Zephyrhills/East Pasco News

Two cities, town heading to the polls April 8

February 27, 2014 By Michael Hinman

Mid-term elections are still months away, but cities and towns in Pasco County will have a chance to choose local leaders in municipal elections in Dade City, St. Leo and Zephyrhills.

Qualifying ended Feb. 18 for municipal elections, and incumbents in those cities and town will face challengers. Winners will be decided April 8.

Residents living in those cities who want to vote must be registered no later than March 10, according to Pasco County elections supervisor Brian Corley. At the polls, voters should bring photo and signature identification, or they will be required to vote a provisional ballot.

Zephyrhills
Zephyrhills is getting a new mayor, and he didn’t even have to campaign.

Gene Whitfield, owner of Whitfield Funeral Home and Cremation Services on Gall Boulevard, will succeed Danny Burgess as mayor of Zephyrhills.

He will become the 20th mayor of Zephyrhills, and the fourth one in the last two years, following the retirement of Cliff McDuffie in 2012 and the resignation later that year of new mayor Steve Van Gorden.

The mayor position is largely ceremonial, with no voting power. The city council chooses a board president to run meetings.

Burgess chose not to run again so that he could seek a state House seat being vacated by Will Weatherford, R-Wesley Chapel.

Also taking office unopposed in Zephyrhills is Ken Burgess, who was first elected in 2011 to replace Tim Urban, and didn’t draw an opponent in his first regular race in 2012.

The trip back to the city council dais won’t be so easy for Councilwoman Jodi Wilkeson, as she’ll face off against community activist and retired educator Alan Knight on April 8. Wilkeson, the president and founder of WDA Design Group, was first elected in 2008.

Knight currently is the chair of the city’s parks and recreation board, and has been involved in the city’s interest in purchasing the abandoned Hercules Park on County Road 54 in recent months.

Dade City
Mayor Camille Hernandez is returning for another term on the Dade City Commission after failing to attract a challenger, but her colleague Scott Black will have to convince voters to keep him in a job he’s had since 1990.

Angelica Herrera filed and qualified just before the deadline to challenge Black. She has been civically active over the years, including work in the Tommytown revitalization efforts as well as the United Latino Council. Now she’s a center manager for Catholic Charities on Meridian Avenue in Dade City, according to her election paperwork.

Hernandez was first elected to the commission in 2006, winning re-election unopposed in 2010. She became mayor in 2012, a position that is similar to a board president that is selected by the other commissioners, and where she still gets a vote.

St. Leo
Raphael Davis and Donna DeWitt will face off for a seat on the St. Leo town commission. DeWitt is the current incumbent in Seat 1, and has served on the St. Leo board since 1997.

Davis, who did not list an occupation in his candidate filing, lives in Lake Jovita, a prominent community in St. Leo that has pushed for de-annexation from the town in recent years.

DeWitt is a nun at Holy Name Monastery. She ran unopposed in 2012 and 2010.

James Hallett, a monk at Saint Leo Abbey, won a new term on the board unopposed, while Richard Christmas — who resigned from the commission in 2012 — will take over the commission seat currently held by Mayor John Gardner. The mayor, who will now be replaced by a commission vote at its next organizational meeting, did not seek re-election.

San Antonio
There won’t be any need to open the precinct in San Antonio, yet the city will have two new faces on its commission. Dennis Berberich and Anne Marie Kibbe won seats after both failed to draw challengers in their at-large election.

Returning for another term is Elayne Bassinger, after Thomas Knight filed but failed to qualify for the election.

Berberich and Kibbe will replace Roy Pierce and Richard Gates, both who chose not to run again. Pierce doubled as the city’s building and zoning commissioner, while Gates also was the waterworks commissioner. Bassinger was the commissioner over parks.

Published Feb. 26, 2014.

Announced layoffs won’t affect Dade City hospital

February 20, 2014 By Michael Hinman

Just a day after its $7.6 billion sale to Community Health Systems was finalized, Health Management Associates told state officials that it planned to lay off 395 people by the beginning of April.

New signs advertising the renamed Bayfront Health Dade City hospital line Fort King Road in front of the campus. Community Health Systems says its recent layoff announcement will not affect the Dade City facility. (Photo by Michael Hinman)

HMA made the announcement to the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity Jan. 29. So far, it is the largest job cut of the year reported to the agency.

The cuts, however, are not expected to affect Bayfront Health Dade City, or most of the other hospitals in the chain.

“There is no impact on jobs at former HMA hospitals … as a result of the merger,” CHS spokeswoman Tomi Galin told The Laker/Lutz News. “The hospital names and leadership teams remain the same, and most importantly, patients can continue to count on these hospitals for high-quality care, delivered by the physicians and employees they already know and trust.”

The announcement, however, was based on what Florida requires companies to do by law to any potentially impacted employees of restructuring. This particular notice focused on corporate employees for HMA based in Naples, including many who do not actually work in Florida, Galin said.

The notice, known as a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification — or WARN — also includes about 100 people who are being offered jobs with the new ownership, as well as those who have chosen to leave the organization voluntarily, but did not plan to give notice until after the sale of the chain closed.

“As a result, even though the WARN notice indicates that approximately 400 jobs are affected, many of these individuals will have jobs in our organization, or have already found other jobs,” Galin said.

The purchase of Health Management Associates, first announced last July, included what was then known as Pasco Regional Medical Center and 22 other hospitals in the state. Before the sale, CHS had just two hospitals in Florida, the closest in Lake Wales.

As part of its acquisition, the Federal Trade Commission required CHS to put two hospitals in Alabama and South Carolina up for sale.

Bill Hussey is overseeing the company’s new hospitals in Florida. He has a bit of an indirect connection with the Dade City hospital because he was the Tampa Bay division president when Columbia/HCA owned the Dade City facility.

He would later become chief executive officer of Gulfside Medical Development. Hussey has been with CHS since 2001, and will manage hospitals for the company not just in Florida, but in Georgia and South Carolina as well.

The 120-bed Bayfront Health Dade City was originally founded in 1973 as Community General Hospital, and has had various names over the years. It was known as Pasco Regional Medical Center soon after HMA acquired the hospital in 2000 for $17 million.

It’s located at 13100 Fort King Road in Dade City.

Published Feb. 19, 2014

Pigz in Z’Hills already looking ahead to next year

February 20, 2014 By B.C. Manion

It was a brisk January day, but that didn’t stop the fourth annual Pigz in Z’Hills BBQ & Blues from setting a few new records.

Crowds gathered along a row of barbecue vendors, trying to decide which of the many varieties of barbecue they would like to try. (File Photo)

The event raised about $30,000, after expenses were covered — 50 percent more money than it ever did before, said Vonnie Mikkelsen, executive director for the Greater Zephyrhills Chamber of Commerce, which organizes the annual festival.

Most of the money raised will be doled out to various organizations, which help put on the event, she said. The festival also drew 44 barbecue teams and a crowd of about 6,000 to 7,000 people.

The event had a lot of firsts this year. It had a new venue, the Zephyrhills Municipal Airport. And it was in January for the first time, giving winter residents a chance to check it out.

Sixteen private pilots flew in for the day to enjoy the barbecue and bands, and Mikkelsen expects that number to grow in coming years as word spreads in the aviation community about the event. This year, they flew in from as far away as Miami and Jacksonville, she said.

Plans call for continuing to stage the event in January at the airport, Mikkelsen said.

“Having it at the airport, it presents a whole new horizon,” she said, noting next year organizers plan to showcase more aircraft at the event.

In addition to barbecued foods and bands, the event also featured exhibitors, a car and truck show and rides for kids.

The barbecue competition, which is sanctioned by the Florida BBQ Association, drew 30 competitors in the professional category. The grand champion of the professional division will receive an invitation to the American Royal National Championships in Kansas City, Mo., and entered in the drawing for the Jack Daniels World Championship Invitational Barbecue Competition in Lynchburg, Tenn.

This year, Sweet Smoke Q of Winter Haven, with head cook Jim Elsner, won the professional division. The team received the Pigz in Z’Hills BBQ & Blues Grand Champion Professional Division trophy and a $1,700 prize.

Hot Wachula’s of Lakeland, with head cook Matthew Barber, was the reserve champion professional division, and received a $1,500 cash prize.

Bettern Store Bot, with head cook Dave Grantham, won the grand champion trophy and a $150 cash prize in the Backyard Division. Papa P’s, with head cook Wayne Peterson, was named reserved champion, placing second.

Since its inception, the festival has raised thousands of dollars for local youth and education programs, and community services provided by the Zephyrhills chamber.

Published Feb. 19, 2014

This little library downtown never closes

January 22, 2014 By Michael Hinman

When Amanda Lakes opened her hair salon, Charm Hair Studio, on the corner of Seventh Street and Fifth Avenue, she added something downtown Zephyrhills had never seen before.

Amanda Lakes sorts through some of the books stored outside her shop on Seventh Street and Fifth Avenue. People are encouraged to take a book or leave a book, and many return books they’ve borrowed with notes in the margins. (Photo by Michael Hinman)

It was a small box, with a little door. And inside, it was filled with books. A small wood-carved sign on top advertised it as a Little Free Library, and encouraged anyone to “take a book” or “return a book.”

“There is no real system to it; you just take a book or leave a book,” Lakes said. “People ask me if anyone ever steals the books. But you can’t steal them, they’re already free.”

Lakes opened Charm at the former Main Street Zephyrhills office last August. Deciding to add a free library was an afterthought, but she spent a day building the stand. For the door, she “cheated” and was able to adapt an old picture frame.

But the Little Free Library is not just something Lakes developed on a whim. In fact, the national movement started a few years ago in Wisconsin when Todd Bol built a small wooden box in the shape of a one-room schoolhouse to honor his mother. He placed it in his front yard and filled it with books.

It was a hit in his neighborhood, and a movement was born. There are now hundreds of them all over the country, and a handful on nearly every continent. Florida alone boasts more than 50 of them, with the closest one outside of Zephyrhills in Lakeland.

“It is a topic of conversation a lot,” Lakes said. “It would be nice if more business owners would do it, too, but I don’t know if they see the value in it. I am not doing it to promote the salon business. I do it because I like working downtown, and it’s a way to do something fun and helpful for the community.”

But other businesses could do the same thing, and maybe even stock it with books that relate to their business. A travel agency, for example, could keep their library filled with travel books, Lakes said.

People are stopping in her shop so often to donate books for the library, Lakes stores many of them in a work closet until there’s room. People will come and take books from her outside stand, and some will even bring them back later on, complete with notes in the margins, or even messages to future readers.

“People will review the books, writing what they thought of it,” Lakes said. “I’ve even had people go back and forth with conversation, almost like it’s a mobile book club. There is this kind of attraction to the whole thing, especially now in a world where everything is so technology-driven.”

The Little Free Library sits outside Charm at 5224 Seventh St., and never closes.

“It’s always open, and anyone who just happens to be walking by is free to explore,” Lakes said.

World War II history lands at Zephyrhills Airport

January 22, 2014 By Michael Hinman

It’s one thing to go to a classroom to learn about history. But this weekend, history is coming to Zephyrhills. In fact, it’s landing at the Zephyrhills Municipal Airport Wednesday afternoon.

The B-17 Flying Fortress is one of the most recognized aircraft of World War II, and this plane — the Nine-O-Nine — will make a stop in Zephyrhills this week as part of the Wings of Freedom Tour. (Courtesy of the Collings Foundation)

Touching ground are three planes straight out of World War II: The B-24 Liberator, the P-51 Mustang, and the B-17 Flying Fortress.

“It’s one thing to see a plane behind a rope collecting dust, but to be able to physically crawl through one and have a close look at all the various compartments — it’s hard to imagine how these young men were able to do any of this to start with,” said Hunter Chaney, the director of marketing for the Collings Foundation, which hosts the annual Wings of Freedom Tour. “These are bare bone minimalist aircraft made to carry and drop bombs, and spread a lot of lead all over anyone trying to stop them. Crews would have to sit in these planes for hours at a time, and if you lost a glove, you’re automatically facing frostbite.”

The tours at Zephyrhills Airport are much different than a trip to the Smithsonian. These are fully restored — and operational — planes, some of only the few remaining from World War II. Visitors can crawl right through the plane, sit in the cockpit, and for a little more money, actually ride on the plane. Tour tickets are $12 for adults and $6 for children (free for World War II veterans), while flights start at $450 for the B-24 or B-17, and $2,200 for the P-51.

Chaney acknowledges the cost to fly is steep, but it’s not cheap to fly planes that were built decades ago. The B-17 itself costs about $4,500 per hour in flight, and requires about 10 hours of maintenance work for every hour it’s in the air.

Every dollar raised goes back into the continued maintenance of the planes, all operated by the nonprofit Collings Foundation. The organization started in 1979 in Stow, Mass., with a focus on preserving history. While Collings began with antique cars, in the 1980s, it really began to focus on airplanes, and have been touring these restored planes around the country for the last 25 years.

Zephyrhills will be the 2,831st stop of the tour, which usually hits more than 100 cities each year, connecting with up to 3.5 million people.

“It really appeals to the curiosity of people from all walks of life,” Chaney said. “It’s such a rare opportunity to touch and experience and interact with this history, particularly when we come into areas like Zephyrhills.”

This is the second time the Wings of Freedom Tour has made a stop in Zephyrhills, and it might not have happened this time if it weren’t for airport manager Mike Handrahan, Chaney said.

“He has been in aviation for years now, and he’s helped us bring the tour into all the various airports he’s worked at,” Chaney said.

The B-24 coming to Zephyrhills was built in 1944 for the U.S. Army, and saw combat in the Pacific Theater with the Royal Air Force. The Liberator is the last of its kind still flying, which is surprising considering it also was the most mass-produced plane in history.

The B-17, known as “Nine-O-Nine,” was finished too late to see actual combat, but it was subjected to the effects of three nuclear bomb detonations. Soon after it was restored in the mid-1980s, the “Nine-O-Nine” had an accident in western Pennsylvania. No one was killed, but the plane was not expected to fly again. It took thousands of volunteer hours and thousands of dollars in donations, but the plane was fully restored and has flown without incident now in nearly 2,400 stops.

The P-51 was designed as a one-seater, but it was Collings that not only restored the plane, but added additional seating so that even passengers without a pilot license could experience the Mustang in flight.

The planes will be open to the public Jan. 22 from 2 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., Jan. 23 at 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and Jan. 24 from 9 a.m. to noon. Flights usually take place before and after ground tour times.

For more information, call (800) 568-8924.

“We call these guys part of the Greatest Generation,” Chaney said. “What they did and what they endured is incredible. However awful World War II was, we would not have been able to win it without them.”

If you go
WHAT: Wings of Freedom Tour with the B-17 Flying Fortress, B-24 Liberator and P-51 Mustang
WHERE: Zephyrhills Municipal Airport, 39450 South Ave., Zephyrhills
WHEN: Jan. 22 from 2 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.; Jan. 23 from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; Jan. 24 from 9 a.m. to noon
COST: $12 for adults, $6 for children under 12; World War II veterans free
INFO: (800) 568-8924

Cox Elementary principal wins new state honor

January 15, 2014 By B.C. Manion

Yvonne Reins, principal at Cox Elementary School in Dade City, has been named an “Elite Principal.”

She is being honored as part of a new program that’s a collaboration between Florida TaxWatch and Learning Systems Institute Principal Leadership Initiative.

TaxWatch is an independent, nonpartisan, nonprofit taxpayer research and government watchdog. The Learning Systems Institute is part of Florida State University.

The data-driven awards were based on the ability of students to surpass predicted scores, given their prior achievement, and other student and school characteristics. The predicted student achievement scores were determined by using previous Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test scores.

Yvonne Reins has been named an Elite Principal in a new awards program that is based entirely on academic gains being made by students in Florida’s high-risk schools. (Photo by B.C. Manion)

Two elementary, two middle and two high school principals of high-risk Florida public schools will be honored in a Jan. 23 ceremony in Tallahassee, where they will receive statewide recognition and a $5,000 cash prize.

Reins, who is from a family of educators, said her mother will accompany her to the ceremony.

The award aims to acknowledge that schools that perform well require great leadership, said Dominic M. Calabro, president and chief executive officer of Florida TaxWatch. A principal has to balance many competing demands. Principals are the CEOs of their school.

While teachers are on the front lines delivering instruction, it takes excellence at the top to create the atmosphere that nurtures, advances and retains great teachers, he said.

High-risk schools were selected for the award because the idea is to demonstrate that all students can, in fact, learn – regardless of language barriers, income level or other potential obstacles, Calabro said. An outstanding leader can turn around a school that’s not working, but a poor leader can quickly undo excellence, he added.

The goal of the program is to study what these principals are doing and to replicate successful approaches elsewhere. It’s also important to include these principals in discussions about state educational policy, he said.

The principals will be incorporated into a five-year study performed by the Learning Systems Initiative to identify a principal’s role in recruiting, retaining and developing outstanding teachers.

The awards are based solely on state Department of Education data.

When Reins received word she’d been named an Elite Principal, she was shocked.

“I had no idea that that award even existed,” said Reins, who has been at the helm of Cox Elementary for five years. “What’s so nice about this award is that it is based on data. Not nominations. It’s based on facts. The data doesn’t lie. It is what it is.”

She said her school uses a team approach.

“This is a tribute to the hardworking staff that I have,” Reins said. “I told the teachers, ‘It’s because of you. This is our award, not mine.’”

But it’s not just the teachers who deserve kudos, she said.

“Everybody here in this school is very dedicated to our students in more ways than one,” she said. “We all truly care about them — everyone from the cafeteria staff, who provides nutrition to our students, to the custodial staff that maintains a clean and safe learning environment.”

There is a culture of high expectation, coupled with support, Reins said. “There are no excuses. We know that our children can rise to the occasion, rise to our expectations. We just need techniques and strategies to help them move along.”

Teachers meet weekly to share strategies and do grade-level planning. It allows them to talk, solve problems, and plan lessons to meet the needs of each and every student, she said.

“There may be a child that is low in reading, but high in math. They’re going to emphasize those strengths,” Reins said. “This significantly affects their (students’) self confidence and their eagerness to learn. It affects their whole attitude about school and its relevance to their lives.”

The teachers use data to inform their instruction. They seek advice from other teachers for strategies to help students succeed.

“That’s all part of being a professional,” Reins said.

Teachers also pay attention to what students already know, so they can build on that, Reins said.

Cox qualifies for additional funding because it is a school serving many children from low-income households. This year, the priority is to use those funds for additional staff and for professional development for teachers, Reins said.

Involving parents is important, too.

“The teachers try to develop a strong school-home relationship,” she said. “They want their parents to become more involved in their children’s education.”

The school soon will host a night for parents of kindergarten, first- and second-grade children to help parents learn how they can help their children with reading strategies.

“Many parents don’t know how to help their children, and it’s through no fault of their own,” Reins said.

While the school is committed to academic success, it still has a long way to go, Reins said. This award, however, is appreciated.

“It’s encouraging,” Reins said.

Kumquat Festival aims at old-fashioned, down-home fun

January 15, 2014 By B.C. Manion

Somewhere between 40,000 and 50,000 people are expected to head to Dade City on Jan. 25 to attend the 17th annual Kumquat Festival, one of Pasco County’s most popular events.

The festival that pays homage to the diminutive orange fruit had humble beginnings. Phyllis Smith, Roxanne Barthle and Carlene Ellberg were looking for a way to help inject new life into downtown Dade City. They put their heads together and decided to have a festival to honor the kumquat.

John Moors holds a poster promoting the 17th annual Kumquat Festival presented by the Greater Dade City Chamber of Commerce. He thinks the event will draw between 40,000 and 50,000 to the East Pasco County city this year. (Photo by B.C. Manion)

The inaugural festival was on the lawn of the historic Dade City Courthouse. It included a few vendors, some food and some kumquat growers.

This year, there are 430 vendors offering fine arts, craft items, food and other services — and that’s after about 150 vendors were turned away, said John Moors, executive director of the Greater Dade City Chamber of Commerce, which organizes the event.

There also will be two entertainment stages, a car and truck show, children’s activities, and a health and wellness section, Moors said.

The festival is a magnet for visitors and has raised Dade City’s profile. It was heralded by the Pasco County Tourism Board as the Pasco County Event of the Year in 2012 and has enjoyed the distinction of being named a “Top 20 Event” by the Southeast Tourism Society, which selects premier events in 13 Southeastern states.

It gives the community a chance to show off its old-fashioned charm and gives event-goers an opportunity to enjoy a family-friendly event, with free parking and admission, Moors said.

Offering the event without charging an admission means that organizers must cover costs from vendor fees and sponsors, and drum up support from volunteers. Fortunately, the festival enjoys the help of the city, county and state governments, as well as corporate sponsors. Community volunteers play a vital role, too, Moors said.

Volunteers from Calvary Assembly of God Church, for instance, help set a friendly tone for visitors by doling out bottles of water to people who park in the satellite lot at the Pasco County Fairgrounds.

Getting ready for the festival requires thorough planning and some elbow grease, starting a year ahead of the event to make sure all of the logistics are covered, Moors said.

On festival day, volunteers are up well before sunrise to pitch in.

“We have hundreds of local volunteers that start at 4:30 in the morning to get all of the vendors in and get all of our things in and set up,” Moors said. “By 9 o’clock, which is the festival opening time, we’re all ready to go.”

There’s plenty of parking with the satellite lots, but last year organizers discovered that those using the shuttles had to wait too long. So, this year there are more shuttle buses, and the bus routes have been tweaked to prevent long waits.

Moors expects the festival to attract 5,000 to 10,000 more people this year because of increased marketing efforts. This year, event organizers are making a bigger push to try to entice people from Sun City Center, The Villages, Wesley Chapel, New Tampa and the Nature Coast in Pinellas to make the trip to Dade City.

The event has a regional impact, Moors said. Using the same formula Visit Florida uses for fairs and festivals, he believes $1 million exchanges hands over the course of the festival.

Of course, much of that money goes to the vendors, but the event has an impact in Dade City, too, he said.

“I’ve had restaurants tell me that they do one week’s worth of business in that one day,” he said. “Our merchant’s association is geared up. They know that if they don’t make a sale on that day, there’s a good possibility that they can make a connection for somebody to come back and visit again and perhaps buy because they like what they see.”

The king of the event is the kumquat. Described as the “little gold gem of the citrus industry” by kumquat promoters, the fruit can be found in virtually every form at the festival.

Vendors will offer kumquat pie, kumquat salsa, kumquat jam, kumquat jelly, kumquat preserves, kumquat ice cream, and even kumquat lotions and soaps.

It’s easy to understand why the event attracts big crowds, Moors said.

“It’s a wonderful, wonderful family experience and experience for mature adults who enjoy a good, old-fashioned, down-home unique Florida experience,” he said.

EVENTS:
WHAT: Miss and Mr. Kumquat Festival Pageant
WHEN: Jan. 18 at 3 p.m.
WHERE: Calvary Assembly of God Church, 13544 U.S. 98 Bypass
DETAILS: Contestants in various age categories will be judged on their poise, personality, communication skills and overall appearance.

WHAT: Kumquat Growers Open House
WHEN: Jan. 23 and Jan. 24, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
WHERE: 31647 Gude Road, Dade City
DETAILS: Visit a farmer’s market, tour grove houses, view antique equipment and sample kumquat products.
COST: Tours are free
INFO: Call (352) 588-2761, or visit KumquatGrowers.com

WHAT: 17th annual Kumquat Festival
WHEN: Jan. 25, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
WHERE: Historic downtown Dade City
DIRECTIONS: Take Interstate 75 and go east on State Road 52; or take U.S. 301. Follow signs.
COST: Free admission, free parking and free shuttles from remote satellite parking lots at the Pasco Fairgrounds on State Road 52 approaching Dade City, or near Jarrett Ford, 38300 Dick Jarrett Way.
INFO: Visit KumquatFestival.org, or drop by an information booth at the festival. There are information booths at Third Street and Meridian Avenue, and at Seventh Street and Meridian.

Key to county growth: More public buses

January 8, 2014 By Michael Hinman

It was years in the making, and some said at least several years too long. But last spring, Pasco County Public Transportation — which manages the mass transit system in the county — finally connected Zephyrhills and New Port Richey with a bus.

The trip takes less than two hours, and riders can take advantage of it simply with a $3.75 day pass.

Bus stops like this one on State Road 54 will have to become much more commonplace in the coming decade as Pasco County works to lead the Tampa Bay region in smart growth.

But if Pasco wants to find a way to lead the suburban growth of the greater Tampa Bay area, it’s going to have to create a network much stronger than that, according to the Urban Land Institute.

“There is very little transit here in the county, as you all know,” said Bill Lawrence, managing director with T.R. Advisors in Boston, who joined the independent growth and development analytical group in a presentation to the county late last year. Yet, while some of that blame falls to county officials, it is part of a much broader problem.

“The transportation planning function in the region really is in disarray,” Lawrence said. “The (high-speed) train to Tampa has been defunded, and the transit initiative in Hillsborough has not been passed.”

The number of cars traveling Pasco roads is growing faster than the roads can be upgraded, Lawrence said. There already are daily traffic bottlenecks in areas like Land O’ Lakes Boulevard and State Road 54, as well as the interchanges around Interstate 75 and the Suncoast Parkway.

While adding lanes will help accommodate the traffic in a county that has grown 143 percent in the last 30 years — the key is an expanded mass transit system, which means changes must come to PCPT.

The system currently runs 10 routes, including the cross-county route along the State Road 54 corridor, compared to the nearly 50 routes operated by its southern neighbor, Hillsborough County.

But how would such expansions be paid for, especially with Pasco County facing a $14 billion shortfall in the current planning cycle?

Lawrence suggested that 5 percent of all transportation funding be earmarked to advancing public transit in the county.

“Most of this would be picked up by local development fees, and there is in place this mobility fee that is supposed to address some of that,” Lawrence said. “I am not sure how that would work, or how much money it would actually raise, although it provides incentives to offset land uses that are desirable, like transit-oriented development, which is a good thing.”

Mobility fees may have some problems getting traction in terms of additional revenue since county officials have waived or reduced such fees in the past to help attract new development to the county.

While jobs are growing in Pasco County by more than 3,000 per year, government officials can’t forget that many Pasco residents — around half by Lawrence’s projections — still travel into Hillsborough and Pinellas counties each day to work. Addressing this need could come through bus rapid transit, something that is now being tried in Hillsborough County, and could be expanded at some point into Pasco.

Transit will always remain a subsidized offering of the county, but the importance lies not just in moving the workforce around, but also in making Pasco an attractive place for business, Lawrence said. Transportation is one of the key issues businesses look at when trying to find business hubs for its operations, and many grants and other funding also hinge on the diversity and effectiveness of transportation options in an area.

Dade City to paint the town kumquat

January 8, 2014 By Michael Hinman

Lucy Avila got the idea to paint kumquats around Dade City and San Antonio during a visit to Dunedin.

Organizers behind the Paint the Town Kumquat campaign show off the new kumquat-painted shutters at the Greater Dade City Chamber of Commerce office. Participating in the project are, in front from left, project coordinator Lucy Avila, incoming chamber president Bonnie Krummen of CenterState Bank, and Dade City mayor Camille Hernandez. In back, Dade City chamber executive director John Moors, and Saint Leo University media coordinator Kim Payne.

That city, becoming known for its annual Dunedin Orange Festival, was sprinkled with small paintings of oranges. And they were everywhere — businesses, homes, even public areas like a seawall.

“I was sitting there with my Scottish terrier, and I saw an orange painted on a building,” said Avila, a member of the advisory board for the Dade City Center for the Arts. “And then I looked again, and there was another one, and then another one.”

Dunedin might associate itself with oranges, but Dade City and San Antonio have positioned themselves quite solidly with the kumquat, the small orange-like fruit with a sweet rind and sour juicy center the region celebrates with a festival every January. It didn’t take long for Avila to realize such a project would be great for East Pasco County.

“We are the largest kumquat growers in America, and we don’t highlight that as much as we should,” she said. But now, with its own painting project underway, Dade City and San Antonio can do just that.

A collaboration between the DCCA, the Greater Dade City Chamber of Commerce and Saint Leo University, the Paint the Town Kumquat campaign offers 21 different kumquat designs priced between $50 and $250, depending on the size of the painting. Local artists specially chosen by the DCCA will receive half the proceeds, with the rest going toward art programs in the area. It’s open to businesses, merchants, building owners and even homeowners on the eastern side of the county.

So far, two businesses have officially signed up for the paintings, with more ready to commit in the coming weeks, Avila said. They include the Dade City chamber, which had kumquats painted on the shutters of its main offices, located at 14112 Eighth St., in Dade City.

“The kumquat festival has become an event of regional importance,” said John Moors, executive director of the Dade City chamber. “It’s becoming so well-known across the Tampa Bay region, and it’s really quite remarkable. People are moving back toward more authentic and family-friendly fun sort of activities.”

The Kumquat Festival, which runs Jan. 25 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., in Dade City’s historic downtown, is an example of those events with the slower, more rural easier pace that people in the area have come to enjoy, Moors said. And showing pride in the area’s biggest agricultural export — similar to what Plant City has with strawberries — can only grow through projects like the one organized by Avila.

Yet, the festival draws some 45,000 people each year — six times the size of Dade City, Moors said.

“When you think of the logistics of it, that’s quite a feat,” he said. “It’s basically a volunteer-run situation because we don’t have a professional management company running the festival for us. With the help of the county and the city and the state, we are able to pull this off, and certainly painting the kumquats on buildings year-round can help sustain that.”

The kumquat painting project won’t end with the festival, Avila said. It’s likely to continue straight through until November when plans are made to conduct a scavenger hunt involving businesses that receive the works of art on their exteriors. It’s a way to bring the community back to the businesses, many who work hard to support the arts and the annual festivities in the area.

“They’ll have to go by clues to find out where each and every one of the kumquats are,” Avila said. “And with that, we’ll only be closer to the next kumquat festival.”

For more information on how to participate in the project, contact Avila at (352) 521-5858, or Diana Murcar at (813) 966-3704.

Many firsts this year as Pigz in Z’Hills gets reboot

January 8, 2014 By B.C. Manion

Pigz in Z’Hills BBQ & Blues Fest got rolling in 2010, spurred by a suggestion from Darrell and Pat Pennington, at the time members of the Greater Zephyrhills Chamber of Commerce board of directors.

A variety of activities will be available for young and old at the Fourth Annual Pigz in Z’Hills BBQ and Blues Fest. Shown here, a woman takes part in a corn toss game.

The chamber was looking for a fundraiser because it needed a way to support scholarships, chamber programs and local causes, Pat Pennington recalled. The couple had gone to a barbecue in Lakeland, and while they were there, it occurred to them that it was something the chamber could do in Zephyrhills.

So, the couple suggested the idea at the next board meeting and the board embraced it. The event has continued to evolve ever since.

The first year, it drew 13 barbecue teams. This year, event organizers hope there will be 35 to 40 teams. Those teams will chase after $8,000 in prize money, trophies, bragging rights and the chance to compete at higher-level barbecue competitions.

This year’s event also will introduce a number of new elements, said Vonnie Mikkelsen, executive director of the Zephyrhills chamber. For one thing, the venue has changed. The new home for the event is Zephyrhills Municipal Airport, 39450 South Ave., in Zephyrhills.

By hosting the event, the city will have a chance to showcase its airport, airport manager Michael Handrahan said.

Besides being able to buy tasty barbecue and listen to bands, patrons will have a chance to check out interesting aircraft, listen to a talk by a teenage glider pilot, and tour the Zephyrhills Museum of Military History, Handrahan said.

Patrons won’t have access to the airfield itself and there won’t be any flying events, the airport manager said. But there’s a chance some pilots will fly in for the day. That’s because the airport is encouraging pilots to fly in to enjoy some barbecue and music.

Since its inception, Pigz in Z’Hills BBQ & Blues, has been a fundraiser, providing thousands of dollars for local youth and education programs, including the YMCA of East Pasco, Zephyrhills Fire Rescue Explorers, Zephyrhills Police Athletic League, the Pasco County Sheriff’s Charities, the Zephyrhills Army JROTC, Zephyrhills High School athletics and clubs, and the chamber scholarship fund.

The event is designed to be a fun day for families, while providing a legitimate contest for barbecue aficionados.

The annual contest has been sanctioned by the Florida Barbecue Association since 2011, and has been designated as a state championship contest since 2012. The grand champion of the professional division qualifies to compete at the American Royal Nationals in Kansas City, Mo., and gets in the draw from the state for the Jack Daniel’s World Championship in Lynchburg, Tenn. The contest is open to professional and backyard teams. Entry fees are $300 for the pros and $200 for the backyard teams.

Besides lip-smacking barbecue, the festival offers music from four live blues bands, a classic car and motorcycle show and a kids’ fun zone, featuring bounce houses and field games, as well as arts and crafts.

Another change this year is the admission charge.

In previous years, event-goers paid $5 to get in, with free admission for children under 12. This year, there is no charge to get in, but parking is $10.

Also different from before is the timing. In the past, the barbecue contest was in October. Now it’s in January, and changing the date has many benefits, Mikkelsen said.

For one thing, it allows the community to welcome a group of residents who were unable to attend the event in previous years, she said.

“We found that a lot of our seasonal residents who come down in November and December were always disappointed to find out that they had missed it,” Mikkelsen said.

Pennington thinks the snowbirds will enjoy being able to eat some barbecue and take their time on the airport grounds, strolling around to take a look at the aircraft and to visit the museum.

The barbecue meals are affordable, too, Pennington said, selling for as little $7 and sandwiches for around $3.

Organizers had another good reason for changing the date of the event, Mikkelsen said. In October, many events are competing for people’s time, attention and resources. While that may be fun for residents, it’s challenging for an event organizer who is trying to raise money because they are competing for sponsors, volunteers and patrons.

While the festival is just a one-day event, planning begins a full year ahead of time, Mikkelsen said. About six months before the event, the committee volunteers start organizing and accepting areas of responsibility.

“You’re looking for sponsors,” Mikkelsen said. “You’re looking for in-kind donations. You’re starting to put together your marketing campaign. You’re starting to do the initial budget projection and fitting all of the pieces together.”

That’s also when the blues bands are selected.

“Then you start rolling into the crunch time, which is 90 days out. You better have your permits done,” Mikkelsen said, noting health, alcohol and tent permits must be secured.

Organizers also need to get insurance for the event, do a site plan and be sure to address such things as water, electrical, trash, security, portable restrooms, stages, parking and other issues that must be addressed to carry off a successful event.

Much of the success of the event hinges on the help that the chamber gets from community partners, Mikkelsen said. Some sponsors have been there from the beginning, like CenterState Bank.

“We sell Pig Bucks. That’s the event currency,” Mikkelsen said. “We have to print up so many Pig Bucks and have them counted, bundled and prepared — just like a bank — for the vendors.”

The Pasco County Sheriff’s Posse also has been there since the beginning, Pennington said, managing the event parking.

Anyone wishing additional information about this year’s event is welcome to call (813) 782-1913, email , or visit ZephyrhillsChamber.org.