The Laker/Lutz News

Golden Corral

More police needed, as city grows

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Dade City Police Lt. Robert Tungate was a guest speaker at The Greater Dade City Chamber of Commerce business breakfast meeting, held last month at Golden Corral in Zephyrhills.

Among his talking points during the Sept. 21 gathering was how the local law enforcement agency is managing the municipality’s impending residential and commercial growth and development.

About 6,500 new rooftops and several commercial properties have been approved to be built over the next two decades within city limits.

Dade City Police Lieutenant Robert Tungate was a guest speaker during a Sept. 21 business breakfast meeting hosted by The Greater Dade City Chamber of Commerce, at Golden Corral in Zephyrhills. (Courtesy of City of Dade City)

Homes soon will be popping up across all parts of the city, Tungate said, pointing to scheduled land clearings along Clinton Avenue and U.S. 301, St. Joe Road, and Roberts Road, among other areas.

With that, the local police official predicted the city’s population of some 7,000 residents will “probably” triple within the next five to eight years, and added, “that’s not counting all the amount of traffic that comes in every day to work, especially if we get all these new developments going on.”

“We’re going to swell during the daytime, and then when everybody goes home, we’re, of course, going to have all these rooftops,” Tungate said. “The houses mean more calls for police services.”

As the city balloons, so will its local police department.

The Dade City Police Department presently has five open positions, Tungate said.

One vacancy is due to a retirement, while the other four are newly funded positions in advance of the ensuing growth.

Other changes on tap include the launch of a Chaplain Corps program, to offer advice, counseling and assistance to police employees, particularly in times of crisis and otherwise.

At full strength, the city has budgeted for 27 full-time sworn officers for fiscal year 2021-2022.

This is a number the department hasn’t seen in some time, Tungate said.

To fill these positions, the agency is recruiting local colleges and universities wanting to land “top of the tier” applicants and hires, Tungate said.

To that end, Tungate shared the ongoing battle of being competitive and on par with other Tampa Bay area law enforcement agencies in not only recruiting qualified officers, but preventing those from bolting for larger, more prestigious agencies once they gain some field experience.

“This new generation of cops coming in, they’re all saying, ‘What’s in it for me?’ It’s not like the old days where people get a job and they stay there,” explained Tungate.

“These guys are coming in, saying, ‘Hmm, this (agency’s) better, that (agency’s) better,’ for whatever the reason. Sometimes, it’s pay. Not always. Sometimes, it’s working next to a best friend, it doesn’t matter…”

Meanwhile, Tungate thanked the Dade City Commission and Dade City Manager Leslie Porter (who was among dozens in attendance during the meeting) for proactively directing more resources to the police department of late.

“The city manager has done a great job to recognize the need for our police department,” said Tungate. “If we keep growing like we’re growing, the city commission and city manager recognizes that we’re going to grow again.”

This has included increased wages and benefits for patrol officers, detectives and sergeants through new collective bargaining agreements between the city and the West Central Florida Police Benevolent Association, on behalf of the local law enforcement agency.

Moreover, city leaders recently approved increased public safety impact fees on new single family homes (now $449, up 375% from the prior $94) and retail units (now $462 per 1,000 square feet, up 52% from $304).

The measure was recommended by consulting firm Stantec, given the municipality hadn’t increased since 2004.

Additional revenues from the public safety fees will be used to address the police department’s increased costs of service delivery, operations, capital outlay, training and new equipment, including police vehicles.

The public safety fee hikes, Tungate said, “takes the burden off the city to have to come up with Penny (for Pasco) money or your other tax revenues” to fund local police operations.

Tungate is third in command of the Dade City Police Department and is responsible for the supervision of criminal investigations, forensics, property evidence and records and communications divisions, according to the city’s website.

The lieutenant of police administration also serves as the public information officer and is responsible for agency recruitment and professional standards. He also writes, tracks and manages grants; and supports the annual budget preparation process.

Pasco County District 1 Commissioner Ron Oakley also spoke during the breakfast meeting, offering general updates on some of the county’s roadway and development projects.

He took a mostly positive angle on the impending growth coming East Pasco’s way.

Said Oakley, “You’ve got all these homes coming into Dade City, guess what it’s going to do for the businesses in Dade City? It’s going to increase. The economic value of those homes, that’s going to pour into Dade City and make it better, so it’s a good thing for everybody.”

Oakley acknowledged more traffic buildup occurring in these parts, but pointed out supporting infrastructure like roadway improvements and schools can’t be furnished until residential developments and communities are built out and related impact fees collected.

Addressing the crowd, Oakley said, “I know you all know how much growth is happening in Pasco County, and a lot of it has moved to the eastern part of Pasco County, which for us, that’s a lot of new things happening. We want to be a premier county, and we’re going to do things the right way.”

Published October 20, 2021

Sign war pokes fun, prompts camaraderie

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What began as a ‘sign war’ between Zephyrhills Cinema 10 and Golden Corral, in mid-May, has evolved into a battle of wits among 70-plus Zephyrhills businesses.

Golden Corral, at 6855 Gall Blvd, advises Zephyrhills Police to skip the doughnuts and enjoy a steak, instead. (Kelli Carmack)

It seems like just about everybody is getting into the act.

The First Congregational Church of Zephyrhills took on Taco Bell.

The church’s sign declares: “Taco Bell sounds good, but ours has a real ring to it.”

Golden Corral took on Zephyrhills Police, while K & K Glass poked fun at Pin Chasers.

Lavish Lox teased The Gentleman’s Quarter, while others such as Axe of Kindness, Zephyrhills Brewing Company and Salon on 5th used clever gibes and poetry to convey their messages.

First Congregational Church of Zephyrhills, at 7900 Fort King Road, took on Taco Bell’s bell, as part of the ‘sign war’ fun.

Even The Greater Zephyrhills Chamber of Commerce joined in, taking a universal approach to cheer on the community’s businesses — something it’s grown accustomed to, through the years.

Some of the signs are quite tall. Others, very small.

And, some, like the ones — at Sen. Danny Burgess’ office — aren’t even signs at all.

Who needs a sign to share a message? Not State Sen. Danny Burgess’ office, at 38507 Fifth Ave. — pieces of paper will do just fine.

At the lawmaker’s office, four pieces of paper are taped to the window, conveying this message:

“We don’t have a sign, but we wanted to play!

“So we want to take the opportunity to say …

“As we have been looking at all of the signs, while we drive around

“It makes us proud to represent

And live in this great little town.”

Published June 09, 2021

Forget hot girl summer! Sonny’s BBQ, 6606 Gall Blvd., wants you to have a hot grill summer.
Salon on 5th, at 38521 Fifth Ave, offers a witty response to the sign at Sonny’s BBQ.
Lavish Lox Beauty Lounge, 38440 Fifth Ave., tosses the ‘sign war’ challenge over to The Gentleman’s Quarter, a local barber shop.
K&K Glass, at 5938 Seventh St., challenges Pin Chasers to join in the community’s ‘sign war.’
The Greater Zephyrhills Chamber of Commerce, at 38550 Fifth Ave., once again threw its support behind all of the community’s businesses.
Axe of Kindness, an entertainment venue that features axe throwing, at 38444 Fifth Ave. in Zephyrhills, is just one of scores of businesses having fun in a citywide ‘sign war.’
Hold their beer! Zephyrhills Brewing Company, at 38530 Fifth Ave., wants to create its sign.

Pasco Sheriff beefs up mental health services

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Pasco Sheriff Chris Nocco is ramping up efforts to address mental health issues, in his agency’s daily work.

The sheriff explained his team’s approach to those attending the September breakfast meeting of The Greater Zephyrhills Chamber of Commerce.

Nocco said mental health issues are expanding in a way that affects public safety, during remarks to dozens of chamber members at the Golden Corral in Zephyrhills.

Pasco Sheriff Chris Nocco was the featured guest speaker at The Greater Zephyrhills Chamber of Commerce September breakfast meeting at the Golden Corral in Zephyrhills. (Kevin Weiss)

About 11 percent of the Pasco Sheriff’s Office’s calls for service last year were mental-health related, which equates to approximately 19,000 calls.

But, Nocco estimates the figure is even higher because the agency data doesn’t take into account calls that are related to overdoses, runaways, domestic violence linked to addiction and substance abuse, and other incidents possibly rooted in mental illness.

“I can tell you,” Nocco said, “roughly 20 percent of our calls for service are mental-health related.

“The meat of what we deal with is mental health and substance abuse issues,” Nocco said, “so what we’re doing is identifying the highest usage of individuals that have mental health issues and are consistently calling us.”

In an attempt “to get ahead of the curve,” the sheriff’s office has implemented some new approaches, Nocco said.

Foremost among them is the agency’s new Mental Health and Threat Assessment Team (MHTAT), he said. The unit consists of 15 sworn personnel and Baycare Behavioral Health case managers, aimed to better serve the needs of people facing significant mental health issues.

The team’s primary task is to keep tabs on individuals who have been held involuntarily in a mental health treatment facility for up to 72 hours, through a state law known as the Baker Act. They focus on approximately 500 people who are Baker Act repeats.

The team uses a proactive approach that includes frequent visitations, welfare checks, expedited behavioral health resources and criminal justice diversion programs.

By getting to the “root issues” of problems and offering resources, the unit will help reduce the number of calls to 911 — thereby enabling patrol deputies to respond more quickly to urgent or violent calls, Nocco said.

Another unit component includes threat assessments and interventions for troubled students in the school system  —  as a measure to prevent school violence acts, or school shootings.

The county’s most at-risk kids are identified with assistance from school resource officers and the agency’s Child Protective Investigations Divisions, the sheriff said.

The at-risk kids typically include runaways, students with frequent school changes, those with prior run-ins with law enforcement or those with parents under child welfare investigations, he said.

The idea is to provide early intervention to help prevent future problems, Nocco said.

“I’m not saying we’re going to be perfect. There’s always that lone wolf, that one individual that just decides to do something, but, for the majority of people, if we can be smart about how we operate, we’re going to be way more successful.”

In Nocco’s opinion, the general rise of mental illness is tied to the proliferation of the digital age and the rise of social media. He displayed his own smartphone and said: “These are destroying us.”

The sheriff also noted that his agency is working to reduce the recidivism rate for inmates at the Land O’ Lakes detention center.

To that end, the jail has various inmate labor programs and vocational programs, including a welding program that allows inmates to get certified skills, with the aim of equipping them for jobs upon their release.

Said Nocco: “There are people that have addictions or people that have gone through problems  that made bad decisions, but now this is the first time in the jail that they actually get up at 4 o’clock in the morning, they’re actually doing work, they’re actually going, ‘Huh, if I do this I can succeed.’”

The sheriff also shared some other information about his department, including:

  • A memorandum of understanding his agency has with the City of Zephyrhills to operate a portion of the Zephyrhills Municipal Airport in emergencies and natural disasters, such as hurricanes. The agency will use the location to distribute various resources (food, water, first aid supplies, etc.) throughout the county.
  • The K9 Tactical Center/Florida’s Forensic Institute for Research, Security and Tactics (F.I.R.S.T.) is expected to have some of its first operations up and running by next spring. Construction on Land O’ Lakes-based forensics research and training center campus began in September 2018. The $4.3 million state-funded project is designed to provide “a holistic approach” to crime scene operations and investigations, as a collaborative resource for universities, forensic scientists and law enforcement.

Published September 11, 2019

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

More programs, initiatives, on tap at PHSC, provost says

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Pasco-Hernando State College — which recently has been recognized as one of the top schools in the nation for its return on educational investment — continues to add new programs and initiatives.

That was the message that Dr. Stan Giannet, the college’s provost, delivered to a crowd at a recent Greater Zephyrhills Chamber of Commerce breakfast at the Golden Corral.

Pasco-Hernando State College provost Dr. Stan Giannet was the featured guest speaker at the Greater Zephyrhills Chamber of Commerce July 5 monthly breakfast meeting at Golden Corral. He discussed some of the new programs and initiatives the state college has in the works.
(Kevin Weiss)

The state college received notification from the Department of Education last month that it was one of the top schools for affordability in bachelor’s degree programs.

And, earlier this year, WalletHub, a national economic magazine, ranked PHSC among the top three community colleges in the nation for return on educational investment, out of more than 800 candidate schools. The WalletHub study took into account student learning outcomes plus the cost.

“We’re a major state power in higher education,” said Giannet, who has been at PHSC for more than 27 years.

Giannet, also PHSC’s vice president of academic affairs, said the college has “exceeded every metric” from employability, to test score passage rates in workforce programs — suggesting over 95 percent of PHSC students who graduate with associate of science degrees or receive technical certificates find employment in their chosen career field.

“There’s nothing worse for a college to do than to have a degree program where students invest money, invest time, get out in the workforce and (find) they’re not employable in the industry or the career of their choice. We don’t have that,” he said.

The state college provides training for more than 30 careers in business, health, industry and technology, and public service through new bachelor’s degree, Associate in Science degree and certificate programs.

And, while he’s proud of the institution’s growth and achievements over time, the college has much more on tap, Giannet said.

The state college has more than 15,000 students and 500 faculty and staff members across its five full-service campuses in Brooksville, Dade City, New Port Richey, Spring Hill and Wesley Chapel.

Giannet told the crowd: “We have a lot of things in the pipeline.”

The state college is building a $15.5 million performing arts instructional center, expected to be complete by Aug. 2020.

The facility will be built on a 5.5-acre tract of land donated by Pasco County Schools on the campus of Cypress Creek Middle High School, off Old Pasco Road in Wesley Chapel.

Expanding its program and degree offerings
The state college plans to develop an Associate’s of Science degree in digital design and graphic multi-media technologies, and, Associate’s of Arts degrees in dance, music, and theatre. Several accompanying technical certificate programs also will be offered through the arts center.

The arts center will be shared with Pasco County Schools, and will be a venue for various community events.

“It’s going to be fantastic,” Giannet said.

The college also is working on other degree offerings, he said.

Pasco-Hernando State College boasts 5,000-plus students and 500 faculty members and staffers across five full-service campuses in Brooksville, Dade City, New Port Richey, Spring Hill and Wesley Chapel. (File)

The college offers two four-year degree programs currently, and is working to identify a third, Giannet said. The current four-year degrees, introduced in 2014, are for a bachelor of science in nursing and a bachelor of applied science in supervision and management. The college also is working with the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office to develop an A.S. degree in crime scene technology and forensics.

That program will likely be offered at the Dade City campus, with clinical training opportunities at the Adam Kennedy Forensics Field “body farm” on the grounds of the Pasco Sheriff’s detention facility in Land O’ Lakes.

The college also is gearing up for several contract and corporate workforce training programs that are set to come online.

Among them are a 911 training program for the Hernando Sheriff’s Office; a child protection services leadership program for the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office; a medical scribe exclusive online training program; and, a childhood education certification program for the Pasco and Hernando school districts.

Elsewhere, PHSC is expanding its welding technology program to the west side of the county.

The welding program has been offered on the Dade City campus.

Now, Giannet said night classes will be available Marchman Technical College in New Port Richey, thanks to a developmental partnership between the college and Pasco County Schools.

That expansion is much needed due to an increased demand for certified welders and lack of programming the county’s west side, the provost said.

“We have a huge waiting list for welding on this (east) side of the county,” Giannet said. Our welders, when they graduate from our college, they’re snatched up by the industry. “It’s a win-win situation for our community,” he added.

Giannet also talked about the college’s new aviation program, which debuted last year.

The college offers four aviation-related associate degree programs — professional pilot technology, aviation administration, aviation maintenance administration, and unmanned vehicle systems.

Several PHSC students have already become certified pilots — including a female pilot in what is “a traditionally male-dominated industry,” Giannet noted.

He expects the program to skyrocket in the coming years.

“Aviation is going to be the hottest industry in the nation, with the impending shortage and retirement of all these aviation professionals…so we’re really excited for that program,” the provost said.

The college is next looking to create more aviation partnership, with facilities such as the Zephyrhills Municipal Airport.

It already has an existing partnership with American Aviation Flight Academy, at the Brooksville-Tampa Bay Regional Airport, he said.

Published July 11, 2018