The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

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Black wins in landslide while DeWitt, Wilkeson ousted

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Pilot, plane heading to Zephyrhills missing

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Pasco considering ban on hiring smokers for county jobs

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Published April 2, 2014

County official says cancer gave her a new perspective

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The women sat in a circle, quietly sharing the ways their lives have been affected by three devastating words: “You have cancer.”

Paula O’Neil attends a breast cancer support group at The Center for Women’s Health at Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel to share her personal experiences with breast cancer. (B.C. Manion/Staff Photo)
Paula O’Neil attends a breast cancer support group at The Center for Women’s Health at Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel to share her personal experiences with breast cancer.
(B.C. Manion/Staff Photo)

For one, the words were so fresh that she couldn’t quite wrap her mind around her situation. For another, those words have been uttered repeatedly and have caused multiple surgeries.

One member of the group, Paula O’Neil — Pasco County’s clerk of the circuit court and county comptroller — had joined the women to share her story. For O’Neil, like for the others, finding out she had breast cancer was a jolt.

“I was totally shocked. I really felt that I led a healthy life,” O’Neil said.

In the area where the cancer was found, O’Neil had been previously screened with a mammogram and a sonogram and had been fine, she said.

Statistics from the American Cancer Society, estimate that about 1.7 million new cancer cases will be diagnosed in 2014, and nearly 1,600 Americans per day are expected to die from the disease.

When O’Neil heard she had breast cancer, she didn’t believe she would die. She said she’d met so many survivors through her association with the American Cancer Society that she didn’t expect that her disease would be fatal.

“I figured I would make it through,” O’Neil said.

But that didn’t mean the experience was easy.

“I think the hardest time is between the time when you find out and you find out what they’re going to do,” she said. “You don’t how far it spread. You don’t know what’s going to happen to you.”

It’s not easy for the family, either.

“When you first find out you have cancer, you and your family, it’s like, ‘Holy cow, are you kidding me?’ And then, you start accepting it,” she said.

Making O’Neil’s case more complicated is the public nature of her work. As clerk of the circuit court, she has a large staff of 150 people and many responsibilities. Before she informed her staff, O’Neil gathered her executive team around her to share her news. She wanted them to help reassure the staff that she was looking good and expected to be OK.

She said she wanted to be sure she controlled the story, so she notified the press.

“When you’re in an elective position, you have to be careful. You don’t want people to think you’re going to die,” O’Neil said. “I wanted the story from myself. I didn’t want rumors.”

She said her initial concerns were about losing a breast and losing her hair. When she found out she needed a mastectomy, she said she pushed for a double mastectomy to avoid having to go through a similar ordeal later.

She was advised, instead, to have genetic testing done to see if she had a genetically inherited trait that made her at high risk for breast cancer. The result was negative, so she was denied the double mastectomy.

Like most cancer patients, O’Neil did not want to lose her hair. Part of the reason was a concern for her appearance because she’s on television every other week, during Pasco County Commission meetings.

“I don’t know if I would have done that with a wig. I didn’t want to look sick. It was real important to me not to look sick,” O’Neil said.

She underwent chemotherapy, but she kept most of her hair.

“I did the chemo cold caps to save my hair. I was able to freeze my scalp to save my hair,” she said. “It thinned. It thinned a lot.”

Patients wear a specially designed cap that is cooled to a very low temperature to constrict the blood vessels to prevent them from carrying the harmful drug agents to the scalp, thus preventing the drugs from damaging the hair follicles.

The chemo cold caps are not covered by every insurance plan, but were covered by hers, O’Neil said.

In addition to the chemotherapy treatments, O’Neil also underwent breast reconstruction, which resulted in an infection in her stomach for six months, she said.

As she shared her story, other women in the group opened up. Some talked about how hard it is to tell others they have cancer. Other women talked about how grateful they are being able to share their experiences at the support group, which meets at The Center for Women’s Health at Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel.

The women shared their pain, but also offered each other practical advice.

For those who have trouble sharing their story, there’s a website called CaringBridge.com that allows communications to be shared with whomever they want to keep in the loop, one woman said.

Another said there’s a website geared to helping organize the contribution of meals by others who care. That’s called, TakeThemAMeal.com.

O’Neil told the women she was honored to meet with them.

“We’ve all been through the same things,” she said. “I can tell you this: It’s not a path I would have chosen, but I’m very grateful, grateful for the experience. It gives you a different perspective on life and on how precious it is.”

O’Neil said she’s always believed she would one day work at a cancer camp for kids. Now, when she does, she’ll be able to relate to them on a deeper level.

“I’ll be able to say, ‘I’ve been through chemo, too,’” O’Neil said.

Published March 26, 2014

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Days numbered for Zephyrhills city manager?

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Jim Drumm is working hard to get support on his side. But if he wants to keep his city manager job in Zephyrhills, it’s going to come down to collecting as many city council members on his side as possible, or that a judge agrees he can’t be let go.

At least part of that battle, however, is being lost as a third council member joined Lance Smith and Ken Burgess in opposing renewing Drumm’s contract. Yet, the fear of a lawsuit has bought the city manager some more time as the council opted to get a third opinion on how they can legally cut ties with Drumm.

Charles Proctor, who admits that if the decision were completely up to him he would keep Drumm, turned against the city manager during Monday’s council meeting. He said talking to various people inside the city government, as well as many of his constituents, Proctor came to a conclusion he didn’t like: Drumm had to go.

“Do I think Mr. Drumm was perfect? No,” Proctor said. “But I thought he did a good job as far as city managing. When I went out and talked to some people, the majority, unfortunately … the majority of the people who talked to me did not want me to move forward with the renewal of (Drumm’s) contract.”

Much of the problem has been poor communication, and trouble with some people inside the city government able to work with him, council members said.

 That has left council members Jodi Wilkeson and Kenneth Compton alone in their support for Drumm, who was hired by the city in 2011 to replace longtime city manager Steve Spina. Compton had tried to get a workshop scheduled where the council could talk more freely about the pros and cons of Drumm’s work. However, such a move didn’t get the support of Smith, Burgess or Proctor.

Compton, however, was not ready to give up. City Attorney Joe Poblick has said that it would take a supermajority of the council — four of the five members — to renew Drumm’s contract, which is set to expire in May. Yet, having a contract with a set end date is not addressed in the city’s charter, essentially Zephyrhills’ constitution, Compton said. That would give Drumm ammunition to fight the city legally on whether he was lawfully terminated.

“To me, in reference to the opinion provided by the labor attorney, the charter is the controlling document,” Compton said. “Anything inconsistent with the charter is wrong.”

Drumm, speaking in his own defense, said from the legal opinions he’s received, he can continue working as city manager whether he has a contract in place or not, until he quits or is removed by four council members. He noted that his predecessor, Spina, worked both with and without a contract, and that he has that ability, too, thanks to the way the Zephyrhills city charter is written.

Danny Burgess, an attorney himself serving his last full meeting as mayor, said that everything he’s seen from the two legal opinions the city’s already received on Drumm’s status checks out. Doing more would waste taxpayer money, especially if the council looks at high-profile firms like Tampa’s Fowler White to offer a third opinion.

“How much weight are we going to give this third opinion?” asked Burgess, who did not seek re-election to the city after announcing his bid for the state legislature. “We had two attorneys that we paid for opinions who are very qualified and very good at what they do. And here we’re just going with a firm (for a third opinion) based on name recognition.”

Why some members of council want to oust Drumm is something the city manager says he doesn’t understand. He told the council that he heard rumors that, among other things, he was not close to the powerful families in town, and it’s possibly them pulling the strings. Drumm also said that some in the city know Spina is out and about looking to manage a city again, and may be eyeing his old job in Zephyrhills.

Spina, however, denied that rumor when asked Tuesday by The Laker/Lutz News.

Drumm said if the council did indeed want to bring Spina back, he would gladly step aside and allow the city to negotiate, and when they came to a deal, he would negotiate a severance and move on. However, Drumm said he came to Zephyrhills planning on making this a long-term home. If he had any inkling that he would only be here three years like his contract suggests, he may have not even considered the position in the first place.

The council decided not to take any action on Drumm, and instead, wait to hear a third opinion before moving forward.

The Zephyrhills City Council is set to meet again after the April 8 elections where one council member (and Drumm supporter) Jodi Wilkeson will try to defend her seat against former high school football coach Alan Knight.

Story was updated 3/25/14 to include comment from former Zephyrhills city manager Steve Spina.

Corcoran’s Phantom Campaign

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Running a political campaign is not cheap. The recent Congressional race between David Jolly and Alex Sink — where millions of dollars were spent — can easily attest to that.

State Rep. Richard Corcoran, R-Land O’ Lakes, confers with State Rep. Rob Schenck, R-Spring Hill, last year in Tallahassee. Corcoran so far has spent more money than any other House candidate this election cycle, despite the fact he has yet to draw an opponent. (Courtesy of Meredith Geddings)
State Rep. Richard Corcoran, R-Land O’ Lakes, confers with State Rep. Rob Schenck, R-Spring Hill, last year in Tallahassee. Corcoran so far has spent more money than any other House candidate this election cycle, despite the fact he has yet to draw an opponent.
(Courtesy of Meredith Geddings)

Many candidates, if not most, are faced with a reality where money is just as important as votes. And they will look everywhere to try and fill their coffers.

Locally, State Rep. Richard Corcoran is feeling how expensive it is to defend his seat in Tallahassee. The Land O’ Lakes Republican has raised more than $186,000 for his re-election bid so far, and already has spent just under $119,000 — more than any other House candidate in the state.

Corcoran’s campaign costs $9,100 each month, with thousands of dollars earmarked to printing costs, consulting fees, accounting and advertising.

There is just one small thing to mention about Corcoran’s 13-month campaign so far: The man in line to become House Speaker in late 2015 has been running for re-election … unopposed.

Corcoran is one of 59 incumbents who have yet to draw a challenger for the November elections. Because there’s still time for many of them to attract opposition, these lawmakers have kept fundraising in high gear, pulling in $4.5 million so far.

Yet, these candidates have only spent $1.1 million, or 24 percent, of the money they raised. Corcoran, on the other hand, has already spent 64 percent of his funds. He’s shelled out nearly twice the cash of other local unopposed candidates — Dan Raulerson, Janet Cruz and James Grant — combined.

Why would someone without an opponent need to spend $119,000? Because with or without a challenger, Corcoran sees the campaign as a chance to connect with his constituents.

“If there’s any chance you get where you can communicate with the voters and get their input, we do it,” Corcoran said. “Anytime you get input from the voters, that just makes you much more effective.”

Through the end of February, Corcoran has spent nearly $54,000 in printing and postage fees, $15,400 in advertising and $12,800 in consulting fees. A lot of those funds, however, were geared toward the representative’s tele-town hall, the most recent one featuring Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco.

Corcoran used funds to print mailers and get them into his constituents’ mailboxes, inviting them to call in and get updates on criminal justice issues and other topics affecting lawmakers.

“We had 2,000 people on the phone, and they got to ask whatever question they want,” Corcoran said. “We get great feedback on this, telling us thank you so much for doing this. But honestly, as much as they’re appreciative of us, I’m much more appreciative of them, because they help me be a much better legislator.”

Still, those costs alone are double the annual median income of a Pasco County resident ($43,787, according to the U.S. Census Bureau). It’s also far more than Republican House candidate Danny Burgess, Democratic State Rep. Mark Danish, and former State Rep. Mark Harrison, who combined to spend just a little more than $35,000 in printing, advertising and consulting.

And those three candidates have opposition.

Yet, Corcoran’s spending habits are not as unusual as they seem. Unopposed candidates around the country spend lots of money, especially if they can afford it.

While it might help maintain avenues of communication with voters, it also has much more strategic purposes as well, said Craig Holman, a government affairs lobbyist for Public Citizen’s Congress Watch in Washington, D.C.

“It is designed to intimidate any opposition from entering the race,” he said. “Incumbents are able to raise funds from special interests who have business pending before the official, regardless of whether the official faces any serious election challenge.”

But a candidate spending a lot of money in an unopposed race could be looking to the future as well.

“The incumbent appears to be planning some future candidacy for higher office, and is using this opportunity (to) get his name well publicized across the state of Florida,” Holman said.

Seeking the state senate, a Congressional seat or even the governor’s mansion is not on Corcoran’s mind at all, he said. He has no interest in challenging Wilt Simpson or John Legg for their Senate seats, and Gus Bilirakis will likely occupy his Congressional seat for a long time to come.

Corcoran knows his approach is unusual, but that’s what he likes.

“If you talk to a lot of pundits, they say doing this much communication with the voters this early is not something they recommend,” Corcoran said. “I’m going against the grain.”

And Corcoran knows people are watching him closely. Back in 2010, his primary opponents accused him of using a credit card issued by the Republican Party for lavish spending, including a later-canceled family vacation to Spain. But Corcoran got support from then state Sen. Mike Fasano — now the Pasco County tax collector — who said Corcoran was an aide for then state House Speaker Marco Rubio, and that Corcoran was simply following orders.

Finally, what if someone decides to jump into the race for Corcoran’s seat? Would the lawmaker be ready, even though he’s already spent close to $120,000?

“I have to look, but we still have about $60,000 in the bank, and I could raise more,” he said. “We feel good with having enough money.”

Published March 19, 2014

Wiregrass Ranch has impressive science fair results

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Ryan De Vroeg’s fascination with military weapons and armor began when he was just a little kid.

He recalls watching the Military History channel when he was quite small, and being drawn to stories about how weapons work and how they’ve evolved.

Wiregrass Ranch High School student Ryan De Vroeg has a new enthusiasm for competing in science fairs since his teacher, Branden Anglin, encouraged him to explore a topic of interest to him. (Courtesy of Pasco County Schools)
Wiregrass Ranch High School student Ryan De Vroeg has a new enthusiasm for competing in science fairs since his teacher, Branden Anglin, encouraged him to explore a topic of interest to him. (Courtesy of Pasco County Schools)

So, when his Wiregrass Ranch High School teacher encouraged students to do science fair entries based on their interest areas, De Vroeg decided to study the impact force of a composite material, in a quest to design safer armor to protect soldiers and law enforcement personnel.

De Vroeg, whose study involved carbon fiber, said he was inspired by a desire to improve protection for military personnel and law enforcement officers. His entry at the Pasco Regional STEM Fair — which focuses on science, technology, engineering and mathematics — won first place in the engineering category and was named the most outstanding exhibit in materials science by the ASM Materials Education Foundation.

De Vroeg now moves on to compete at the Florida State Science and Engineering Fair slated for April 8-10 at Lakeland Center in Lakeland. He is one of four Wiregrass Ranch High students who advanced beyond the regional fair. Other students with winning entries were Vasili Courialis, Tyler Glantz and John Pease.

Courialis, who now attends Sunlake High, designed an experiment to determine whether or not manipulating the center of gravity in an SUV could reduce the rollover rates of the vehicle. His entry was chosen to be one of two representatives for Pasco County at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair in May.

Glantz looked at rocket design and which design would decrease fluid drag on a rocket in the atmosphere. Pease measured the impact force of a soccer ball, and looked at ways he could reduce that force to help protect soccer players at all levels.

“This the first time Wiregrass Ranch has sent students to both state competition and international competition as well,” said Branden Anglin, who teaches biology and biology honors, and coordinates the science fair for Wiregrass Ranch. “This is a tremendous achievement, considering that this the first year that Wiregrass Ranch sent a student to regional fair.”

This is also De Vroeg’s first science fair.

“I wasn’t really a fan of science fairs when I was younger because teachers just forced me to do something out of a book,” De Vroeg said. However, he changed his attitude because of Anglin’s approach.

The science fair, Anglin said, is not about a grade.

“All too often, we approach it as a requirement for the science classroom,” he said. “We assign the project, let the kids go, and expect them to come back with a decent project. That leads to students turning to the Internet and giving us canned projects in return.”

A science fair helps spark scientific interest in students, Anglin added.

“If I were to force students to do a science fair project only on a slim range of topics, I would get back less-than-exciting projects that were merely a copy of a project found online,” he said.

Giving students a range of options allows them to own the process, he said.

“I then help them to refine that project, and make it into a high-quality project that they can be proud of,” Anglin said.

He thinks teachers can use science fair projects to share their passion for understanding how the world works. And he shares that with students about their science fair projects as well.

“I tell them I want them to try to change the world, and not settle for anything less than their best,” Anglin said.

He believes this gives students an opportunity for an authentic way to experience science.

“They aren’t just reading a textbook or taking notes, they are actually doing science. They are being scientists,” Anglin said. “Many students, myself included, change their career path after advancing to state or international competition.”

De Vroeg’s new interest in scientific competitions may bode well for the young man, Anglin said.

“Ryan is one of my most enthusiastic students when it comes to scientific discovery,” he said. “He has a lot of great ideas, and, if he pursues those interests, he will make a dramatic impact on the world of material engineering.”

He’s particularly impressed by De Vroeg’s grasp of concepts, especially in light of his youth.

“To do this kind of work as a freshman in high school is almost unheard of,” Anglin said. “Ryan has positioned himself to be a competitor at the regional, state, and international level over the next three years if he stays dedicated to his craft and really focuses on generating unique and applicable projects.”

Published March 12, 2014

 

Town hall over elevated toll road descends into chaos

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The crowd was there to speak, not to listen.

After spending nearly an hour hearing why some Pasco County leaders like planning and development administrator Richard Gehring were still open to exploring the possibility of an elevated toll road along the State Road 54/56 corridor, hundreds of people gathered at a town hall meeting at Sunlake High School Monday night interrupted, shouted and booed over scheduled speakers.

Residents crowded into Sunlake High School's gymnasium March 10 to talk about the proposed elevated toll road for the State Road 54/56 corridor. (Photo by Michael Hinman)
Residents crowded into Sunlake High School’s gymnasium March 10 to talk about the proposed elevated toll road for the State Road 54/56 corridor. (Photo by Michael Hinman)

And their goal was clear: No elevated toll road.

“This needs to have community support, and the presentation (from county officials) was very demeaning,” one resident said. “Everything has already been decided.”

It was supposed to be just another one of several town hall meetings Pasco County Commissioner Kathryn Starkey had organized for constituents: She would bring members of the county staff with her to discuss various issues, and then listen to the attendees and get their feedback.

This meeting, however, served as a prelude to official public interaction over the elevated toll road and overall county transportation plan that’s set to kick off Saturday at The Shops at Wiregrass.

Even with a microphone, speakers like Gehring struggled to talk over the unruly crowd. When one man interrupted him after shouting from the audience, Gehring tried to keep some sort of order.

“Sir … could we have …” Gehring said before getting interrupted again. “Public dialogue requires civility. Let me try and ask you for it.”

International Infrastructure Partners, which submitted an unsolicited proposal last year to privately build the elevated toll road in Pasco County, has not even actually bid on such a project yet, and is still early in negotiations with the Florida Department of Transportation, Starkey said.

“We don’t know what’s going to happen,” she said. “But we all need to know, at least in my mind, what our alternatives are” to the road if it’s not built.

Some of the talk from the crowd is to keep moving such an east-west connector north, just like residents in Hillsborough County have successfully done over the years. One idea would be to build a higher-capacity road along State Road 52, which virtually runs parallel to State Road 54 in the northern part of the county.

“We do have a problem: We have to have an east-west road,” said Christie Zimmer, a member of the Pasco County Citizens’ Advisory Committee. “I’m absolutely 100 percent opposed for that to happen in the State Road 54/56 corridor, but if we look at the 52 corridor, the cost is substantially less.”

Such a road, she said, would not just serve the travelers from Hillsborough and Pinellas counties, but it would help bring Hernando County into the fold on a road where not so much development has happened.

At one point, Gehring rebutted a comment that an elevated road would depress property values along the corridor, using the Selmon Expressway as an example in Hillsborough County. There, he said, property values are actually on the rise — a statement that was met with jeers from the audience.

While there was a lot of interruptions from the audience, it did seem at least one person was listening. Ken Littlefield, a Republican candidate for Pasco County Commission seeking to replace Pat Mulieri, failed to take a position on the elevated road during a Republican debate last week. But now, the former state legislator says he has all the information he needs.

“If there is one thing that I detest, it’s an unsolicited call,” Littlefield said. “Every evening, between 5 and 7 p.m., our telephone rings, and every now and then, I will not recognize the number and I’ll pick it up. They’ll start an unsolicited call, and I will hang it up.

“Ladies and gentlemen, what I think we need to do on this unsolicited bid is hang up.”

Read more about this meeting and this weekend’s transportation presentation at The Shops at Wiregrass in the March 19 print edition of The Laker/Lutz News.

More than 125 years of Benedictine service began with just four nuns

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Construction crews from Creative Contractors Inc., are busily erecting the future home of the Benedictine Sisters of Florida. They are building the new Holy Name Monastery on the south side of State Road 52 near Wichers Road. The project includes a chapel, private living quarters with 20 bedrooms, a library to house archives and spiritual books, and meeting spaces for large and small groups.

The Benedictine Sisters of Florida lived in a three-story, wood-frame hotel building from the time they arrived until a more modern monastery was built in 1960. A team of oxen moved the hotel building on 1911 from San Antonio to the current monastery’s site, west of Saint Leo University. (B.C. Manion/Staff Photo)
The Benedictine Sisters of Florida lived in a three-story, wood-frame hotel building from the time they arrived until a more modern monastery was built in 1960. A team of oxen moved the hotel building on 1911 from San Antonio to the current monastery’s site, west of Saint Leo University. (B.C. Manion/Staff Photo)

The funds for the new monastery are coming from $3.4 million in proceeds from the sale of the current monastery and land to Saint Leo University, as well as a $500,000 capital campaign. So far, the capital campaign has raised slightly less than $175,000, which includes a $100,000 one-to-one match challenge grant. The sisters must raise $100,000 by June 30 to receive that grant.

The building, which was designed by Klar & Klar Architects, is well under way.

It’s possible that the sisters may move in as early as this summer, said Sister Roberta Bailey, prioress of the Benedictine Sisters of Florida.

The sisters are leaving a massive multi-story structure where they have lived since 1960. That structure has become too large for the sisters and too expensive to operate, maintain and renovate.

The sisters are celebrating their 125th anniversary of living and working in Pasco County.

The original quartet of sisters traveled from Elk County, Pa., to San Antonio, arriving there on Feb. 28, 1889. Another sister joined them a few months later.

“They were called down to be teachers of the children of the German immigrants,” Bailey said.

When they arrived in San Antonio, they lived in a three-story wooden hotel. A team of oxen moved that building in 1911 to the current monastery’s site, west of Saint Leo University.

After arriving, the sisters went straight to work.

By March 11, 1889, the sisters had assumed the administration and staffing of Saint Anthony School. A short time later they began to staff the school in St. Joseph and also opened Holy Name Academy.

The sisters opened St. Benedict’s Preparatory School for young boys in 1920, and that school operated until 1959. Holy Name Academy closed five years later. Both were boarding schools.

After they closed, the sisters directed their energies toward providing services for nearby Saint Leo College.

Over the years, the sisters have had a hand in many organizations.

They have served on boards for such charitable organizations as Sunrise Spouse Abuse Shelter, Saint Leo University Haitian Mission Project, Florida Association for the Education of Young Children, Catholic Charities, Coalition for the Homeless, Hospice, Habitat for Humanity and DayStar Hope Thrift Store and Food Pantry.

They have been town mayors and commissioners. And, they continue to have a hand in a variety of good works.

For instance, they provide a Thanksgiving meal to more than 200 people each year. They also give annual scholarship assistance to a few Saint Leo University students. They open their home to provide lodging and meals for religious women from developing countries who are pursuing their degrees.

The size of the religious community has gone from more than 60 sisters at one point to 13 sisters now, but they continue to play an active role, both in community life and spiritual support.

“We try to respond to what the needs are in the local area. It’s just that right now we’re so few that everyone wears many hats,” Bailey said.

They also call upon the power of prayer to help others in need. Anyone can call with any kind of prayer request, Bailey said, noting the requests often mirror what’s happening in society at large.

A parent might call with a prayer request for a child, or someone who is ill or injured may call in with a request, Bailey said. There are others who are going through a crisis of faith and ask for prayer to help them through it.

Sometimes, it’s a practical request, she said.

“Someone may call in, ‘I have a big test this afternoon, can you pray?’” Bailey said. “We have a book of prayer intentions that sits outside the chapel doors.” Whenever a sister passes by, she looks at the book and says a prayer for the people who have called in their intentions.

Despite their long history in Pasco County, the sisters’ work is not yet done, Bailey said.

“We’ve been here a good long time and we’re here to stay,” Bailey said.

To learn more about the Benedictine Sisters of Florida, visit BenedictineSistersOfFl.org, or call (352) 588-8320.

Published March 5, 2014

Affordable, available housing helps Wesley Chapel earn national spotlight

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There’s never a shortage of “best” lists circulating the Internet, ranking cities, beaches, hotels, schools … whatever might be good for marketing people. Typically, however, these lists are as scientific as the ones David Letterman might use in his “Top 10” comedy bit on “Late Show.”

Even before the housing industry fully recovered, Wesley Chapel and its surrounding areas were already breaking ground on new houses and new neighborhoods, all in an effort to keep up with demand of people wanting to live in the area. (File photo)
Even before the housing industry fully recovered, Wesley Chapel and its surrounding areas were already breaking ground on new houses and new neighborhoods, all in an effort to keep up with demand of people wanting to live in the area. (File photo)

A new list released last week, however, compared some real numbers important to people looking for a place to settle down: availability of good homes that are affordable in an area with solid growth. And one of the areas that have excelled in all these categories is very close to home: Wesley Chapel.

The designation comes from NerdWallet, a San Francisco-based online financial services advice company that is run by, for a lack of a better term, nerds. Wesley Chapel was compared against nearly 180 other areas towns, cities and areas in Florida, and ranked the fourth best area for homeownership in Florida.

“The beauty of Wesley Chapel is that everything you need is right here,” said Hope Allen, the Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce’s executive director. “Here you have a world class hospital, a fabulous shopping and dining experience, and it’s a great place to buy a home.”

Amenities are important, of course. But NerdWallet was paying close attention to slightly different questions: Are homes available? Can people afford to live there? And is the area growing?

The answer to all three questions was a resounding yes for Wesley Chapel. The median monthly income for residents in the area is $6,153, but housing costs are just under $1,700. That means people in Wesley Chapel are spending just 27 percent of their income on housing, a number that would make any statistician smile.

“Homeowner costs and the percentage of household income is a really important measure,” said Maggie Clark, an analyst with NerdWallet who worked the numbers for the Florida study. “Generally, anything under 30 percent is considered affordable.”

The area also had population growth of nearly 11 percent in a two-year period between 2010 and 2012, second only to Jacksonville’s Oakleaf Plantation, which also finished at the top of the overall survey.

And affordability is key to attracting new residents, not just from the Tampa Bay area, but beyond.

Sam Turgeon, a broker and owner of Sunlight Realty in Lutz, said his home state of Connecticut is feeling the pinch of higher taxes and homes that are being priced out of many people’s range.

“Many of them are hitting retirement age and realize very quickly they can’t afford to live there on the pension and savings they have,” Turgeon said. “People started doing the math, and realized that they were going to outlast their money. So they’re selling their houses up there, and coming down here. And I think that is good.”

The only area in the Tampa Bay region that finished higher than Wesley Chapel was the Keystone area, located just outside of Odessa in Hillsborough County, at No. 2. Housing there is a bit more expensive — nearly $2,400 a month — but income is a little higher too at nearly $8,900 monthly.

What really pushed Keystone over the top, however, was the fact that 94 percent of its residents own their home, compared to just 75 percent in Wesley Chapel. In fact, the only other area that even came close to the high ownership rate was Jacksonville’s Fruit Cove area, which chalks up a 90 percent rate.

Yet a good mixture of owned homes and rental options means a solid, diverse community. It also means that someone looking to call Wesley Chapel home can do it whether they want to own a home, or just rent one. And when renters are ready to invest in a new home, they’ll likely stick with the area they’ve already been spending time in.

“Pasco County is just an attractive place to live,” Turgeon said. “The taxes are far less because you’re not in the middle of a city, you still have access to anything you might need, and you don’t have that same overhead cost as you would in Hillsborough.”

And Wesley Chapel will only continue to grow. More than 12,000 homes are ready to be added to the mix, the chamber’s Allen said, and statewide polls like the NerdWallet one can help make those homes fill up even faster.

“It’s another great highlight of the area,” Allen said. “You can tout something like this to people who are looking to grow and expand business in Wesley Chapel because their work force can have affordable housing with all the amenities.

“This is just another notch in our belt in getting more business here.”

To read the complete study from NerdWallet, click here.

Published Feb. 26, 2014.