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Saddlebrook Resort

Pasco EDC announces 2019 award winners

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The Pasco Economic Development Council Inc., announced the winners of its 2019 awards, at its 33rd annual Awards & Trade Show, on Sept. 5 at Saddlebrook Resort in Wesley Chapel.

Dr. James P. Gills, received the economic council’s leadership award.

Gills is a world-renowned ophthalmologist, a philanthropist, athlete, author and man of faith, according to a news release from the Pasco EDC.

The organization attributed Gills’ persistence, dedication and vision for a new community resulting in a place now known as Trinity, which is in southwest Pasco County.

The annual Pasco EDC event is regarded as a premier business event, attracting over 600 business and community leaders in Tampa Bay and Pasco County, including state legislators, county commissioners and city officials, according to a Pasco EDC news release.

Nominees for awards were scored based on: company growth, leadership in current business issues, and corporate citizenship.

The 2019 winners are:

• Start-Up Business of the Year: The Point Distillery
The Point is a small professional distillery, bottling and co-packing operation on Little Road in New Port Richey. It was acknowledged for its commitment to quality and excellence, and for exceeding customer expectations.

• Special Contribution: AdventHealth Wesley Chapel
This hospital was honored for being a hospital campus built from the ground up, with communities in mind. Its whole-person approach to care was inspired by the principles of CREATION Life – Choice, Rest, Environment, Activity, Trust, Interpersonal Relationships, Outlook and Nutrition.

• Small Business of the Year: Design & Construction Innovations LLC
DCI is a full-service general contractor specializing in commercial, residential and government construction projects. It has more than 35 years of combined experience in commercial and residential construction, as well as architectural design.

• Medium Business of the Year: Millian-Aire Enterprises Corp.
This family-owned business has been in operation since 1989. Millian-Aire has over 75 years of combined experience, and provides reliable and cost-efficient HVAC services, while using the best practices and latest technologies.

• Large Business of the Year: Welbilt Inc.
Welbilt provides the world’s top chefs and premier chain operators with industry-leading equipment and solutions for the food industry. The company’s cutting-edge designs and lead manufacturing tactics are powered by deep knowledge, operator insights and culinary expertise.

• Special Recognition: Medical Center of Trinity
Medical Center of Trinity represents three points of focus: wellness, prevention and healing. Medical Center of Trinity is located in the tri-county area of Pasco, Pinellas and Hillsborough counties.

Published September 11, 2019

Construction nearing on Zephyrhills tennis center

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After more than two years of planning and design, a multi-million dollar tennis center in Zephyrhills will soon break ground and become a reality.

Construction is expected to begin in August on the Sarah Vande Berg Tennis and Wellness Center, Zephyrhills deputy city manager Billy Poe said during a special June 17 council meeting on the issue.

With the project’s final engineered site plan set to be completed this month, the city then will  seek construction bids through July, Poe said.

Construction is expected to begin in August on the Sarah Vande Berg Tennis and Wellness Center, situated west of Simons Road in Zephyrhills. The $3.5 million project is expected to be complete around summer 2020. (Courtesy of City of Zephyrhills)

Site and road work also is scheduled to begin next month by another contractor at the future facility’s location, which will be situated on nearly 5 acres of land, north of Dean Dairy Road and west of Simons Road.

The timeframe for the project’s completion is around summer 2020, Poe told city council members.

“I think we’ve accounted for everything,” Poe said of the design plans.

The $3.5 million tennis facility is being funded largely through combination of state appropriations, Penny for Pasco and recreation impact fees from several new housing developments.

The project is a public-private partnership between the City of Zephyrhills and Tennis P.R.O. and its owner Pascal Collard, who will operate and manage the tennis facility. It’s a similar arrangement the city has with the East Pasco YMCA.

Renderings show 11 outdoor  tennis courts (eight clay surface, two hard surface, exhibition court), built to USTA (United States Tennis Association) standards, as well as eight pickleball courts and four padel courts.

The tennis center also includes a 7,000-square-foot indoor clubhouse that will include a fitness and rehabilitation center, restaurant and cafe, pro shop and kid’s club, among other amenities.

The facility will be open approximately 80 hours per week.

More amenities also may come on line later.

Collard told council members at some point he is looking to phase in a 30,000-square-foot multi-purpose indoor sports complex which could accommodate four tennis courts and a soccer field made of artificial turf.

Indoor sports field house aside, Collard said the tennis center will draw people from inside and outside Zephyrhills and will become a draw for various regional, national and international tournaments.

He described the facility as “a community sports center for everybody.”

“I think that to have a place like this in Zephyrhills, it’s unique,” said Collard, a professional tennis instructor and former tennis director at Saddlebrook Resort in Wesley Chapel. “If you build something like this, we do believe that a lot of people will come.”

The meeting also included a discussion of the tennis center’s membership fees, which Collard presented to the council.

An annual individual tennis-only membership is listed at $65 per month. Cheaper price points will be offered for four-person households ($120), individual seniors over 65 years old ($50) and household seniors over 65 years old ($90).

There will be a series of other annual membership packages with various levels of access (bronze, silver, gold, platinum), along with a six-month snowbird membership option to run from October through March.

A platinum membership, for instance, provides access to all courts and in-house tournaments, as well as the center’s fitness room, cryotherapy/salt room, and kid’s club. It also includes a golf membership at Silverado Golf & Country Club. An individual platinum membership (ages 17 and up) is listed at $1,999 annually, paid in full.

By comparison, an individual gold membership, which includes all amenities except golf, is $1,296 annually.

All memberships will include a one-time $250 initiation fee. However, the fee will be waived for the first 250 Zephyrhills residents to sign up for a membership.

There will be a 20 percent discount in memberships for nurses, teachers, military veterans and local and state government employees.

In addition to memberships, the tennis center will offer non-member day passes, daily guest passes and hourly court rental opportunities. It also will be used for receptions, fundraisers and other community events.

The facility also will host free tennis camps and lessons to underprivileged youth on a regular basis through its non-profit counterpart, Sarah Vande Berg Tennis Foundation.

“It’s nothing set in stone,” Collard said of the membership prices. “We can tweak it, we can change it, but it’s pretty much what is done in the U.S. and different places.”

“It reflects in the pricing that we’re really giving everybody the opportunity to benefit from this center,” he added.

The breakeven point for the facility is roughly 450 members, Collard said.

In determining membership costs, Collard and city staffers analyzed membership fees at several other tennis and athletic clubs throughout the Tampa Bay region, such as the Beerman Family Tennis Center in Lakeland and the Cindy Hummel Tennis Center in Auburndale.

“Really, our numbers were very comparable and even sometimes less,” city planning director Todd Vande Berg said of the membership fees. “We’re offering so much more, and we’re not even talking about the restaurant (inside the tennis center clubhouse), so we did take a careful look at the comparisons to make sure they were in line.”

Council members didn’t seem to have qualms about the various price points, instead expressing their eagerness for the forthcoming tennis venture.

“I’m excited about it,” councilwoman Jodi Wilkeson said. “I think about the people that I know that play tennis, that’s a great investment for them and would like to have that opportunity.”

Added councilman Lance Smith: “I think it’s a good partnership and I think we’re going to learn as we go along. I’m just anxious to get the facility going.”

Council president Ken Burgess said it’s “good timing” for the city to get a tennis center, pointing out roadway developments along State Road 54, State Road 56 and the Interstate 75-Overpass Road interchange extension to Zephyrhills.

“I think this is one more thing that’s going to put Zephyrhills on the map,” Burgess said. “I mean, I realize that probably a lot of our (tennis) members may come from not necessarily the city limits, but it’s still going to put Zephyrhills on the map. It’s a great design and I think everything’s coming together, all at the right time, too.”

The tennis center is named after the Sarah Vande Berg, a former Zephyrhills High School district champion, who died in an automobile accident at the age of 21 in October 2015. She was the daughter of longtime city planning director Todd Vande Berg.

Published June 26, 2019

Can human connection heal?

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Austin Eubanks remembered with clarity the tragic day that forever changed his life, and, ultimately claimed it.

His best friend was killed instantly in front of him.

Then Eubanks was shot twice, in the hand and knee.

Eubanks was just 17 years old when he experienced and survived the massacre inside the library of Columbine High School on April 20, 1999.

Columbine shooting survivor Austin Eubanks was the keynote speaker at the annual ‘Strengthening Our Communities Conference on Mental Health and Drug Prevention’ in Wesley Chapel. He passed away just days later at his home in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, at age 37. (Courtesy of AustinEubanks.com)

“I remember seeing my hand and knowing that I had been shot, but I couldn’t feel it,” Eubanks recalled. “I couldn’t connect to the emotion of it, or the physical pain of it, because I wasn’t present in my own body.”

That traumatic experience as a teen, as a survivor in the Columbine school shooting, was the catalyst to Eubanks’ painful journey through addiction and eventually into long-term recovery.

Eubanks put it like this: “I will never be the person I was on the morning of April 20, 1999. That boy did not walk out of the library that day. He was altered, forever.”

Eubanks shared his personal story as the keynote speaker at the annual “Strengthening Our Communities Conference on Mental Health and Drug Prevention,” held May 14 at Saddlebrook Resort in Wesley Chapel.

The conference, hosted by Pasco County Alliance for Substance Abuse Prevention (ASAP) and Baycare Behavioral Health, is designed to increase public awareness and inspire action on mental health and substance abuse disorders.

Just a few days after the conference, the speaker was found dead from a suspected drug overdose at his home in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. He was 37.

In a statement, his family said Eubanks “lost the battle with the very disease he fought so hard to help others face. Helping to build a community of support is what meant the most to Austin, and we plan to continue his work.”

ASAP also expressed its sympathy on Eubanks’ passing in a released statement: “We extend our thoughts and prayers to Austin’s family and friends. Although he has passed too early, his voice will echo in our memories and actions forever.”

Before his untimely death, Eubanks addressed a crowd of nearly 500 people, to discuss the intersection of trauma, mental illness and addiction.

‘An emotional robot’
Shortly after the school shooting, Eubanks was prescribed opiates, benzodiazepines and stimulants for his physical injuries. He soon found the drugs helped him in other ways.

“From the moment I was medicated, that emotion (from Columbine) completely shut off. It was like somebody turned off a faucet,” Eubanks explained.

Nearly 500 people attended the annual ‘Strengthening Our Communities Conference on Mental Health and Drug Prevention,’ hosted by Pasco County Alliance for Substance Abuse Prevention (ASAP) and Baycare Behavioral Health. Columbine school shooting survivor Austin Eubanks was the keynote speaker at the May 14 event, at Saddlebrook Resort in Wesley Chapel. (Kevin Weiss)

“I learned very quickly how to turn myself into an emotional robot, with the combination of those three substances. I thought that I had found the answer, I never had to feel anything. I was taught how to seek the fast road to relief.”

Years later, at the height of his addiction, Eubanks said he was using upwards of 400 milligrams of the painkiller OxyContin per day, plus a host of other recreational drugs.

His drug of choice, he admitted, was “just more.”

Emotional healing through human connection
After a decade more of undergoing a cycle of addiction and relapse, Eubanks said he finally received the help he needed, at a long-term treatment center in Denver that accepted him free of charge.

It’s there he found the prescription he needed most: authentic human connection.

The treatment center helped him navigate the stages of grief through meaningful, personal relationships with others with similar, lived experiences.

“With emotional pain, in order to heal it, you have to feel it. It is essential to recovery,” Eubanks said.

He added: “What is so essential for emotional healing for all of us, is relying on others from a place of vulnerability and authenticity and transparency.”

The environment also provided him with structure and accountability, too, he said.

Eubanks said, “I had to finally admit that I knew nothing, and I had to trust somebody else enough to believe that they did, and I did everything that they told me to for long enough to where it became a pattern.”

Eubanks explained that after Columbine he didn’t return to school for his senior year, instead relied on a private tutor from home in order to graduate. The decision isolated himself from others, leaving him to rely on substances to cope with his emotional pain.

“I withdrew from human connection entirely. If you can create a better petri dish for addiction, I don’t know what it is,” the speaker said.

“I missed out on a lot of the collaborative, connected healing that many of my classmates experienced in our senior year, because I withdrew from that community entirely.”

Prevention and rehabilitation reforms needed
Eubanks discussed his ideas to combat the nation’s addiction crisis, which he blamed partly on increased accessibility, acceptability and toxicity of various substances.

The speaker called for greater efforts in implementing more systems of prevention and rehabilitation to curtail the demand for drugs.

He challenged the medical community to do a better job of integrating physical health and mental health. He also challenged the education community to put more focus on nurturing emotional intelligence in early childhood education, to increase the ability to relate to other people.

Eubanks then called for greater accessibility to long-term treatment for those who cannot afford its services. He also said the criminal justice system needs to place more emphasis on rehabilitation programs, specifically, by providing inmates a therapeutic continuum of care and teaching them pro-social behaviors.

Said Eubanks, “Drugs are always going to exist. We cannot eradicate these issues by combating them on the supply side. We have to curtail the demand.”

In addition to Eubanks, the conference featured presentations from Pasco Sheriff Chris Nocco; Gail Ryder, Baycare Health Systems vice president of behavioral health; and Roderick Cunningham, Drug Enforcement Agency outreach program manager.

There was also a series of breakout sessions that focused on substance abuse prevention and recovery efforts, among other topics.

Published May 29, 2019

Plenty on tap for Pasco ASAP in 2019

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As it continues its mission to reduce the overuse and misuse of illicit drugs and alcohol, the Pasco County Alliance for Substance Abuse Prevention has witnessed progress during several areas during the past year.

During 2018, Pasco County:

  • Saw its drug poisoning death rate, or overdoses, register a slight decrease — for the first time since 2014
  • Reported lower figures of illicitly used prescription pain relievers among its high school student population
  • Saw a decline in alcohol usage among youth in the county
  • Registered dips in other alcohol-use indicators, such as underaged drinking and impaired driving

Chrissie Parris, interim director for the alliance, which is also known as ASAP, characterized those reports as “big wins” and “good signs” for the county during a recent interview with The Laker/Lutz News.

Pasco County Alliance for Substance Abuse Prevention (ASAP) interim coordinator Chrissie Parris (Courtesy of Chrissie Parris)

“The message seems to be getting out there,” Parris said, regarding the dangers of drugs and alcohol.

But, there continues to be much work to be done by ASAP — a coalition which seeks to address the underlying issues of addiction, and ways to address and prevent it in among youths and adults.

The opioid crisis will continue to be a priority area for ASAP in 2019, Parris said.

Reducing alcohol abuse will be a key issue, too.

Parris said ASAP has seen an increase in total deaths in related to alcohol overconsumption —despite the decline in alcohol usage in the youth population countywide.

Chronic liver disease also remains one of the top 10 causes of death in Pasco, she said.

“Alcohol is never off of the table,” Parris said. “It’s still the most prevalent drug that we see.”

Meanwhile, she said the organization will seek to address a drug that has popped up on its radar of late: methamphetamine.

More drug users have turned to meth as law enforcement and health organizations crack down on other substances, she added.

“A lot of it has to do with availability and accessibility,” Parris said, also noting that meth “creates a strong psychological dependence very quickly.”

Parris said ASAP is trying to find ways to interface with meth users in the county.

Parris put it this way: “We have a hard time finding out, ‘What’s the underlying cause there?’ and ‘Why are we still turning to meth?’ It seems to be more of a cultural thing in certain pockets of the county.”

Another “big priority” for ASAP this year is reducing the stigma associated with mental health issues, Parris said.

Part of that involves increasing awareness regarding the need to recognize early signs and symptoms of possible mental illness, and helping those who are struggling to gain access to assistance.

The coalition also is working on several programming tracks with health care professionals, recovery community organizations and the faith-based community, to provide more awareness on available resources for substance abuse prevention and recovery.

There will also be several workshops and other general meetings throughout the year to engage youth, parents and other community members, Parris said.

“We’re trying to help everybody work better together, to fill in those gaps in services or pockets of need in our community.

“We’ll continue to build our action plans around drugs that we see trends with in Pasco County,” Parris said.

The alliance also plans to have its annual conference, “Strengthening Our Communities on Mental Health and Drug Prevention,” on May 14 at Saddlebrook Resort in Wesley Chapel.

The event’s keynote speaker is Austin Eubanks, a Columbine survivor, who will discuss how he treated a lot of his emotional pain with opioids he was prescribed after being shot in the school shooting, and what communities can do for prevention, treatment, recovery and relapse prevention for substance abuse.

“It’s pretty powerful,” Parris said of Eubanks’ talk. “We’re really excited to have him on board.”

For more information on ASAP, visit PascoASAP.com, or call (727) 315-8658.

Published January 23, 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

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

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

Sports tourism expert praises Pasco’s offerings

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As Pasco County stocks up on sports and recreation facilities, one local sports tourism expert envisions the growing area as a regional asset and an enticement for attracting more big-ticket sporting events to Tampa Bay.

Jason Aughey, senior director at the Tampa Bay Sports Commission, was the featured guest speaker on March 22 at an economic development briefing hosted by the North Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce at Hunter’s Green Golf & Country Club.

Tampa Bay Sports Commission senior director Jason Aughey was the featured guest speaker at a March 22 economic development briefing hosted by the North Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce. He discussed sports tourism as it related to the Tampa Bay region, including Pasco County. (Courtesy of North Tampa Chamber of Commerce)

While much of the talk focused on the Tampa Bay region as a whole, Aughey touched on Pasco County’s current impact and potential as a sports destination.

“The future is extremely bright,” said Aughey, who is bullish on the county’s renewed focus on sports tourism.

He specifically mentioned the “world-class” Florida Hospital Center Ice in Wesley Chapel, which opened in early 2017 as the largest hockey complex in the southeastern United States.

“People come here and see that — they’re blown away,” Aughey said.

He said another feather in the county’s cap is the construction of a $44 million, 98,000-square-foot, multi-use indoor sports complex being built in the Wiregrass area.

The Wiregrass sports complex — set to open by spring 2019— could be used as an ancillary site for large indoor volleyball tournaments, such as the Gasparilla Volleyball Kickoff Classic, which are currently hosted at the Tampa Convention Center.

The Wiregrass facility, developed by RAAD Sports LLC, also can host basketball, soccer, lacrosse and cheerleading events, among others.

The speaker lauded existing centers, including Saddlebrook Resort — which hosted the Fed Cup Tennis Semifinals last April. And, he noted the Wesley Chapel District Park and the Land O’ Lakes Recreation Complex, which provide ball fields for youth and amateur sports.

Having those places to play at is the first step in in driving a thriving sports tourism market, Aughey said.

The community’s location is another advantage because of the relative ease of navigating from Central Pasco and East Pasco, to downtown Tampa and Tampa International Airport.

Aughey observed: “While there’s that line that truly does delineate Hillsborough and Pasco County, we see it as nonexistent. When we’re dealing with event organizers and say, ‘Hey, our airport is less than 30 minutes from Wesley Chapel or Land O’ Lakes,’ it’s an attention-getter.”

The Tampa Bay Sports Commission (TBSC) is a private, nonprofit, 501c3, charitable corporation that serves the entire Tampa Bay area as the lead organization for bidding on and hosting premier sports, and entertainment events. It is one of 27 sports commissions in Florida. There are more than 600 throughout the United States. (Courtesy of Tampa Bay Sports Commission)

The Tampa Bay Sports Commission (TBSC) is a private, nonprofit, 501c3, charitable corporation that serves the entire Tampa Bay area as the lead organization for bidding on and hosting premier sports, and entertainment events.

Aughey said the organization’s partnership with Pasco has evolved significantly during the past decade and has to grow with the county’s new tourism director, Adam Thomas, a former professional baseball player who’s expressed a heavier interest in drawing more sporting events.

Aughey stressed the big business of sports in his presentation, noting the Tampa Convention & Visitors Bureau estimates over a third of the region’s visitor nights are sports-related.

It not only extends to Super Bowls and national championships, but the youth and amateur realm, too.

Aughey explained: “If you think about it, sports really is recession-proof. People aren’t going to cut their child’s opportunity to participate, or potentially with their future if they’re eligible for a scholarship. And, discretionary income, in terms of people going to different sporting events, it’s not going to disappear.”

Big-ticket regional events yield significant economic impact by generating thousands of hotel room nights in a short period, he added.

For instance, the 2017 College Football Playoff National Championship at Raymond James Stadium yielded more than 60,000 hotel visitor nights.

Pasco recorded its highest-ever daily hotel room revenue on game night, the second Monday in January, Aughey noted. And, on the three days leading up to the game, the county’s average daily hotel rate increased 25 percent, 60 percent and 57 percent, and the average revenue per available hotel room increased 54 percent, 136 percent and 118 percent compared to same days in previous years.

The national championship game fostered a sense of pride with the Tampa Bay community, and its success helped Tampa secure its fifth Super Bowl bid, for February 2021, he said.

Tampa Bay regional sporting events on tap through 2022:

  • 2018 NCAA Division II Women’s Lacrosse Championship
  • 2018 NCAA Division I Track & Field
  • 2019 NCAA Women’s Final Four
  • 2020 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball First and Second Rounds
  • 2021 NFL Super Bowl LV
  • 2021 NCAA Division II Men’s & Women’s Cross Country Championships
  • 2021 NCAA Division II Men’s & Women’s Soccer Championships
  • 2021 NCAA Division II Women’s Volleyball Championships
  • 2022 Southeastern Conference Basketball Tournament

Published April 4, 2018

USA Women’s Hockey, fans celebrate gold in Wesley Chapel

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Just days removed from 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 all began — 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. (Kevin Weiss)

It’s where the team spent more than five months getting prepared 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 intrasquad scrimmages were used to determine the 23 players selected for the Team USA roster back in May.

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

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

Moments since have been nothing short of surreal for Team USA, from celebrating the victory to the fan support.

“It’s been overwhelming, exciting, just a whirlwind,” said two-time Olympian and forward Kendall Coyne. “It’s been truly an honor to bring home this gold to the United States, and to see the reaction from everybody and the support.”

“It’s been crazy,” added 19-year-old defenseman Cayla Barnes, the youngest member of Team USA. “This has been a goal of ours for so long, and it just proves you can do whatever you set your mind to.”

Two-time Olympian and forward Kendall Coyne shows off her Olympic gold medal. She is one of 23 players on the U.S. women’s national ice hockey team.

Their time spent in Wesley Chapel won’t soon be forgotten, either, from top-flight training digs and hospitality, to the warm, sunny weather.

“These facilities were awesome, the staff here was amazing, and they really helped us with everything we needed,” Barnes said. “It was great to be down here, such nice weather, and really nice to train out here in preparation for the games.”

“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,” said Coyne. “The growth is amazing, and just to see the growth in the short six months we were here just shows how much more there can be.”

Coyne added, the gold medal victory provides a “huge opportunity” to further the sport in the United States, particularly among young girls.

The 25-year-old herself was inspired by Hall of Famer Cammi Granato and the 1998 U.S. Olympic Women’s Ice Hockey, the last team to win gold.

“With our win, I think we can get more girls playing across the United States,” Coyne said.

“If you look at our team currently, a lot of us are playing because we saw the ’98 team win a gold medal. So, knowing that feeling and knowing personally I was one of them… I saw Cammi Granato, and seeing her gold medal made me want to become one of them.”

Tampa resident Chad Courson is all smiles after posing for a picture with Team USA Women’s Hockey. He came equipped with a Team USA jacket and ‘Gold Medal edition’ box of Corn Flakes to get autographed.

Having Team USA train in Wesley Chapel was likewise beneficial to Florida Hospital Center Ice and the Tampa Bay hockey community, said Gordie Zimmerman, managing partner and developer of Florida Hospital Center Ice.

The $28 million,150,500-square-foot complex was picked as Team USA’s training ground over such hockey facilities in Boston, Chicago and others.

“It’s been terrific on every front — for the development of hockey for the girls and the boys, and just the awareness and having the girls here in the facility,” explained Zimmerman.

“I think there was a lot of pressure on them and where they train…and it turned out to be a great experience for everybody. This wave is going to continue, and you can see like with the girls’ (programs) — and that’s what it’s all about.”

As one of dozens of fans at the meet-and-greet, Wesley Chapel resident Rob Simonelli just couldn’t pass up the chance to take photos and chat it up with the newly crowned Olympic gold medalists.

He found out about the team’s surprise appearance at Center Ice through a friend who caught wind of the event.

“I had a feeling because they had been here for a couple months with their training that they’ve got to come back and take a look at the people at the rink,” said Simonelli, who plays recreational hockey at Center Ice along with his son.

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

Simonelli said he watched much of the Olympic coverage on television, and even attended some of the team’s tryouts and international games at Center Ice last year.

Besides national pride, he felt some local pride, too.

“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.

Another exuberant fan, Tampa resident Chad Courson, came to the event equipped with a Team USA jacket and a “Gold Medal edition” box of Corn Flakes featuring a cover picture of USA women’s gold winning hockey star Meghan Duggan.

He brought both items to get signed. He also bought about 40 other boxes of the limited-edition Corn Flakes to get signed later that night at Amalie Arena as part of another Team USA appearance.

“I met the team on previous occasions, but it’s still cool,” Courson said of the team’s stop in Wesley Chapel.

As for the team’s run in PyeongChang?

“It was amazing,” Courson said.

Published March 7, 2018

Moonshine, Turpentine and Timber

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The theme of this year’s 108th Founder’s Day in Zephyrhills is “Timber, Turpentine and Moonshine.”

The trio of products played an important role during Zephyrhills’ early days.

Vast pine and cypress were abundant throughout the area and provided raw materials for building. Besides timber, they provided turpentine and related products.

Around 1931, 19-year-old Lonnie Tucker watches for revenuers. He is pictured in Wesley Chapel with his moonshine still. (Courtesy of Madonna Jervis Wise)

Greer’s Lumber Mill, operated by Jim Greer, was the largest employer for the first two decades and fortified settlers with resources to build their cracker homes.

The Great Depression closed Greer’s Lumber Mill.

But, the town began to flourish again after 1932, when I.A. Krusen purchased 13,000 acres and opened the Krusen Land & Timber Company.

Later, Camp Number 39 of Hercules Powder Company was opened in Zephyrhills and had the distinction of being the largest employer in the city from 1946 until its closing in 1962.

Farmers and ranchers within a 35-mile radius contracted with Hercules to remove pine stumps, which were processed into products such as rosin, turpentine and pine oil, as well as byproducts used in paper, paints, varnishes, adhesives, asphalt emulsions, gun powder and dynamite.

Although Zephyrhills was less distinguished for moonshine than neighboring communities, such as Wesley Chapel, an occasional settler turned to moonshine stills, as well as charcoal kilns and cash-crops, to subsist.

When Prohibition banned the manufacture, transportation and sale of alcohol, moonshine stills provided an alternative source of liquor. Even after Prohibition ended, occasional moonshining continued until the 1950s. Several families still hold moonshine recipes.

Marlo Hilton, a hometown girl and 1998 Zephyrhills High School graduate, remembers using a metal detector at her family’s ranch to explore the area to the west of her home, where Stanley Ryals, her great-grandfather, had his moonshine still.

“They were a tough breed,” said Hilton, who spoke lovingly of her iconic great-grandfather, who died in 2000.

Ryals used profits from bootlegging, as well as the sale of sweet potatoes, to purchase 640 acres in the Zephyrhills area. Later, he opened Zephyr Lumber and Saw Mill where he logged, cut and sanded timber.

Ryals contributed much to the city, serving as president of the chamber of commerce in the late 1950s and as a founding member of Zephyrhills Noon Rotary Club, where he had a 30-year perfect attendance record.

Ryals’ father-in-law was Wesley Wells, the chief of police in Zephyrhills.

Stanley Ryals, for whom the Founder’s Day brew, ‘Ryals n’ Shine,’ is named, is shown here with a draft horse in Zephyrhills. He was 45 at the time. Ryals was a Zephyrhills businessman who operated the lumberyard and earned funds in his early years from moonshining to purchase a section of land. Much of that land is still owned by his family on Eiland Boulevard. (Courtesy of Marlo Hilton)

His grandson, Boe Hilton (who is Marlo’s father and a 1971 graduate of Zephyrhills High) observed that his grandfather understood people and knew how to build upon their strengths.

The most notorious bootlegger in the area was Clarence Lane, who described himself, in a 2005 interview, as one of the top 10 moonshiner/bootleggers in Florida.

Lane said during the 1930s many of his customers were law enforcement officers and judges.

Lane said he began moonshining as a teenager, learning the skills from his father. His first still was in Kathleen. Later, he moved to Zephyrhills.

At age 19, Lonnie Tucker from Wesley Chapel, worked in Zephyrhills for I.A. Krusen during the day in the Lumber Company. He also operated a still near the current location of Saddlebrook Resort.

Tucker later worked at Moody’s Hardware, in Zephyrhills, for more than a quarter-century.

His daughter, Anna Jo Bracknell, will be on hand at Founder’s Day for one of the porch talks at the Howard B. Jeffries house.

She plans to share stories about moonshining during her 1 p.m. talk on March 10.

Zephyrhills’ 108th Founders Day
When: March 10 (Parade begins at 10 a.m.)
Where: Downtown Zephyrhills in the morning and early afternoon; Zephyrhills Airport in late afternoon
Cost: Free admission
Details: There will be an old-fashioned hometown parade; food and drink available for purchase; children’s activities, a skydive demonstration and fireworks to cap off the day.

By Madonna Jervis Wise

Published March 7, 2018