The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

Local News

Showering others with kindness

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Every year, like clockwork, members of the Lutz-Land O’ Lakes Woman’s Club throw a luncheon and shower to benefit women and children living in two area domestic violence shelters.

Club members come to the event bearing clothing and other gifts to give to the shelter residents. They tend to be practical items, such as diapers, children’s toys, children’s clothing and personal hygiene supplies.

The woman’s group also has a boutique and a flea market, where club members and the general public can shop to raise money for the shelters.

Rosie Heim, president of the Lutz-Land O’ Lakes Woman’s Club, works with member Jeannie to sort donations. (Photo courtesy of the Lutz-Land O’ Lakes Woman’s Club)
Rosie Heim, president of the Lutz-Land O’ Lakes Woman’s Club, works with member Jeannie to sort donations. (Photo courtesy of the Lutz-Land O’ Lakes Woman’s Club)

The event also features a $6-a-plate lunch of lasagna, salad, bread, a drink and dessert, which is open to the public.

“Last year, we fed 75 people,” said Joan Collins, chairwoman of the luncheon for the woman’s club.

The items provided through the woman’s club luncheon lifts the spirits of the women and children who live at Sunrise of Pasco Inc.’s domestic violence shelter, said Trish Kley, the center’s development director.

They appreciate that people who don’t even know them are willing to help them, and they marvel at the items that are donated, she said.

Shelter residents get excited as “they are unloading and unloading and unloading” the vehicles that deliver the items that were donated at the shower, Kley said.

“What they do is fantastic. So many of these things, we’d never be able to supply,” Kley added.

The shelter is grateful for any donations and particularly need practical items, such as toilet paper, toiletries and bigger-ticket items such as highchairs, car seats and strollers.

Sunrise is seeing a growing demand, and is addressing that by adding 15 new beds, Kley said.

The woman’s club event offers a chance to do a bit of shopping and to mingle at lunch, Collins said. Before lunch, there’s a boutique and mini-flea market, where club members and the general public can purchase goods.

The money raised is donated to Sunrise and to the Pasco County Salvation Army Domestic Violence Shelter in Pasco County.

Collins said once the boutique is over, the club will also donate those gently used items — if the shelters want them.

The woman’s club gets satisfaction from the annual event because they know that the shelters need the help, Collins said.

“They’re very appreciative of everything we give them,” Collins said.

Abuse shelter benefit luncheon and boutique

Aug. 22: 10 a.m. shopping at the boutique, followed by lunch at 11:30 a.m.
Lunch is $6 a plate for lasagna, salad, bread, dessert and a drink
Where: Lutz Community Center, 98 First Ave. N.W.
Questions? Call Joan Collins at (813) 855-7254.

Steinbrenner High student wins modeling competition

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When Courtney Reed hits the runway, she has a singular goal: To put whatever piece of apparel she’s wearing in its best light.

Recently, the 17-year-old Steinbrenner High School student proved that she knows how to work a runway by capturing first place in Old Navy’s “Next Top Model” competition at a mall in Sarasota.

Courtney Reed,17, recently won Old Navy’s ‘Next Top Model’ competition at a shopping mall in Sarasota. She will go on to compete at the Florida level of the Miss Teen U.S.A. competition. (Photo courtesy of the Reed family)
Courtney Reed,17, recently won Old Navy’s ‘Next Top Model’ competition at a shopping mall in Sarasota. She will go on to compete at the Florida level of the Miss Teen U.S.A. competition. (Photo courtesy of the Reed family)

She modeled black jeans, a black tank top and a white jacket, along with accessories — and came out on top among a field of about 60 competitors.

As a result of winning that competition, she now advances to the Florida competition for Miss Teen U.S.A.

The young woman from Lutz said she was first introduced to modeling when she was 13.

Reed was at a Jonas Brothers concert at the amphitheater at the Florida State Fairgrounds when someone approached her and asked if she’d ever considered modeling.

She said she was interested, so she went to an audition and ultimately began working with a management company called N8 Talent, based in Sarasota.

N8 Talent is a management company for actors, models, vocalists, comics and bands in Florida and Los Angeles. The company’s clients have been involved in numerous widely known films and television programs including “Spider-Man,” “Dolphin Tale,” “ER” and “Hannah Montana.” N8 has also done commercial work for clients like T.J. Maxx, MTV, Publix Super Markets and McDonalds.

Reed said she attended the International Presentation of Performers, or iPop, in Las Vegas, and received callbacks from several agents in Los Angeles. But she was unable to pursue those opportunities.

At the time, her dad, Steve, was laid off from his job as an information technology manager after 23 years with the company.

“It was really tough,” said her mom, Debbie. The agents were interested, but the family couldn’t swing it financially. Things just got put on hold for a little bit.”

Steve said he’s pleased by his daughter’s commitment and her ability to maintain a level head.

“I’m proud of how she’s stuck with it throughout the years,” he said. “She has a good outlook. She works hard at it.”

Despite the family’s economic setbacks, the young woman has taken it all in stride.

Reed said she enjoys modeling and would love to pursue a career in modeling and acting. At the same time, she’s also interested in studying psychology and becoming a licensed cosmetologist.

She can easily picture herself doing hair and makeup for other models.

Courtney knows that psychology and cosmetology may seem like an odd combo to some, but that doesn’t bother her a bit.

She also has a variety of other interests. Courtney carries a 3.76 grade point average on a 4.0 scale, as she enters her senior year at Steinbrenner.

She also plays piano and violin.

She was an altar server at St. Timothy Catholic Church for four years, and hopes to attend college in New York while pursuing modeling opportunities there.

But rejection is part of the business when it comes to modeling and acting, and Steve Roberts from N8 has worked with Courtney to make sure she doesn’t take it personally.

“If I don’t get a call back, I’m not what they wanted at that moment,” Reed said.

Honoring the 50th anniversary of The March on Washington

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If you were there when Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. gave his famous “I Have a Dream Speech,” Tampa-Hillsborough County Public Libraries would love to hear from you.

The library staff is looking for people like Bill McCloud, a resident of Odessa, who was there at the pivotal event on the mall in Washington, D.C.

“I was a private in the Army,” recalled McCloud, now 68. “I think there was all this concern that there was going to be a riot,” he said.

Instead, the Aug. 28, 1963 event was a nonviolent demonstration, which attracted about 250,000 people to demonstrate their support for economic and racial equality.

“It was overwhelming for me to see such a number of people,” McCloud said.

“It was just a great event that really helped change some of the dynamics of America,” said McCloud, who noted that he had no idea at the time how significant it would be.

The library system is creating a video history of local residents, like McCloud, who participated in the historic 1963 March on Washington.

From now through Aug. 16, library personnel will be available to digitally record the memories of local residents who attended the event that drew 250,000 people to Washington, D.C. The system decided to collect the stories and to have a special event to share them because, as staff member Stacey Jurewicz put it, “we didn’t want to lose this opportunity.”

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. gave his stirring ‘I Have a Dream’ speech during the 1963 March on Washington. (Photo courtesy of WEDU PBS)
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. gave his stirring ‘I Have a Dream’ speech during the 1963 March on Washington. (Photo courtesy of WEDU PBS)

The video histories will be featured along with an afternoon of freedom songs at the West Tampa Branch Library, 2312 Union St. in Tampa, on Aug. 24 at 2:30 p.m.

Those wishing to share their story are asked to call Jurewicz, so she can arrange a time and place for the recording. She can be reached at (813) 273-3652.

The library system isn’t the only local organization honoring the half-century anniversary of that historic day. West Central Florida’s primary PBS station, WEDU, is holding a film screening to honor the event.

The station is hosting a special preview event on Aug. 22 at 7:30 p.m. at Tampa Theatre, 711 N. Franklin St. in Tampa. Doors will open at 7 p.m.

Visitors will be able to view a gallery of photos from the 1963 march, meet local residents who took part and see a free preview screening of “The March.”

Seating is limited and reservations are requested. Reservations can be made online at www.wedu.org/themarch.

The program will also air on WEDU-TV on Aug. 27 at 9 p.m., with a block of related programming.

 

Clerk’s office warns residents of scam involving jury summons

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If the phone rings and someone on the other end of the call says it’s time for jury duty, beware.

The Pasco County Clerk & Comptroller’s office is reminding residents that notices of jury service and failure-to-appear notifications are still mailed, and not made over the telephone. The warning comes after the clerk’s office received word from their state association that these kinds of calls are going out, said Darcy Foster, director of strategic enterprise for the clerk’s office.

Some of these calls also seek sensitive personal information, which should never be provided to an unsolicited phone caller, the clerk’s office advises.

The fraudulent telephone calls generally follow the same lines, the clerk’s office notes, claiming it’s coming from the office of the court. The caller threatens to have a warrant issued for an arrest if that person does not report for jury duty.

When the person receiving the calls says they never received a notice or summons, they’re then prompted to give information like birthdate, Social Security number or even credit or bank account information, according to the clerk’s office.

When that happens, the person receiving the call should hang up the telephone and report the call to a local law enforcement agency, Foster said.

They can even take the additional step of reporting the fraud to the Federal Trade Commission at FTC.gov, or call (877) 382-4357.

Anyone with questions about jury duty notices or summons can call O’Neill’s office at (800) 368-2411, ext. 2200.

Land O’ Lakes woman gives personal touch to greetings

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In this age of Tweets and texts, Gloria Dale sticks with an old-fashioned method of sending holiday cheer to veterans and troops.

She writes each of her greeting cards by hand.

The 78-year-old spends much of the year preparing about 1,575 cards to hand out at local nursing homes and to mail to active military personnel overseas.

Gloria Dale works through the year, writing holiday greeting cards for area veterans and military troops overseas. (Photo by B.C. Manion)
Gloria Dale works through the year, writing holiday greeting cards for area veterans and military troops overseas. (Photo by B.C. Manion)

She’s a fixture at the Dunkin’ Donuts on SR 54 in Land O’ Lakes — where she plants herself at her favorite corner table on Wednesdays, Saturdays, Sundays and holidays.

She sips coffee as she jots out cards. Sometimes she’ll indulge in a bagel or some oatmeal.

When she’s not at the shop, she can be frequently found penning the cards at Winter Quarters Pasco RV Resort’s clubhouse, while watching NASCAR or her beloved Tampa Bay Rays.

Dale does the holiday card project every year, on behalf of the Lutz-Land O’ Lakes Woman’s Club.

She got involved about eight years ago, while helping other club members complete the task.

“Well, some of them write so small you can’t read it,” Dale said. So, she thought to herself: “I’ll just take that little chore on myself.”

She asked the group: “Can I take these cards home?”

They told her that’d be fine.

“So, I took those cards home on a Thursday, and the next Thursday I took them back, all done,” Dale said.

Since then, the project has become Dale’s little baby.

As soon as one holiday season is over, she’s out buying cards for the next one.

“After Christmas, I go to the store. They’ll come down — 75 percent and 80 percent off,” said Dale, who pays for the cards herself.

The woman’s club pays for the postage to send the cards overseas, said Rosie Heim, club president.

Heim said the club is lucky to have someone with Dale’s commitment.

“I’m loving that she does it. She gives a personal touch from the club, which we like,” Heim said. “We want people to know that we care. She has beautiful writing.”

Signing the cards is simple, Dale said.

“I could get a stamp that says ‘Merry Christmas’ or ‘Happy Holidays,’” Dale said, but she added, “That would look horrible.”

Instead, she carefully signs each card, places it in an envelope and then adorns the envelope with holiday stickers.

“This is what it looks like when it’s finished,” Dale said, holding a card that she’s finished. “It doesn’t look commercial.”

Dale says she enjoys the project. It’s a way she can honor people who have put their lives on the line for the nation.

“My dad was in the service,” she said. “I had an uncle who was in the service who got killed. I had brothers-in-law and my husband. They all served.

“My (late) husband (Harry), about the last thing he said to me was, if there’s anything to do to help a veteran, help them. So, I try my best.”

Not everyone who gets a card always knows they get it, especially in nursing homes where patients may not always be aware of what’s going on around them.

“But the family will know that they have a card, that we’re thinking of them,” Dale said.

The greetings may also bring a bit of cheer to troops overseas at the holidays, she said.

“I enjoy doing the cards. I can sit and write all day long,” Dale said. “It gives me something to do. It keeps my fingers limber.”

Anyone with new holiday cards they would like to contribute or who would like to help cover postage costs can reach Dale at (813) 215-1045.

 

Porter campus a possible early voting site

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It won’t open until January, and the midterm elections are even farther off, but the Pasco County Supervisor of Elections is already eyeing Pasco-Hernando Community College’s Porter Campus at Wiregrass as a possible early voting site.

Corley mentioned the idea during the monthly meeting of the Greater Wesley Chamber of Commerce’s monthly meeting of its economic development committee.

Supervisor of Elections Brian Corley
Supervisor of Elections Brian Corley

After the meeting, Corley said he hasn’t talked with PHCC officials about the potential early voting site, but he thinks it would be a convenient location.

The new satellite campus of PHCC is being built on Mansfield Boulevard, off SR 56, just east of The Shops at Wiregrass.

“It’s a great location, geographically,” Corley said.

New legislation passed during the last session of the Florida Legislature allows supervisors of election more flexibility than they had in the past on where to place early voting sites, Corley said. Before, those sites could only be located at election offices, city halls or libraries.

That meant that Wesley Chapel voters had to go seven miles east to New River Branch Library or almost as far in the other direction to the Land O’ Lakes Branch Library to vote, Corley said.

Corley wants to make it easier for people who live and work in Wesley Chapel to cast their early ballots.

Having an early polling site in Wesley Chapel would make it easier for people to vote before and after work, as well as during lunch, Corley said.

During his talk at the chamber, Corley also noted another change in state law that he thinks is beneficial.

In previous elections, anyone who voted by mail had to sign the outside of the envelope for the vote to be counted, Corley said. Some voters forgot to do so and the votes would not be counted. That affected 109 voters in Pasco during the last election.

Now, thanks to legislation championed by House Speaker Will Weatherford, “they can send an affidavit in affirming they only voted once,” Corley said. “Their vote will count.”

He’s glad the law changed because he thinks every vote is important.

Only 537 votes separated Al Gore and George Bush in 2000, Corley said.

He cited two much closer votes in Zephyrhills.

“We had two annexation elections in Zephyrhills. One where a one-vote difference for won and the other one, one-vote difference against won,” Corley said.

Corley said he thinks it’s interesting to compare voter turnout for presidential elections and midterms.

The midterm election has the governor on the ballot, the entire Cabinet, state representatives, state senate, two county commission seats and three school board seats.

“The county commission and the school board, to me, have more impact on our lives as citizens, than the president,” Corley said.

“Then, why is it when the president is on the ballot, it’s 75 percent and when it’s a midterm – we had 46 percent in 2010. It should almost be the opposite,” Corley said.

The Laker welcomes news editor

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Michael Hinman has joined The Laker and Lutz News as news editor, ready to share stories for and about the great residents of the area, ensuring that everyone gets a voice.

“I’ve known Michael for many years and have always respected his journalistic ethics and enthusiasm,” said Publisher Diane Kortus. “It is great to finally have Michael on our team and look forward to his contributions, which I expect will make The Laker an even better paper than it is today.”

Hinman started his journalism career 20 years ago in northwestern Pennsylvania where he was a sports correspondent for a local weekly, and also broadcast news on a radio station there. He later moved to upstate New York where he worked as a sports editor for the Steuben Courier-Advocate and the weekend editor for the Hornell Evening Tribune.

Hinman moved to Florida in 1996, where he became editor of the Zephyrhills News, and later a deputy editor for the now-defunct Zephyrhills Sun. In 1999, he joined The Tampa Tribune’s Sunbelt Newspaper division, starting as a reporter with its papers in Northwest Hillsborough County, and later becoming editor of the Temple Terrace News.

In 2005, he took a different route in his journalism career and became a staff writer with the Tampa Bay Business Journal, where he covered seven counties and some of the area’s biggest commercial stories. His ongoing coverage of the failed Trump Tower Tampa project in downtown Tampa earned him the Society of Professional Journalists’ top prize for business journalism in 2008. The Florida Press Association, the Florida Press Club and Community Papers of Florida also have recognized Hinman’s work over the years.

Hinman welcomes story ideas and suggestions for topics you would like to see in The Laker/Lutz News. Please reach out to Hinman at (813) 909-2800, or email him at .

 

Local teens use robot to save the world

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Three local teens are among 10 finalists in an international robotics competition and expect to find out soon if they’ve captured the top prize.

The 14-year-olds — Sean Carr, Ross Edwards and R.J. Walters — just wrapped up the second phase of the X Prize After Earth competition.

The contest winner announcement is scheduled for around Aug. 9.

Sean Carr, R.J. Walters and Ross Edwards are finalists in an international competition that seeks to encourage competitors to think about ecology and robotic design. (Photo by B.C. Manion)
Sean Carr, R.J. Walters and Ross Edwards are finalists in an international competition that seeks to encourage competitors to think about ecology and robotic design. (Photo by B.C. Manion)

The competition is based on the movie, “After Earth,” starring Will Smith and Jaden Smith. The sponsor, X Prize Foundation, uses competitions to address “the world’s grand challenges,” according to its website.

In this case, the teams explored ways to make earth more sustainable and how to use robotics to explore the potential for a new settlement for humans.

No matter the outcome, the three young men — who are members of the Trinity Dragons robotics team — said they’ve enjoyed the challenge.

They’ve designed and built a robot that can scoot across a surface, can lift small buckets and deliver them to where they need to go and then can return to its base.

While the robot seemingly acts on its own, it actually completes its work through computer programming and infrared sensors. It carries out its tasks in a fictitious place, called Nova Prime.

The robotics team spent countless hours building and programming the robot, and created Nova Prime from plywood, Spackle, sand, chili powder, paint and plants.

They also produced a video that tells the story of their imaginary world.

The video opens with images of what’s going wrong with earth — traffic jams, billowing smokestacks, parched earth, landfills and a dead bird. It then pans to a view of Carr’s backyard in Lutz, where fish thrive in water tanks, which provide water and nutrients to a flower and vegetable garden in a system, which in turn produces fish and organic vegetables, using very little water.

The video also features a lively musical soundtrack and an entertaining look at the steps the team followed to create and program the robot.

The video also pokes fun at Ray Carr, who is Sean’s dad and the team’s coach. He’s depicted as a lecturer who is boring the team to death.

Other portions of the video show the rover coming together and the construction of Nova Prime.

The team submitted that video recently meeting the contest’s phase two deadline. The video they submitted in June won them the right to compete in the finals.

The contest provides an excellent challenge for the kids, Ray Carr said.

“It’s not just a computer science thing; it’s not just mechanical engineering,” he said. “It’s electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, computer engineering and a lot of geometry, all at once. They’re not focused on the learning. They’re focused on the goal. They learn along the way. I think that kind of opens up their minds a bit.

“Seeing things run around like that (robot), after you wrote the software, it’s fun,” he added.

Sean Carr said it’s been fun for him, too.

“We work together really well. We have the same common interest in mechanical and software,” Sean Carr said. “We bonded a lot.”

“It makes it even more fun when you’re competing against other people,” said Walters, who was at Ray Carr’s office five hours a day for at least five days a week.

“The robot, I believe, took about 42 hours of work,” Sean Carr said.

Ross took the lead role in designing the robot.

“He’s a Lego genius,” Sean Carr said. “That robot would be nowhere near what it is now without him.”

Walters did the lion’s share of painting and spackling to create Nova Prime and worked on developing the software to make the rover robot work.

“They struggled through a lot of issues,” Ray Carr said. “They struggled through a lot of things to come to the end solution. It didn’t just show up by any means.”

“The compass sensor kept messing up,” Walters said. “The tires were too big and wobbly.”

But they worked through those problems and produced a robot that would follow computer commands.

They also used music to help move their video along, after discovering that none of them particularly excelled at talking directly into the camera.

For making it to the final round, the team received a Lego Mindstorms robotic kit and a Sony Handycam video camera.

If they win the competition, they’ll be highlighted in a special feature about the X Prize After Earth Challenge on the U.S. Blu-ray disc of “After Earth.” They’ll also receive a signed Blu-ray, an “After Earth” poster and other prizes.

Pasco conference proves education is worldwide concern

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Dominic Mukwaya arrived in Pasco County ready to learn. When he left his village in Uganda a month ago, more than 30 members of his extended family joined him at the airport — nearly all of them watching a plane take off for the very first time in their lives.

Not only was it his first plane ride and his first trip to America, but it was also the first time Mukwaya has ever left the Kyotera region of his country, where running water was just introduced last spring, and electricity is still a future goal.

Mark Xing, center, of the Nanshan School District in Shenzhen, China, works with Susan Sanger-Miller from Connerton Elementary, left, and Alissa Lamorand from Anclote Elementary, on some administrative exercises at the International Leadership Fellows Institute in Land O’ Lakes last week. (Photo by Michael Hinman)
Mark Xing, center, of the Nanshan School District in Shenzhen, China, works with Susan Sanger-Miller from Connerton Elementary, left, and Alissa Lamorand from Anclote Elementary, on some administrative exercises at the International Leadership Fellows Institute in Land O’ Lakes last week. (Photo by Michael Hinman)

Despite that, Mukwaya has schooled more than 650 orphans whose families were ravaged by the HIV epidemic there. He has pushed for more adult education as well — especially for women, who traditionally did not go to school when they were younger.

“Some of the people in my district went to school and were not doing good, and others could not afford to pay for the school fees,” Mukwaya said. “We started a sustainability project where, in the long term, we can help those who might not be able to learn otherwise.”

Mukwaya returned home last weekend after his two-week trip to Land O’ Lakes, participating in the annual International Leadership Fellows Institute from the National Educator Program. That program, based in Denver, chose the Pasco County Schools out of more than a dozen national applicants to host this institute. It’s designed to empower teachers to become strong leaders, and give students equal access to success.

The seminar itself, which also included 20 hand-picked Pasco educators, lasted two weeks. It’s part of the overall institute program designed to operate for the next year, connecting participants not only with face-to-face visits, but also technologically through online communication services like Skype. It’s meant to be a give and take, where these administrators learn from each other, and take all of it back to incorporate into their own classrooms.

“What we have found so far that whether you’re teaching in a major metropolitan area or the jungle by the lake, it’s remarkable the similarities on how schools and classrooms operate,” said Mark Thompson, executive director of NEP. “We found much more in common than we thought.”

The recent conference in Land O’ Lakes was led by Diane Varano, principal of the Cultural Academy for the Arts and Sciences in Brooklyn. She makes the trip each year to help form new bonds among the education leaders, giving them tools to reinvigorate classrooms.

It’s a much-needed wakeup call for many teachers, who in recent years have complained about being forced to teach to state-mandated tests like the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test. Instead, the learning process must be more experiential, said Mark Xing, who is the director of teaching affairs for a 2,000-student school system in Shenzhen, China. Located just north of Hong Kong, Shenzhen is a city of more than 10 million people that was an early adopter of capitalism in the traditionally communist country. Because of that, the school there has been working to include both Chinese and American curriculums.

“In China, a lot of parents would like to send their children to study in the United States,” Xing said. “They want their children to know more about American culture, and we actually started this program to meet the parents’ needs.”

There was some concern that requiring both Chinese and American studies for elementary school-aged students might be too much. Instead, Xing has found his students embracing both equally, and that will give them an edge as technology continues to shrink the world and China plays an ever-expanding role in world economics.

Mukwaya’s curriculum also is experience-based, but not quite the same way. In his region, English is being taught as a third language — behind the local Luganda and the regional Swahili. But while math and reading are essential in the learning process for both children and adults, so are vocational skills that will help not only make money for his students, but save money as well.

“We started with writing and reading, and now they are going up to do more functional things like how to weave mats from palm leaves and make bags from banana fibers,” Mukwaya said. “We’re also teaching many of our women how they can save money, and how they can be sustainable financially.”

Both Mukwaya and Xing will return to Land O’ Lakes next year to share progress on changes they’ve instituted because of the program and report back on how well they have worked, with the goal of helping the district’s program to grow and evolve.

“This isn’t just about someone coming here and learning things. We are learning a great deal from them,” Thompson said. “We can teach them some of our best practices when it comes to education, but they are not just learning ours, they are teaching us theirs, too, and that’s the kind of dialogue we want to have.”

Taxes in Zephyrhills, Dade City to remain steady

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Property taxes are not expected to rise in either Zephyrhills or Dade City after governments in both cities put together 2014 budgets.

The rate in Zephyrhills was tentatively set at 6.1415 mills ahead of its Sept. 16 meeting, where the city council there will make a final decision on taxes. The rate remains the same as last year, and despite recent property value declines, will actually generate a little more revenue for the city.

That’s because the council was aggressive this past year in annexing areas along Fort King Road, as well as the Silver Oaks area. While annexing areas might cost more to service, the tax revenue annexed areas bring in typically more than offsets those expenses.

In Dade City, commissioners approved a millage rate of 7.2, up from 7.1 last year. However, the city — which has not raised taxes since 2009 — has the option to lower it back to 7.1 ahead of its September budget meeting. Once the commission sets the tax rate, it is allowed to only lower it, not raise it. By starting it higher, it gives the commission some wiggle room in case taxes do need to go up.

One mill represents $1 of tax on every thousand dollars of taxable property value. For example, in Zephyrhills — based on a Zillow-reported average home value of $73,400 — the tax would be $297.25 after standard homestead exemptions. In Dade City, the average home valued at $67,000 would carry a tax of $302.40 after the homestead exemption.

Both cities have taken a long, hard look at annexation in recent years to try and make up for potential budget shortfalls plaguing other municipalities because of property value declines. However, recent news in the housing market showing significant gains in home values may change that need.

A new CoreLogic Case-Shiller report shows that home prices increased 10.2 percent in the first quarter compared to a year ago, the first double-digit increase since the peak of the housing bubble, according to the Florida Association of Realtors. Home price increases are generally followed by property value increases, which means more tax revenue for cities like Zephyrhills and Dade City without the need to raise taxes.