florida’s 24 regional workforce boards reported more than 40,800 Floridians were placed in jobs. This represents anyone who receives employment and training assistance through a One-Stop Career Center, and finds a job within 180 days. Florida requires those receiving unemployment benefits to find assistance through a One-Stop Career Center.

For the state as a whole, unemployment dipped from 6.4 percent in November to 6.2 percent in December. Florida has remained below the national unemployment rate average since last April.

Eastern Time, Central Time … Florida Time?

January 30, 2014 By Michael Hinman

Spring forward. Fall back.

Using the seasons as a guide, Americans have used those expressions to figure out when they should set their clocks back an hour, or forward an hour, to switch between standard time and daylight saving time.

Cars line up outside of Steinbrenner High School in Lutz shortly before sunrise this week. Daylight saving time ensures it’s not completely dark when these students go to school, and some lawmakers want to make that time permanent. (Photo by Michael Hinman) — Cars line up outside of Steinbrenner High School in Lutz shortly before sunrise this week. Standard time allows more light in the morning for many students going to school, and some lawmakers want to make daylight saving time permanent. (Photo by Michael Hinman)

The debate over whether to continue this decades-old tradition has raged probably as long as it’s existed. And there have been numerous attempts to abolish it in the past.

None of those attempts have come from State Rep. Mark Danish, however. The New Tampa Democrat is leading the House push to make daylight saving time permanent in Florida. If successful, that would mean no more springing forward and falling back, and could encourage other states to follow suit.

“We keep calling ourselves the ‘Sunshine State,’ yet we cut ourselves off,” Danish said. “I hate the idea that it gets dark so early throughout the whole winter. We’re losing out on the light, and we could use it later in the day.”

Clocks typically fall back an hour in November, and stay that way until the second week of March. That allows the sun to rise just after 7 a.m., this time of year, instead of just after 8 a.m., during standard time.

The extra sunlight has to go somewhere, however. Right now, the sun is setting around 6 p.m., instead of 7 p.m.

It does mean more light for people on their way to work, and means bus stops aren’t cloaked in darkness for school children. But Danish’s bill — along with a sister bill in the State Senate — would change that.

Daylight saving time dates back to World War I as an effort to conserve fuel, according to some historical publications. It didn’t become formalized in the United States until 1966, which originally started daylight saving time in April, and ended it in October. States were allowed to exempt themselves from daylight savings, but only if the entire state did it. In the last nearly 50 years, only Arizona and Hawaii have opted out.

But those states don’t have the population Florida does, and such a change could have lasting regional impact.

Primarily, Florida would be in virtually its own time zone for half the year. When the rest of the country switches back to standard time, Florida would still be in daylight saving time. That would align the state with Eastern Time in the winter months, and Atlantic Time in the summer months.

Danish suggested the state could market it as “Florida Time.”

“It would be terrific for tourism,” he said. “When you have people coming from the Central Time zone like up in Chicago for vacation, they can get here and wouldn’t even have to change their clocks.”

Florida has tried to pull out of the time change several times in the past, including an effort last year by State Sen. Darren Soto, D-Kissimmee, who introduced a similar bill in the Senate again this year as a companion to Danish’s bill. Last year’s bill, which would’ve simply exempted Florida from daylight saving time, was withdrawn before a committee ever considered it.

What’s different this time around is that Florida isn’t looking to stay on standard time. Instead, it wants daylight savings to be the state’s new standard time — and that might cause problems.

The Uniform Time Act of 1966, which established daylight saving time for the country, allows states to exempt themselves only if they stay on standard time. The act was modified nearly 40 years later with the Energy Policy Act of 2005, which adjusted when in the year clocks would be changed. However, it didn’t remove the requirement of standard time or bust.

Even if the bill could not take full legal effect, if it did pass, it could send a message to other states, possibly leading to a full repeal of the 1966 act.

“There are some federal rules, but it might encourage other states to go along with it,” Danish said. “We are a big state that keeps getting bigger, and when a big state like ours makes a move, other people are definitely going to be looking at it.”

Note: This story was updated to clarify that Florida is in standard time during the winter months, and daylight saving time during the rest of the year. It was further updated to correct which time zones the main part of the state would be in while others are still shifting clocks.

Published Jan. 29, 2014

Benedictine Sisters celebrate long history of service

January 30, 2014 By B.C. Manion

When the Benedictine Sisters of Florida came to San Antonio nearly 125 years ago, Pasco County was in its infancy.

The new Holy Name Monastery being built on the south side of State Road 52 will be the new home for the Benedictine Sisters of Florida. It’s expected to be completed by Fall 2014. (Photo by B.C. Manion)

“Truly, it was part of Hernando County when the sisters came,” said Sister Roberta Bailey, prioress of Holy Name Monastery.

There were five Benedictine Sisters and they came to the area from Elk County, Pa., Bailey said.

“They came by train to Jacksonville and by horse and carriage the rest of the way,” she added. Along the way, the sisters saw snakes, encountered Native Americans for the first time, and heard about alligators.

“It must have been a terrifying experience,” Bailey told a crowd gathered for a Greater Dade City Chamber of Commerce breakfast meeting on Jan. 21.

The Benedictine Sisters arrived on Feb. 28, 1899, and began their ministries on March 1.

To honor the sisters’ long tradition of service, a 125th Anniversary Gala Celebration is planned on the very same day that they arrived in the area — just 125 years after those first sisters arrived.

Besides the gala, the sisters also expect to mark the year by moving into their new home that’s now under construction on the south side of State Road 52 at Wichers Road. The sisters expect to make the move in the fall.

The sisters also have received a gift of $100,000 from a donor who wishes to remain anonymous toward their “Recall the Past, Celebrate the Present and Embrace the Future” campaign, which aims to raise $500,000 to ensure the completion of their new Holy Name Monastery.

Ground was broken for their new quarters in October, after the sisters sold 37 acres of land to Saint Leo University. The acreage included the site of the Holy Name Monastery on State Road 52, which is directly west of the university.

The sisters also sold some parcels on the south side of the road to the university. Saint Leo plans to use the land to accommodate enrollment growth.

The sisters decided to leave the monastery, where they’ve been living since it was completed in 1961, because the building had become too large for their current needs. It also had become both a financial and maintenance burden, Bailey said.

“In those days, we had the high school boarding school, plus 65 sisters that were housed in that building. Today, we have 15 sisters and we don’t have the high school,” Bailey said.

To make the move, the sisters will need to do a bit of downsizing, Bailey said. The new building will be one-third the size of the sisters’ current quarters.

If you go
WHAT: The Benedictine Sisters of Florida celebrate 125 years of service with a cocktail hour, a silent auction and dinner.
WHEN: Feb. 28, 5:30 p.m.
WHERE: Tampa Bay Golf and Country Club Ballroom, 10641 Old Tampa Bay Drive, San Antonio
COST: $50 per person
INFO: (352) 588-8320

Note: This story was updated to correct when Pasco County was incorporated.

Published Jan. 29, 2014

Outlet mall completion pushed to July 2015, officials say

January 30, 2014 By Michael Hinman

Dirt could turn soon for a planned outlet mall on State Road 56 near its junction with Interstate 75. But the final product will look quite different from the original designs when it was announced more than seven years ago.

This undeveloped land was once slated for a big box mall, but is now the subject of a planned outlet mall. Site plans have yet to be submitted to Pasco County, however, meaning the project may not be complete until the middle of next year. (File photo)

“It was supposed to be a big box mall,” Pasco County Administrator Michele Baker recently told an economic development committee of the Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce. “Obviously, during that period, many of those (originally announced) tenants had to go elsewhere, so they have a new plan on how they want to be out in the marketplace.”

A lot of that is to move toward an outlet mall concept, which was part of developer Simon Property Group’s and landowner Richard E. Jacobs Group’s unofficial announcement last November when news the mall was back on track first started to leak.

Although the plans have been in the works for years, the modifications are taking a little more time since the project will essentially be redesigned, Baker said. And “presuming nothing really crazy happens in the economy,” the new Tampa Premium Outlets should be on track.

Whether it will actually open by the end of this year, as Simon told The Laker/Lutz News last November, is a big question mark at this point. Amanda Boone, development review manager for Pasco County, said her department is still waiting for a site plan.

“I’m not really sure of what their timetable is, because they control when they submit (their site plan) to us,” Boone said. “I did hear July of next year.”

Simon Property Group itself has remained mum on the mall outside of its initial statement in November. The mall has received barely a mention in public filings with the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission since 2012. However, Simon has not released any public filings on its financials since August, and isn’t expected to do it again until the end of January.

When the mall does open, roads surrounding it will have to carry a lot more traffic. That could mean the widening of Wesley Chapel Boulevard leading into the mall is back on the fast track.

“That particular piece of road, down to State Road 54, is already designed,” Baker said. “When we balance our capital improvement budget, we look at the needs for the what and where, and we balance that. The road got pushed out because we didn’t have a mall there that needed it.”

In fact, the county had not planned to begin work on the road until 2022 at the earliest. With a mall now in play, however, it’s likely Simon and Jacobs will want that road operating at higher capacities, and will push for a start date to occur much sooner.

But that depends on what the developers are willing to contribute. The mall developers have around $46 million in unused proportionate share money that was supposed to be used to extend Wesley Chapel Boulevard south through their development, Baker said.

“We have been exploring on whether we can widen Wesley Chapel Boulevard instead, and we might be able to move that forward in our capital plan,” she said. “That’s, of course, depending on how negotiations go with the mall.”

Published Jan. 29, 2014

As classes begin, PHCC becomes Pasco-Hernando State College

January 30, 2014 By B.C. Manion

Pasco-Hernando Community College has changed its named to Pasco-Hernando State College.

The new name reflects the college’s broader mission as it prepares to offer bachelor degree programs. The college’s board of trustees approved the name change at its Jan. 21 board meeting.

Students fill the walkways on the first day of classes at Porter Campus at Wiregrass Ranch, a new satellite campus for Pasco-Hernando State College. (Photo courtesy of Stephen John Photography)

The vote follows the December approval by board of directors of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to authorize the bachelor degree programs.

“Our new name signifies enhanced opportunities for our current and future students,” John DiRienzo Jr., PHSC district board of trustees chair, said in a release. “This is a pivotal moment in our college’s 41-year history. The transition to a state college is reflective of the college’s enhanced mission to provide accessible, affordable, quality higher education that meets the needs of our local residents and employers.”

PHSC plans to begin offering a bachelor of applied science degree in supervision and management, and a bachelor of science in nursing, both in August.

“These two baccalaureate degrees are in high demand fields that will provide advanced career opportunities in fast-growing, stable industries,” PHSC president Katherine M. Johnson said, in a release. “While the word ‘community’ no longer appears in our new name, the college’s commitment to serve the higher education needs of residents from all of our communities has never been stronger.”

The nursing bachelor’s degree is designed to prepare graduates of associate’s degree nursing programs — who already have a registered nursing license — to obtain additional skills in management, leadership, theory and research to succeed and be promoted within the nursing profession.

Prerequisite courses for this program will be offered at any of the college’s campuses. The bachelor’s degree in nursing program will be offered only online.

Published Jan. 29, 2014

The bachelor’s degree in supervision and management is designed to meet the needs of students with business, technology and workforce-focused associate’s degrees. Several courses in this program will be available at every campus and online, with the full program initially offered at the Porter Campus at Wiregrass Ranch in Wesley Chapel.

Besides getting a new name, the college boasted an opening day enrollment of 1,600 students at the Porter Campus at Wiregrass Ranch, according to campus provost Stan Giannet.

While classes have begun, construction work continues at the campus, Giannet said, adding that the ongoing construction work will not disrupt campus operations.

To learn more about Pasco-Hernando State College degree and certificate programs, visit PHSC.edu, or call (855) 669-7472.

Published Jan. 29, 2014

Business Digest 01-29-14

January 30, 2014 By Michael Hinman

Tucker Carlson headlines Saint Leo conference
Television commentator Tucker Carlson will deliver the keynote address at Saint Leo University’s Fifth International Business Conference, taking place Feb. 19-21 at the university.

Carlson will appear Feb. 19 at 7:30 p.m. at the Student Community Center’s Greenfelder-Denlinger Boardrooms. Admission to the talk is free and open to the public, but tickets are required to reserve seating. That is available by calling (352) 588-8837, or emailing .

Carlson is host of “Fox & Friends Weekend,” and is a former anchor with CNN’s “Crossfire.”

The Donald R. Tapia School of Business at Saint Leo is organizing the event, with the theme of “innovation and internationalization.” It will include attendees from 14 countries, with some programs geared toward academic audiences and business researchers, and others focused on the experience of professionals and executives in the business world.

Registration is available at SaintLeo.edu/ibc2014. The school is located at 33701 State Road 52 in St. Leo.

HR meeting at SmartStart
Dade City’s business incubator SmartStart will host a session addressing human resources Feb. 11 beginning at noon at the facility, located at 15000 Citrus Country Drive in Dade City.

Speaker will be Kelley Rexroad, chief executive of Krex Consulting.

Participants are asked to bring their own lunch.

To RSVP, email Krista Covey at , or call (352) 437-4861.

Gulf Coast Medical gets boost from Fifth Third
Fifth Third Bank has extended more than $10.6 billion in new and renewed credit to business customers late last year, locally benefitting Gulf Coast Medical Center and Florida Institute for Advanced Diagnostic Imaging.

The facility is a multi-specialty outpatient diagnostic medical center with locations in Spring Hill and Port Richey.

Gulf Coast received two commercial mortgages and a line of credit from the bank to realign debt and improve access to working capital for future capital expenditures, according to a release.

Lawmakers try to raise state minimum wage
Two Democrats in the Florida Legislature have introduced a bill that would eliminate the tip credit and raise the minimum wage to $10.10 for tipped and non-tipped workers in the state.

The current minimum wage for tipped workers is $4.91, with the expectation the remaining income would come from tips. However, State Sen. Dwight Bullard, D-Cutler Bay, and State Rep. Cynthia Stafford, D-Miami, say they have research that indicates servers use food stamps at double the rate of the rest of the U.S. work force, and are three times as likely to live in poverty.

There is a federal effort underway to raise the minimum wage, but even if that were to be successful, tipped workers would only be required to get a base pay of 70 percent of the new minimum wage.

Both the senate and house bills have been referred to committees, but it’s not clear how strong the chances are they would be passed in the Republican-controlled Legislature.

Upcoming SCORE seminars
The Pasco-Hernando Chapter of SCORE, which historically stands for Service Corps of Retired Executives, will host the following upcoming free seminars:

• E-Marketing Concepts at Centennial Park Branch Library, 5730 Moog Road, Holiday, Feb. 4 at 5:15 p.m. Attendees will learn about e-marketing technologies and how they may help to enhance the ability of small business to reach customers and communicate their brand, products and services.

Cell phones donated to domestic violence victims
The Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections has donated 1,100 cell phones used during the last election by employees of the department to the domestic violence shelter program The Spring of Tampa Bay.

The cell phones were used by nearly 4,000 poll workers at 340 precincts. They are being replaced through a new contract that includes new phones at no additional charge.

“The period between elections is all about planning and making sure we’ll have everything we need to run an election cost-effectively and efficiently,” said Craig Latimer, Hillsborough County’s supervisor of elections, in a release. “In this case, we could get new cell phones at no cost to taxpayers, and be able to donate the older ones to those who need some help. It’s good for our voters, and good for our community.”

The county’s next elections are set for the primaries Aug. 26, with the mid-term general elections set for Nov. 4.

Political Agenda 01-29-14

January 30, 2014 By Michael Hinman

Littlefield joins commission race
The race to see who will replace Pat Mulieri on the Pasco County Commission just got a little wider after former State Rep. Ken Littlefield decided to jump into the race.

Littlefield’s run comes four years after losing a primary to Mulieri, who will retire this year after two decades in office.

Littlefield first came to political prominence in 1999 when he won a special election for the Florida House seat formerly occupied by his brother, Carl Littlefield. He left office in 2006, planning to join Florida’s Public Service Commission, as appointed by then-Gov. Jeb. Bush. However, once Gov. Charlie Crist took office, he rescinded the nomination, and appointed Philip Nowicki and Jeremy Susac instead.

In his last two years in Tallahassee, Littlefield had four bills he wrote passed into law, including a 2004 law that transferred the responsibility of handling state and federal funds for domestic violence shelters from the state Department of Children and Families to a statewide association.

In the 2010 election, Littlefield raised $21,000, but that was dwarfed by Mulieri’s $88,000 war chest.

This time around, fellow Republicans Mike Moore and Bob Robertson have already combined to raise $50,000 for the August primary.

Brodeur endorses Burgess for House
State Rep. Jason Brodeur, R-Sanford, endorsed Zephyrhills mayor Danny Burgess in his quest to win the District 38 House seat currently held by Will Weatherford.

“Danny is a committed conservative who will bring new life to timeless principles,” Brodeur said, in a release. “In addition, Danny brings a wealth of experience, service and leadership abilities to the task ahead, and will be a welcome new face in the House.”

Brodeur represents parts of Seminole County, and was first elected to the Legislature in 2010.

Burgess potentially faces Minerva Diaz in the August Republican primary, with the winner facing Democrat Beverly Anne Ledbetter in November, if no one else files.

Wilson at Republican club
The Republican Club of Central Pasco will host Pasco County Commissioner Henry Wilson on Jan. 29 at 6 p.m., at Copperstone Executive Suites, 3632 Land O’ Lakes Blvd., in Land O’ Lakes. The topic will be the proposed elevated highway over State Road 54, and the delay in constructing Ridge Road. For information, call Steve Graves at (813) 996-3011.

Corcoran raising lots of money
He doesn’t have an opponent at this point, but State Rep. Richard Corcoran, R-Land O’ Lakes, is ready just in case.

So far, the District 37 legislator has raised a little more than $102,000, more than any other local candidate for the state house this year.

Both Dan Raulerson, R-Plant City, and Janet Cruz, D-Tampa, have raised a little more than half of that each — just under $60,000 and $58,400 respectively — in races where each have yet to draw a challenger as well. James Grant, R-Tampa, has raised just under $31,000 for his District 64 seat, and has yet to be opposed.

Zephyrhills mayor Daniel Burgess jumped into a state house race in District 38 for Will Weatherford’s seat with built-in challengers. So far, Burgess has raised a little less than $17,000, outpacing his Republican primary opponent Minerva Diaz ($4,072), and substantially more than his possible Democratic challenger, Beverly Anne Ledbetter, who has raised $2,158.

In District 63, incumbent Mark Danish, D-Tampa, will have a real fight on his hands to stay in Tallahassee. Right now former Tampa City Councilman Shawn Harrison has raised $50,810 compared to Danish’s $40,147. Harrison’s Republican primary challenger, Bret Wedding, has raised $10,750.

Crooked Creek Ranch holds fundraiser
Republican candidates for the state House — Danny Burgess, Shawn Harrison, Chris Latvala and Chris Sprowls — will raise money through a Wild Game Dinner at Crooked Creek Ranch, 29325 Darby Road, Dade City, Jan. 31 beginning at 5 p.m.

Donations will be accepted up to the state maximum of $1,000 per individual to support each campaign.

Burgess, the current mayor of Zephyrhills, is facing a primary against Minerva Diaz in District 38, the seat currently held by Will Weatherford, R-Wesley Chapel. Harrison also has a Republican primary challenger for District 63, Bret Wedding, for a seat currently held by Mark Danish, D-Tampa.

Latvala has filed to run in District 67 in a seat currently held by Ed Hooper, R-Clearwater. He’s facing Christopher Shepard and Frederick Thomson so far in the primary.

Sprowls is a candidate for District 65, in a seat currently held by Carl Zimmerman, D-Palm Harbor. He is expected to face off with Debbie Faulkner in his primary.

For details about the dinner, visit VoteDannyBurgess.com.

Published Jan. 29, 2014

Land O’ Lakes man rockets to new heights

January 22, 2014 By B.C. Manion

If Michael Roberts is working on a project, chances are it is rocket science.

The Land O’ Lakes man has been fascinated with making things fly where he wants them to go since he was a young boy.

Michael Roberts stands in his garage near a rocket he built from scratch. The rocket soared 11,000 feet and attained a speed of 920 miles per hour. The stick rocket that he’s holding was his first attempt at rocket building. (Photo by B.C. Manion)

“I started going to the five-and-dime seeing these little windup planes,” he said. “I had a shoebox full.”

As time went on, he graduated from balsa wood model airplanes to radio-controlled airplanes and helicopters, which he bought with his paper route money.

“My mom kind of thought I’d grow out of it,” he said. Instead, the 49-year-old who flies aircraft for the U.S. Department of Defense delved deeper.

In recent years, Roberts decided to get into designing model rockets from scratch. That began after he moved to the Tampa Bay area, just down the street from his nephew.

When his nephew began asking questions about rocketry, Roberts was inspired to try to build them.

“I started with small rockets — stick rockets — and they got bigger and bigger,” he said.

As his interest deepened, his rockets became more sophisticated. They had become so large that he decided he needed to add parachutes.

After that, he joined the Tripoli Tampa Rocketry Association, which has rocket launches on the third Saturday of each month in Plant City. It was then Roberts decided to pursue certification so he could launch larger rockets, and is now at the highest level a civilian can achieve.

“It’s a big deal,” he said.

With that certification, Roberts is qualified to launch a rocket capable of reaching the edge of space. But he still would need the proper kind of rocket and would need to launch it in the right place, under the proper conditions. To earn his top-level certification, he launched a rocket that flew 11,000 feet at 920 miles per hour, returning to the Earth intact.

He built that rocket from scratch in his garage.

It took him thousands of hours to progress from the first stick rocket that he constructed to his 14th rocket, which weighed more than 30 pounds. He built that rocket from parts he bought at such places as Home Depot, Ace Hardware, Target, Walmart and hobby shops.

It is made from double-layered polyvinyl chloride, or PVC, pipe, and includes such items as baby powder, Christmas tree light bulbs, keychain cameras, pet tracker GPS devices, and commercial composite fuel.

“The guys in the club kept trying to tell me, ‘Don’t do it (from) scratch. It’s going to be a lot of work. It’s probably not going to work,’” Roberts said.

He ignored their advice.

“Scratch-build — what I like about it is that it takes more research,” Roberts said.

He jotted design ideas and calculations in a composition notebook. He kept going back to them, to refine them. His goal was to limit the number of variables to reduce potential for problems.

“Too many variables, you don’t know what happened” if something goes wrong, Roberts said. “Reduce the variables, when you’re doing something complex, I don’t care what it is.”

At a launch, Roberts runs through a mental checklist.

“I look at it as stages. Let’s make sure it ignites,” he said. “Your first thing is, let’s get it to launch and not blow up.”

As the rocket rises, “you’re thinking of other items that should happen, that should trigger,” he said. “You’re kind of keeping a clock in your head of what should be next.”

Finally, “you want to be able to find it, because you can have a good flight and not be able to find it,” Roberts said. “That would be a sad time.”

Even with a good design, nothing is guaranteed.

“You’re not sure. The engine could blow up or something could fly off,” he said. “That’s why it’s such a good feeling when it all works.”

Roberts gets a kick out of flying rockets and radio-controlled model airplanes and helicopters, and he hopes to encourage young people to pursue model aeronautics. He thinks that working with models was good for him because it captivated his interest.

“It kept me focused and kept me out of trouble,” he said.

He invites anyone who is interested in learning more to contact him at

To view Roberts’ rocket launch, visit youtu.be/U6JBVRkGq-s.

Paving public streets: Some homeowners left in the dust

January 22, 2014 By Michael Hinman

Years of dirt roads will soon end for residents of the Pasco Lake Estates subdivision after Pasco County Commissioners approved a paving project of just under $800,000. But it won’t be cheap as landowners in the neighborhood fork over thousands of dollars over the next 15 years to pay for the project.

Officials estimate that there are some 500 miles of unpaved roads in Pasco County, and the only way to pave them is to charge a special assessment to those who live on them. (Photo by Michael Hinman)

That’s business as usual for anyone wanting to pave any of the more than 500 miles of dirt road in the county, said Michael Garrett, director of the county’s Public Works Department. Many of those roads were part of subdivisions, or are used only by those living in those neighborhoods. But others are part of what are described as rural neighborhoods, where dirt roads have been grandfathered into the county’s overall street plans.

“The problem is that when you have very large lots, the road becomes very expensive to build,” Garrett said. “There is not a lot of interest in getting them done.”

All but about 20 miles of the dirt roads are located in the central and eastern parts of the county, Garrett said. Neighborhood residents come to the county quite regularly asking for roads to be paved, but typically only one or two neighborhoods are done each year — and only after landowners agree to pay a special assessment.

In Pasco Lake Estates, that averages out to about $7,600 for each lot. If that cost is spread out over 15 years, the county will add interest of about $2,100.

That’s along the lines of what Bonnie Rupe and her neighbors were told a couple years back when they asked the county to pave their Zephyrhills neighborhood. Rupe and her family moved to Miller Avenue a decade ago from Wesley Chapel, and expected the dirt roads just outside of city limits would be paved in just a couple years.

“We have three vehicles, and we’re constantly washing our cars because of the dust that flies up from the road,” Rupe said. “There are a lot of people on our street here with asthma problems, and other health conditions, and I’m convinced it’s because of the dirt road.”

Several streets in Rupe’s neighborhood are dirt, including 20th Street, which borders to the west. But unlike Pasco Lake Estates, none of the roads are part of a subdivision. And many of Rupe’s neighbors would be hard-pressed to call the area “rural,” as it’s literally blocks from the strip malls of County Road 54, and a short jaunt from Florida Hospital Zephyrhills.

A vote to pave the roads throughout that particular area, where there are at least 60 lots lining less than 1.5 miles of road, failed. Not because people didn’t want paved roads, but because the $6,000 price tag to pave was just too high.

“There’s no way I could afford that right now,” Rupe said. “I don’t think a lot of us here can afford that.”

The problem, Garrett said, is there’s just no money to do it. The county is working on ways to fund current road maintenance and construction needs, and even with an expanded gas tax in coming years, that could still prove to be tricky.

Instead, costs for those wanting to convert to paved roads are passed on to the owners of lots lining those roads. A dozen owners in Pasco Lake Estates will shoulder a third of the overall cost.

One owner, Ollie Williams, would be responsible for $38,620, plus an additional $11,500 in interest if he pays over 15 years. Habitat for Humanity, which maintains four lots in the neighborhood designed to give people an interest-free shot at owning a home, will be on the hook for just under $27,000, along with $8,000 in interest.

“I feel that it’s not fair that they have to charge us,” Rupe said. “They are paving streets in the county all the time, and we pay taxes to the county. We should have paved roads as well.”