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Florida Hospital Center Ice

Rebranding effort aims to simplify life for patients

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Florida Hospital’s parent company, Adventist Health System, will change its name and the name of all of its wholly owned entities to AdventHealth, effective Jan. 2.

That means 11,000 new signs are going up across the country to signal the change.

Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel will have an AdventHealth sign on its main building, and will say AdventHealth at Wesley Chapel on its door.

The system’s hospitals in Dade City and Zephyrhills will also get new names as part of a rebranding effort that aims to make life simpler for the patients under the provider’s care, said Denyse Bales-Chubb, president and CEO at what will become AdventHealth Wesley Chapel.

“This truly just unifies us under the same name.

“We want to create a highly integrated, connected network, that is all branded under the same name, so that people can identify our services and our care, throughout whatever community they may be (in),” the hospital executive said.

“Our plans and our goals are to continually work towards that integrated delivery care network, and to become a national health care system, that is recognized throughout the states that we’re in and to continue to  expand those services.”

Right now, the health care provider operates 48 hospitals in nine states, Bales-Chubb said.

“That’s the smallest part of our operation. In addition to that, then, we have literally hundreds of outpatient services. We have home health. We have long-term care. We have clinics. We have free standing EDs. We have physician offices, and they are all branded under a different name,” she said.

Denyse Bales-Chubb

As part of its rebranding effort, Adventist took all 80,000 employees through a standardized training session, Bales-Chubb said.

“We wanted to have the same service standards across all of our hospitals, because when you change your name, it should mean something,” she said.

“We want to make sure that accessing health care, navigating through our system is easy for our patients and their families,” she said.

The health care provider also wants to deliver a level of care that people seek out wherever they go, Bales-Chubb said, “because they know it’s going to be different, and they know it’s going to be special.

“Our goal is to never discharge a patient,” she said.

So, when a patient is in the hospital, they work with people who are called navigators within the hospital to help the patient get whatever appointments for whatever follow-up services they need, she explained.

That can mean going back to their primary care physician, or receiving services from a variety of providers, she said.

“If they need to go and have physical therapy, then that’s navigating them to that physical therapy.

But then, when patients see the common name across the system, she said, “they know that they are getting that continuum of care,” Bales-Chubb said.

Florida Hospital Center Ice also is being renamed. Its new name will be AdventHealth Center Ice.

Published January 2, 2019

New Year in sports offers plenty to watch, experience

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As we embark on a new year, the sports world within The Laker/Lutz News coverage area promises to deliver plenty to watch, experience, and perhaps appreciate.

Here’s a closer look at some of the happenings in 2019:

One major development will be the progression of new sports facilities throughout East Pasco County  —  whether it’s the end-of-year completion of the Wiregrass Ranch Sports Complex, or the beginning of construction of others like the Sarah Vande Berg Tennis Center in Zephyrhills and the Christopher N. Chiles Aquatic Center in Land O’ Lakes.

Tied into all that, keep an eye on the initiatives put forth by Visit Pasco, the county’s tourism agency. Since rebranding its slogan to “Florida’s Sports Coast,” the county is looking to become a destination nationwide for youth and amateur sports.

Speaking of amateur sports, the new year is a good time to jump off the couch, get outdoors and pick up a new sport or activity.

AdventHealth Center Ice (formerly Florida Hospital Center Ice) will host several major tournaments in 2019, such as the USA Hockey adult men’s recreational national championships. (File)

The region presents countless opportunities year-round, from adult softball leagues at Land O’ Lakes Heritage Park, to recreational hockey leagues at AdventHealth Center Ice (formerly Florida Hospital Center Ice) in Wesley Chapel. Many local churches, including Idlewild Baptist Church, Grace Family Church and St. Timothy Catholic Church, offer their own sports leagues for all skill levels, from kickball and basketball, to flag football and soccer.

The cooler, early year temperatures are also a prime time to hit up the myriad of golf courses in Pasco. The St. Leo Abbey Golf Club in San Antonio and Fox Hollow Golf Club in Trinity are well-regarded, as are the more exclusive 36 holes offered at the Saddlebrook Resort & Spa.

Meantime, the adventure-seeking, fitness-oriented crowd may find it worthwhile to bike the Upper Tampa Bay Trail and the Withlacoochee State Trail; sign up for a Savage Race at Little Everglades Ranch in Dade City; or, partake in Hillsborough County’s annual hiking spree, which includes visiting a number of nature parks and preserves countywide.

Several local churches, such as Idlewild Baptist Church in Lutz, offer a multitude of recreational sports leagues. (Courtesy of Idlewild Baptist Church)

There’s other fun, outdoor activities to give a try, too.

Exhilaration and excitement can also be found at places like TreeHoppers Aerial Adventure Park in Dade City and Skydive City in Zephyrhills. Horseback riding at Odessa’s Northwest Equestrian Conservation Park and rifle shooting at Tampa Bay Sporting Clays in Land O’ Lakes create a fun change of pace, in their own right.

Local sporting events are another highlight of the new year.

AdventHealth Center Ice will showcase its fair share. They include the Mrs. Hockey Invite, featuring the top U-12 girls talent from across the world; the 15th annual Toyota-USA Disabled Hockey Festival, the largest disabled hockey event of its kind; and, the USA Hockey adult men’s recreational national championships.

Silver Dollar Shooters Club in Odessa will play host to a series of premier events, including the Florida Hall of Fame Shoot/Silver Dollar Open, the Florida State Trap Shooting Championships, and the Southern Grand American Tournament.

This rendering shows the proposed Christopher N. Chiles Aquatics Center in Land O’ Lakes, which would add to the growing list of sports facility assets in Pasco County. (File)

Elsewhere, traditional sports-goers should also make a point to check out the various men’s and women’s college sports at Saint Leo University — consistently one of the nation’s Division II athletic programs — and Pasco-Hernando State College. Both institutions provide an up-close look at many athletes who wind up finding success in the professional sports ranks. That’s particularly been the case for Saint Leo’s baseball program, which has yielded seven MLB Draft picks since 2013.

Of course, the high school sports scene is worth watching as well.

The winter prep season is already underway, whereby several local schools are fielding top-notch basketball and soccer teams.

For instance, the Wesley Chapel boys basketball and Sunlake girls basketball have shown early promise, as have the boys and girls soccer teams at Wiregrass Ranch, among some others.

So, don’t be surprised if one or more of those squads wind up making deep playoff runs in their respective sport a couple months from now.

Come springtime, the central Pasco softball scene is sure to provide some exciting moments, as Academy at the Lakes, Land O’ Lakes and Sunlake each are coming off 20-plus win seasons.

The Savage Race, an extreme mud obstacle course, is held twice a year at Little Everglades Ranch in Dade City. (Courtesy of Savage Race)

Academy at the Lakes will be seeking its second-straight Class 2A state title, while Land O’ Lakes will be seeking its second Class 6A title in three years, respectively.

Both squads unquestionably have the veteran pitching firepower to again win state crowns, armed with Alabama signee Lexi Kilfoyl (Academy at the Lakes) and Tennessee signee Callie Turner (Land O’ Lakes) in the circle.

Other local softball programs like Gaither, Freedom, Steinbrenner and Cypress Creek are also coming off strong campaigns to inject some competition in The Laker/Lutz News coverage area.

The 2019 football season, too, should offer some interesting wrinkles.

New coaches will take over at Pasco and Sunlake, effectively replacing two household names in Tom McHugh and Bill Browning, respectively.

Those programs — along with the other public schools throughout Pasco — will look to unseat Zephyrhills, which went undefeated last regular season and is now up to 19 straight regular season victories.

Another storyline to follow: Land O’ Lakes and the progression they make under second-year coach Chad Walker. In his first season as a high school football head coach, the 34-year-old Walker guided the Gators to a 7-3 mark in 2018 — the program’s first winning season since 2013.

The eight-man football ranks is sure to create intrigue, as well.

Academy at the Lakes will be seeking an unprecedented third consecutive state title.

The team — which also went undefeated in 2018 and is on a 20-game win streak — is expected to return many key pieces, including standout quarterback Jalen Brown, who will be a junior.

Published January 2, 2019

Top moments in sports during 2018

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Teams captured state titles and local athletes turned in outstanding performances, during a year that brought shining moments and lasting memories.

Here are some of the highlights, from across The Laker/Lutz News coverage area:

USA Women’s Hockey, fans celebrate gold in Wesley Chapel
Just days after celebrating a gold medal win in the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea, the USA women’s ice hockey team returned to where their remarkable journey started — Wesley Chapel.

The U.S. women’s national ice hockey team posed for pictures on Feb. 28 at Florida Hospital Center Ice in Wesley Chapel. The team spent more than five months training at the facility and lodging at Saddlebrook Resort. (File)

That’s where the team spent more than five months preparing for the Winter Olympics, training at Florida Hospital Center Ice and lodging at Saddlebrook Resort. It’s also where daily practices, off-ice testing and intra-squad scrimmages were used to determine the 23 players selected in May for the Team USA roster.

The team spent the better part of an hour on the afternoon of Feb. 28 greeting fans, posing for pictures and signing autographs at the Center Ice facility.

The event drew excitement from hockey enthusiasts, such as Wesley Chapel’s Rob Simonelli, who was prideful of the fact the Olympic team trained in his hometown.

“I just was excited that this was their home base. Just following them when they made this their home was kind of cool,” Simonelli said, at the time.

“They’re really friendly, and it’s nice that they decided to come and just kind of say ‘Hey’ to the people,” he added.

The surprise visit was part of a nationwide media blitz that also took them to Los Angeles, Washington D.C., and New York City.

The week prior, the team defeated Canada in a 3-2 shootout to win gold, ending a 20-year drought for the women’s hockey program.

Florida Hospital Center Ice was picked as Team USA’s training ground over such hockey facilities in Boston, Chicago and other cities — placing a feather in Pasco County’s cap in its quest to become a top-notch sports tourism destination.

The time spent by the Olympic gold medalists in Wesley Chapel led them to later be dubbed by some residents as ‘Pasco’s team.’

The stay in Wesley Chapel likewise proved special for the elite athletes, from top-flight training digs and hospitality, to the warm, sunny weather.

Said defenseman Cayla Barnes, then the youngest member of Team USA at 19 years old: “These facilities were awesome, the staff here was amazing, and they really helped us with everything we needed. It was great to be down here, such nice weather, and really nice to train out here in preparation for the games.”

Added two-time Olympian and forward Kendall Coyne: “Hockey in Florida was new to a lot of us, but I don’t think it took long for us to realize that hockey is serious in Florida.”

Local small-school sprinter wins state title
It’s not often a small-school athlete gets to celebrate on a big stage.

But, that’s what happened to Zephyrhills Christian Academy senior Evan Miller.

He captured the Class 1A boys 100-meter dash title in a blistering 10.75 seconds at the Florida High School Athletic Association Track & Field 2018 Championships, at the University of North Florida in Jacksonville.

Zephyrhills Christian Academy senior Evan Miller won first place in the 1A boys 100-meter dash in 10.75 seconds at the Florida High School Athletic Association Track & Field 2018 Championships.

The senior was also the final leg of the school’s gold-medal winning 4×100-meter relay team that scorched the competition with a 42.10 second mark — joining junior NyJohn Moody, sophomore Tyler Davis and senior Calvin Samuel.

Those marked the only first-place finishes at the state track & field meet among athletes from The Laker/Lutz News coverage area.

It’s also noteworthy, considering Zephyrhills Christian has about 250 students from prekindergarten through 12th grade and was in just its second year offering a boys and girls track & field program.

For Miller, the memorable showing had been a year in the making.

The previous summer, the multi-sport athlete suffered a broken ankle during a 7-on-7 football tournament.

The injury forced Miller, a standout defensive back, to miss several games in the fall as a member of the Zephyrhills Christian varsity football team.

Unable to hit the gridiron, Miller hit the starting blocks instead, as part of his rehabilitation process.

The newfound sport proved to be his true calling.

Miller linked up with well-regarded AAU track coach and personal trainer BB Roberts, who runs the Wesley Chapel-based Speed Starz Track Club, and lists NFL and MLB athletes as training clientele.

Roberts, a former track star in his own right at Wesley Chapel High School and Coffeyville (Kansas) Community College, worked to correct Miller’s running form and technique, among other tips.

The fixtures shaved Miller’s 100-meter personal record from a still-impressive 11.2 to a 10.69 — which he set at the Steinbrenner High Invitational in early April.

Miller is now a freshman sprinter at Division I University of South Carolina, where he’s training under the Olympic pedigree of legendary head coach Curtis Frye.

Academy at the Lakes wins first state softball title
Buoyed by a longtime Division I coach in Diane Stephenson, one of the state’s top arms in Lexi Kilfoyl, and a potent offense averaging nearly seven runs per game, the 2018 Academy at the Lakes varsity softball team lived up to the preseason hype — finishing with a remarkable 26-4 record and winning its first-ever Class 2A state championship.

The state crown was a follow-up to an impressive 20-win season and regional final appearance in 2017.

Academy at the Lakes varsity softball won the FHSAA Class 2A state title on May 22 after defeating Monticello Aucilla Christian 1-0 in 11 innings. The Wildcats finished the season 26-4.

For the Wildcats, the most dramatic moment of the 2018 campaign came in its most important game.

Academy at the Lakes outlasted Monticello Aucilla Christian 1-0 in 11 innings on May 22 at Historic Dodgertown in Vero Beach, in a game that featured a pitcher’s duel through wet, muddy conditions.

Kilfoyl, then a junior, outlasted Aucilla Christian senior and Florida signee Elizabeth Hightower by unleashing a 13-strikeout, fourth-hit shutout.

The softball sensation and Alabama signee also did some work with the bat.

Kilfoyl was responsible for the game-winning single that allowed freshman shortstop Brooke Blankenship to score on a two-out single in the 11th inning — unseating an Aucilla Christian program that had won state crowns two of the last three years.

Forecasting ahead, a state title repeat for the Wildcats  in 2019 certainly seems within reach.

Kilfoyl and Stephenson return, as do much of the key contributors from its state-winning squad.

Wiregrass Ranch Sports Complex breaks ground
The Wiregrass Ranch Sports Complex’s June 7 groundbreaking represented a major step for Pasco County, as it looks to become a premier sports tourism destination in the years ahead.

Expected to open in late 2019, the $44 million, 98,000-square-foot complex is slated to feature eight basketball courts, 16 volleyball courts, a cheer and dance studio, a fitness center, and sports medicine and athletic training offerings.

The $44 million Wiregrass Ranch Sports Complex is expected to open in late 2019. The 98,000-square-foot complex will have eight basketball courts, 16 volleyball courts, a cheer and dance studio, a fitness center, and sports medicine and athletic training offerings. Also, besides the indoor gym, the complex will have seven outdoor sports fields, an amphitheater with an event lawn, walking trails, pavilions and a playground.

In addition to its indoor offerings, the complex will have seven outdoor sports fields, an amphitheater with an event lawn, walking trails, pavilions and a playground.

The complex — being built off State Road 54, near The Shops at Wiregrass— will operate on Monday through Thursday as a community-based sports center for youth, adults and seniors, while weekends will be set aside to host tournaments, competitions and other events that will generate hotel stays and tax revenues for the county.

The county will own the facility and share in anticipated profits with RADD Sports, a private company that will operate and manage the sports complex.

Officials say annual economic impact would be about $6.5 million for the new facility. Over 10 years, about $8 million or more in sales and use taxes would be generated, not including tourism taxes from hotel stays, officials say.

The  complex adds to a growing list of premier, state-of-the art sports facilities in east Pasco — and further markets the area as a sports tourism destination primarily for youth and amateur sports.

Other nearby offerings include Florida Hospital Center Ice in Wesley Chapel, which opened in early 2017 as the largest hockey complex in the southeastern United States; Saddlebrook Resort & Spa, an upscale resort renowned for world-class golf and tennis training; and, Wesley Chapel District Park, which sits on 144 acres and contains 10 full-size athletic fields, and lighted outdoor tennis courts and basketball courts. Efforts also recently began in a quest to build a premier aquatics facility in Land O’ Lakes, as well as a multimillion dollar tennis complex in Zephyrhills.

Land O’ Lakes High honors ‘Voice of the Gators’
For Land O’ Lakes High School, the 2018 ‘Butter Bowl’ will go down as one of the most historic, as the Gators football team finally cracked an eight-game losing streak to crosstown rival Sunlake High School, with a 35-24 home victory.

Matt Connor, top, and Meaghan Connor of Land O’ Lakes positioned Mike Connor on the sideline area for a dedication of the press box in his name.

The most enduring moment of that Sept. 14 evening, however, happened right before kickoff.

That’s when a special dedication ceremony was held to honor longtime athletics booster Mike Connor. The press box space at John Benedetto Stadium named the Mike Connor Family Press Box.

The dedication drew dozens of friends and family, as well as current and former Gators coaches, who showed their support and appreciation for Connor, who passed away a month later at age 69.

Connor, a volunteer at the school since 1989, was instrumental in building a sustainable athletic and football booster club. His efforts also helped established a yearly scholarship fund for a male and female at the high school.

Connor, too, served as the ‘Voice of the Gators,’ calling the action of every Friday night home game for nearly two decades, and creating catchphrases, such as ‘a gaggle of Gators.’

An area business owner and Land O’ Lakes resident since 1982, Connor operated Taco John’s on the corner of State Road 54 and U.S. 41, as well as Beef O’ Brady’s in Wilderness Lakes. He was also noted for being a key part of the early successes of the Flapjack Festival and, later, in helping to create the Land O’ Lakes Swamp Fest.

Academy at the Lakes wins its second straight football title
Following last year’s historic eight-man state title run, questions swirled about how the Academy at the Lakes football program would handle a newfound target on its back and the loss of several impactful players.

The team responded with aplomb— finishing with a perfect 10-0 record and winning its second straight eight-man state title, downing Miami Citi Christian Academy Fire 36-18 in the Florida Christian Association of Private and Parochial Schools (FCAPPS) championship game on Dec. 8, at Southeastern University in Lakeland.

In contrast to last year’s Wildcats team that relied heavily on do-it-all running back/linebacker Daniel Gonzalez — the  2017 Florida Christian Association of Private and Parochial Schools (FCAPPS) Heisman Trophy winner — the 2018 squad was forced to play together in all phases of the game.

Filled with new faces and inexperience at some positions, the Wildcats proved to be greater than the sum of its parts, winning games by way of stout defense and timely offense.

The Wildcats, too, showed their share of resiliency throughout the season.

For instance, they withstood a nagging early season injury to senior tailback Jamaal Johnson, who was expected to be one of the most dynamic players on offense; instead, he was only able to play bits and pieces of games from mid-October through the end of the season.

Meanwhile, in the playoffs, the Wildcats overcame a 16-0 halftime deficit in the state semifinals game against Duval Charter, ripping off 27 unanswered points to send them to the state championship game. The state title game also proved to be a test of mettle, as the Wildcats held onto a 22-18 lead late into the fourth quarter before pulling away for good.

Here’s a rundown of some other notable highlights throughout 2018:

  • Zephyrhills shuffleboard great Earl Ball surpasses 1,000 career points
  • Steinbrenner High School baseball coach John Crumbley enters the Florida High School Athletic Hall of Fame
  • Gaither High School alum/Florida International University quarterback Alex McGough is drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the seventh round of the 2018 NFL Draft
  • Land O’ Lakes High School’s Sydny Nasello wins Class 3A Player of the Year, and is named a 2018 Miss Soccer finalist
  • Saint Leo men’s lacrosse becomes the state’s first lacrosse program to make a national championship appearance
  • Carrollwood Day School varsity baseball reaches program’s first state final four
  • Academy at the Lakes varsity baseball celebrates its first winning season
  • Land O’ Lakes High School is one of three Pasco Schools named a Special Olympics National Banner Unified Champion School
  • Land O’ Lakes youth resident Brett Swanbom wins a world championship as a member of the 2018 U.S. Junior Barefoot Water Ski Team
  • Sunlake High School girls swimming & diving team unseats Land O’ Lakes High School to win the 2018 Sunshine Athletic Conference Championships
  • Former Gaither High School/current Hillsborough High School football coach Earl Garcia becomes all-time winningest coach in Tampa Bay
  • Wiregrass Ranch junior linebacker Dylan Ridolph sets the Pasco County record for career sacks, with 37
  • Longtime Sunlake High School football coach Bill Browning retires following a 29-year head coaching career throughout the North Suncoast
  • Zephyrhills High School football records an undefeated 10-0 regular season
  • Wesley Chapel High School basketball coach Doug Greseth wins 500th career game

Published December 26, 2018

Sports museum coming to Florida Hospital Center Ice

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Digit Murphy knows a thing or two about achieving success in the sports industry, as one of the most decorated female hockey coaches of all time.

She was the featured guest speaker during the North Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce’s Women of Wesley Chapel event on Dec. 7 at Beach House Assisted Living & Memory Care, at Wiregrass Ranch. Her presentation centered on female empowerment and fostering gender equity in sports.

Digit Murphy, left, is shown with Florida Hospital Center Ice Managing Partner Gordie Zimmermann. Murphy’s nonprofit, Play It Forward Sport Foundation, has partnered with Florida Hospital Center Ice to bring a first-of-its kind women’s sports museum to the Wesley Chapel-based ice complex. The interactive museum is expected to open early next year. (Courtesy of North Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce)

She was in town for another announcement, also.

Murphy’s Play It Forward Sport Foundation has partnered with Florida Hospital Center Ice to bring a first-of-its-kind women’s sports museum to the Wesley Chapel-based ice complex. Expected to open early next year, the interactive museum will be situated in one of the facility’s viewing rooms, where visitors will scan a QR code to view content. The room will also feature various historic memorabilia in women’s hockey.

Murphy’s personal history includes starring as a collegiate player at Cornell University and then embarking on a 22-year coaching career at Brown University, where she compiled more than 300 career wins.

At one point, she was the winningest coach in Division I women’s hockey. (She now ranks 13th all-time in career wins in college women’s ice hockey).

In the professional ranks, Murphy spent three years with the Boston Blades of the Canadian Women’s Hockey League, becoming the first American-born coach to win two Clarkson Cup titles. She was the first coach to lead a U.S.-based team to two Cup wins.

In addition to coaching, Murphy in 2016 co-founded the United Women’s Lacrosse League, the world’s first-ever pro league for women’s lacrosse.

Murphy, 57, now serves as an advocate for gender equity in sports through United Women’s Sports and nonprofit partner Play It Forward Sport Foundation.

The Laker/Lutz News caught up with Murphy for an exclusive Q-and-A, where she opined on a number of different topics related to women, sports, and of course, hockey.

On why women need to place value on sports for their children:
“We don’t prioritize what sports can do for our kids. We should even see sports as more important than school at some level, because it develops their whole body, and, in a really great way, their mind. It’s about discipline. It’s about being on time. It’s about respect. And, I’m not saying that you don’t learn that in school, but you certainly learn that with the right coach on the field, and that’s where I really believe when (women) can make a difference, if they make sports a part of their life. It teaches you how to deal with adverse situations, and we don’t look at it (sports) like something that’s necessary, we look at it like an activity, and I really, truly believe that it can change people’s lives; sport is a great way to help empower people.”

On the need for more female coaches, especially at the youth levels:
“I think that a voice of having a woman coach, coaching boys is very important, as well as coaching girls. I believe that women can coach differently. They can become comfortable with coaching, with the right mentoring. Unfortunately, coaching is looked at as a nontraditional female (occupation). You can learn the Xs and Os, but you can’t learn the management of kids, and moms do it best. Moms have eyes in the back of their head. We see a lot, so I think we are actually perfect coaches, especially at the young ages. And, keeping it fun. Again, men make it about the Xs and Os. Women have the potential to be better at the younger ages, because they make it fun.”

On building a successful model for women’s professional sports leagues:
“Women (athletes) right now, in my opinion, can’t get off the dime professionally because they operate in silos and there’s not enough critical mass around the model to have sponsors. Like, I see women’s sports as a huge opportunity in the world, because we’re not where men’s sports is, so any visionary and business is going to see it as an option, especially if we do the model differently. Let’s make it sustainable. It doesn’t have to be as big. Make it smaller. Make it community-based. Make it regional. Take the all-stars from that and make it into a pro league. Change the rules. It’s that simple. There’s just so many different models that people aren’t thinking about, because they’re just not thinking about them, because they just accept the status quo. Why do we have to play in these huge stadiums? Maybe we can play in smaller stadiums. Maybe it can be a mother-daughter event as opposed to a daughter-father event like it always turns into.”

On why women’s professional sports leagues have struggled to become viable in the United States:
“I’ve said for years: The reason women’s professional sports doesn’t succeed is because they’re in the wrong cities. I think you need to be in cities that want you. Not just because it’s Boston, New York, Detroit — that’s where all the men (pro sports organizations) are. Go to outliers; they’ve got nothing to do. I remember when I was at Brown, one of our biggest, biggest, biggest venues to go to was Hanover, New Hampshire (to face Ivy League rival Dartmouth University), because there’s nothing else to do in New Hampshire. Same thing with Ithaca, New York (Cornell University). I think sometimes, because we’re so entrenched in the tradition, we can’t think outside the box. You’ve got to find an environment that will embrace it, that has a progressive mindset, that has a community that’s ready to pop. You need energy, you need passion, and you need that positive growth mindset. If you have that, you really can do anything.”

On the advancement of gender equity in college sports in the Title IX era:
“It’s kind of sad that there’s a long way to go. Unfortunately, Title IX’s an entitlement program because you have to have it, and whenever you have to have something, you’re not motivated to do better. And, sometimes, women’s sports are perceived as a suck on the (college) athletic department, because they have to have it, so they just throw it over there and they just do it because they have to have it. But, if women took control of it and gave back to it and nurtured it like they do other things, I think you would see a major shift in athletics. So, I think the people in charge need to change their mindset. They need to change the people that are implementing the practices, and when you start to see that, that’s when you’re going to see Title IX really take control — when you see people embrace it, instead of seeing it as a detriment. And so, I think Title IX has come a long way, but you still see it go on. The problem is we don’t have enough women in the industry. Because, the second you introduce wealth into it, you don’t see a lot of women coaches. You need to have more women leaders, role models and examples. This is what I always say: Title IX works when you see women coaches crossing over to men’s sports.”

On what she’s most proud of from her hockey playing and coaching career:
“I think the moment that I was most proud of probably was in 2015, winning the Clarkson Cup (with the Boston Blades). The way we won it was very important to me. It was a third-line player that scored the goal to win it, and it was in overtime. You know, it was empowering for me to be able to manage a bench that had a whole team playing and contributing; I think that was important. But, I also think that there’s just so many things for me, because I really was a woman that had done a lot of firsts, because there was no one else. Whatever it was, like those firsts really culminated in my life to give me what I can do, which is to give more opportunities.”

On touring the Florida Hospital Center Ice in Wesley Chapel, the largest ice complex in the Southeast United States:
“Unbelievable. I thought I was actually walking into a Canadian rink. It’s very impressive. They thought of all the details. The whole energy that’s around sports in Tampa and Pasco County is very exciting.”

Published December 19, 2018

Pasco looks to become sports tourism destination

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Pasco County is putting its sports and recreation offerings front and center, in a strategy aimed at boosting tourism.

Visit Pasco — the county’s tourism arm — is rebranding its slogan to “Florida’s Sports Coast.”

The announcement came at the second annual East Pasco Economic Development Summit.

Adam Thomas, who oversees Pasco’s tourism efforts, said the new moniker shows the county is “charging ahead to becoming that premier sports destination in Florida.”

“We’re in the memory-making business. We want to tell our story, especially with our sports assets and really get that message out there to really get that return on investment,” Thomas explained at the Nov. 2 event held at Pasco-Hernando State College’s Porter Campus at Wiregrass Ranch.

The second annual East Pasco Economic Development Summit focused on the county’s sports tourism efforts. Speakers pictured here are, from left: Gordie Zimmerman, Florida Hospital Center Ice general manager; Richard Blalock, RADD Sports chief executive officer; Pat Ciaccio, Saddlebrook Resort general manager; Jason Aughey, Tampa Bay Sports Commission senior director; and, Adam Thomas, Pasco County tourism director. (Kevin Weiss)

The brand launch and marketing campaign for “Florida’s Sports Coast” will begin in January, Thomas said.

Previous Pasco tourism promotions featured the slogans “It’s only natural” and “Open spaces, vibrant places” — referring to the county’s ecotourism offerings.

“The logo and name is just a logo and a name, but the strategy behind it is really going to create that sense of place and that sense of destination for Pasco County as the Florida sports coast,” Thomas explained.

The new branding coincides with a number of new multipurpose sports facilities that have opened or will open soon.

Florida Hospital Center Ice in Wesley Chapel, for instance, opened in early 2017 as the largest hockey complex in the southeastern United States.

It drew national attention this past year when it played host to the gold medal-winning 2018 U.S. Olympic Women’s Ice Hockey Team. It’s also the training grounds of other Olympians, such as French pair skaters Vanessa James and Morgan Cipres.

The Wiregrass Ranch Sports Complex is next in line become a major draw once it opens in late 2019.

The $44 million, 98,000-square-foot facility will feature eight basketball courts, 16 volleyball courts, a cheer and dance studio, a fitness center, and sports medicine and athletic training offerings.

The complex, which broke ground in June, also will be able to host other sporting events and recreational activities, such as martial arts, wrestling, gymnastics, curling, badminton, indoor soccer, and lacrosse and pickleball.

Other facilities on tap include the Sarah Vande Berg Tennis Center in Zephyrhills and the Christopher N. Chiles Aquatic Center in Land O’ Lakes.

Meanwhile, the Saddlebrook Resort in Wesley Chapel has been a world-renowned golf and tennis mainstay since the 1980s.

Beyond those offerings, Pasco’s various outdoor recreational features will also fall under the Florida’s Sports Coast branding, Thomas noted.

The county’s inshore and offshore fishing offerings, as well as its network of hiking, biking and walking trails, create what Thomas labeled as “742 square miles of destination.”

In addition to the branding announcement, the economic summit also featured a series of panel discussions with stakeholders on the economic impact and opportunities that lie within the sports tourism industry.

Jason Aughey, senior director for the Tampa Bay Sports Commission, praised the county’s ongoing sports tourism efforts.

“Pasco County, in and of itself, is growing exponentially and gaining quite a bit of attention throughout the sports tourism industry,” he said. “I think the sky is really the limit.

“I’d be extremely bullish on what’s going on here; things are only going to get better,” Aughey added, while underscoring the economic benefit of sports tourism on the whole — particularly in the youth and amateur arena.

“Sports is very recession-proof in the sense that parents aren’t going to put away their child’s experience and/or potential opportunity for future scholarships. Same thing with discretionary spending as it pertains to adult seniors as far as the overall experience. Regardless of what’s happening in the economy, sports is going to continue to pull through,” he said.

Richard Blalock, chief executive officer of RADD Sports, the company that will manage the Wiregrass Ranch Sports Complex, also is upbeat about the Pasco’s sports tourism initiatives.

“The county’s moving in an awesome direction with their rebranding and the resources that they’ve put in,” Blalock said.

He noted the county’s efforts to serve a broad range of mid-sized indoor and outdoor sporting events year-round will further a stronghold on sports tourism.

The economic impact is year-round, and is not seasonal in nature, Blalock said.

Other speakers at the summit included Gordie Zimmerman, Florida Hospital Center Ice general manager; Pat Ciaccio, Saddlebrook Resort general manager; Carolynn Smith, 7 Marketing PR chief executive officer; Pasco County Commissioner Mike Moore; Pasco County Administrator Dan Biles;  Dr. Stanley Giannet, of Pasco-Hernando State College; and, Dr. Keiva Wiley, Pasco County Schools director of Career and Technical Education.

The event was jointly presented by the North Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce and Pasco-Hernando State College.

Revised November 15, 2018

Ten-year-old uses home décor business to pursue Olympic dreams

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In the age of GoFundMe campaigns and other fundraisers — where someone is always seemingly always asking for a handout — 10-year-old Hailey Henderson is using her own hands to try to make her dreams come true.

The Wesley Chapel youth has launched a home decor business — Hailey Brooke Designs  — stamping personalized books for nearly every occasion.

Ten-year-old Hailey Henderson helps pay for her figure skating lessons through her home décor business, Hailey Brooke Designs, where she stamps personalized books. The business started in August after Henderson discovered her talent for crafting with her grandmother. (Courtesy of Melissa Nordholm)

Each sale helps pay for her figure skating lessons at Florida Hospital Center Ice, with her ultimate goal to compete in the Olympics.

Though she’s only been skating for a year, Henderson has experienced almost immediate success.

This past skating season, the Weightman Middle School sixth-grader won two competitions in her division — the 16th annual Labor Day Invitational, in Fort Myers; and, the 2018 Southwest Florida Fall Classic, in Ellenton.

She also earned a second place finish at the 2018 Orange Blossom Open, in Oldsmar.

The rink is Henderson’s happy place.

As she gracefully skates across the ice, she doesn’t have a care in the world.

“You don’t have to think about school, you don’t have to think about homework, you don’t have to think about anything else,” said Henderson, who skates for Champions’ Edge Skating Club, based out of Florida Hospital Center Ice.

“I like doing my jumps because you get a certain feeling where like you’re in the air and it just feels so cool,” she said. “I just love it.”

Hailey Henderson, 10, of Wesley Chapel, last month won first place in the 16th annual Labor Day Invitational, in Fort Myers. She also recently won the 2018 Southwest Florida Fall Classic, in Ellenton. She dreams of competing in the Olympics.

Henderson, however, understands figure skating is an expensive sport.

So, with some help from her mother, Melissa Nordholm, Henderson upcycles books and gathers other materials for the chic creations.

Her items are available on Etsy, an e-commerce website focused on handmade or vintage items and supplies.

The business started in August after Henderson discovered her talent for crafting with her grandmother.

Nordholm said her daughter does most of the manual labor.

“She gets to sit there and stamp them all,” Nordholm explained. “The actual design of the books is pretty much independently her.”

The personalized book sets can be customized with family and pet names, as well as favorite quotes and song lyrics.

Henderson has also branched out to specific themes, for occasions such as Halloween and Christmas.

For example, her “Trick or Treat” handmade set comes wrapped with Halloween-colored raffia and a creepy-crawly spider detail.

Henderson’s catalog of items includes a wide assortment of handmade sets, including those themed for all branches of military and law enforcement and firefighters.

Her “Protect and Serve” handmade set, for instance, comes wrapped with natural jute and adorned with a resin police ornament on top.

“It’s just so much fun. It’s like another hobby,” she said.

Her favorite design is the Breast Cancer Awareness themed set.

It’s decorated with a pink awareness ribbon and wrapped in pink raffia, with quotes such as ‘Hope, Courage, Strength,’ ‘Stronger than Cancer’ and ‘I Can and I Will.’

The disease hits close to home to Henderson. Her great-aunt has been battling it for eight years now.

“She’s been fighting breast cancer for quite a long time, so it’s pretty meaningful,” Henderson said, also adding “and I like pink, so it goes together.”

The Wesley Chapel youth continues brainstorming to come up with other book set ideas for the future.

“We’re thinking about doing a Teacher Appreciation one for the teachers and some baking ones, like ‘Bakers Gonna Bake’ or ‘Watch Me Whip,’ because it’s funny,” Henderson said.

Nordholm smiles broadly, as she considers the sacrifices her 10-year-old daughter is making to run her own business. “It’s definitely very heartwarming,” she said.

Watching her daughter in skates, makes her proud, too.

“I love that she’s got that childlike wonder and her dream is to go to the Olympics. I love that she thinks she can achieve it. It definitely makes us feel pretty amazing as parents,” Nordholm said.

So far, most of the book set orders have come from Wesley Chapel and Pasco County, but a handful of orders have come in from other states.

With each order, Henderson writes every customer a handwritten ‘thank-you’ note.

“You are the reasons my dreams are coming true, XOXO Hailey,” each note reads.

To order one of Henderson’s designs, visit Etsy.com, and search for HaileyBrookeDesigns, or visit tinyurl.com/y9wqwjpc.

Published October 10, 2018

Pasco tourism ‘booming,’ officials say

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Tourism is “booming” in Pasco County and shows little signs of slowing down.

That was the message delivered by Pasco County Commissioner Mike Moore and Pasco County Tourism Director Adam Thomas during a recent appearance at a Greater Zephyrhills Chamber of Commerce meeting.

Pasco County Commissioner Mike Moore, right, and Pasco County Tourism Director Adam Thomas were the guest speakers at a Greater Zephyrhills Chamber of Commerce September meeting, at Golden Corral in Zephyrhills. Their talk centered on the county’s tourism efforts. (Kevin Weiss)

“We’re at the highest (tourism) levels ever,” said Moore, who joined Smith, as the featured speakers at the chamber’s September breakfast at the Golden Corral in Zephyrhills.

While Pasco County is not Orlando, Moore said it has much to offer.

Besides being a great place to live, to work and to play, it’s also a great place to visit, Moore said.

The speakers shared a number of tourism-related figures from January through June of this year. The figures were compiled with the help of Tallahassee firm Downs & St. Germain Research, which conducts the county’s quarterly and annual visitor profiles.

Here are some findings from that six-month period:

  • 451,000 people visited Pasco County, spending a combined $234 million
  • The stays represented 487,000 room nights
  • Hotel occupancy is up nearly 3 percent in Pasco County compared to last year, with hotels now averaging 75 percent occupancy
  • Tourism yielded $23 million in taxes, with $15 million in state and federal taxes, $8 million in local taxes
  • Tourism provided $83 million in income, with 3,645 jobs sustained by tourism in Pasco, representing 5 percent of all income and 7 percent of all jobs in the county
  • Tourism contributes $250 in state and local taxes, for each Pasco household

Those visiting the county apparently had a good experience.

Ninety percent of those responding to a survey said they would return, and 99 percent said they were satisfied with the county’s offerings.

Moore, who is chairman of the Pasco Tourist Development Council, is bullish that those promising figures will continue, noting that there are several projects and initiatives coming online the next few years.

Specifically, Moore mentioned the forthcoming Wiregrass Ranch Sports Complex, a $44 million, 98,000-square-foot facility that broke ground in June.

The complex, expected to open in late 2019, will be able to host other sporting events and recreational activities, such as martial arts, wrestling, gymnastics, curling, badminton, soccer, lacrosse and pickleball. It will even play host to “unconventional sports tourism,” such as the World Championship of Cornhole.

Besides the indoor facility, the complex will have seven outdoor sports fields, an amphitheater with an event lawn, walking trails, pavilions and a playground.

Once complete, the facility will be one of the county’s “great assets,” Moore said.

“We’re going to have thousands of people come on the weekends for multiple tournaments, whether it be cheerleading or wrestling or volleyball or gymnastics — people from all over the nation, sometimes maybe even all over the world,” Moore said. “It’s exciting. We’re excited about that.”

Meanwhile, other future sports-related endeavors in Pasco include the Sarah Vande Berg Tennis Center in Zephyrhills and the Christopher N. Chiles Aquatic Center in Land O’ Lakes, each of which could become a magnet for hosting regional and national tournaments.

Smith said those facilities, plus the Florida Hospital Center Ice in Wesley Chapel, which opened in January 2017, make Pasco an attractive sports tourism destination.

“The heartbeat of tourism right now is our sports,” Smith said, noting his office’s target audience is young families with children. “That’s our bread and butter.”

Smith, too, suggested the county’s inshore and offshore fishing offerings, as well as hiking, biking and walking trails all help create a bevy of other family friendly activities for those visitors who travel in for various sporting events and tournaments.

“We’re an outdoor recreation, ecotourism, adventure travel destination,” Smith said. “We have a lot to offer that a lot of other destinations don’t have, so we want to differentiate our product and sell what’s unique about our destinations.”

Another future selling point for Pasco is the return of scalloping, the speakers said.

For the first time since 1994, state waters off Pasco County were open to bay scallop harvest for a 10-day trial season in late July. Harvest areas included all state waters south of the Hernando-Pasco county line and north of the Anclote Key Lighthouse in northern Pinellas County, as well as all waters of the Anclote River.

Moore said there may be additional scalloping days next year and a full scalloping season by 2020.

Moore also noted that without the scallop trial season, families would have otherwise traveled north to Hernando County, all but bypassing Pasco. “I’ve never seen that many boats in the water in Pasco County in my life. It was packed,” the commissioner said of the 10-day trial season.

Smith coined the popular family friendly activity “an underwater Easter egg hunt.”

“It’s a great opportunity for folks, not only around Florida or the southeast region of the United States, but all across the nation, to get in our waters, to explore our aquatic life and to have this experience to take home with them. …That’s the memories that we’re trying to create here for our guests and families — to come in and experience some of the things that we have on an annual basis,” Smith explained.

Aside from sports and outdoor activities, the tourism director said there’s also been a renewed emphasis to lure annual conventions and shows and corporate retreats, taking advantage of large meeting space at Saddlebrook Resort, Hyatt Place Wesley Chapel, and eventually the Wiregrass Ranch Sports Complex.

Published September 12, 2018

Local business, organizations raise awareness on sex trafficking

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In the ongoing fight against human trafficking, several local businesses and organizations have stepped up to raise awareness on the issue.

Fifteen groups, mostly in Pasco County, have been declared “Trafficking Free Zones,” by the U.S. Institute Against Human Trafficking, a nonprofit group based in Tampa:

  • Magnolia Plastic Surgery Center
  • NOW SC Press
  • Design & Construction Innovations
  • Paperjacket
  • Searchwurx
  • Next Machine
  • Pasco Economic Development Council
  • We Love Logos
  • Martinez Law
  • North Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce
  • Florida Hospital Center Ice
  • CU Engage
  • Berkeley Search Associates
  • Impact Church
  • Hope Church

To earn the designation, the various groups issued a proclamation stating their organization’s commitment to stand against human sex trafficking; provided awareness training to all employees on human trafficking; and, created a “zero tolerance” handbook policy for employees that engage in sex buying or human trafficking.

The U.S. Institute Against Human Trafficking has declared several local businesses and organizations ‘Trafficking Free Zones,’ for taking steps to raise awareness on the issue of human sex trafficking. (Courtesy of U.S. Institute Against Human Trafficking)

“A business has a certain sphere of influence over the folks they engage with, especially their employee population,” Geoff Rogers, the chief executive officer of the institute against human trafficking said, in a recent interview with The Laker/Lutz News.

“The communities where we’ve seen the fight against sex trafficking be most successful are those who have the entire community running after it at the same time,” he explained.

The institute against human trafficking is urging more organizations to participate in the program, which is free.

“Apathy is one of the biggest problems that we face, so we’ve been very focused on how do we get people involved and what can they do,” Rogers said.

The institute’s Trafficking Free Zone program launched in May.

The program establishes a holistic approach – a multisector partnership involving law enforcement, government, businesses, schools and community-based organizations — to try and reduce the demand for sex trafficking.

It also focuses on arresting and prosecuting sex buyers instead of those who are being sold, and educating community members on sex trafficking and implementing other demand reduction techniques, like offering resources for victims, as well as those struggling with sex and/or porn addiction.

Tampa-based U.S. Institute Against Human Trafficking works to end human trafficking in the United States through prevention, rescue of victims, combating demand, and providing safe refuge for the restoration of survivors.

Rogers said those techniques are proven practices that have been used across the country. “With all these different sectors of society firing away at the sex trafficking problem, that’s when we begin to see the bottom drop out of demand and real substantive changes and improvement be made in the fight against trafficking within that community.”

Also, through the Trafficking Free Zone program, the institute has partnered with the Pasco Sheriff’s Office on a cyber sting operation that attacks the demand-side of sex trafficking by targeting and identifying online sex buyers through the use of intercept bots. That initiative has been underway since July.

Human sex trafficking has been under the microscope in Florida for some time.

The state has consistently ranked third in the number of cases reported to the National Human Trafficking Hotline, behind only California and Texas.

Tampa Bay usually ranks fourth in the state for the number of such calls.

Officials have said the region’s attraction as a tourism destination, along with having international airports and deep-water seaports, increases the likelihood for human sex trafficking. Hosting large sporting events and conventions also lends to the problem.

Pasco County officials have worked to address the issue locally.

In 2014, Pasco County Commissioners formed the Pasco County Commission on Human Trafficking to promote public awareness about human trafficking, create educational programming opportunities and advocate for strategies to aid survivors of human trafficking.

That commission helped pass an ordinance in 2016 that mandates signage raising awareness of human trafficking to be posted in the restrooms and dressing rooms of sexually oriented businesses, such as adult entertainment establishments and unlicensed massage services.

It also trained more than 3,000 members of the community on human trafficking through its community awareness presentations.

“In many respects, Pasco County is one of the leading counties in the state of Florida in the fight against sex trafficking,” Rogers said.

For information, visit TraffickingFreeZone.com.

Published September 5, 2018

Voters head out to polls in Florida’s primary election

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Voters will be heading to the polls on Aug. 28 in Florida’s primary election.

Statewide, voters will decide who will represent the Democrats and who will represent the Republicans in a number of seats, including the race for governor.

On the local front, voters will cast their ballots for districts one, three and five of the Pasco County School Board.

The winner of those school board races could be decided, if a candidate secures more than 50 percent of the vote. Otherwise, the winner will be selected in the Nov. 6 general election.

Voters also will be choosing judges and selecting candidates in a number of primary races.

Polls are open on Election Day from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Pasco County Supervisor of Elections Brian Corley is not anticipating a heavy turnout.

“Generally, with elections, the best indicator is history, so when we’re talking about previous times, the most recent thing to go back to would be the last midterm, which would be in 2014.

“It pains me to report that the turnout was less than 15 percent.

“I’m optimistic that we’ll do better, we, as the electorate, but only time will tell,” Corley said.

“Midterm primaries are generally lackluster turnout,” he added.

There has been a slight spike in registration, but only about 5 percent, he said.

Corley also noted that “there has been a lot of anecdotal evidence of a youth voter surge, between 18 and 29 year olds,” but he said, he has not been seeing it.

“Compared to the same time in 2014, it’s about on par. That really, really surprised me,” Corley said.

Pasco County has slightly less than 347,000 voters, making it 12th largest in Florida. Of those, there are 134,824 registered Republicans, 108,520 registered Democrats, 100,637 registered as No Party and 2,791 registered as Minor Party.

Corley said there has been substantial interest in election security.

“If someone would have told me prior to the 2016 election, we would spend pretty much every waking moment since that November election focusing on, intensely, becoming hyper-vigilant on all things security — both physical and cyber — I would have said, ‘No, you’re crazy.’ But, here we are.”

Recently, U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, who is running for re-election, made national headlines by saying that Russia had penetrated Florida’s election systems.

Corley said it is difficult to respond to Nelson’s statement.

“It’s really, really challenging because I’m not sure exactly what Senator Nelson is alluding to. I know the Department of Homeland Security has sort of publicly refuted his comments. Of course, far be it for me to correct a senator on the intelligence committee. I just know of no information.”

Corley went on to say: “We have worked extensively with our state and federal partners. We’re talking about the FBI, even the National Guard, but particularly the Department of Homeland Security.”

He also noted that in 2017, the elections were declared critical infrastructure.

“We now have a seat at the table right next to nuclear power plants, for example, because how much more critical can you be than the underpinnings of our democracy?” Corley said.

The Department of Homeland Security has offered a myriad of services for advice, counsel and assistance.

“I can’t tell you, for obvious security reasons, and so that’s the balance, trying to reassure voters that we’re doing everything that we can to fortify the elections and letting them know there’s always a Plan B.

“For security reasons, I can’t tell my wife. I can’t tell my dog. I can’t tell anybody” he said.

Corley also noted that Pasco has added three new early voting locations.

“Early voting clearly has become very, very popular,” he said.

“We added Alice Hall. We added the Florida Hospital Ice Center complex. We jokingly say we literally and figuratively have the coolest early voting site. We added the Odessa Community Center,” he said.

Vote by mail is popular, too.

“We have record numbers of Vote by Mail. We’re almost at 70,000 vote by mail ballots that went out.

“There are literally, tens of thousands of ballots, sitting on coffee tables or on kitchen tables. All they have to do is fill out a few ovals and shoot it back to us, and it could change any race,” he said.

“What’s the old adage? ‘We get the government that we deserve,’” Corley said.

“Everyone remembers the infamous 2000 election. Everyone remembers, it came down to Florida,” he said. With 6 million votes cast, Bush had a lead over Gore of 537 votes.

Corley said what many people don’t realize is one fact that he “almost couldn’t make up.”

The number of Pasco voters skipping the presidential race that year was ‘1776,’” Corley said, adding “#Irony.”

Ride to the polls for free
Pasco County Public Transportation (PCPT) is offering free bus rides to the polls on Aug. 28, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. This service is being provided to Pasco residents through a partnership between PCPT and Supervisor of Elections Brian E. Corley. Just present your valid Voter Information Card.

Published August 22, 2018

All aboard for a bus tour of Pasco development

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A bus tour through Pasco County connected the dots, and highlighted both new development, and notable educational institutions, such as Saint Leo University.

The Central Pasco Association of REALTORS sponsored the tour to offer professionals in real estate and area residents an up-close look at what’s happening in Pasco. The bus tour on June 7 was the first, but CPAR officers say they plan for more in future.

Dr. Jeffrey D. Senese, center, president of Saint Leo University, welcomed bus tour visitors to the university’s campus.
(Kathy Steele)

“We’re looking to introduce people, to say, the (Florida Hospital Center Ice) rink,” said Jack Buckley, who is chairman of the CPAR committee that organized the tour. “Not everyone knows it’s here. We want to make them aware of activities in the area.”

About 60 people boarded the bus at the Hilton Garden Inn Tampa Suncoast Parkway. The all-day tour visited nine locations, including stops at Florida Hospital Center Ice, Saint Leo, and the historic Pasco County Courthouse in Dade City.

Other locations were the master-planned communities of Bexley by Newland Communities, Epperson and Mirada; the Dade City Business Center; the business park, Compark 75; and Tampa Premium Outlets.

A lunch break at Florida Hospital Center Ice included a tour of the ice rink facility, off State Road 54.

The CPAR bus tour also was about forging closer ties between Central Pasco and Dade City business and chamber of commerce communities.

Dade City Mayor Camille Hernandez arranged a police-escorted drive through downtown Dade City, and touted its historic, small town charm.

“This is my little piece of heaven that I call home,” the mayor said.

The real estate organization will be supporting Dade City officials for “Discover Dade City,” an economic summit on Sept. 27 at the Pasco-Hernando State College.

“We’re feeding off one another, so residents and businesses get the benefits from our associations,” said Buckley.

The tour offered opportunities for networking, and getting to know new people, said Hernandez. “I’m excited about that.”

Jo Easton, a certified residential specialist, said the tour provided new experiences in getting to know not only about new development but well-established places such as Saint Leo.

She had driven by the university many times, but the tour was her first visit to the campus.

Florida Hospital Center Ice was new to her, too.

“This is really helpful to us,” Easton said.

John McCabe, a vice president and Small Business Administration lender with CBC National Bank, was also glad to get to know the area better.

“You see these places driving by, but to do a deep dive, it’s terrific,” he said. “I think the tour is a great thing.”

McCabe works out of Tampa but services the Tampa Bay area including Pasco.

For more information, visit CPARFl.com.

Published June 13, 2018