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Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

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Meet Saint Leo’s new president: William J. Lennox, Jr.

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When Saint Leo University began the search for its next president, it knew it was looking for a star.

Instead, the search committee found three stars.

William J. “Bill” Lennox, Jr. addresses the audience at the Feb. 6 announcement of his selection as the next president of Saint Leo University. He'll start work later this summer. (Courtesy of Saint Leo University)
William J. “Bill” Lennox, Jr. addresses the audience at the Feb. 6 announcement of his selection as the next president of Saint Leo University. He’ll start work later this summer.
(Courtesy of Saint Leo University)

William J. “Bill” Lennox, Jr., a retired United States Army three-star lieutenant general, has been named as the ninth president in the university’s history. He was introduced at a campus news conference on Feb. 6. He assumes his new post this summer.

“It feels great,” Lennox said about taking on his new job. “I think it’s an amazing institution.”

Lennox is familiar with Saint Leo University. He served on the school’s board of trustees for six years before deciding to take on the president’s role.

Lennox has been part of the selection process from its inception, but not always in the role of a candidate for the job.

As a member of the search committee, he had turned down consideration before they began exploring other options.

The search committee found very qualified candidates out of more than 100 applications, Lennox said, but when they couldn’t reach a consensus, he was asked to reconsider. This time he said yes.

While running a college is no easy task, Lennox comes to the job with plenty of experience. He previously served as Superintendent of the United States Military Academy at West Point for five years, an institution where he also received his bachelor’s degree in 1971. As superintendent, he performed similar duties to a president at a civilian college. Lennox believes that experience will help him in his new challenge.

In fact, Lennox sees similarities between the famous military academy and Saint Leo.

“Both of them are very interested in education, but education with an intent in mind, and a values system that backs that intent,” he said. A strong focus on students and a supportive faculty are also characteristics of both institutions, he said.

While Lennox comes to Saint Leo with plenty of accolades, he also has some pretty big shoes to fill.

Outgoing president Dr. Arthur F. Kirk, Jr. is retiring at the end of the academic year after serving in that role since 1997.

Under Kirk’s leadership, the university has more than doubled its student body, more than doubled its degree programs, renovated many facilities and added new land and buildings to its campus.

Lennox steps into the role with admiration for his predecessor’s success.

“I’ve been very impressed with the work Art Kirk has done,” he said. “Art’s a tough guy to follow.”

While he’ll be spending the next few months becoming more familiar with the institution’s financials and other details, Lennox has already identified potential challenges he’ll face when he steps into his new position.

Saint Leo, which has been at the forefront of higher education online programs, is facing stronger competition as more schools increase their presence on the Internet, Lennox said. And, as an institution with a strong military presence with learning centers at various military bases and community colleges, government budget cutbacks will provide new challenges as they serve that market.

Lennox also knows that the university has overcome obstacles in its history, so he won’t have to face them alone. Lennox plans to tap into his staff’s talents to help find solutions together.

“The strength of St. Leo is a culture that the faculty and the staff have come up with some great solutions to those problems in the past, and I want to encourage that and take advantage of that,” Lennox said. “There are some real experts out there and I want to capitalize on their knowledge and their strength in these different areas, and see what we can do.”

Lennox, 65, is at an age when many people consider slowing down, and with three children and five grandchildren he could spend his days in leisure. But it’s not in his nature to be idle. His spouse of 43 years, Anne, is used to him taking on engaging work and putting in considerable energy to ensure his endeavors are successful.

And, he’s ready to continue Saint Leo’s successful path and meet its future challenges head-on.

“I’m going to quote Art,” Lennox said of the university’s retiring president. “He says ‘Our best years are in front of us.'”

Published February 18, 2015

Aiming to touch the sky at new skate park

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The first skateboarder to roll through the new Zephyrhills Skate Park earned his sweet ride.

Dalton King, 10, dropped his board’s wheels onto the concrete surface as dozens of skateboarders gathered to christen the city’s skate park, said Shane LeBlanc, public works director for the city of Zephyrhills.

Skateboard enthusiasts can hone their riding skills at every turn at the Zephyrhills Skate Park. (Fred Bellet/Photo)
Skateboard enthusiasts can hone their riding skills at every turn at the Zephyrhills Skate Park.
(Fred Bellet/Photo)

A crowd of more than 400 people turned out for the grand opening on Jan. 31, according to city estimates.

“Due to all his fundraising efforts, we knew (Dalton) was going to be the first kid to skate at the park,” LeBlanc said.

King made the rounds of local car dealerships in search of donations to pay for the new skate park.

But, he also had a lot of help.

The $251,000 cost of constructing a modern, up-to-date skate park became a community effort that paid off.

It began when young skateboarders took a petition to the Zephyrhills City Council asking that the city replace an aging asphalt skate park that opened more than a decade ago at Krusen Field.

“It was deteriorating,” LeBlanc said.

Upgrading the existing one would take a lot of money.

Building a state-of-the art skate park seemed the better route, the public works director said, even though that alternative was pricey, too.

Private donations from individuals and businesses made the skate park a reality. The Tony Hawk Foundation also kicked in $7,500, and a private donor contributed $5,000, LeBlanc said.

Enough money came in that the skate park grew from a planned 7,500-square-foot facility to 9,000 square feet in size, said Tito Porrata of Team Pain, a company based in Winter Springs that designed the skate facility.

“It’s a perfect example of a small community park,” Porrata said.

Two community meetings were held to find out what everyone wanted from the skate park. The final design has two elements, a street course and a surfer-style bowl.

Skateboarders weren’t the only ones who weighed in on the plans.

And, the skateboarders who participated weren’t all young, either, Porrata said.

Most boarders are age 7 to 17, he said. But many 40-year-olds, or older, who grew up skateboarding still ride, he said.

Skateboarding took hold in the 1950s when California surfers slapped roller skate wheels to wood planks and invented “street” surfing. Skateboarding today is an action sport enjoyed by 10 million to 11 million people in the United States.

“Every year you get a fresh crop of skateboarders,” said Porrata. “It’s ever, ever growing.”

LeBlanc stopped by one afternoon soon after the ribbon-cutting and found about 50 people either skateboarding or watching on the sidelines.

City officials hope the skate park will have an economic benefit. “We want to hold amateur events,” LeBlanc said.

The city council plans to name the park after its longest-sitting council member, Clyde Bracknell, who retired in 2009. He learned of the honor shortly before opening day.

“I was thrilled. I’m very excited. It’s not something I ever expected,” Bracknell said. “It’s a gorgeous park, and it’s up to date.”

At Zephyrhills High School, Bracknell played on the basketball team that won the state championship in 1962. He also played baseball, ran a “little track”, and was a Special Olympics coach for about 25 years.

While on city council, he got behind a plea from young skateboarders to build the city’s original skate park.

But skateboarding isn’t a sport that he’s tried.

“I only watch it on TV,” Bracknell said.

His son did have a skateboard, Bracknell added.

“I stood on it one time,” he said.

Published February 11, 2015

 

Coach Kris Keppel exhibits grace to the end

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The impact that Joel “Kris” Kristan Keppel’s life had on those who knew him was exhibited in all sorts of ways last week in Land O’ Lakes.

Keppel, a revered cross-country coach at Land O’ Lakes High, lost his battle with pancreatic cancer on Jan. 25.

Coach Kris Keppel was known for motivating athletes to push for excellence, while also being a mentor to help them with other issues in life. (File Photo)
Coach Kris Keppel was known for motivating athletes to push for excellence, while also being a mentor to help them with other issues in life.
(File Photo)

Land O’Lakes High Principal Ric Mellin notified the school’s staff and students with this recorded message:

“It is with a heavy heart that I am calling this evening to inform everyone of the passing of Kris Keppel. I was informed that he passed at 4:32 p.m., this afternoon, while in hospice care.  Kris Keppel spent more than two decades as the coach of the Land O’ Lakes High cross-country team, as the school’s media specialist, and as a teacher.

“Mr. Keppel was first diagnosed with pancreatic cancer over a year ago. Despite the exhausting treatments, he continued to be a member of our staff and attend as many cross-country practices and meets as he could up until his retirement this past fall. He is survived by daughters Meredith and Morgan, and wife Dar.”

Keppel’s coaching skills were widely known. He coached the boys’ cross-country team to Sunshine Athletic Conference championships in 1986, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2012, 2013, 2014; and District and Regional championships in 2013.

He also was nominated and became a finalist in the Brooks Running Most Inspirational Coaches of the Year competition.

But Keppel’s influence went far beyond helping athletes reach their potential, students, who were coached by Keppel, said in videotapes recorded by the school district after Keppel’s death.

He was more than a coach, they said.

“He was a friend and a mentor,” said Maddie Toth, who ran for him. “You could go to him for anything — from boy trouble to grades.”

After a moment of silence to honor Keppel, which can now be viewed on a YouTube video, Assistant Principal Jeff Morganstein described a man who was “sort of a fixture in our building for over 20 years.”

Keppel was involved and he made a difference, Morganstein said. “These students really are his legacy.”

Members of the Land O’ Lakes cross-country team honored the coach by covering the school marquee with purple construction paper — symbolizing the continuing fight against pancreatic cancer.

They wrote messages on yellow ’Gators, representing the school’s mascot, and posted them on the marquee.

One simple message seemed to convey the collective mood: “I’m going to miss you,” it says.

Hundreds turned out to pay their respects to the coach at his funeral Jan. 31 at Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Church, in Land O’ Lakes.

The Rev. Ron Aubin presided over the Mass, joined by other priests on the altar.

Aubin spoke of Keppel as a dedicated servant of the church, and as a man he’s known for 21 years.

At the conclusion of the funeral Mass, the Rev. Lynn Nichols — a friend and neighbor of the Keppel family­— delivered a eulogy.

He began at the beginning, describing the man who was born on June 6, 1961 in Indianapolis, Indiana as the youngest son of the Rev. John and Mildred Keppel.

He noted that Keppel was very close to his mother, who was a high school medial specialist — a career path that Keppel would also follow.

He told those gathered that Keppel met his wife, Darlene, on a blind date on Feb. 29, 1984 —forever changing his life.

They went on to have two daughters, Meredith and Morgan.

“Dar said he was a hands-on dad. He’d get up with them (the girls) in the morning and feed them, get them dressed and take them to school. They rode with him to school their entire lives,” Nichols said.

“He believed talk is cheap,” Nichols added.

When the Keppels were married, Darlene was Catholic and he was not. But he told the priest they would raise their children as Catholics and they did, and he later converted to the faith.

“His coaching was how he changed the world,” said Nichols, whose sons ran for Keppel.

“It was his ministry. He built a great team and a legacy at Land O’ Lakes. He used the discipline of cross-country — its training and perseverance and focus — to give direction and aid to kids.

“He went beyond coaching. He provided transportation, bought shoes, provided tutoring, counseled kids through difficult family times, helped them get into college, gave dating advice and shared his faith with them.

“He was also committed to his community,” Nichols added.

He was involved in Rotary and was the Interact sponsor at Land O’ Lakes High for more than a decade. He also took part in events helping Metropolitan Ministries, the U.S. Marine Corps’ Toys for Tots and the American Cancer Society Relay For Life.

He was an active member of the LifeTeen Band for Our Lady of the Rosary Church for 15 years.

When Keppel asked Nichols to do his eulogy, he wrote a few words that he asked Nichols to share.

“When you find that cancer is a part of your life,” Keppel wrote, “you have the benefit of saying goodbye to friends and family members.

“You get to share special moments …”

“Kris knew he wouldn’t be here for many of Meredith and Morgan’s big days,” Nichols said. So, earlier in the year, he recorded two songs to be played at their weddings.

“One was the song he sung to Darlene at their wedding,” Nichols said.

Published February 4, 2015

 

New twist to holy wafer

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Our Lady of the Rosary offers low-gluten hosts

A pivotal moment during the celebration of the Catholic Mass occurs during communion, when believers come forward to receive the Body of Christ.

But some members of Our Lady of the Rosary were choosing to stay in their pews, because they have Celiac disease, which means they cannot ingest gluten, a protein found in wheat.

The Rev. Ron Aubin displays a silver ciborium and a gold ciborium. The silver one is used to hold the gluten-free communion hosts, and the gold one holds the traditional hosts. (B.C. Manion/Staff Photo)
The Rev. Ron Aubin displays a silver ciborium and a gold ciborium. The silver one is used to hold the gluten-free communion hosts, and the gold one holds the traditional hosts.
(B.C. Manion/Staff Photo)

“There are different levels of intolerance to gluten and wheat products,” said the Rev. Ron Aubin, pastor at Our Lady of the Rosary Church at 2348 Collier Parkway in Land O’ Lakes. “Apparently, some people react severely and can be quite sick. So, they bypass the host — receiving the Body of Christ.”

When one woman asked if there anything the church could do about it, the church decided to look into the issue.

Church doctrine requires there be at least a trace of gluten, in order to be considered valid matter for the Eucharist, according to the National Conference of Catholic Bishops.

“So, we did a little research and we discovered there are low-gluten hosts,” Aubin said.

The church is now using low-gluten wafers made by the Benedictine Sisters of Perpetual Adoration, in Clyde, Missouri. The sisters have been baking communion hosts for generations and spent 10 years working to develop a low-gluten host.

The host the sisters produce contains .01 percent gluten.

Our Lady of the Rosary began serving the hosts about a month ago.

“What we did, was, we have reserved one small part of the church — a small section. We’re calling that our low-gluten section,” Aubin said.

It uses slides on a giant screen to inform those attending its weekend services where to sit if they would like to receive a low-gluten host.

Anyone is welcome to sit in the section, Aubin said, but those sitting there will receive the low-gluten host during communion.

Aubin described what it’s like: “It’s a little smaller and thinner. It basically has no taste.”

“If you object to that,” the pastor said, “Go to the other line.”

The church also is taking care to avoid any cross-contamination when people drink from the chalice during communion.

“To help us not get them confused, we use a silver chalice (for the wine) and a silver ciborium for the low-gluten (hosts),” he said. In other sections, the church uses a gold chalice and gold ciborium.

Some people are now asking if they can have a smaller piece of the low-gluten host, Aubin said.

“The low-gluten hosts don’t break easy. I told the Sacristan to go buy a scissors and designate it for only cutting the low-gluten hosts,” he said.

The church wants to encourage participation in the Eucharist. It also wants to be as accommodating as possible.

“We’re responding,” he said.

Members of the congregation appreciate the effort, he added.

“Several people have come out of their way just to thank me. (They told me) ‘Thank you for considering us.’”

Published January 28, 2015

Charter government could bring massive changes to Pasco

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Rep. Richard Corcoran thinks voters should get to decide whether to reshape Pasco County’s government. (File Photo)
Rep. Richard Corcoran thinks voters should get to decide whether to reshape Pasco County’s government.
(File Photo)

A discussion is underway that could lead to massive changes in Pasco County government.

State Rep. Richard Corcoran, R-Land O’ Lakes, is advocating that Pasco voters be allowed the option to vote on whether the county should shift to a government governed by a charter.

Pasco County Tax Collector Mike Fasano thinks that’s a horrible idea.

And, a majority of Pasco County commissioners said they want to know more about it before making any kind of commitment on the issue. After hearing from Corcoran and Fasano at their Jan. 13 meeting, they decided to hold off on taking any action until getting more information about the implications of a charter government.

Corcoran told commissioners that letting voters decide the way the county should be governed gives them greater control.

When voters have more control, the future speaker of the Florida House of Representatives said, “you wind up with a government that’s more transparent, more accountable and more efficient.

“This is just an opportunity for us to go down a path and see if there isn’t ways that we can create a government that’s even better than the existing government,” Corcoran said.

Under state law, either a majority of county commissioners or a petition signed by 15 percent of the county’s registered voters can create a charter commission. In Pasco, that would require more than 46,000 signatures.

Once a panel is formed, it has 18 months to complete a charter that Pasco voters would adopt or reject.

Fasano opposes the creation of a charter government.

“I’m not a fan of charter government,” Fasano said.

“There’s no question, when you have charter government, taxes will go up. No question, when you have a charter government, you will have another layer of government that people will have to get through,” Fasano said.

“Think about charter governments in other counties. All you have to do is look at Miami-Dade, what a mess. It’s layer of government after layer of government after layer of government. It is more taxes put upon the people of a community that is struggling already.”

Pasco County attorney Jeffrey Steinsnyder said there are 20 charter counties operating across the state’s 67 counties.

“If you look historically, across the state, most of the charters that got adopted were because of issues between the county commission and the constitutional officers or the county commission and the cities,” Steinsnyder said.

Charter government is not a panacea, but it can be a good vehicle for a government to form its own way, he said.

The charter dictates the shape that the government will take, he said.

“Government can be a much stronger form of government, if the charter so provides. It can be a much weaker form of government, if the charter so provides,” Steinsnyder said.

On one hand, it may solve some problems. On the other, it may create more problems than it solves, the county attorney said.

He also noted: “Once you turn that over to a charter review commission, you’re bound to put it on the ballot, and whatever the voters say, up or down, that’s it.”

A charter can include such things as single-member districts for county commissioners, terms limits, an elected county administrator or an elected county mayor and other changes to the composition of local government.

Corcoran said that Pasco’s legislative delegation wants local voters to decide how they are governed.

“How we govern right now, is dictated to us from Tallahassee. I’m saying that’s not good enough,” Corcoran said. “I think the system that we’re governed under should be dictated by Pasco residents and controlled by Pasco County voters. You do that, you’re going to have a more accountable system of government.”

He said he’s committed to raise money and collect signatures to create a charter commission.

But the delegation is open to a proposal by Commission Chairman Ted Schrader to form the charter commission — with commissioners choosing 10 of the members and delegation members choosing the other five.

Schrader said, “If it’s going to be done, it needs to be done in Pasco County.” But he added: “In no means am I strong proponent of establishing charter government. I don’t want anybody to get that idea.”

Instead, he said, he’d like more information on the issue.

“This is all new dialogue to me,” Schrader said.

Commissioner Kathryn Starkey also wants to know more.

“Let’s just do a little homework before we start the next phase. I personally have always wondered, would we better off as a charter or worse off as a charter?” Starkey said.

She’d like to talk to some other counties and to have a workshop to discuss the issue.

Commissioners put the issue off until they can obtain more information and discuss how they’d like to proceed.

There was one point that opponents seemed to agree on, however.

Any charter issue on the ballot — needs to go on a presidential election ballot to ensure the highest degree possible for voter participation.

Published January 21, 2015

Flu cases are up: Take precautions to stay well

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Chances are that you know someone who has become ill with the flu this year.

It could be a family member, a colleague, a friend or someone at church —whoever it is, Dr. James Robelli, of St. Joseph’s Hospital North in Lutz, offers this bit of advice: “If you know someone that has the flu, stay away from them.”

Dr. James Robelli (Courtesy of St. Joseph's Hospital-North)
Dr. James Robelli
(Courtesy of St. Joseph’s Hospital-North)

More people are coming down with the flu, as compared to prior years, said Dr. Nadeem Kahn, chief of medicine and director of infectious control at Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel.

Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel has reported a significant increase in the number of flu cases coming into the hospital, according to statistics provided by Tracy Clouser, director of marketing.

In December, it saw a 274 percent increase in flu cases in its emergency department and a 125 percent increase in the number of patients admitted with the flu.

Robelli, who is medical director of the emergency department at St. Joseph’s North in Lutz, also reported an increased number of flu cases.

It is a nasty bug.

“It’s not like having a common cold. It really feels like a truck has run over you. Back pain. Muscle aches. You can’t do much of anything,” said Kahn, of Infectious Disease Associates of Tampa Bay.

Robelli concurred with Kahn’s assessment, describing the flu as a “cold on steroids.”

Dr. Nadeem Khan (Courtesy of Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel)
Dr. Nadeem Khan
(Courtesy of Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel)

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says this year’s vaccine has been less effective in preventing the flu. Despite that fact, both the CDC and the local doctors recommend the vaccination.

Even if it doesn’t prevent the flu, it is likely that the course of the illness will be shorter and the symptoms less severe, both Robelli and Kahn said.

Or, as Robelli said, “It’s better than nothing.”

People with the flu begin being contagious about a day before the onset of symptoms and are typically contagious for about a week, Robelli said.

Because it is possible for you to unwittingly make others ill and because other people who are contagious may infect you, it’s important to practice good hygiene, the local doctors agreed.

“I recommend hand sanitizer for everybody — in their purse or their car,” Kahn said.

It’s a good idea to use the sanitizer after grocery shopping, stopping at the post office or going to other public places, he said.

“You don’t know who’s been touching what,” Kahn said.

It’s also important to use good hygiene — such as coughing into a tissue or your sleeve and washing your hands frequently.

Be safe in the workplace, too.

Don’t go to work if you’re ill, and use good hygiene.

Many offices have computers that are used by many employees.

Be sure to clean work surfaces and wash your hands frequently.

“You’ve got to remember, those hands are everywhere,” Kahn said.

Kahn theorizes the increased number of cases showing up at the hospital may be connected with increasing numbers of people visiting the area during winter months.

“A lot of the patients that you meet — most of them are just visiting family or they’re snowbirds who live up North,” Kahn said.

“It seems like a lot of the people we see at the hospital are because we have an influx in the population. Obviously, the more people you have, the more chances you have for influenza or other illnesses,” he said.

People who are younger than 2 or older than 65 are among those most vulnerable, Robelli said.

Others at high risk for serious complications include people with lung disease, with end-stage renal disease, people who are on chemotherapy, women who are pregnant and people with other chronic illnesses.

Those in high-risk categories should call their doctor as soon as they experience symptoms.

It’s a good idea to get in touch with your doctor even if you’re not in a high-risk group because delaying treatment means that medications will not be effective, Robelli said.

The CDC recommends flu antiviral drugs for treatment of influenza illness in people who are very sick with the flu or people who are at high risk of flu complications.

Adult deaths for the flu are not reported to the Florida Department of Health, Deanna Krautner, of the Florida Department of Health in Pasco County, said in an email. Those deaths are grouped with pneumonia, she said.

Pediatric deaths for the flu are reported, and Pasco County has had one child death related to the flu, this flu season.

Pasco County continues to see an increase in influenza activity, Krautner reported. “Our surveillance indicates hospitals and urgent care centers are experiencing elevated levels of influenza.”

As of early January, there had been 21 pediatric deaths from the flu reported nationwide, according to the CDC.

Published January 14, 2015

Sometimes the best gifts come in camouflage

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For three unsuspecting siblings attending Saint Anthony School in San Antonio, a student assembly marking an early start for Christmas break on Dec. 19 was more than it seemed.

It actually was cover for a carefully orchestrated holiday surprise: The return of their father, U.S. Army Col. Peter Quinn.

U.S. Army Col. Peter Quinn returns from deployment in Afghanistan just in time for the holidays, surprising his children on stage in front of 200 classmates at Saint Anthony School in San Antonio. The officer’s wife Kelly, left, joins him along with two of his children: Gabriel, 13, and Grace, 11. (Courtesy of Bryant L. Griffin)
U.S. Army Col. Peter Quinn returns from deployment in Afghanistan just in time for the holidays, surprising his children on stage in front of 200 classmates at Saint Anthony School in San Antonio. The officer’s wife Kelly, left, joins him along with two of his children: Gabriel, 13, and Grace, 11.
(Courtesy of Bryant L. Griffin)

Quinn, who just returned from Bagram, Afghanistan for a two-week leave, was determined to give his children a present they wouldn’t forget, especially since the deployment — his second to the region — resulted in nearly a year of separation from his Wesley Chapel family.

Working with the Army Intelligence and Security Command in Fort Belvoir, Virginia, Quinn currently serves as a senior contracting officer’s representative providing linguistic support to U.S. forces in Afghanistan. His deployment ends next May, when he plans to return stateside and retire from the Army after 30 years of service.

His secretive homecoming came together with help from his wife Kelly, and the school.

“When I cooked up this idea several months ago and presented it to Kelly, she said, ‘You’re crazy,’” Peter Quinn said. “I said, ‘We could make this happen. We can make one of those special moments for Saint Anthony’s.

“I wanted to do something special for my kids. Every military dad wants to do that.”

However, meeting the surprise’s tight schedule after 20 hours of flying during two days of transit was tricky. His 10:30 a.m. Tampa arrival only allowed him a little more than an hour to reach the school.

The students assembled in the school’s parish center were set to head home at noon after prayers and announcements. Like Peter Quinn’s children, the students also were unaware of his imminent homecoming.

“I was a little bit worried because I almost missed my connecting flight,” Quinn said. “I was five minutes out from it taking off. I was running to my gate … because I wasn’t going to miss this.”

His children — Grace, 11; Faith, 11; and Gabriel 13 — were seated amongst their 200 classmates when Quinn, dressed in his camouflage duty uniform, suddenly emerged from the curtained stage. The reveal left them stunned.

Quinn, bearing the widest of grins, met their dash to the stage with a long-awaited embrace. The hugs were prolonged and repeated as cheers and applause quickly swept through the assembled students.

“It’s just really exciting,” said Fran Shiver, a Zephyrhills parent of a fourth-grade daughter at the school. “I think it’s something that just goes back to family. It’s so exciting to see the smiles on the kids’ faces. We really appreciate his service.”

For the school’s principal, Sister Alice Ottapurackal, the homecoming represents the very heart of Saint Anthony.

“We’re grateful that he is safe and coming back to us,” Ottapurackal said. “We do pray every day for him, and all the military people who are serving the country.

“We’re like a family, so we’re truly excited to see the children’s expressions.”

Indeed, as the hugs and tears continued before the school’s students, Quinn couldn’t have imagined a more poignant homecoming.

“This is the longest time we have been apart,” he said. “And they have been doing great helping mom out, and great in school. They have been a true blessing.”

Kelly Quinn couldn’t agree more.

“I just stood back there and I just wanted to see their reaction,” she said. “It was awesome.”

By Bryant L. Griffin

Published January 7, 2015

Connerton in early planning stages for 150-bed hospital

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Florida Hospital is inching closer to eventually building a new hospital in the Connerton community after developers there got initial approval for a 150-bed facility.

Pasco County’s Development Review Committee gave the initial OK last week for Connerton to begin planning its second phase of the project, which could include 3,600 more homes, 190,000 square feet of retail and 725,000 square feet of government space.

As Connerton continues to grow just north of Land O’ Lakes, entrances from U.S. 41 and State Road 52 will have to be improved, Pasco County officials say. (File Photo)
As Connerton continues to grow just north of Land O’ Lakes, entrances from U.S. 41 and State Road 52 will have to be improved, Pasco County officials say. (File Photo)

The revised plan adds another 110,000 square feet of medical office space, bringing that total to 200,000, doubling the nursing home beds to 100, and adding 150 beds for a hospital.

Despite the move, Connerton representative Stew Gibbons tells The Laker/Lutz News there aren’t any immediate plans to build a hospital at the Land O’ Lakes Boulevard community, located just south of State Road 52.

“What we’re doing with now is securing approval of the entitlement limits so that can decide what they can put there, depending on the market at the time,” Gibbons said. “It’s a great location, especially when Ridge Road goes through, which will give you access across the county. “

Florida Hospital — which operates local hospitals in Wesley Chapel, Zephyrhills and the University of South Florida area of Tampa — owns about 34 acres of land in the county, purchased by University Community Hospital Inc., before that hospital chain was acquired by Florida Hospital’s parent. It was part of a $5.1 million land deal the hospital put together in October 2007, just as the housing market was starting to come apart.

For the second phase of Pasco’s “new town,” Connerton is looking to focus a little more on multifamily, with about a third of the proposed residential in that phase taking that route. The first phase was primarily single-family homes, with approvals for nearly 4,000 homes.

The second phase also would include Connerton’s employment center, which will be a mix of government, office, industrial and medical.

“This is an example of how Connerton always has been designed,” said Andrea Zelman, an attorney who represents the community. “We are on the road to creating those jobs.”

But to do that, some of the roads in and around Connerton will need to be upgraded. That would include turn lanes for the entrances off U.S. 41 and State Road 52, and also finishing the link with Collier Parkway that has been on the drawing board for years.

Pasco’s chief assistant county attorney David Goldstein put emphasis on the stretch of Collier Parkway, proposed to link from Ehren Cutoff, calling it a “crucial piece of roadway that we cannot ignore much longer.”

“I wanted to make sure the county people up here understand the importance of doing something about Collier Parkway,” Goldstein told the committee. “We have to find a way to build that missing gap of Collier, and get that connected up to the employment center.”

However, not everyone is for expanding Collier. Stephen Coogle, who owns a 6-acre home on Ehren Cutoff bordering the Connerton project, said neighbors to the development deserve more attention to ensure they don’t lose value in their homes.

“We need to have buffers,” Coogle said, which could come primarily by preserving existing tree lines that border his property. Also, drainage from a Collier Parkway extension would need to be properly taken care of, so that it doesn’t flood his property instead.

“Our property and wetlands are not being taken into consideration,” Coogle said. “Progress needs to happen, but we should not have to sacrifice what we paid for.”

Gibbons said Connerton developers are working to address concerns of neighbors, but that many of Coogle’s concerns are premature.

“We are in the timing and phasing process, and we haven’t even designed anything yet,” Gibbons said.

When that process does begin, surrounding neighbors would be notified, and have a chance to express concern while those plans are drawn up.

Roadway improvements will be funded in part by a nearly $30 million contribution by Connerton, along with another $7.7 million in county incentives.

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Future is here: Body cameras coming to Pasco

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Many law enforcement agencies around the country continue to debate whether they should have patrol officers wear body cameras — but the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office isn’t waiting any longer.

More than 400 deputies and investigators will be equipped with body cameras in February, a movie Sheriff Chris Nocco said would make neighborhoods safer for deputies and the people who live in them.

Pasco County Sheriff’s deputy and field training officer Kristina Perez, right, demonstrates the new body camera that other deputies in Sheriff Chris Nocco’ department will be equipped with beginning in February. (Michael Hinman/Staff Photo)
Pasco County Sheriff’s deputy and field training officer Kristina Perez, right, demonstrates the new body camera that other deputies in Sheriff Chris Nocco’ department will be equipped with beginning in February. (Michael Hinman/Staff Photo)

“This is not the panacea,” Nocco said during a news conference last week. “This is not going to be the cure-all for all the issues of our world. But it’s a tool, just like any other tool that we use in law enforcement.”

The sheriff’s office is in the process of ordering 415 sets of Taser Axon cameras, which can be mounted on glasses, hats, shirt fronts, collars, lapels and other locations on a deputy. They record up to four hours of video and audio, and have a battery that lasts 12 hours.

Deputies will turn it on whenever they get out of their patrol car to interact with the public or investigate a crime, Nocco said. At the end of each shift, deputies connect their camera to a docking station to upload each video. Once it’s in the system, they cannot be manipulated, and deputies will not be able to edit them.

It’s the kind of system that will not only provide transparency in how deputies interact with people inside Pasco County, but it also could streamline the court system significantly.

“The criminal justice system’s job is to get to the truth,” said Craig Laporte, an attorney with Proly Laporte & Mulligan in Port Richey, who represents one of the deputy unions. “If an individual has, in fact, committed a crime, this provides evidence of that. This could reduce the number of jury trials … because the state attorney will immediately have information they can use.”

Cameras also could significantly reduce the complaints filed against deputies, each one of which must be investigated. By having an unedited video and audio record of the encounter, internal investigations would not have to rely on witness accounts alone, discouraging people from making false claims against the officer.

It also could stop a deputy from crossing any lines, making some of the problems police are experiencing in New York City and Ferguson, Missouri, a lot less likely to happen.

While the use of body cameras is something some observers have suggested after the officer-involved deaths in those cities, Nocco said Pasco’s plan has been in motion for quite some time, with field testing beginning last October.

“This started months ago because citizens are constantly pulling their phones out and taping deputies,” Nocco said. Those deputies were “looking on their own to get body cameras, and they were talking about buying them on their own. But I said to wait, because we have to come up with a policy.”

That policy includes when deputies are expected to have the cameras on, and how long videos will be stored before they’re deleted. The policy also makes it clear that the cameras can’t be used as “Big Brother,” Nocco said, referring to the novel “1984,” where supervisors can’t pull up random video just for the sake of disciplining a deputy.

The entire program will cost $400,000 a year — far less than what other neighboring agencies like the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office is considering, Nocco said. Initial funds will come from federal forfeiture dollars, but future years will require funding through tax dollars controlled by the Pasco County Commission.

The cameras bring their own controversies to the table, primarily when it comes to privacy rights, Fourth Amendment protections of search and seizure through the U.S. Constitution, and how footage is used, and what is made available to the public. Nocco says he hopes lawmakers in Tallahassee will address body cameras this coming year, but in the meantime, he’s moving forward.

So far for the upcoming legislative session, only one bill has been filed in Tallahassee regarding body cameras. State Rep. Shevrin Jones, D-West Park, filed H.B. 57 on Dec. 4 that, if passed, would require every uniformed law enforcement officer primarily assigned to patrol duties to be equipped with a body camera by Jan. 1, 2016.

“We’re not fearful of being a leader out there,” Nocco said. “There’s always going to be bumps in the road, and there is always going to be tweaks.”

Cameras like this already are in use in different parts of the United Kingdom, and those police departments provided a significant amount of data on how the cameras were used. For example, one town in Scotland found that 70 percent of cases that involved body cameras were less likely to go to trial. Closer to home in Rialto, California, complaints against law enforcement officers dropped from 24 to just three.

Published December 17, 2014

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County commission cancels baseball park agreement

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Pasco County’s business partnership with James Talton to build a massive baseball park in the Wiregrass Ranch area is over. At least for now.

The county commission voted unanimously to terminate an agreement with Talton’s Pasco Sports LLC after the company failed to provide necessary paperwork to show it had $3 million available to help with the design stage of the project that would’ve built nearly 20 baseball fields as well as dormitories to attract the youth baseball camp industry to Pasco. Talton and retired Major League Baseball player Gary Sheffield wanted to build the complex on 100 acres of land, not far from Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel, which they said could become a significant youth sports training destination.

The county will now explore the possibility of advertising the land to a new private developer, and work out a different deal that could still focus on baseball, but maybe other amenities as well. County administrator Michele Baker, however, still left the door open for Talton and Sheffield, saying it’s possible for the two to come back to the table under a new structure.

“We can all look at this not as a failure, but as an opportunity for us to find something that is going to be a perfect fit and a mix for Pasco County,” commission chair Ted Schrader said right before the vote late Tuesday. “We have a great asset that is not going anywhere.”

The Wiregrass Ranch area and the potential to do something with the land there, Schrader said, is exciting for the county, because it “is the corner of Main and Main, and we are blessed and fortunate to have such a fine opportunity to do that.”

Finding private financing for what was at one time a $70 million project has been troublesome under the current agreement with the county, Talton has said, and he was willing to move forward with the project without the county’s involvement, or its $11 million in pledged tourist tax dollars.

“In our minds, this is just another step in the process, and we have every intention of getting this project completed,” Talton said last week. “The current agreement is being terminated. I literally cannot work based on the current financing environment. We will negotiate new terms and have financing in place upon execution so we can move forward immediately.”

The biggest stumbling block was land, Talton had said in the past. The county would continue to own the land that was deeded to it by the Porter family — the developers behind Wiregrass Ranch. However, one sports consultant told county officials Tuesday that there may be a little more to it than that.

“He didn’t have the proven track record,” Dev Pathik, chief executive of Sports Facilities Advisory, told commissioners of Talton. “The potential partners, while they expressed interest, they were not ready to sign on and take any risk.”

Land, Pathik said, does not hold the collateral value with investors it used to.

“The banks have learned they don’t want to own dirt,” he said.

As Pasco appears to go back to the start in planning a potential sports complex that could attract visitors to the county, Hillsborough County has teased some thoughts about possibly partnering to build a competing facility to the south. J.D. Porter, who represents the land holdings of Wiregrass Ranch, says Pasco officials shouldn’t worry, and not rush into anything because of what others might say.

“Every single time this comes up for a vote, Hillsborough County says they are going to do something,” Porter said. “Have they? They haven’t. We have played into that as a county for a long time, and we have been a little step-brother.

“They haven’t delivered. You have your own asset that far outweighs anything they have in their portfolio, and you have to look at that as having a chip they don’t possess. You are ahead of the game, and you are taking steps right now that has much more of a reality of a business plan that is not a pipe dream.”

In fact, Porter said if he was sitting in a Hillsborough commission board room right now, “I would be a lot more fearful than you guys should be.”

The original agreement signed a year ago called for Pasco Sports to provide the county verification of $23 million in financing necessary to design and construct the park by last summer. However, that agreement was amended in July to give Talton and Sheffield a 90-day extension.

It was during that period that Pasco Sports provided a $3 million commitment letter from Hallmark Mergers & Acquisitions LLC, along with a letter from Florida EB-5 Regional Center LLC saying it was committed to raising $20 million in funds.

County officials, however, didn’t feel that was enough to meet the terms of the agreement, and the commission then gave Talton and Sheffield until Dec. 5 to at least show they had $3 million available for the project. That deadline passed, however, with a letter from Talton proposing a new plan that would eliminate the need for the $11 million county contribution — but also remove payouts to the county after it’s built — but nothing in terms of the $3 million.

That prompted Baker to recommend the entire deal be cancelled.

Talton told members of the Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce last October that his project — consisting of 19 baseball fields, dormitories and other sports-related amenities — could create an estimated 8,000 jobs and a $318 million annual economic impact boost to the county.