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Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals

Bilirakis fields questions, addresses concerns

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U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis fielded questions from constituents during a virtual town hall-style meeting hosted by The Greater Zephyrhills Chamber of Commerce.

The Aug. 6 online “Breakfast with Bilirakis” meeting, allowed the Republican congressman to share various updates from Washington D.C. It also provided a forum for Bilirakis, who represents Florida’s 12th Congressional District, to listen to concerns and questions from East Pasco residents.

One pressing question involved the timeline of when the next COVID-19 stimulus package is coming.

U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis participated in a virtual town hall meeting hosted by The Greater Zephyrhills Chamber of Commerce on Aug. 6. He discussed COVID-19 relief, among other topics. (File)

Bilirakis attributed the lack of action by Congress to partisan politics between Democrats and Republicans. He pinned the bulk of the blame on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat.

“This could be done within a matter of hours if we take the politics out of it, but we all know it’s not realistic,” the Republican congressman said.

“Speaker Pelosi does not negotiate. Right now she feels like she’s winning politically, and she’s not putting the people who are really hurting, that need this assistance first, but, I think she’s getting closer and closer (to coming around).”

Republicans have called for $1 trillion in spending; Democrats have a $3.5 trillion plan.

One key difference in the plans involves the Democrats’ proposal to provide funding for large cities, such as New York and Chicago.

Bilirakis doesn’t agree with that.

His reasoned those cities, among others, “have been fiscally irresponsible for years and years and years,” long before the COVID-19 pandemic.

He put it like this: “Nothing against Chicago or New York City, I love those cities, but the management has been terrible, the leadership has been terrible in those particular cities recently.”

Even with ongoing differences between the two parties, Bilirakis is confident a second stimulus package will pass.

President Donald Trump has threatened executive action to break Congress’s impasse, Bilirakis said.

“I don’t blame him — people are suffering; they need help now,” the congressman said.

Bilirakis also is certain federal unemployment benefits will be extended, but doesn’t expect it be at the $600 per week rate.

“It might be a little bit of a different version,” Bilirakis said. He has co-sponsored a bill to ensure people receiving unemployment will not receive an amount that exceeds the amount they were getting paid while employed.

 

Need to help, but also to watch federal debt

Bilirakis also addressed the status of the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) business loan program.

More funds will likely be added to program, he said, but he noted there is still $100 billion in loans available.

The next round of PPP loans should be geared toward businesses with 25 employees or fewer, he said. There also should be more flexibility to help the restaurants that are hurting, he added.

Bilirakis acknowledged the original $669-billion federal business loan program was put together hastily, during a state of emergency. Its language allowed some corporations, even charter schools, to take advantage of loans not meant for them.

“It was a successful program and we helped out a lot of businesses, but I think we’ve learned that we need to narrow the scope because a lot of big businesses took advantage,” he said.

The lawmaker expressed sympathy for struggling restaurants and other small businesses, too: “My goodness, you have these restaurants that have been around forever and they’ve survived wars, depressions, recessions, and now they’re closing up for good, and we just can’t have that.”

At the same, as COVID-19-related spending packages are implemented, Bilirakis emphasized the need to be concerned about the government’s increasing debt. The national debt rose to $26 trillion for the first time in June.

“I know this is a crisis and we’ve got to help folks, but we’ve got to be cognizant of this national debt, because we’re passing it on to our children, our grandchildren, our great-grandchildren in some cases,” Bilirakis said.

One constituent questioned Bilirakis on why the Trump administration has denied new or first-time applications for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, despite a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that blocked the president’s attempt to end DACA.

The DACA program grants protection from deportation of undocumented children brought to the country by immigrants.

Bilirakis responded: “I can’t explain it. Obviously, I’m not responsible for it, but what we can do is pressure the administration and (Attorney General) Bill Barr, to make sure that they follow up.”

The lawmaker expressed support for a single-subject immigration bill to protect DACA youth, but not one with amendments that offer similar protections for undocumented adults and illegal aliens — an ongoing point of contention between Democrats and Republicans.

With that, Bilirakis believes immigrant children will be granted protection at some point, but doesn’t foresee a piece of legislation to pass before the end of the year.

Said Bilirakis, “We should be passing a DACA bill to protect these kids, but the problem is everything’s political. They did nothing wrong themselves and they should not be punished. They only know the United States of America, in most cases.”

Another constituent probed the congressman about what types of COVID-19 safety measures have been put forth for active military and veterans.

Bilirakis explained the Tampa’s James A. Haley Veterans’ Hospital and satellite facilities (like those in New Port Richey and Zephyrhills) are offering virtual appointments for primary care and other services. The program is “going pretty well,” he said.

Bilirakis said he is pushing to reopen or expand services at outpatient clinics for veterans, amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We’re trying to give them as much access as possible to health care,” he said.

Published August 12, 2020

Legislative forum covers wide spectrum of issues

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Dozens of speakers signed up to draw attention to topics they think are important at Pasco County’s annual legislative delegation meeting.

The topics ranged from fracking to Medicaid; the opioid epidemic to immigration; medical marijuana to homelessness; and, scores of budget requests.

Some requests were for items vetoed by Gov. Rick Scott last year.

Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco, for instance, asked legislators to renew his request for $4.3 million for the Thomas Varnadoe Forensic Center for Education and Research.

From left: State Sen. Tom Lee, Rep. Richard Corcoran, Rep. Danny Burgess, Sen. Wilton Simpson and Rep. Amber Mariano
attend the Pasco County legislative delegation’s annual meeting to hear from local constituents about issues they’d like lawmakers to address during the 2018 legislative session. (Kathy Steele)

The Adam Kennedy Forensics Field, also known as a “body farm,” opened in May on land next to the Land O’ Lakes Detention Center, off U.S. 41. The facility is the seventh of its type in the nation.

Construction money is needed for the indoor forensic center. The complex is planned jointly with the sheriff’s office, Pasco County, Pasco-Hernando State College, and the University of South Florida’s Institute for Forensics and Applied Science.

“It is a critical piece for us,” Nocco said.

The sheriff also noted that there already are international inquiries regarding training opportunities.

The city of Zephyrhills also had a big-ticket request. It’s asking for $3.25 million to help build the Sarah Vande Berg Memorial Tennis Center.

The planned tennis center includes eight soft courts, two hard courts and nine pickle ball courts.

The city of Zephyrhills already has hired Pennsylvania-based Tennis P.R.O. LLC to operate and manage the complex.

A pro shop, a multipurpose community room and two offices also are planned.

“It’s gaining a lot of momentum,” said Todd Vande Berg, the city’s planning director. “It will bring in players from around the world, and Zephyrhills really will be a destination in the sports arena.”

The complex is named for Vande Berg’s daughter, a tennis scholarship student at University of South Carolina, who died in a car accident.

The annual legislative delegation meeting is a ritual that gives lawmakers a chance to find out what is on the minds of their constituents for the coming legislative year.

This year’s session was on Nov. 27 at the Wesley Chapel Center for the Arts, at Wesley Chapel High School.

More than 60 people signed up, with each allotted three minutes to address the legislators, who were seated at a table on the arts center’s stage.

Rep. Danny Burgess, the delegation’s chairman; Rep. Amber Mariano; and Sen. Wilton Simpson attended the entire meeting. Sen. Tom Lee and Rep. Richard Corcoran attended portions of the meeting. Sen. Jack Latvala was absent.

Afterward Burgess described the meeting as a fact-gathering session to help legislators deliberate on issues during the 2018 legislative session in Tallahassee.

“It’s important — with a state this big and statute books so voluminous —it’s impossible to know every issue,” Burgess said.

He also said people’s presence and participation are important.

“It’s a truly collaborative thing,” he said, noting, lawmakers will have more information “because people from our areas decided to take the time to come here.”

Along those lines, Debra Golinski asked lawmakers to provide funding for screening programs at Sertoma Speech & Hearing Foundation Inc.

She said about $750,000 is needed for a program to help hearing-impaired children, ages 3 to 6 years, “begin to listen and talk.”

Golinksi also asked legislators to support a bill to provide hearing aids for children.

Timothy Beard, president of Pasco-Hernando State College, said the college is expanding rapidly and needs about $3.7 million in additional funding for operations.

He said school enrollment has increased from about 1,800 three years ago to about 4,000 students now.

“The growth there has really been phenomenal. We really, really need the dollars,” Beard said.

Other agencies and nonprofits seeking state funds included the Gulf Coast Jewish Family & Community Services, the Area Agency on Aging of Pasco-Pinellas Inc., the Reach program with Pasco’s PACE Center for Girls, and the Pasco County Alliance for Substance Abuse Prevention, or ASAP.

Hot button political issues also came up.

James Brown, of the nonprofit Farmworkers Self Help, sought support for “DACA kids”, the children who are part of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.

The federal program could be ended soon, leaving these children subject to deportation. They and their families harvested crops for years, Brown said.

“They did nothing more than work hard. We need to give these longtime families a place in the county. We’re not asking for budgetary concerns. We’re just asking for your compassion,” Brown said.

Several people also spoke on fracking, asking legislators to ban the practice in Florida.

Fracking is a process for pumping chemically treated high pressure water into a drilled pipeline to break through rock formations to tap into oil or natural gas reserves.

“Our message is simple,” said Brooke Errett, of Food & Water Watch. “Fracking doesn’t make sense.”

Legislators also got updates on initiatives under review at the federal level by U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis.

His aide, Summer Robertson, told them that Bilirakis is seeking

a balanced approach toward addressing the opioid crisis.

He wants an approach that helps people with opioid addiction but still gives people “with legitimate pain” access to medications, Robertson said.

Published December 6, 2017

Rallying ’round the blueberry bushes

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Hurricane Irma blew across the landscape, uprooting and toppling about 100,000 blueberry bushes at Frogmore Fresh Farm, outside Dade City.

Pasco High senior ​Matt​ ​Gregory, 17,​ took a break and used a cane stake to stretch out his back.​ ​Gregory​ ​and​ ​senior​ ​Nathalie Sawczuk, 17,​ ​​(obscured​ ​by​ ​plant)​ were​ ​among​ ​students​ ​who​ ​volunteered​ ​at Frogmore Fresh Farm. (Fred Bellet)

In Irma’s aftermath, the farm’s general manager, Leonard Park, knew he had a narrow window to salvage as many of the plants as possible. He also knew he didn’t have enough labor to make that happen.

An unexpected phone call from Whitney Elmore offered some hope.

Elmore is the chief executive director of the University of Florida/IFAS Pasco County Extension, in Dade City.

“She wanted to know if she could send some volunteers to help,” said Park. “I thought she meant a van with maybe 20 people.”

Elmore had bigger ideas, and put social media to work.

“This went viral,” said Elmore. “It’s been all over Facebook and Twitter.”

Pasco County, the University of Florida and the extension service worked as a team to put out the word.

Land​ ​O’​ ​Lakes​ ​resident​ ​Tom​ ​Stewart​ ​staked​ ​fallen​ ​blueberry plants​.​ ​Stewart​ ​said​ ​he​ ​learned​ ​about​ ​the​ ​event​ ​at Frogmore Fresh Farm on​ ​​Facebook.

On a hot, Saturday morning, about 200 volunteers drove their cars and trucks down a narrow dirt lane, off St. Joe Road, to put in a day’s work and save the blueberries.

Volunteers focused on about 23 acres of the approximately 145-acre farm. That is where the youngest blueberry plants had either been uprooted or knocked down.

Farm employees were able to put their attentions on more mature plants elsewhere.

The turnout caught Park by surprise.

“It’s heartwarming. This is a tremendous benefit to us,” he said. “This (the young plants) is the future. We’re going to keep on, keeping on.”

It was all for a good cause, said Elmore.

Frogmore Fresh Farm benefits the county’s economy. The Sigety family, which owns the farm, does charitable work in Pasco, donating to food banks and providing internships to local students, Elmore said.

University​ ​of​ ​Florida​ ​graduate​ ​students​ ​Carlos​ ​Zambrano​, right, ​and​ ​Dario​ ​Racano,​ both​ ​of​ ​Gainesville,​ staked​ ​young​ ​blueberry​ ​plants​ ​at Frogmore​ ​Fresh Farm.

“It’s about being part of the community and making it better for everyone,” she said.

About 50 students and faculty members came from UF. Two sororities also sent volunteers.

“People have driven two hours basically on a call from social media, which is really interesting,” said Kevin Folta, UF professor and chairman of the university’s horticultural sciences department.

“But, this is what we’re supposed to do as a land grant institute. It fits our mission well.”

Frogmore’s blueberries are hybrids developed through UF research. Folta said the plants produce fruit after the harvests in other countries, such as Chile.

It opens markets for Florida blueberries that might not be available, he said.

Linda​ ​Dao,​ ​a​ ​University​ ​of​ ​Florida​ ​senior​ ​biology​ ​major,​ ​worked to​ ​fix damaged​ ​blueberry​ ​plants​ ​that​ ​fell​ ​over​ ​from​ ​the​ ​force​ ​of​ Hurricane Irma’s wind.

They are rooted in wood chip beds and hydrated with an irrigation system, sort of as a “big, crazy hydroponic garden,” Folta said.

“None of this would happen naturally,” he said. “It’s a system that works and brings millions of dollars to the state of Florida. Blueberry acreage is exploding.”

Elmore said Florida produces about 20 million pounds of blueberries annually, with a value of about $82 million to $100 million.

UF wasn’t alone in rounding up students to help.

Another 50 or so volunteers were from Pasco High School’s science club and student body council. There also were students from Saint Leo University, local residents, and church members.

The Salvation Army provided bottled water.

Margarita Roma, local migrant activist and executive director of Farmers Self-Help Inc., came with about 10 volunteers. Most were teenagers, wearing T-shirts in support of DACA, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.

Kevin Folta, professor and chairman of the University of Florida’s horticultural sciences department, relied on social media to recruit about 50 UF students to help salvage blueberry plants damaged by Hurricane Irma.

Those children, often referred to as Dreamers, are undocumented immigrants brought to the United States as children before age 16, and who have lived here since June 15, 2007.

“It’s good for our kids to have visibility,” she said. And, good to show that they can help the community they live in, she added.

Jose Pedro Lopez, 14, wanted people to know that Dreamers are like everyone else. “They should be able to live a free life,” he said.

Volunteers headed into the field, one group at a time.

In groups, volunteers carried batches of cane stakes and rolls of tape, and walked into the field.

Jim Moll, the extension service’s Florida-Friendly Landscaping program manager, gave tutorials on blueberry care.

Plants had to be stood upright, firmly replanted, and wrapped with tape to keep foliage from drooping.

“It doesn’t have to be a pretty knot, just effective,” Moll said. “You want it tight, but, not too firm. You don’t want to cut off circulation.”

Moll felt optimistic.

Pasco High School student, ​Roney​ ​Webster, 17,​ ​ties green tape​ ​around​ ​a​ ​​stake​ ​to support a damaged blueberry plant.

The plants “will be traumatized from being whipped in the wind,” he said. “The good news is they are all green. They aren’t limping.”

Samantha Acacio, 21, bent down to tie a knot around a blueberry plant. She felt a connection to the environment, as she worked to put the plants upright.

“These (plants) produce oxygen,” said Acacio, a pre-med student at Saint Leo University. “Why not have more oxygen in the world? It’s motivation. They weathered the storm, and we’re going to help them stand upright.”

Wesley Chapel residents Maleena Newcomb, 14, Allie Black, 14, and Ana Anderson, 24, might have been volunteering at an annual coastal cleanup, if not for Irma.

But, they were happy to find themselves being useful at the farm instead.

“It’s a good effort,” said Black. “You get community service hours. It’s all good.”

Gayle Womer and her daughter, Jenny Konow, attend First Baptist Church in Dade City. Konow is a 4-H leader.

Konow said they had some experience with blueberry plants. “We’re small hobby farmers,” she said. “We kind of know the struggles if you need help.”

But, it was her 11-year-old son, Archer Konow, who told his family that they had to volunteer. He loves everything about farming.

“It’s good to help people after hard things come through,” he said. If it’s a business, he added, “You need to help out.”

Roney Webster, 17, is a Pasco High senior. He volunteered around his community to help neighbors with cleanup.

This was one more chance to help.

“It’s just giving back,” Webster said. “I’ve been outside pretty much every day helping people.”

Published September 27, 2017