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Election Day is here! And so is everything you need to know

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Today is Election Day where Florida will elect a governor, an attorney general, a chief financial officer and an agriculture commissioner among others. Locally, however, voters will have to decide on representatives in Tallahassee, as well as who will represent their interests on the county commission.

In last week’s print edition of The Laker/Lutz News, we offered an election primer, which you can read by clicking here. But do you want to know more?

Here is a collection of stories related to the various candidates and government leaders The Laker/Lutz News has published over the past year, both in print, and online. We’ve covered all the races extensively, and provided some government news at the same time, which helped earn us the state’s best local government reporting coverage this past year by the Florida Press Association.

Did we miss a story? Feel free to search the site using our internal engine using key words that most interest you, and chances are, we’ve covered it.

Be sure to keep reading our site tonight as we provide up-to-the-minute coverage of the election, before we break it all down in the Nov. 12 print editions of The Laker/Lutz News.

GOVERNOR’S RACE

Scott wants closer look of Ebola threat (10/26)
Although one nurse already under quarantine feels the measures are too restrictive in other parts of the country, Gov. Rick Scott has issued an executive order that could go as far as putting people under quarantine he feels is at high risk for Ebola.

Beverly Ledbetter with Charlie Crist
Beverly Ledbetter with Charlie Crist

Crist has slim lead in Saint Leo poll (10/23)
With a less than two weeks until voters have to make a final decision on who they should send to (or keep in) Tallahassee, a new poll from the Saint Leo University Polling Institute shows Democrat Charlie Crist with a slight lead over incumbent Republican Rick Scott.

Crist campaign gets Pasco County boost (10/16)
Mike Fasano has made no secret his dislike for Gov. Rick Scott. But now he’s taking that opposition to television. The Charlie Crist gubernatorial campaign has released a new commercial featuring the Pasco County tax collector and former state legislator, taking a shot at Scott while publicly endorsing Crist, who Fasano calls “a good man.”

Browning parts from Scott, stands by Common Core Standards (10/2)
Pasco Schools Superintendent Kurt Browning is standing by the Common Core State Standards, despite a recent decision by Gov. Rick Scott to put the kibosh on the state’s participation in a consortia developing assessments for those standards.

Lopez-Cantera holds no punches against Crist (10/2)
Carlos Lopez-Cantera is Florida’s second-in-command behind Gov. Rick Scott, but there are still pockets of the state he has only heard about.

Gov. Rick Scott taking part in groundbreaking in Lutz.
Gov. Rick Scott taking part in groundbreaking in Lutz.

Fact Check: Lt. Gov. Carlos Lopez-Cantera’s campaign visit to Zephyrhills (9/30)
Lt. Gov. Carlos Lopez-Cantera made a campaign stop on behalf of Gov. Rick Scott in Zephyrhills Sept. 22, speaking in front of the Conservative Club of East Pasco.

Local projects spared from Scott’s veto pen (6/2)
Gov. Rick Scott left nearly $69 million of this year’s state budget on the cutting room floor, but various projects throughout Pasco and Hillsborough counties were given a reprieve.

CABINET RACES

Pasco’s free lunches take to the road (7/3)
It’s hard to imagine getting through most days without that noontime break for lunch. That packed sandwich, frozen entrée, or maybe even a quick trip to a local eatery, is something many people take for granted each day. But for 36,000 students in the Pasco County school district, that trip to the cafeteria may be the only nutritious meal they have all day, paid for through federal tax dollars.

Private businesses don’t have to open records to public (6/19)
While government typically hires its own people to perform various functions, there are many times when officials contract with private companies to get that work done. But does that mean the records of those businesses are now public record, like they are for the government? The answer is no, Attorney General Pam Bondi has decided.

Bondi saves Fasano’s prescription drug program with $2M pledge (5/5)
Every year since Gov. Rick Scott took office, Mike Fasano says he’s had to fight to keep the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program alive.

CONGRESSIONAL RACES

Local congressmen support president’s ISIL plan (9/18)
In a rare move, the U.S. Congress supported an initiative by President Obama Wednesday, voting to authorize limited military action against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, or more commonly known as ISIL. Despite the U.S. House approving the measure 221-192, the area’s two local Republican congressmen are still saying they’re not happy with how Obama is handling the conflict in Syria and Iraq.

Local congressional districts should remain unchanged (8/7)
Florida lawmakers are back in Tallahassee for a special session this week after a judge in Leon County declared the boundaries for two Congressional districts were unconstitutional.

Cusp of history: Pasco leads way to amend Constitution (1/15)
It’s nearly impossible to get Democrats and Republicans in Congress to agree on anything these days, but a state senator from Pasco County might have a way to bring them together — even if it’s to campaign against his plan.

STATE LEGISLATURE RACES

Buy local? Not state House political candidates (11/2)
They have both championed jobs and money to flow into their district in Pasco County, but are two politicians seeking a place in Tallahassee practicing what they’re preaching?

Burgess: There’s no place like home … rule (10/23)
Danny Burgess was nervous as he straightened his tie and tried to review in his head everything he was going to say. It was his first debate in his race for a seat on the Zephyrhills City Council, and he had an uphill battle to convince older voters that electing an 18-year-old to represent them was the right way to go.

Burgess won’t defend Duke Energy, despite donation (10/9)
A state regulatory agency ordered the company to refund $54 million to customers last week, yet many Duke Energy customers remain unhappy about being charged for $3.2 billion in failed nuclear power plant projects. And one candidate for the Florida House is feeling the heat.

From teacher to candidate, Ledbetter just can’t say no (7/31)
Where there’s a will, there’s a way. And when there’s a need, there’s Beverly Ledbetter. The retired educator has made Dade City her home since the days of Richard Nixon, inspiring thousands of students at Pasco Junior High School and later Pasco High School for more than three decades. Along the way, Ledbetter found herself in the most unexpected jobs, whether it be coaching the school’s soccer team, or helping educators through her work with the teachers’ union.

Express route to downtown Tampa in jeopardy, HART says (7/24)
The number of people who depend on HART’s Route 51X connecting Pasco County to downtown Tampa is dwindling. And so is the organization’s money. So it’s probably no surprise to some of the remaining riders that officials with Hillsborough Area Regional Transit want to make some significant changes to the route, possibly removing the express route altogether. But at the very least, adding some local stops to finally bring such mass transit service to the New Tampa area.

Danny Burgess and Beverly Ledbetter at a recent candidate forum.
Danny Burgess and Beverly Ledbetter at a recent candidate forum.

Legg, lawmakers build path to collegiate high schools (6/26)
High schools have come a long way in preparing students for schools, with Florida especially hanging its hat on dual enrollment opportunities that allow many juniors and seniors to earn college credit before receiving their high school diploma.

Paperwork snafu costs Diaz chance for Tallahassee (6/20)
Danny Burgess no longer has to worry about a primary battle in his quest to succeed Will Weatherford in House District 38.

PHSC project one of Florida TaxWatch’s ‘turkeys’ (5/27)
Will Pasco-Hernando State College get that performing arts center it has been hoping for? Not if the governor is paying attention to political activist group Florida TaxWatch.

Winners and losers from tough Tallahassee session (5/23)
Amphibians like frogs and toads can create thousands of tadpoles each season, but only a few actually survive to become adults just like their parents. That could be the perfect way to describe how lawmaking works in Tallahassee. Hundreds of bills are introduced during each session of the Florida Legislature, but very few survive.

Danish pushing Scott to sign child welfare law (5/6)
State Rep. Mark Danish, D-Tampa, is urging Gov. Rick Scott to sign a bill into law he says will help strengthen the speed and quality of child abuse and neglect investigations in the state. Danish is pushing S.B. 1666, which includes parts of a House bill he introduced this year, and other child welfare initiatives. The bill quickly made it way through both chambers, receiving no dissenting votes in either the House or the Senate.

Future of Pasco lives and dies with municipal airports (4/17)
The expansion of State Road 56 into Zephyrhills could be key to a major economic boom for Pasco County, and two candidates seeking to replace state Rep. Will Weatherford, R-Wesley Chapel, in Tallahassee agree state-level leadership must be in place to make sure it happens.

Burgess invites Tampa mayor to rediscover Wesley Chapel (4/11)
Danny Burgess has just a few more days as mayor of Zephyrhills before he goes full-time into a state House campaign. But before he goes, he has a message for Tampa mayor Bob Buckhorn: Wesley Chapel is no longer a “bedroom community.”

Lawmakers propose a little help at the gas pump (3/20)
There are more than 9,000 gas stations in Florida, but only 350 of them offer any type of help for someone who might not be able to pump their gas on their own. Two lawmakers, however, are looking to change that — and are using Hillsborough County as a model.

Eastern Time, Central Time … Florida Time? (1/30)
Spring forward. Fall back. Using the seasons as a guide, Americans have used those expressions to figure out when they should set their clocks back an hour, or forward an hour, to switch between standard time and daylight saving time.

Burgess eyes Tallahassee, but path may not be easy (12/11)
Although there always was a chance he could run for re-election, Danny Burgess knew he had just a short time as mayor of Zephyrhills when he was elected unopposed earlier this year. He will step down from that office in April with an eye on a much bigger prize: replacing Will Weatherford as the area’s state representative in Tallahassee.

PASCO COUNTY COMMISSION RACE

Moore, Remsberg spending money outside Pasco (11/3)
Bringing money into the county is something politician after politician has brought to campaigns and local government for years, and the Pasco County Commission race between Mike Moore and Erika Remsberg has been no different.

Left Behind: Bus services screeches to a halt on Monday (10/16)
Monday was Columbus Day, a holiday with federal status, but one that’s not recognized by many employers, including state and even Pasco County officials. Yet, many offices in the county were closed, including Pasco County Public Transportation, while the employees from those departments attended a daylong retreat and appreciation day.

Mulieri endorses new replacement, crosses party lines (10/16)
No one could ever accuse Pat Mulieri of simply following the herd. Two months ago, she took a stand in the Republican primary, endorsing underdog Bob Robertson from a group of candidates looking to replace her on the Pasco County Commission.

Mike Moore waving signs in Land O' Lakes.
Mike Moore waving signs in Land O’ Lakes.

Moore raises $34K in two weeks, but is it too much? (10/10)
A huge $22,500 haul from developers and real estate professionals over the last two weeks has given Pasco County Commission candidate Mike Moore his best fundraising week of the campaign, raising a whopping $34,250.

Both want jobs, but disagree on how to get them (10/9)
One of the biggest challenges facing the Pasco County Commission in recent years is how to create more jobs here, and not force nearly half the population to travel elsewhere to find work. It’s likely a problem that won’t be fixed over the next four years, but that hasn’t stopped the two candidates looking for a seat on the commission to share their ideas on how it might happen. They are just quite different.

Partisan politics infest county commission race (10/2)
It’s been four years since a Democrat has served on the Pasco County Commission, but Erika Remsberg hopes to change that with just one election in November. However, she has a formidable opponent in the form of Republican Mike Moore, who not only has out-fundraised her 19-to-1, but seems to be the shoo-in to replace the retiring Pat Mulieri in District 2.

Littlefield joins forces with Moore in commission race (9/25)
They may have been foes during the primary, but former state Rep. Ken Littlefield has taken sides in the November election, joining the campaign of Republican candidate Mike Moore in his efforts to replace the retiring Pat Mulieri on the Pasco County Commission.

Moore tops $100,000, makes district race most expensive (8/22)
With just days before voters will choose just one of three candidates to represent the Republican ticket in the Pasco County Commission District 2 race, Mike Moore will clearly take the fundraising title after a final push this week put him over $100,000.

Moore brings big voice to Pasco, but is ready to listen too (8/21)
Money talks, especially in a political campaign. And with nearly $100,000 at his disposal throughout his primary campaign, Mike Moore has had a pretty loud voice.

Let them go? (8/7)
It pretty much started when John Gallagher was caught in heavy traffic on Interstate 75. The morning rush is exactly that, the morning rush. But Gallagher, then the Pasco County administrator, realized that these were primarily people who lived in his county, but were heading south to work jobs in Hillsborough and even Pinellas counties.

Erika Remsberg
Erika Remsberg

Remsberg ready to give commission a much-needed intervention (7/31)
The first step in finding out who will replace Pat Mulieri on the Pasco County Commission begins at the Aug. 26 primary. There voters will choose between three politically focused men — Ken Littlefield, Mike Moore and Bob Robertson — to represent Republicans in the November election.

Commission candidate among those appointed to planning council (4/1)
Michael Moore is one of six appointments announced Monday by Gov. Rick Scott to the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council. Moore, who is seeking Pat Mulieri’s seat on the Pasco County Commission, is the owner of VR Business Sales/Mergers & Acquisitions of Wesley Chapel. He was appointed for a term that began Monday, and would end in October 2015.

GOP commission candidates debate policy for the first time (3/13)
He served eight years in the Florida House, a few weeks on the state’s Public Service Commission, and some additional time working in Gov. Charlie Crist’s administration. So why would Ken Littlefield, who is approaching his 70th birthday, want to try once again to replace Pat Mulieri on the Pasco County Commission?

OTHER ELECTION NEWS

Pasco, Hillsborough offers free rides to polls (11/3)
Want to vote, but not sure how to get there? Well, whether you live in Pasco County or Hillsborough, a chance to cast a ballot is just a free bus ride away.

Pasco gets 25 percent head start into Nov. 4 (11/2)
Early voting in various places around Pasco County ended Saturday, and although there’s still room to receive more mail-in ballots on Monday, county elections supervisor Brian Corley has to be happy with the turnout so far.

Political mailer pits neighbor versus neighbor (10/30)
A political mailer sharing the voting habits of neighbors might not be a new trick for the 2014 elections, but it’s one that has some residents questioning how much of their personal information should be made public.

Strong early voter turnout so far in Pasco (10/30)
Brian Corley likes what he’s seeing for the 2014 election so far. As of 4 p.m. Thursday, more than 21 percent of registered voters in Pasco County have dropped a ballot in the voting box, and there’s still two full days of early voting left.

Inaccurate campaign fliers confusing voters (9/29)
Thousands of voters in Pasco County and across the state opened their mailboxes this weekend to find a flier from the Gov. Rick Scott campaign telling them their absentee ballots should have arrived. Yet, there were no absentee ballots waiting for them.

Voters speak their mind on the primary election (8/26)
Despite the best efforts of election officials to get people out to the polls for the Aug. 26 primary, turnout — at least in Pasco County — is likely to be below 15 percent.

Campaign Crunch: Politicians reveal where their dollars are coming from (8/14)
Erika Remsberg has not raised a lot of money for her bid to replace Pat Mulieri on the Pasco County Commission — and she never expects to.

Voters are mad, and it could affect turnout this November (7/3)
There’s one question Susan MacManus gets more than any other as we head into a contentious election season. And despite her long and impressive credentials as a political scientist, even she can’t answer it.

Buy local? Not state House political candidates

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They have both championed jobs and money to flow into their district in Pasco County, but are two politicians seeking a place in Tallahassee practicing what they’re preaching?

Nearly $200,000 was raised from both sides in the campaign to replace Will Weatherford in the Florida House. But in the end, the district both Danny Burgess and Beverly Ledbetter hoped to represent saw very little of that money come back to them.

Since the primary, both Burgess and Ledbetter — the Republican and Democrat, respectively — pulled in $93,200 in cash donations for state House District 38. Yet, just $18,260 of that — less than 20 percent — was returned for purchases by the campaigns within Pasco County.

Of the two, Ledbetter had the worst record since the primary of buying local, spending less than $1,800 of the more than $28,000 in checks her campaign has issued. She has paid nearly $15,600 to Sonic Print in Tampa in the last reporting cycle alone for what were described as mailers. Another $440 went to a company called Parkway Strategies in Tallahassee for what the campaign said was “strategic communications.”

In total, Ledbetter spent $14,000 in the final weeks of her campaign, but only $100 — to volunteers for using gas in their cars — was paid out locally.

Burgess wasn’t much better. In the last two weeks of his campaign, the former Zephyrhills mayor spent nearly $61,500. But only $4,000 of that — less than 7 percent — ended up in local hands. Instead, nearly $47,000 was paid to a Jensen Beach company called David Millner Group for advertising, with another $10,000 going to a company called Strategic Image Management, which uses the same address as David Millner.

In fact, Burgess spent just under $81,500 with the Jensen Beach company, or 63 percent of his total expenditures. That’s enough to create four full-time jobs at $10 an hour, but spent in Martin County just north of the Fort Lauderdale area, and not locally.

Ledbetter spent $22,209 with Sonic Print in Tampa, or 69 percent of her total expenditures. That would’ve created one full-time job at $10 an hour, money provided for Tampa’s Carrollwood area.

Overall, since last November, Burgess has spent 27 percent of his money locally, while Ledbetter managed just a little more than 9 percent. Burgess turned away from local spending after the primary season, however, allowing his local expenditures to drop to 14 percent, while Ledbetter was at 6 percent.

“Our campaign bought local services when available, such as some printing supplies and materials,” Ledbetter told The Laker/Lutz News in an email. “I used a local Dade City printer for some work, and a local company for the T-shirts. Unfortunately, East Pasco — including Wesley Chapel — does not have any commercial mailing operation that I was aware of, and that comprises the bulk of my out-of-district purchases.”

As a grassroots campaign staffed by volunteers, Ledbetter said she hired very few professional services.

“Your report points out a need for the development of these types of companies in eastern Pasco,” Ledbetter added.

Burgess did not respond to a weekend request for comment.

Both candidates also relied heavily on political action committees to fund their campaigns since the end of August, with Ledbetter being more dependent on that money than Burgess.

Burgess has collected $26,700 in PAC money since the primaries, $16,400 for Ledbetter. However, that represented just 37 percent of his contributions during that time period, while for Ledbetter, PAC money made up 81 percent of her donations.

But even then, local money was missing. Of the more than $73,000 Burgess raised since the primary, only 17 percent came from local sources. Ledbetter picked up $20,111 in contributions during the same time, with 29 percent local.

Overall, Burgess raised $160,000 in this campaign over the past year, compared to $38,500 from Ledbetter. Of his total, Burgess saw 28 percent of that money being local, and 33 percent of it from PACs. Ledbetter had 44 percent of her money from local sources, while 47 percent of it was from PACs.

Voters will choose between the two for the state House race Nov. 4.

BIGGEST EXPENDITURES

DANNY BURGESS
David Millner Group/Strategic Image Management, Jensen Beach — $81,418
Capitol Consulting, Odessa — $8,750
OAI, Tampa — $2,204

BEVERLY LEDBETTER
Sonic Print, Tampa — $22,209
Image Media, Tarpon Springs — $4,735
Tampa Type/Print, Dade City — $1,145

Political mailer pits neighbor versus neighbor

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A political mailer sharing the voting habits of neighbors might not be a new trick for the 2014 elections, but it’s one that has some residents questioning how much of their personal information should be made public.

Joshua Ciganek of Wesley Chapel received the postcard among other political mailings Wednesday, informing him that while he voted in 2012, he didn’t vote in 2010 — and he wasn’t alone. Several other neighbors were listed by name and address, as well as their voting record in the last two elections. It had a stern warning that he should not “throw away his vote” because “your neighbors will know. It’s public record.”

This political mailer from Citizens for a Better Florida, uses personal voting histories collected through public records requests to try and get out the vote. (Courtesy of Lisa Ciganek)
This political mailer from Citizens for a Better Florida, uses personal voting histories collected through public records requests to try and get out the vote. (Courtesy of Lisa Ciganek)

The mailer, part of campaign material produced by Citizens for a Better Florida executive committee, is right: Whether someone has voted or not is very much public record, and it’s the kind of information campaigns from all walks of political life use to determine who votes regularly, and who doesn’t.

The primary benefit of data like that is it allows campaigns to target likely voters, instead of those who might be registered to vote, but will almost definitely not make it to the polls by election day. However, using that information to try and shame others into voting is something that started to pop up in recent years, and it’s still completely legal.

“I never had a voter say to me, ‘You know what, my neighbor hasn’t voted. I need to get over there and tell them they have to,’” Pasco County elections supervisor Brian Corley said. “I don’t know how successful they are doing something like this, but if they are trying to irritate voters, they’re succeeding.”

Joshua’s mother, Lisa Ciganek, actually saw this particular postcard before her son did. She was immediately concerned with so much detail about her family’s — and neighborhood’s — voting history being so readily available.

But after she got Corley on the phone a short time later, she was even more shocked to learn what kind of information anyone from the public can get about her and everyone else registered to vote.

“I was told that anyone can get names, addresses, email, telephone numbers, even birthdays,” Lisa Ciganek said. “I’m like, ‘Are you kidding me?’ I can understand having names and addresses, but why would someone need to do a public record request on when your birthday is?”

Even more frustrating for Lisa Ciganek is the fact that her son was called out for not voting in 2010. But Joshua had an excuse for not participating in that election — he was only 16 at the time.

“They had his birthday, so I don’t know why they couldn’t check that out,” she said.

Using the latest printing technology, political groups can personalize mass mailings such as this one to show specific information, including data they pick up from public records requests of voting rolls. This image was altered to remove house numbers, and the mailing address area of the card. (Courtesy of Lisa Ciganek)
Using the latest printing technology, political groups can personalize mass mailings such as this one to show specific information, including data they pick up from public records requests of voting rolls. This image was altered to remove house numbers, and the mailing address area of the card. (Courtesy of Lisa Ciganek)

Citizens for a Better Florida has raised more than $660,000 this past year, according to state campaign finance records, with their primary donor coming from another executive committee called Realtors Political Advocacy Committee. That group over the last two weeks alone has received more than $500,000 — its primary source of funding — from the National Association of Realtors, an advocacy group representing real estate professionals around the country.

A spokeswoman for NAR tried to direct The Laker/Lutz News to the state organization of real estate professionals, Florida Realtors. However, when she was informed that most of the recent funding for these mailers came from the national organization, she asked for more time to review, and that response was still pending Thursday.

Yet, nothing what the executive committee did was illegal, Corley said. Anyone can request voter information, and anyone can use it or disseminate it any way they want. NAR’s intentions might be good, but the results may not be what they expected.

“This is like the world’s worst get-out-the-vote effort,” Corley said.”There were two sets of mailings like this in 2012, where one week we had a conservative-leaning group trying to get Republican voters. They were all calling us en masse, and emailing us, complaining about this information being released to them. Then the next week, a liberal group did the same thing reaching out to Democratic voters.”

Corley and other elections supervisors around the state have pushed the Florida Legislature to pass a law removing some personal information like birthdays from public release, but have not been successful on moving it forward just yet.

Lisa Ciganek says the mailer’s get-out-the-vote effort is completely wasted on her family. In fact, it’s more discouraging about participating in the election process, than encouraging.

“You have enough smearing going on in campaigns, why are we encouraging our neighbors to smear each other?” she asked. “I have a problem with that.”

In Print: Growth at The Grove could get red light

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It takes a lot to stand in the way of progress, but a popular shopping center just off Interstate 75 in Wesley Chapel may have finally found its Achilles heel: A traffic light.

The Grove at Wesley Chapel has the room to grow, however new tenants are shying away from the complex because they say another traffic light is needed where Oakley Boulevard meets County Road 54.

“The challenge we have with all the major future development out of The Grove centers around the fact that the project lacks a traffic signal at the main entrance,” said Jim Mazzarelli, managing director at Genesis Real Estate Advisers, the company working with The Grove developers. “As our engineers say, we don’t have an ingress problem, we have an egress problem. You can get in, but you can’t get out.”

There is a traffic light for cars wishing to turn left from the shopping center, but that means traveling west to Gateway Boulevard before leaving. Oakley makes more sense, Mazzarelli said, because that’s considered the main drive out.

But getting that light won’t be easy. Although the main road past The Grove is now county-maintained, the Florida Department of Transportation still controls the intersection with I-75, and rules currently prevent the state agency from allowing a traffic light that close.

So what are The Grove’s options? Find out in this week’s print edition of The Laker/Lutz News, available on newsstands and driveways right now. Or you can read the free online e-edition by clicking here.

For those who feel jumping out of a perfectly good airplane thousands of feet above the ground with nothing more than a large piece of nylon isn’t exciting enough, Zephyrhills is bring the world to town with the World Canopy Piloting Championships.

Florida resident and reigning national champion Tommy Dellibac will be among the competitors vying for gold at the World Canopy Piloting Championships in Zephyrhills. (Courtesy of Randy Swallows)
Florida resident and reigning national champion Tommy Dellibac will be among the competitors vying for gold at the World Canopy Piloting Championships in Zephyrhills. (Courtesy of Randy Swallows)

It’s all about “swooping,” and it’s the first time the world competition has come to the United States. And unlike regular skydiving, this is something people can gather on the ground to not only watch, but also enjoy.

“All the action happens in the last 10 seconds of the skydive, close to the ground,” T.K. Hayes, president and general manager of Skydive City, told reporter Michael Murillo. “It is totally a spectator sport.”

It’s going to cost $100,000 for Skydive City to put on the event, which takes place Nov. 4-6, but the company did get a little help from the Pasco County Tourist Development Council, which contributed $15,000 to the cause.

And it’s not just jumpers from around the world. It also includes a Florida swooper who was the champion at the last world competition two years ago. Is he coming back? Can he defend his title?

Find out in this week’s print edition of The Laker/Lutz News, available now both on newsstands, and in our online e-edition, which you can read for free right now by clicking here.

Several years ago, retiring Pasco County commissioner Pat Mulieri found herself at the Pasco County Animal Services shelter in Land O’ Lakes, and vowed she would never return. Seeing all the animals the shelter had to put to sleep tortured her soul so much, that she preferred it to be out of sight, out of mind.

However, Mulieri realized the only way to make a difference was to become involved, and she did just that in 2012. And now she’s looking to continue her very active role with the animal shelter on Dogpatch Lane even when she finally steps down from the government dais next week.

But despite all the efforts the shelter has done to reduce the percentage of animals that have to be killed each year, Mulieri believes real change will have to happen outside the shelter, not inside, to really make a difference.

“You’ll never be able to adopt them all out,” Mulieri told reporter Michael Hinman, “and you’ll never be able to cut down on the pet population until you change people’s ideas.”

That means encouraging everyone to spay or neuter their animals. Otherwise, it’s possible for one cat couple, for example, to be the top of the family tree of more than 420,000 cats … in just seven years.

How else can people help to save lives at the animal shelter? Find out in this week’s print edition of The Laker/Lutz News, available on both newsstands, and right here in our free online e-edition.

And finally, photojournalist Fred Bellet has some great pictures to share from the recent cut-a-thon at The Grove at Wesley Chapel’s Ulta Beauty location, all to help raise awareness about breast cancer, and at the same time, raise money for research. See it online by clicking here.

All of these 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.

In Print: There’s only one way, the Keppel Way

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Kris Keppel is the last person who feels he deserves all the accolades he’s received lately. While he had to retire as both a cross-country coach and a teacher for Land O’ Lakes High School earlier this year because of his battle with pancreatic cancer, Keppel still has to admit, what he’s done — and always has done — is inspire.

And that’s what he wants to keep on doing.

Kris Keppel — standing with his wife Dar and daughters Meredith and Morgan — thanks the fans and students during last week's Land O' Lakes-Sunlake football game for honoring him with a new award, and naming one of the school's streets after him. (Photo by Michael Hinman)
Kris Keppel — standing with his wife Dar and daughters Meredith and Morgan — thanks the fans and students during last week’s Land O’ Lakes-Sunlake football game for honoring him with a new award, and naming one of the school’s streets after him. (Photo by Michael Hinman)

“It’s pretty easy to inspire,” Keppel told fans at the recent Land O’ Lakes-Sunlake football game, according to reporter Michael Hinman. “Inspiration is a two-way street. You all can inspire each other on a daily basis.”

Keppel not only received the honor of having his name put on an award that will be given regularly by the high school to those that inspire others, but also to have a street named in his honor on campus.

“What better way to have students in the future know how much he inspired us to do things the Keppel way than to actually rename the roadway that leads into the athletic facility,” school principal Ric Mellin said. “From this point forward, every time our athletes come down the road from the parking lot into the stadiums in the back here, they are going to be doing it the Keppel Way.”

What did Coach Keppel and others think of all this? Find out in this week’s print edition of The Laker/Lutz News, available now. Or if you’re someone who can’t leave their computer quite yet, check out the story in our free online e-edition by clicking here.

It was a different kind of inspiration that led Bryan and Darci D’Onofrio to start their own theater company. And the name says it all.

Dreamhouse Theatre opens its first full production, “Little Shop of Horrors,” this weekend at the Center for the Arts at Wesley Chapel.

“Something we’ve always wanted to do was to have our own theater,” Bryan D’Onofrio told reporter B.C. Manion. “That’s been a dream of ours.”

So they pulled together their resources and made it happen. Bryan is the artistic director, while Darci is the executive director.

“We absolutely love the arts,” Darci D’Onofrio said. “We want to bring them here. We know that’s a need.”

Learn more about Dreamhouse Theatre and the people behind it in this week’s print edition of The Laker/Lutz News, available everywhere now. Or if you’d prefer, read it right now in our free online e-edition. Just click here.

There is a lot of focus on veterans at Saint Leo University, and not necessarily because a lot of them are traveling to Pasco County to take on classes. In fact, there are many veterans who are finding a way to get that post-high school education they’re looking for from Saint Leo — but they are doing it through the convenience of distance technology.

One man — U.S. Marine Corps gunnery sergeant Tedd “Gunny” Weiser — is in charge of making sure veterans successfully make the transition from battlefield to classroom.

“When these veterans come off active duty, there’s a trust, a comfort level, in being able to speak to somebody who can not only talk the talk, but walk the walk,” Weiser told reporter Michael Murillo.

The support his department provides is more than just answering basic questions or even maintaining a campus presence. It also comes in the form of a free online course developed by Saint Leo to help veterans and their families transition from military to civilian life. And not just to go to school, but to make it in the world that isn’t always the most friendly to soldiers coming back from conflict.

To learn more about what Saint Leo is doing with veterans, check out this week’s print edition of The Laker/Lutz News. Or read our free online edition by clicking here.

And finally, photojournalist Fred Bellet has some great pictures to share from the recent Fall Festival at The Grove at Wesley Chapel. It was some great costumes and more at the annual event — put on by the Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce — which can be found on the front of this week’s B-Section. See it online by clicking here.

All of these 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.

Missing Zephyrhills plane found six months later

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Authorities believe they have solved a mystery that had baffled authorities for months.

Theodore Weiss fires up his homebuilt Sonex plane not long before he disappeared from the Marion County Airport. Authorities believe they found a crash site with his plane markings and the remains of a man not far from the airport. (Courtesy of the Florida Sonex Association)
Theodore Weiss fires up his homebuilt Sonex plane not long before he disappeared from the Marion County Airport. Authorities believe they found a crash site with his plane debris and the remains of what is believed to be the pilot not far from the airport. (Courtesy of the Florida Sonex Association)

A hiker reportedly found the wreckage of a plane of a Zephyrhills pilot that has been missing since last April. A plane said to be the Sonex homebuilt airplane flown by Theodore Weiss was located at the Pruitt Trailhead in Dunellon, according to the Ocala Star-Banner. Skeletal remains have been found at the site, but authorities have yet to determine if they belong to Weiss.

The debris was white with a green stripe, and had the tail number “N229P,” which matches the description of Weiss’ plane, the newspaper said. That’s just a short distance from the Marion County Airport, where Weiss was last seen during the Florida Sonex Association’s Spring Sonex Fest.

Weiss departed the airport alone April 5, and was supposed to arrive in Zephyrhills a couple hours later. However, he never arrived. Officials as well as friends, family and members of the Florida Wing of the Civil Air Patrol began a massive search, trying to locate the plane in the heavy woods in both Marion and Hernando counties.

The plane was a fixed-wing, single-engine plane with two seats, according to aviation tracking site FlightAware. Weiss purchased it in February 2012, and it was originally owned by a Georgia man in 2006. It changed hands a couple times before Weiss bought it.

Sonex planes are self-build kit planes manufactured out of Oshkosh, Wisconsin. The planes themselves have a range 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.

Officials from both the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration were expected to arrive on the site Monday.

Left Behind: Bus service screeches to a halt on Monday

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He leaned back on the bench, allowing just bits of a pizza delivery store advertisement to peek through for motorists to see as they sped past the New River Branch Library on State Road 54.

The skies were a clear blue, and the morning coolness was quickly giving way to what would soon be a noontime Florida heat. Yet, hints of sweat formed on his forehead, under a tattered ball cap where the letters “TB” were joined by a stingray — a not-so-happy reminder of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays of the past.

There were no riders at bus stops on Monday. Although Pasco County was technically open on Columbus Day, many departments — including Pasco County Public Transportation — were closed for employee training. (Michael Hinman/Staff Photo)
There were no riders at bus stops on Monday. Although Pasco County was technically open on Columbus Day, many departments — including Pasco County Public Transportation — were closed for employee training.
(Michael Hinman/Staff Photo)

The man, who would not give his name, had walked from The Columns at Cypress Point, a small apartment community behind the library. He was hoping to catch the bus to the new Walmart in Wesley Chapel to replenish his food pantry and refrigerator.

Except no bus was coming.

“What do you mean?” he said. “It’s Monday. Where is it?”

Monday was Columbus Day, a holiday with federal status, but one that’s not recognized by many employers, including state and even Pasco County officials. Yet, many offices in the county were closed, including Pasco County Public Transportation, while the employees from those departments attended a daylong retreat and appreciation day. It’s something the county does twice a year — on President’s Day in February and on Columbus Day — County Administrator Michele Baker said. It comes during a time when bus ridership is “significantly reduced.”

“We don’t have the opportunity to train our work units as a team,” Baker said. “The only way to give good training and to improve our customer service, and improve the level of service to our customers, is to do a timeout.”

That timeout closed many county offices the same time banks and federal offices also were shuttered. So-called “constitutional offices,” like the tax collector’s office and supervisor of elections office, remained open, however.

The New River library was closed Monday, but budget cutbacks forced all county libraries to be closed Mondays. Yet, employees from New River and others also took part in the retreat, and they will make up for the extra day by closing down all libraries on Friday.

Baker’s administration got the green light to shut down the county twice a year for these training sessions when her predecessor, John Gallagher, was still in office three years ago, she said. The training has taken place ever since, but has not needed additional approvals from the commission.

“It is difficult to choose the right day,” Commissioner Pat Mulieri told The Laker/Lutz News, in an email. “I think that bringing staff together is a great idea. We are growing, and there are many departments that could assist one another and integrate services. It always helps if it is on a personal basis.”

But one of the people who wants to replace Mulieri on the commission agrees that training is good, but only with minimal impact to people who depend on county services. Erika Remsberg, a Democrat who faces Mike Moore in the upcoming Nov. 4 election, said her first thought after learning bus service was cancelled on Monday was wondering how some people were going to get to work.

“This will mean lower-income folks who depend on our transit system to access health care, employment, shopping or otherwise, will not be able to do so on that day,” Remsberg said, in an email. “The extent of those consequences may not be realized or assessed. My hope is this is such a critical training event that it will increase productivity (and) customer service more than it will hurt the folks who will lose a day’s pay, delay their treatment, or prevent them from getting groceries for their families.”

Six miles away from the man in front of the library, a woman sporting a bright orange bag leaned against a bus stop sign near Vandine Road. She had a dollar bill in her hand, as well as a voucher, and looked with concern down State Road 54, waiting for a bus to arrive.

When she was told buses were not running that day, her face turned disgusted, and she walked off down the sidewalk.

“When those drivers are at work, they are out driving a bus,” Baker said. “The only time we could meet with them is after hours and on overtime, and this is a way we didn’t have to do that and save money. We have really not gotten any complaints.”

For anyone who has been inconvenienced, the rewards from Monday’s meetings would make it worth it, she said.

“Our people come out of this with refreshed customer service skills and new technical skills,” Baker said. “The whole idea is to give us an opportunity provide all this necessary training, and to ensure it’s very cost-affordable.”

Did you work on Columbus Day?
It’s been called one of the nation’s most inconsistently celebrated holidays by the Pew Research Center. And while federal and bank employees might have Columbus Day off, state workers in Florida do not, nor do a vast majority of private company employees.

In fact, The Council of State Governments says just 23 states even recognize Columbus Day as a paid holiday. And while banks might be closed, the stock market isn’t, so the gavel still fell on Wall Street on Monday.

Pasco County Schools and Pasco-Hernando State College both remained open on Monday — meaning students, faculty and administrators were on the job.

The holiday first appeared in Colorado in 1906 to celebrate the landing of explorer Christopher Columbus to what would later become American soil in 1492.

– Michael Hinman

Published October 15, 2014

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Both want jobs, but disagree on how to get them

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One of the biggest challenges facing the Pasco County Commission in recent years is how to create more jobs here, and not force nearly half the population to travel elsewhere to find work.

It’s likely a problem that won’t be fixed over the next four years, but that hasn’t stopped the two candidates looking for a seat on the commission to share their ideas on how it might happen. They are just quite different.

Mike Moore, left, and Erika Remsberg both want to succeed Pat Mulieri on the Pasco County Commission. Moore has raised nearly $132,000 in his effort, while Remsberg, who has raised slightly more $7,700, wants to be the first Democrat on the commission since 2010. (Michael Hinman/Staff Photo)
Mike Moore, left, and Erika Remsberg both want to succeed Pat Mulieri on the Pasco County Commission. Moore has raised nearly $132,000 in his effort, while Remsberg, who has raised slightly more $7,700, wants to be the first Democrat on the commission since 2010. (Michael Hinman/Staff Photo)

Mike Moore and Erika Remsberg both want to succeed the retiring Pat Mulieri on the commission, and both believe it’s jobs and growth that will finally put them on the dais.

“Penny for Pasco is giving us $45 million for economic development, and those dollars need to be put to work,” Moore said during a recent candidate forum at Lexington Oaks in Wesley Chapel. “I know the (Pasco Economic Development Council) has some ideas on how to put those dollars to work, and I have some of my own ideas.”

The Pasco EDC has long taken a position of working to attract big employers to the county, competing with Hillsborough, Pinellas and even Polk counties, to get companies here. Earlier this year, Pasco EDC president and chief executive John Hagen suggested using some Penny for Pasco money to assemble chunks of land and make it ready for a large employer.

Companies like Amazon and Bristol-Myers Squibb could have brought many high-paying jobs to the county if they had chosen Pasco over Hillsborough, Moore suggested.

“We need to incentivize those companies to come into the area,” he said. “When you bring in large companies, that helps some of the smaller businesses, too. You’re going to have more people eating at restaurants, and they will have the money to buy goods at mom and pop stores. We need to keep the economic engine going.”

But the county has had little luck in bringing those companies here, Remsberg said. Instead, millions of taxpayer dollars have been put aside for companies like T. Rowe Price, who was supposed to bring 1,600 jobs on the promise of a $30 million commitment from the county, only to change its mind a few years later.

“It’s very expensive to do that, and more often than not, the projects do not work out,” Remsberg said. “It’s an expensive gamble that we should not be taking and using the minimal dollars we already have.”

Instead, Remsberg suggests the county take cues from the Pasco EDC and the communities of Dade City and New Port Richey to fund more small business incubators. Facilities like the one at the Dade City Business Center provide low-cost commercial space for upstarts, as well as advisory help from business experts to help those companies become profitable.

“They are resource centers for these small businesses, and they have training available to help make these businesses successful,” she said. “We should be taking these Penny for Pasco dollars and investing them in provable strategies that we know work here, and which will benefit Pasco residents.”

Because of his own background starting and running companies, Moore said he’s perfect to talk to chief executives of larger companies, and promoting the county to them. Pasco’s push to bring tourism-related amenities like the proposed 20-field baseball complex by Blue Marble Strategic in Wesley Chapel will make it easier to sing those praises.

“We need to gamble, we need to show them our area and how all these people are excited about it,” Moore said. “We want to create lots of opportunities for people who want to come here.”

But the work to wine and dine executives, and to compete with neighboring counties, carries a hefty price tag, Remsberg said.

“The consulting fee alone could’ve helped Meals on Wheels feed the 200 homebound elderly people who are going without food right now,” she said. “We need a steady stream of qualified workers, and we need comprehensive public transportation so that we are able to move those people around.”

Voters will decide between Moore and Remsberg Nov. 4.

Published October 8, 2014

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Fun to spare: Special Olympics hosts county bowling competition

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If you wanted to do some bowling in Zephyrhills on Sept. 19, you probably had a long wait.

Around 200 Special Olympics bowlers were knocking down pins, laughing and showing off hard-earned ribbons at Pin Chasers, 6816 N. Gall Blvd., in Zephyrhills.

Pine View Middle School student Maryanne Meeker knocks down some pins at the Special Olympics bowling event Sept. 19, which was part of its Fall Classic schedule. (Michael Murillo/Staff Photo)
Pine View Middle School student Maryanne Meeker knocks down some pins at the Special Olympics bowling event Sept. 19, which was part of its Fall Classic schedule.
(Michael Murillo/Staff Photo)

Athletes from eight area middle and high schools packed the lanes in two sessions at the event, which was part of Special Olympics’ Fall Classic season. Gymnastics and softball also are part of the season, which begins with county games before moving to area competition and the state games in November.

According to Judy Brunner, county coordinator for Special Olympics Florida, the athletes get excited about bowling day, which combines competition with socialization and fun.

“They look forward to it for weeks and weeks,” Brunner said. “They love being here, they love showing off their abilities. They especially love getting that ribbon to take home.”

The event is good for family members as well, she said. Like little league or other organized sports activities for traditional students, parents come out to Special Olympics events to support their athletes, watch them perform, and see them interact in a social setting.

Holland Meeker was one of those proud parents at the bowling alley. Her daughter, Maryanne, has learning and speech disabilities, and doesn’t usually enjoy social settings. But Special Olympics bowling was different, and she had been looking forward to the event.

“Since (Maryanne) found out she was going to be participating, she was super excited,” Meeker said. “She’s enjoying herself greatly.”

Her attitude was a welcome surprise for her grandmother, Pamela Stewart, who also came out to watch Maryanne bowl.

“It’s great because she’s an introvert. Even if she’s at my house, she just sits there by herself,” she said. “Maryanne couldn’t wait to come.”

Maryanne, an eighth-grader at Pine View Middle School, said she likes her classes and enjoys math in particular. But it can’t compare to her first bowling event with Special Olympics, where she stared down the pins instead of studying.

“It’s fun,” she said. “I get to miss school.”

Fun is what Special Olympics is all about, Brunner said. And in her 34 years with the organization, she’s seeing more people having fun over the years.

When she first started, there was one season with just 250 athletes participating. Now there are different seasons and separate events for east and west Pasco participants.

In all, around 1,200 students and adults participate in Special Olympics in Pasco County.

Having that many participants means plenty of volunteers are needed to keep events running smoothly. At the bowling event, Zephyrhills High School students were on hand to help. Students from Land O’ Lakes High School helped with a similar event in west Pasco.

Special Olympics benefits from having around 100 volunteers for the Fall Classic season, Brunner said, and they make a big difference to the organization.

“We couldn’t do it without the volunteers,” she said. “They’re crucial, and they’re so good with our athletes. They give them a lot of extra attention and a lot of kudos, and make them feel good about themselves.”

Brunner also credited the Pasco County school system with handling transportation and letting them organize events on school days, which increases participation.

The result is full lanes, a lot of smiles, and a desire to continue participating in Special Olympics. Even for athletes like Maryanne, who don’t normally look forward to social events and interacting with new people, it’s something fun to mark on the calendar.

“She’s already looking forward to the next one,” Stewart said.

Published October 1, 2014

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Kmart turning off blue light in Zephyrhills

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Pasco County is losing yet another Kmart store, and it’s going to affect nearly 70 jobs in Zephyrhills.

Sears Holdings Corp., the parent company of Kmart, told The Laker/Lutz News it will close its location at 7422 Gall Blvd., in early December. A liquidation sale began Sunday, and will continue for the next two months as the location gets ready to shut its doors.

A second location is reportedly being closed in New Port Richey as well.

Although he didn’t say how many stores were being closed, a Sears spokesman said store closures were “part of a series of actions we’re taking to reduce ongoing expenses,” as well as transform the company’s business model.

“These actions will better enable us to focus our investments on serving our customers and members through integrated retail — at the store, online and in the home,” said Sears spokesman Howard Riefs, in a statement.

The other Kmart location on this side of Pasco County, located at 22920 State Road 54 in Lutz, will not be affected by the closing, Riefs said.

The Kmart location in Zephyrhills currently has 68 employees, and those associates will receive severance packages if they are eligible, Riefs said. They also will have the chance to apply for open positions in other Sears or Kmart stores. Most of the jobs being lost are part-time or hourly.

Sears has closed a number of stores so far this year, including 46 nationwide during the second quarter, according to its filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. In total, 75 Kmarts had closed through the first half of 2014, as well as 21 Sears stores. In the first half of 2013, 27 Kmarts and 10 Sears were closed.

Kmart had sales of $2.9 billion in the most recent sales quarter, compared to $3.2 billion the year before. The company lost $142 million during that time compared to a $56 million loss the year before.