The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

Wesley Chapel/New Tampa News

Protecting Northeast Pasco’s rural nature

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More than a decade ago, Pasco County adopted a future land use goal of preserving the character of what is dubbed its “northeast rural area.” Bellamy Brothers Boulevard, the Green Swamp, State Road 52 and the Hernando County line define the area’s borders.

Pasco County commissioners are considering a rural protection ordinance to preserve the rural character of northeast Pasco including homes on large land lots. (Photos courtesy of Richard K. Riley)
Pasco County commissioners are considering a rural protection ordinance to preserve the rural character of northeast Pasco including homes on large land lots.
(Photos courtesy of Richard K. Riley)

While there’s a goal on the books, there’s currently no ordinance that puts regulations in place to accomplish it.

But, that is about to change.

On July 12, Pasco County commissioners had a public hearing on a rural protection ordinance that, if approved, would create an overlay district and govern residential development involving three houses, or more.

The proposed ordinance also sets lighting standards and prohibits mining or development activities that would lop off the tops of hillsides or destroy vistas.

A separate ordinance would deal with commercially zoned properties and the county’s designated areas for employment centers, which are generally found along U.S. 301.

Richard Riley, who lives in the community of Trilby, gave a power point presentation during the public comment portion of the meeting.

Matthew Armstrong, executive planner, and Justyna Buszewski, planner II, of the Pasco County Planning Division, explain some of the conditions proposed in the rural protection ordinance.
Matthew Armstrong, executive planner, and Justyna Buszewski, planner II, of the Pasco County Planning Division, explain some of the conditions proposed in the rural protection ordinance.

“Everything up here is photogenic,” said Riley, a freelance photographer who has done work for various publications, including The Laker/Lutz News.

“It’s wonderful to be here,” Riley added.

Though the ordinance isn’t perfect, Riley said, “We’re supportive of most of the parts of the ordinance. We’re trying our best to get something on the books.”

Pasco County Commissioner Ted Schrader said the ordinance was in “pretty good shape,” but he expressed concerns about regulations on landscaping.

Specifically, he challenged trees as allowable buffers along scenic corridors, potentially blocking out the vistas the ordinance is meant to protect.

If the intent is to protect vistas, Schrader said, “That doesn’t accomplish that.”

County planners said they were trying to give developers and landowners options on buffering, but would look at tweaking the ordinance.

The final public hearing is scheduled for Aug. 19 at 1:30 p.m., at the historic Pasco County Courthouse at 37918 Meridian Ave., in Dade City.

Published July 20, 2016

Apparently, we think Pasco is on the right track

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With November’s quadrennial Election Day looming ever larger on our calendars, the importance of what Americans tell pollsters about the condition of the country swells almost by the moment.

Indeed, it scarcely matters just now, in the middle of July 2016, whether you’re with Hillary or you’re aboard the Trump train, or even if you’re checking out the shrewd looniness of Libertarian Gary Johnson. What genuinely matters, because it will guide your inspection of our sorry gaggle of presidential contenders, is what you think about the direction the country is headed.

It’s called the “right track/wrong track” poll, and it’s supposed to reveal the electorate’s general mood — which, at the moment, isn’t pretty. Lately, the Real Clear Politics average favors “wrong track” by a whopping 65.1 percent. And, the trend is in the direction of a widening, worsening gap.

Obviously, a poll that provides only a this-or-that option cannot effectively identify what might prompt someone to choose one track over the other. Most likely — given the stubborn, roughly 50-50 split within American politics — it’s even-money your reasons for thinking we’re on the wrong track are different from your neighbor’s, or mine.

But, the mere fact that two-thirds of us find our direction disturbing reinforces the notion that whatever November brings, the outcome will reflect the nation’s desire for some sort of change.

You know, unless, by delivering another round of division and stalemate, it doesn’t.

Anyway, it is against that stormy backdrop that an utterly counterintuitive, if not downright weird, thing happened recently in Pasco County. The date for candidate qualifying came and went a few weeks ago, leaving in its wake a robust — if intensely localized — argument against the dug-in disgruntlement that plagues America.

An even dozen Pasco-linked candidates, officeholders and first-time office-seekers alike, won election without opposition: a congressman, four constitutional officers, two school board members and five of six members of Pasco’s state legislative delegation. Only Pinellas-based Jack Latvala, a Republican state senator, will see his name on a ballot, and that’s only because a couple of write-in candidates signed up.

Even so, there will be local tussles, and they could be lively.

All three county commission seats will be contested. The property appraiser’s job, opened by Mike Wells’ retirement, lured two Republicans (including District 1 County Commissioner Ted Schrader) and a Democrat. County Clerk and Comptroller Paula O’Neil has drawn a lightly financed return challenger.

And, as they always are, both Mosquito Control Board races will be contested — which, given the pest-borne Zika virus threat, will require our particular attention this year.

Still, not counting the County Court judge’s election and assorted hyper-local CDD races, that’s seven contests out of a possible 19 in a year portrayed as the most contentious in living memory.

Our comparatively peaceful election landscape figures, at least in part, from Pasco’s increasingly rightward tilt. As of late last week, Republicans, who’ve held a registration plurality in the county for 17 years, owned a record 21,000-voter edge over Democrats.

Not unexpectedly, then, the GOP has a virtual lockdown in Pasco; New Port Richey-based Democratic state Rep. Amanda Murphy, also re-elected without opposition, is the lone exception. Pasco hasn’t elected a Democrat running countywide since Michael Cox bumped former pal Steve Simon off the county commission in a memorable revenge match in 2006.

Still, as occasional Democratic successes suggest, what recently prevailed here isn’t entirely about party advantages. Instead, it seems easily as likely what is afoot is a conviction among Pasco voters that their county, and to the extent they can influence it, their state, are on the right track.

That sense of well-being would naturally flow to their representatives. And why not?

In Tallahassee, a rising Speaker of the House (Richard Corcoran) and a probable Senate president (Wilton Simpson) give Pasco influence disproportionate to its size. And Rep. Danny Burgess, of Zephyrhills, carries an air of earnest concern for his constituents.

Back home, a unifying theme of openness, accessibility, accountability and citizen-service runs through all Pasco’s constitutional offices, and their elected chiefs deserve a mention: Sheriff Chris Nocco, Supervisor of Elections Brian Corley, Superintendent of Schools Kurt Browning, Tax Collector Mike Fasano, as well as the aforementioned O’Neil and Wells.
No, these acknowledgements aren’t intended to represent the views of all Pasco voters, just as right-track/wrong-track polls don’t attempt to ascertain what bugs those who are unhappy. But, if anywhere close to even 40 percent of us were genuinely upset with those who were re-elected by acclamation last month, you can bet they would have drawn some sort of organized resistance.

After all, if the presidential primaries taught us anything, it is the year for electoral arson. Come the general, the national friction may yet spark a local fire, but it will pass, and those who look after our day-to-day concerns will remain, unsinged.

Because that, evidently, is just how we like it.

Tom Jackson, a resident of New Tampa, is interested in your ideas. To reach him, email .

Published July 13, 2016

Paper recyclables permitted at curb

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Curbside recycling is expanding.

For the first time in Pasco County’s recycling history, newspaper, cardboard and other mixed paper are now eligible for the county’s curbside pickup program.

No additional fees will be charged.

Residents who pay for twice-a-week trash service already are billed for the recycling service.

TitleItems already accepted are aluminum cans, metal food cans, plastic bottles, jars and containers with numbered codes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 7, and glass bottles and jars in clear, green and brown colors.

Now, county officials say residents can drop paper and cardboard into their recycling containers along with the jars, cans and bottles they normally discard.

In addition to newspapers, “mixed paper” includes inserts, junk mail, office paper, paper bags and wrapping paper. Cardboard includes shipping containers that have been flattened, cereal boxes, shirt inserts, cardboard tubes and shoeboxes.

The Pasco County Commission discussed the addition of paper and cardboard as pickup items at a May 17 workshop, and agreed the change made sense.

It is a good conservation measure, and “reduces and keeps landfill space free for other types of trash that can’t be recycled,” Pasco County Commissioner Mike Moore said in an email to The Laker/Lutz News.

The six haulers who provide trash service to county residents began accepting the expanded list of recyclables effective June 29.

Paper and cardboard have been excluded from Pasco’s curbside recycling program since its inception.

However, nearly five years ago, the county joined with the Pasco County School District to provide drop-off centers for paper and cardboard products. The school district’s sites earn money for its schools; Pasco’s sites earn money for fire stations, libraries and parks.

Those drop-off centers remain as an option for discarding paper and cardboard, said Jennifer Seney, Pasco’s recycling supervisor.

Seney said she uses them and will continue to do so for very large cardboard boxes and shredded paper.

It’s a habit many residents have who also like helping out schools or parks, she added.

“They’ll continue to go there,” she said.

But, giving residents the curbside option hopefully will reduce the county’s overall trash stream and boost recycling.

In the long run, Seney said that could delay the need for an additional burner for the county’s Waste-to-Energy facility, and save money for taxpayers.

According to the county’s website, the Waste-to-Energy facility burned through about 341,000 tons of trash in 2015. About 20 percent, or 68,000 tons, was paper and cardboard. And, according to the county’s data, for every ton recycled, between 15 and 17 trees are saved.

For information on recycling, visit PascoCountyFl.net.

Published July 13, 2016

Pioneer descendants receive honor

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On the momentous occasion when Florida issued its first drivers’ licenses in 1940, Ruth Smith made history.

County Judge O. L. Dayton Jr., pulled a desk into the hallway at the Dade City courthouse and plopped the 17-year-old into a chair in front of a manual typewriter.

“People lined up and stood as I typed up the first driver’s license in Pasco County,” said Ruth Smith Adams, now age 93. “I even typed up my mother and father’s (licenses). That’s probably before most of you were born. Here, I’m back this time, and it’s amazing.”

Ruth Smith Adams and brother, Bill Smith, received a resolution from the Pasco County Commission thanking them for efforts to preserve the heritage of Pasco County and Wesley Chapel. From left, front row: Pasco County Commissioner Mike Moore, Pasco County Clerk of Court Paula O’ Neil, Bill Smith, Ruth Smith Adams, Pasco County Chairwoman Kathryn Starkey and Pasco County Commissioner Jack Mariano. From left, back row: Pasco County Commissioner Ted Schrader, Pasco County Commissioner Mike Wells, Pasco County Administrator Michele Baker and Pasco County Attorney Jeffrey Steinsnyder. (Photos courtesy of Richard K. Riley)
Ruth Smith Adams and brother, Bill Smith, received a resolution from the Pasco County Commission thanking them for efforts to preserve the heritage of Pasco County and Wesley Chapel. From left, front row: Pasco County Commissioner Mike Moore, Pasco County Clerk of Court Paula O’ Neil, Bill Smith, Ruth Smith Adams, Pasco County Chairwoman Kathryn Starkey and Pasco County Commissioner Jack Mariano. From left, back row: Pasco County Commissioner Ted Schrader, Pasco County Commissioner Mike Wells, Pasco County Administrator Michele Baker and Pasco County Attorney Jeffrey Steinsnyder.
(Photos courtesy of Richard K. Riley)

Adams was addressing the Pasco County Commission, which was bestowing a resolution it passed honoring her and her 91-year-old brother, Bill Smith, for their work in preserving the heritage of Wesley Chapel and Pasco County.

They accepted the resolution on June 7 in what is now the Dade City Historic Courthouse.

The siblings are descendants of one of Pasco’s pioneering families dating back to 1867 when their great-grandfather, William R. Smith, settled in Wesley Chapel after the Civil War. In 1883, the elder Smith became owner of 160 acres of open land under the Homestead Act of 1862. He married Annie E. Sims and had six children, including Daniel Smith, the grandfather of Adams and Bill Smith.

Wesley Chapel remained part of Hernando County until 1887, when maps were redrawn to create Pasco.

Local historian Madonna Jervis Wise recorded the memories and recollections of Adams and Smith during hours of interviews for her book, “Images of America: Wesley Chapel.”

The pair also provided Wise with documents including homesteading deeds and photographs. And, they assisted her in drawing a map of area settlements in the 1900s.

“This is quite an honor,” Smith told commissioners.

He recounted the day in 1941 that he walked out of a Zephyrhills’ movie house after seeing a John Wayne western.

Ruth Smith Adams and her brother, Bill Smith, are descendants of one of the pioneer families that settled Wesley Chapel.
Ruth Smith Adams and her brother, Bill Smith, are descendants of one of the pioneer families that settled Wesley Chapel.

“I started walking and someone came running down the street, yelling that (Japan) had bombed Pearl Harbor,” said Smith, who was 16 at the time.

He joined the U.S. Army when he was 19 and was shipped to the Philippines. He was there when the United States dropped the atomic bomb on two Japanese cities.

“I saw Nagasaki when it was still smoking,” said Smith, during a telephone interview.

Back home he worked for a while on the family ranch, later joining a seaman’s union and working on cargo ships for a couple of years. He also worked as a coalman for the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad before again returning to help with the family’s cattle and citrus farming endeavors.

His father, Luther Smith, was the son of Daniel Smith and Elizabeth Geiger Smith, who was born near Zephyrhills. To honor Daniel and Elizabeth’s marriage, friends and family held a barn raising to build their home in 1894.

This is the map of pioneer families in Wesley Chapel, as recalled by Ruth Smith Adams and her brother, Bill Smith. The Smiths were instrumental in helping Madonna Jervis Wise , research the community’s history for her book, “Images of America: Wesley Chapel.” (Courtesy of Madonna Jervis Wise)
This is the map of pioneer families in Wesley Chapel, as recalled by Ruth Smith Adams and her brother, Bill Smith. The Smiths were instrumental in helping Madonna Jervis Wise , research the community’s history for her book, “Images of America: Wesley Chapel.”
(Courtesy of Madonna Jervis Wise)

Luther Smith helped bring electricity to Wesley Chapel in the 1940s when he served on the Withlacoochee River Electric Cooperative. The cooperative then was part of the Rural Electric Administration, a federal agency created in 1935.

Luther Smith’s home was located off Smith Road in Wesley Chapel.

In 1979 the family donated the pioneer, cracker-style home of Luther Daniel Smith to Cracker Country, a living museum located at the Florida State Fairgrounds in Hillsborough County.

When the house was moved there initially, members of the Smith family participated in special pioneer days and shared memories of life in Wesley Chapel and Pasco. Later, fair officials recruited volunteers to take over those duties.

According to the resolution, Smith and Adams remember a heritage of “open range, general stores over time, the Fifth Sunday Sings (Singing Convention) which so defined Wesley Chapel culture, the weekly rodeo, and the economic mainstays of timbering, turpentine, and ranching, as well as family farming, charcoal making, moonshining and hunting.”

Wesley Chapel was also known for The Singing Convention, which was held any month there was a fifth Sunday, Wise said. Families gathered, spread picnic lunches outdoors on orange crates, and enjoyed songs and music, Bill Smith said.

The siblings also recalled traveling to Zephyrhills every Saturday for grocery shopping. Their mother carried homegrown vegetables and eggs to trade for supplies.

“They wanted to tell a positive story, and I think there is something to be said for that,” said Wise. “They really are preservers of history.”

Published July 13, 2016

The agony of justice frozen in legal amber

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An aphorism as old as jurisprudence itself is enduring a strain in the courtroom of Pinellas-Pasco Circuit Judge Susan Barthle. You know the one: “Justice delayed is justice denied.”

Tom Jackson rgbLast week, Barthle set a February hearing for the linchpin of the infamous movie house shooting case, in which only one relevant fact is not in dispute: Retired Tampa police captain Curtis Reeves Jr., used his .380 semiautomatic pocket pistol to kill Chad Oulson, forever 43.

The rest — whether it was about texting or bullying or stubbornness or testosterone or a cop’s mindset or etiquette or management failures or some blend of it all — is window dressing, stuff for gossips, speculators and storytellers.

Not that all that and more won’t become relevant at next February’s hearing, when Barthle will hear arguments regarding Reeves’ stand-your-ground claim. Then, at last, context will be everything. Then, at last, we’ll have it out.

Let’s be clear. The delay/deny business playing out here isn’t on Barthle. She’s the second judge on the case. Pat Siracusa recused himself last July after he became openly frustrated with both sets of lawyers’ delays, about the only area in which the prosecution and defense have been cooperative.

Assuming this date holds, the February hearing will unfold more than three years — roughly 1,100 days — after the bizarre episode inside auditorium No. 10 at the Cobb Grove 16 cineplex in Wesley Chapel.

At last, finally, the timeline will matter.

The Reeves and the Oulsons, married couples who’d never before laid eyes on each other, arriving minutes apart for the day’s first showing of “Lone Survivor.” The ensuing dispute over Chad texting during the pre-show entertainment. Curtis retreating to the lobby to ask the management to intervene.

Arguably, the entire texting chapter of our tragedy ended right there. This is not to say both couples could not have saved themselves endless heartache if, at this point, one or the other had found new seats. But that’s not what happened, and arguments can’t be hung from nonexistent pegs.

So the timeline resumes. Chad rising to confront Curtis when he returned, berating him for tattling, bouncing a box of popcorn off him, followed by a glinting object, claimed by the defense to be Oulson’s mobile phone. Curtis going into his pocket and coming out with the pistol, leaning forward and squeezing the trigger. Flash. Bang.

Curtis slumping back into his seat. Someone hearing Chad murmur, “I can’t believe I got shot” as a crimson floret bloomed on his shirt.

Now, everything depends on February, when Reeves’ attorneys will press Barthle to apply Florida’s stand-your-ground law, the statute that allows the use of deadly force when (a) a person is somewhere he has a right to be and (b) he reasonably believes such force is necessary to prevent death or great bodily harm.

Before stand-your-ground was enacted in 2005, people caught in similar circumstances had a legal obligation to retreat. In recordings taken after the shooting, Reeves concedes he wished he’d done exactly that.

Arguably, though, by the time Chad, having chosen to escalate a silly dispute, loomed in, the old cop’s avenues of retreat had vanished. Maybe, after all, Reeves acted reasonably.

What this isn’t, by any stretch, is an easy call. One man is dead. Another could spend the rest of his life in prison. And however it tilts, the outcome is sure to be imperfect. The survivors always will bear their scars.

Which brings us back to delays and denials.

Two-and-a-half years later, in the summer of 2016, everything remains mired in legal limbo, and will remain so until Judge Barthle decides whether the state can proceed. If she grants Reeves’ stand-your-ground motion, there will be no prosecution for second-degree murder. He will be immune from civil suits.

Until then, Reeves lives in the shadows of freedom, out on bail but restricted in his movements, his fate bound up in legal gymnastics.

And Nicole Oulson, Chad’s bereaved widow, one of two absolute innocents in all of this — we mustn’t forget now 3-year-old Lexi, the subject of Chad’s fateful texts — must muster on with her feet planted in two worlds: One where life moves on and Chad is forever absent, and the other, frozen in legal amber, where there’s always the darkness and Chad, and the roaring gun.

Tom Jackson, a resident of New Tampa, is interested in your ideas. To reach him, email .

Published July 6, 2016

Wesley Chapel: No. 1 job market

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Wesley Chapel is at the top of the list for “best job market” in Florida, according to a report from WalletHub on 2016’s Best & Worst Florida Cities for Finding a Job.

The Washington D.C.-based financial website ranked 130 cities in the state in three categories: job market, socio-economic environment and overall.

While Wesley Chapel came in first, Lutz and Land O’ Lakes ranked 16 and 17, respectively, as best job markets.

In this category, reviewers looked at job opportunities, employment growth, starting salaries and unemployment rates.

In ranking for socio-economic environment, they considered median annual income, average commute times, employee benefits, housing and transportation costs, crime rates and social life, such as things to do and places to go.

Wesley Chapel scored second in affordable housing and third for lowest unemployment for high school graduates.

Overall, Wesley Chapel’s scores earned a fourth place finish behind Sarasota in first place, Jacksonville Beach in second place and Pensacola in third place.

Still, average workdays and commute times were factors working against Wesley Chapel, which mustered only a 66th place on socio-economic environment factors alone.

Lutz ranked 27th on the socio-economic score and 11th overall, while Land O’ Lakes languished in 113th place in socio-economic rankings and 46th overall.

Tampa ranked 15th in the job market, ninth in socio-economic environment and sixth overall. Brandon came in second behind Wesley Chapel in job market, 68th in socio-economic environment and fifth overall.

Spring Hill was 126th overall, 121st in the job market and 125th in socio-economic.

Miami Gardens sat at the bottom of the list overall and in job market, and rose only to 124th spot on the socio-economic

scale.

The full WalletHub report is available at WalletHub.com/edu/best-cities-in-florida-for-jobs/21610.

Published July 6, 2016

New shops coming to Wiregrass

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The Shops at Wiregrass is freshening up its retail lineup, and looking ahead to a spring 2018 opening for an adjoining retail center.

For now, the new shopping center is identified as the “connector site.”

New shops, restaurants, a grocery store and movie theater are planned.

Shoppers will have walkways to allow easy access into and out of both sites.

“We want to blend and separate it, but create its own identity at the same time,” said Greg Lenners, general manager at the Wiregrass shops.

Greg Lenners is general manager of The Shops at Wiregrass.
Greg Lenners is general manager of The Shops at Wiregrass.

Developers are awaiting a permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, but Lenners said the anticipated opening will be in the spring of 2018.

He spoke to about 30 people at a luncheon on June 23 sponsored by The Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce.

The chamber has economic development briefings, with invited guest speakers on the last Thursday of each month.

Forest City Enterprises, the developers of The Shops at Wiregrass, and NRP Group are partnering on the expansion adjacent to The Shops at Wiregrass.

About 250 upscale apartments are planned, as well as about 120,000 square feet of retail, Lenners said.

A 30,000-square-foot grocery and a 35,000-square-foot movie house will be built. “The idea is a dinner-type theater,” said Lenners.

Shops and restaurants could fill in the remaining 55,000 square feet of commercial space.

Lenners also gave a rundown on recent store openings at Wiregrass.

VOM FASS Oils Vinegars Spirits, which opened last week, is the newest retailer and joins other new additions: Rocket Fizz, Lola Perfume, Soleciety Sneaker Boutique and 3D Musketeers.

VisionWorks is slated for a fall opening. Vitamin Shoppe could open by the end of August. And, Irish 31 Pub & Eatery, Menchie’s Frozen Yogurt and Avalon Spa also are expected to open in coming months.

But, Lenners shot down rumors of a Cheesecake Factory.

At least in the near future.

Chains such as Cheesecake or P.F. Chang’s count on large lunch crowds, and the area falls a little short on that, Lenners said.

“You have a commuter demographic here so our lunch traffic goes down,” he said. “We’ll get there.”

As an example, Lenners said about 1,200 houses are under construction near The Shops at Wiregrass. Communities such as Estancia and The Ridge are adding to the local population and signaling continued growth in the area.

“We’re literally right on the 50-yard line,” Lenners said.

Published June 29, 2016

 

Shops at Wiregrass debuts flagpole on Flag Day

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Initially billed as a celebration to unveil a new 40-foot flagpole at The Shops at Wiregrass, the event took on a more somber tone in light of the mass shootings in Orlando.

At the beginning of the Flag Day ceremony, Greg Lenners, the general manager for The Shops at Wiregrass, asked for a moment of silence.

That moment lasted 49 seconds.

Unfurling the 8-by-12 American flag, members of the Wesley Chapel Cadet Squadron of the Civil Air Patrol prepare to raise the flag during a Flag Day ceremony at The Shops at Wiregrass. Cadets, from left, Andrew Alayon, 16, of Wesley Chapel; Cassie Ramer, 15, of Spring Hill; and Francisco Pulgarin, 16, and Elicia Smith, 15, both of Wesley Chapel, assist in the regional mall’s first flag-raising event. (Fred Bellet/Photos)
Unfurling the 8-by-12 American flag, members of the Wesley Chapel Cadet Squadron of the Civil Air Patrol prepare to raise the flag during a Flag Day ceremony at The Shops at Wiregrass. Cadets, from left, Andrew Alayon, 16, of Wesley Chapel; Cassie Ramer, 15, of Spring Hill; and Francisco Pulgarin, 16, and Elicia Smith, 15, both of Wesley Chapel, assist in the regional mall’s first flag-raising event.
(Fred Bellet/Photos)

Each second symbolized the loss of a life on June 12 at Pulse nightclub in Orlando.

In asking for sign of respect, Lenners also asked those gathered to honor those who were injured, as well as their families and the community of Orlando.

Following Lenners’ remarks, Pasco County Commissioner Mike Moore shared some history about Flag Day, noting that it was officially established by a proclamation by President Woodrow Wilson on May 30, 1916.

President Harry Truman signed an Act of Congress on Aug. 3, 1949 declaring June 14 as National Flag Day.

Moore invited those gathered to reflect upon the meaning of the American flag.

“Think to yourself: What does this flag mean to me?” Moore said. “In your heart, right now, what does it mean to you?” he asked.

“Who gave up their lives to keep that flag flying?” he asked.

Moore said when he thinks about the flag, he thinks about such things as freedom, family, veterans and pride.

The Wesley Chapel Cadet Squadron of the Civil Air Patrol handled the duties of presenting the colors and hoisting the flag.

Immediately after raising the 8-by-12-foot flag to the top of the pole, squadron members lowered it to half-staff, in honor of the Orlando shooting victims.

Those attending the event said they came to demonstrate their patriotism and celebrate what the American flag represents.

The Pasco County Sheriff’s Office mounted posse was on hand at the June 14 Flag Day ceremony, to celebrate the installation of a 40-foot flagpole at The Shops at Wiregrass.
The Pasco County Sheriff’s Office mounted posse was on hand at the June 14 Flag Day ceremony, to celebrate the installation of a 40-foot flagpole at The Shops at Wiregrass.

Teresa Fegan came sporting a blouse decked out with stars.

“I feel like we’re free in this country,” the 73-year-old Fegan said, explaining why she wanted to attend. “It’s wonderful to be a part of this country. I am so sorry for what happened in Orlando,” she added.

Her 80-year-old husband, Pete, said he posts a flag at his home on all of the nation’s patriotic holidays.

Fifty-year-old Juan Obando and his 42-year-old wife, Monica, came to the ceremony for two reasons.

They wanted to support their son, Juan Obando Jr., who is part of the Wesley Chapel Cadet Squadron, and they wanted to express their patriotism.

Gabriel Quinn, a cadet with the Wesley Chapel Cadet Squadron of the Civil Air Patrol, and others, salute, while Eric Johnson sings ‘The Star-Spangled Banner.’
Gabriel Quinn, a cadet with the Wesley Chapel Cadet Squadron of the Civil Air Patrol, and others, salute, while Eric Johnson sings ‘The Star-Spangled Banner.’

“We are American citizens,” Juan Obando said. “We are supporting America at this time,” he added, referring to the mass shootings in Orlando.

“It is so sad,” his wife, Monica said.

The event also attracted a number of dignitaries, including Pasco County Commissioner Ted Schrader and state Reps. Danny Burgess and Shawn Harrison. Bob Hatfield was there, too, representing U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis.

Eric Johnson, of Wesley Chapel Toyota, sang “The Star-Spangled Banner,” with a few members of the audience reverently joining in.

When adding the flagpole to the regional mall, Lenners said “we were methodical in looking for the location.

“We wanted something that was front and center,” he said. “This is certainly front and center.”

Published June 22, 2016

Pasco has building permits backlog

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A construction boom has Pasco County receiving applications for building permits nearly at pre-recession levels, county officials say.

But, the required paperwork — coupled with the kickoff of a new software program — is straining the county’s capabilities.

At least right now.

“We think we’re on the bottom side of the problem and getting it under control,” said Don Rosenthal, assistant county administrator.

Part of the solution involves reshuffling duties within the building department and plans to hire five new employees.

The new employees will replace about a half-dozen staffers who left their jobs, often citing workloads.

“We’ve had some staff leave because of the pressure to turn things around quickly, and the overwhelming volume of work and the change,” said Pasco County Administrator Michele Baker.

Pasco County commissioners made clear they’re tired of the complaints they’re hearing from developers about having to wait too long to get permits approved.

“It is very, very frustrating,” said Pasco County Commissioner Ted Schrader. “I’m getting overwhelmed with complaints,” he said, during the commission’s June 7 meeting in Dade City.

Commission Chairwoman Kathryn Starkey agreed: “I think we’ve all been getting these calls.”

Starkey said commissioners were ready to do whatever is needed to help staff get things on track.

Baker said she would ask commissioners to approve new hires at their June 21 commission meeting.

The software program, known as Accela, allows for online applications and is intended to speed up the process and be more transparent. But Rosenthal said, as with any new technology, there is a learning curve and glitches to work through.

“That was no small task,” he said.

Employees are working through about a two-week backlog of applications. That is significantly less than it was, Rosenthal said.

Right before the launch of the software program, some developers brought in bundles of plans. One delivered 200 plans.

“We concentrated on these because we were told they were an emergency,” Rosenthal said.

That proved not to be the case, and about half the plans haven’t been picked up.

That was time and work that could have been directed toward other applications, Rosenthal said.

He added that many of the complaints being heard by commissioners already have been resolved.

However, commissioners want improvements in customer service.

“Give them some explanation, so at least they have some understanding,” said Schrader. “I think you get so much more with honey.”

Schrader suggested giving applicants a letter, with their payment receipt, that explains the software program and reasons why applications could be delayed.

Commissioner Mike Wells agreed.

“They need to find a way to say yes, not a way to say no,” he said. “I know they are busy, but they are in the customer service business.”

Baker said plans are underway to create a newsletter to provide information on what’s going on at the building department.

Published June 22, 2016

No one hurt in Saddlebrook fire

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Quick actions by a student at Saddlebrook Preparatory School averted the potential loss of life, in the early morning hours of June 9.

About 2:30 a.m., the student smelled smoked and went searching for the source.

When he saw smoke, “he pulled the alarm. He started knocking on doors. His roommates went and knocked on doors. He called security, and security came down and they knocked on doors,” said Pat Ciaccio, general manager of Saddlebrook Resort Tampa, at 5700 Saddlebrook Way in Wesley Chapel.

It took 55 Pasco County Fire Rescue firefighters more than an hour-and-a-half to extinguish the blaze that broke out in the boys’ dormitory at Saddlebrook Preparatory School in the early morning hours of June 9. No one was injured, but the damage was extensive. (Courtesy of Pasco County Fire Rescue)
It took 55 Pasco County Fire Rescue firefighters more than an hour-and-a-half to extinguish the blaze that broke out in the boys’ dormitory at Saddlebrook Preparatory School in the early morning hours of June 9. No one was injured, but the damage was extensive.
(Courtesy of Pasco County Fire Rescue)

The resort has been home to an international school for aspiring professional tennis players and golfers since 1993. Ninety-six students, from 26 countries, attend the school, including 54 who board at the resort. While the school is for students from grade three through 12, it only boards eighth- through 12th-graders.

There were 28 students and two adults in the boys’ dormitory which caught fire, and everyone got out of the building without injury, Ciaccio said.

“We were able to get all of the students out actually, before there were flames. There was just smoke at the time,” Ciaccio said.

“From that point on, it turned into a three-alarm,” Ciaccio said.

Pasco County Fire Rescue Training Chief Shawn Whited said when the fire department crews arrived, “they had heavy fire through the roof of the building.

“As we were getting there, we realized there was a lot of fire there, so we called for a second- and third-alarm to help fight the fire,” Whited added. “The building was heavily damaged. The roof was burned off.”

It took 55 firefighters more than 1 ½ hours to put out the fire, and fire department investigators were still on the scene hours later, trying to determine the cause for the blaze, Whited said.

It turns out that the fire was started by a faulty bathroom exhaust fan/ bathroom heater mounted in the ceiling, Whited said.

No estimates were available on the extent of the loss, but Whited described the damage as extensive. “They’re going to have to gut the entire building,” he said.

On the afternoon after the fire, Ciaccio said, “Really, the extent of the damage — it’s too early — the adjusters aren’t even at the property yet.”

In the short term, the boarders from the boys’ dorm were relocated to the next courtyard.

“They’ll remain in there, those that stay for summer school, and then next school year, we’ll go back into there until Courtyard 11 is rebuilt,” Ciaccio said.

The general manager praised the students, resort staff and emergency rescue workers for their response.

The student who smelled the smoke “went into fire-drill mode,” Ciaccio said, explaining that the school and dormitories have monthly fire drills to know how to handle such emergencies.

“When your chief of security is calling you at 3 a.m., it’s not a good phone call. To arrive on property shortly after that and to have everything as buttoned down — you don’t ever want the tragedy to happen, but you feel good about the preparation,” he said.

“In an hour’s time, we had them (students) relocated to another courtyard, and they were in rooms, laying down,” he said.

He was particularly impressed by the way the students conducted themselves.

“They are in pressure situations all of the time on the tennis court, on the golf course. And, obviously that just extended into their personal lives, because they handled this situation so effortlessly.

“We were business as usual today. The kids were in class, taking exams,” Ciaccio said.

That is, except for the 28 who were in the dorm on the night of the fire. They were excused from exams.

Published June 15, 2016