The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

Wesley Chapel/New Tampa News

Seeking connections between counties

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Pasco County planners hope a study will point the way to consensus on whether to open more north/south roads that link Pasco and Hillsborough counties.

More than 100 people attended a public meeting on the topic on April 18 at Pasco-Hernando State College, off Mansfield Boulevard.

The boulevard dead-ends at the county line, just before reaching Kinnan Street, a two-lane, divided roadway in New Tampa, on Hillsborough’s side of the dividing line.

A caravan of buses travels along Mansfield Boulevard, twice a day, delivering and picking up students at three schools. Pasco County residents worry that linking Mansfield to Kinnan Street in New Tampa will increase traffic.
(Kathy Steele)

Connecting the two is one of three road projects that the study will consider over the next six months. Consultants with AECOM also will look at the potential for southern extensions of Meadow Pointe Boulevard and Wyndfields Boulevard that would link with existing and future roads in the K-Bar ranch development in Hillsborough.

Opening up Mansfield and Kinnan drew largely negative reviews from Pasco residents, specifically those living in Meadow Pointe subdivisions.

“More through roads will be needed,” said Meadow Pointe resident Michael Kaufman. “I’m not against development.

But, he said, “There are a lot of reasons not to connect Mansfield and Kinnan, and no good reason.”

The road designs aren’t compatible for one, and they also were never intended to be linked, Kaufman said. It is impossible to widen Kinnan beyond its current two lanes because there isn’t room, he added.

The increase in traffic would be a safety issue, particularly because there are three schools, and the state college along Mansfield, Kaufman said.

Richard Traudt, who lives in the Longleaf subdivision of Meadow Pointe, agreed.

Twice a day, caravans of buses carry students to and from their schools. Parents are lining up to drop off and pick up, also. It’s a traffic bottleneck at those times, which doesn’t make it a good connector street, but more traffic also becomes a safety problem, Traudt said.

“You would be putting students in more jeopardy than they are now,” he said, adding that more traffic signals at intersections likely would be needed.

For many at the meeting, a southern extension of Meadow Pointe Boulevard into K-Bar ranch made more sense.

“It was envisioned as a connecting street with New Tampa,” Kaufman said.

For New Tampa and Hillsborough residents, new ways to improve traffic flow also are important matters.

“We need a total system developed,” said Hillsborough resident Frank Hauser. “We need connections.” But, he shares concerns that Mansfield and Kinnan shouldn’t be linked, and agrees that Meadow Pointe Boulevard should be extended.

Janet and Stanley Murawski live in Meadow Pointe, close by county line.

They also support extending Meadow Pointe. “This would have the greatest assistance for everyone,” said Janet Murawski.

And, even though, a Mansfield-Kinnan link would shorten her drive to work, she said, “For me it would be good, but not for the area.”

Extending Wyndfields also had supporters, but that project seemed farther in the future than Meadow Pointe Boulevard.

Mansfield and Kinnan has been an unresolved issue for years, but negotiations with Pasco, Tampa and K-Bar developers never produced a solution.

Residents pushing for the connections cite the need for better evacuation routes, safety and greater mobility. Navigating the divide at Mansfield and Kinnan, for instance, can mean traveling a long, circular route using County Line road, Bruce B. Downs Boulevard, Cross Creek Boulevard and Morris Bridge Road.

“It started long before I got here,” said Pasco County Commission Chairman Mike Moore, who addressed audience members. “The study will look at all possible connections and impacts on both sides.”

The study is being funded by Pasco, with AECOM receiving about $112,000.

Though invited to contribute financially, Moore said the City of Tampa and Hillsborough Metropolitan Planning Organization both declined.

Representatives were invited to the meeting, and Tampa City Councilman Luis Viera did attend.

Viera said New Tampa residents are eager to open routes, including Mansfield and Kinnan. He acknowledged the problems with that project but said the issue should be studied.

“We have a lot of quality of life in the balance for people,”Viera said.

The lack of north/south connections is hurting businesses on Cross Creek Boulevard, he said.

“You can’t get people there without them driving 20 minutes,” he said. “It’s something we’re willing to fight for.”

Moore, who is in his first term on the Pasco County Commission, met with former Tampa City Councilwoman Lisa Montelione last year to discuss linking Mansfield and Kinnan.

The issue surfaced soon after a 911 call led to confusion and misdirection over dispatching an ambulance to aid a Tampa resident who had suffered severe burns.

Moore, at the time, received phone calls and emails from Meadow Pointe residents opposed to opening the roads. But, Moore decided to request the study and explore feasible road projects, and also to hear from residents.

Published April 26, 2017

It’s prom time at the Spring Fling Buddy Ball

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Octavia Frost sat patiently through make-up and hair styling, as her Best Buddies’ student volunteer, Zyandria Vega, created just the right look for a special occasion – the Spring Fling Buddy Ball.

Volunteer Annie Williams spins 16-year-old Elena Capasso during the Spring Fling Buddy Ball. The prom is held annually for students, age 15 to 22, who are in ESE (exceptional student education) classes at Wesley Chapel High School.
(Fred Bellet)

She wore a dark blue gown of her choosing for the annual prom at Wesley Chapel High School.

And, when she walked into the school’s gymnasium, Frost, 18, was no wallflower. She and dozens of her classmates, who attend exceptional student education (ESE) classes, had a grand, joyful prom.

The fourth annual prom for “students with exceptionalities” actually was Frost’s second prom.

And, the second time around, she knew what to expect.

“Have more fun, play around and talk with my friends,” the Wesley Chapel junior said.

For three hours, nearly 80 ESE students celebrated a traditional right of passage for high school students.

They posed at the photo booth manned by Best Buddies students, Hannah Collin and Ethan Gelinas. The two journalism students took a break from their usual duties of taking annual yearbook photos to volunteer for prom duty.

Wesley Chapel High School journalism student Hannah Collin, 16, took photos of students who attended the Spring Fling Buddy Ball. Here, she gets help from Angel ‘Rocky’ Rivera, 22, who attended the prom for students with exceptionalities.

A musical selection from Peggy Roski – “DJ extraordinaire” – filled the high school’s gymnasium with the beats and rhythms that had everyone moving. There was the Chicken Dance, Silento’s “Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae),” the glide, and fan favorite selections from the Village People and Taylor Swift.

Phoebe Enering, 15, showed off her knee-length cocktail-style dress.

“My grandmother helped me pick it out,” she said.

The prom began after parents lobbied to give their children the kind of memories that most students take for granted. Staff members at Wesley Chapel donated gowns and prom wear for boys. The fancy duds now can be found in the school’s ABC Closet.

This year, for the first time, the school’s Best Buddies Club partnered to provide volunteers who decorated the gymnasium in a flowers and butterfly theme. Scattered throughout the gym, students could pick up balloons, hula- hoops and beach balls.

The Spring Fling Buddy Ball, supported by the Best Buddies at Wesley Chapel High School, put everyone in a happy mood to dance, stroll and talk with friends.

And, Best Buddies also is aiding with fundraising efforts for the prom.

The Best Buddies club encourages students to forge friendships with students with disabilities. Club members also help with Special Olympics.

“It’s been getting better and better every year,” said Anna Simpson, a paraprofessional transitional assistant for the ESE program.

The prom was from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., to make it easy for students and their parents to attend. Students from age 15 to 22 came to the prom.

Many students meet initially in kindergarten, and move onto middle and high school together, Simpson said. “A lot of the kids are like family,” she said. “The families of the students get together at special events. They’ve been doing this since kindergarten.

“It’s awesome.”

For information on donating prom wear to the ABC Closet, contact the school at (813) 794-8700.

Published April 26, 2017

Shelton McArthur, 18, shows his skills with the hula-hoop at the Spring Fling Buddy Ball at Wesley Chapel High School.
Ashley Mendez, 15, loves the balloon tiara created for her by Lauren Blanset, owner of Twister Events. Blanset is a former Wesley Chapel High School student who volunteered at the Spring Fling Buddy Ball.
Justin Cooper, 20, tries to catch a floating balloon during the Spring Fling Buddy Ball, in the Wesley Chapel High School gymnasium.

Sports complex wins crucial approval

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Pasco County commissioners agreed to push ahead with a proposal from RADD Sports to build a $25 million sports complex at Wiregrass Ranch.

About $15 million in funding would be from a bank loan, secured with a proposed 2 percent increase in the county’s tourism tax. Nearly $11 million would come from previously pledged tourism dollars, and sales tax revenues.

Pasco County Commissioner Mike Moore
(Fred Bellet)

County commissioners unanimously voted to pursue the project, and send out bids for the bank loan at their April 12 meeting in Dade City.

The sports complex, and an $18.5 million, 120-room hotel, would be built on land donated years ago by the Porter family – developers of Wiregrass Ranch and The Shops at Wiregrass.

Over the past eight years, several proposals fell apart, including one for a baseball complex in 2015.

RADD Sports wants to build a 98,000-square-foot indoor facility for sporting and recreational activities including basketball, volleyball, cheerleading, dancing, wrestling, gymnastics, curling and badminton. In addition, there would be outdoor sports fields, an amphitheater with an event lawn, trails, pavilions and a playground.

“This is a good program,” said Pasco County Commission Chairman Mike Moore. “Over the years, for whatever reason, commissions in the past have not moved forward. We have a great opportunity. Let’s stop kicking the can down the road.”

Dirt won’t be flying any time soon, however.

It will take additional votes to finalize the project, including an ordinance to increase the tourist tax. Four of five county commissioners need to approve the increase.

Though the initial vote was unanimous, Pasco County Commissioners Mike Wells and Jack Mariano had concerns about linking new tourism dollars to one project.

Wells would like to see boat ramps built in western Pasco in future. County officials said the bank loan possibly could be increased to $16 million or $17 million to fund those.

Anthony Homer, vice president of real estate for RADD Sports

Mariano said tax revenues should be spread around to benefit the entire county, not just focused within the Wesley Chapel area.

“What’s the fairness to the other side of the county when there’s no return coming back?” he said.

But, prior to voting in favor, he added, “I know this is going to be a top-shelf product.”

Details are still being negotiated, but the county will receive a portion of the profits generated from the sports complex. “The entire county will benefit from this project,” Moore said.

However, the project and the tax increase drew a notable objection from Thomas Dempsey, owner of Saddlebrook Resort.

It makes no sense to use the tourism tax as “backup for a loan that can’t be obtained in a normal way through a bank,” said Dempsey, who spoke during public comment. “I can’t run a business that way. Nobody should. It’s a burdensome tax on Saddlebrook.”

The upscale resort in Wesley Chapel contributed a large share of the $8.5 million already collected in tourist taxes. A rebate program is being proposed to compensate Saddlebrook and other hoteliers. Details will be negotiated as the project moves forward, but Wells said, “It should have been done before yesterday.”

RADD Sports estimates gross revenues of $3.8 million in the first year, with increases each year after. Company officials pledged that the loan debt would be paid first before RADD Sports got paid.

Research shows that the complex will have a regional pull, drawing people willing to drive four hours to eight hours, said Anthony Homer, vice president of real estate for RADD Sports. About 1.2 million people live within a 30-minute drive, he added.

An estimated 30 to 40 special sporting events can be held at the complex, along with weekday activities for local amateur leagues and recreational visitors.

On average, more than $208 is spent daily per person during tournament weekends for the event, as well as at hotels, shops and restaurants in the area.

“We didn’t pull these numbers out of a hat,” Homer said.

However, county officials said banks wouldn’t accept RADD Sports’ revenue projections as the only collateral source for the loan.

Hope Allen, president of The Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce, urged commissioners to support the project.

“The timing is right,” she said, during public comment. “Everybody is ready to move forward,” Allen said.

Published April 19, 2017

Seeking input on road connections

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Pasco County will host an open house to find out if area residents in Wesley Chapel want to open up roads between Pasco and Hillsborough County.

The public is invited to Pasco-Hernando State College on April 18 to make comments and get answers on three potential road projects from members of the county’s Metropolitan Planning Organization.

The Wesley Chapel Roadways Connections Study wants to hear from the public regarding possible connections between:

  • Kinnan Street and Mansfield Boulevard
  • Meadow Pointe Boulevard to K-Bar Ranch Boulevard
  • Wyndfields Boulevard into K-Bar Ranch

“We are unbiased. We want to hear from residents, looking at the negatives and positives,” said Ali Atefi, transportation engineer for the county’s Metropolitan Planning Organization. “We’re getting information from both sides, connecting or not connecting,” he said.

A year-long study will look at connecting roadways between Pasco and Hillsborough counties in the Wesley Chapel area of southern Pasco. This barricade separates Kinnan Street in New Tampa’s K-Bar Ranch and Mansfield Boulevard in Pasco County’s Meadow Pointe subdivision.
(File)

A second meeting would be scheduled in the future to review feedback from the public.

An online survey also is being considered to gather additional views on whether to take on these projects, Atefi said.

The study could take up to a year to complete, he added.

Any decisions on moving forward on road projects would be made by the Pasco County Commission.

Currently, Mansfield Boulevard in the Meadow Pointe subdivision dead-ends at the Pasco County line. A barricade separates the boulevard from Kinnan Street, which dead-ends inside Tampa’s K-Bar Ranch in Hillsborough.

In 2016, Mike Moore, then a Pasco County commissioner, and Lisa Montelione, former Tampa city council member, met to discuss connecting the two roadways.

Moore is now chairman of the Pasco County Commission; Montelione is no longer on the city council.

The matter has been batted around for years between Pasco, Tampa officials, and developers of K-Bar, with no resolution.

Some Meadow Pointe residents previously expressed concerns to county officials about the prospect of increased area traffic, if the connection were made.

The subdivision is off State Road 56 in Wesley Chapel, near The Shops at Wiregrass.

Mansfield winds past Pasco-Hernando State College’s Porter Campus at Wiregrass Ranch. There also is an elementary school, a middle school and a high school on the boulevard.

Other issues center around costs, and who would pay for such items as traffic calming devices and traffic signals.

Negotiations on other improvements to street grids in the area also fell short — including engineering better circulation via Beardsley Drive and Meadow Pointe Boulevard.

Pasco recently began repaving and re-striping Beardsley from Mansfield east to Meadow Pointe. The project is expected to take 60 days.

For information, visit the county’s website at PascoCountyFl.net.

What: Wesley Chapel Roadways Connections Study meeting
Where: Pasco-Hernando State College, 2727 Mansfield Blvd., Wesley Chapel
When: April 18 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Published April 12, 2017

Emergency medical help coming to Central Pasco

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Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel is again expanding its services, this time setting up a freestanding emergency department in Land O’ Lakes.

This is what Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel’s new emergency facility, being built off State Road 54 in Land O’ Lakes, will look like.
(Courtesy of Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel)

The facility, which is expected to be completed by January of 2018, will bring emergency medical assistance closer to residents of Central Pasco County. The new 18,000-square-foot center will be near the entrance to Bexley, a new community being built off of State Road 54, just east of the Suncoast Parkway in Pasco County.

The facility will offer full-service emergency care, 24 hours a day, and will be staffed by board-certified emergency medicine physicians and nurses that are highly trained in emergency care.

The 24-bed facility also will have state-of-the-art on-site imaging services such as X-ray, ultrasound, CT scans and laboratory services.

Dignitaries gathered at the site for an April 6 formal groundbreaking ceremony.

Speakers included Denyse Bales-Chubb, president and CEO of Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel, Pasco County Commission Chairman Mike Moore and Pasco County Fire Chief Timothy Reardon.

From left, Timothy Reardon, Mike Moore and Mike Schultz, were among the speakers at the formal groundbreaking ceremony for a new freestanding emergency room being built in Land O’ Lakes.

“Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel is committed to our mission of extending the healing ministry of Christ,” Bales-Chubb said. “With that mission, we need to make sure that we have emergency services that are convenient to where our community lives and works.

“This facility will provide the same quality care that our patients receive at our main campus,” she said.

Pasco County Commission Chairman Mike Moore enthusiastically welcomed the addition of the new facility to Central Pasco.

“It seems like yesterday that we were just breaking ground at the expansion of the Wesley Chapel Florida Hospital facility,” Moore said. “Here we grow again.”

He called Florida Hospital an extraordinary community partner for residents of Pasco County, a true leader in health and wellness, and a great job creator for the county.

Dignitaries prepare to throw a shovel of dirt to signify the beginning of construction for a new freestanding emergency room for Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel, expected to open in Land O’ Lakes in January 2018.

“We’re happy that you decided on Central Pasco at this location,” Moore said. “These off-site emergency rooms, they’re the future. We’re seeing them pop up around the nation.”

The location of the facility allows quality medical care to be within better reach of residents, Moore added.

“I’m excited about the freestanding ERs. It’s something that’s been working throughout the country,” Reardon said.

The new facility gives first responders another avenue of help for patients requiring emergency care.

He also noted the county’s growing needs, as its population increases in general, and there are more Baby Boomers, in particular.

The freestanding emergency room is being constructed by Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel, which is off of Bruce B. Downs Boulevard, north of State Road 56.

That hospital, which opened in October 2012, recently completed a massive expansion which involved 111, 993 square feet of new construction and 10,834 square feet of renovation.

Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel is part of the Adventist Health System, a not-for-profit health network comprised of 26 hospitals throughout the state.

To find out more about the hospital, visit FHWesleyChapel.org.

Published April 12, 2017

Task force on traffic issues starts up again

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A 17-member volunteer task force will pick up where two previous task forces left off — drilling down into the details of tackling traffic issues along State Road 54/State Road 56.

Much of the discussion is expected to center on traffic issues at State Road 54 and Little Road, and at State Road 54 and U.S. 41.

Little Road is seen as more typical of congested intersections in the county.

The intersection of State Road 54 and U.S. 41 is the county’s busiest with more than 100,000 vehicles a day. It will be a focus of a task force seeking solutions to ease congestion and improve safety along the State Road 54 and State Road 56 corridor.
(File)

The U.S. 41 intersection, however, stands out because more than 100,000 vehicles pass through daily.

“It’s the most congested one in the whole county that we have,” said Ali Atefi, transportation engineer with Pasco County’s Metropolitan Planning Organization.

This is the second of a three-part study to find traffic solutions to ease congestion, improve safety and increase mobility along a corridor that has been a magnet for new residential and commercial development.

The entire study area includes the State Road 54/State Road 56 corridor, from Bruce B. Downs Boulevard on the east and U.S. 19 on the west.

Three meetings will be held in 2017, with the first on April 20 at Rasmussen College. Additional meetings will be scheduled in 2018 to fully complete the study’s second phase.

As part of these efforts, the Florida Department of Transportation is expected to fund a detailed analysis and evaluation of the State Road 54 and U.S. 41 intersection, likely in 2018.

It is the only segment with funding, but Atefi said additional money is being sought for other road segments, including Little Road.

Many members of this task force participated in the West Task Force and East Task Force that kicked off meetings in late 2015. They met separately to consider different segments of the roadway.

In April 2016, the task forces made almost identical recommendations after considering 19 alternatives.

At the April 20 meeting, Atefi said, “We’ll give them feedback on where we are now. And, we want to reconcile all of the alternatives and have one list moving forward.”

Initial solutions included redesigning roads at ground level, building flyovers, using frontage roads and by-passes, and a no-build option.

Three or four alternatives will be chosen from a recommended list of six major highway and transit alternatives, five complementary alternatives, and a no-build option.

Representatives from Pasco County Planning and Development, the county’s MPO, FDOT, and consultants from AECOM will be on hand to take comments and answer questions.

What: Vision 54/56 Phase 2 Task Force meeting
Where: Rasmussen College, 18600 Fernview St., Land O’ Lakes
When: April 20 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Cost: Free, open to the public

Published April 12, 2017

Expo offers summer camp lowdown

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The season of summer camps is just around the corner.

That means parents are facing a daunting task of sifting through dozens of options to settle on the summer camps that work best for them and their children.

This year, Family-Friendly Tampa Bay is launching its first Family-Friendly Camp Expo on April 8 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The free event will be at Florida Hospital Center Ice, at 3173 Cypress Ridge Blvd., in Wesley Chapel.

Families attending the Florida-Friendly Camp Expo on April 8 will have a chance to explore Florida Hospital Center Ice, which opened in January. Expo attendees will receive a ‘Buy One Get One’ free skate offer from Florida Hospital Center Ice.
(File)

The complex is visible from Interstate 75, at the interchange for State Road 56, east of the Tampa Premium Outlets.

Families can meet one-on-one with Tampa Bay camp directors and staff members.

Event-goers will have the chance to review a range of choices, including sports camps, day camps, STEM camps, special needs/autism camps, art camps, performing arts and academic camps.

“I realized there wasn’t anything like this in Pasco,” said Miriam Cook, a Pasco County parent who founded Family-Friendly Tampa Bay in 2014.

The website, at FamilyFriendlyTampaBay.com, provides current information on affordable events, discount coupons and special deals for area families.

The first 250 families at the expo will receive goody bags.

Attendees also will get a printed list of available summer camps. This list will include expo participants, as well as summer camps that are unable to send staff members to the expo, Cook said.

The Easter Bunny also will hop through the expo, giving away candy and posing for free pictures.

Families get the added bonus of exploring the new Florida Hospital Center Ice. The complex, which opened in January, is the largest hockey complex in the southeast.

Expo attendees will receive a “Buy One Get One” free skate offer from Florida Hospital Center Ice.

In addition, there will be educational workshops, a parent-pamper section, health and wellness resources, live entertainment, a kids’ fun zone, and mini-sports clinics. Families can also enter to win free weeks of camp when they register online.

The hunt for summer camps is a yearly ritual that isn’t easy to decipher, Cook said. “It’s so hard. There’s so many.”

But, when parents can meet with the people who run the camps and ask questions, they can find the right fit for their children and their budgets, Cook said.

Where: Florida Hospital Center Ice
When: April 8, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Cost: Free admission
Details: Parents can learn about a myriad of summer camp options to help them sort out summer plans for their kids.
Info: FamilyFriendlyTampaBay.com

Published April 5, 2017

Local student finds freedom, opportunity in U.S.

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Wiregrass Ranch High School senior Luis Pereira doesn’t take his freedom for granted.

Less than two years ago, his family arrived in Wesley Chapel — after emigrating from Venezuela to seek political asylum in the United States.

Since that time, the 19-year-old has managed to be inducted into the National Society of High School Scholars, has won the TEDX Talk competition at Wiregrass and has been awarded a scholarship to Oglethorpe University in Atlanta.

Wiregrass Ranch High senior Luis Pereira has been inducted into the National Society of High School Scholars. His family left Venezuela 18 months ago to seek political asylum in the United States.
(B.C. Manion)

The scholars society was established in 2002 by James W. Lewis and Claes Nobel. Nobel is the senior member of the family that established the Nobel Prizes.

The society recognizes “top scholars who have demonstrated outstanding leadership, scholarship and community commitment,” according to a news release announcing Pereira’s induction. The society helps to advance the goals and aspirations of high-achieving students through learning experiences, scholarships, internships, international study and peer networks.

Despite his achievements, it hasn’t been an easy road for Pereira.

His family moved to Wiregrass Ranch because of the difficult political situation in Venezuela.

“I was part of an opposition group, since I was 14. I was active in protests and demonstrations against the government.

“It wasn’t good for my family. We started receiving threats,” Pereira said.

His dad received calls about the family being watched.

“They said: ‘I saw your wife, picking up the kids. You should look out for them. You should take care of them,’” Pereira said. “Imagine living everyday knowing that there is someone who wants to hurt you.

“A year and a half ago, we decided this is too dangerous for us,” he said.

Besides his parents, Luis Sr. and Madelin, Pereira has two little brothers, Guillermo, 12, and Santiago, 10.

Initially, the family moved in with relatives in the Wiregrass Ranch area, but that didn’t work out.

“At one point, we were homeless,” he said.

Luis Pereira was a keynote speaker during Pasco County Schools’ 2016 Leadership Kickoff.

“When the people at Wiregrass (Ranch High School) found out, it was amazing. The community got together and found out ways to help my family. They gave us food. They gave us money. They found us a place to stay. They’ve been helping us through this process of trying to settle in a new country. I had a lot of support from my teachers, from the staff at Wiregrass,” he said.

The communities of John Long Middle School and Double Branch Elementary School also were incredibly kind, Pereira said. His brother, Guillermo, attends John Long, and his other brother, Santiago, attends Double Branch.

Education is important to the family.

Pereira scored a 1340 on the SAT, and carries a 3.87 grade point on a scale of 4.0.  He’s taking Advanced Placement Chemistry, Advanced Placement U.S. Government and Advancement Placement English Literature, among his other classes.

“I’m very interested in speech and debate. I really like the fact that by speaking out you can influence people, to change their outlook on things. I think that’s really amazing,” he said.

One of things he enjoys most about being in the United States is being able to freely share his thoughts and beliefs.

“Just being able to express myself here, to be able to say what I believe is right. That’s amazing. It’s a right that I’ve never had in my life,” Pereira said.

Pereira aspires to become a brain surgeon.

“It is different from psychology, in that you are investigating what drives human behavior, but you are investigating it from a biological point. You want to know the process that makes people do stuff,” he said.

Pereira said his interest in medicine was influenced by his father, who was a pharmacist in Venezuela. His mom taught elementary school there.

Now, his mom cleans homes and his dad works in a retail store. Pereira recently landed a job at McDonald’s.

He plans to continue his education, and at the moment his primary choice for college is Oglethorpe University in Atlanta.

He applied there after seeing a flier that noted the architectural similarity between the campus and Hogwarts University in the Harry Potter novels.

“I did some research about the school, and I liked it,” he said.

He applied in November, and they called him to let him know he’d been accepted in January.

And, they invited him to the college’s scholarship weekend.

He qualified to compete in the Civic Engagement scholarship category.

“I had to do a presentation about how I participated in civic engagement and leadership in my everyday life. And, out of 102, they selected two people, and I was one of them,” he said.

Still, attending the university is no sure thing.

“The main problem — everything takes money,” he said.

“I haven’t committed yet. I don’t have the money. It’s $300 to pay the deposit,” he said, noting the scholarship covers tuition, but not housing.

He has a job now, and that will help, but he still needs to raise money for housing and other college expenses.

He recently set up a GoFundMe account at GoFundMe.com/kharmcdc, in case anyone wants to help.

Pereira is not sure where he will end up, but he wants to continue his education.

“I feel a responsibility to give back to the community that’s helped me. That’s one of my main goals of going to college, to be able to come back and help the community that gave my family so much,” Pereira said.

Published March 29, 2017

Golf course could be replaced by houses

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Despite impassioned pleas from residents of Quail Hollow, it appears that the Quail Hollow Golf Course & Country Club soon could give way to residential and retail development.

Property owner Andre Carollo, of Pasco Office Park LLC, is proposing to build a maximum of 400 single family homes, 30,000 square feet of office/retail and 10,000 square feet of day care.

The golf course is located on Old Pasco Road in Wesley Chapel.

More than 20 residents attended a public hearing of Pasco County’s Development Review Committee on March 9 in Dade City.

Committee members agreed to recommend approval of the project to the Pasco County Commission.

County commissioners will have another public hearing, where they will make the final decision.

Many residents speaking in opposition to the proposal said they bought their homes decades ago when it was marketed to them as a golf course community, with large lots, ranging from 1 acre to 3 acres.

Land use attorney Barbara Wilhite said the golf course – built in the 1960s – pre-dated the home sales.

There never was a master-planned golf course community, said Wilhite, who represents Pasco Office Park LLC.

The golf course shut down in 2008 and reopened in 2011.

Its website touts Quail Hollow as “more than just a golf course” with a restaurant and banquet facilities for weddings, parties and special events.

Residents are worried about losing their rural enclave.

But, they also raised issues about ongoing flooding in the neighborhood and concerns about increased traffic.

Boom Boom Drive currently is the only access road off Old Pasco Road into the golf course.

A traffic engineer for Pasco Office Park described intersection improvements that would add right- and left-hand turns on Old Pasco to improve traffic flow. Construction is scheduled for completion in 2019, about the time new residents would be moving into their homes.

Flooding already is a chronic problem for homeowners, said Edward Glime, who lives in the area.

“We can’t stop them from building on the golf course,” he said. But, he asked: “Is it (water) going to be running like a river? “What kind of erosion is going to be happening to my property?”

Engineer Greg Singleton said a drainage system would be designed to “provide more area for floodwaters to spread out.”

Resident Jeanne Luczynski was skeptical.

“The flooding is tremendous in the rainy season,” she said. “We need more assurances that this is not going to be worse.”

Pasco County Administrator Michele Baker expressed sympathy for the residents’ plight.

But, the reality she said is that “golf courses are a dying breed.”

At least three in Pasco County have shut down, including the now-closed Magnolia Valley Golf Course in New Port Richey.

Residents either face redevelopment or finding a way to buy the land to stave off new housing construction.

Plantation Palms Golf Course, in Land O’ Lakes, is one community that opted to hold onto its golf course, but Baker said it was at a “premium.”

She did make a promise to residents about flooding when the final plan came to the county commissioners.

Baker came to Pasco County initially as its emergency management director. She also has dealt with flooding problems countywide in recent years from heavy summer rains and tropical storms.

“I hear you,” she said. “We will be reviewing it with a very jaundiced eye and make sure there is no negative impact.”

Published March 15, 2017

Growth continues to transform Wiregrass Ranch

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Once known for its cattle and citrus groves, the Wiregrass Ranch area of Wesley Chapel is now being viewed as a place where people can live, work, shop, learn and receive medical care.

During the past decade:

  • Pasco-Hernando State College opened Porter Campus at Wiregrass Ranch, giving Wesley Chapel students their first opportunity to seek a four-year college degree in their own backyard.
  • Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel opened, and the demand was so great that the hospital expanded — well ahead of expectations.
  • Florida Medical Clinic opened, on land situated near the hospital.
  • North Tampa Behavioral Health opened, and has been so successful that it is already undergoing an expansion.
  • Financial services giant Raymond James closed on the purchase of 65 acres of land and is expected to break ground later this year on a satellite campus, across from the college.
J.D. Porter, president of sales and development for Wiregrass Ranch, talks over projects that have been completed, or are on the horizon — at Wiregrass Ranch, a development of regional impact that covers thousands of acres in Wesley Chapel.
(B.C. Manion)

And, that’s just part of the story, according to J.D. Porter, president of sales and development for Wiregrass Ranch, in Wesley Chapel.

Besides the health care, education and commercial projects, residential growth is going strong, too, Porter said.

Wiregrass Ranch — with 340 housing starts — was No. 1 in housing starts in the period ending Dec. 31, 2016, according to a report by MetroStudy.

FishHawk Ranch, in southern Hillsborough County, was second on the list with 324 starts.

Other Pasco County developments among the top five were Long Lake Ranch, at fourth place, with 227 starts; and, Starkey Ranch, at fifth place, with 219 starts.

Porter expects residential growth to continue to flourish in Wiregrass Ranch.

He pointed to a contract on a large tract of land for a new active adult community that’s expected to close this year.

The development, which will have around 1,000 units, will fill a niche in the market, Porter said. “Nowhere in Wesley Chapel is there really an age-restricted community,” he said.

It will be “highly amenitized,” he said, and will be designed for people who are 55 and older.

Another residential development will offer row houses, and will appeal to people who are looking for a maintenance-free lifestyle, he said.

More commercial growth is on the horizon, too, Porter said.

North Tampa Behavioral Health, on State Road 56, is in expansion mode.

A 15,000-square-foot medical office is going up next to Florida Medical Clinic, he said, noting the bottom floor will be occupied by an orthodontist.

He expects that to open within the next seven months to nine months.

“They’re turning dirt like crazy right now, which is fantastic,” Porter said.

The medical office market is hot, Porter added.

“We probably get five to 10 calls a day,” he said.

It’s possible that another 100,000 square feet to 150,000 square feet of medical office could be added, he said. “It’s going to be limited by size.”

Porter also noted that his family is actually doing a strip center of its own on State Road 54, which will include restaurants and businesses which cater to local needs.

And, while there’s been a considerable amount of interest about when Raymond James will break ground and bring new employment opportunities, Porter said other major players are also eyeing the Wiregrass Ranch area.

Wiregrass is also on the shortlist of a couple of other companies that have equal, if not greater, name recognition as Raymond James, Porter said.

“Now that we have these foundations, it just ramps up to a different level, which is exciting,” Porter said.

Published March 8, 2017