• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to secondary sidebar
  • About Us
  • Videos
  • Online E-Editions
  • Social Media
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Instagram
  • Advertising
  • Local Jobs
  • Puzzles & Games
  • Circulation Request

The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Lutz since 1964 and Pasco since 1981.
Proud to be independently owned.

  • Home
  • News
    • Land O’ Lakes
    • Lutz
    • Wesley Chapel/New Tampa
    • Zephyrhills/East Pasco
    • Business Digest
    • Senior Parks
    • Nature Notes
    • Featured Stories
    • Photos of the Week
  • Sports
    • Land O’ Lakes
    • Lutz
    • Wesley Chapel/New Tampa
    • Zephyrhills and East Pasco
    • Check This Out
  • Education
  • Pets/Wildlife
  • Health
    • Health Events
    • Health News
  • What’s Happening
  • Closer Look
  • Homes
  • Obits

Pasco County Government

Pasco county named top workplace

February 9, 2021 By Special to The Laker/Lutz News

Pasco County Government has earned a 2021 Top Workplaces USA award, according to a Pasco County news release.

Energage announced the winning organizations during a virtual event on Jan. 27.

“We are thrilled to be recognized as one of the Top Workplaces in the country,” Pasco County Administrator Dan Biles said, in the release.

“Pasco County Government is committed to focusing on our people and the customers we serve, and this recognition solidifies our growing reputation as a progressive and innovative high-performing organization,” Biles added.

Top Workplaces USA offers national recognition for large organizations with more than 150 employees. More than 1,100 organizations from across the country participated in the Top Workplaces USA survey.  Winners are chosen based solely on employee feedback, gathered through an Energage employee engagement survey. Results are calculated by comparing the survey’s research-based statements, including 15 Culture Drivers that are proven to predict high performance against industry benchmarks.

Published February 10, 2021

Filed Under: Local News Tagged With: DanBiles, Energage, Pasco County Government, Top Workplaces USA

Some news you can use

April 14, 2020 By B.C. Manion

Prevent the spread
Help prevent the spread of COVID-19:

  • Stay home when you are sick, except to get medical care.
  • Cover your coughs and sneezes with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
  • Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom; before eating; and after blowing your nose, coughing or sneezing.
  • Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands.
  • Clean frequently touched surfaces and objects daily.

Source: Florida Department of Health

Get lawn and garden advice
Working on the yard? Expert advice for lawn or garden issues is now just a click away thanks to new Virtual Plant Clinics with UF/IFAS Pasco County Cooperative Extension Service. Meet online with a master gardener on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., at bit.ly/pascoplantclinic. Master Gardeners can help with pest identification, weed control, spring growing tips and more.

Don’t cause plumbing headaches
If you’re using wipes to clean surfaces in your home and office, be sure not to flush them.

Flushing wipes, even those labeled as “flushable,” can create a costly plumbing mishap in your home later. Visit HCFLGov.net/DontFlush for more information.

Food pickup points
The YMCAs of the Tampa Bay are teaming up with community partners to feed families and fight food insecurity during these unprecedented times. The Tampa Metropolitan Area YMCA, YMCA of the Suncoast and YMCA of Greater St. Petersburg are working with Feeding Tampa Bay, local school districts and other organizations to help provide fresh food to families across Greater Tampa Bay.

FEEDING TAMPA BAY MOBILE PANTRY
Anyone can receive a free pre-packaged box of groceries in a drive-thru type model.
Mondays, 3 p.m. to 4 p.m., at the James P. Gills Family YMCA, 8411 Photonics Drive, Trinity.

PASCO COUNTY SCHOOLS
School buses deliver free bags of food, which include breakfast and lunch for five days for each student.
East Pasco Family YMCA, 37301 Chapel Hill Loop, Zephyrhills
Tuesdays, 11 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
For additional food pickup locations and information, visit the Pasco County Schools website (Pasco.k12.fl.us) and the Hillsborough County Schools website (SDHC.k12.fl.us).

Top scams
Con artists are trying to take advantage of the uncertainty and anxiety caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Better Business Bureau urges you to protect yourself from these common scams:

  • Phony cures and fake masks: The BBB Scam Tracker has received numerous reports of people receiving emails and messages claiming that, for a price, they can buy products the government is supposedly keeping secret – ways to prevent or cure coronavirus. Medical experts are working hard to find a coronavirus vaccine, but none currently exists.
  • Economic impact payment (Stimulus Check) scams
    As soon as stimulus packages were announced and approved, scammers quickly got to work sending out fake economic impact checks and asking consumers to pay fees to get their money earlier than what the IRS has promised. These claims are false and open consumers to the risk of identity theft and outright theft of the funds in their bank account.
  • Phishing Scams
    As more people work from home, con artists have stepped up phishing scams. They may claim to be from an official department of the employer to offer IT support or claim the company issued computer has a virus. They may use scare tactics, stating the computer will crash if you don’t act immediately, all in an attempt to gain access to your computer remotely, or to your personal or company’s information.
  • Government Impersonation
    Another common phishing scam brought on by the coronavirus pandemic is fake emails and text messages claiming the government needs you to take an “online coronavirus test” by clicking a link they provide. No such test currently exists, but if you click on the link, scammers can download malware onto your computer and gain access to your sensitive personal information.
  • Employment Scams
    Many people are looking for work online in the wake of coronavirus shutdowns. Fraudsters find ways to take advantage of this by posting phony work-from-home jobs promising remote work with good pay and no interview required. These cons often use real company names and can be convincing.

After you are “hired,” the company may charge you upfront for “training.” You may need to provide your personal and banking information to run a credit check or set up direct deposit. You may be “accidentally” overpaid with a fake check, and asked to deposit the check and wire back the difference. Or, you are asked to buy expensive equipment and supplies to work at home.

  • Shortage Scams (price gouging)
    Supplies such as hand sanitizer, face masks and toilet paper are selling out in stores across the U.S. and Canada. Scammers take advantage of this situation and stockpile items in high demand. Then, they seek out potential clients, online and in person, and sell the products at extremely high prices. Price gouging is illegal and high demands for products can lead to con artists selling products that are used, defective or otherwise mishandled. In some cases, scammers will con people out of their money by accepting payments for products that don’t exist.

This has been an issue with face masks. Masks are sold out in most local stores and major online sellers. Instead, consumers are turning to unfamiliar online shops. Unfortunately, phony sellers abound. These scam online retailers take shoppers’ money – as well as personal information – and never deliver the masks.

Prevent mosquitoes
As people spend more time at home and outdoors, during the pandemic, these tips from Hillsborough County’s Management Services, may be useful. Following them can help reduce the population of mosquitoes on a property, and reduce the potential for being bit. Here are the pointers:

  • Empty water containers at least once per week
  • Wear long sleeves, long pants, and light-colored, loose-fitting clothing
  • Properly apply an approved repellent, such as DEET, picaridin, IR3535, oil of lemon-eucalyptus or any other EPA-registered repellent

For more information about mosquito protection and breeding prevention, visit HCFLGov.net/Mosquito.

These websites offer a wealth of information:
Pasco Economic Development Council Inc.: PascoEDC.com
North Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce: NorthTampaBayChamber.com
Greater Pasco Chamber of Commerce: GreaterPasco.com
Greater Zephyrhills Chamber of Commerce: ZephyrhillsChamber.org
Greater Dade City Chamber of Commerce: DadeCityChamber.org
Hillsborough County government: HillsboroughCounty.org
Pasco County government: PascoCountyFl.net
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: CDC.gov
Florida Department of Health: FloridaHealthCovid19.gov
Florida Department of Economic Opportunity: FloridaJobs.org
U.S. Small Business Administration: SBA.gov
Pasco County Schools: Pasco.k12.fl.us
Hillsborough County Schools: SDHC.k12.fl.us

Published April 15, 2020

Filed Under: Local News Tagged With: Better Business Bureau, CDC, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Chapel Hill Loop, COVID-19, East Pasco Family YMCA, Feeding Tampa Bay, Florida Department of Economic Opportunity, Florida Department of Health, Greater Dade City Chamber of Commerce, Greater Pasco Chamber of Commerce, Greater Zephyrhills Chamber of Commerce, Hillsborough County government, Hillsborough County Management Services, Hillsborough County Schools, James P. Gills Family YMCA, North Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce, Pasco County Government, Pasco County Schools, Pasco Economic Development Council, Photonics Drive, U.S. Small Business Administration, UF/IFAS

Survey aims to gauge unmet needs of seniors, caregivers

April 10, 2019 By B.C. Manion

The Pinellas Community Foundation and the Area Agency on Aging of Pasco-Pinellas are working together to assess the unmet needs of seniors and their caregivers.

A survey—the Community Assessment Survey of Older Adults — will be sent to 10,000 randomly selected households across every Pinellas and Pasco zip code in which at least one resident is known to be aged 60 and over.

Anne Marie Winter

The survey will be sent the week of April 8. Residents will receive a postcard in advance, as well as instructions (in both English and Spanish) with the survey.

Data collection will continue through May 21. In addition to the mailed survey, two focus groups will be conducted in Pasco County – one in Dade City and one in New Port Richey.

“We’re really excited to be able to do this because it’s the first time ever that seniors will have a voice across both counties on what their needs are,” said Anne Marie Winter, executive director of Area Agency on Aging of Pasco-Pinellas.

“As far as we know, it’s (the survey) never been done at all in Central West Florida,” she said.

“We want to hear from the seniors. We don’t want to be the ones that decide what seniors need, based on what we think,” she said.

The postcard and letter are being sent to make sure that survey recipients “know that this is official, that it is going to be used for their best interest.

“We’re not going to try and sell them anything. We’re not going to try and use this information in anyway other than to identify what their needs are,” Winter said.

The questions being asked on the survey were selected by a steering committee made up of representatives from the Area Agency on Aging of Pasco-Pinellas; the cities of Clearwater, Dade City, New Port Richey and St. Petersburg; Pasco County Government; Pasco County Health Department; Pinellas Community Foundation; Pinellas County Health Department; and, Pinellas County Human Services.

The survey tool was developed by the National Research Center (NRC) and has been administered in other places around the country. Data returned from the survey of local residents will be benchmarked against other communities nationwide.

The survey covers numerous issues, including questions regarding access to food, transportation and affordable housing.

“Every zip code in both counties is going to be covered,” Winter said.

“We’re seeing changes in the demographic, in the population. What we need to see is ‘Do we need to do things differently?’ Do we need to invest our resources in different areas, based on those needs?

“Caregivers are getting younger and younger,” Winter added. “Our parents are aging, and we’re taking care of them more and more. The spouse used to be, and still is, the primary caregiver for their loved one. But, more and more, seniors are living longer and their children are taking care of them.

“How do we address the needs of those caregivers? Do we need more adult daycare programs, for respite, so you can drop off mom or dad when you go to work and they have a safe place where they will continue to be intellectually stimulated and provided with a good hot meal?” Winter said.

The survey is intended to yield information that will guide future efforts, Winter said.

“We want our future planning to be data driven, and we feel that this survey will be an important component in that,” she said.

Published April 10, 2019

Filed Under: Health, Local News Tagged With: Anne Marie Winter, Area Agency on Aging of Pasco-Pinellas, National Research Center, Pasco County Government, Pasco County Health Department, Pinellas Community Foundation, Pinellas County Health Department, Pinellas County Human Services

Updated website revealed for Pasco County

May 2, 2018 By Mary Rathman

The Pasco County Government has announced the launch of its new, updated website, which offers more accessibility for its partners, customers and visitors.

A few of the website’s new features include: expanded search capabilities, streamlined menu options, mobile device compatibility, simpler navigation, and direct access to various materials.

There also is a bigger, more prominent search bar with improved functionality.

The main menu now provides access to department information and tools. Social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter and Pasco TV also are available on the home page.

Customers can easily click on icons located in the center of the page to connect to Online Bill Pay, Transparency, Customer Service, Job and Volunteer Opportunities, and Parks and Recreation.

A ‘Tools’ icon allows users to email or print pages, translate a page into another language, view documents, and more.

Also on the updated site is a spotlight section about Pasco County departments, and a general calendar for public meetings and events.

Other helpful links include Adopt a Pet, Agendas, the Purchasing Department, Disaster Planning.

Pasco County is committed to show an ongoing effort to keep the website content compliant.

To see, and use, the new and improved website, visit PascoCountyFL.net.

Published May 2, 2018

Filed Under: Local News Tagged With: Facebook, Pasco County Government, Pasco TV, Twitter

Primary Sidebar

Top Shelf Sports Lounge in Wesley Chapel

Foodie Friday Gallery

Search

Sponsored Content

Avalon Applauds… Norah Catlin

February 23, 2021 By Special to The Laker/Lutz News

CONGRATULATIONS to Norah Catlin, for being applauded by Avalon Park Wesley Chapel. Catlin, a senior at Wiregrass Ranch … [Read More...] about Avalon Applauds… Norah Catlin

More Posts from this Category

Archives

What’s Happening

03/05/2021 – Apple Pie Bombs

The Pasco County Library Cooperative will offer “Foodie Feast: Apple Pie Bombs” on March 5. Participants can learn how to make tasty, apple pie bombs. Watch the prerecorded video between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m., online at Facebook.com/hughembrylibrary or Facebook.com/newriverlibrary. For information, call 352-567-3576, or email Danielle Lee at . … [Read More...] about 03/05/2021 – Apple Pie Bombs

03/06/2021 – Pancakes and trains

The Grand Concourse Railroad, 11919 Alric Pottberg Road in Shady Hills, will offer a Pancake Breakfast and Unlimited Train Rides event on March 6 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The cost is $6 for adults and $4 for kids. For information, visit Grand Concourse Railroad on Facebook. … [Read More...] about 03/06/2021 – Pancakes and trains

03/08/2021 – Tomato garden

The Pasco County Library Cooperative will present a video on how to grow a tomato garden. Those interested can view the video at Facebook.com/hughembrylibrary or Facebook.com/newriverlibrary, all day, on March 8. For information, call 352-567-3576, or email . … [Read More...] about 03/08/2021 – Tomato garden

03/09/2021 – Grilled cheese

The Pasco County Library Cooperative will present a video on how to make green grilled cheese on March 9 at 4:30 p.m., for grades four to seven. To view the video, visit the Library Cooperative on Facebook or Instagram. … [Read More...] about 03/09/2021 – Grilled cheese

03/09/2021 – Poetry discussion

The Pasco County Library Cooperative will host a virtual poetry discussion group on “Female Power!” on March 9 at 6:30 p.m., for ages 16 and older, via Zoom. Participants can share a favorite poem or take part in discussions on poems about women or written by women poets. Themed poems will be sent out to help with the session. Registration is required. For information, contact Amaris Papadopoulos at 727-861-3020 or . … [Read More...] about 03/09/2021 – Poetry discussion

03/09/2021 – Technology Tuesday

The Land O’ Lakes Library, 2818 Collier Parkway, will offer a Technology Tuesday: Robots & Machines on March 9, through a curbside pickup activity. The kit will help kids learn more about technology, from robots to coding, through online and hands-on activities. The pickup is limited to 35 participants and must be reserved ahead of time. A book bundle can be included. Kits must be picked up between March 9 at 10 a.m., and March 13 at 5 p.m. For information, call 813-929-1214. … [Read More...] about 03/09/2021 – Technology Tuesday

More of What's Happening

Follow us on Twitter

The Laker/Lutz NewsFollow

The Laker/Lutz News
LakerLutzNewsThe Laker/Lutz News@LakerLutzNews·
8h

Solution to Land O’ Lakes traffic jams still years away, if then. https://buff.ly/2Oky2lz

Reply on Twitter 1367882601093079041Retweet on Twitter 1367882601093079041Like on Twitter 1367882601093079041Twitter 1367882601093079041
LakerLutzNewsThe Laker/Lutz News@LakerLutzNews·
4 Mar

SWFMD executive director wins geology alumni award. https://buff.ly/3uCXm6G

Reply on Twitter 1367520307708370944Retweet on Twitter 1367520307708370944Like on Twitter 1367520307708370944Twitter 1367520307708370944
LakerLutzNewsThe Laker/Lutz News@LakerLutzNews·
3 Mar

Save money, get back behind the wheel. https://buff.ly/3rdM07h

Reply on Twitter 1367228541998350339Retweet on Twitter 1367228541998350339Like on Twitter 1367228541998350339Twitter 1367228541998350339
Load More...

 

 

Where to pick up The Laker and Lutz News

Top Stories

Solution to Land O’ Lakes traffic jams still years away, if then

Helping people get from place to place, safely

Giving entrepreneurs tools they need to succeed

Zephyrhills discussing 911 dispatch

No plans to shutter Zephyrhills police department

Local Jewish temple gifted Torah

Save money, get back behind the wheel

Pasco County Fair lives up to its billing

Meals on Wheels looks to expand

Pasco Planning Commission seeks three volunteers

Operation Feed Pasco closes, amid success

It’s strawberry (shortcake) season again

Grove Theater now open in Wesley Chapel

Secondary Sidebar

More Stories

Check out our other stories for the week

Solution to Land O’ Lakes traffic jams still years away, if then

Helping people get from place to place, safely

Giving entrepreneurs tools they need to succeed

Zephyrhills discussing 911 dispatch

No plans to shutter Zephyrhills police department

Local Jewish temple gifted Torah

Save money, get back behind the wheel

Pasco County Fair lives up to its billing

Meals on Wheels looks to expand

Pasco Planning Commission seeks three volunteers

Operation Feed Pasco closes, amid success

It’s strawberry (shortcake) season again

Grove Theater now open in Wesley Chapel

Sports Stories

Land O’ Lakes Little League celebrates 50th anniversary

Cypress Creek High coach earns regional honor

Saint Leo acrobatics coach steps down

Loving Hands Ministries golf tournament

First Tee – Tampa Bay awarded $100,000 grant

Copyright © 2021 Community News Publications Inc.

   