Local News

Giving readers what they want to read

September 11, 2013 By Diane Kortus

Running a newspaper is not much different than running any other small business.

All successful businesses work to give customers what they want at a fair price so they continue to be their customer and tell friends and family about their products and services.

If you are a restaurant, you offer a menu filled with dishes customers have asked for and prepared by the best chef in town. If you are a retail store, you sell products people want so they come back and shop again.

At The Laker/Lutz News, our customers are both readers and advertisers. We know that if we give you stories and information about people and issues that are important to you, you will read your paper cover to cover, week after week, and share what you’ve read with family and friends.

And we know that your readership has a direct impact on the bottom line of our other customer — businesses that advertise in our papers. The better and more completely you read your paper, the more you will take note of the adjacent ads.

Which brings me to why we’re making some changes to the kinds of stories we write in The Laker/Lutz News.

Last spring we hired an independent research company to ask readers what type of news they want in their community paper. This was done in conjunction with our annual circulation audit that verifies the number of papers we print and deliver.

This study revealed the No. 1 reason people like you read The Laker/Lutz News is to learn about things to do in their community. Our best-read section is What’s Happening with its news briefs about upcoming activities and events.

Because readers put What’s Happening at the top of their list, we’re expanding this section and increasing our coverage of community events before they take place. B.C. Manion, our community editor for the past three years, is taking on this charge and welcomes suggestions on events you’d like to see covered.

The second topic most requested is business news.

You want to know what’s coming when you see a new commercial building underway. You want to know about local road improvements and how they will impact your drive to work. You are curious about local businesses, big and small, and are looking for new places to shop and professional services in your neighborhood.

To increase our business coverage, in late July we hired Michael Hinman as our news editor because of his community and business journalism background. In addition to working for several area weekly newspapers, Michael spent five years as a reporter at the Tampa Bay Business Journal.

Like B.C., Michael also welcomes your story ideas. Both journalists can be reached at (813) 909-2800 or by email at or .

You may have already noticed that there’s more business news in your paper. Last week, for example, we were the first to report on the expansion of Florida Medical Clinic’s new facilities in Zephyrhills and Carrollwood. This week we have a story on the elevated expressway for SR 54 that’s being proposed by a private developer.

I began this column talking about the importance of giving customers what they want. That’s why we’re committing more of our resources to stories you want to read. And why you’re seeing more stories about upcoming events, local businesses and growth and development.

With more than 60,000 readers, it’s impossible to give every single person everything they want in their community paper. But know that we’re acting on the best information we have to give you the kinds of stories you tell us you’re most interested in reading in The Laker/Lutz News.

Rick Scott visits to honor local veterans

September 11, 2013 By Michael Hinman

His first real exposure to heroism came when his mother married a man who served with the 82nd Airborne Division during World War II.

“I don’t think he believed he would come back alive,” Gov. Rick Scott told local veterans last week of his stepfather. “In the Navy, no one shot at me, and I didn’t have to jump out of perfectly good airplanes like he did.” But it’s because of his stepfather Scott said he realized that “America will remain the land of the free only so long as it remains the home of the brave.”

Florida’s First Lady Ann Scott awards a medal to one of the residents of Baldomero Lopez State Veterans’ Nursing Home in Land O’ Lakes during a ceremony last week as her husband, Gov. Rick Scott, looks on. Scott has been giving his Veterans Service Award medals to veterans across the state. (Photo by Michael Hinman)

Scott visited with veterans last week at the Baldomero Lopez State Veterans’ Home on Parkway Boulevard, sharing stories, and handing out his Veterans Service Awards medals.

“It’s so important that we honor and give thanks to our American veterans, our heroes,” Scott said. “It is important that we don’t wait just for the holidays to thank our men and women, we must take every opportunity to thank them.”

The medal Scott and his wife Ann gave to veterans in Land O’ Lakes last week has the Florida state seal on front, and the five seals representing the different branches of the armed forces on the back.

Scott singled out one resident during his speech, Sgt. First Class Angel Torres-Mendez, who served between 1947 and 1974, completing 18 missions — many of them solo missions — in Vietnam.

“He’s proud of his accomplishments, not his medal,” Scott said. “Like many of our residents here, his heart is as patriotic as it was when he joined the service many years ago.”

A total of 136 veterans were honored with the medal during last Thursday’s ceremony, honoring whom Sen. John Legg described as “super.” Legg, R-Lutz, shared a conversation he said he had with his 5-year-old son that morning about where he was going.

“’I am going to go stand and talk to some heroes,’ and his eyes got real big, ‘Are you going to meet Superman?’” Legg said. “I am going to see some super men and super women who, in our nation’s darkest hour, stood in front of tyranny, stood in front of those things that seemed hopeless, and brought light into the world.”

Maj. Gen. Emmett R. Titshaw Jr., who has served as the adjutant general of Florida for the last three years, said the state’s 12,000-soldier strong National Guard is “focused on the future, and our horizons.”

“But we have a deep appreciation of our heritage, and that heritage you contributed to and built,” Titshaw said. “We literally stand upon your shoulders and accomplishments, taking over the nation you provided to us, safe and secure.”

Wesley Chapel seminar to promote women’s health

September 11, 2013 By Special to The Laker/Lutz News

Women who want to hear a lecture on heart health, watch a cooking demonstration or get a bit of pampering can get those things and more at the Women’s Health & Wellness Day at Saddlebrook Resort Tampa, off SR 54 in Wesley Chapel.

The free half-day seminar, sponsored by Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel, will be on Sept. 21 from 8:30 a.m. until 1 p.m.

The seminar will feature six breakout sessions, giving women a chance to hear from some of the area’s most respected physicians discussing heart health, breast cancer risk factors, pregnancy, healthy aging and other wellness topics.

Women who are pregnant or are thinking of having a baby can talk with a lactation consultant.

The event will also feature a women’s health panel, with experts fielding questions about primary health care, internal medicine, geriatric medicine, obstetrics and gynecology.

There will also be a cooking demonstration and free screenings for blood pressure, blood glucose, BMI and others. There will be pampering opportunities, too, and giveaways.

The event will feature a women’s health panel, answering questions about primary health care, internal medicine, geriatric medicine, obstetrics and gynecology.

Send questions in advance to .

Space for the seminar is limited and reservations are required.

To register, call (813) 929-5432.

Dade City artist makes a worldwide impression

September 4, 2013 By B.C. Manion

Long before Pat Weaver began pursuing her passion for art, she was known as a businesswoman and politician in Dade City.

“I had retail stores downtown. I had Tricia’s. Then, I had Church Street Gallery. Then, I had Pat-e-cat’s,” said Weaver, who also served the community as both a city commissioner and later a mayor for Dade City.

She enjoyed politics and retailing, but was always drawn to art.

About four decades ago, Weaver began taking periodic trips to Scottsdale to take classes from accomplished artists.

Pat Weaver stands in front a picture window in her studio, surrounded by a few of her many works of art. (Photo by B.C. Manion)

“I would save up money and go out there and rent an apartment and stay two weeks at a time and study,” Weaver said. “Then, I’d come home for a year or two and save up my money and go back again.”

She stayed with retail, as she honed her artistic technique. Then, she began offering classes on the side.

“I started teaching locally, day classes and night classes,” Weaver said. “I also traveled to Lakeland and Plant City. That’s where I kind of cut my teeth on teaching.”

Initially, she painted with oils.

“About 20 years ago, I went into transparent watercolor. I just fell in love with the medium and decided I wanted to try it. It was an instant love affair with watercolor,” said Weaver.

Since teaching herself watercolor, she has gone on to write books about the art form, and offers workshops around the country. In fact, “I am better known away from Dade City than I am here,” said Weaver, whose book “Watercolor Simplified” is available through Amazon.com.

“I like to paint with a lot of energy and see things develop quickly,” Weaver said. “Watercolor allows for that, much more than any other medium does.”

Weaver teaches about 20 workshops a year, generally booked two to three years out. She’s taught in Florida, the Carolinas, Georgia, San Diego and Arizona.

She’s shared her knowledge in other countries, too.

“I’ve taught in the Bahamas and in Mexico, Italy, Spain, England, France,” Weaver said. Most of the students in her international classes have traveled from the United States to take part.

She lines up most of the work through art associations, watercolor societies and other organizations that sponsor her workshops. She handles her own travel arrangements.

“It just evolved over many years,” said Weaver, who has a home studio on the 36 acres she shares with her husband, Glenn.

Weaver said she gained considerable exposure about 15 years ago, when she was elected president of the Florida Watercolor Society. But her love for art dates back to childhood. She credits her mother for nurturing her creative spirit.

“She’s the one who instilled that desire in me to do art,” Weaver said.

Her seventh-grade teacher, Myra O’ Berry, was a positive influence, too.

“She would just assign me a special project and tell me to go down to the teachers’ lounge to draw it,” Weaver said. “She saw my gift.”

She pays forward that encouragement to her students while challenging them at the same time.

“I want them to be knowledgeable,” Weaver said.

They also need to know that excellence requires commitment, she said.

“The only way you can become good at anything is by doing it over and over and over,” Weaver said. “You have to be persistent and be willing to practice and apply what you learn. You can’t go and take three days of lessons and then go home and not paint until you decide to go back and take another workshop. There are no shortcuts to getting there.

Weaver said she doesn’t try to shape an artist’s style or point-of-view, but she seeks to broaden their knowledge and help them improve their techniques.

When she’s teaching or creating art, she’s absorbed by the work.

“When you are really into painting, you’re oblivious to anything else,” Weaver said.

She has a spontaneous approach to painting. She completes her artworks in one sitting.

She said her favorite type of art tends to be whatever she’s working on at the moment. But she does acknowledge a special fondness for doing commissioned portraits of dogs.

“As long as I get to paint, I’m happy,” Weaver said.

On a typical day she heads out to her studio about 10 a.m. and paints until about 4 p.m., with a break for lunch. Her days go longer when she’s on the road teaching.

She enjoys sharing what she knows.

“I love to see people learn and get excited about what they are doing,” she said. “They begin to see things differently than they ever saw them before.

“Most people don’t pay any attention to the light outdoors, or the colors, or the values. When you start painting, you become very aware of things.”

One of the things she loves about painting is that people can do it at any age.

“As long as your eyes are good and your hands are pretty steady, you can paint into late years. It’s a wonderful thing to be able to do,” she said.

Over the years, being an artist has had its satisfactions and its setbacks. Not every painting comes out the way she would like, but when they don’t, she just picks up another piece of watercolor paper and gets busy again.

That approach has yielded a rich life, filled with wonderful experiences and good friends, Weaver said.

“It’s taken me a very, very long time to get to the point that I am now,” she said. “But I’ve enjoyed the journey.”

To learn more about Pat Weaver and her art, visit www.patweaver.net.

How much is that doggie in the window? $1

September 4, 2013 By Michael Hinman

The holding area for the more than 130 dogs residing at the Pasco County Animal Services shelter in Land O’ Lakes erupts with barking every time someone walks in.

Cage after cage is filled with large dogs, some weighing as much as 90 pounds or more. And many of them have some sort of pit bull in them.

“Sadly, 70 to 80 percent of the dogs we get are pit bulls,” said Judy Tate Gregory, education coordinator for the shelter. “Most people come in looking for smaller dogs, and they are just more coveted. The larger dogs? Not so much.”

Flo is one of the nearly 150 dogs currently housed at the Pasco County Animal Services shelter on Dogpatch Lane in Land O’ Lakes. Because larger dogs like Flo are less likely to be adopted, the shelter is offering dogs for just $1 to good homes in September. (Photo by Michael Hinman)

And even with a policy designed to save as much as 90 percent of the dogs and cats the shelter receives, there’s a good chance many dogs with names like Jazzy, Flo and Luthes, will never again get to see outside the shelter.

That’s why the shelter is offering dog adoptions for just a buck through Sept. 28. Called the “Dollar Dog Days of Summer,” most of the dogs are available to good homes for a $1 adoption fee, plus a license fee of $10.

Each dog has been examined by a veterinarian, implanted with a microchip, and spayed or neutered — work that normally costs around $400. The total $11 charge is much lower than the normal $70 adoption fee for a dog, and a program that should make it easier for loving families to take home a new friend.

“Our goal is to save lives here,” Gregory said. “We like to find the best homes we can for them.”

The shelter is typically only required to hold dogs and cats without identifying information for 72 hours, according to county ordinances. However, the shelter tends to hold on to animals longer, doing everything possible to find someone to adopt. But it’s not easy.

“It’s hard to see all the animals in the shelter,” Gregory said. “It’s not a gloomy place here, and it is better than where a lot of them came from. But no matter what we do to make our shelter more comfortable, these animals really just want a forever home.”

In recent months, the shelter has implemented several programs to help get many of its animals on the right path. A foster program, launched in February, helps animals that are too young to be adopted, but are also without their mother. These foster families feed them, vaccinate them, and help them learn what their mother would’ve taught them otherwise.

Volunteers, of course, have always been the lifeblood of the shelter. They have to be willing to offer at least four hours a month, and be at least 15, Gregory said. Volunteers do everything from walking, grooming, cleaning, and even provide education outreach.

Adoption specials in September aren’t just limited to dogs. In honor of the late Philip Runnels, who volunteered many hours with those of the feline persuasion, Animal Services also is offering cats for a $5 adoption fee, instead of the normal $40.

“Kittens are cute, but adult cats don’t need to be taught a lot, and are very low maintenance,” Gregory said. “They need homes, too.”

To learn more about the “Dollar Dog Days of Summer” and also how to adopt a cat for $5, visit the shelter at 19640 Dogpatch Lane in Land O’ Lakes, or call (813) 929-1212.

Dogsledding in Florida? It’s a pastime with some bite

September 4, 2013 By Special to The Laker/Lutz News

“Hike, Hike!” Peggy Wright loudly calls out to the group of dogs in front of her, spurring them to start running.

At her command, the dogs bolt, pulling a two-wheeled sled that she’s standing on. As they move, each time she approaches a bend on the paved trail outlining the placid lake, Wright yells “Gee!” to direct the dogs right, or “Ha!” to send them to the left.

Boisterous, 6-year-old Kyra howls and barks as she sprints along with the rest of the pack, burning pent-up energy and thriving in the company of other huskies, malamutes, Akitas, and other sled dog breeds.

Peggy Wright, foreground, leashes her two huskies, Minka on the left and Bear on the right, prepping them for a sled run in Freedom Lake Park. Behind them, Matt Aamold is with his female husky mix, Bianca. (Photo courtesy of Peggy Wright)

This isn’t the harsh snows of the Arctic Circle. Instead, it’s Freedom Lake Park on a brisk Sunday afternoon in Florida, filled with plenty of trees, calm waters and grassy pastures.

Kyra is one of three Siberian huskies belonging to Carol Robinson, a massage therapist from Lutz, who is a member of the Sandy Paws Dog Sled Club in Pinellas Park.

“These dogs are strong and fast,” said Robinson, who joined the club in 2011 and regularly attends its monthly meetings. “It’s a little difficult sometimes to contain them because they get so excited, (but) they’re working as a team.”

Robinson and some of the other dog owners flank the pack, running about a mile with them around the lake. Without the owners at their side, the pack can run up to 20 miles an hour with a 150-pound sled and two people on it.

“Halt!” Wright booms. The command causes the dogs to come to a complete stop after their first lap. Before taking their second or even third cycle on the trail, the dogs and their owners take a break to mingle, rest and drink lots of water.

Wright started the dog sled club about four years ago with four of her friends. All five had Siberian huskies. Northern dogs like these huskies are naturally very active, and they can be destructive if they’re not strenuously engaged.

“By having this group, we’re able to teach people how to keep their dogs out of trouble,” Wright said. “When dogs are disciplined and correctly exercised, they are much happier and healthier.”

Wright and her friends wanted to open the club to everyone with Siberian huskies and similar breeds, so they created a website and used social networking sites like Meetup and Facebook. The club went from five to more than 170 members from all over the Tampa Bay area.

The sledding get-togethers happen monthly, except during the summer when it’s too hot for the dogs to run. Wright said the gatherings generally draw about 30 to 50 members at a time. The club gives her a chance to meet with other dog owners, while the dogs themselves play with each other.

“When we’re all together in a group, we can share stories or ideas,” Robinson said. “What’s the best brush to get that undercoat out? What food are you using to keep their coat?”

Robinson also likes to spread the word about pet adoptions because of her involvement with a dog rescue center.

“Sometimes we bring some of our dogs there and say if anyone’s looking to adopt, we have this one or that one,” she said. “We’ve had some successful adoptions through just networking.”

While Robinson greets and talks with the other owners, Kyra, with her pale blue eyes and soft thick black-and-white fur, joins in with her fellow dogs. Before they get ready to pull a sled, the dogs socialize by howling, sniffing and jumping on each other.

But because of their high energy levels, their owners keep them leashed.

Siberian huskies like Kyra were initially bred in the Arctic climates of northeastern Asia — mainly to serve as transportation for nomadic tribes, which didn’t have horses, donkeys and camels to rely on.

“For the original tribes, they would load up the sled with all their personal belongings,” Robinson said. “They were putting their housing, their tents, their blankets — everything went on these sleds. It was the dog’s job to pull it to the next location.”

Huskies have built-in stamina, lots of energy and strong stocky bodies. They were bred to run long distances in cold weather, and they also love to be around other dogs and people.

The dog sled club outings serve as an outlet for all their natural inclinations.

The club’s next outing is Sept. 22 at Freedom Lake Park, 9990 46th St. in Pinellas Park, for the group’s first real sledding event since last May.

For more information on the group, visit sandypawssleddogclub.com.

By Marie Abramov

Dennis Realty: 40 years of putting customers first

September 4, 2013 By Michael Hinman

Juanita Dennis had a vision of bringing all her real estate agents together in one place. And in 1994, the co-owner of Dennis Realty did just that, opening what would become a landmark on Land O’ Lakes Boulevard and County Line Road.

It was a family philosophy both Dennis, and her husband Robert, had stood by since Dennis Realty was founded 40 years ago in 1973. And it’s that philosophy that has helped the business continue to thrive through the rollercoaster ride of the housing market, and be on top of its game today.

“We’re the big fish in the small pond, but we’ve learned from experience how to stay strong, no matter what the market throws at us,” said Carl Stratton, the broker and general manager at Dennis Realty, who first joined the company in 1999. “There are very few offices where you can walk in the front door, and have your choice of agents already there waiting for you.”

There have been several housing bubbles since Dennis Realty first opened its doors, but none were as devastating as the most recent one that burst in late 2006, not long after Stratton was promoted to general manager.

Pat Germino remembers when she had to answer phones at the old Dennis Realty location just down the road from its current site. Germino, who gets a helping hand from broker and general manager Carl Stratton, has been with Dennis Realty for most of its 40 years. (Photo by Michael Hinman)

Everyone suffered, especially Realtors. Dennis Realty went from a peak of selling 120 homes in a month, to just eight. The company also closed a pair of satellite offices, and centralized all of its operations back in Lutz.

“Even when we were losing money, the one thing we did do was keep our advertising up,” Stratton said. “Our agents have been through this cycle before, and we knew at some point it would come back up. The agents that stayed in the business and kept their marketing going, they are the ones who are finding success right now.”

Dennis Realty now partners with 85 full-time agents, but does more than just sell homes. During the last decade or so, the company has expanded to include a title company, property management, insurance and more.

And all of it is in the two-story building that brought the first commercial elevator to Lutz.

“We have traditional values, and we adhere to those values,” Stratton said. “There are a lot of companies out there who think they have a better way of doing things, like discount brokers. But there is a lot of sacrifice in discounting — something has to give.”

Home values are on the rise. This past spring, the average sales price of a home jumped nearly 12 percent compared to the year before, according to Florida Realtors. And the number of days a home is sitting on the market is now less than two months, compared to nearly three months in spring 2011.

Yet many homes are not on the market, but are still in the middle of foreclosure. And many homes bought as investments are still finding plenty of people willing to rent.

“I don’t have a statistic, but I think people renting homes is at an all-time historic high in America,” Stratton said. “The fact is there are a lot of folks who lost their homes and are now renting houses because they are not able to buy homes. There’s just a big base of renters right now.”

That has promoted Dennis Realty to expand its efforts to help investors manage those properties, since no landlord is looking forward to that call in the middle of the night for an emergency repair.

In 2009, Dennis Realty managed the rentals of just 50 homes. Today, it’s 550. And it continues to grow.

“We focus on individuals who own homes, and not big corporations that might have hundreds of them.” Stratton said. “These are people who are upside-down on their house, and don’t want to short-sell or let their house go. We are offering ways to help.”

Sadly, Juanita Dennis died on 2001, but Robert keeps things moving, and staying close to the original philosophy.

The next 40 years should be an interesting time for Dennis Realty. But if history has any say, the company is ready for whatever the housing market might throw at it.

“We are a marketing company, and if you’re not out there marketing, then what are you doing? You’re out of business,” Stratton said. “It’s all about paying attention to the client, and giving good service. That’s what has always carried us through.”

Local man has winning idea

September 4, 2013 By B.C. Manion

A quick and inexpensive meal, with a view

James Doyle was scanning an online discussion board on Slickdeals.net when he saw a posting about the Build Your Own Virtual Subway Global Challenge.

Being both a fan of Subway sandwiches and of online challenges, Doyle decided to put his skills to the test.

So the Wesley Chapel 24-year-old got busy building his own virtual Subway store, calling his marketing concept “Fastview.”

“It involves rebranding some of the Subway stores they have now, and also creating new Subway stores and using the brand, Fastview,” Doyle said. And Fastview is “eating fast food with a view.”

For his “virtual” location, Doyle chose the St. Petersburg Pier — which was still open when the contest was running. However, Doyle said his concept could work anywhere where there’s a great view.

James Doyle stands in front of a placard featuring his photo as one of the grand-prize winners in the Build Your Own Virtual Subway Global Challenge. (Photo courtesy of Subway)

Normally, places that offer a good view are too pricey for restaurants offering an inexpensive dining option. But there are deals to be had in this challenging economy, and there may be some great sites available, said Doyle, an information technology graduate of University of South Florida who minted in entrepreneurship.

The judges liked his marketing idea, said Doyle, who also credited his experience as an online entrepreneur for helping him to be one of five grand-prize winners in the competition. That was out of 1,600 contestants from 90 countries around the globe.

Doyle was the sole U.S. winner. Other winners were a Ph.D. candidate from Austria, a social media consultant from India, an industrial design student from Brazil, and an architect and Internet entrepreneur from Greece.

“My whole goal was to get traffic to my site,” Doyle said. “I’ve been an entrepreneur online for awhile. I know how to get my links out there.”

Doyle has been buying and selling domain names, and was also a high-volume seller on eBay in his teens. His online know-how helped him earn and save enough money to buy the house he owns in Wesley Chapel.

For the Subway challenge, he racked up more than $100,000 in virtual sales, with some of those sales reflecting rewards he received for successfully completing business challenges. The rest was for selling “virtual” sandwiches, he said.

Although he was at the top of the leaderboard in terms of sales, Doyle said that was just one of the criteria that judges used to select winners.

“They wanted different ideas, different concepts. They wanted something creative,” he said.

By being in the top five, Doyle won a trip to New York City and Washington, D.C., where he saw such sites as Ground Zero, the Empire State Building, the Lincoln Memorial and the White House. He even saw President Barack Obama’s motorcade pass by.

He also made a daylong visit to Milford, Conn., the headquarters of Subway, where they had the chance to meet company executives, learn how Subway’s franchise operation works, see how the stores are designed and even visit the test kitchen.

There’s one company perk that Doyle said he knows he’d enjoy.

“At lunch time, they have a free lunch for everyone, all of the time, every day,” Doyle said. “You can just fix your own sub. They have all the meats laid out. They have different bread.”

He typically eats a Subway sandwich once or twice a week. It’s always a ham foot-long, with all of the fixings but the peppers.

When he wants to switch things up, he varies the bread and the sauces.

Winning the competition and visiting Subway’s headquarters gave Doyle a new appreciation for the company.

“Beforehand, I knew I loved their subs,” he said. “Did I know any of the background behind Subway? Not so much.”

He was impressed, especially, by the people he met.

“It was more family-oriented than I expected,” Doyle said. “Everyone there was so warm and welcoming.”

Maintenance costs could drown Hercules pool for good

September 4, 2013 By Michael Hinman

Another summer without the Hercules Aquatic Center is coming to a close, and yet the future of this once vibrant public swimming pool park is still dried up.

Pasco County Schools, which owns the nearly 16 acres, wants to figure it out, and they’ve enlisted the Zephyrhills City Council to help them. But coming to a consensus may prove more difficult than either side realized.

“We do have to be realistic,” Council President Lance Smith said during the council’s regular Aug. 26 meeting. “It’s a loser — financially — but it does provide a service that is needed. And the question is, at what cost do we feel that we can provide it?”

Pasco County leased the property from the school district for nearly two decades, maintaining a large public swimming pool there. However, budget cuts in 2009 forced the county out, threatening to close the park, which is located on the corner of US 301 and CR 54.

The Zephyrhills Police Athletic League kept Hercules open in 2010, but didn’t return after that. The main problem was the cost to maintain the facilities, estimated at just north of $100,000.

Even if Zephyrhills decided to lease the property from the school board and reopen the park, there are some other obstacles in the way.

First, the county has plans to widen CR 54, which is going to force both the park and its immediate neighbor to the east, Zephyrhills High School, to give up some land. That means the school’s baseball fields and some of the parking lot to its outdoor athletics complex would need to be reconfigured, possibly taking some of the land where Hercules is now.

On top of that, the school board wants to cash in on part of the land, namely the piece that sits directly on the corner of US 301 and CR 54, which could be sold to build a potential gas station there.

“We are being asked to give up the most attractive and profitable piece of property and really push it to be a gas station,” said Councilwoman Jodi Wilkeson. “But it’s either that or do nothing, right?”

School district officials have mentioned turning Hercules into a maintenance facility for its area schools, and anything that happens to the westernmost piece of the property would still have to go in front of the council for rezoning, City Manager Jim Drumm said. If the city wanted to control that piece, it may have to cough up at least $1.2 million, which is about $1 million more than what the city even has on hand to deal with parks.

Allen Altman, who represents the Zephyrhills area on the Pasco County School Board, encouraged city officials to work with the school district on creating something the entire community can enjoy at Hercules Park.

“One of the things I have pushed for since I was elected was for us to participate with other governments as much as possible,” Altman said. “It cuts down on replication and provides as much savings and benefits to the taxpayer as possible.”

Altman acknowledged that the school board was exploring all possibilities with the land, including a potential sale of a portion of it, but he’s confident both governments can develop the best plan for both.

“It’s a beautiful piece of property,” Councilman Kenneth Compton said. “Talk about one of the best pieces of property, and that’s it. Just see this beautifully treed area, and then I just envision a gas station. I don’t know if I like that.”

Plantation Palms finds new trouble, with Swiftmud

September 4, 2013 By Michael Hinman

Golfers are making their way back to Plantation Palms Golf Club after a brief closing in August. But now there’s another sand trap in the way.

The Southwest Florida Water Management District, better known as Swiftmud, could file a lawsuit against the golf course owners, saying they overpumped nearly double the amount of water they were permitted to use to irrigate the course.

A call Friday to one of the golf course’s owners, Jason Ray, was not returned.

The Southwest Florida Water Management District is accusing the Plantation Palms Golf Club of pumping far too much water to irrigate its greens, penalizing the owners nearly $12,000. The complaint could end up in court. (File photo)

MJS Golf Group LLC, which owns Plantation Palms’ golf course, was using 144,500 gallons of water per day on average over the summer, despite the fact they were permitted to use just a little more than 76,600 gallons. That was 89 percent more than the golf course was supposed to use, according to Swiftmud. That’s enough water to nearly fill four standard swimming pools.

This complaint comes after the golf course was notified in 2011 that it was using more than 117,000 gallons per day, 54 percent more than was permitted.

Swiftmud penalized MJS just under $12,000 for the overpumping, adding another $1,000 for its enforcement costs. However, MJS didn’t respond to the order, and that might force Swiftmud to take the golf course owner to court.

While Swiftmud is in charge of enforcing the amount of water commercial properties extract from the ground, it’s not very often the government organization is forced to go to court, said Swiftmud spokeswoman Terri Behling said.

Swiftmud “is hopeful we can still resolve the compliance issue through a consent order, but if that is not successful, the district would then issue an administrative complaint,” Behling said. “If a compliance issue arises, it is usually resolved by our regulatory staff, and very few compliance matters are referred to our legal department for enforcement. Of those compliance matters that are referred to our legal department, a very small number must be resolved through litigation.”

Plantation Palms Golf Club got some unwanted attention last month when the golf course closed for nearly a week. Ray, who co-owns the course with Mitch Osceola and Steve McDonald, told The Laker/Lutz News the temporary closure was because of the economy and the summer.

“It’s been too hot, and it’s been raining, and the culmination of all that just resulted in not a lot of people playing golf,” Ray said at the time. “Summertime is always tough for all the golf courses.”

MJS purchased the course in May 2011 through a $2.18 million mortgage through Native American Bank of Denver. It features 18 holes, a driving range, clubhouse and a lounge.