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Moffitt to add Pasco campus?

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A proposal by Moffitt Cancer Center to boost its share of the state’s annual cigarette tax money would support expanded cancer care and research, both in Hillsborough and Pasco counties.

The new location in Pasco County would be near the Suncoast Parkway and State Road 52, and is being viewed by local leaders as having the potential to be a catalyst that would transform the Central Pasco landscape.

Moffitt is asking for an increase to its current share of 4% up to 10%, with the increases coming in two phases.

Moffitt Cancer Center is seeking an additional share of state cigarette tax revenues, to support the project depicted here that would be built in Hillsborough County, and a new facility in Central Pasco County. (Courtesy of Moffitt Cancer Center)

The first phase would increase Moffitt’s share of the tax from 4%, up to 7%, which would generate $11 million in additional annual revenue, said Yvette Tremonti, executive vice president chief finance and administrative officer for Moffitt Cancer Center.

The second increase would boost Moffitt’s share from 7%, up to 10%. That increase also would generate an additional $11 million in annual revenue for Moffitt.

The first increase would take effect in 2020, and the second one would take effect in 2023. Both would last until 2053, Tremonti said.

The primary driver for the request is Moffitt’s need for additional space for both clinical care and research.

Moffitt is currently operating at or near capacity for both clinical and research purposes.

“We have patients that receive a cancer diagnosis that aren’t able to get into Moffitt, as timely as they need to be,” Tremonti said.

Revenues generated from the first increase would be used for a new clinical and research facility in Hillsborough County, with the goal to start that in July 2020, Tremonti said.

That project has been designed in two phases.

Moffitt will be spending about $332 million on phase one; and the increase in the cigarette tax would allow it to build out phase two, she said.

Revenues generated from the additional increase in Moffitt’s share of the tobacco tax funds would go for a clinical and research facility in Pasco County, Tremonti said.

That project is intended to meet future demand for cancer therapies and to create a research park. The goal would be to start that in July 2023, the Moffitt executive said.

Regardless of what happens with its request, Moffitt plans to pursue the new clinical and research facility in Hillsborough County, Tremonti said.

If Moffitt doesn’t receive its request to boost its share of the tobacco tax revenues up to 7%, it would not be able to build out phase two of its Hillsborough plan.

And, if the increased funding from 7% up to 10% did not happen, Moffitt would have to delay its expansion into Pasco County, Tremonti said.

Because of its research and the novel treatments it has developed, Moffitt serves patients from all of Florida’s 67 counties, from all 50 states and from other countries, too, Tremonti said.

Moffitt is ranked one of the Top 10 cancer hospitals in America and best in the Southeast.

Pasco County is attractive because of the area’s tremendous growth, Tremonti said.

The site’s proximity to the Suncoast Parkway and Tampa International Airport are pluses, too, she said.

Moffitt’s proposal is drawing a positive response from elected leaders and local officials.

State Sen. Ed Hooper, a Republican representing District 16, which includes a portion of Pasco County, said Moffitt’s request is “not an inappropriate ask.”

He’s not sure whether the Legislature will support Moffitt’s full request, but he said he would.

“I’m just a fan of Moffitt Cancer Center, and I want them to be able to have the tools necessary to be successful to find a cure for a variety of cancers,” Hooper said. “Cigarette revenue is the most appropriate of all funding sources, as a known cancer causer. How better to use that money to find a solution to that disease?”

Rep. Amber Mariano, a Republican representing District 36, also supports Moffitt’s request.

“I think it makes total sense,” Mariano said, especially using cigarette tax “to treat the disease those products create.”

She said Moffitt’s new campus in Pasco would be transformative.

“It’s going to open up that whole area,” Mariano said. “They’ll be able to bring in more companies, health care, startups.

“With the growth that we’ve already got going on, it’s just the perfect fit,” she said. “I couldn’t be more thrilled that they’re coming.”

Bill Cronin, president and CEO of Pasco Economic Development Council Inc., said the proximity to Tampa International Airport makes it a “wonderful ‘fly-to’ site for businesses all over America, as well as international clients and partners to visit their campus facility.”

Besides attracting additional companies to locate near them, Moffitt also can be a magnet for talent, said Cronin, via email.

State Rep. Randy Maggard, a Republican representing District 38, characterized Moffitt as “a great research institution” and said it “wants to bring jobs to Pasco.”

But, he said he needs more information before taking a position on the request.

“I’ve just got to really dive into it and just take a look at it, and make sure that this is good for the citizens of Pasco. That’s the bottom line, at the end of the day,” Maggard said.

Pasco County Administrator Dan Biles said a new Moffitt campus in Central Pasco could have a profound impact.

“You hear the term ‘game changer’ a lot and it seems that, over the last decade, it seems to be overused,” he said. However, he added: “I don’t have another word to replace that.”

This is the kind of project, Biles said, that 50 years from now when people living elsewhere hear the name Pasco County, they’re going to think: “That’s where the Moffitt Research Center is.”

Published September 25, 2019

Military museum remembers Pearl Harbor Dec. 7

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History is filled with dates schoolteachers want their students to remember. But there is one that no one can forget — Dec. 7, 1941.

That’s when Japanese forces conducted a surprise air raid on American military installations at Hawaii’s Pearl Harbor. At the time, President Franklin D. Roosevelt said the date would live in infamy, and 73 years later, it’s still being remembered, including Dec. 7 at the Zephyrhills Museum of Military History.

Part of an annual event at the museum, 39444 South Ave., a few of the remaining Pearl Harbor survivors make the trek to share their stories, and give visitors a chance to directly touch history.

“It gets harder and harder for them to get going in the morning, so we keep pushing back the time,” said Ted Johnson, a volunteer and vice president of the board that runs the military museum. “But that doesn’t stop them. They look forward to this every year, and are right here, even though they are pushing their 90s.”

This year’s event will run from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., and is free to the public, although donations also will be accepted. It will make it a full weekend for the museum, which normally is open Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Age is now taking a lot of the veterans from that great war, yet interest remains strong in the world’s battle against Nazism and fascism. A good portion of the military museum — itself in barracks that were used by U.S. Army pilots during World War II — is dedicated to that.

Yet, it’s tough to beat talking to actual eyewitnesses of a major historical event like Pearl Harbor.

“These guys love to tell their stories about what happened that day,” Johnson said. “It never gets old to them, and it never gets old to me to see it.”

This is one of a series of events the military museum has throughout the year, including special observances of D-Day and other historical milestones. It not only brings people together with history, but also introduces others to the museum that has been at the barracks for more than a decade.

“People still come up to us and tell us they didn’t even know the museum was here,” Johnson said. “That surprises me, but I’m glad that we’re finding ways to let everyone know what we stand for.”

The museum is free to the public on Saturdays, and will open for special visits from schools and other groups during the week, and keep expanded hours during Lakeland’s Sun n’ Fun weekends in April.

So much has happened since that day where the United States was drawn into a world war — the assassination of John F. Kennedy and 9/11 just to name a couple — yet, Johnson said the Pearl Harbor attack is something that must be remembered.

“History does have a way of repeating itself, and it happens regardless of whether we learn the lessons before or not,” Johnson said. “It’s kind of scary to say that, but unfortunately, it’s going to happen again. But if you don’t remember the story, you’re most certainly doomed to repeat it again.”

If you go
WHAT: Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day
WHEN: Dec. 7 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
WHERE: Zephyrhills Museum of Military History, 39444 South Ave., Zephyrhills
COST: Free
INFO: Call Cliff Moffett, (352) 206-1819

See this story in print: Click Here

Bilirakis wants incentives to treat rare diseases

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U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis has introduced H.R. 5750 to Congress, known as the Orphan Product Extensions Now Accelerating Cures & Treatment — or the OPEN ACT.

The bill would incentivize drug makers and innovators to repurpose major market drugs for life-threatening, rare diseases and pediatric cancers, the Palm Harbor Republican said, which would open the door to development of hundreds of treatments for rare disease patients.

“There are over 7,000 rare diseases, impacting 40 million Americans — that is nearly 1 in 10 people,” Bilirakis said in a statement. More than 95 percent of those diseases have no treatments, because each rare disease impacts just a small number of patients.

“My bill will leverage the free market to incentivize drugs to be repurposed to treat rare diseases,” Bilirakis said. “The OPEN ACT has the potential to result in hundreds of new drugs and treatments for individuals with rare diseases, as well as a new surge in biotechnology jobs and investments.

“This bill can help millions of people by ensuring medications are safe and effective for rare conditions, and can be reimbursed through insurance coverage.”

The inspiration for the bill on the importance of repurposing drugs came during his 21st Century Cures Roundtable he hosted last summer.

Pasco Schools to honor veterans Tuesday

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Pasco County Schools are hosting a variety of events on Veterans Day Tuesday to honor those who risked or gave their lives for America’s freedoms.

The day starts off at Wesley Chapel Center for the Arts with a Veterans Day presentation beginning at 8:30 a.m. It will include Superintendent Kurt Browning as well as Pasco County elections supervisor Brian Corley, and will honor and celebrate veterans, as well as encourage students to participate in the Vote in Honor of a Veteran program.

“This is the greatest country in the world, and we owe that to generations of men and women who have gone to war to protect our values and beliefs,” Browning said, in a release. “There is no better place for students to learn about the sacrifices and contributions of this nation’s veterans than in our schools.”

The arts center is located at 30651 Wells Road in Wesley Chapel.

Corley will join outreach ambassadors from his government office to conduct voter registration at all high schools in the county from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. On top of that, several schools will host Veterans Day programs. They include:

• Salute a Veteran at Fox Hollow Elementary School, 10 a.m. — The entire student body will have a part in honoring local veterans. Each grade level at the school, 8309 Fox Hollow Drive in Port Richey, has taken time to learn the chorus of a branch of service, and to study their assigned branch.

• Veterans Day parade at Odessa Elementary School, 10:15 a.m. — Students at the Odessa school, 12810 Interlaken Road in Port Richey, will gather to honor veterans by witnessing a patriotic musical performance by their chorus, brass quintet, sax quartet, and Mitchell High School’s color guard. Retired Lt. Col. Alan Klyap will serve as guest speaker with a parade following.

• Veterans Day program at Taylor Elementary School, 10:30 a.m. — Taylor, 3638 Morris Bridge Road in Zephyrhills, will present a program that will include the Junior ROTC from Zephyrhills High School, as well as the high school’s jazz band. Guest speaker will be Browning.

• Second Annual Salute to our Veterans at Cotee River Elementary School, 10:30 a.m. — Cotee River studeents will hear from retired U.S. Navy Cmdr. Michale Cheetam, commander of the Ridgewood High School Naval Junior ROTC, as well as Daniel Gosonda from the U.S. Coast Guard, at the school, 7515 Plathe Road in Port Richey. Cheetam’s cadets will perform, and the Cotee River chorus will give a patriotic performance.

• Schrader’s Tribute to Our Veterans at Schrader Elementary School, 2 p.m. — The fifth grade students have invited parents as well as veterans to hear patriotic songs and speaking parts that honor the men and women who work every day to protect freedom. It will take place at the school, 11041 Little Road in New Port Richey.

In Print: Martial arts, grief, and a horror movie

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Depending on your age, you have cheered either for Daniel Laruso or Dre Parker to bring home a karate championship. But that’s the movies.

In reality, for those living in Wesley Chapel, all eyes were on the Vo brothers — Derick, Jason and Andrew — who traveled all the way to Poland to represent the United States at the World Union of Karate-Do Federations World Karate Championship.

Derick Vo, left, battles an opponent from Portugal at the karate championship in Poland. His performance helped him earn bronze in the. (Courtesy of Duy-Linh Vo)
Derick Vo, left, battles an opponent from Portugal at the karate championship in Poland. His performance helped him earn bronze in the. (Courtesy of Duy-Linh Vo)

The three range in age from 11 to 16, and their luggage was a bit heavier with medals returning home to Florida.

“It was an amazing experience because it was the first time me and my brothers were all able to travel together and complete in the world championships,” Derick Vo, a Wesley Chapel High School junior, told reporter Michael Murillo.

The efforts of those brothers made their father, Duy-Linh Vo, proud. He traveled with his sons to Poland,which helped him appreciate the opportunities they have in America.

“In Vietnam, they were very limited in dojos (karate learning centers) in rural areas,” he said.

Want to hear all about the Vo family’s trip to Poland? Check it out in this week’s print edition of The Laker/Lutz News, available now. Or read it all online for free by clicking here.

While the Vo brothers’ trip to Poland may not have been the subject of a movie, there are parts of Lutz that was … well, 40 years ago.

It was a B-movie called “Satan’s Children,” and key parts of it were filmed on a farm in Lutz — complete with quicksand made out of oatmeal.

“We bought up every case of oatmeal we could find in the North Tampa area,” John Mocsary, one of the special effects people on the film, told reporter Michael Hinman. “And we used every bit of it. I had to make a three-foot pit, and it had to look real.”

Whether it did look real or not, that’s up to the viewer to decide. And sadly, in 1974, there weren’t too many viewers of this film, despite the work by a local television producer named Joe Wiezycki, and members of the University of South Florida drama department.

However, that film will get its due next weekend when the Tampa Theatre celebrates its 40th anniversary with a cast and crew reunion, including people like Mocsary, who still live in the area.

“I first got to see it back in 2006, and even then, I noticed it was made in Tampa,” said Andy Lalino, a WUSF-TV producer who is organizing the reunion. “That piqued my interest, since I’m from the Tampa Bay area, and I toyed around with some ideas on what to do about that.”

The reunion also will include some of the actors involved, like Stephen White, Rosemary Orlando and John Edwards.

To get all the details on the film, and why you should attend Nov. 15, pick up this week’s print edition of The Laker/Lutz News, or read it all online in our free e-edition, right here.

Finally, it’s November, and that means big holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas are just around the corner. It’s a joyous time for many people, but not necessarily everyone, and bereavement counselor Dale Thien wants to help.

“Your grief is like you have a broken heart,” Thien told reporter B.C. Manion. “The thing is, we can’t really see that.”

How do you handle a friend or family member who might be struggling with their own loss this holiday season? Do you leave them be? Do you invite them out? Do you sit and listen? Or all of the above?

Thien, who works with HPH Hospice, shares her thoughts about all of it in this week’s print edition of The Laker/Lutz News. Find it on newsstands, or maybe by your front door. Or you can read it online for free by clicking here.

All of these stories and more can be found in this week’s The Laker/Lutz News, available in newsstands throughout east and central Pasco County as well as northern Hillsborough County. Find out what has your community talking this week by getting your local news straight from the only source you need.

If The Laker/Lutz News is not coming to your door, call us to see where you can get your copy at (813) 909-2800, or read our free e-edition by clicking here.

Local congressmen support president’s ISIL plan

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In a rare move, the U.S. Congress supported an initiative by President Obama Wednesday, voting to authorize limited military action against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, or more commonly known as ISIL.

Despite the U.S. House approving the measure 221-192, the area’s two local Republican congressmen are still saying they’re not happy with how Obama is handling the conflict in Syria and Iraq.

“While I voted in favor of the amendment authorizing President Obama to begin facilitating Syrian rebel combat training, this was not my idea strategy for how to defeat ISIL,” said U.S. Rep. Dennis Ross, R-Lakeland, in a statement. “This amendment is a step in the right direction, but the time has come to make the next move. Every day that President Obama does not take bold and aggressive action toward demolishing ISIL, is another day that our national security and American lives are in jeopardy.”

U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis, R-Palm Harbor, said he voted in favor of training “appropriately vetted” opposition forces to fight ISIL.

“This amendment will allow carefully vetted and scrutinized opposition forces to be trained to fight ISIL under the direction of American Special Forces,” Bilirakis said, in a statement. “That, in combination with the full weight of the United States Air Force executing air strikes, is an appropriate step at this juncture, given the immediate threat ISIL represents to both America and her allies.”

In a visit to MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa Wednesday, President Obama laid out his strategy in fighting the terrorist militant group that has taken over parts of Iraq and Syria.

“Now going forward, as I announced last week, we’re going to degrade and ultimately destroy ISIL through a comprehensive and sustained counterterrorism strategy,” the president said, according to a transcript of the speech. “And whether in Iraq or in Syria, these terrorists will learn the same thing that the leaders of al Qaeda already know: We mean what we say. Our reach is long. If you threaten America, you will find no safe haven. We will find you eventually.”

Arthur Kirk Jr. retiring from Saint Leo

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Saint Leo University is bracing to lose a longtime leader as president Arthur Kirk Jr. says he will retire after the 2014-15 academic year.

“While presidents often get credit for success, I am most proud of those at Saint Leo who embraced our mission, practiced our values, and pursued our vision, never fearing change, and working tirelessly to create a successful and sustainable university for the 21st century,” Kirk said, in a release. “The faculty, staff, trustees, alumni and friends have all been an integral part of what stands today as the third largest Catholic university in America.”

Arthur Kirk Jr.
Arthur Kirk Jr.

When Kirk first joined Saint Leo as its president, it was known as Saint Leo College, and had a student body of a little more than 7,400. However, in his nearly 18 years, that number has more than doubled to 16,450 students served by more than 240 faculty members, and offering 48 degree programs, from the 22 available when Kirk first started.

Kirk’s tenure also included the founding of the Center for Online Learning, which serves students all over the world. The physical campus itself continues to grow as well, with 11 new buildings over the years, and three renovated buildings, adding 70 acres and nearly 1 million square feet of new facilities.

Retiring was not an easy decision for Kirk, according to a release. And he said he would miss the students more than anything else.

“They stand as role models by practicing our core values while on campus, and then living them in the world as alumni,” Kirk said. “Saint Leo University is not about a president; it is the collective seeking each day to go from good to great. I will miss leading and working with such a wonderful collection of men and women with purpose.”

Saint Leo’s board of trustees already has contracted with an executive search firm, Witt/Keiffer, to help find a successor to Kirk. The search, they said, will be nationwide.

“The board of trustees takes seriously its role in finding the next leader for these dedicated people, and most importantly for our students,” said Cindy Brannen, the board’s chair, in a release. “The university can never repay Dr. Kirk for all he has done at Saint Leo, but we will start by working diligently to appoint a president who shares the university’s commitment to its mission, values and vision, and embraces his legacy of hard work and dedication.”

Kirk became the eighth president of Saint Leo in 1997 after serving as president of Keuka College in upstate New York. He had begun his administrative career at Kean University in New Jersey where he served as assistant director of the division of college development, and director of alumni affairs. He also served as director of development and planning for Raritan Valley Community College in New Jersey, and directed the college’s off-campus, non-credit and curriculum development programs.

Kirk moved on to become the executive vice president and chief financial officer of College Misericordia in northeastern Pennsylvania, before getting the nod to lead Keuka College in 1984.

He received his bachelor’s degree and his master’s degree in administration from Kean University. He earned his doctorate from Rutgers University, writing his dissertation on small college survival strategies.

Pasco honors red, white and blue this Saturday

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June 14 is typically a day set aside to honor the Stars and Stripes, celebrating the flag’s official adoption on that day in 1777.

But two local groups, however, will spend the day honoring the men and women who have fought to protect it with events in Zephyrhills and Dade City. And those with a fast enough car might be able to make both of them.

Southport Springs will kick it all off with a dedication beginning at 10 a.m. of a memorial that will feature the service flags from all the military branches as well as an inscribed granite stone. The community, located at 3737 Southport Springs Parkway in Zephyrhills, itself is the home of more than 200 veterans.

Among the flags that will join the memorial near the community’s clubhouse will be the American flag, as well as the prisoner of war flag. The memorial also will have a brick wall with two benches, and red flower beds to symbolize the red stripes of the nation’s flag.

The memorial is not just for those who traveled overseas to fight, but also for those who stayed behind to support the war effort at home, beginning to World War I nearly a century ago.

That event will be followed 13 miles away at the Historic Dade City Courthouse on Meridian Avenue as county officials join together to rededicate the World War II memorial that has graced the courthouse gazebo since 1954.

Pasco County and Dade City used grant money as well as private donations to replace the aging wood facades with more permanent granite, listing the names of the 1,855 people who represented the county during that great war.

“Unfortunately, they are reaching an age where they are not going to be with us much longer,” Pasco County commissioner Ted Schrader, one of the leaders of the restoration effort, told The Laker last week. “It was important for those who are still alive and for their family members that we make sure this memorial is here forever.”

That event kicks off at 11 a.m., and will include U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis, R-Palm Harbor. To read more about that service, click here.

For more information on the Southport Springs dedication, call (813) 782-3800.

Gas prices on the rise, and here’s why

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It’s costing more to pump gas at the pump than it did a few weeks ago — locally more than a dime more per gallon — but gas price spikes are nothing like what’s happening in and around Orlando.

There, prices have jumped as much as 16 cents per gallon, according to GasBuddy.com. And all of it is because of an “imperfect storm of events.”

The biggest problem, according to senior petroleum analyst Gregg Laskoski, is supply. Florida is transitioning to its “summer blend” gasoline, in a process that will take at least another month to complete. At the same time, GasBuddy said there have been unconfirmed reports of gasoline transportation delays moving from Houston or New Orleans to Tampa due to fog in the Gulf of Mexico.

Imports from offshore sources also have stayed low, while freight rates for moving gas from Texas and Louisiana remains high because of a shortage of American-flagged vessels to transport it.

Another problem affecting gas prices is ethanol, which has jumped to $3.75 per gallon in Florida. That alone has raised gas prices by at least 6 cents a gallon, compared to the beginning of the year when the abundance of ethanol probably cheapened gas by a few pennies, according to GasBuddy.

Trains that bring ethanol to Florida have been backlogged, although southern Florida is experiencing those effects more than central Florida.

Trucks to transport gas also are in short supply, especially since many of them are being used for move jet fuel from the ports on the east coast to Tampa.

Finally, demand is probably the strongest in the last six years, primarily because of northern states experiencing some of its harshest winters in the past century, experts said. That demand, which also can drive up prices, could continue through the end of April.

GasBuddy operates more than 250 websites that track gasoline prices at more than 140,000 stations in the United States and Canada.

In Print: Special Olympics, Sochi Olympics, trauma centers

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America is still taking a breath after a strong performance at the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, last month, but locally, people still can’t get enough.

Asif Shaikh, a chaplain from Lutz, once again traveled overseas to take part in the Olympics, serving as a spiritual guide for athletes. It gave him a chance to not only see some of the medal-winning events for Americans, but also gave him a chance to wish his wife, Leaha, a happy Valentine’s Day on national television thanks to NBC’s “Today Show.”

SochiOlympics
Asif Shaikh, a chaplain from Lutz, pretends to hold up the Olympic rings. (Courtesy of Asif Shaikh)

This is his second Olympics, having attended the Summer Games in London in 2012. But while Shaikh provides a service to Olympians, he still must convince the right people to allow him to continue his services at future games.

“I’m trying to get established,” he told reporter B.C. Manion. “I think the next step would be, ‘How can I help, in the sense of volunteering my time.’ They don’t have any spiritual leaders. They don’t recognize that as something that’s important.”

A little closer to home, Wesley Chapel High School hosted the Special Olympics, which brought in hundreds of athletes from around Pasco County and beyond.

“I’m just glad to know that, not only are the parents supporting them, but they are embraced by the community,” Denise Peeks, whose daughter Tiffany competes in the games, told reporter Michael Murillo. “The business community and the volunteers come out and they get so much support that they so desperately need. I think it’s fantastic.”

Both Olympics are all about competition, but the kind of competition taking place between various hospitals in the region is much different. Regional Medical Center Bayonet Point opened a trauma center in 2011, and is now doing everything it can to keep it despite efforts by older trauma centers in Hillsborough County trying to take it away.

Dr. Scott Norwood, who runs Bayonet Point’s facility, says the more trauma centers there are, the better hospitals can treat those in accidents and other mishaps that require specialized care very quickly.

“Trauma is a time-sensitive disease,” Norwood told members of the Central Pasco Chamber of Commerce recently, as reported by Michael Hinman. “It’s just like heart disease or a heart attack, the quicker you can get to a facility to deal with the problem, the more likely you are to survive. And that’s reflective of what’s happening in Florida right now.”

But existing facilities like Tampa General Hospital and St. Joseph’s Hospital, see it differently, and feel too many trauma centers will instead be detrimental because it would dilute the quality of care, and the money needed to run the facilities.

Although one state senator has introduced a bill she hopes will address the problems, it looks like the legal battle between all these hospitals fighting for trauma centers will rage on for some time to come.

Finally, for our Zephyrhills and Dade City readers, the East Pasco edition of The Laker takes a unique look at the upcoming Founders’ Day celebration in the City of Pure Water. Michael Murillo has taken a trip into Zephyrhills’ past and shared it in a way only he could in his regular column, “Presenting the Past.”

All of these stories and more can be found in this week’s The Laker/Lutz News, available in newsstands throughout east and central Pasco County as well as northern Hillsborough County. Find out what has your community talking this week by getting your local news straight from the only source you need.

If The Laker/Lutz News is not coming to your door, call us to find out where you can get your copy at (813) 909-2800.