The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

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Local woman revels in Boston Marathon run

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Trish Trout can scratch an item off her bucket list.

The Wesley Chapel woman completed the 118th Boston Marathon on April 21, finishing the 26.2-mile course in 6 hours and 14 minutes.

It was a day that she’ll never forget.

Trish Trout is taking it all in as she runs in the 118th Boston Marathon. (Courtesy of Trish Trout)
Trish Trout is taking it all in as she runs in the 118th Boston Marathon.
(Courtesy of Trish Trout)

“I was in the center of the Boston Marathon,” Trout said. “You’re a rock star for a day. It’s like everybody’s your best friend.”

It came a year after bombings rocked the event, and security was tight, Trout said. Military police, Boston police and other law enforcement officers were stationed about every 150 yards along the route.

Helicopters hovered over the crowds. Armored trucks blocked roads. Bomb-sniffing dogs walked through the crowds, Trout added.

“My cheering section could not get to the finish line because it was lockdown. Even VIP ticket holders were kept out,” she said.

Despite the heavy security, the atmosphere was festive.

“It was a beautiful day. The energy was unreal,” Trout said. “At times, it was breathtaking, just seeing all of those people in support, and all of the runners. All ages, all shapes and sizes. It was awesome.”

Spectators lined the course, cheering on runners. People grilled on barbecues at nearby marathon parties.

Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline” blasted, as Trout made her way through Natick, a town on the route. Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believing” filled the air as she ran through the suburb of Newton. All along the way, Trout high-fived little kids.

Her name was printed on the front of her shirt, and as she ran past, spectators offered encouragement.

“When I would hear my name — and I heard it a lot — I would give a thumbs up,” Trout said.

She was delighted to see her former colleague Steve Twitty, who came with his wife, to watch her run. They made a sign to cheer her on.

Her running partner, Jacqueline Pastika of Land O’ Lakes, was not able to come, so she sent a life-size cardboard cutout that Trout’s kids, Alexa and Adam, lugged around from place to place to offer Trout moral support.

“Runners along the course also encouraged each other. Literally everyone was there to finish, and we all helped each other cross the finish line,” she said.

The crowds, the signs and the flags people waved along the course inspired Trout.

“There were only a few quiet areas along the course, and that’s when I tried to regroup and clear my mind,” Trout said.

Trout had a hip injury shortly before the marathon. While her hip didn’t bother her, she had some foot problems. So, she ran when she could, but also walked for three miles.

“I wanted to run smart. Also, I wanted to take everything in,” Trout said. “I wanted to be able to remember it. It was a huge deal.”

As she made her way through the course, she drank water and Gatorade at stations along the way.

“And, probably from Mile 15 to 21, people along the route would have orange wedges, pretzels, Twizzlers, Gummy Bears, anything to keep you going. I took it all in,” Trout said. “Right before I made the final turn onto Boylston Street, I heard someone in the crowd yell to me ‘Trish, you’re going to be a Boston Marathon finisher.’”

That was nearly the same thing Trout’s daughter told her before she went to the hotel.

“She told me, ‘The next time I hug you, you will be a Boston Marathon finisher.’ Each time I heard it, I cried,” Trout said. “I knew going into it that I was going to start and I was going to finish. Nothing was going to stop me. I didn’t have to roll. I didn’t have to crawl.”

Instead, she was running at a slow jog when she hit the finish line.

Before she injured herself, Trout had hoped to complete the race in five-and-a-half hours. She gave herself another hour after her injury.

She beat that goal by16 minutes, and she made memories for a lifetime.

Still raising funds
Trish Trout took part in the 118th Boston Marathon on April 21 as a member of the Dana-Farber Marathon Challenge. The Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston provides cancer treatment for adults and children.

Trout pledged to raise at least $9,650 for Dana-Farber.

The race is over, but she’s still collecting funds for the cause. So far, she has raised $11,600. If she hits her goal of $13,100, she will shave her head as a sign of solidarity for people suffering from cancer, who don’t think they have anyone who cares.

Fundraising closes on May 21.

Those wishing to make a donation can visit RunDFMC.org/2014/trish.

Published April 30, 2014

Lake Jovita de-annexation passes House, Senate

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The fate of Lake Jovita and St. Leo is now on its way to Gov. Rick Scott’s desk.

The Florida Senate today passed H.B. 1401 by a 40-0 vote, after it was withdrawn from the Rules Committee there. That votes comes just days after the Florida House approved it 118-1, with only state Rep. Daphne Campbell, D-Miami, voting against it.

H.B. 1401 was filed by state Rep. Amanda Murphy, D-New Port Richey, on March 1, which would separate a portion of the Lake Jovita subdivision from the Town of St. Leo. The community and the town have been at odds for years, with Lake Jovita homeowners affected by the town complaining about high taxes and low level of services.

Those homeowners have worked to get their way onto the town board, the latest being Ray Davis who beat longtime commissioner Donna DeWitt in April to help maintain the Lake Jovita majority. Davis is expected to take his seat in May, unless Gov. Scott signs H.B. 1401, which would move the affected part of Lake Jovita into unincorporated Pasco County like the rest of the subdivision.

The St. Leo commission is set to meet May 5, according to town attorney Patricia Petruff, to discuss what happens next based on how H.B. 1401 moves forward. It’s not clear when Scott will sign the bill, but it would take immediate effect upon his signature, or within 15 days of his receiving the bill if he chooses not to sign or veto.

H.B. 1401 becoming law would create three immediate openings on the St. Leo commission, and new members of the commission would have to be appointed. That could mean DeWitt could remain on the commission, despite losing her election, if she is appointed to return.

The new St. Leo without Lake Jovita will see its population drop from 1,369 to 1,173, according to a House committee report. The town itself would lose $50,000 each year, or 15 percent of its total revenue, and would reduce the number of rooftops by 85.

Lake Jovita is a planned 871-home development that broke ground in the late 1990s. By chance, a small portion of the subdivision landed inside St. Leo. The town itself could not de-annex the Lake Jovita homes, because state law prohibits a municipality from de-annexing areas that, if it wasn’t part of the town already, it could have legally annexed. That meant only state lawmakers could allow the divorce.

Lowe’s, Marshalls bring new jobs in heart of Central Pasco

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Plans for a home improvement store left for dead three years ago is now being resurrected as Lowe’s gets ready to finally come to Land O’ Lakes.

Marshalls will open this summer with space at Village Lakes Shopping Center that used to be home for Walmart. It’s strategically located in the same plaza as its primary competitor, Ross Dress for Less. (Michael Hinman/Staff Photo)
Marshalls will open this summer with space at Village Lakes Shopping Center that used to be home for Walmart. It’s strategically located in the same plaza as its primary competitor, Ross Dress for Less.
(Michael Hinman/Staff Photo)

Crews are now clearing trees and other foliage from a 42-acre tract of land on State Road 54 just east of Land O’ Lakes Boulevard where they expect to have a 152,000-square-foot Lowe’s by winter, according to company spokeswoman Natalie Turner.

The store will bring 125 jobs, and the hiring process could begin later in the year.

“We’re excited as all get-up,” said Dennis Esber, president of the Central Pasco Chamber of Commerce, and owner of Point to Point Printing. “What’s happening is that people are starting to recognize that the Lutz and Land O’ Lakes area is a great area to be in.”

The North Carolina company purchased the land between Winter Quarters Pasco RV Park and the Pasco County fire station there in 2005 for $2.7 million, and had hoped to open the store by 2009. However, Lowe’s abandoned those plans in 2011, with reports the company would try to sell the land.

The new Lowe’s will have a 103,000-square-foot sales floor and a 31,300-square-foot garden center, according to the site plan submitted to Pasco County officials. It also would have enough parking for nearly 525 cars.

Its primary entrance would be on the east side of the property, creating an intersection with the Village Lakes Shopping Center across the street, where a new Marshalls location is just weeks away from opening.

Officials with the Framingham, Mass.-based discount clothing department store chain said they’re not ready to release any details, but Marshalls stores are typically 31,000 square feet, and the newest location hosted a job fair for prospective employees last week in Port Richey.

Marshalls will now be in the same plaza as one of its primary competitors, Ross Stores Inc., which operates a Ross Dress for Less there. The draw of all three stores, along with several others in Village Lakes and surrounding shopping centers, should continue to help draw more and more people to Central Pasco County. It’s also a boon for Village Lakes, which suffered tremendously in the years after losing its Walmart anchor, only to bounce back and be a major player in the area’s growth.

“The county had finally got involved to get things corrected in that little shopping center, and turned it into something real good,” Esber said. “If you have an eyesore, people start grumbling and then start thinking the worst about the area. But now you see a nice change in people’s mentality, and I like to see the positive atmosphere.”

And that includes how people outside of Central Pasco think of the area.

“People have been negating this area for quite a long time, but that’s really starting to change,” Esber said. “They’re finding out there is a lot more here, and a lot of history. And we’re ready to keep growing.”

Published April 23, 2014

In Print: It took long enough, but Lowe’s is coming

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The intersection of State Road 54 and Land O’ Lakes Boulevard already is a busy one. But it’s going to get even more crowded.

Work started last week on the new Lowe’s home improvement store between Winter Quarters RV Park and the Pasco County fire station, bringing more than 100,000 square feet of shopping space and some 125 jobs. And just across the street, Marshalls is getting set to open its doors at Village Lakes Shopping Center, helping a strip mall thrive just a few years after losing Walmart as an anchor.

Having Lowe’s finally start work is going to be a boon to the local economy, said Dennis Esber, president of the Central Pasco Chamber of Commerce, and owner of Point to Point Printing.

“We’re excited as all get-up,” Esber told reporter Michael Hinman. “What’s happening is that people are starting to recognize that the Lutz and Land O’ Lakes area is a great area to be in.”

Getting Lowe’s to Land O’ Lakes was not an easy process. Find out why in this week’s print edition of The Laker/Lutz News.

Bringing people and businesses to the area requires a lot of hard work from people who care about the community. And that includes Phyllis Hoedt.

Phyllis Hoedt uses her time and energy to help keep traditions alive in Lutz that cherishes its small-town feel. (Photo by B.C. Manion)
Phyllis Hoedt uses her time and energy to help keep traditions alive in Lutz that cherishes its small-town feel. (Photo by B.C. Manion)

It’s amazing how much time Hoedt spends with various projects in Lutz, helping with everything from the annual Christmas House to the annual Lutz Arts & Crafts Festival. But if you didn’t know Hoedt was so involved, then it’s probably exactly the way she wanted it.

“She has no expectation other than hoping that the people who come out enjoy themselves,” Lutz Guv’na Suzin Carr told reporter B.C. Manion.

“She doesn’t want any recognitions,” added longtime friend Shirley Simmons. “She doesn’t want any buttons.”

Despite those protestations, she is featured in this week’s Lutz News, so check it out.

And finally, speaking of Lutz, you’ve driven by it hundreds of times, and you may even know a lot about the Old Lutz School. But did you know that it almost became history in the 1970s after a new school was built right behind it?

Reporter Michael Murillo explores the history of the Old Lutz School in his latest installment of “Presenting the Past.”

“So why go to the trouble of saving an old school, anyway?” Murillo asks. “Schools pop up all the time. What’s one more or less?

“Well, it has to do with the school, but also the people who live here. Lutz is proud of its heritage. Its history means something, and it’s important to protect it. So with some effort and community support, that’s what they did.”

All of these complete stories and more can be found in this week’s The Laker/Lutz News, available in newsstands throughout east and central Pasco County as well as northern Hillsborough County. Find out what has your community talking this week by getting your local news straight from the only source you need.

If The Laker/Lutz News is not coming to your door, call us to see where you can get your copy at (813) 909-2800, or read our free e-edition by clicking here.

Pets give patients a paw-inspiring boost at St. Joseph’s

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Hospital patients enjoy getting visitors, whether they’re friends, family, neighbors or church members.

Jason, left, and Journey are two of the volunteer therapy dogs at St. Joseph’s Hospital-North. The program, which began last July, now has six dogs visiting patients during the week. (Courtesy of St. Joseph's Hospital-North)
Jason, left, and Journey are two of the volunteer therapy dogs at St. Joseph’s Hospital-North. The program, which began last July, now has six dogs visiting patients during the week.
(Courtesy of St. Joseph’s Hospital-North)

But sometimes it’s the visitors on four legs that bring out the biggest smiles.

“Everybody enjoys a visit from a therapy dog,” said Ron Graff, whose Golden Retrievers, Journey and Jason, make weekly visits to St. Joseph’s Hospital-North on Van Dyke Road in Lutz. “I get comments from patients all the time that many of them are missing the pets that they have at home, and it was just great to be able to spend a little bit of time talking to the dog or petting the dog.”

Graff brings one of his dogs to either the St. Joseph’s location in Lutz or Tampa a couple of times a week, and spends about 90 minutes walking the halls and seeing if patients would like a visit from a therapy dog. Many say yes, and each session lasts up to 15 minutes as patients interact with them and enjoy a break from the routine life of a hospital stay.

Patients also like to hear information and stories about the dogs, especially Journey. Born without a front left paw, the 5-year-old gets around just fine with the help of prosthetics.

So when Journey at 75 pounds and Jason at 90 pounds make their way down the hallway, they attract attention for several reasons, and find themselves welcome in many rooms.

Graff pointed to studies showing health benefits of human interaction with pets, but said the response from seeing one of his dogs on visiting day is immediate and easy to see.

“There are certainly situations where patients are very quiet and somewhat withdrawn,” he said. “They just brighten up when the dogs come in, and as we leave, they’re clearly feeling much better about it.”

Nurses also will direct him toward patients who might be having a tough day, received difficult news, are struggling with treatment, or simply could use a visitor.

It’s not just the patients who look forward to their visits, volunteer resources auxiliary coordinator Karen Telfer said.

“At the nurse station, as soon as they see them approaching you can tell that they can’t wait to come and say hello,” she said. “They know all the dogs by name. It just seems like a real morale booster for the staff.”

There are currently six dogs in the rotation at St. Joseph’s-North — Graff’s dogs are two of them, Telfer said. Each one is trained, evaluated and certified by a nationally recognized dog therapy organization.

All of the dogs must be up-to-date on vaccinations and shots and undergo health screenings. The owners also go through normal hospital volunteer protocol.

While the pet therapy has been around for a while at the Tampa location, it’s relatively new in Lutz: St. Joseph’s-North began its program just last July. In that time, Telfer believes the program has already reaped dividends in the form of happier patients and genuine anticipation of their visits.

“It cheers them up and boosts their morale,” she said. “We’ve actually had one patient say they hoped they were still there the next week to see that dog again.”

In fact, the feedback has been so positive and implementation so easy, Telfer would like to see it expanded at some point in the future. Right now they have one service dog coming each weekday between the hours of 1 p.m. and 8 p.m.

Her goals for the program include expanding so two or three service dogs could be scheduled on those days, as well as finding possible weekend options.

Graff enjoys giving back to the community and volunteering his time, along with Journey and Jason, to benefit others. But he said the best part of the experience is being able to reflect on what they accomplish after each visit.

“My favorite part is really just seeing the reaction from patients, and after about an hour or an hour-and-a-half, heading home and knowing that we’ve been able to make at least one person feel better even though they’re in the hospital,” Graff said.

Published April 16, 2014

This exhibit will thrill train lovers, model makers of all ages

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From the outside, the squat warehouse building housing the Suncoast Center for Fine Scale Modeling is no showstopper.

Step inside, though, and it’s an entirely different story.

The trees, the tracks and the waterfall give this model train railroad layout a feeling of authenticity. (Photo courtesy of Suncoast Center for Fine Scale Modeling)
The trees, the tracks and the waterfall give this model train railroad layout a feeling of authenticity.
(Photo courtesy of Suncoast Center for Fine Scale Modeling)

The center is a showcase of the kind of artistry that can be achieved in the world of model making. It has several exhibits, but the centerpiece of the collection is called the Sundance Central, a fine scale modular railroad.

The display was created by a group of model-makers who are obsessive in their attention to detail. They’ve spent thousands of hours over several years working to create a railroad environment that looks and sounds like it’s from a period between the 1890s and 1920s.

Smoke billows from a locomotive as it chugs along a hand-laid track. The sounds of trains, speeding up and slowing down with the calls of birds in the background, provide an added air of authenticity.

Tiny people populate the display. Some wait at a train station. Others work at a gas station. Some labor in the rail yards. There’s a multitude of scenes along the route, including a lumberyard, a salvage shop and a train maintenance facility.

Trains make their way through a terrain that’s been painstakingly landscaped with handmade grass and trees. The locomotives run across elevated tracks, with a sculpted waterfall and images of majestic mountains arranged to serve as a backdrop.

Besides the Sundance Central, the center has Civil War military models, a tribute to the Band of Brothers, a fighter pilot in a F-15 Eagle cockpit and other displays. For train lovers, there are two other model railroad displays that were created and donated by groups from Australia. And, there’s the Silverton Central, a layout created by Jon Addison, a modeler in the center’s group.

“There’s so many things in here for you to see,” said Dale MacKeown, another member on the Sundance team. “People who come in here typically spend two, two-and-a-half hours. We have people who come in here every time.”

One guy, around 95, came with six members of his family, and they spent the whole day there, MacKeown said.

Because of its modular nature, the Sundance Central can be taken apart and transported to train shows and conferences elsewhere. It is so large, disassembling it is a gargantuan task, and it requires a semitrailer to move it.

The display is not widely known to the general public, but is popular among train enthusiasts and modelers, MacKeown said.

“It’s been to all four corners of the United States in the last 10 years,” he said. “People from all over the world hear about us.”

In September, it will be the centerpiece of the National Narrow Gauge Convention in Kansas City, Mo.

The Sundance Central got its start about 15 years ago when some group members became acquainted with each other through the Florida Garden Railway Society, MacKeown said. They decided it would be neat to build a modular train layout they could carry in the trunks of their cars to train shows.

They moved into the center’s current home, at 2645 Success Drive in Odessa, three years ago.

The modelers are sticklers for detail. They use foam rubber to create fake rock face. They use rope fiber to make artificial grass. They use wax to make imitation cow pies.

Some people wonder why the men are so involved in creating the models, said Jim Hopes, another member of the Sundance team.

“It’s because we love doing it. Once you start to create something that looks pretty good, you can’t stop,” he said.

“Everybody loves trains at some point in their life. Some people, like us, never get over it,” said Hopes, who built his first model train when he was 10 or 11.

“My father got me my first Lionel (train) when I was 5,” MacKeown said.

That was nearly 70 years ago.

In his Silverton Central railroad layout, Addison has created a setting that includes a harbor, a produce market, a village and other features.

Some train enthusiasts simply want to operate them and are not too particular about the setting behind them, Addison said.

“We care about making things look real. We kind of look at it as an art,” Addison said.

WHAT: The Suncoast Center for Fine Scale Modeling
WHY: An impressive collection of artistically crafted models, which recreate the feel for an authentic railroad, along with other models depicting Civil War scenes, fighter pilots, and the Band of Brothers.
WHERE: 2645 Success Drive, Odessa
WHEN: The third Saturday of the month, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., from October to June
COST: Admission is $7 for adults, and free for children 12 and younger
INFO: Visit: www.finescalemodeling.org

Published April 9, 2014

Search for missing pilot turns to Citrus County

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Aerial searches continue Wednesday by Civil Air Patrol’s Florida Wing for a Zephyrhills pilot and his single-engine plane that has been missing since Saturday.

Those efforts are now focused on the Withlacoochee State Forest for Theodore Weiss and his Sonex homebuilt airplane. It was last seen Saturday at a Sonex event in Dunellon, when Weiss took off to head back to Zephyrhills Municipal Airport. However, family members declared him missing on Monday when his car was found at the airport and no sign of him or his plane.

Florida Wing aircraft are flying different routes to try and search the dense forest. Radar, according to officials, last detected Weiss’ plane in the area.

The forest is one of the largest state forests in Florida, covering more than 157,000 acres in Pasco, Hernando, Citrus and Sumter counties.

Searches also will be conducted along the route Weiss would have flown toward Zephyrhills had he turned in that direction from his last known location, Civil Air Patrol spokesman Maj. Joseph Tomasone said in a release.

The plane is white with green and black stripes.

Anyone with information is asked to contact their local sheriff’s office. The non-emergency number for the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office is (727) 844-7711.

Black wins in landslide while DeWitt, Wilkeson ousted

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Being a woman in politics was not easy in East Pasco County Tuesday night.

It was man against woman in races in Dade City, St. Leo and Zephyrhills, and in each case, every woman — including two incumbents — lost.

Scott Black easily retained his city commission seat against challenger Angelica Herrera in Dade City, according to unofficial results from the Pasco County elections office. He won 570 votes — a little more than 80 percent — to make easy work of Herrera.

Black out-raised Herrera more than 3-to-1 leading up to Tuesday’s election, and was forced to defend his record on a variety of issues, including the expansion of a sewage treatment plant into a residential neighborhood.

The vote was much, much closer in St. Leo, where longtime commissioner Donna DeWitt lost her seat to Lake Jovita resident Raphael “Ray” Davis by just four votes — 59-55. However, Davis’ overall win was by 3.5 percent, as residents in part of Lake Jovita inside the town’s limits create more assurances they can separate from St. Leo if a bill in Tallahassee doesn’t go through.

DeWitt, who has served on the town commission since 1997, chose not to do any fundraising in her re-election bid.

In Zephyrhills, Councilwoman Jodi Wilkeson lost her seat to former Zephyrhills High School principal Alan Knight. Although the fundraising between the two was neck-and-neck throughout the short race, Knight’s victory was not as close, winning 57 percent of the vote, or 481 ballots cast in his favor.

Election results won’t be finalized until Thursday, according to a spokeswoman with elections supervisor Brian Corley’s office.

Pilot, plane heading to Zephyrhills missing

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The Florida Wing of the Civil Air Patrol is searching for a pilot and his plane who left for the Zephyrhills Municipal Airport Saturday, but never made it there.

Fellow flyers are looking for Ted Weiss, who took off in this Sonex plane from Marion County on Saturday, but never made it to the Zephyrhills Municipal Airport. (Photo courtesy of Civil Air Patrol)
Fellow flyers are looking for Ted Weiss, who took off in this Sonex plane from Marion County on Saturday, but never made it to the Zephyrhills Municipal Airport. (Photo courtesy of Civil Air Patrol)

Theodore Weiss took off in his Sonex homebuilt airplane Saturday morning from the Marion County Airport in Dunellon, and was supposed to arrive in Zephyrhills that afternoon. However, he never arrived, according to Maj. Joseph Tomasone with the Civil Air Patrol.

The organization, a civilian auxiliary to the U.S. Air Force based in Lakeland, conducted air searches on Monday, and are continuing with both air and ground searches today. It is unclear if anyone else was on board with Weiss when he took off over the weekend.

The plane is described as white with green and black stripes. It’s a fixed-wing, single-engine plane with two seats, according to aviation tracking site FlightAware, and was purchased by Weiss in February 2012. It was originally owned by a Georgia man in 2006, and changed hands a couple times before ending up with Weiss.

Sonex planes are self-build kit planes manufactured out of Oshkosh, Wis. The planes themselves have a range of between 400 and 550 miles depending on the engine used, according to the Sonex Aircraft website. They can fly between 16,000 and 23,000 feet.

Weiss was based out of the Zephyrhills airport, according to a news posting last year from the Florida Sonex Association. Club founder Mike January said in the early 2013 story that Weiss was working on some “tweaks” to his plane, and that it was “obvious that Ted Weiss has the knowledge and means to do it right when it comes to aircraft as he has completed many projects in the past.”

Weiss was reportedly in Dunnellon for the association’s Spring Sonex Fest, an informal gathering of area Sonex pilots.

Anyone with information is asked to contact their local sheriff’s office. The non-emergency number for the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office is (727) 844-7711.

Pasco considering ban on hiring smokers for county jobs

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It’s hard to argue the numbers against smoking: It’s caused 20.8 million deaths since 1965, it’s been linked to 12 kinds of cancer and 17 chronic diseases, and can create similar problems to anyone else exposed to the smoke, according to the U.S. Surgeon General.

Life is becoming more and more difficult for tobacco users. Not only is space to light up becoming scarce, but jobs might be more difficult to find as well. (Michael Hinman/Staff Photo)
Life is becoming more and more difficult for tobacco users. Not only is space to light up becoming scarce, but jobs might be more difficult to find as well.
(Michael Hinman/Staff Photo)

So for Pasco County, banning cigarette smoking is a no-brainer. However, preventing smokers from being hired by the county? That might be a little more problematic.

Yet Pasco is starting that push, although county performance development director Marc Bellas admits that he’s still not sure exactly how the new program will shake out.

“Everyone in this organization knows this is coming, but what we don’t know is what it will look like, when will it happen, and how it will impact each one of them,” Bellas said.

Governments have found some success — and failures — when it comes to implementing policies that would ban hiring smokers. Temple Terrace made national news more than a decade ago when it tried to control smoking in its workforce, and the negative backlash caused them to change gears.

But that was a different time, when Florida’s ban on indoor smoking in most public places was still in its infancy. In 2003, the argument was to help lower health insurance costs. Today, however, the carrot being dangled is healthier living.

“What they’re looking for is kind of a more environmentally friendly and positive work place,” said county public information officer Doug Tobin. “That includes a smoke-free campus, as well as a policy where new employees would be prohibited from smoking.”

And the idea is not new in Pasco County. Both the fire department and sheriff’s office already restrict smoking among employees, Tobin said, and the county itself has flirted with the idea for several years now.

A smoking policy for the county government is far from complete, Bellas said. However, he brought up some initial ideas to the Pasco County Commission last week to get some of their feedback.

In its current form, employees hired after Oct. 1 would be required to sign an affidavit affirming they have not used tobacco products for one year, and agree to submit to a nicotine test if they’re every suspected of smoking. Those who were hired before Oct. 1 would no longer be allowed to use tobacco products while they are on the clock.

New hires would not be allowed to smoke or use tobacco products at all, not even at home, or on the weekends. If they are discovered to have violated the policy, they could be disciplined and even fired.

Yet, even Bellas admits that sometimes a plan looks far better on paper than it does in the field. And his goal is to not make it more difficult to compete for good employees with other counties and private industry by having too restrictive of a policy.

“We have a few challenges that we can’t ignore,” he said. “Between 24 and 25 percent of our employees right now use tobacco, and a lot of them are in the entry-level positions in roads and bridges, and in utilities. The folks in those departments already have a hard enough time keeping those positions filled. If we take one more thing away, and they believe it’s going to be a problem, then that is not a good choice for us.”

That means there’s still a lot of work to do on the policy before it’s completed, Bellas said, and there’s a good chance that what is finally approved to begin next October could be quite different from what’s on the table today.

And the talk alone of implementing the policy seems to have had some positive effect already. Commissioner Henry Wilson, who serves on a committee addressing this issue, told commissioners at the recent meeting participation in smoking cessation programs has drastically increased over the past two months.

“They know the conversation has started,” Wilson said. “This is nothing else but to create a healthy work environment, and that’s what we’ll try to do.”

Published April 2, 2014