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Lutz native Kevin Cash named AL Manager of the Year

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Tampa Bay Rays manager and Lutz native/Gaither High School alum Kevin Cash notched yet another feather in his proverbial ball cap.

Weeks after guiding the Rays to the American League’s best regular season record (40-20) and the franchise’s second World Series berth in history, Cash was crowned 2020 AL Manager of the Year by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (BBWAA).

The 42-year-old Cash received 22 of 30 first-place votes and 126 total points in the BBWAA’s scoring to win over former Chicago White Sox manager Rick Renteria (61) and current Toronto Blue Jays manager Charlie Montoyo (47).

Tampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash recently was named 2020 American League Manager of the Year by the Baseball Writers Association of America. The Lutz native and Gaither High School alum guided the hometown franchise to a league-best 40-20 regular season mark and 2020 World Series appearance in Arlington, Texas. (Courtesy of Tampa Bay Rays Communications)

The Rays skipper also was a finalist the previous two seasons, becoming just the fifth AL manager to record three consecutive top-three finishes.

The regular season-based managerial award was announced on a national television broadcast Nov. 10.

Cash called the accolade “a huge honor,” at a Zoom media briefing later that evening, adding the recognition is meaningful coming from local and national baseball writers.

“When you’re being voted (on) and appreciated by people that don’t always agree with your opinion, and there can be some back and forth, I think it says a lot,” said Cash, who wrapped up his sixth season as Tampa Bay’s top coach.

Within minutes of the award’s official announcement, Cash volunteered that he’d received some 140 congratulatory text messages from peers throughout the sport’s industry: “It felt like a World Series win, or clinching the ALCS (American League Championship Series), that’s what it felt like. …It means a lot when your peers and your friends throughout the game reach out.”

Cash mostly deflected his role in the team’s success to the organization as a whole, crediting the leadership of Rays principal owner Stu Sternberg, team presidents Brian Auld and Matt Silverman, and general manager Erik Neander, among others.

“It’s a really special group,” Cash said. “It’s a special place to work, led by Stu, Matt and Erik, Brian, everybody involved. …It certainly is a tremendous place to work.”

Cash, too, mentioned being “so lucky” to have a roster of ballplayers who are “very much team first” and embrace a “team-oriented approach.”

Hometown heroics
Cash becomes the fourth Tampa area product to win a Major League Baseball (MLB) Manager of the Year award — joining four-time winner Tony La Russa (St. Louis Cardinals in 2002; Oakland Athletics in 1988, 1992; Chicago White Sox in 1983), three-time winner Lou Piniella (Chicago Cubs in 2008; Seattle Mariners in 1995, 2001) and the one-time winner Al Lopez (Chicago White Sox in 1959, when the award was presented by the Associated Press).

La Russa was raised in West Tampa and graduated from Jefferson High School. Piniella likewise was raised in West Tampa, attending Jesuit High School and the University of Tampa. The late Lopez grew up in Ybor City and attended Jesuit High.

Cash, meanwhile, grew up in the Valley Ranch Drive neighborhood across from Lake Park in Lutz, along North Dale Mabry Highway.
His baseball notoriety started young.

Some three decades ago, he was a 12-year-old second baseman on the 1989 Northside Little League team that reached the 43rd Little League World Series.

He would later star at Gaither High and Florida State University through the mid- and late- 1990s before enjoying an eight-year MLB career as a journeyman catcher. As a pro, he spent time on the then Devil Rays (in 2005), along with the Blue Jays, New York Yankees, Houston Astros and Boston Red Sox, respectively.

Upon the end of his playing career, Cash in became a scout for the Blue Jays (2012) and then bullpen coach for the Cleveland Indians (2013-2014), before landing the Tampa Bay gig in 2015.

Success on a shoestring budget
Amid a logistically emotionally taxing, pandemic-delayed, 60-game shortened season, Cash navigated monumental feats out of a young, diverse team with a low payroll, and dearth of superstars and household names.

Consider: Tampa Bay’s $28.3 million prorated payroll — third lowest in the Majors — paled in comparison to the $108.4 million sum of the National League’s Los Angeles Dodgers, who the Rays ultimately lost to in six games in the Fall Classic.

Also consider: The Rays this season had 15 different players serve a total of 20 injured-list stints. On Sept. 1, they set a team-record-tying (not in a good way) 13 players unavailable for action.

Handling the team’s ballooning attrition rate was arguably the greatest challenge this year, Cash said.

“I think the injuries were up there, especially at the onset,” he said. “We all dealt with (COVID-19) protocols and we can’t talk about those enough, but I know that answer has gotten old. The injuries, for sure.”

On the whole, Cash is widely revered for putting players in position to prosper via ever-changing batting orders, increased bullpen usage, openers, platoons, positional versatility, defensive positioning and shifts, and more.

He’s likewise praised for cultivating a loose, welcoming clubhouse that features so many players from different countries, cultures and backgrounds. The team’s roster, in addition to players from all quadrants of the United States, was also represented by Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Japan and South Korea, respectively.

Some unique footnotes from the Rays 2020 season under Cash:
• 59 different lineups in 60 games (tied for most in MLB)
• Constructed the only all-lefty lineup in Major League history
• AL-best 20 come-from-behind wins
• MLB-best 14-5 mark in one-run games
• 12 different pitchers recorded a save (tied MLB record set by the 1973 Texas Rangers)
• Used 4.7 pitchers per game, more than the MLB average
• Used an AL-most 1.15 pinch-hitters per game

Cash’s essential managerial philosophy centers around openness and honesty with players regarding in-game and in-house decision-making. Keeping a level-headed approach in victory and defeat is crucial, too.

He observed of his role: “You’ve gotta make good decisions, there’s no doubt, but I think more times than not it’s being consistent and genuine, authentic with the people that you work with every day. It would be wrong of myself or any of our staff to change, depending on wins or losses. I don’t think you’re going to get players to really want to be in that environment, and our goal is to get them to want to be in that environment that we’re proud of, and I think you do that by consistency, and our staff is top-notch in that.”

The 2020 campaign represented a pinnacle of Cash’s run in Tampa Bay — as he now claims the franchise’s best all-time managerial winning percentage (.522).

The team had a losing record in Cash’s first three seasons, but has enjoyed three straight winning campaigns since, one better than the next.
The team won 90 regular season games (.556 winning percentage) in 2018, then 96 games (.592) in 2019 — marking the franchise’s first playoff berth in six years.

Extrapolating this year’s 40 wins (.667) to a traditional 162-game season, the Rays would’ve been on pace to collect 108 victories. Its 20 postseason games (including reaching Game 6 of the World Series) was the deepest playoff run in franchise history.

“We had some ups and downs over the last years,” Cash sad. “I mean this year, 40 (wins) and 20 (losses), you can’t have too many downs. A lot of things went well. We got to the World Series, a lot of things went well. But, there were tough moments in there, but we owe it to the players to stay as consistent as possible.”

Looking back, Cash is fortunate the 2020 baseball season was even able to get off the ground, considering countless COVID-19 hurdles and fragmented negotiations between team owners and players on salary structures, gameplay, health and safety protocols, and so on.

“I wasn’t overly confident that we were going to get this thing up and running (this season). I don’t know of anybody that was,” he said. “So, there’s been a lot of head scratching, a lot of moments that it was really, really special, and really, really impressive what our team and organization accomplished this year, and hopefully as time continues, we’ll be able to appreciate it that much more.”

Published November 18, 2020

Lutz native manages hometown Rays to World Series

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Tampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash has come full circle (err, diamond) with his baseball career.

The Lutz native and Gaither High School alum is managing his hometown pro ball club at the sport’s grandest stage, in the 2020 World Series.

Tampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash has led the franchise to the 2020 World Series in Arlington, Texas. Cash is a Lutz native and Gaither High School alum. (File)

He’s making other sorts of history, too.

The 42-year-old Cash is the first person to have played in the Little League Baseball World Series and manage a team to Major League Baseball’s (MLB) Fall Classic.

He was a 12-year-old second baseman on the 1989 Northside Little League team that reached the 43rd Little League World Series, which then consisted of the top four little league teams each — from both the United States and the world.

The North Tampa-based team fell in the quarterfinals to Eastview (California) Little League 12-5, though it was a team from Trumball, Connecticut, that took home the title in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.

Cash is hoping for a better outcome some three decades later against a much more distinguished California-based club in the Los Angeles Dodgers, at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas.

The best-of-seven World Series could run through Oct. 28.

Whatever the result, Cash has done yeoman’s work guiding the Rays to its second World Series appearance in franchise history — the other coming in 2008, where the team lost in five games to the Philadelphia Phillies.

“Pretty special feeling,” Cash said about reaching the World Series, during a recent postseason press conference. “I don’t think I’ve had many better, other than getting married and having three kids. This is right there below that. Can’t get much better than that. This is a special group to be a part of. It’s fun to see them win games and fun to be a part of it.”

Among baseball’s brightest
Amid a logistically, emotionally taxing, pandemic-delayed, 60-game shortened season, Cash navigated success for a young, diverse team with a low payroll, and dearth of superstars and household names.

Also consider: The Rays this season had 19 players serve 20 injured-list stints. On Sept. 1, they set a team-record-tying (not in a good way) 13 players unavailable for action.

Tampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash is the first person to have played in the Little League Baseball World Series and manage a team to Major League Baseball’s (MLB) Fall Classic. The Lutz native was a 12-year-old second baseman on the 1989 Northside Little League team that reached the 43rd Little League World Series. (File)

All that, though, didn’t stop Tampa Bay from finishing with an American League (AL)-best 40-20 regular season record and division title — then downing the Toronto Blue Jays, the large-pocket New York Yankees and the Houston Astros en route to the World Series in an expanded 16-team playoff format.

Cash, in his sixth year as Rays skipper, has consistently garnered high marks throughout the baseball industry as a steadying cog in the team’s accomplishments.

Last season he steered the team to 96 regular season wins and its first playoff berth in six years. He also holds the franchise’s best all-time managerial winning percentage (.522).

Sporting News already crowned him AL Manager of the Year, for a second-straight time. Other outlets are likely to follow.

Cash is revered for putting players in position to succeed via ever-changing batting orders, increased bullpen usage, openers, platoons, positional versatility, defensive positioning and shifts, and more.

He’s likewise praised for cultivating a loose, welcoming clubhouse that features so many players from different countries, cultures and backgrounds. The team’s World Series roster, in addition to players from all quadrants of the United States, also is represented by Cuba, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Japan and South Korea, respectively.

While some old-school baseball types scoff at some of the team’s myriad unconventional methods, Cash and other Rays coaches embrace it, with understandable assistance from the team’s front office and analytics department.

The organization’s philosophy as a whole facilitates free-thinking and considers all sorts of out-of-the-box ideas in trying to eke out games in any way fathomable against richer teams with pockets three or four times as great. The Rays $28.6 million payroll pales in comparison to the Dodgers’ $105.5 million, for instance.

Cash described the Rays’ approach this way: “We think what we’re doing is maximizing a roster and doing everything we can to make the best decisions and put the players in the right spot to succeed, and ultimately win as many games as possible.”

Such a collaborative working environment allowed Cash to grow and thrive when he became the game’s youngest manager back in December 2014.

“Well, personally for me, it’s helped me immensely, for somebody that had never managed six years ago, to be able to make some mistakes and learn from them. Try some things that people would use the word ‘different’ and it be OK and accepted, it’s been hugely beneficial,” said Cash. “We’ve listened to everybody, we’ve learned from everybody, and everybody’s opinions are valued here, and that’s how we think we can come up with what we think is the best decision on a given year, a given season, a given game, whatever it is, so it’s a pretty great situation to be a part of.”

Lutz roots
Besides leading the Rays to baseball’s promised land, Cash enjoyed a spirited playing career beyond his Little League days and growing up in the Valley Ranch Drive neighborhood across from Lake Park, along North Dale Mabry Highway.

He recalled those early roots back in a 2016 interview with The Laker/Lutz News.

“I remember when my parents moved to the neighborhood in Lutz, it was like a one street cul-de-sac, and there were boys everywhere,” Cash said. “We had pickup football games, pickup basketball, baseball games every day. It was just a pretty cool neighborhood to grow up in, because there were so many kids our age that we could go out there and have a complete game with.”

Tampa Bay Rays’ Kevin Cash was an All-State baseball player at Gaither High School. He graduated in 1997. (Courtesy of Hillsborough County Schools)

Cash would later star at Gaither High School and Florida State University before enjoying an eight-year MLB career as a journeyman catcher, spending time on the then-Devil Rays (in 2005), along with the Blue Jays, Yankees, Astros and Boston Red Sox, respectively.

Once his playing career ended, Cash became a bullpen coach for the Cleveland Indians, working under manager Terry Francona from 2013-2014, until landing the Tampa Bay gig.

Cash’s knack for getting the best out of his team was a learning process as he ascended through the sport’s ranks.

“I was really fortunate to be around a lot of good coaches, managers, just baseball people, teammates, and watched how people went about it different ways, and not every way works for individuals, and not every player responds to one way.

“I think Terry Francona was probably the biggest influence, in the way that he came to the ballpark, in watching the way he treated players one through 25 on the roster,” Cash explained.

As for the significance of delivering a baseball championship to the region where he was born and raised, it’s a question Cash hasn’t yet given much reflection.

“You know what, I’ve briefly thought about that, but I’m trying to avoid it,” Cash said. “You want to bring it back to the club that you work for. If you add another layer to it, it was similar to getting the job six years ago, but this is now more magnified than being a guy that was born and raised in the Bay Area. I think any city, I would appreciate it, any team in this position would appreciate it, (but) it just might make it a little sweeter if we’re able to do some special things here in Texas.”

Visit MLB.com for a full broadcast schedule and results of the 2020 World Series.

Published October 28, 2020

Embracing the changing world of education

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When people arrive on the campus of Sunlake Academy of Math & Science, in Lutz, they are greeted by a place that sets a positive tone.

“Welcome back Ravens, we missed you,” proclaims a sign near the school’s driveway.

“We support our students. We support teachers. We support our administration. We love our school,” a sign on a fence declares.

“Go Ravens!” a third sign encourages.

Sounds of children — playing outdoors—  fill the air.

Principal Judy Moore came to Sunlake Academy of Math & Science last year, after a lengthy career leading schools in North Carolina. (B.C. Manion)

And, near the front door of the public charter school, there’s a reminder of today’s COVID-19 times. A sign reminds those entering that they must wear a face mask and maintain social distancing.

Inside, there are other clues regarding the ongoing pandemic.

There’s hand sanitizer on the counter, plexiglass separating office staff from visitors, and social distancing signs.

Children seem to be taking it all in stride as they walk down a corridor in single file, dressed in school uniforms and wearing their masks of various designs.

They wave to Principal Judy Moore, as they make their way to Spanish class.

Finding the balance between safety and normalcy has presented new challenges, but Moore said that adapting to change is part of an educator’s way of life.

As it relates to COVID-19, she said, “I think, like everybody else, you just take it as it comes, do the best job that you can.

“The challenge with COVID, all of the way back to March when it started — the information changes every 10 minutes. Whatever the standard is right now, is probably not going to be the standard tomorrow, or the day after,” she said.

That’s been a frustration for everyone, but the school has proceeded — giving parents an option for their children to learn at home or at school.

The children are assigned to a specific class, wherever they’re learning.

“If they happen to be at home, they’re basically on the screen and the teacher is interacting with the kids that are at home and the kids in the class, at the same time,” the principal said.

Teachers sometimes will group kids, so one teacher is working with the kids at school, while others instruct the online kids. And, then they will swap.

Some teachers feel they are better able to serve both groups that way, Moore said. But, other teachers are teaching both groups, simultaneously.

Moore knows that’s difficult to do, and she’s impressed.

Adapting to COVID-19 has required changes, but the school also is getting ready to embark on another big change — this one, of its own making.

Parents have raised $30,000 to pay for a new STEAM lab.

Sunlake Academy of Math & Science, in Lutz, is a public charter public school for kindergarten through eighth grade. It is operated by Charter Schools Associates Inc.

Initially, the hope was to open it at the beginning of this school year, but that was thrown off by COVID-19. Now, plans call for opening it within the next couple of months.

A space initially that was designed for a media center is being converted into the STEAM lab. (The acronym stands for science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics.)

A group, which Moore calls the STEAM Team, led the planning efforts. Moore joined that team, the executive area director from Charter School Associates and one of CSA’s math coaches during visits to STEAM labs at Corbett Prep, Jesuit High School and Academy of the Holy Names to glean ideas.

The lab will be equipped with Virtual Reality headsets, which individual classrooms can check out. It will have 3D printers, a 3D laser printer, tablets, and other devices and programs aimed at unleashing new ways of learning.

Children in kindergarten through fifth grade will visit once a week, and the technology will be incorporated into middle school classes.

The idea is to harness the power of technology to broaden learning experiences.

“You kind of have to change up the way you think, and the way you teach,” said Moore, who did her doctoral work in technology integration.

“It’s about higher order thinking skills. It’s about problem-solving. It’s about teamwork, creative thinking and creative problem-solving,” said Moore, who worked in the Gaston County school district in Charlotte, North Carolina, for 21 years before arriving last year at Sunlake Academy.

Educators must connect how they teach with how students learn, the principal added.

“For me, it became not so much about technology, not so much about how we teach, but it’s about how kids learn — and how they’re wired these days,” the principal added.

Today’s students are part of the digital native generation. They live in a world of Google, digital on-demand, virtual reality and other technical advances, Moore said.

Education must go deeper
“How do you make the students think through the problems versus the teacher just giving the question and the answer?” Moore said.

Students are challenged to consider: “How do you use your creativity to come to more than one solution, to the same problem?

“The truth of the matter is the jobs that we’re trying to prepare them for, don’t exist. And, they’re not going to exist anytime soon,” Moore said.

The principal and her husband moved to the area because he was offered a new job opportunity, and she set out seeking the right match for her interests and skills.

Moore said she was attracted to Sunlake Academy because she’s been interested for years in  differentiated instruction and higher-order thinking skills.

“We’re (Sunlake Academy) very data-driven. Our teachers are constantly checking in on where kids are in terms of their proficiency and growth, on different curriculum strands and skill sets.

“We have differentiated groups,” she said, adding there are multi-tiered systems of support for students who need extra help.

“I had a lot of opportunity to go where I wanted,” Moore said. “I chose to come here because they’re speaking my vision.”

The promise of stability was attractive, too.

In her previous district, the management style involved transferring principals around a lot.

“I really want to be in a place where I can make some change and be long-term,” Moore said.

Students attending the school, at 18681 N. Dale Mabry Highway, come from Hillsborough and Pasco counties. It draws primarily from the communities of Lutz, Land O’ Lakes, Tampa, Carrollwood, Cheval, Wesley Chapel and Odessa. It has some openings, so parents interested in learning more should contact the school.

Other details that may be of interest to parents of potential students:

  • Before and after school care is available, with doors opening at 6:30 a.m., and closing at 6:30 p.m. Full-time or part-time child care is available to suit parents’ needs.
  • The school’s car line begins at 7:20 a.m., with classes beginning at 8 a.m.
  • Dismissal times are staggered, with the school day ending for kindergarten through second grade at 2:30 p.m.; and, for grades three through eight at 3 p.m.

For additional information about Sunlake Academy, visit SunlakeAcademy.org.

Published October 14, 2020

Feeding the hungry through ‘pop-up’ food drive

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When Idlewild Baptist Church decided to hold a food drive recently — it had no idea the response would be so great that it would essentially create a traffic jam because so many church members showed up to drop off contributions.

Typically, the church takes weeks to plan big events.

In this case, it sprang into action.

The church’s Gatheria — a space used for church suppers and other events — looked like a food warehouse after contributions came rolling in to help others needing food. (Courtesy of Yerusha Bunag/Idlewild Baptist Church)

As medical and economic impacts of coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) began ramping up, the church started fielding more requests for assistance, said Yerusha Bunag, director of local missions.

The church was hearing from schools it has been involved with in partnerships that began before the pandemic, she said. It also noted that the church food pantry, which has operated for years, was getting depleted.

Plus, Bunag said: “We had an increasing number of people needing help, from our own membership, but also an outpouring of people wanting to give help.”

So, as the week before the March 29 food drive wore on, the need to act became clearer.

“Just through prayer, through meeting with the leadership — virtually —  we said, ‘Let’s just trust God. He’ll work through our people to be generous at this time,” she said.

They decided they could use the church’s Gatheria area as a warehouse to hold the donations.

Bunag recruited youth volunteers to help collect the food.

She also put out the word about the food drive through an email on the afternoon of March 28, and a posting on Facebook.

Senior Pastor Ken Whitten made an appeal to help during the 9:15 a.m. livestream service on March 29, which was repeated at the 11 a.m. service.

The food drive was supposed to be from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.

By 1:30 p.m., when volunteers arrived, though, cars were already lining up to drop off their donations.

“We did not stop until 4:30 p.m.,” Bunag said.

Although the church did not count the cars that came, it was a steady stream, Bunag said.

Volunteers from Idlewild Baptist Church in Lutz delivered boxes of food to three elementary schools, after the church held a somewhat spontaneous food drive.

At one point, about 2:30 p.m., one of the guys coordinating traffic flow radioed and told her: “‘I just got word that we’re backed up to (North) Dale Mabry (Highway). And, Van Dyke (Road) has started to get backed up.”

To help speed things up, some guys who had been directing traffic were reassigned to work an additional collection point.

“It was really hot,” Bunag said. But, no one was complaining.

The volunteers were so pumped up, they didn’t even want to take a break, she added.

“Everybody was on an adrenaline high,” Bunag said.

Pastors were out there sweating, too, she said.

It was work, but it was fun, too, she said. “Cars would go by and they would honk. ‘Hey, it’s great to see you.’”

All the while, the church practiced social distancing, with volunteers working in different parts of the campus, in groups of 10 or fewer — wearing masks and gloves, and keeping a safe distance apart.

And, nobody complained about having to wait.

After the volunteers left on Sunday, the church’s hallways and lobbies were filled with boxes and bags of foods.

Then, Bunag huddled with Nancy Reed, the church’s events coordinator; Tonya Sloan, its food service director; and Kirk Malone, its Benevolence assistant, to plan out the rest of the operation.

Bunag created an online signup sheet seeking volunteers. By midmorning, she’d met the need for 80 volunteers who would work in three shifts, at four locations.

“We were done sorting all of that on Monday.

“On Tuesday, we began making toiletry packets and food boxes,” she said, noting they filled hundreds of boxes and toiletry packets.

“So, on Wednesday, we began distribution. Again, volunteers from our church that had trucks or SUVs signed up to deliver to three different schools (Kenly, Just and Booker T. Washington elementary schools).”

The efforts, she said, are to share God’s love — and to let others see that love in action.

“It goes beyond, ‘Here’s a box of food,’” she said.

“We want to give people not just hope that we care for them and we love them, but we want to give them the same hope in God, that he’s in control of the situation, and he’s going to provide for our every need,” she said.

Published April 08, 2020

Under Construction 02/19/2020

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Wesley Chapel will soon offer more furniture options for comfort and style with the coming La-Z-Boy Furniture gallery. (Brian Fernandes)

Furniture store in Wesley Chapel
A La-Z-Boy Furniture gallery will be another outlet for those looking for the right home décor. The building is at 25960 Sierra Center Blvd., in Lutz, and is 13,650 square feet. As part of the Cypress Creek Town Center, the structure is near the intersection of State Road 56 and Interstate 75. No completion or open date has been announced yet.

 

 

 

Electric station emerging
Land O’ Lakes will soon have a new electrical substation at the intersection of Morgan Road and U.S. 41. The substation will help distribute electricity as a result of a growing regional population. The new Morgan Road Substation will connect with the current substation on State Road 54 by way of a transmission line. The new substation also will have a transmission line that will run approximately 2.5 miles south to the intersection of North Dale Mabry Highway and County Line Road in Lutz. The substation is scheduled to be operational in November 2021.

Cigar shop to come
Cigar enthusiasts will enjoy the soon-to-come Cigars International shop. This store will offer cigars of all shapes, sizes and name brands. Located at 2691 Creek Grass Way in Lutz, the establishment will stand at 12,922 square feet. The building will be a part of the Cypress Creek Town Center, within walking distance of the coming Main Event and Rock N’ Brews establishments. It will be the third branch in the U.S., and the first of its kind in Florida. The completion and opening dates have not been announced.

Lutz to get office site
The Northwood Office and Warehouse building will soon be erected at 1040 Land O’ Lakes Blvd., in Lutz. As its name implies, the inside will be comprised of both office and warehouse space, ranging over 10,000 square feet. The construction site is on the east side of Land O’ Lakes Boulevard, next to E&W Carpets Inc. Construction completion or opening date have not yet been announced.

Curious about something new that’s popping up in your community? Please send us the location — along with the address, if possible — and we’ll see what we can find out. Send your email to .

Published February 19, 2020

Pasco announces bus Route 41 service changes

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Pasco County Public Transportation has changed services on Route 41 in Land O’ Lakes.

The changes, which took effect on Jan. 6, are based on ridership, according to a news release.

Here are the changes, in a nutshell:

  • An hourly service is being added to the Central Boulevard/Pasco Utilities complex.
  • Service is ending along Collier Parkway and along the State Road 54 corridor to Collier Parkway.
  • Saturday service has been eliminated for this route.

The news release said the Route 41 changes are being implemented relating to Collier Parkway and State Road 54 because of a lack of ridership.

Those wishing to ride the bus to businesses on Collier Parkway can connect to the Route 54 bus.

Route 41 begins at the U.S. 41 intersection with Central Boulevard. It continues south to multiple stops, including where U.S. 41 meets Gator Lane, State Road 54 and the apex where U.S. 41 and North Dale Mabry Highway branch off.

Other stops are along U.S. 41, but the route previously included a jog onto State Road 54, over to Collier Parkway, where riders could pick up the bus near the Land O’ Lakes Recreation Complex.

The changes to Route 41 were approved by the Pasco County Metropolitan Planning Organization board on Sept. 12. The recommendation to drop the portion of the route including State 54 and Collier Parkway was based on research by public transportation staff and public feedback.

For more information about Route 41, visit bit.ly/Route41.

For more information about PCPT services, visit RidePCPT.com.

Published January 08, 2020

Hillsborough’s economy showing new signs of growth

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Adam Myers, senior business development manager for the Tampa Bay Economic Development Council, paid a visit to Pasco County a few weeks ago, to share what’s happening on the economic front in Hillsborough County.

Myers outlined some of the major new developments happening in Tampa and Hillsborough County during a membership luncheon meeting of the North Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce.

He assured those gathered that economic development is not something that happens in a vacuum.

Adam Myers is the senior business development manager for the Tampa Bay Economic Development Council. He gave an update on business activity in Hillsborough County, during a recent luncheon meeting of the North Tampa Bay Chamber. (B.C. Manion)

“While we are Hillsborough County-focused, we work with our partners in Pasco County Economic Development and Pinellas County Economic Development, Polk County, Sarasota, Manatee, all of the way up to Hernando County.

“When something great happens in Pasco County, that’s going to benefit Hillsborough County,” said Myers, senior business development manager for the Tampa/Hillsborough economic development agency.

“When something awesome is happening in Hillsborough County and Pinellas County, that’s benefiting Pasco County, as well.

“It’s important to recognize that economic development is really a team sport,” Myers said.

That being said, his talk focused primarily on some of the big things happening in Tampa and Hillsborough County.

For instance, Water Street Tampa, a $3 billion investment in downtown Tampa, is getting underway, he said.

“Now, the buildings are under construction,” Myers said. “The first building is almost done, with USF’s (University of South Florida’s) new medical school. That is bringing a lot of momentum and excitement, and activity and interest in the downtown area.

“Now, they’re seeing the cranes. Now, they’re seeing the walls going up, the buildings going up, the J.W. Marriott going up, everything that’s happening in Phase One of Water Street. OK, now I can almost touch it. It’s tangible,” he said.

Another major project, Midtown Tampa, is planned near Interstate 275 and North Dale Mabry Highway. That’s a $500 million mixed-use project of retail, residential and office, he said.

Riverwalk Place, a 50-story tower is going up in downtown Tampa. The $350 million project is the tallest building on the West Coast of Florida, Myers said.

It began as a mixed-use project, but the condo sales went so well, it was essentially converted to a residential project with retail at the bottom, he said.

Another project, called Heights Union, includes new office space being built at the southwest corner of Palm Avenue and North Tampa Street. Meanwhile, Highwoods Properties is building a new mixed-use project in Westshore.

Myers also noted that Tampa is being recognized by outside evaluators, as a good place to work and live.

Earlier this year, for instance, Zillow ranked Tampa as the No. 1 market for first-time homebuyers.

It’s also a great place to start a business, Myers said.

“Entrepreneurism in Tampa is at an all-time high, and there are more and more resources that are out there that are starting up to help our entrepreneurism ecosystem grow,” he said.

He also shared some of the economic development agency’s statistics.

“Between Oct. 1, 2016 and July 31, 2018: We worked with over 48 companies to make the decision to choose Hillsborough (County),” Myers said. That created nearly 6,200 jobs.

Those jobs, in turn, created nearly 2,300 indirect jobs and 4,060 induced jobs.

Published November 06, 2019

Land O’ Lakes route to lose bus stop, weekend service

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Bus Route 41, in Land O’ Lakes, no longer will be making a stop on Collier Parkway — and also will discontinue operating on Saturdays.

Those changes were approved by the Pasco County Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) board on Sept. 12.

Pasco County Public Transportation will remove the bus stop on Collier Parkway from Route 41, which runs in Land O’ Lakes. The entire route, which mainly runs along U.S. 41, also will exclude Saturdays from its service.(Courtesy of Pasco County Public Transportation)

The changes were prompted by a recommendation from Pasco County Public Transportation based on its research and public feedback.

“We received some concerns from some of our riders on Route 41,” Kurt Scheible  director of public transportation for the county told the MPO board.

“Unfortunately, it’s not one of our better routes.”

The route begins at the U.S. 41 intersection with Central Boulevard. It continues south to multiple stops, including where U.S. 41 meets Gator Lane, State Road 54 and the apex where U.S. 41 and North Dale Mabry Highway branch off.

Although other stops are along U.S. 41, the route also included a jog onto State Road 54, over to Collier Parkway, where riders could pick up the bus near the Land O’ Lakes Recreation Complex.

However, Scheible said, very few patrons took advantage of the stop and those riding the bus considered the stop to be an inconvenience because it delayed them in getting to their destinations.

A study done by the transportation department in June revealed a low volume of riders on Route 41, Scheible said.

There were only 250 trips made on weekdays and 20 on Saturdays during the month, he noted.

During 2018, of all of the county’s 825,767 bus trips, Route 41 only had slightly over 1,900 – making it the lowest performing route in the county’s transportation system, he said.

The study also showed that barely any riders used the service on Saturdays, he added.

The director also noted that those using the Collier Parkway stop were primarily using it to get to shops along State Road 54.

Because of the findings, the bus service decided to drop the Collier Parkway stop and to end Saturday services on the route.

Pasco County Commissioner Mike Moore, who sits on the MPO board expressed agreement.

“Obviously we wanted to make sure that everybody had access to our public facilities, including the library and the rec center,” he said. “But if nobody’s taking part in it, [it is] obviously understandable that we need to reevaluate that.”

The MPO board’s approval was the final action needed to push the initiative forward.

Scheible also mentioned future plans to extend Route 41 further north up to State Road 52, once that corridor has widened.

While services are being reduced in one part of the county, the MPO board took another action that may have the effect of boosting ridership countywide.

The board approved free bus transportation for veterans, active military and county employees who present proper identification.

The Pasco County Commission made the change official during its Sept. 18 meeting.

“The whole idea is: walk on [with a] picture ID, they hit the button and they’re riding for free wherever they need to go to,” Scheible said during the MPO meeting.

The changes to Route 41 and the free bus rides will take effect in October, the transportation director said.

Published October 2, 2019

Motorists soon to have smoother ride on Willow Bend Parkway

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Willow Bend Parkway in Lutz is set to undergo repaving starting the week of Sept. 9.

Willow Bend Parkway will undergo road modifications through the month of September. The work will be done during the evening to minimize disruptions. (Brian Fernandes)

Pasco County chose the modification as its program maintenance project, which will stretch from the road’s intersections with U.S. 41, also known as Land O’ Lakes Boulevard, to Collier Parkway.

Willow Bend Parkway’s eastbound and westbound lanes will be milled and resurfaced. The road also will be restriped, and new pavement markings will be added.

The work will be done between the hours of 7 p.m. to 7 a.m., on Sundays through Thursdays, during which time there will be single-lane closures.

Message boards will be posted during work hours to guide traffic.

The project is estimated at $966,000, and is being paid for as part of the county’s budget.

The goal is to complete the work by Sept. 30, barring any weather disruptions.

The road is popular with motorists because it links to County Line Road, which connects to North Dale Mabry Highway, where there are a number of service providers and commercial businesses.

Published September 04, 2019

Under Construction

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Tractor Supply store coming
Construction is underway for a Tractor Supply store that will offer agricultural and home improvement supplies. It is located on the east side of North Dale Mabry Highway – south of its apex with Land O’ Lakes Boulevard. The 18,800-square-foot is near the Lutz Walmart Supercenter. Construction started in June and is expected to be completed by October.

Grace Family Church
Grace Family Church is renovating a plaza that once housed a K-Mart store at 22920 State Road 54 in Lutz. The roof, on the western end of the 48,000-square-foot building, will be raised 12 feet to accommodate the church sanctuary. Plans call for multiple classrooms, a café and a 3-foot baptism pool. The church is expected to open this August.

Walk-On’s Bistreaux & Bar
A Walk-On’s Bistreaux & Bar is under construction in the Cypress Creek Town Center at 25372 Sierra Center Blvd. The 10,438-square-foot restaurant, which will offer Louisiana-style cuisine, will be able to accommodate 325 patrons. A grand opening is planned for July 29. The restaurant is expected to have 180 employees, and applications are being accepted on site now. For more information, contact Gyorgy Tamcsu at (636) 259-0902 or .

Medical Office
A two-story medical office is expected to be completed in October at 27800 Summergate Blvd., in Wesley Chapel. Project plans call for a medical and administrative office, clinics on both floors and a dialysis treatment center. Construction started in June. The dialysis center may open as soon as December.

Curious about something new that’s popping up in your community? Please send us the location — along with the address, if possible — and we’ll see what we can find out. Send your email to .

Compiled by Brian Fernandes

Editor’s Note:

Keeping you better informed
It’s obvious that growth is happening all around The Laker/Lutz News coverage area.

It seems like every time you turn around ,there’s a new place to eat, to shop, to worship or have fun. Health care options are expanding, schools are being built and new employers are moving in.

And, as we travel through our region, it begs the question: What’s being built there?

Our new “Under Construction” column — debuting today — is our way to help satisfy your curiosity.

As we see new projects under construction in our community, we’ll share that with you through this column, or stories.

But, you can help, too. if you see something popping up in your neighborhood and you wonder what it is, please send us an email with the location — and address, if possible — and we’ll see what we can find out.

Please send your emails to .

B.C. Manion, editor of The Laker/Lutz News