The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

Zephyrhills/East Pasco News

R.B. Cox Elementary celebrates Black History and diversity

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The faculty and staff at R.B. Cox Elementary celebrates diversity throughout the school year.

“Our population of the community we serve here is very diverse,” Principal Kimberly Natal said. “Most of our students are Hispanic and African American, so it’s important to the community and it’s important to celebrate that diversity we have here at R.B. Cox and our community we serve.

“So, through committees, we plan this every year — we have a Hispanic Heritage and Black History celebration every year.”

The school held a Black Heritage Celebration on March 3, complete with educational and entertaining performances, readings and presentations.

Angela Theodore, from Hugh Embry Library in Dade City, tells the story ‘Anansi Does the Impossible!’ on March 3 during Black Heritage Celebration at R.B. Cox Elementary in Dade City. Students, families and community members attended the event to watch presentations and performances about Black Heritage and to see part of the Rosewood Traveling Museum. (Mike Camunas)

It ended with a traditional soul food dinner. 

“We celebrate diversity a lot at this school,” said secretary Monica Russ, who heads up the Black History Month Committee at the school. “At R.B. Cox, this is one of the times we do that, where we invite everyone out to come join and celebrate and learn about Black history and diversity.

“And everyone is welcome.”

Faces in the crowd proved that people of all races came together for the celebration — a fact that pleased the R.B. Cox event organizers.

“We have Black families, Hispanic families, even some white families and part of our police department is here, too,” Russ said. “Anyone that just wants to come out and be a part of us and part of this community — and we’re very pleased with how it turned out. Whenever you can get parents in the doors with kids and they learn something, come together as a community and enjoy time together, we’ll take it.

“The free soul food was a great draw, too,” she said, with a laugh.

The Rosewood Traveling Museum was a new highlight this year.

The Black Heritage Celebration, on March 3 at R.B. Cox Elementary, attracted a diverse crowd to enjoy educational and entertaining performances, as well as a soul food dinner.

The museum, and its foundation, is dedicated to remembering the town of Rosewood, which, in January 1923, underwent a racially motivated massacre of Black people and the destruction of the Black town in Levy County, Florida.

At least six Black people were killed, but eyewitness accounts suggested a death toll of 27 to 150.

The museum had about 10% of its collection on display, but the exhibit will be available to see at Pioneer Florida Museum & Village starting on Juneteenth (June 19).

Representatives from the Rosewood Family were on hand at R.B. Cox to tell about the museum and its causes and share some history of the massacre. Its choir also performed.

Harriet Clemons dances to music performed by the Rosewood Choir on March 3, during a Black Heritage Celebration at R.B. Cox Elementary, in Dade City.

“I’m connected to the (Rosewood) group through marriage,” Russ said. “It touched my family, so that’s what I think about when I think about Black History. … (Rosewood) is honoring 100 years, so (when) given the opportunity for them to come and share it with us, I jumped at it.

“Because I think it’s a great way to let people know who aren’t aware of that history, and we want to share our history,” she said.

Natal said she was pleased with the turnout, and the message for honoring “Bridge Builders, Obstacle Movers, World Changers” at the celebration. She also said the Black Heritage event, and the Hispanic Heritage one the school held in the fall, were the first ones held, post-COVID restrictions. 

She said it was uplifting to see the enthusiasm for the event’s return — from both staff and students.

“This year, we wanted to do it big since we hadn’t done it in a while,” Natal said. “It was a real grassroots effort from the staff to really bring in the community and celebrate the culture, and I think we’ll see even more people next time,” she said.

It’s important, the principal said, “for the kids to celebrate their heritages.”

Remember Rosewood – Centennial: 100 Years of History
Where: Pioneer Florida Museum & Village, 15602 Pioneer Museum Road, Dade City
When: Starting June 19
Details: The Rosewood Traveling Museum will be on display at Pioneer Village starting the week of Juneteenth (June 19), at no charge.
The Rosewood Museum is dedicated to remembering the town of Rosewood, which, in January 1923, underwent a racially motivated massacre of black people and the destruction of the black town in Levy County, Florida. At least six black people were killed, but eyewitness accounts have suggested a death toll of 27 to 150.
Info: Visit RememberingRosewood.com or PioneerFloridaMuseum.org.

Published March 15, 2023

Jada McClendon, of Dade City, performs on the drums on March 3, during a musical number at the Black Heritage Celebration at R.B. Cox Elementary.
The Rosewood Choir performed on March 3, during the Black Heritage Celebration at R.B. Cox Elementary, in Dade City.
R.B. Cox Elementary staff members wore shirts emphasizing such ideals as empowerment, education, inspiration and celebration, during the school’s Black Heritage Celebration on March 3.

Founder’s Day not lost, returns after two-year hiatus

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It’s been more than two years, but the Annual Founder’s Day Festival, Celebration and Parade returned to historic downtown Zephyrhills on March 4, ushering in some changes, but ones that were greatly welcomed.

The 112th edition of Founder’s Day Festival kicked off on March 4, returning after a two-year hiatus due to COVID and scheduling conflicts. Dozens of vendors set up shop, up and down Main Street in historic downtown Zephyrhills, with a handful of booths dedicated to the three mayoral candidates and two more for the city council seat up for election on April 11. (Mike Camunas)

For starters, the parade and festivities, which were canceled last May due to weather and held off in 2021 due to COVID, returned, not only in a big way, but at a time change.

While there were activities all day long throughout Zephyrhills, dozens of vendors set up at 4 p.m. to welcome residents and shoppers up and down Main Street. Included in those were booths dedicated to the two running for the City Council Seat 2, up for election on April 11. Incumbent Alan Knight had a booth and was shaking hands, while his challenger, Steve Spina — a former Zephyrhills City Manager — also had a booth.

The three mayoral candidates — Nick Deford, Melanie Bahr Monson and Martin Harm — vying for the position relinquished by exiting mayor, Gene Whitfield, also had booths and greeted potential voters through the late afternoon and evening.

The parade, also returning, was pushed into the evening, a departure from years past when it was held in the early afternoon.

Main Street Zephyrhills Director Erin Beasley said moving the parade to the evening was a change welcomed by most.

Although the attendance was not as large as in previous years, the parade will remain in the evening and the festival will add more things, she said.

Those could include adding ”a 5K or getting booths and other exhibits to the other historical sites around town,” Beasley said. “It’s special, it’s a community and it’s the hometown experience. People come out and they value where they live.”

Parade judges Madonna Wise, Erica Freeman and Amanda Eskelund picked the winner of this year’s parade, with Kids Corner winning Best of Show. Rounding out the other parade awards were Zephyrhills High School Marching Band for Best Walking Unit; Zephyrhills Little League, Best Costume; Zephyrhills Sanitation and Utilities, Best Vehicles; Zephyr Airport Cadet Squadron of the Florida Wing, Civil Air Patrol, Best Club; and West Zephyrhills Elementary won Best Theme.

Candidates vying in the municipal election also took part in the parade, on car or truck floats, tossing beads and other trinkets. Pasco County Commissioner Ron Oakley was there, too.

AdventHealth, Shireman Pest Control, Red Feather Home Group, the City of Zephyrhills and Zephyrhills Community Redevelopment Agency sponsored the event.

Published March 15, 2023

A Zephyrhills couple dances at the Clock Plaza in historic downtown on Fifth Avenue, to the sounds of the Time Travelers during the Annual Founder’s Day Celebration on March 4. Festivities ran all day, with vendors up and down Main Street and a parade later in the evening.
The color guard team of the Zephyrhills High Marching Band leads the way down Main Street during the Founder’s Day Celebration Parade on the evening of March 4.
Sandra Vogelpohl, a member of the Daughters of Union Veterans of the Civil War, has a good laugh while in full costume prior to the Founder’s Day Festival Parade.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Steve Spina rides in a car float to promote his bid for the Zephyrhills City Council Seat 2, which he is challenging Alan Knight for in the municipal elections being held April 11.
The Zephyrhills High Marching Band made its way down Fifth Avenue, playing music and performing with its color guard unit during the 112th Founder’s Day Festival Parade on March 4.
Andres Mujica, of Tampa, sends a big shot during a life-sized game of beer pong outside of A.O.K. arcade on Fifth Street in historic downtown Zephyrhills during the Founder’s Day Festival on March 4.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Zephyrhills resident Josh Larramore dances with his daughter, Bellamie, while listening to the Time Travelers during the 112th Founder’s Day Festival on March 4.
A Zephyrhills couple dances at the Clock Plaza in historic downtown on Fifth Avenue, to the sounds of the Time Travelers during the Annual Founder’s Day Celebration on March 4. Festivities ran all day, with vendors up and down Main Street and a parade later in the evening.
Zephyrhills Police Chief Derek Brewer tosses beads to spectators while walking in the Founder’s Day Festival Parade on March 4.

All’s fair — with animals, rides and food

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The 76th annual Pasco County Fair lived up to its theme this year.

It gave everyone who attended “Something to Crow About.”

The event, which ran from Feb. 20 through Feb. 26, also gave fair-goers of all ages plenty to talk about, too.

The 76th Annual Pasco County Fair, which ran from Feb. 20 to Feb. 26, boasted this year’s theme as ‘Something to Crow About,’ and featured a food vendor area, talent shows, vendor exhibitions, hypnotism shows, pig races, livestock competitions, and a midway that included several rides like a large Ferris wheel. (Mike Camunas)

At the annual Dade City fair, Big Rock Amusements brought its rides to the Midway.

They included Cobra Coaster, Flying Elephants, a Beach Buggy, the Giant Wheel, the Grand Carousel, Rip Tide, Air Flyer and Zero Gravity.

Monster truck rides on the Dade City Motocross were available, too.

Entertainment included Robinson’s Racing Pigs, Lew-E’s Comedy Circus, hypnotism acts and even a few trick dog shows. There was a short lawn mower race on Feb. 20, too.

There were plenty of exhibits, from art, photography and plants, plus competitions from talent shows, karaoke singing and even one for spaghetti eating.

Of course, as is the county fair’s tradition, there were dozens of livestock competitions, from cows, to hogs and chickens and more.

Food sales were brisk, too, with the eating area packed with fair-goers enjoying meat on a stick, pizza, gyros, doughnut burgers, funnel cakes, elephant ears and, of course, oversized corndogs.

Hosting fairs in Dade City dates back to 1915, but it wasn’t until 1947 that a group of local businessmen began to showcase the county’s resources.

On April 7, 1947, the Pasco County Fair Association Inc., was chartered with the purpose of hosting an annual fair to promote youth and other county resources, according to the association’s website.

The Fair Association has remained an independent, nonprofit organization since its founding. The association relies mostly on local community sponsorships, along with fair memberships, revenue from our guests, and rental income from the buildings housed on the fairgrounds. 

The Pasco County Fair Association Inc., currently has 1,538 members and continues going strong.

Published March 01, 2023

The Zero Gravity ride spins Pasco County Fair attendees around and around, in the hopes of throwing them off their equilibrium.
Dade City resident McClaine Hancock hungrily, and happily, enjoys an oversized corn dog in the food vendor area during the 76th Annual Pasco County Fair on Feb. 20.
Dade City mom Kristen Maggard is all smiles riding a carnival ride at the 76th Annual Pasco County Fair in Dade City, as her kids, from left, Easton, Grace and Cameron, also enjoy the whirlwind movements on the brisk evening in February.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A prize-winning rooster at the Pasco County Fair struts his stuff on Feb. 20.
A cow and her handler during the Pasco County Fair.
Hungry fair-goers filled the seating area to enjoy a variety of foods during the fair on Feb. 20.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Zephyrhills residents T.J. Smith, left, and Zayden Best share a laugh when going neck and neck during the lawn mowers races at the 76th Annual Pasco County Fair in Dade City.
Dade City residents Anna McIssac, left, and Jeylin Perez enjoy the rise into the sky as they prepare to be spun around by the Air Flyer ride at the 76th Annual Pasco County Fair on Feb. 20.
In Rip Tide, riders spin around, in a vertical and fun fashion.

Candidates vie in Zephyrhills’ elections

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Voters in Zephyrhills will choose a new mayor and will decide who should fill City Council Seat 2 in an April 11 election.

Three candidates are vying to be the city’s next mayor and incumbent W. Alan Knight is facing a challenge from Steve Spina, for Seat 2 council seat.

Zephyrhills residents will decide whether to retain incumbent City Council Seat 2 member Alan Knight or replace him with Steve Spina in the April 11 municipal election. Residents also will choose the 21st mayor in city history. (Mike Camunas)

Spina is the former city manager for the City of Zephyrhills. He retired from that role in 2019.

Knight is a longtime Zephyrhills resident and educator working mainly in Pasco county schools as a teacher, coach and administrator for 35 years. He is seeking re-election to city council following his first term on the board.

Residents also will decide who will replace Mayor Gene Whitfield, who announced in December that he would not seek a fourth term.

Candidates to become mayor are Nick Deford, Melonie Bahr Monson and Martin Harm.

Deford is the lead pastor at Zephyrhills First Church of the Nazarene and has been a resident of Zephyrhills for eight years. His ministry has worked with nonprofit organizations such as the Zephyrhills/Wesley Chapel Ministerial Association and the Samaritan Project, and is active with Meals on Wheels of Pasco.

Monson is a Zephyrhills native who stepped away from her role as the CEO of The Greater Zephyrhills Chamber of Commerce after eight years in September. She now works for her family business, Bahr’s Propane Gas and AC.

Harm is the treasurer for Main Street Zephyrhills and a national account manager for Sonitrol, an electronic commercial security system company.

The mayor position is largely ceremonial, with no voting power. The city council chooses a board president — in this case, Jodi Wilkeson — to run meetings. Lance Smith is the council’s vice president, while members Ken Burgess, Charles Proctor and Knight round out the council.

There also are eight proposed amendments to the city charter on the ballot. Most are minor changes to election procedures and financial reporting requirements, with the main one changing the term length of mayor and council members from three years to four years.

Published February 22, 2023

W. Alan Knight
Dr. Steve Spina
Melonie Monson
Martin Harm
Nick Deford

St. Leo approves town center to announce its identity

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It’s possible, in a blink of an eye, to drive through the town of St. Leo without even knowing it.

Town leaders are looking to change that.

They are planning to create a town center that will provide a shopping, entertainment, event and community district, on a site at the corner of State Road 52 and Lemon Street.

St. Leo’s Town Commission, led by Mayor Vincent D’Ambrosio, voted 5-0 on Feb. 14 to approve the building of a town center at the corner of State Road 52 and Lemon Road. (Mike Camunas)

Town leaders hope the new town center will help make St. Leo more of a destination rather than just a drive-thru town.

“This is about having a space that will give an identity to this town,” said St. Leo Mayor Vincent D’Ambrosio, who assumed that role in May 2022. “We just don’t have that now. This will change that and still honor everything this town is about.”

The St. Leo Town Commission voted 5-0 on Feb. 14 to move forward with building the town center in Pasco County’s oldest incorporated municipality.

During a community workshop, residents who attended, as well as the town commission — D’Ambrosio; Donna DeWitt, O.S.B.; James Hallett, O.S.B; Curtis Dwyer; and William Hamilton — were presented a Planned Unit Development from Twelfth Street Studio and Aurora Civil Engineering.

The architecture and design firm and engineering firm, respectively, laid out a very comprehensive concept plan that would feature shops and vendors, an entertainment area, an event area, recreational space and more.

The Town of St. Leo approved a plan to build a multi-faceted town center at the corner of State Road 52 and Lemon Road, less than a mile from the university that also bears its name. The town center, shown in this rendering, will feature restaurants and vendors, event and entertainment space, gardens and more, as a destination for not only residents, but tourists as well. (Courtesy of Town of St. Leo)

The town center would go on some unused land, but also take over property used by On Q Smokehouse Grill and A Cup of Organic, two businesses not only in support of the town center, but the first two confirmed tenants as vendors.

The next step is rezoning the town center property to be a Planned Unit Development.

Town Administrator and Clerk Andrea Calvert told the crowd of more than 120, including Pasco County Commissioner Ron Oakley, that the town center will be “a very big revenue generator.”

She also noted it is being funded by the recently extended Penny For Pasco tax, which passed in the local elections.

Calvert told The Laker/Lutz News there isn’t a town center project cost yet, but the town’s officials “can work on what needs to be included in the initial phase and what that cost will be, as well as pursuing grants and other funding opportunities.”

St. Leo Town Planner Tom Asburn agreed, saying the town center will give “St. Leo a new identity, while enhancing development, but also keeping the rural character we all love very much.”

The St. Leo Town Center will have a sloped sitting area facing a stage for entertainment. (Courtesy of Town of St. Leo)

The town center will include a history center and several gardens, each dedicated to a different part of St. Leo, such as the Abbey and the town’s founders.

Several details are still being worked out, such as an underground stormwater system for food and beverage vendors, overflow parking and enough sidewalks so Saint Leo University students can walk the less than a mile to the town center location.

The consulting two firms and St. Leo also are working with the Florida Department of Transportation to refigure the intersection of State Road 52, College Avenue and Pompanic Street. The plan is to reconstruct a now-complicated intersection into a more traffic-friendly roundabout.

The meeting was held in a boardroom at Saint Leo University’s Student Community Center to accommodate the crowd.

Despite the large attendance, there was very little, if any, opposition to the project.

In addition to town residents, several students were at the meeting, including some  representing Saint Leo University student government.

They spoke of “nothing being here (in St. Leo) but the university” and wanting the town to “be a town” and “be more than just a university and something to go visit and enjoy.”

Longtime area resident Betty Burke noted: “There is no meeting place for the community. As long as we can consider making it eco-friendly, like solar-powered, then it would be a great place where the people of St. Leo can meet.”

Others agreed, while saying it would give the town an identity, just like the commission wants.

“This is exciting,” resident Greg Smith said. “This will be the image of the town because a lot of people don’t know we even exist. This should be supported fully for the future of the town.”

Commissioners threw their support behind the plan to make St. Leo a place to stop and visit.

“We really did our homework here,” D’Ambrosio told the crowd. “We know that we can maintain the history and feel of St. Leo while still showing the greatness that we know we’re capable of. With a town center, we won’t be a drive-thru town anymore, but a destination that people will want to stop at. 

“And now, with this step, the journey to that begins.”

Published February 22, 2023

Valentine’s Day tradition continues

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Couples gathered on Valentine’s Day for a group wedding ceremony in the courtyard of the Historic Pasco County Courthouse. The event has become an annual tradition and has been going on for 15 years. (Courtesy of the Pasco County Clerk & Comptroller’s Office)

Pasco County Clerk & Comptroller Nikki Alvarez-Sowles presided over a group wedding ceremony in a Valentine’s Day ceremony that has become an annual tradition.

This year, 18 couples exchanged their “I Do’s” — including 16 who were tying the knot for the first time and two who were renewing their vows, according to information from the clerk’s office.

The brief ceremony took place in the courtyard at the Historic Pasco County Courthouse, at 37918 Meridian Ave., in Dade City.

The tradition began in 2009, with a total of 261 couples, so far, taking advantage of the romantic day to profess their love and dedicate their lives to each other.

Guests were welcome and refreshments were provided.

The couples received a gift bag, a marriage packet, and a complimentary consultation and preparation of simple wills from McClain & Alfonso P.A.

 

Elected leaders say park needs are being felt across Pasco

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The need for additional recreational opportunities rang out loud and clear during a joint session of elected Pasco County leaders and those from municipalities on the east side of the county.

Zephyrhills Mayor Billy Poe noted: “We’ve seen such large growth on the east side of Pasco and the development of Pasadena Hills. The question has come up several times about the possibility of a regional park on the east side of Pasco, possibly along (U.S.) 301, so both Dade City and Zephyrhills benefit from it, (as well as) San Antonio and St. Leo.”

Pasco County Commissioner Seth Weightman said he’s interested in increasing aquatic opportunities — for competitive swimmers and for other swimmers, too.

Weightman said he’s talked to county staff about the issue, noting there’s no community pool east of U.S. 41, aside from the YMCA and St. Leo.

He said an aquatics center, which could accommodate competitive swimming, could benefit the county’s tourism efforts. But he also noted that it is important to provide an opportunity for people to learn how to swim.

One of the two swimming pools that Pasco County operates is at the Land O’ Lakes Recreation Complex, off Collier Parkway, in Land O’ Lakes. (File)

“Folks moving into our county — they need to know how to swim. It’s a quality of life and safety factor,” Weightman said.

The county board member said he fully supports “some kind of a recreational center with an aquatics component — a significant aquatics component.”

He also noted it might behoove the county and its cities to work together on creating an aquatics center, instead of developing competing facilities.

Keith Wiley, who oversees the Pasco County Parks, Recreation, and Natural Resources department, said his team greatly desires addressing the aquatic needs on the east side of the county.

He noted there are plans to move forward with a super park in the Village of Pasadena Hills, which is in the Wesley Chapel area. 

Wiley said he plans to recommend that the super park become home to a community pool.

“I think it’s an outstanding opportunity to talk to the school board for the possibility of a partnership because (at) the two pools the county does operate, we see a lot of activity from the high school swim teams. And, I think, quite honestly, they have some skin in the game,” Wiley said.

He also told the elected leaders that Pasco’s parks department is working on a master plan to define a recreational trail system. 

“The idea is to really be high-level, to ultimately figure out what our trail system looks like,” he said. The planning will cover such things as prioritizing connections through greenways, near existing state and county-owned properties, and recognizing hubs of concern, he said.

This planning is separate from work being done to establish an alignment for the Orange Belt Trail.

On another note, the county parks department is teaming up with the City of Dade City on a feasibility study related to park facilities located in the areas of Lacoochee, Trilby, Villages of Pasadena, Naomi S. Jones Park, Burks Park, and the James Irvin Civic Center.

Dade City Manager Leslie Porter told the elected leaders: “The James Irvin Civic Center is located in Naomi Jones Park. It was built in the 1960s and has served its useful life. The city is currently partnering with the county. We’re conducting a feasibility study for park facilities in East Pasco County.

“One of the deliverables from the study will be a schematic design, with preliminary engineering and landscape planning for a new community center,” she said.

Porter also noted: “We would hope to continue our partnership with the county, providing the recreational services. Currently, the county offers the programming there, as well as with the Armory. We don’t have the staffing at the city level to do that.”

Dade City Commissioner Angel Woodard told those gathered: “I would just like to stress the importance of why we are trying to construct a new facility.

“When you have a building that’s been built in 1960 and one addition to that building took place in 1992 — and, it is not sufficient for the community.

“We don’t have anywhere on the east side of the county, on a cold night, to even up to bring our homeless in.

“We don’t have anywhere, on this side of the county, during the COVID crisis, to hold funerals.

“This is vitally important that we stand together to move forward to create a community center.

“One of the biggest things that I hear, over and over again, is ‘We have nowhere for our children to go.’

“And, that needs to change,” Woodard said.

Pasco County Commissioner Kathryn Starkey mentioned that the community center project might be a good candidate for federal funding. She recommended that city officials look into that.

Pasco County Commission Chairman Mariano suggested this could be something that the county and city worked on together.

Published February 15, 2023

Zephyrhills’ rebranding begins to take shape

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The City of Zephyrhills is getting ready to tell its story.

It’s all part of the rebranding process that Pasco County’s largest municipality is undergoing — one that will carry the town into the future, and will provide a more complete picture.

Zephyrhills, in conjunction with North Star Place Branding + Marketing, a Jacksonville-based consulting firm, has finished its community research, which is aiding in the town’s rebranding efforts.

Data has been collected from 1,486 unique inputs, including nearly 1,000 online surveys, focus groups and interviews. The firm will use the feedback to develop options that include a new town logo, motto, color schemes and other elements to to rebrand Zephyrhills.

The City of Zephyrhills, Pasco County’s largest municipality, is undergoing a complete rebranding of the town, from its slogan, to logo and more, with the help of North Star Place Branding + Marketing. (Mike Camunas)

“We were very happy we got this much feedback,” said Patrick Golden, executive creative director for North Star. “Sometimes communities can be survey fatigued, but we got a lot of responses, and getting input from the community in this type of venture is very important.

“We’ve seen a lot of passion in the people, and that’s very indicative of the city and what the city brings to its people and always has brought to its people. That’s just going to help when it comes to finding the brand of the city.”

That passion was on display when Zephyrhills and North Star hosted a Community Creative Input Open House on Feb. 1, allowing for about a couple dozen citizens and stakeholders to offer their opinions.

Those present brought up views and themes consistent with the data collected, from keeping the same ‘town fee’ to remembering and honoring the town’s history and veterans. They also want the town to be known for more than being where the bottled water comes from, its skydiving, and, of course, being “Snowbird Central.”

“The passion (we’ve seen) is what is going to make the brand the best it can be,” City Manager Billy Poe said. “Trust me, the comments we have gotten, not all of them have been positive — and we’ll address the negative ones.

“People just walk up to me, and say, ‘Why are you spending so much money on this (rebranding)? Why are you spending any money at all on this? What’s wrong with the logo we have? This is where the water comes from, what’s wrong with that?

“And it’s not to get rid of the water logo or get rid of the skydiving component. We feel we’re more than one thing, and we want to tell our story before someone can tell it for us and then not get it right.”

Indeed, rebranding the city, Golden added, is not about doing away with what Zephyrhills already has, but refining the story and finding a cohesive one. The story will encapsulate the town as it moves forward and looks to soon surpass a population of 20,000.

“People are usually excited, not just to see what we come up with, but what everyone said their community is about and how everyone sees their city, from the outside,” Golden added.

The City of Zephyrhills and North Star Place Branding + Marketing had a Community Creative Input Open House on Feb. 1 — welcoming those in attendance to share their thoughts about their town with the rebranding firm’s representatives.

The city and the rebranding firm launched a community-wide online survey on Oct. 17, giving everyone in Zephyrhills a place where they can share their input and have their perspective counted.

The survey asks several questions, including how one would describe Zephyrhills, how others perceive Zephyrhills and even to name some things that people outside the community should know about the city.

In the survey, participants were asked to pick two descriptors of Zephyrhills. The top two chosen were “Snowbird destination, older residents,” which accounted for 43% of the answers, while “Where growth is headed” came in at 27%. Another category, “neighborly, hometown feel” came in at 23%.

The data also showed Zephyrhills greatest assets, with the top responses being the Sarah Vande Berg Tennis & Wellness Center, Main Street, Skydive City, the city’s many parks, the municipal airport and the proximity to Tampa and Orlando.

The $68,000 rebranding project now moves to the creative phase, as North Star’s team will produce options to present to the city, tentatively in about five months.

Zephyrhills, currently known as “The City of Pure Water,” will then choose a new brand aimed at increasing interest and investment in its residents, entrepreneurs, companies and visitors.

“We are a small town, but what we’re trying to do is grow and maintain that small-town feel — that’s important because if you lose your downtown, where’s your center of community?” Poe said. “I think the story of Zephyrhills is that we’re an emerging community that’s always been known as the ‘Snowbird Capital’ and I think we’re so much more than that.

“Yes, we have the water (bottling plant), we have the skydiving, but Zephyrhills is a very open-minded community that is always trying to better the lives of its citizens.”

Published February 08, 2023

 

Farming a great crop of students

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For the past 20 years, Academy at the Farm has put a lot of students out to pasture — which, in this case, refers to high school.

“Our focus has always been education,” said Ray Polk, the academy’s director for 13 years.

Soha Bajaj, a sixth-grader at Academy at the Farm, walks a cow during an agricultural learning session at the school in Dade City. Over the past 20 years, the school has grown tremendously, both in size and its participation in its award-winning 4-H and Future Farmers of America clubs. It also has become a much sought after school choice in East and Central Pasco County. The K-8 school focuses on six fundamentals: Responsibility, Fairness, Respect, Honesty, Citizenship and Caring. (Mike Camunas)

“We focus on our six traits and start that from kindergarten, right from the get-go. “We teach them life skills, which are our traits, and how they are responsible for their work, for themselves and even how they treat other people. We emphasize that,” he added.

“And we teach them that you’re the person that has to work on (those things), not the rest of the people in the school.”

Since Dr. Michael Rom opened the Dade City charter school in 2002, Academy at the Farm has grown leaps and bounds. The charter has become a sought-out educational institution for parents seeking an alternative, with empowered learning styles for their children.

At Academy at the Farm, every classroom has an instructor assistant (IA), which extends to the school’s four sections: Preschool/VPK, Primary (first and second grades), Intermediate (third through fifth grades) and Middle (sixth through eighth grades).

Each division has its own principal.

“We’ve been an A school for 18 years,” Polk said. “That’s not something that’s easy to keep, but we have been able to do that and we’re proud of that fact.”

Academy at the Farm, a Dade City charter school, has classrooms set up with alternative seating for grades K-8.

At Academy at the Farm, it all begins in kindergarten, with children learning these six character traits: Responsibility, Fairness, Respect, Honesty, Citizenship and Caring.

From the get-go, students learn to embody these attributes, which extend beyond the classroom.

Many of the school’s 650 students are members of the school’s 4-H Club and Future Farmers of America (FFA) program. And while every student will get agriculture education and lessons on the 35-acre property, those who join the clubs tend to be  heavily involved with the on-campus livestock, such as goats, hogs and cows.

“We see a lot of growth from kids who have been in our program a long time,” said Robin Carter, the school’s agriculture teacher. “Because we have high expectations of them in 4-H and FFA, and definitely set the bar higher for them than the rest of the general school population.

“And they rise to it, because they want to work with animals and want to do a good job because they find it important and — I don’t know, maybe they want to shovel poop all day, too! (laughs).”

Sixth-grader Miriam Fehir, left, and eighth-grader Liea Kautz hold onto some of the baby goats that are cared for at the charter school.

Carter said working with animals puts an emphasis on the character trait of responsibility.

They know that animals rely on them.

But those involved in the agricultural program also get to experience something that’s not common at many campuses.

“We have baby goats being born,” Carter added. “How many kids get to see baby goats being born at their school?…

“You’ll see it, as our principals will say that our FFA kids don’t get in trouble because they know that they have responsibilities and have to be out there for the animals. … They know that their personal responsibility is to be great — they’re expected to be great and to do great things.”

And part of being great is knowing, and learning, that these animals are not pets, but a way of farm life. The school breeds its livestock, including certain animals that are sold for meat.

“It’s Academy at the Farm, not Academy at the ‘Pet,’” Polk said. “Which can be tough for kids, but it’s a life lesson about where you get your food, from farms, and learning how much agricultural farming comes out of Florida.

“The kids learn that they’re not pets.”

So what’s in store for this charter school after 20 years? Well, more expansion.

Academy at the Farm includes an outdoor hockey rink for students to play on during P.E. classes and recess.

With a waiting list of nearly 2,000 students to be a lottery pick to join the student body (when there is space available), Academy at the Farm wants to go from three to four classrooms per grade.

But the big move is even loftier, and one Polk already has tried to make happen four times previously.

A high school at the Farm.

“You don’t get a 2,000-kid waiting list in Dade City without having a good reputation on what kind of charter school we are,” Polk said. “I want to be here to educate kids, even as the director, I want them to know I care about their education, even if I’m not doing any direct educating.”

Polk estimates adding a high school — grades nine through 12 — will cost up to $15 million. However, through federal funding provided by the state, the school was awarded $13.5 million back in September 2022.

Yet, just weeks later, Hurricane Ian devastated parts of Florida and that funding, as well as funding given to several other local government agencies and projects, was redirected to relief aid.

“We’ll reapply,” Polk said of getting grant or federal funding again. “A new public high school could cost anywhere from $80 to $100 million, and even though we raise about $200,000 in fundraising each year, it’s just not enough for the kind of education level we have here.

“To have an IA in every classroom, that’s $350 ($350,000) to $400,000 a year, right there.”

Academy at the Farm
Where: 9500 Alex Lange Way, Dade City
Details: In its 20th year, Academy at the Farm is a K-8 charter school that focuses heavily on higher education, but also has several agricultural aspects, such as a working farm, livestock, crops and more. Any parent can apply for their child or children to attend Academy at the Farm; however, there is a lottery list that resets every March, and that list has nearly 2,000 kids waiting on it.
Info: Visit AcademyAtTheFarm.com.

Published January 25, 2023

Supply chain issues delay grand opening of VA clinic

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Construction has been completed on a new veteran’s clinic in Zephyrhills, but the grand opening isn’t expected until late Spring or early Summer.

It’s been a long road for the new Zephyrhills veteran’s clinic; however, the end is in sight.

Officials at Tampa Veterans Affairs (VA) at James A. Haley Veterans’ Hospital, which oversees 16 clinics, including the one in Zephyrhills, said it’s just a matter of time before the 14,000-square-foot facility opens.

“The Zephyrhills team is working diligently to open by late Spring (or) early Summer 2023,” Tampa VA officials told The Laker/Lutz News. “We, at James A. Haley Veterans’ Hospital, are eager to provide expanded health care options to our Zephyrhills veterans.”

Construction has been completed on the new Veterans Clinic, at 37827 Eiland Blvd., in Zephyrhills, for some time. However, several other VA construction projects and national supply chain restrictions have delayed the grand opening until late Spring or early Summer. (Mike Camunas)

Like many construction projects nationwide, the clinic has been experiencing supply chain issues.

Additionally, the Tampa VA had unprecedented concurring construction activities that have swamped officials with a logjam of projects. The main hospital unveiled a Bed Tower of 240,000 square feet and 150 beds on Jan. 21, the VA clinic in New Port Richey expanded to serve up to 24,000 veterans and Lakeland broke ground on a new 93,000-square-foot facility in April 2022.

The new Zephyrhills clinic, at 37827 Eiland Blvd., broke ground on June 7, 2019 and cost $16 million to build.

It replaces the older clinic, which will help address the health needs of veterans in Zephyrhills, the county’s largest municipality.

“The new VA clinic in Zephyrhills will be a game-changer for veterans in East Pasco,” Zephyrhills native and executive director of the Florida Department of Veterans’ Affairs Danny Burgess said at the 2019 groundbreaking ceremony. “The expansion will provide increased access to quality health care. We are so excited for this commitment to our community by USDVA (U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs); and FDVA (Florida Department of Veterans’ Affairs) looks forward to growing our strong relationship with our federal partners.”

The clinic is designed to accommodate people with disabilities, and will offer new services such as Podiatry and Physical Therapy. Additional services offered include Hearing Aid Repair, Social Work, Food and Nutrition, and Tele-health Services.

Each patient will have an assigned patient-aligned care team that will consist of a physician, nurse, social worker and a mental health provider.

Patients will be referred to and treated at the James A. Haley hospital for surgeries and extensive therapy.

Ten rooms are devoted to primary care, while six rooms are used for treating mental health, which is part of the VA’s efforts to provide more access to psychiatric care services.

Those without transportation will be able to take advantage of a service that will provide free rides to their appointments.

“I’m excited about the new clinic because it’s going to enhance the patient experience for our veterans,” Chief Medical Officer of Zephyrhills Community Based Outpatient Clinic Dr. Scott Knoeppel said in a statement to The Laker/Lutz News. “The new clinic will be nearly triple in size, so we now have the capacity to add some high-demand specialty care services, such as Physical Therapy, Podiatry and Hearing Aid repair. Additionally, our Mental Health providers will be seeing patients in the new building, as well. Offering these services in one building will be of convenience to our veterans. Lastly, we will be expanding parking capacity, which had been a challenge at the previous location.”

Published January 25, 2023