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Sandy Graves

Hungry Harry’s big heart receives community honor

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Instead of going to their bank, law office, hospital or real estate company — or dozens of other businesses — these men and women showed up at Hungry Harry’s Family Bar-B-Que on a recent sunny and clear Wednesday morning.

They were there to honor Harry Wright and his son-in-law, Chad Hudson, for their restaurant’s longstanding contributions to community life in Land O’ Lakes.

Members of the Central Pasco Chamber of Commerce gather to honor Harry Wright, left and Chad Hudson, with the Central Pasco Chamber’s ‘Heart of Pasco Award.’
(B.C. Manion)

Members of the Central Pasco Chamber of Commerce’s community affairs committee presented a sign declaring Hungry Harry’s as “The Heart of Pasco.”

“Hungry Harry’s has been actively involved in the community and has given back to the community in countless ways,” Mary Lynn Gorsline said, as she read from a letter explaining why the restaurant was singled out for the honor. Sandy Graves, also on the committee, presented a plaque to Wright and Hudson.

After the formalities, those attending huddled around Wright and Hudson for a group photo, and then the two men posed with individuals and groups who wanted a picture to mark the occasion.

Wright said the recognition wasn’t necessary, but he was obviously pleased.

“Just being part of the community is enough acknowledgement for me. To have this many business people acknowledge me, is really good,” Wright said.

He’s also happy that his son-in-law, who runs the operations now, has kept up the restaurant’s tradition of giving back to the community.

Hungry Harry’s, at 3116 Land O’ Lakes Blvd., has a long history in Land O’ Lakes.

When the restaurant opened, 33 years ago, it was a very lean operation. Just Wright, his wife, Sherry, and one employee handled all of the chores.

Over time, Hungry Harry’s has become a mainstay at charitable events in the community.

When volunteers for Coastal Cleanup finish cleaning up, for instance, they’re rewarded with a meal supplied by Hungry Harry’s. That tradition dates more than 20 years.

Wright estimates the restaurant has been involved in 5,000 fundraisers. At the 30-year mark Hungry Harry’s had given away about 250,000 meals, he said.

Like most businesses, Hungry Harry’s has had its successes and setbacks.

At one point, when a portion of the restaurant’s property was taken by eminent domain to widen U.S. 41 — also known as Land O’ Lakes Boulevard — Hungry Harry’s was closed for eight months. At another point, Wright was knocked out of commission by a heart attack.

When the recession hit, it wiped out nearly all of the restaurant’s commercial catering and dealt a serious blow to its walk-in trade, Wright said.

But, the family has stuck together, and through hard work, it has weathered the storms, Wright said.

It now has a thriving catering service for weddings, which Hudson developed, which catered more than 400 weddings last year, Wright said.

Opening a barbecue restaurant was never part of a grand plan, Wright said.

“I was running the world’s largest service center and tire store in Tampa. My boss wouldn’t pay me my $11,800 bonus,” he said. So, he turned in his two-week notice.

He and Sherry had five kids at the time.

“She was really concerned and upset.  “She said, ‘Well, what are you gonna do?’”

Wright had an idea.

He had been working near a barbecue joint that enjoyed an excellent reputation.

Wright thought he could do better.

“I said, ‘Honey, if this guy around the corner can be the best in Tampa Bay, I can cook barbecue better than that. I cooked barbecue for our wedding.’

“She said, ‘You stupid fool. I’ve never worked in a restaurant, and we don’t have any money.’

“Twenty-four days later, we opened,” Wright said.

Now, Wright and his wife are partners with their daughter, Stacey and their son-in-law, Chad.

“My son-in-law is an unreal businessman,” Wright said.

Things are far more systematic than they were when Wright ran things.

“We had no recipe books, when he came.

Members of the Central Pasco Chamber of Commerce gather to honor Hungry Harry’s Family Bar-B-Que with the ‘Heart of Pasco Award.’
(Courtesy of Suzanne Beauchaine)

“He said, ‘Starting tomorrow, everything you do for the next year, you’ve got to write it down.’”

“I’d tear off box tops, and I’d write down, ‘Mashed potatoes for 600.’”

Hudson took the recipes and converted them into spread sheets, with step-by-step instructions.

At its inception, the restaurant was named Hungry Harry’s Famous Bar-B-Que.

“Who decided it was famous?” Wright asked, rhetorically? “I did,” he answered, with a laugh.

Now, that the restaurant’s ownership is in the family’s second generation, the company refers to itself as Hungry Harry’s Family Bar-B-Que.

Initially, the restaurant operated out of a former barbecue joint called Rib Junction. It had been closed for two years and its lot was choked with weeds. Its dining room had 130 seats and stretched out to what is now the middle of the highway.

To help fill those seats, Wright went to church — many churches, actually.

He would tell the pastors: “You pick a night that works for me, and I’ll feed every man, woman, (and) child a complete dinner, with everything including dessert, for $2.”

The church dinners often would draw 300 to 350 people, and roughly 150 of them would end up at Hungry Harry’s for a meal within a week.

Wright said he has always been his own man.

“I did what I wanted to do. I fought the county, when I wanted to fight the county. I fought for causes,” he said.

The American flag that covers the restaurant’s roof is proof positive of that.

“Eight days after 911, the flag was started to be prepped and painted. I was so upset at that time,” he said, and he wanted to do something.

“So, we painted it.

“Sometime after that, Pasco County came to warn me that I was in violation of the sign code.

“I informed them I didn’t want to be warned. I told them I wanted to be cited. They’d have to take me out of here in handcuffs, feet cuffs (ankle cuffs). I had people in the armed forces who said they would sit up on the roof.

“So, they (county regulators) decided just to leave it alone,” he said.

Wright is a big believer in Land O’ Lakes, and in supporting local businesses.

“We have six kids. We had five when we came. The sixth was born almost in the restaurant.

“We have 14 grandkids, 11 of them in Land O’ Lakes, so I’m pretty well vested in the community,” Wright said.

He appreciates the relationships and friendships he’s formed through the years, with local business owners and local organizations.

“I don’t think I had anything but relationships in business when I came here. That was all that kept me in business,” Wright said.

While he appreciates the chamber’s recognition, it’s not something he sought after, he said.

“I have never been a person who needed to be acknowledged. I got the satisfaction from what we’d done. I’ve never done anything unless I’ve wanted to, and that’s a real freedom,” he said.

Now, he’s working on a book he plans to call ‘Everybody knows everything about life, and barbecue.’”

His favorite sentence so far is this: “Two days after everybody agrees on religion and politics — two days after that, they’ll agree on barbecue.”

In looking back, Wright said, “I don’t think I was a very good businessman.

But, that doesn’t seem to bother him.

“I probably could have been a whole lot more successful monetarily, but I couldn’t have been a whole lot more satisfied,” Wright said.

Published April 5, 2017

Foundation considers its future path

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The Heritage Park Foundation is figuring out its future.

The foundation, which formed decades ago, has essentially met its major goals of bringing improvements to the park — including a stage, which is now under construction.

Dirt flew during the groundbreaking ceremony last year for construction of a stage at the Land O’ Lakes Community Park. The stage is expected to be completed in coming months, and is envisioned as a venue for concerts, plays and other activities at the park.
(File)

So, the group met on Feb. 1 to discuss whether the foundation should continue to exist, or should disband.

Sandy Graves, a prime mover in the quest to get a stage for the park, told board members that if the foundation dissolves, it would be difficult to attain a nonprofit status (501c3) for another organization.

By having the nonprofit status, however, money can be raised that can be spent at the Land O’ Lakes park, she explained.

Kurt Conover, who has been involved since the inception of the foundation, agreed that establishing another 501c3 would be difficult.

Over the years, the vision for what should happen on the park land has changed, Conover said.

But, the idea has always been to foster a greater sense of community, Graves said.

The stage will help make that happen, Conover said.

“It will be a whole different atmosphere, once you have the stage,” he said.

The stage project was made possible through a partnership of the foundation, community businesses, Pasco County, Pasco County Schools and a $250,000 grant from the state.

Construction must be completed by this summer to comply with terms of the state grant, said Brian Taylor, the county’s Parks and Recreation manager.

The completion of the stage follows other significant upgrades to the park, which has resulted in making it a popular place among athletes.

In the future, the foundation may serve as a conduit to help raise money for additional improvements at the park, but it is not clear how that will work yet.

One idea would be for a fee to be imposed to those using the stage, with those fees going to the foundation. The foundation, in turn, could contribute that money for improvements at the park.

Taylor said he needed to do more research on the issue.

Discussion on the issue will continue at the board’s next meeting, expected to be held next month.

Published February 8, 2017

Local residents attend Donald J. Trump’s inauguration

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When kindergarten teacher Kimberly Eberhard began her winter break, she never expected she’d have a front seat to history.

Kimberly Eberhard and her friend, Harley Kesselman, attend the inauguration ceremony for Donald J. Trump, the nation’s 45th president.
(Courtesy of Kimberly Eberhard)

But, there she was on Jan. 20, watching the nation’s 45th president, Donald J. Trump, taking the oath of office.

“It was silent,” the Wesley Chapel woman said, as everyone watched Trump recite the oath.

Then, a rousing round of applause and cheering broke out, said Eberhard, who teaches in Tampa. “You got chills throughout your body.”

She added: “Throughout his speech, everybody nearby was going, ‘Amen. Amen. Amen.’

“It was an incredible experience,” Eberhard said, noting she met people from all over — including such places as Tennessee, Pennsylvania and Montana.

Sandy Graves and her husband, Steve, took a road trip to get to the inauguration. (Courtesy of Sandy Graves)

Sandy Graves and her husband, Steve, both active in Pasco County Republican Party politics, also made the trek to Washington D.C. They drove so they could see some sights along the way.

Sandy Graves, who has attended previous inaugurations, said this one was not like the others.

“The mixture of people was different. It wasn’t our normal base of Republicans. It was very eclectic,” she said.

There was an excitement in the air, she added.

“I think it’s this sort of feeling that government can be tamed, not so over-burdensome. Just like Trump said in his speech, it (government) was going back to the people.”

She believes that Trump “really does believe that government should be for the people.

“I think he believes that government needs to be out of the way of creation of business,” she said. More than that, she said, she thinks Trump believes government should not impede innovation.

Ben Pumo and his daughter, Alyssa, and his wife, Elizabeth, pose for a photo on their way to Florida’s inaugural ball.
(Courtesy of Ben Pumo)

Ben Pumo, owner of Benedetto’s Ristorante Italiano, in Land O’ Lakes, also was at the inauguration, with his wife, Elizabeth, and his daughter, Alyssa.

“When Donald Trump won, that same night, I made my hotel reservations and my flight reservations,” Pumo said, knowing he would work on securing tickets later.

He has been actively involved in lobbying for small business interests and being involved in politics, and soon learned he would need to secure an invitation from U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, which he did.

“It felt good to be around people that supported your same views, behind small business and having my daughter and my wife be able to experience that with me,” Pumo said.

Published February 1, 2017

Campaign 2016: Something to talk about

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Everyone knows the old saying, the one designed to keep peace among restless kinfolk: Never discuss religion or politics.

Sandy Graves knows it, too, and spurns it at every turn.

“If it weren’t for religion and politics,” she says breezily, “I wouldn’t have anything to talk about.”

This, as anyone who knows the first lady of Land O’ Lakes, is not entirely true. She can do hours on the history of her community, or what goes into the construction of a small amphitheater.

Sandy Graves stands near a lake in her beloved Land O’ Lakes.
(Tom Jackson/Photo)

Even so, politics and religion, and especially how they intertwine, are her preferred milieu. Nonetheless, in anticipation of the completion of a historically wild ride, Graves is willing to take a conditional vow of silence.

It was either that, or, to affix a fitting ending to her efforts on behalf of a certain billionaire reality TV star and developer, pay close to $700 a night for a hotel room anywhere near a Washington D.C. Metro stop. “With a four-night minimum,” Graves says. Yikes.

Yes, Sandy Graves, accompanied by amiable husband Steve, is going to the (even now, mind-boggling) inauguration of Donald J. Trump as the 45th president of the United States. In exchange for free lodgings with her niece, a pleasant progressive who lives in Alexandria, Virginia, and supported Hillary Clinton, she says, “I am willing to bite my tongue.”

That will be her niece’s loss, because as pleased as she is about the election’s outcome, Graves nonetheless emerged from the campaign with utterly delightful tales that have next to nothing with partisan politics.

We will get to the Blue Ridge Mountains snake woman in a moment.

First, meet Liam, a 7-year-old Wesley Chapel lad who greeted Graves, who’d arrived in response to a request for campaign signs, as if mounted on springs.

Graves rapped, the door swung open, and there was Liam, eyes wide and bright, and bouncing — boing-boing-boing — as he summoned his grandmother.

“Grammie! It’s a Trump supporter! Grammie!”

Weeks later, after Election Day, Sandy and Liam happened across each other, and the boy asked why she hadn’t responded to his email.

“You sent me an email?” she answered. “I don’t think I got it.”

Shrugging, but without missing beat, he said, “Hillary must have deleted it.”

Speaking of whom, Graves noted two errors — one of commission, the other of omission — she considers critical to Clinton’s defeat.

Evidence of the first adorns the back windshield of her Kia SUV, a sticker that proclaims the driver to be an “Adorable Deplorable,” in response to Clinton condemning Trump backers as society’s dregs.

Graves rejected Clinton’s characterization as “worse than anything Mitt Romney said about the ‘47 percent’” — the 2012 GOP nominee’s assessment of the recipient class that had no incentive to vote for him.

Also like the 47-percenters, the so-called Deplorables rallied around their new-found celebrity. “We’re deplorable?” Graves says. “Fine. We’ll take it.”

The omission: According to reports in Pasco, and pooled information from around Florida, Clinton operatives vanished between the March primary and the end of the Democratic National Convention in late July.

Meanwhile, GOP activists worked their precincts like bees, linked to their hives by sharply designed mobile apps. This, Graves noted, was in stark contrast to Clinton campaigners who, when they finally did arrive, lugged old-fashioned paper logbooks.

This, too, boosted Republican hopes. “At last,” Graves said, “our technology is ahead of theirs.” In her gratitude, she couldn’t help wondering how the Clinton campaign could have mislaid so much of what President Obama had proven correct about getting out the vote. It was almost as though Republicans and Democrats had switched playbooks.

All of that was history, however, on Election Day when, in a quirk of scheduling, the Graves found themselves in the North Carolina Smoky Mountains for Steve’s annual camp retreat with college buddies.

“If we’re here,” Sandy told him, “we’re working.”

Assigned a precinct in deep blue Cedar Mountain, between Brevard and the South Carolina state line, they met secretive ticket-splitters — shy Trump voters who planned otherwise to tick Democrat boxes — a couple their age who were first-time voters “because they said they’d never felt needed before, and the aforementioned snake woman.

She rolled up in “a nice Cadillac,” Graves recalls, and asked workers to keep an eye on it. She needed to keep the motor running and the heater on, because it was cold, and she’d brought her baby python curled up in its carrier.

“He goes everywhere with me,” she explained. “He sleeps in bed with me. Of course, my husband doesn’t like it. But, that’s the way it goes.”

“Then,” Graves says, “we asked her if she wanted a Republican sample ballot, and she gave us a look like we were nuts.”

Politics and religion. And snakes. And 7-year-old boys with zingers. That was Campaign 2016 in a nutshell.

The lesson here? Be careful what you decide people shouldn’t talk about.

 

Tom Jackson, a resident of New Tampa, is interested in your ideas. To reach him, email .

Revised January 11, 2017

Setting the stage for community gatherings

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Someday when the crowds gather to enjoy a school recital, or attend a concert, or watch a play — the stage at Land O’ Lakes Community Park will just be a fixture, a venue for events.

But last week, the yet-to-be built stage was the star of the show.

Elected leaders, government workers, business partners and community activists join together to toss dirt signifying the groundbreaking for a stage to be built at the Land O’ Lakes Community Park. (B.C. Manion/Staff Photos)
Elected leaders, government workers, business partners and community activists join together to toss dirt signifying the groundbreaking for a stage to be built at the Land O’ Lakes Community Park.
(B.C. Manion/Staff Photos)

That’s when local politicians, community activists and interested residents gathered to celebrate the groundbreaking for the stage, which will be built on a grassy area west of the park’s fenced-in ball field.

The ceremony signaled the end of a quest for a stage that began decades ago.

The construction of the stage follows a $2.3 million project to breathe new life and expand amenities at Land O’ Lakes Community Park, 5401 Land O’ Lakes Blvd.

Construction of the stage is expected to begin in October and to be completed by January.

The idea for a stage was nothing new, but funding for it was elusive.

Everything finally came together, in what Pasco County Commissioner Mike Moore described as a “public, public, public, private, private, private, private, private, private partnership.”

By all accounts, it took a $250,000 grant from the state, the cooperation of local governments, the generosity of local partnerships and the involvement of community activists to make the vision a reality.

And, of course, there was Sandy Graves.

“I can tell you that this doesn’t exist but for Sandy Graves,” said Richard Corcoran, Speaker-designate of the Florida House of Representatives.

Corcoran helped secure the grant from the state’s Division of Cultural Affairs for the stage, but he credited Graves’ passion for making it happen.

“Sandy — she just dogged it, day in and day out,” Corcoran said. “The perseverance is something I’ve never seen.”

Sandy Graves, a native of Land O’ Lakes, has been pushing for years to get a stage built at Land O’ Lakes Community Park. She envisions all sorts of gatherings to draw the community together. Construction is set to start in October.
Sandy Graves, a native of Land O’ Lakes, has been pushing for years to get a stage built at Land O’ Lakes Community Park. She envisions all sorts of gatherings to draw the community together. Construction is set to start in October.

Corcoran said Graves told him: “I want to bring to my community something that’s great, something that’s beautiful, and where children can learn about arts and culture, and have this great asset to the community,” he said.

“I’m pretty conservative — but if there’s ever a project that belongs in a budget, it’s when it’s an individual who is fighting for something beautiful for her community. She doesn’t have a lobbyist. She doesn’t have power. She doesn’t have any of that stuff, but a heart, and a passion and a vision,” Corcoran said.

Graves, who declares herself a proud “Laker,” said anyone who has ever met her knows within a couple of minutes that she’s a native of Land O’ Lakes.

It’s a place that’s known for its community spirit, she said, pointing to the Land O’ Lakes Community Park as a prime example.

“It was built in the 1960s, after fish fries and donations, from loads of Lakers,” she said.

“This was before the county had a parks and recreation department, and before red tape was invented.

“So, in keeping with that tradition, Heritage Park (Foundation) was created,” she said.

The foundation has aimed to keep the park alive and has dreamed of adding a stage that could serve as a focal point for community events.

“Heritage Park Foundation has a motto: Building a better community by building a better community center,” she said.

The construction of the stage is the result of many, many people who have come together to help make it happen, Graves said. She named off dozens of people and organizations that have been involved through the years. She also remembered those who help carry the torch, but have since passed on.

“I want to thank the members of our organization (Heritage Park Foundation) that are not here today,” she said. “We hope they’re smiling down on us and saying, ‘Job well done.’”

Ray Gadd, deputy superintendent for Pasco County Schools, also took to the podium to thank the business partners who are either providing their services for free, or at cost, in order to bring the project in within budget.

The result will make a difference, said school board chairwoman Joanne Hurley, who recalled selling turkey legs at the Flapjack Festival years ago, to help raise money for a stage.

Hurley praised the partnerships that came together to make the vision a reality. She expects generations of people to enjoy events at the park.

The stage will be used for plays, recitals, concerts, pageants and other presentations, Moore said.

“This stage is actually going to be a cornerstone of future cultural events here in Land O’ Lakes,” Moore said.

Recognitions galore!
The list of people, companies and organizations that had a hand in bringing the stage project to life at the Land O’ Lakes Community Park is long.

These are the people and organizations that got a mention during speakers’ remarks at the stage’s groundbreaking on Aug. 16:

  • Members of the Heritage Park Foundation, especially Kurt Conover, Tim Hayes, Lee Cannon, John Mitchell and Joanne Hurley, and newer members Terri Dusek, Helen Rodriguez and Stefanie Bracciale. Also, members of the foundation who have passed way.
  • Longtime supporters: The Central Pasco Chamber of Commerce, the GFWC Lutz Land O’ Lakes Woman’s Club, the past Land O’ Lakes Rotary, Lonnie and Bobby Piper, Susan MacManus, Hungry Harry’s, Keystone Community Church and the Candlewood Community Church
  • School bands and choirs that performed in the park, with the hopes that one day there would be a stage to showcase their talent.
  • Pasco County Schools
  • Pasco County
  • Pasco County Parks and Recreation
  • Humberto Gonzalez, Rick Buckman, Brian Taylor, Mike Walcott and A.J. Fernandez
  • Richard Corcoran, speaker-designate for the Florida House of Representatives
  • Sandy Graves
  • Ray Gadd, deputy superintendent of Pasco County Schools
  • Peter Gottschalk, architect
  • Coastal Design Consultants, Paul Manuel
  • Walbridge, Richard Marshall, Tim Sewell, Mary Layton
  • DC Johnson & Associates Inc., Dan Johnson and Andy Getz
  • Copperstone Executive Suites, Mary Lynn and Gary Gorsline
  • Ervin Bishop Construction Inc., Sonny Bishop
  • Schaer Development of Central Florida, Skip Schaer
  • RIPA and Associates, Frank Ripa
  • Quality Roofing Inc., Rick Jenkins
  • JN Electric of Tampa Bay, John Narcisi
  • Door and Hardware Openings Inc., Mike Gonzalez
  • Accurate Signs on Time, Amy Daigrepont-Calkowski

Published August 24, 2016

Setting the stage for community gatherings

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A groundbreaking ceremony is set for Aug. 16 for a stage to be built at the Land O’ Lakes Community Park, at 5401 Land O’ Lakes Blvd.

“It’s been a long wait, but we’re very excited,” said Sandy Graves, of the Heritage Park Foundation, who has played a leading role in helping to bring the vision to life.

“It was (state Rep.) Richard Corcoran, working with the governor, to get our cultural affairs money, to help us do the stage,” Graves said.

“I’m also grateful to the school board and Ray Gadd (Pasco County Schools deputy superintendent) for taking the lead for helping us get together community participation, with different builders and suppliers that helped us do it for the amount of money that we had,” Graves added.

There have been some changes to the design of a stage planned for the Land O’ Lakes Community Park, since this original rendering was drawn. But, the overall appearance will be very similar, said John Petrashek, director of construction services for Pasco County Schools. One big difference, though, is that plans now call for a copper-colored roof. (File Photo)
There have been some changes to the design of a stage planned for the Land O’ Lakes Community Park, since this original rendering was drawn. But, the overall appearance will be very similar, said John Petrashek, director of construction services for Pasco County Schools. One big difference, though, is that plans now call for a copper-colored roof.
(File Photo)

There has been “a great, great response from the community,” said John Petrashek, director of construction services for Pasco County Schools.

“The architect, Peter Gottschalk, is doing this gratis. He’s a local Land O’ Lakes architect. Coastal Design is doing the civil design. They’re doing that pro bono.

“People have really stepped up,” Petrashek said.

Other companies have stepped up to provide free labor and materials at cost, Petrashek noted.

The roof on the stage has been upgraded to a copper-colored roof, he added.

“We wanted it to stand out,” Graves said. “Mary Lynn and Gary Gorsline of Copperstone (Executive Suites) donated $1,600 because we wanted a copper-color roof on it.”

The beginning of construction will signal a major milestone in the quest to give the community a place to gather, Graves said.

Over the years, foundation members sold turkey legs at the community’s Flapjack Festivals, sold coffee at the opening of the Suncoast Parkway, sold water at a balloon festival at Starkey Park, and sold doughnuts and coffee at the Central Pasco Chamber’s community expos.

The biggest boost for the project came last year when the governor approved a $250,000 grant from the Florida Division of Cultural Affairs.

It took three governors to finally get the state’s support, Graves has noted in previous interviews. Gov. Jeb Bush and Gov. Charlie Crist both said no before Scott said yes.

The contract between Pasco County and the state Division of Cultural Affairs calls for the construction to be completed by June of 2017.

The completion can’t come too soon, Graves said, noting some of the people who have been pushing for the stage, sadly, have passed away and won’t be able to see it come to fruition.

Graves envisions plays, concerts and other events at the stage once it’s done.

“I know it’s going to be used well, in the community. We’re just making this park a very, very special park,” she said.

Groundbreaking for Land O’ Lakes community stage:
Aug. 16 at 8 a.m.
Land O’ Lakes Community Center, picnic pavilion, 5401 Land O’ Lakes Blvd.

Published August 3, 2016

Sandy Graves: All aboard the — shudder — ‘Trump train’

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The picture leapt off my Facebook feed as though it were spring-loaded. Right there among the cat videos, awkward jokes and advertisements for Jaguars, among the goofy quizzes and the “mind-blowing facts you weren’t taught in school,” there she was: Sandy Graves, Land O’ Lakes historian and voice of reason, in a trademark Donald Trump ball cap. Garish red, with TRUMP emblazoned in navy across the crown and below it in white the celebrity billionaire’s trademark slogan, “Make America Great Again.”

See for yourself. It’s right over there, next to all these words.

Debbie Hannifan, of Polk County, left, and Sandy Graves, of Land O’ Lakes, sport ‘Trump Make America Great Again’ ball caps at the quarterly session of the Republican Party of Florida meeting in Tampa on May 14. (Courtesy of Sandy Graves)
Debbie Hannifan, of Polk County, left, and Sandy Graves, of Land O’ Lakes, sport ‘Trump Make America Great Again’ ball caps at the quarterly session of the Republican Party of Florida meeting in Tampa on May 14.
(Courtesy of Sandy Graves)

But, it wasn’t the hat so much as what was below it that held my trained eye: Graves was not grimacing. Not in the least. Instead, peering over the shoulder of her pal Debbie Hannifan, Polk County’s Republican state committeewoman, Graves was immortalized in the process of — there is no other word for this — beaming.

In that cap. That garish red, shouting cap.

This was — is — not the look of one of those establishment Republicans resigned to fate. It’s not even the look of a party regular who has examined the most likely choices for November and, as a GOP regular might who’d been force-fed John McCain or Bob Dole, shrug that, her nominee is the better of two disappointing choices, the lesser of two evils.

Nope. There’s genuineness in those eyes beneath that curved brim, and a sincere turn to the corners of her mouth. Our Sandy might have boarded the — ugh — Trump train late and even reluctantly — it surely was both, as we shall see — but now that she’s found her seat, she’s ready to make the argument on behalf of the reality TV king.

She concedes there’s obligation at work here. “As a state committeewoman,” she says, “I always was going to be for the last one standing.” And, she’s not reluctant to play the any-of-our-guys-are-better-than-their-guys (or Hillary) card.

However, in a year with an electorate fairly bellowing out a theme of disgust and discord from the left and right, November’s winner will need more than “the other one is worse” working for him/her. At last, Graves says she’s ready to make the “more” argument.

It bears noting she started the campaign a fan of Carly Fiorina. “I thought it was time for a woman,” Graves says, echoing a sentiment with which certain Democrats will readily agree, “but it had to be the right woman.”

The former head of Hewlett-Packard was the briefest of shooting stars across the crowded Republican firmament. There was the glittering performance at the first kids’ table debate that boosted her to that memorable a face-to-look-at-that-face Trump beatdown when she made the main stage. But, like the brightest meteorites, she quickly flamed out.

And Trump? Says Graves, eyes rolling, “He was in my top 18.”

On the other hand, Graves didn’t start out a Ronald Reagan fan, either. She volunteered early in 1980 for former Texas Gov. John Connolly, famous for having been wounded in the front seat of the limousine when President Kennedy was assassinated.

“Lots of Republicans didn’t want Reagan,” she says. “He did some things in California [as governor] that weren’t conservative at all.” That’s true. Google “Republican liberal California governor.”

“But, look how that worked out,” she resumes. “Ronald Reagan surprised a lot of people. It could happen again.” For the sake of argument, let’s play along.

What’s Graves’ anatomy of Trump’s appeal? For openers, he stuck up for then-candidate Ben Carson at a debate when the good doctor noted it had been long time between questions for him. “That showed me he’ll have our backs.”

She admires his children, none of whom show the slightest symptoms of “affluenza” — dopiness that comes from being an indulged child of privilege.

She thinks he’s right to demand toughness on border security and immigration, issues she considers pivotal, no matter how far down the list they’ve ranked in primary election exit polls.

Graves also gives him credit for calling out international trade deals, and for pushing allies to pony up for the cost of their national defense.

This being so very much not the place to argue the important nuances of either issue — Trump doesn’t do nuance anyway — let’s turn, instead, to what, in the final analysis, might have illuminated the smile under that cap.

After eight years of a president who has treated the country he leads like the title of a turn-of-the-Millennium Broadway musical — “I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change” — arrayed against the prospect of at least four more entrenching years of his policies, Sandy Graves is finally aligned with Donald Trump because “I believe [he] loves America.” Without hesitation or qualification.

And so she wears the hat. Happily.

Tom Jackson, a resident of New Tampa, is interested in your ideas. To reach him, email .

Honorary mayoral candidates duke it out

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The race is on to see who will be named the next Honorary Mayor of Land O’ Lakes.

The annual contest, sponsored by The Central Pasco Chamber of Commerce, helps raise money for the chamber and some local charities.

This year, the contest pits candidates Gayle Hill and Sandy Graves.

Graves’ campaign has the somewhat lengthy slogan, “Making Land O’ Lakes the shining Census Designated Place on the hill.”

Gayle Hill, left, is running to replace Tariq Zidan, the Honorary Mayor of Land O’ Lakes. Sandy Graves, on the right wants the title, too. (Courtesy of Sandy Graves)
Gayle Hill, left, is running to replace Tariq Zidan, the Honorary Mayor of Land O’ Lakes. Sandy Graves, on the right wants the title, too.
(Courtesy of Sandy Graves)

It’s a tongue-in-cheek reference to a skirmish over where the boundaries lines should be between Land O’ Lakes and Wesley Chapel.

Gayle Hill, of UpHill Marketing Group, said she decided to run because being a member of the Central Pasco Chamber has been good for her business.

“It’s given me ways to promote myself in ways that I wouldn’t ordinarily be able to,” Hill said. “This is a way for me to help give back to the chamber, while also giving back to the community in the form of the charity that I’ve chosen.”

Hill said she was encouraged to toss her hat in the ring by some other chamber members, including Terri Dusek, a former Honorary Mayor of Land O’ Lakes.

Hill’s campaign slogan is “Moving Land O’ Lakes Forward” and her charity is to help the Fraternal Order of Police create a permanent memorial for Pasco County’s fallen law enforcement officers.

Unlike politics in the real world, these candidates plan to hold some joint fundraising activities.

For instance, there’s softball game planned between the two women’s teams. The game is scheduled for May 20 at 6 p.m. at field at the Land O’ Lakes Community Center, 5401 Land O’ Lakes Blvd.

They’re selling a sponsorship spots on the program for $25 each, and admission to the game is $5.

Another event is planned in June. It will be a political fundraising rally dinner and movie night featuring the film, “My Fellow Americans,” according to Graves.

And, like most politicians, they’re going to have their hand out for contributions.

“We’re going to hit people up for some donations,” Hill said. Details are still being worked out for other fundraisers, she added.

Graves said she was attracted to the race because of its tradition of helping good causes.

Years ago, it helped to build the pool at the Land O’ Lakes Recreation Complex, she said.

“That sort of tradition is what I like. That community involvement and helping some local charities, and the chamber itself,” Graves said.

Graves’ campaign will benefit the Heritage Park Foundation, which will sponsor some scholarships for summer recreation programs, she said.

While it’s a friendly competition, Graves said she’s going to do her best to try to claim the sash.

“I’m trying to get the establishment behind me,” she said, with a laugh.

If you’d like to know more about this playful ‘political’ contest, call the Central Pasco Chamber of Commerce for more information, at (813) 909-2722.

Published May 11, 2016

Road renaming remains in limbo

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No decision has been reached on whether to rename a portion of Wesley Chapel Boulevard in honor of its historical ties to the King family ranch.

At the April 12 Pasco County Commission meeting, county officials did not give a date for rescheduling a public hearing that had been postponed in February to “a date uncertain.”

During the public comment portion of the meeting, Sandy Graves, a member of the Central Pasco Chamber of Commerce, asked that the commissioners settle on boundaries for Wesley Chapel and Land O’ Lakes at their April 26 meeting. That decision is central to the dispute over the road’s naming.

“We will live with the decision you make,” she said.

The southern half of Wesley Chapel Boulevard is a short section of paved road that intersects with Grand Cypress Drive, an entry road into the Tampa Premium Outlets. (Kathy Steele/Staff Photos)
The southern half of Wesley Chapel Boulevard is a short section of paved road that intersects with Grand Cypress Drive, an entry road into the Tampa Premium Outlets.
(Kathy Steele/Staff Photos)

After the meeting, Pasco County Administrator Michele Baker said it was unlikely that the issue would be considered, at least in 2016.

In December 2015, the Central Pasco Chamber proposed renaming the road to Circle O Ranch Parkway.

The renaming would apply only to the portion of the road that is south of State Road 56, running beside the Tampa Premium Outlets. Plans call for linking this segment of the road with County Line Road in the future.

On Feb. 17, commissioners voted to postpone the public hearing on renaming the road while county staff members met with people in the Land O’ Lakes and Wesley Chapel communities. Representatives of Sierra Properties, which is developing a portion of the Cypress Creek Town Center on State Road 56, also were included in discussions.

According to the agenda item, the renaming would be put off until “after the community boundaries are established.”

Chamber members and others were asked to submit oral histories, videos, news articles or other documentation about the histories of Wesley Chapel and Land O’ Lakes.

If anyone wants legal boundaries, Pasco County Attorney Jeffrey Steinsnyder said they would have to incorporate as a city. That procedure involves seeking state legislative approval.

“The board really can’t establish a boundary for these unincorporated areas,” Steinsnyder said.

Wesley Chapel Boulevard, south of State Road 56, dead-ends at a grove of trees. The roadway, in the future, will be linked to County Line Road. Central Pasco Chamber of Commerce wants to rename the boulevard as Circle O Ranch Parkway to honor the history of the former King ranch
Wesley Chapel Boulevard, south of State Road 56, dead-ends at a grove of trees. The roadway, in the future, will be linked to County Line Road. Central Pasco Chamber of Commerce wants to rename the boulevard as Circle O Ranch Parkway to honor the history of the former King ranch

“This board doesn’t have anything that it can do to settle a boundary dispute between two unincorporated areas, which are really chambers of commerce as to what’s in this area,” the county attorney added.

“The county isn’t interested in creating boundaries,” said Kristen Hughes, the county’s planning and development administrator. “We’re interested in helping everyone succeed.”

A staff member did research on the histories of both areas, and Hughes said, “There is no clearly defined boundary.”

The Circle O Ranch Parkway name, supported by the Central Pasco Chamber, would recognize the King family, whose former ranch is now the site for Tampa Premium Outlets and Cypress Creek Town Center.

Others have said changing the name would add to confusion at an intersection that has multiple roads linking up including State Road 54, State Road 56 and the northern half of Wesley Chapel Boulevard.

Graves told commissioners she had heard the issue wouldn’t come up again because no one wants “to make anyone mad” during an election year.

Baker said Graves’ comment surprised her.

The county administrator said if commissioners wished to have a presentation to receive information on the issue that one could be scheduled.

Matt Armstrong, the county’s executive planner for long range planning, previously had told commissioners he anticipated providing a staff report in March or April.

Published April 20, 2016

Task forces ready to make choices on transportation

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Two task forces are grappling with critical decisions on the future of State Road 54 and State Road 56.

The final meeting of the West Task Force was scheduled for March 28, after The Laker/Lutz News’ press deadline.

The East Task Force is scheduled to meet on March 31 at 5:30 p.m., at Rasmussen College.

An 18-wheeler moves through the intersection at State Road 54 and U.S. 41. A task force is looking at ways to improve the intersection, and ease congestion. (File Photo)
An 18-wheeler moves through the intersection at State Road 54 and U.S. 41. A task force is looking at ways to improve the intersection, and ease congestion.
(File Photo)

Eighteen transportation alternatives for the state highway corridors are expected to be whittled down to five alternatives, along with a no-build option.

The Pasco County Metropolitan Planning Organization is the sponsoring agency for what is a three-part review of how to address growing transportation needs on one of Pasco County’s busiest thoroughfares.

The second phase of the review will be a “drill down” into the selected alternatives, said James Edwards, transportation planning manager for the MPO.

The goal is to focus on options that appear reasonable and feasible, Edwards said.

But, the next phase likely won’t get under way until mid- or late-summer.

The task forces will remain in place, but Edwards said there will be additional public meetings in the second phase to gather input from the community at large.

The task forces had the first of three meetings for each group in September.

The West Task Force focused on State Road 54 from U.S. 19, in west Pasco, to U.S. 41 in Land O’ Lakes. The East Task Force looked at State Road 54/State Road 56, from U.S. 41 to Bruce B. Downs Boulevard, east of Interstate 75.

Task force members are from the MPO’s Citizens Advisory Committee, local chambers of commerce, community leaders, developers or their representatives, and residents from east and west Pasco.

In preparation for the upcoming meeting, task force members completed surveys giving their views on the 18 proposals.

Much of the East Task Force discussion has centered on the intersection of State Road 54 and U.S. 41, where state highway officials are proposing to redesign State Road 54 as a flyover crossing above U.S. 41. Toll lanes also are being considered.

Some favor the design, but others strongly oppose the plan as harmful to the businesses that could be displaced.

“I just want to see them stay at grade as much as possible,” said Sandy Graves, chairwoman of the East Task Force and a member of the Central Pasco Chamber of Commerce.

At a prior meeting, some task force members pushed for at-grade solutions and greater use of frontage roads to ease congestion at the intersection.

Suggestions also have been made that the CSX railroad tracks could be adapted for commuter stops.

All options are being looked at, including public transit, Edwards said.

About $150,000 in federal grants funded the initial phase, but the cost could double for the next phase.

Edwards said the county hopes to share costs with the Florida Department of Transportation.

“It’s a state highway,” he said. “What we’re doing will benefit DOT.”

But, final decisions are a long way off, and presently no construction funds are available.

“There’s time to sit back and reflect,” Graves said. “It’s important to get State Road 54 and U.S. 41 correct.”

Published March 30, 2016