Local News

Affordable, available housing helps Wesley Chapel earn national spotlight

February 27, 2014 By Michael Hinman

There’s never a shortage of “best” lists circulating the Internet, ranking cities, beaches, hotels, schools … whatever might be good for marketing people. Typically, however, these lists are as scientific as the ones David Letterman might use in his “Top 10” comedy bit on “Late Show.”

Even before the housing industry fully recovered, Wesley Chapel and its surrounding areas were already breaking ground on new houses and new neighborhoods, all in an effort to keep up with demand of people wanting to live in the area. (File photo)

A new list released last week, however, compared some real numbers important to people looking for a place to settle down: availability of good homes that are affordable in an area with solid growth. And one of the areas that have excelled in all these categories is very close to home: Wesley Chapel.

The designation comes from NerdWallet, a San Francisco-based online financial services advice company that is run by, for a lack of a better term, nerds. Wesley Chapel was compared against nearly 180 other areas towns, cities and areas in Florida, and ranked the fourth best area for homeownership in Florida.

“The beauty of Wesley Chapel is that everything you need is right here,” said Hope Allen, the Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce’s executive director. “Here you have a world class hospital, a fabulous shopping and dining experience, and it’s a great place to buy a home.”

Amenities are important, of course. But NerdWallet was paying close attention to slightly different questions: Are homes available? Can people afford to live there? And is the area growing?

The answer to all three questions was a resounding yes for Wesley Chapel. The median monthly income for residents in the area is $6,153, but housing costs are just under $1,700. That means people in Wesley Chapel are spending just 27 percent of their income on housing, a number that would make any statistician smile.

“Homeowner costs and the percentage of household income is a really important measure,” said Maggie Clark, an analyst with NerdWallet who worked the numbers for the Florida study. “Generally, anything under 30 percent is considered affordable.”

The area also had population growth of nearly 11 percent in a two-year period between 2010 and 2012, second only to Jacksonville’s Oakleaf Plantation, which also finished at the top of the overall survey.

And affordability is key to attracting new residents, not just from the Tampa Bay area, but beyond.

Sam Turgeon, a broker and owner of Sunlight Realty in Lutz, said his home state of Connecticut is feeling the pinch of higher taxes and homes that are being priced out of many people’s range.

“Many of them are hitting retirement age and realize very quickly they can’t afford to live there on the pension and savings they have,” Turgeon said. “People started doing the math, and realized that they were going to outlast their money. So they’re selling their houses up there, and coming down here. And I think that is good.”

The only area in the Tampa Bay region that finished higher than Wesley Chapel was the Keystone area, located just outside of Odessa in Hillsborough County, at No. 2. Housing there is a bit more expensive — nearly $2,400 a month — but income is a little higher too at nearly $8,900 monthly.

What really pushed Keystone over the top, however, was the fact that 94 percent of its residents own their home, compared to just 75 percent in Wesley Chapel. In fact, the only other area that even came close to the high ownership rate was Jacksonville’s Fruit Cove area, which chalks up a 90 percent rate.

Yet a good mixture of owned homes and rental options means a solid, diverse community. It also means that someone looking to call Wesley Chapel home can do it whether they want to own a home, or just rent one. And when renters are ready to invest in a new home, they’ll likely stick with the area they’ve already been spending time in.

“Pasco County is just an attractive place to live,” Turgeon said. “The taxes are far less because you’re not in the middle of a city, you still have access to anything you might need, and you don’t have that same overhead cost as you would in Hillsborough.”

And Wesley Chapel will only continue to grow. More than 12,000 homes are ready to be added to the mix, the chamber’s Allen said, and statewide polls like the NerdWallet one can help make those homes fill up even faster.

“It’s another great highlight of the area,” Allen said. “You can tout something like this to people who are looking to grow and expand business in Wesley Chapel because their work force can have affordable housing with all the amenities.

“This is just another notch in our belt in getting more business here.”

To read the complete study from NerdWallet, click here.

Published Feb. 26, 2014.

School district uses surveys to gauge progress

February 27, 2014 By B.C. Manion

Superintendent Kurt Browning plans to use annual surveys by the Gallup organization to help gauge the progress of Pasco County Schools.

The district’s school board in February heard a review of the Gallup Student Poll and the employee engagement survey findings in February, and according to the Gallup report, the district’s results were in the same ballpark as national findings.

Since the surveys had not been taken before, they will serve as a baseline.

Browning said he expects next year’s results to be interesting, because the district will be using the same survey tools. But even this year’s results are helpful, Browning said. They help the district to see, “Where are we doing well? Where are we not doing so well?”

It’s important to have an outside party take an objective look at the district, using statistically valid survey tools, Browning said.

School board member Joanne Hurley agrees. She said the surveys can help the district address areas needing improvement with the goal of helping students perform better academically and be better prepared for life beyond school.

Gallup is an internationally respected company, Browning said. The district’s contract with the company runs through September. The cost of the student and school-based surveys and analyses was $125,000. The district spent $19,000 more on a district office staff survey.

Browning anticipates an extension of the district’s contract with Gallup, but those details have not yet been worked out.

Gallup’s student poll measures indicators of future success, the superintendent said.

“I keep saying that we’re concerned about the success of our kids not only through high school, but after high school,” Browning said.

The Gallup Student Poll is a 20-question survey that measures the hope, engagement, and well-being of students in grades five through 12. Gallup defines hope as ideas and energy for the future; engagement as involvement with and enthusiasm for school; and well-being as how people think about and experience their lives.

The survey company said hope, engagement and well-being can be measured and are linked to student achievement, retention and future employment.

The Gallup Student Poll was conducted online in Pasco County Schools during the school day from Oct. 15 through Oct 31, with 31,740 students completing the survey.

District students’ results showed scores of 52 percent in the hope category; 53 percent in engagement; and 63 percent in well-being.

That compares to average results nationwide of 54 percent for hope; 55 for engagement; and, 66 percent for well-being.

“When you look at district overall results (for students), they look very similar to U.S. overall data,” Tim Hodges, director of research for Gallup, told school board members, according to a district release.

The staff survey measures factors that are critical to creating an environment that serves students, said assistant superintendent Amelia Larson.

The employee engagement survey measured attitudes that correspond with the most successful work places, based on more than four decades of research by Gallup.

The survey measured employee engagement, which Gallup defines as involvement with and enthusiasm for work.

Gallup used a 12-question employee survey to measure employee engagement.

The research company says an employee’s level of engagement links to employee retention, parent engagement, student retention, student achievement and other outcomes.

The employee engagement survey was conducted online in Pasco County Schools, from Nov. 15 through Nov. 22 and also Jan. 13 through Jan. 17 of this year, with 3,896 employees taking part. That represents a 79 percent response rate.

The results show that 26 percent of the school district’s employees are engaged in their jobs, compared to 30 percent of U.S. workers. Fifty-three district employees are not engaged, compared to 52 percent of workers nationally; and 21 percent of district employees are actively disengaged, compared to 18 percent of U.S. workers.

Looking only at district-level staff, 33 percent are engaged; 56 percent are not engaged and 11 percent are disengaged.

During the school board workshop, Hodges told the board, “to look at the rest of the U.S. working population, this is what we tend to see as a starting point.”

“This is a valuable tool for our administration,” Hurley said. “I think there is just a treasure trove of information contained within the Gallup results.”

School board member Steve Luikart agreed that the survey will be useful.

“Any feedback is always good. I do congratulate them on doing that,” he said. “I know it’s going to be used to get the temperature in different areas – how people feel and what people think.”

Teachers are facing huge challenges, Larson said.

“We want to keep track of student engagement,” Larson said. “We really are facing a crisis in education. Now, kids have every type of information available to them 24/7. The kids are not willing to wait (for instruction), so the teachers cannot wait” to deliver it, she said.

The district already has made some leadership changes at places such as Connerton Elementary and Sunlake High schools, which apparently are making a difference, Larson said.

New River Elementary School also is on an upswing, she said.

“That is like a well-oiled machine,” Larson said. “It scored a 65 percent engagement rating. You can really tell when you walk in there.”

Strategies that are being used at schools with high engagement ratings may be shared with schools that do not fare as well, Larson said. There also may be some coaching to help schools perform better, she said.

Published Feb. 26, 2014.

Two cities, town heading to the polls April 8

February 27, 2014 By Michael Hinman

Mid-term elections are still months away, but cities and towns in Pasco County will have a chance to choose local leaders in municipal elections in Dade City, St. Leo and Zephyrhills.

Qualifying ended Feb. 18 for municipal elections, and incumbents in those cities and town will face challengers. Winners will be decided April 8.

Residents living in those cities who want to vote must be registered no later than March 10, according to Pasco County elections supervisor Brian Corley. At the polls, voters should bring photo and signature identification, or they will be required to vote a provisional ballot.

Zephyrhills
Zephyrhills is getting a new mayor, and he didn’t even have to campaign.

Gene Whitfield, owner of Whitfield Funeral Home and Cremation Services on Gall Boulevard, will succeed Danny Burgess as mayor of Zephyrhills.

He will become the 20th mayor of Zephyrhills, and the fourth one in the last two years, following the retirement of Cliff McDuffie in 2012 and the resignation later that year of new mayor Steve Van Gorden.

The mayor position is largely ceremonial, with no voting power. The city council chooses a board president to run meetings.

Burgess chose not to run again so that he could seek a state House seat being vacated by Will Weatherford, R-Wesley Chapel.

Also taking office unopposed in Zephyrhills is Ken Burgess, who was first elected in 2011 to replace Tim Urban, and didn’t draw an opponent in his first regular race in 2012.

The trip back to the city council dais won’t be so easy for Councilwoman Jodi Wilkeson, as she’ll face off against community activist and retired educator Alan Knight on April 8. Wilkeson, the president and founder of WDA Design Group, was first elected in 2008.

Knight currently is the chair of the city’s parks and recreation board, and has been involved in the city’s interest in purchasing the abandoned Hercules Park on County Road 54 in recent months.

Dade City
Mayor Camille Hernandez is returning for another term on the Dade City Commission after failing to attract a challenger, but her colleague Scott Black will have to convince voters to keep him in a job he’s had since 1990.

Angelica Herrera filed and qualified just before the deadline to challenge Black. She has been civically active over the years, including work in the Tommytown revitalization efforts as well as the United Latino Council. Now she’s a center manager for Catholic Charities on Meridian Avenue in Dade City, according to her election paperwork.

Hernandez was first elected to the commission in 2006, winning re-election unopposed in 2010. She became mayor in 2012, a position that is similar to a board president that is selected by the other commissioners, and where she still gets a vote.

St. Leo
Raphael Davis and Donna DeWitt will face off for a seat on the St. Leo town commission. DeWitt is the current incumbent in Seat 1, and has served on the St. Leo board since 1997.

Davis, who did not list an occupation in his candidate filing, lives in Lake Jovita, a prominent community in St. Leo that has pushed for de-annexation from the town in recent years.

DeWitt is a nun at Holy Name Monastery. She ran unopposed in 2012 and 2010.

James Hallett, a monk at Saint Leo Abbey, won a new term on the board unopposed, while Richard Christmas — who resigned from the commission in 2012 — will take over the commission seat currently held by Mayor John Gardner. The mayor, who will now be replaced by a commission vote at its next organizational meeting, did not seek re-election.

San Antonio
There won’t be any need to open the precinct in San Antonio, yet the city will have two new faces on its commission. Dennis Berberich and Anne Marie Kibbe won seats after both failed to draw challengers in their at-large election.

Returning for another term is Elayne Bassinger, after Thomas Knight filed but failed to qualify for the election.

Berberich and Kibbe will replace Roy Pierce and Richard Gates, both who chose not to run again. Pierce doubled as the city’s building and zoning commissioner, while Gates also was the waterworks commissioner. Bassinger was the commissioner over parks.

Published Feb. 26, 2014.

National soccer scoring title belongs to Sunlake’s Pimm

February 27, 2014 By Michael Murillo

Any soccer team that played the Sunlake Seahawks this season knew that Remi Pimm was a scoring threat. The sophomore forward was by far the best scorer on his team this season.

Sunlake’s Remi Pimm led the nation in scoring this past soccer season with 64 goals. That mark also makes him the new Pasco County single-season record holder. (Photo by Michael Murillo)

Of course, he also was the best scorer in the district.

And the region.

And the state.

In fact, Pimm finished the year as the top scorer … in the nation. He had 64 goals and 39 assists. Pimm’s total not only was good enough for this year’s national honors, he broke the all-time record for most goals in a season by a Pasco County player of either gender.

Pimm said he takes the substance of the game seriously, but likes adding a little style as well.

“I like to create and have fun with the game, take defenders on, create scoring opportunities,” he said. “When I play I just like to have a good time. I like to do it the right way but also play with flair and good style.”

But flair and style wasn’t on everyone’s mind when he first joined the team this season. Pimm said that people would ask him if he was going to break the county record that had been recently set by another Sunlake player. Connor Gilboy — who joined the University of Florida’s football program and was red-shirted as a freshman this year after graduating from Sunlake — held the mark with 60 goals after last season.

Known for his soccer skills, Pimm said the pressure was on for him to claim the mark for himself. So he was glad to have accomplished that task in his sophomore season.

“Beating his record was my goal at the beginning of the year, and I beat that,” he said. “And I eventually got the Pasco record. I felt really good.”

One goal that the team didn’t accomplish was a state title. The Seahawks fell to Merritt Island 1-0 in the Class 3A state semifinals on Feb. 13. But the team finished with a perfect 16-0 district record and a 29-2-1 overall record.

While the Seahawks wanted to win the title, Pimm said he was proud of the team for playing hard, not giving up, and staying positive.

In fact, a positive mindset is a big part of Pimm’s game. He studies the best professional soccer players — he wants to be one someday — and noticed they bring an intensity and focus even if thing aren’t going exactly the way they want on the pitch.

Pimm believes good players need to have a positive attitude that things will go well, but a short memory if they don’t.

“The secret to scoring this many goals is to quickly forget when you miss one,” he said. “Also studying the game — which is a huge part — watching the professionals do it, and visualizing myself in their position.”

While the Seahawks’ season is over, soccer is still on Pimm’s mind. He plays for the FC Tampa Rangers, a local club based in Lutz, and will participate in the State Cup for the team’s Under-16 boys group, which begins next month.

But wherever he plays, Pimm has learned to keep his attention on the contest at hand, taking deep breaths to regain his focus when necessary.

And he’s also learned patience. While he might score multiple goals in some games, in others those opportunities might not be there in the beginning. He believes the key is to not dwell on a lack of success, but focus on taking advantage at the next available opportunity.

“At no point in the game should you ever hang your head and give up,” he said.

Published Feb. 26, 2014.

Business Digest 02-26-14

February 27, 2014 By Michael Hinman

Process server comes to Wesley Chapel
Archangel Services has opened a new office in Wesley Chapel, providing the legal community with process service business.

The company is licensed in Pasco, Hillsborough, Polk, Hardee and Highlands counties.

For more information, visit ArchangelServices.us, or call (813) 358-6390.

Costine retires from tax collector’s office
Cindy Costine, a longtime operations specialist at the Pasco County Tax Collector’s office, has retired.

Costine joined the office in 2001.

“Cindy is an unsung hero at the tax collector’s office,” tax collector Mike Fasano said, in a release. “She was part of the glue that keeps this place together each and every day. She is a well-respected and well-liked member of the team. She will definitely be missed.”

Roberts joins LOL Transport & Moving
Jan Roberts, who most recently was the director of partnership development and recruiting for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay, has joined LOL Transport & Moving in Land O’ Lakes as a community liaison.

Roberts had been with Big Brothers Big Sisters since 2008, and met owner Rene Van Hout at various networking and volunteer groups, according to a release.

LOL Transport & Moving is located at 5811 Ehren Cutoff in Land O’ Lakes. They can be reached at LOLMoving.com.

Free financial market seminar
Jodi Perez and Jeannie Holliday of Independent Financial Services will host a free seminar Feb. 27 beginning at 5:30 p.m. at 20635 Amberfield Drive in Land O’ Lakes.

The company will share its view of the state of the economic markets, and what could be in store for the coming year.

Dinner is included.

To RSVP, call (813) 980-2701.

Political Agenda 02-26-14

February 27, 2014 By Michael Hinman

Commission candidates to debate
The Pasco Federated Republican Women’s Club will host a debate for Republican Pasco County Commission candidates March 7 at 11:30 a.m. at Fox Hollow Golf Club, 10050 Robert Trent Jones Parkway in Trinity.

The forum will include Ken Littlefield, Mike Moore and Bob Robertson. All three are campaigning to win a primary election set for Aug. 26, with the winner set to face Erika Remsberg — or the winner of a Democratic primary if one is needed — in the general election.

Cost is $15, and reservations are required by March 4.

For more information, call Fran Scerbo at (727) 597-3727, or email .

Fundraising slow for Bob Robertson
Now facing two candidates in the Republican primary to replace Pat Mulieri on the Pasco County Commission, Bob Robertson is not making a lot of headway in the fundraising department.

The Zephyrhills-based investment assets manager reported just a single donation in January, $50, while spending a little more than $185. Like many of his other contributions, this latest one once again came from outside the area, this time Maryland.

So far since filing to run in July, Robertson has raised just under $10,200. But only 61 percent of that has come from Florida donors, and nearly half of that came from a loan Robertson himself made to the campaign.

Robertson still has a lot of money ready to spend, more than $5,500. But that pales to the cash available to one of his primary opponents, Mike Moore, who has nearly $35,000 at the ready through the end of last month.

The third candidate in the primary, former State Rep. Ken Littlefield, has yet to file financial reports after announcing his candidacy Jan. 16. Also nothing to show yet in the campaign finance department is Erika Remsberg, who filed as a Democrat Feb. 7.

Constitutional Convention bill clears hurdle
The Florida Senate Judiciary committee has moved forward a bill from Sen. Wilton Simpson, R-Trilby, calling for a Constitutional convention he hopes will limit U.S. Congress bills to just a single subject.

The committee vote Feb. 11 passed 7-2, and the bill now moves on to the Governmental Oversight and Accountability committee. After that, it only has the Rules committee before being ready for a floor vote.

The House version of the bill was referred to committee last December, but is likely waiting for the outcome of the Senate version.

“This is about having the federal government start conducting themselves in a professional manner,” Simpson told The Laker/Lutz News in January. “Most of the frustration we have with our government is that you have something like a spending bill in Congress. They always add on several hundred millions of dollars of something that has nothing to do with the subject they are dealing with. And as a citizen of the state of Florida, I am tired of our federal government being operated this way.”

For more on the call for a Constitutional convention, visit tinyurl.com/SingleSubject.

Lawmakers endorse Burgess
State Rep. Jose Felix Diaz, R-Miami, and State Rep. Debbie Mayfield, R-Vero Beach, have endorsed Zephyrhills mayor Danny Burgess in his attempt to succeed Will Weatherford in the State House.

“Danny and I are both young husbands and fathers, lawyers and businessmen, and deeply concerned for the future of our state,” Diaz said in a release. “I am proud to endorse him, and look forward to working with a principled young leader like Danny.”

“Danny’s record speaks for itself,” Mayfield said in a release. “A mayor committed to his neighbors, a father and husband committed to his family, and a U.S. Army captain committed to his country.”

Diaz was first elected to the state House in 2010, and wrote seven bills in 2012 that were signed by Gov. Scott, including one that ended the Urban Infill & Redevelopment Assistance Grant program. That program was created in 1999 to help local governments revitalize distressed urban areas, but it had not been funded since 2001.

Mayfield joined the House in 2008, and served as majority whip in 2009 and 2010. Although she authored three bills that became law in 2013, she also had one concerning the Fellsmere Water Control District in Indian River County vetoed by Gov. Rick Scott. The governor said the bill would lead to multiple governments competing to provide the same services.

Burgess potentially faces Minerva Diaz in the Republican primary, the winner of which — barring any other entrants into the race — will face Democrat Beverly Anne Ledbetter in the general election.

Late bowler struck hearts with kindness

February 20, 2014 By B.C. Manion

If somebody wanted to track down Betty Strickland on a weekday, it was a safe bet she’d be at Royal Lanes in Lutz.

Betty Strickland was a fixture at Royal Lanes in Lutz. She was known not only for her bowling prowess, but also her kindly nature. (File Photo)

The Land O’ Lakes woman, who died on Jan. 29, was a fixture at the bowling alley since it opened in the 1970s.

On busy days, she bowled as many as 10 games. But normally, Strickland bowled around four, according to a feature story about the bowler published in The Laker/Lutz News in 2010.

Strickland enjoyed bowling with her friend, Cat Carson, and the two women played in scores of tournaments – including national tournaments – for several years.

One of Strickland’s biggest moments at Royal Lanes came on Jan. 9, 2006, when she bowled 300 — a perfect game.

Rachel Thompson, who herself bowled a perfect game on Nov. 9, 2012, said that besides being a terrific bowler, Strickland radiated kindness. Thompson works in classified sales at The Laker/Lutz News.

Before meeting Strickland, Thompson said she felt a bit intimidated. After all, Strickland bowled with the Brooklyn Strikers, known as the team to beat at Royal Lanes.

But it didn’t take Strickland long to put Thompson at ease.

“She right away was giving me five and telling me how good I was,” Thompson said, adding that Strickland was “super sweet and really supportive. She didn’t even know me.”

Carson, a retired schoolteacher, also remembers Strickland’s warm welcome. The Land O’ Lakes woman said she was pretty rusty at the time, and Strickland noticed.

“She looked at my old ball from 1960. She said, ‘I think you need some help,’” recalled Carson, who became fast friends with Strickland. “She took me under her wing and started teaching me all of these things. She worked hours and hours with me. We started bowling shortly after that, almost five times a week.”

Their friendship went beyond the bowling alley. They went scalloping together and to country music concerts at the Strawberry Festival in Plant City.

“She liked baseball, too. We were big (Tampa Bay) Rays fans. She’d watch every game, every night,” Carson said.

After games, the women would chat on the telephone about how the players performed.

Carson said she treasures the friendship she and Strickland shared.

“I never had a friend quite like Betty,” Carson said.

She recalls an instance when Strickland called her at midnight and said, “Oh, my cactus flower opened, come see it.”

Carson jumped in her car to go see it.

On another occasion, Strickland was chatting on the telephone and told Carson, “Oh, look, a baby deer was born in my bushes.”

So, Carson jumped in her car once again, and drove to Strickland’s house.

Carson credits Strickland for playing a large role in influencing the welcoming ambience at Royal Lanes.

“Our whole bowling alley is very friendly — the majority of the people there — and I really think Betty had a big thing to do with that,” Carson said.

She was beloved by people of all ages, Carson said. She pointed out that a good number of those in attendance at her memorial service were decades younger than Strickland.

Strickland is survived by her daughters, Brenda Barno (Pete) and Robyn Davie Geiger (John); her four grandchildren, Andrew Barno, Brenna Barno Longmier, Dennis Davie Jr., Wendy Jo Davie; and numerous great-grandchildren.

Robyn Geiger said her mother enjoyed the camaraderie of the bowlers at Royal Lanes. “She liked the people,” Geiger said.

Besides being an avid bowler in her later years, Strickland was a hard worker in her younger years, Geiger said. Sometimes Strickland would work two or three jobs, to make sure she could provide for her daughters.

Thompson, who only knew Strickland from the bowling alley, said the woman left an indelible impression.

“It was great to bowl with her. She made sure to let people know she cared,” Thompson said, adding Strickland was “sweet as cotton candy.”

Published Feb. 19, 2014

Wade Boggs, others support new Little League park name

February 20, 2014 By Michael Murillo

Because it’s located at 18050 Kinnan Street, many people know New Tampa Little League Park as Kinnan Fields. But soon it could be getting a whole new name.

Kinnan Fields could soon get an official name after a couple that devoted a lot of time to bring Little League to the area. Eber Park, named for Dick and Kathy Eber, could be made official as early as this spring. (Photo by Michael Murillo)

A final decision has yet to be made, but a public meeting on Feb. 10 to discuss options ended with one clear choice among interested parties.

“Every person there spoke to renaming the park Eber Park, after Dick and Kathy Eber,” said Jack Carlisle, director of Parks, Recreation and Conservation for Hillsborough County. The couple was instrumental in the formation of the league, first as the Northeast Little League, and then its move to New Tampa.

And the Ebers still live in the area, Carlisle said, with Kathy Ebers an assistant athletic specialist for the county, and Dick Eber a retired postal carrier.

The Ebers have a vocal group of supporters who want to see them honored with the park naming, but the couple was not informed of the effort, Carlisle said. His plan was to meet with Kathy this week and reveal the news, ahead of Wednesday’s Hillsborough County Commission meeting, where the item is on the agenda.

The ball to recognize the Ebers got rolling when Harald Stone, a former Little League president, spoke with Commissioner Ken Hagan about the possibility of renaming New Tampa Little League Park in their honor. Stone then spoke before the Park Advisory Board to present the issue, which led to a public meeting to consider all options and opinions.

“I had been thinking about it for two or three years,” explained Stone, who has known the Ebers for more than two decades. “They have just been the heart and soul of Little League.”

Kathy, Stone said, served as Little League president multiple times, and would handle the league’s administrative duties in the early days, while Dick would work on managing, coaching and umpiring. After their own children grew out of the league, the Ebers stayed and even sacrificed vacation time to mentor children, remain active and help it grow.

In an organization where leaders tend to come and go as their children moved through the system, the Ebers remained a constant presence and source of support. “Through all the comings and goings of the various of adults and parents who were involved in the league, there was one constant, and that was Dick and Kathy Eber,” Stone said. “We were there when our kids played. They were there long-term.”

The meeting had enthusiastic supporters for the name change in attendance, but it wasn’t a large group. Only six people came to speak to the issue, but some had well-recognized baseball credentials. Major League Baseball Hall-Of-Famer Wade Boggs and former University of South Florida baseball coach Eddie Cardieri were among those speaking on the Ebers’ behalf.

Carlisle explained that while there might not have been large numbers in attendance, it’s not surprising that those who showed up were passionate about the topic.

“I’m fond of telling staff in almost every meeting that at Parks and Recreation, we’re in the business of creating memories,” he said. “When people walk away from the park with their family or from some sporting event, they’re walking away with a memory. I believe that collectively, over time, that creates a kind of passion for a particular place.”

The renaming of the park — which boasts three fields, batting cages and a concession area — won’t be official until the board approves it. But there aren’t any other names in contention. If approved, appropriate signage will be placed at the park, and a ceremony will be scheduled to mark the change.

That could happen sometime in the middle or end of the current season, which runs through closing ceremonies scheduled for May 17.

While he was the catalyst behind the name change, Stone said he’s just one of the couple’s many admirers, and represents the sentiments of those who appreciate their contributions to youth baseball.

“There would have been a hundred other guys who, if I had been hit by a car, would have kept it going. I can tell you that,” he said. “I was not alone in this.”

Published Feb. 19, 2014

Elevated road proposal moving forward quickly

February 20, 2014 By Michael Hinman

All the talk about a proposed elevated toll road along the State Road 54/56 corridor has put it years and years in the future.

But if the Florida Department of Transportation finalizes an agreement with International Infrastructure Partners LLC, such a project connecting Zephyrhills and New Port Richey may come much faster, with the first public presentation of the road’s conceptual plan scheduled for next month.

Public meetings will be in three locations across the county beginning in late spring, the same time IIP begins its negotiations to lease the right of way along the corridor needed to build the elevated road. They would take place on the east and west sides of the county, as well as in between.

“We’re having further discussions about what is going to be happening after those public hearings, but it’s all kind of a simultaneous thing over the next several months,” said Lee Royal, a public involvement director with the FDOT, during last week’s Pasco County Metropolitan Planning Organization meeting. “There will be possible lease negotiations depending on the outcome of those public hearings.”

Which way the pendulum swings will depend on who shows up for those meetings. Pasco County Commissioner Jack Mariano says he’s received nothing but negative emails about the project in recent weeks, while county planning and development administrator Richard Gehring said a good number of people from a meeting he had in Wesley Chapel chose the elevated road as the best solution for long-term traffic woes in the county.

Negative public sentiment might kill the project before it even gets going, Mariano said, based on how IIP has reacted to bad news in the past. When a member from the Washington, D.C.-based Urban Land Institute recommended against an elevated road, IIP took a step back from its request, and asked for more time to think through its proposal.

“I have not heard anything back positive from the public,” Mariano said. “I think it’s disingenuous to keep those things rolling down the road when all they are going to do is step back again.”

Yet if the elevated road isn’t built, the county and the state will still have tough decisions to make when it comes to fixing pending traffic congestion issues along the corridor while Pasco County continues to grow.

“I am not 100 percent in favor of this managed toll lane … but we have to evaluate everything,” Commissioner Ted Schrader, another MPO member, said. “If (IIP) withdraws their proposal, we still have an issue to deal with because people will be stuck in traffic.”

Another possibility facing the county is that IIP might not build all 33 miles of the road as initially proposed, Gehring said. The prospective traffic problems in the near future will focus on the 10-mile stretch of State Road 54/56 between the Suncoast Parkway and Interstate 75.

Connecting those two major north-south roads might be the best option for everyone in the long run, he said. And while there are some eyeballs on State Road 52 to the north as an east-west connector, the county still has limited options to build since much of the central part of Pasco is protected conservation land.

“There are a lot of natural constraints in this system that we are trying to deal with,” Gehring said.

Published Feb. 19, 2014

Putting God’s love into action through clothing

February 20, 2014 By B.C. Manion

Drop by Phyllis T. Lise’s home and you’ll see piles of clothes on the living room sofa, boxes of clothing stacked against walls, and plastic bags full of shoes and other stuff.

Phyllis T. Lise, founder of Dressing Angels, stands near a stack of boxes filled with clothing in her Wesley Chapel living room. She delivers gently used clothing and shoes to the mentally ill and others in need. (Photo by B.C. Manion)

However, the piles, bags and boxes are not a sign that Lise is becoming a hoarder.

Instead, the Wesley Chapel woman is the founder of Dressing Angels, a charity that, according to its mission statement, “actively seeks to put God’s love into action by providing gently used clothing and shoes for the mentally ill and those in need.”

Lise was inspired to start the charity after her son was diagnosed as a paranoid schizophrenic.

When she went to see him at mental health facilities or accompanied him on appointments, she noticed that many of the mentally ill patients were wearing clothing and shoes that were dirty or worn. At one facility, she heard patients complaining they were cold. They weren’t wearing any socks, she said.

“Their families had abandoned them,” Lise said.

She decided she needed to get involved.

“This is something God wanted me to do,” she said. “Somebody has got to help. Somebody has got to do something.”

So, she and her husband Fred found time outside their full-time jobs to start purchasing clothing and shoes at thrift shops and garage sales. Lise then launders the clothing and packages it to deliver to mental health facilities, group homes and to schools in Pasco and Hillsborough counties, which have large enrollments of poor children.

The charity also helps the homeless.

The need is great, Lise said.

“The mentally ill, they’re the forgotten in our community,” Lise said. “The stigma is still there. If I tell you I have breast cancer, you would feel so sorry for me. If I told you I had heart disease, you would feel sorry. But if I said I had mental illness, you would treat me as though something is wrong with me.”

But mental illness is pervasive, Lise added. Of Florida’s approximately 18.3 million residents, close to 660,000 adults live with serious mental illness, and about 181,000 children live with serious mental health conditions, according to statistics reported by the National Alliance on Mental Illness.

Lise has encountered many people who have family members or friends who are mentally ill.

“Every time I talk to somebody, they’ll say, ‘I know somebody, my relative …’ People do not realize how prevalent mental illness is in our society,” Lise said.

After she launched the charity and began making appearances in television and radio interviews, she became much more attuned to the scale of the issue.

“You don’t know how many people are suffering until the story gets out there and people start emailing you with their stories,” Lise said.

She acknowledged that she, herself, didn’t realize the extent of the issue until her son was diagnosed. He was 17 when she began noticing something was wrong.

“All of a sudden, he stopped taking a bath. He stopped eating. He stopped brushing his teeth,” she said. “He started having signs of dementia, like mumbling. He couldn’t put his words together.”

Initially, she thought he was using drugs. But he told her he wasn’t. They both spent months visiting doctors before he was finally diagnosed, she said.

Besides donating items to mental health facilities and schools, Lise and her husband also visit a homeless camp where they donate clothing and cooking utensils.

Once a month, Lise delivers 50 bags of clothing to a school in Pasco or Hillsborough county. Each bag holds a week’s worth of clothing.

Some of the clothing she gives away has been donated, but Lise and her husband purchase most of it, she said. They spend much of their time shopping for bargains.

“I go to all of the Salvation Armys. Goodwill. Mom-and-pop thrift stores,” Lise said. “I go to a lot of garage sales because you can find a lot of clothes for like a dollar.”

Dressing Angels Teen and Young Adult Group
People between the ages of 14 and 26 meet the second Saturday of each month from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., at the North Tampa Library, 8916 North Boulevard.

The group might participate in arts and crafts, watch movies, go on field trips to the Museum of Science & Industry or out to bowl.

Current Needs
• Clothing: Gently used or new clothing of all kinds for all ages.
• Gently used or new tennis shoes, shoes, sandals or boots for all ages.
• Donation center space where people can pick up clothing and shoes, and also can meet for support meetings and activities.
• Laundry detergent
To help, call Phyllis T. Lise at (813) 498-7967, or email dressingangels@yahoo.com.

For more information, visit DressingAngels.org.

Published Feb. 19, 2014