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Cuban church gets water access thanks to efforts from local organizations

July 9, 2024 By Joe Potter

Members of Palmas Altas United Methodist Church (UMC) — a small church in an impoverished rural community in the Granma Province of Cuba — have access to a daily supply of sanitary drinking water through the combined efforts of two local Pasco County organizations: Land O’ Lakes UMC and One Ball One Village (OBOV), a 501(c)(3) organization based in Odessa.

Land O’ Lakes UMC helped develop a cistern at the Palmas Altas church so water could be stored there, and OBOV provided a purification/filtration system to the church in Cuba so sanitary drinking water would be available to its members and the community, said Jody Johnston of OBOV.

Palmas Altas United Methodist Church’s pastor Rev. Ataliosky Romero, right, and One Ball One Village volunteer Mayito Montoya stand beside a sink where clean water now flows. (Courtesy of Candace Darden)

Palmas Altas translates to “high palm” in English, according to Candace Darden, a member of the Land O’ Lakes UMC’s Missions Team. The Cuban church is difficult to reach because it’s located in the Sierra Maestra mountain range near Manzanillo.

The Land O’ Lakes and Palmas Altas UMCs are “sister churches,” meaning members pray for one another.

Land O’ Lakes UMC has been helping to pay the salary of Palmas Altas’ pastor Rev. Ataliosky Romero for several years. The Florida church’s Missions Team also occasionally provided Palmas Altas with food and over-the-counter medications, Darden said.

Rev. Romero recently told Land O’ Lakes UMC that his church was in serious need of a reliable supply of sanitary drinking water, Darden said. The municipal pump for the water system from Manzanillo broke down and no parts were available to repair it. This caused water to have to be trucked in for months and those deliveries were unpredictable because of the vast shortage of gasoline in Cuba, Darden said.

Members of the Cuban church also lacked the funds to purchase the materials to build the cistern, so Land O’ Lakes UMC spent three months trying to find the materials, according to Darden.

It only took two weeks for the people of Palmas Altas to dig the cistern once the supplies had been provided, but another need arose — the water in the cistern had to be purified before it was safe to drink. The estimated cost of a purification/filtration system ranged from $1,700 to $5,000, far more than what Land O’ Lakes UMC had available.

The Land O’ Lakes church was referred to OBOV by a member of another local church. OBOV, founded in 2012, has been taking purification/filtration water systems to Cuba, along with many other supplies, for several years, Johnston said.

Mario Montoya, an OBOV volunteer in Cuba, delivered the system for Palmas Altas, according to Johnston. The delivery took Montoya about four hours after the system arrived at an airport more than 200 miles away from the church.

“The system was installed on June 26 and the congregation of the church and surrounding community are finally able to have clean, clear, good water whenever they want. The municipal system will keep the cistern full and with rainwater being a backup water source,” Darden said. “Thanks to OBOV our ‘sister church’ has good water to drink.”

Published July 10, 2024

The finished cistern before it was covered.

Team effort transforms exhibit at Florida Aquarium

July 2, 2024 By Mary Rathman

The Florida Aquarium has unveiled the transformation of its second-largest habitat into an Indo-Pacific wonderland and said “g’day” to thousands of new fish, introducing them into the Heart of the Sea, creating a new exhibit that showcases the diversity of marine life from Australia.

“These are some of the most amazing fish our guests may ever see in their lifetimes,” said Cristy Barrett, associate curator at the aquarium, in a news release.

“They’re from Australia and their colors are so vibrant. Some of them actually help clean the other fish — including inside their mouths! We’re delighted with how well they are adjusting. It’s incredibly rewarding to see them thriving and interacting in their new environment,” said Barrett.

Among the new inhabitants are 26 different species, including: Maori wrasse, gold goatfish, spotted unicornfish, blue speckled group, emperor angelfish, giant squirrelfish, various species of butterfly fish, and a large school of fusiliers. Many of these fish are rarely seen in this part of the world.

The transformation process also involved relocating many of the native fish previously housed in the Heart of the Sea habitat. Species such as tarpon, yellowtail snapper and rooster hogfish have been moved to the aquarium’s largest habitat, the Coral Reef.

Some original residents, including bonnethead sharks, honeycomb stingrays, a southern stingray and a loggerhead sea turtle, remain in the exhibit cohabiting with their new Indo-Pacific neighbors.

The Florida Aquarium is at 701 Channelside Drive in Tampa. Visit Flaquarium.org for more.

Published July 03, 2024

New Florida Human Trafficking Strike Team cracking down on border-related crime

June 25, 2024 By Bethany Blankley

(The Center Square) – A new multi-agency human trafficking strike team has been created in Florida to target border-related crime. As the result of a recent months-long operation, 10 victims were rescued, and several alleged perpetrators were arrested.

Attorney General Ashley Moody announced the creation of the new strike team with law enforcement leaders on June 13.

“Human trafficking is a challenge for every state,” Moody said.

(Florida Attorney General’s Office/YouTube)

The investigation began in October 2023 in Manatee County after the sheriff’s office acted on a search warrant and turned over information to Homeland Security Investigations and the strike team, FDLE (Florida Department of Law Enforcement) Special Agent in Charge Mark Brutnell said.

Investigators identified businesses that were commercial fronts for sex trafficking operations in Manatee and Hillsborough counties, where alleged ringleader Lina Payne recruited women from Columbia and allegedly held them hostage in Florida. She then allegedly forced them to have sex to pay off their debt to bring them into the country under threat of violence.

“What we found was a fully functional, highly organized international human trafficking operation” based in Hillsborough and Manatee counties, Brutnell said. Payne was allegedly making frequent international trips to Latin American countries where the victims were living and were later trafficked through the border into Florida, he said.

The victims had no accessible modes of transportation, their identification documents were taken from them, their food was delivered to them, they were forced to live inside massage parlors, barber shops and other businesses, where they could not leave, he said.

Payne’s alleged accomplices — her boyfriend, Sebastian Jurado, and her son, Andres Payne — were involved in recruiting women from Venezuela and Colombia who agreed to pay between $40,000 and $50,000 to be smuggled across the southwest border into the U.S., according to the investigation. Payne allegedly promised them legitimate work, but once they arrived, they were held hostage.

At one point during the investigation, it appeared Payne was attempting to flee the country and was arrested at the Fort Lauderdale International Airport. Not soon after, her boyfriend and son were arrested in Tampa. Another alleged trafficker remains at large. Each defendant faces multiple felony charges and is being prosecuted by Moody’s Office of Statewide Prosecution.

Through the course of the investigation, the strike team rescued 10 victims. They also believe they identified more than 117 victims of Payne’s trafficking operation over years.

Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco said the victims “were brought here to Florida and had no idea what hell they were being brought into. We’re talking about human lives. If someone was drowning, we’d go out and save them. These are people who are lost out at sea, in hell, living in captivity. We are going to rescue them.”

While he said he was glad they caught the traffickers, he said, “there are a lot of evil people who pay to have forced sex, rape, with these women.”

One way to break the cycle of sex trafficking was to enhance criminal penalties “against people who are buying and forcing sex on and raping women.” Another is to create a civil penalty to enable victims “to easily sue” their abusers, he said. “If we take away the livelihoods of the people buying and forcing sex on victims, take their houses, cars, … it will set a tone. Just like everything else we do in Florida, we will protect people.”

Moody said, “The disturbing facts of this case highlight the need for our new statewide Strike Team, and demonstrate how this expert team of investigators, prosecutors, analysts, and victims’ advocates can help coordinate efforts to take down trafficking operations and rescue victims.”

The new strike team is providing intelligence, guidance and support to law enforcement agencies statewide and is also coordinating emergency victim support services. The team works directly with Florida’s new statewide human trafficking tip line, 855-FLA-SAFE.

It’s currently assisting local law enforcement efforts with more than 20 human trafficking cases and making contact with nearly 40 victims—including the 10 victims from this investigation, Moody said.

Also joining Moody in making the announcement were FDLE Commissioner Mark Glass, Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office Colonel Chris Rule, Manatee County Sheriff’s Office Major Todd Shears and Homeland Security Investigations Tampa Special Agent in Charge John Condon.

Published June 26, 2024

Governor announces $1.25B teacher pay hike

June 18, 2024 By Andrew Powell

(The Center Square) — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis held a news conference in Hialeah on June 10 to announce $1.25 billion for teacher salary increases.

DeSantis said the funds for teacher salary hikes are earmarked in the budget over the next five years and pointed out that Florida has ranked tops overall in education by U.S. News and World Report for the past two years.

Since 2019, Florida lawmakers have appropriated $4 billion in teacher pay raises, which has increased starting teacher pay by nearly $10,000.

DeSantis noted that this was likely because of Florida’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, which saw other states completely shut down in-person teaching for up to a year and a half. DeSantis pointed out that they approached the situation rationally rather than following the “direction of partisan school unions.”

“In Florida, we said, you know what? Kids need to be back in school,” DeSantis said. “I think we had the highest percentage, 99% to 100% in-person education in the 2020-2021 school year. And yet, some other states that had half the kids, had no access to in-person education.”

DeSantis said that the decision to keep Florida schools open during the pandemic was met with much opposition. Florida’s school union sued, according to DeSantis, and also took part in demonstrations against keeping schools open.

“I know there were demonstrations here in Miami, with the school union here trying to say all the kids were gonna die,” DeSantis said. “That was wrong what they were doing; that was politics and putting ideology and their own interests ahead of the interests of students.”

DeSantis added that if the school unions had gotten their way, the Sunshine State would not be the top state in the U.S. for education and further noted that it was the unions, not the teachers, who wanted schools to remain closed.

“We’ve worked really hard to deliver salary increases,” DeSantis said. “Since 2019 to the present, we’ve had by far the biggest increase in teacher compensation that has ever happened in the history of the state of Florida.”

Florida Department of Education Commissioner Manny Diaz said he is happy to work with a leader like DeSantis, who prioritizes students’ needs.

“In just the last two years, we have put parental rights back in education, we have removed dangerous and divisive rhetoric like critical race theory, diversity, equity and inclusion, and we have made tremendous investments,” Diaz said.

Published June 19, 2024

Sheriff Chris Nocco seeks 9% budget increase

June 11, 2024 By Joe Potter

The Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) was recently told the Pasco Sheriff’s Office (PSO) needs to hire 40 new deputies because of the explosive population growth the county is experiencing, as was discussed during the June 4 BOCC meeting.

Sheriff Chris Nocco shared the staffing needs of his office during an April 16 workshop with commissioners and reiterated those needs, among others, in a budget request he submitted on April 25.

Sheriff Chris Nocco (Pasco Sheriff’s Office Facebook page)

The PSO needs a 9% increase in its budget for fiscal year 2024-2025 that begins on Oct. 1 and ends on Sept. 30, Nocco’s request said. The office currently receives $150 million and Nocco is requesting $165.5 million for the upcoming fiscal year.

And that 9% increase isn’t fully reflective of the full funding needs of the PSO, Nocco said in a memo to commissioners outlining some of the specific reasons behind his request.

The sheriff’s office currently receives 40% of the new property taxes the county receives because of the county’s growth. The office has been offered 10 new deputies a year in the past.

Commissioners have approved 10,000 new residences since July 2023 — this is in addition to the number of new businesses and industries that have opened in Pasco County since then — leading to the projected need of 40 more deputies, according to Nocco’s request.

Pasco County’s Property Appraiser Mike Wells estimated last month that there will be a 12.8% increase in property taxes. The final figure won’t be known until the beginning of July.

Nocco says that even if the 9% increase is approved, staffing of the sheriff’s office won’t be keeping up with the county’s growth. If they are able to hire 40 new deputies, it’s anticipated that it would cost $8.93 million during the first year due to the cost of training and equipment, and other miscellaneous costs.

Also included in the budget request are salary increases for all employees of the PSO “to ensure our agency remains competitive with surrounding agencies,” Nocco said, adding, “It is crucial we continue to attract quality applicants and retain our valuable members to provide the highest level of service to our community, so we do not return to the previous situation, which we had to address with members leaving for surrounding agencies.”

His request also included funds for capital expenditures, including armored vehicles, which currently are not budgeted by the sheriff’s office.

The FY 2024-2025 budgets won’t be determined for county departments until later this year.

In other business at the BOCC meeting:

Commissioners continued a request for a zoning amendment made by Cherry Hills West MPUD Master Planned Unit Development – Veterans of Foreign Wars of US Major Francis E. Dade Post 4283 et al.

It had been requested that the zoning of a 34.07-acre parcel on the east side of VFW Post Road, approximately 275 feet south of State Road 52, be changed from an A-R Agricultural Residential District to an MPUD Master Planned Unit Development District. The applicant wanted to be allowed to develop a maximum of 160 single-family detached dwelling units on the site near the Pasco County Fairgrounds.

District 2 Commissioner Seth Weightman, and Chairman and District 1 Commissioner Ron Oakley both expressed concerns about the zoning change being approved without assurances that water and sewer services would be available for the development.

The applicant is currently seeking an agreement with Dade City to provide water and sewer services for the proposed project.

Weightman recommended the requested density of the proposed project be reduced by 50% so only 80 single-family homes could be built there.

Attorney Shelley May Johnson, representing the applicant, said she was confident Dade City would have water and sewer services available when the site plan for the proposed project is approved. That procedure normally takes several months after the approval of the request for a zoning amendment.

“We don’t know when the city’s gonna have sewer available for its customers. They’re all on hold. There’s no timeline for anything coming anytime soon,” Oakley said.

Commissioners also agreed to allow plats to be recorded for three subdivisions that Len-Angeline LLC plans to develop on property in District 4; for two subdivisions that Thornwood Associates LLC, plans to develop in District 1; and for a subdivision that Brookfield Holdings LLC and EPG-Two Rivers LLC plan to develop in District 1.

Commissioners allowed all of the plats to be recorded after the applicants either posted Surety Bonds or Letters of Credit to cover the estimated cost of infrastructure improvements that haven’t yet been installed at the proposed developments.

A comprehensive plan amendment was also approved to allow a maximum of 18 single-family homes to be built on approximately 92.6 acres of real property located at 17001 Bellamy Brothers Boulevard, Dade City. Sandarben LLC / Tarapani Planning Strategies were the applicants for the amendment. The property is located in east Pasco.

Published June 12, 2024

Official: Pasco needs more affordable housing

June 4, 2024 By Joe Potter

Pasco County’s Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) was recently told the county has a very evident need for more affordable housing.

One of the reasons for this is its expectation that approximately 100,000 people will move to Pasco in the next few years so they can work on projects the county has already approved, Pasco County’s Economic Growth Director David Engel said during a May 21 workshop on affordable housing. Engel makes recommendations to the BOCC about projects that should be approved.

One of his recently approved recommendations was for a development agreement to be approved between the county and two companies that are in the process of developing a large employment center on a 785-acre site north of State Road 52 and west of Interstate 75. When it’s completed, the employment center is anticipated to result in the creation of 2,770 new jobs.

However, Pasco County’s population is estimated to increase by 200,000 people between now and 2045, said Elizabeth Strom, who is an associate professor at the University of South Florida. This would require 80,000 more housing units to be constructed to house those people, Strom said.

Most of the new homes being built in Pasco County cost $300,000, $400,000 or $500,000, said Ron Oakley, BOCC chairman who represents District 1 in east Pasco County. A lot of the people who move to Pasco for jobs won’t be able to afford that type of housing, he said.

In order for housing to be considered affordable it shouldn’t cost more than 30% of an individual’s monthly income, Strom said. The Average Median Income (AMI) for Pasco County is $63,187. A person with that AMI would have to pay $1,579 or less in rent a month for their housing to be considered affordable, and people whose income is 80% of Pasco’s AMI would have to pay $1,263 or less a month.

Some of the individuals identified as likely to be earning 80% or less of Pasco’s AMI included starting teachers, medical assistants and bank tellers, Strom said.

Pasco County should try to have housing options for doctors and home health aides, and CEOs and receptionists, Strom said.

It costs approximately $1,337 to rent a one-bedroom apartment in New Port Richey, said Marcy Esbjerg, the county’s director of community development. Approximately 43% of the county’s staff could only afford to rent a one-bedroom apartment there.

Commissioners were presented with several options on how the amount of affordable housing could be increased in Pasco County. They included:

Making it legal for accessory dwelling units to be built on residential lots. These units are generally known as granny flats or backyard homes. The county could consider allowing that to occur on property people already own provided that the accessory unit is smaller than the primary unit, according to Chief Assistant County Attorney David Goldstein. Normally this is only permitted in master-planned unit development districts. It would likely take about six months for commissioners to make changes in how other neighborhoods could be developed, according to Goldstein.
Adding duplexes, triplexes and quadruplexes to increase the density in existing single-family neighborhoods.
Requiring developers to provide or pay for affordable housing as part of the process of applying for the approval of new developments. Pasco County had required this in the past, according to Goldstein, but the plan expired and commissioners hadn’t applied it countywide.
Making some parts of West Pasco targets for development. Some communities in that area were developed 50 years ago for retirees and have since fallen into disrepair, according to Engel.

Commissioners requested additional information to be provided to them on affordable housing in the future.

Published June 05, 2024

Bob Seitz, veteran, innovator and community leader, will be well remembered

May 28, 2024 By Joe Potter

Friends and family members will gather at Harvester Community Church in Land O’ Lakes on June 22 for a memorial service for Walter Robert Seitz.

He was known far and wide simply as “Bob” Seitz.

Seitz was born on Oct. 9, 1930, in Rochester, New York, and passed away on March 20 at 93 years of age.

Bob Seitz was a United States Marine Corps lieutenant when this photograph was taken while he was deployed during the Korean War. (Courtesy of Marine Forever Detachment #1440)

While in the service, Seitz was the recipient of the Navy Presidential Unit Citation and ribbons for National Defense Service, Korean Service and the United Nations Ribbon Duty Stations/Ships, and was a member of Marine Forever Detachment #1440 of the Marine Corps League based in Land O’ Lakes from 2017 to 2024.

But he is well-known for much more besides his military service.

Seitz was an author, artist and actor, and one of the most productive people who lived in the Tampa Bay area.

He began writing a novel in January 1987 called “Nora,” following visits with his wife, Dorothy “Dot” Seitz, to Cedar Key in 1986 and 1988 — the novel takes place in a thinly disguised setting of Cedar Key. It languished on his computer for 15 years before being published in 2012.

Bob Seitz salutes in this photograph taken of him while he was a member of Marine Forever Detachment #1440. (Courtesy of Marine Forever Detachment #1440)

Four more of his novels were published between 2018 and 2020. That was a time when he went on a writing spree, he said in “Bob’s One Man’s Journey,” a film he produced and narrated that provided information about 90 years of his life, that was shared on YouTube.

Those novels were “Return to Morgantown,” a sequel to “Nora;” “Good Company,” which was set in the Great Smokey Mountains, one of his favorite places to visit; “And it Came to This,” an account of the rise of Nazi Germany; and “Lucky,” about someone returning from World War II to find his niche in life.

He did a sketch of a tree while he was in his teens and it remains framed and on display in Villa M. Ray’s home in the community of Weymouth in Pasco County.

Ray, who is a widow, became one of Seitz’s closest friends nearly four years after Dot, his wife of 55 years, passed away on July 31, 2006.

Bob Seitz, left, and Jim Knight, right, are shown with Ryan Gomez of Gordon Chevrolet when the dealership was honored in August 2018 by being presented with an American Patriot Award by Marine Forever Detachment #1440. (Courtesy of Gordon Chevrolet)

The Seitzes had moved from Tampa to Weymouth in 2003.

“He was an amazing man who was a thinker and a creator,” Ray said.

He made his debut as an actor while he attended Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

He portrayed a woman in a skit put on by an all-male cast of university students. Men played the roles of both men and women in the annual play. He received a standing ovation after his performance, which was the only one he ever had he said in “Bob’s One Man’s Journey.”

He also performed in two large productions at the Hollywood Little Theater in Hollywood, Florida. This was while he and Dot lived nearby in Hallandale, now known as Hallandale Beach. He said on YouTube that he decided to not pursue acting any further because of the amount of time and memorization that was required to do so.

Seitz put the Bachelor of Science degree he had earned at Wharton to good use for several years after having been discharged from the Marine Corps.

He worked for Travelers Insurance for seven years, first in Miami, and then in Tampa. He received a significant amount of training through trips to Travelers home office in Hartford, Connecticut, that resulted in him assisting other agents in making sales.

Bob Seitz is shown recently with his longtime dear, close friend, Villa Ray. (Courtesy of Marine Forever Detachment #1440)

“I had to be the expert, so to speak, in all our products,” Seitz said in his film. Neither he nor his wife was especially happy being transferred to Tampa, but it was something that had to be done, Seitz said.

Seitz left Travelers in April 1963 and began working for IBM as a salesman. After a short time, he determined he wasn’t good as a salesman, but he was introduced to computer programming — something he was good at and he enjoyed.

In January 1965, he began working for the First Federal Savings & Loan Association of Tampa as its data processing manager. He helped them incorporate computing into their work and wrote the programs they used. He was promoted twice at First Federal — in March 1967 as vice president and in October 1975 as senior vice president.

In 1969 he was placed in charge of marketing for First Federal, responsible for being the spokesman for advertising and promotions, and personally read the advertisements on both radio and television.

“That went on for about four years. And I became well-known in downtown Tampa. Everyone knew me as ‘Bob the TV guy’ when I walked the streets,’” Seitz said.

One of his biggest accomplishments while at First Federal was to help that financial institution become the first in the state to have an ATM.

“It was a great success,” said Seitz.

Savings and loans large and small were starting to fail in large numbers in the early 1980s when interest rates skyrocketed, so he left First Federal in March 1982.

He became self-employed as a data processing consultant and remained so until his retirement in March 1996. He wrote systems for several small businesses that used IBM personal computers. Seitz said his largest project was to build an entire corporate income tax package that consisted of more than 100 programs all tied together.

In April 2003, he and Dot moved to the community of Weymouth in Pasco County. While living there he served as president of the homeowners association for three different terms.

His was “a life well-lived,” Ray said.

Seitz’s survivors include his son, Gregory Seitz, granddaughter Amethyst Seitz, and great grandchildren Mavrik Coleman and Nora Coleman.

Published May 29, 2024

Lutz Guv’na Race for 2024 is underway

May 21, 2024 By Joe Potter

Three candidates are vying for the coveted title of Lutz Guv’na in the annual fun-filled event that raises funds for community and nonprofit organizations.

The campaign, which kicked off on April 27 and has been held annually since the mid-‘50s, has been sponsored and overseen by the Lutz Civic Association since the early ’90s, according to Stephanie Ensor who was crowned Lutz Guv’na in 2010.

The event usually starts in early May but began sooner this year to accommodate the candidates’ schedules, according to Jennifer Rankin, the 2015 Lutz Guv’na.

Two of the candidates — Linda Mitchell and Joanne LaChance — are retired educators. The third hopeful is Rob Brooklyn, a local business owner.

Each of this year’s three candidates is seeking to raise as much money as possible between April 27 and July 4.
“It’s all for the same goal,” Ensor said regarding the highly competitive event.

During each campaign season, candidates rally to raise funds totaling thousands of dollars for approximately 20 nonprofit beneficiaries in Lutz, which will be collected and disbursed by the civic association. Each candidate gets to direct 10% of the funds they raise to a charitable organization in Lutz of their choosing.

Charities and nonprofit organizations that desire to receive grants can apply by sending a request to ; none of the funds will be disbursed until September, according to Ensor.

MEET THE CANDIDATES

Rob Brooklyn (Courtesy of Lutz Guv’na Chronicles/Facebook)

Rob Brooklyn
“The Guv’na We Love” is Rob Brooklyn’s slogan as he campaigns for the title of Lutz Guv’na 2024.

Brooklyn is the owner of Hardrock Landscape Services in Lutz. The business was founded in 1998 and has received many favorable reviews over the past 26 years.

Learning Gate Community School, 16215 Hanna Road in Lutz, is Brooklyn’s charity of choice.

He’s been married for 13 years and he and his wife have four children.

Although he was nervous during the candidates’ debate, Brooklyn said the event was still “a lot of fun.”

Online contributions to Brooklyn’s campaign may be made on PayPal: @ROBBROOKLYN.

Joanne LaChance (Courtesy of Lutz Guv’na Chronicles/Facebook

Joanne LaChance
“Everything is better with friends and family! And lots of $$$,” is Joanne LaChance’s slogan during her Lutz Guv’na crusade.

LaChance, who is a retired schoolteacher, has chosen the Lutz PK-8 School, at 202 Fifth Ave., S.E.,, as her charity of choice to receive 10% of the funds she raises.

She now owns and operates Lutz Pinch A Penny Pool Store at the intersection of Sunset Lane and U.S. 41.

“I am running for the Guv’na of Lutz to help raise lots of money for our awesome community,” LaChance said in a post on the Lutz Guv’na Chronicles page on Facebook.

“Owning the local pool store has given me the opportunity to meet so many Lutz families! Seeing everyone and their children on a weekly basis has really made me fall in love with our wonderful little town!

“I am excited to run for Guv’na of Lutz to give back to my community and to show my support to the great people of Lutz. So please come stop by the store to donate and take part in all the exciting events we will be having to support our local Lutz charities,” LaChance said.

She and her husband Eric, who is a retired chief financial officer, are the parents of three children — Zachary, Erica and Emily. All of their children worked at the store at one time or another.

“They are all now making their own way through life and visit us often,” LaChance said.

Online contributions to her campaign may be made through Venmo: @Joanne-Lachance.

Linda Mitchell (Courtesy of Lutz Guv’na Chronicles/Facebook)

Linda Mitchell
“In It To Win It” is Linda Mitchell’s slogan for this year’s Lutz Guv’na race.

The 1st vice president of the GFWC Lutz-Land O’ Lakes Woman’s Club is a former educator who retired after working as an eighth grade Language Arts teacher at Adams Middle School for 25 years.

The club “is all behind its gal and will support her to the hilt,” said a post on the club’s web page.

The Woman’s Club is the nonprofit organization of Mitchell’s choice to receive 10% of the money she raises.

She’s a native of the Lutz area who moved to the community after she and her husband of 49 years, John, got married. They have two children — Billy (wife Tracy) and Kelly (husband Cameron) — and four grandchildren, Alexis, Alyssa, Ava and Jack.

In addition to coaching Lutz Chiefs cheerleading and the Lutz Leagurettes, she was also a member of the Ladies Auxiliary for Lutz Little League and a den leader and committee chairman for Cub Scout Pack 12. Also, she is an advisor for the Little Women of Lutz Juniorettes program and recently was honored as the GFWC Florida State Juniorette Advisor of the Year.

She received $100 to kick-off her campaign by having the most attendees in her favor during the annual “debate” held on April 27 at the Old Lutz School.

The Lutz Civic Association will announce the total amount of money raised in the race at the annual July 4th parade, as well as the amount raised by the winning Lutz Guv’na candidate. The winner will receive a colorful sash, a “key to the town” and will be “inaugurated” at the Old Train Depot on Lutz Lake Fern Road during the parade, Ensor said.

All of this year’s candidates are running for the first time for the one-year term as Lutz Guv’na. Only one person — Suzin Carr — has become Guv’na on two different occasions (2009, 2013).

Previous winners of the Lutz Guv’na Race are:
2023 – Jerome Smalls
2022 – Atlas Cortecero
2019 – Amy Lancaster
2018 – Domenic Difante
2017 – Kori Rankin
2016 – Greg Gilbert
2015 – Jennifer Rankin
2014 – Dr. Cindy Perkins
2013 – Suzin Carr
2012 – Karen D’Amico
2011 – Kevin White
2010 – Stephanie Ensor
2009 – Suzin Carr
2008 – Teri Burgess
2007 – Michele Northrup
2006 – Edwina Kraemer
2005 – Liz Iaconetti
2004 – Dean Rivett
2003 – Joni Cagle
2002 – Brett Montegny
2001 – Helen Kinyon
2000 – Vince Arcuri
1999 – Danny Neeley
1998 – Sandy Ruberg
1997 – Earl Smith
1996 – Ben Nevel
1995 – Kay Dahman
1994 – Lorraine Dabney
1993 – Leslie Dennison
1992 – Betty Neeley
1991 – Jo Van Bebber

Published May 22, 2024

Orlando Health expands in Pasco County

May 14, 2024 By Joe Potter

Orlando Health, which acquired Florida Medical Clinic (FMC) last August, continues to expand its presence in Pasco County.

Construction began earlier this year on a 300-bed hospital at 3000 Wiregrass Ranch Blvd., in Wesley Chapel, according to Orlando Health’s Media Relations Manager Sandra Bentil.

The facility, which is known as Orlando Health Wiregrass Ranch Hospital, is reportedly anticipated to be completed and ready to serve patients in early 2025.

The multistory hospital is going to be one of the anchors of the Wiregrass community that is being developed by J.D. Porter. It reportedly will be the largest hospital in Wesley Chapel when it is completed.

A wide range of health care services, including emergency and inpatient care, are going to be offered at the hospital.

Physicians from FMC, which was rebranded as Florida Medical Clinic Orlando Health on May 1, will be among the professionals providing health care services at the new hospital.

Orlando Health also will build a freestanding emergency room at the intersection of State Road 54 and Henley Road in Lutz.

The plan to construct the 10,865-square-foot facility was announced last December by Matt Taylor, senior vice president of Asset Strategy for Orlando Health.

A groundbreaking hasn’t occurred yet at that site, Bentil said.

The ER will have 10 exam rooms, an imaging suite, lab and ambulance bay, according to Taylor.

The property for the Lutz ER was purchased from LIV Development.

That company is currently involved with the construction of Livano Sunlake, a 234-unit luxury multifamily and mixed-use development also located in Lutz, Taylor said.

The decision to build the ER in Lutz was driven by the tremendous population growth that Pasco County has experienced in the last decade, and also by the desire to provide a convenient location to meet patients’ needs for emergency care, Taylor said.

Pasco County’s population in 2022 was 608,794, a nearly 31% increase from the 465,516 who lived there in 2010 according to USAFacts.org. For comparison, the population of the United States grew 7.7% and Florida’s population grew 18% during that period.

“The demand for convenient access to a wider range of choices in health care services has been increasing and continues to grow in this area. Orlando Health is pleased to expand its presence to serve this community and address their health care needs,” Taylor said.

A freestanding ER is simply an emergency facility that’s not physically attached to a hospital, according to Orlando Health’s Media Relations Department. The purpose of a freestanding ER is to provide the same level of care and services as are available at traditional hospital-based emergency rooms, to be staffed by board-certified emergency medicine doctors and nurses who are certified in advanced cardiac life support and pediatric advanced life support.

The Lutz ER will be the seventh one operated by Orlando Health. The other six are located in Leesburg, Clermont, Kissimmee, Lake Mary, Orlando and Davenport.

At last report, the not-for-profit health care organization has $9.6 billion of assets under management that serves the southeastern United States and Puerto Rico.

More information about Orlando Health can be found at OrlandoHealth.com.

Published May 15, 2024

Baldomero Lopez Nursing Home’s 25th anniversary celebrated

May 7, 2024 By Joe Potter

Some of the younger residents of the Baldomero Lopez State Veterans’ Nursing Home were only teenagers when the place they now call home opened in 1999.

The 25th anniversary of the nursing home was marked by a special event on April 27 in Land O’ Lakes.

Residents of Baldomero Lopez State Veterans’ Nursing Home watch the Crossroads Band. (Joe Potter)

About 120 veterans, whose ages range from 40 to 101, now reside there.

Being at the ceremony was a “great opportunity” said James S. Hartsell, retired Maj. Gen., U.S. Marine Corps, and Florida Department of Veterans Affairs’ (FDVA) executive director.

“This is what makes Florida great and I’m glad to be here,” Hartsell said. “This is a ‘home,’ not a ‘facility,’ and they aren’t ‘patients.’ The ones who live here are ‘residents.’”

Bob Hatfield, left, reads what was put into the Congressional Record regarding the nursing home’s 25th anniversary as its administrator, Marlies Sarrett, looks on.

As part of the ceremony, Bob Hatfield, a member of Congressman Gus M. Bilirakis’ staff, read what had been entered into the Congressional Record in Washington D.C. regarding the nursing home’s 25th anniversary.

“Florida is home to more than 1.5 million veterans, many of whom reside in the Tampa Bay and Nature Coast areas. Through a partnership with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and the Florida Department of Veterans Affairs, the state of Florida operates eight skilled nursing facilities and one assisted living facility, including Baldomero Lopez State Veterans’ Nursing Home. These critical long-term care resources are available to Florida veterans with an honorable discharge who are in need of assistance,” read Hatfield, repeating Bilirakis’ remarks.

Baldomero Lopez offers its residents safe shelter and skilled services 24/7 to help them live out the remainder of their lives in a good, healthy environment.

Attendees visit with a mini horse from Mary Rose Mini Pet Therapy Horses.

Meals are prepared daily to help meet the individual dietary needs of residents. There is a 58-bed Alzheimer’s/dementia unit. Other offerings include 24-hour skilled nursing service, help with pain management, and a variety of social and recreational activities.

The nursing home is named after First Lt. Baldomero Lopez, a member of the U.S. Marine Corps, who died on Sept. 15, 1950, while serving during the Korean War. He was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor, our nation’s highest military decoration.

Lopez was a rifle platoon commander of Company A, 1st Battalion, 5th Marines, 1st Marine Division (REIN).

He was only 25 years old when he was killed while serving in Inchon, Korea.

Officials attending the event included, from left: Robert ‘Bob’ Asztalos, deputy executive director of the Florida Department of Veterans Affairs; James S. Hartsell, FDVA executive director; and Marlies Sarrett, nursing home administrator.

This is the same age at which the nursing home named after him is now.

Lopez’s Medal of Honor (MOH) citation says, in part, that he was attempting to throw a grenade into a bunker from which enemy fire was pinning down the area where his platoon had just landed on a beach. He was wounded in his right shoulder and chest as he lifted his arm to throw the grenade.

He dropped the grenade while falling backward and turned and dragged his body forward in an effort to retrieve the grenade and throw it.

“In critical condition from pain and loss of blood, and unable to grasp the hand grenade firmly enough to hurl it, he chose to sacrifice himself rather than endanger the lives of his men and, with a sweeping motion of his wounded right arm, cradled the grenade under him and absorbed the full impact of the explosion.

“His exceptional courage, fortitude, and devotion to duty reflect the highest credit upon 1st Lt. Lopez and the U.S. Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life for his country,” the MOH citation said.

Pasco County Tax Collector Mike Fasano also attended the event.

Marlies Sarrett, who has been the nursing home’s administrator for 13 years, said she was very pleased with how many people turned out for the celebration, which also included entertainment by the Crossroads Band that performs at Baldomero Lopez monthly.

She also noted that she was happy with the number of volunteers who had helped organize and run the event.

A large number of organizations and vendors were in attendance, including the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office’s K-9 unit, Pasco County Votes, Land O’ Lakes Library, Mary Rose Mini Pet Therapy Horses, Rosebud Continuum, Coastal Cremations and the Sertoma Club, according to Johanna Snee, Baldomero Lopez activity director.

Also attending and participating were representatives of various veterans’ organizations, including the FDVA, American Legion, Marines Forever, Operation Patriot, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Daughters of the American Revolution and Sons of the American Revolution.

In addition, representatives of Kathryn Hintz Piano Studios, the New Port Richey Elks Club, JDog Junk Removal & Hauling, Grunt Style, Palm City Church, Pasco-Hernando State College, Tampa History Museum and Zonta participated in the event, according to Snee.

For more information about the Baldomero Lopez State Veterans’ Nursing Home, call 813-558-5000.

Published May 08, 2024