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North Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce

Flurry of road projects underway in Pasco

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Drive along nearly any major Pasco County artery and you are likely to be backed up in traffic —  during rush hour.

At the same time, it’s obvious to motorists that work is underway on numerous Pasco roadways.

David Gwynn, District 7 secretary of the Florida Department of Transportation

Once those projects are completed, Pasco’s road network is expected to be better able to handle the county’s considerable growth.

Projects under construction, or that soon will be, are expected to improve traffic flow at State Road 56 and Interstate 75; offer smoother travel through East Pasco County on a new alignment for State Road 52; increase access to Interstate 75 with a new interchange at Overpass Road; and, add capacity at State Road 52 and U.S. 41.

Those projects were discussed a transportation briefing hosted by the North Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce via Zoom — featuring Florida Department of Transportation Secretary Kevin Thibault and U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis.

Thibault and Bilirakis touched on a number of big-picture issues involving transportation.

Thibault talked about the expectation of reduced gas tax revenues over time, as motorists make the switch to electric cars and vehicles with higher fuel efficiency.

Bilirakis talked about the proposed $2 trillion infrastructure package.

He said he doesn’t support the package.

He doesn’t think enough of the money is devoted to traditional projects, such as roads and bridges ,and said too much is directed toward the Green New Deal and human infrastructure projects.

The current proposal, he said, “is a non-starter for most Republicans.”

Thibault said Florida’s transportation solutions must address both existing and future needs.

“We currently have approximately 22 million residents and an additional 800 people a day that keep calling Florida home,” he said.

It’s no secret that Pasco’s growth is adding congestion to its roads.

Transportation improvements, on the other hand, take time to accomplish.

Thibault said it typically takes about nine years to get from concept to concrete —which involves everything from planning, to doing environmental studies, to acquiring right of way, to relocating utilities and so on.

Improvements, however, are designed to have staying power.

“When we begin the efforts on these projects, we usually design them on a 20-year horizon,” Thibault said.

Besides needing assessment and planning work, there’s also the issue of funding.

FDOT District 7 Secretary David Gwynn told those listening: “One of the reasons there are so many projects in Pasco County is because Pasco County has really been a great partner. We work directly with the county commissioners all of the time.

“On some of our projects, the county has actually stepped up and put some skin in the game,” said Gwynn, whose district includes five Tampa Bay area counties.

“The Overpass Road interchange — that’s primarily funded by the county,” Gwynn said.

“The great (State Road) 56 extension that opened just last year, the county stepped up, did a state Infrastructure Bank Loan to fund part of that project and also helped in acquiring a lot of the right of way from the large property owners along the corridor.

“When the county really partners with us, it really allows us to make our money go further, because we can go ahead and leverage some of the local money to match our money.

“The State Road 52 realignment, similarly, the county worked hand-in-hand with us with major developers along that route, to make sure right of way was being dedicated for the project,” Gwynn said.

Bilirakis said he has worked with Pasco County on the Ridge Road extension project.

“I was heavily involved in helping to secure the necessary permits for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to allow Phase 1 of the Ridge Road expansion. It took a lot of years, but we all worked together and we persevered,” he said.

Now, Bilirakis, who represents Florida’s 12th congressional district, said he’s advocating for $15 million in federal funding to help pay for the second phase of the extension.

He realizes it won’t cover the entire cost, but he noted: “It would be a good start.”

The Ridge Road extension is a public safety project that provides an emergency route for residents in West Pasco and North Pinellas counties, Bilirakis said.

At the same time, it helps to reduce traffic congestion by providing another east-west route through Pasco County, the congressman said.

Note: See additional round-up of road projects here.

Published May 12, 2021

State road projects in Pasco approach $290 million

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During a recent transportation Zoom briefing with the North Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce, Kevin Thibault, secretary of the Florida Department of Transportation, provided an overview of projects that are in various stages of progress in Pasco County.

Here’s a recap of information from his PowerPoint presentation and of his comments, project by project.

(Courtesy of Florida Department of Transportation)

Diverging Diamond, at State Road 56
Project description: Converts from a standard diamond interchange to a diverging diamond interchange

  • Ongoing work is occurring on all four quadrants of the interchange.
  • The traffic pattern shift will occur this fall.
  • Project cost: $33 million

Estimated completion: Late 2021

Thibault’s comments: “The DDI (Diverging Diamond Interchange) was chosen for this interchange to increase safety and capacity, through an increased number of lanes; improving pedestrian facilities; more efficient signal timings; and, reducing vehicle conflicts.

“Work is occurring on all four quadrants, rebuilding the interchange ramps.

“Work is taking place in the median of the existing State Road 56 bridge over Interstate 75.

“Various traffic shifts are taking place and will continue to take place on State Road 56, on both sides of Interstate 75, as the contractor builds the improvements necessary to make the conversion to the diverging diamond configuration.

“Traffic is anticipated to be switched to the new diverging diamond pattern in the fall of 2021.

“The current estimated completion date is later this year.

“As many of you know, this project has overcome some errors and periods of insufficient resources by the contracting team, but milestones have been met related to the project completion, to ensure that sufficient progress is being made.

“The department understands that this is an important corridor in Pasco County and will continue our efforts to guide the contractor to complete the project, as quickly as possible.”

State Road 54 widening, from Curley Road to Morris Bridge Road
Project description: State Road 54 is being widened from two lanes to four lanes, with a median

  • Project cost: $42.5 million
  • Estimated completion: Late 2021

Thibault’s comments: “Widening of State Road 54, as shown here in this aerial from Curley Road to Morris Bridge Road, will widen the roadway from two lanes to a four-lane highway, with a median. Long stretches of new roadway are currently in use, with bi-directional traffic shifting either to the future eastbound or westbound pavement. Drainage, roadway and utility construction continues throughout the project area.

“Additional traffic switches will be coming, as new roadway segments are completed.

“In addition, a sidewalk will be built on the north side of the road, and a 10-foot-wide, multi-use trail will be built on the south side.”

New Interstate-75 interchange at Overpass Road
Project description: Existing bridge at Overpass Road was removed. Construction has begun on a new bridge.

  • Overpass Road will be widened from two lanes to four lanes, between Interstate 75 and Old Pasco Road. It will be widened to six lanes, from I-75 to Boyette Road.
  • Project cost: $64 million for this design-build project
  • Estimated completion: November 2022

Thibault’s comments: “This design-build project is to construct a new interchange approximately 3 ½ miles, south of State Road 52 in Pasco County.

“Overpass Road is closed, between Boyette and Old Pasco roads. It’s scheduled to reopen in February of 2022.

“Blair Drive has been realigned to connect with Old Pasco Road. McKendry Road has been realigned to connect with Boyette.

“The entrance to Wesley Chapel District Park from Overpass Road has been permanently closed.

“The entrance ramp construction has begun on all four quadrants.

“The project is progressing well.

“The new diamond interchange will include a flyover ramp for westbound Overpass Road access onto southbound I-75.

State Road 52, near U.S. 41
Project description: Widening of State Road 52, from the Suncoast Parkway to east of U.S. 41.

Widening State Road 52 to a six-lane divided highway; includes the widening of U.S. 41 approaching State Road 52, in each direction

  • Project also consists of building stormwater ponds, installing drainage pipes, building roadway base and relocating utilities.
  • Project cost: $49.7 million

Thibault’s comments:  “This is close to a $50 million project and the estimated completion is February of 2023, which is currently ahead of schedule that’s posted on the project website.”

U.S. 41, north of Connerton
Project description: Widening of U.S. 41, from north of Connerton to State Road 52, widens U.S. 41 into a four-lane divided highway

  • Project cost: $16.8 million
  • Estimated completion: February 2023

Thibault’s comments: “The project clearing is almost completed.

“Utility relocation and erosion control measures are underway.

“The drainage and excavation activities are set to begin shortly.

“Again, currently ahead of the schedule posted on the project website.”

Widening and new alignment of State Road 52
Project description: Widens State Road 52 to a four-lane divided highway and realigns the corridor from Uradco Place to west of Fort King Road

  • Miles of new roadway have been constructed.
  • A lane reduction recently has been put in place along eastbound State Road 52, from I-75 to allow for construction at the west end of the project.
  • Project cost: $81.4 million
  • Estimated completion: August 2023

Thibault’s comments: “It is progressing well and is slightly ahead of schedule.”

Published May 12, 2021

Leaders tour new research center site

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Leaders from Moffitt Cancer Center, Lennar, and Metro Development Group recently toured the Central Pasco site that is planned to become home to a massive research and innovation district — as well as to one of the West Central Florida region’s newest live-work-play communities.

H. Lee Moffitt, left, reviews a map of Angeline with Dr. Patrick Hwu, CEO of Moffitt Cancer Center. At right is Metro Development Group CEO John Ryan. (Courtesy of Moffitt Cancer Center)

As plans for the new Angeline mixed-use community continue to take shape — H. Lee Moffitt, founder of Moffitt Cancer Center; Dr. Patrick Hwu, CEO of Moffitt Cancer Center; John Ryan, CEO of Metro Development Group; and Mark Metheny, division president of Lennar Central Florida toured the property on April 22 — riding in off-road vehicles along trails and dirt roads, according to a news release.

Angeline — which is being billed as a wellness-themed community — will be developed on thousands of acres of land, east of the Suncoast Parkway and south of State Road 52.

Moffitt plans to create a massive research and corporate innovation district that is expected to become a life sciences destination for the world.

Moffitt is working closely with the project developer, Metro Development Group, and the lead homebuilder, Lennar.

In the first phase, Moffitt will construct 128,000 square feet for a corporate business park, generating approximately 430 full-time jobs, the release says.

Once the Suncoast Parkway-Ridge Road Extension intersection is built, the first phase is expected to be complete in five years.

Plans for the Angeline community, which spans 6,200 acres, include a variety of homes from leading homebuilders for 30,000 new residents, a 150-acre regional park, Crystal Lagoon and beach, village center featuring restaurants and retail, and 3,600-plus acres of natural, undeveloped green space with an extensive trail network that could span up to 100 miles, the release says.

“Touring the Pasco campus for the first time only solidified how incredible this endeavor will be,” Moffitt’s CEO Hwu said, in the release.

He is meeting with biotech companies and other potential partners to be involved in the Moffitt facility.

“We foresee a first-of-its-kind campus with patient care, research, biotech, wellness, digital innovation and ultimately cures,” Hwu adds, in the release.

He also talked with the Metro Development Group and Lennar leaders about how the growth opportunity created by Moffitt’s new Pasco County location was one of the major reasons he decided to join Moffitt as CEO last year.

Site entitlements for Moffitt’s project, which encompass 24 million square feet, include plans for a hospital, research and development space, office, manufacturing, laboratories, pharmacies, educational facility/university, hotel, and commercial space. The multiyear, multiphase project is expected to create 14,500 jobs.

At the site visit, Metro Development Group shared initial ideas for the surrounding mixed-use master-planned community and amenities to complement Moffitt’s expansion campus, according to the release.

Leaders discussed potential synergies, such as researchers working with students at a STEM magnet school.

Here is a look at the progress being made on the Ridge Road extension, at the site that is part of a massive development being planned for a Pasco campus of the Moffitt Cancer Center. In addition to research facilities, the new community of Angeline will feature neighborhoods and an array of amenities.

Angeline will have a focus on being a wellness community, with fitness trails and recreation areas that would benefit those who live and work on campus, as well as cancer patients and survivors. The community will be built with a digital infrastructure to provide high-speed connectivity indoors and outdoors, the release says.

“We are proud to partner with Moffitt and Lennar on this forward-thinking project,” John Ryan of Metro Development Group, added in the release. “At Metro, we are known for creating healthy places for residents to live and work, and being aligned with Moffitt is a great fit in this regard.”

“We are very excited to be one of the first builders selected for Angeline, and look forward to providing a great product for the residents of Angeline and Pasco County,” said Lennar’s Metheny.

On the same day that the tour was taking place, Dr. Timothy Kubal was talking about the Moffitt Cancer Center at Wesley Chapel, where he is senior medical director, during a Zoom economic development briefing with members of the North Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce.

During his talk, Kubal mentioned that the tour of the cancer hospital’s new Pasco site, which included Moffitt’s CEO, was happening on the same day.

“We bought a massive amount of space — 775 acres, Suncoast Parkway, Ridge Road extension,” Kubal said, noting the need for that site “arises out of a need for space.”

Plans for the site, he said, are not “100% fleshed out yet, because it is so early.”

However, he added: “We’re going to keep growing because we’ve got a 25-acre footprint that is old.

“We need to be able to offer all of these different services in different places.

“So, we’re growing — we’re going to grow north, south, east, west — and we’re looking to grow with the community,” Kubal said.

Published May 05, 2021

Jazz Under the Starz New Arts Series at Avalon Park

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Supporting the arts and providing a venue for local artists have always been core goals of Avalon Park Wesley Chapel, a master-planned community located east of I-75 on State Road 54. The latest addition to this vision is Jazz Under the Starz, which recently hosted its first concert at Avalon Park’s community center.

Arlene Brooks, a resident of San Antonio, is the founder of Jazz Under the Starz.

“There is something about music that soothes the soul and brings people together,” says Arlene Brooks, organizer of Jazz Under the Starz and owner of Coffee Speaks N Tea Talks in New Tampa. “Music doesn’t have a color to it — it brings people together and makes your soul feel good. Music is my inspiration, and there’s nothing I enjoy more than watching people come together to share in this joy.”

Brooks began inviting professional jazz musicians to perform at her coffee shop after it opened in November 2019. Just a few months later, COVID closed the business, and when it reopened last summer, Brooks moved the musicians to the parking lot outside her Pebble Creek location and renamed it Jazz Under the Starz.

“Because of social distancing, we could not bring back live music inside the coffee shop, so we moved it outside. People liked this so much that our weekend shows were attracting 300 to 400 people, and the crowd became too large to continue in our parking lot,” explains Brooks.

Leroy Brim played jazz guitar at the April Jazz Under the Starz.

It was this challenge that brought Brooks and Stephanie Lerret of Avalon Park together. Both are members of the North Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce, and Chamber President Hope Kennedy brought them together to see if they could help each other out.

“When Stephanie suggested we move Jazz Under the Starz to Avalon Park, it was the perfect solution for today and the future,” explains Brooks. “I learned that Avalon Park is building an amphitheater in its new downtown, and Stephanie wanted us to locate there when it opens. And until then, she invited us to play at Avalon Park’s community center.”

It was a beautiful evening on April 24, when the first Jazz Under the Starz was held at Avalon Park Wesley Chapel, with John Patti on steel drums, and Leroy Brim and T. Foxx on guitar. Folks brought chairs to relax in under the stars, mingled with neighbors and enjoyed the soothing music.

“The event was great and the atmosphere was awesome. Jazz Under the Starz is spreading like wildfire!” said Brooks.

In addition to musicians, Jazz Under the Starz invites other artists to exhibit and perform, including Shawn Rainey of Wesley Chapel, an abstract painter who painted a canvas during the April 24 event at Avalon Park Wesley Chapel.

Jazz Under the Starz will be brought to Avalon Park every third Saturday of the month, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Music will feature smooth jazz, including musicians on guitar, sax, clarinet, keyboard, violin and steel drum. Brooks also invites other artists to exhibit and perform alongside the musicians. This includes painters (Shawn Rainey of Wesley Chapel painted during the April event) and dancers, including the Tampa Bay Ballet.

The cover fee to attend Jazz under the Starz is just $10, and children 12 and under are free. The next Jazz Under the Starz is Saturday, May 15.

“We are so excited to bring Jazz Under the Starz to our community,” says Lerret, senior vice president of marketing for the Avalon Park Group. “We love offering things to do for our families, and especially have a passion for sharing the arts. Jazz under the Starz is exactly the type of organization we want to support, and fits perfectly with our goal of enhancing and bringing more attention to arts and culture.”

This fall, Avalon Park is breaking ground on its new downtown, which includes an amphitheater for performing arts, and the East Pasco Fine Arts Gallery in conjunction with the Pasco Fine Arts Council. The community began its partnership with the Pasco Fine Arts Council in 2019, offering its Welcome Center as a new gallery for residents on the east side of Pasco County.

Avalon Park Wesley Chapel will offer places to shop and work in its downtown hub that will be connected to its residential neighborhoods by tree-lined streets, walkways and bike paths.

The first phase will include five buildings and 130,000 square feet of mixed-use commercial space and apartments built above the storefronts.

At build out, Avalon Park’s downtown will have more than 560,000 square feet of retail, and 120,000 square feet of office space. This 1,650-acre master-planned community will be home to 10,000 residents.

For more information about Avalon Park and its events, call 813-783-1515, or email . Information is also available at AvalonParkWesleyChapel.com, and its Facebook page at Avalon Park Wesley Chapel.

Jazz Under the Starz
Sat., May 15
7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Community Center – Avalon Park Wesley Chapel
5060 River Glen Blvd.
Wesley Chapel, FL 33545
$10 cover charge; children 12 and under free
Reservations at JazzUndertheStarz.com

Published April 28, 2021

Moffitt exceeds early expectations

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When Moffitt Cancer Center at Wesley Chapel formed a medical partnership with AdventHealth, the idea was to bring Moffitt’s brand of oncology services closer to its patients, said Dr. Timothy Kubal, the cancer center’s senior medical director.

“We’re coming to you, as opposed to you coming to us,” Kubal said, explaining that a lot of Moffitt’s patients were coming from Wesley Chapel, Trinity, Dade City or Land O’ Lakes.

“We wanted to get closer to the patient and Wesley Chapel was a great opportunity to do that  with a partner,” he said, during Zoom economic development briefing with members of the North Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce on April 22.

As one of the nation’s top cancer centers, Moffitt wanted to deliver its expertise to patients, rather than them having to drive to its main campus in Tampa. At the same time, Moffitt wanted to partner with a high-quality hospital, he said.

“We can augment what they do; they can augment what we do,” he explained.

Moffitt’s center is located on the campus of AdventHealth Wesley Chapel, at 2600 Bruce B. Downs Blvd.

AdventHealth Wesley Chapel has built an entirely new floor for oncology patients, with the long-term prospect of having up to 50 beds for oncology patients, Kubal said.

The center has 20 exam rooms, 22 infusion bays and a linear accelerator.

“I can treat probably 20 to 30 patients a day on this lin-ac (linear accelerator). It delivers radiation specified to a tumor site,” he said. “We can do any body part, from brain to toe, for radiation oncology out here.

The nice thing about being located closer to patients is that they won’t have to drive as far each day to receive the treatment, he said.

“For example, you live in Wesley Chapel, you’ve got a breast cancer. You need 20 treatments over four weeks. You can get it close to your house, as opposed to going into Moffitt, parking your car, getting set up, getting 3 seconds of radiation to hit that tumor, and then doing the hour back.

“We’ve seen a lot of patients want to transfer their radiation oncology care to this site because they live out in this area. So, this is a big draw. Right now, I think they are 1000% over projected volume.

“Their growth far exceeds what we initially thought,” he said.

The center’s 22 infusion bays are in an area that gives patients a chance to be able to see outside.

That’s important for patients because an infusion can sometimes take up to six hours, the doctor said.

The center will be able to handle infusion services for about 100 to 120 patients a day, he said. At the moment, though, those numbers stand at between 30 to 40 patients day.

In addition to its modern equipment, the center will offer a different oncology approach than what’s been available in the area, he said.

“In the cancer community, you either see everything, or you see one thing.

“So, in the Moffitt community, you might just do, for example, right-sided liver lesions. You might just do surgery on the right side of the liver, when there’s tumors there.

“In the community, commonly, you’re going to do everything.

“But what we’ve found is that it’s hard to do everything. People want to do more than one thing.

“So, what we’ve done here is we’ve hired multiple oncologists to do what we call multi-specialists.”

Besides attracting patients from Pasco and Hillsborough counties, the Wesley Chapel center has patients coming from Lakeland and The Villages, Kubal said.

People coming from Lakeland say that driving the back roads is quicker than going to Tampa, he said.

He added: “Those Villages people are willing to drive. They like to park their own car, though.”

At Moffitt’s main campus, in Tampa, patients must valet. At the Wesley Chapel center, they can do self-parking.

Besides liking to park their own cars, people coming from The Villages often have very specific plans for where they want to eat or shop, after finishing their appointment, Kubal said.

But, they aren’t the only ones having an economic impact on the area, the doctor said.

“The money I make, it goes back into the community,” he said.

“I need to eat. I need to go to the gym. I need to be able to have a meeting and grab a beer at the end of the day. My kids need schooling,” he said.

The same economic impacts are true for other staffers, too, because many of them move into Wesley Chapel after they’ve been hired.

Published April 28, 2021

Local chiropractor shares lessons from ‘life in a bubble’

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Like everyone, Dr. Timothy Bain, a chiropractor from Wesley Chapel, has had to adapt due to concerns about COVID-19.

Unlike the vast majority of people, though, Bain’s adjustments have been more extreme.

As the Tampa Bay Lightning’s team chiropractor, he was in a traveling party that spent a combined 65 days at hotels in Toronto and then Edmonton through the Tampa Bay Lightning’s  Stanley Cup title run.

Bain was “in the bubble” from late July through late September, while games were played without fans in attendance and measures were taken to allow teams to safely complete the NHL playoffs.

Tampa Bay Lightning team chiropractor Dr. Timothy Bain celebrates the organization winning its second Stanley Cup in franchise history. The Wesley Chapel resident spent 65 days with the team in the NHL playoff ‘bubble’ in Canada from late July through late September. (Courtesy of David Miles)

The chief executive officer of B3 Medical shared some of the lessons he learned from the experience, and other insights he’s gleaned along life’s way, during a Zoom business breakfast meeting on March 2, with members of the North Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce.

One lesson Bain shared involves the importance of learning from failure.

“You’re going to fail. Everybody fails. Everybody fails a lot. You’re going to fail more often as a business leader and a business owner, I think than the average person — because we’re willing to fail.

“We look at, ‘How am I going to succeed?’ And, the answer is, ‘You’re going to fail — a lot of times,” he said.

In the season the year before claiming the Stanley Cup, the Lightning failed.

“We failed. Really miserably. In front of everybody,” the team’s chiropractor said.

“We won the President’s Trophy, which meant we had the best record in hockey. In fact, we had a historic season, then we went to Columbus and we just got swept right out of the playoffs.

“Nobody could believe it. We couldn’t believe it. I’m sure none of the fans could believe it.

“It was embarrassing.

“But we learned.

“Some of the things that we learned were: Maybe we brought guys back too quickly. Maybe we didn’t bring them back fast enough. Some of our rehab didn’t work as well as we thought it was going to. Maybe we needed some different characters in the room.

“Maybe we needed some different character,” he said.

Failure can be a valuable teacher: The important thing is to fail forward, Bain said.

“Every time you fail, make sure you’re moving forward. You learn something from it, and you move forward to your ultimate goal,” he said.

“With the Lightning, I think, the obvious ultimate goal is a big, shiny Stanley Cup — which is the most revered trophy in sports,” he said.

Lumps and bumps, along the way
The story of the Stanley Cup championship season didn’t start off well.

“The beginning of the season, was truthfully ugly for us,” Bain said.

But the team picked up Pat Maroon, who was a catalyst in breaking up team cliques, he said.

“Sometimes, it just really takes one person to get those cliques to start to work together, so you can start to move forward,” Bain said.

The team made some deals at the end of the season, to bring more grit to its game. It had to go into the playoffs with a different attitude, and style, and that was a hard adjustment for some players, he said.

“Guys wanted to play the old-style of Lightning hockey, which is fast, furious, move it around, score tons of goals. And, in the playoffs, really you can’t do that,” Bain said.

He said he knew the team had reached a turning point when it won a game that had five overtimes.

One moment, in particular, stood out to him.

“I remember at the end of the fourth overtime, the guys came in, I’m thinking: ‘These guys are going to be exhausted.’ The first thing I see, is somebody said, ‘This is fun, isn’t it? I can’t wait. I hope we have another one of these things.’

“That was cool. Right then and there, I knew we were going to win that game,” Bain said, because of the players’ mindset.

“Our identity now was: ‘We’re not going to lose this thing. We’ve got this.’,” Bain added.

In today’s business climate, COVID-19 brings a lot of fear and anxiety.

The Lightning overcame challenges.

“We dealt with adversity upon adversity. Guys getting hurt. We lost our captain.

“It didn’t matter what the obstacle was. We had a notion that failure was not an option this year,” Bain said.

“We created a plan. We worked the plan. We trusted the plan,” he said. “We had to adapt. We adapted better than other teams.”

“Every business creates a plan at the beginning of year. ‘OK, I’m going to execute on the strategy,’” he said.

But, it’s important to periodically check back on that plan: What worked? What didn’t work? What needs to change?

During COVID, employers and employees have faced a multitude of changes.

Some employees work at home. Some are dealing with child care issues. Some are sick, or have family members who are sick. Some have lost loved ones to COVID.

Employers need to keep a pulse on what’s happening with their staff, he said.

“So, there’s got to be an element that we bring into our businesses, of empathy and trust. And,  we’ve got to make sure that we’re there for our employees and our team members, because they’re going through stuff as much if not worse than we are. They’re fearful for their jobs, they’re fearful for their life, they’re fearful for their families,” he added.

It’s important to stay focused on the company’s ultimate goal, and for staff to have buy-in.

“In a company, everybody is a cog in the wheel, and without each piece, you can’t really get anywhere,” Bain said. “If you’re having one person who is inside your team, who doesn’t know their role, or doesn’t understand their role, inside of the bigger picture — or doesn’t understand the big picture — it can really derail what you’re trying to do,” Bain said.

With the Lightning, “the mission was really obvious,” Bain said. They had to make it to the last game of the season, or they had failed.

“It was about putting the right team of people, on the ice. It was about putting the right team of people behind the people on the ice,” Bain said.

The same is true for companies that are in pursuit of a goal.

The shiny object may vary, but he said: “We all want to win our Stanley Cup.”

Published March 31, 2021

North Tampa Bay Chamber awards bestowed

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The North Tampa Bay Chamber presented its 2020 Celebrating Excellence Awards, honoring local companies and individuals that have benefited the community, and have demonstrated commitment and resilience during the past year.

Because of the global COVID-19 pandemic, the chamber reimagined its annual awards ceremony — bestowing the honors on companies exemplifying the chamber’s core values of integrity, inclusivity, collaboration and innovation, according to a chamber news release.

The chamber also recognized individuals who have gone above and beyond to serve the community, presenting them with Community Hero awards. And, it recognized an individual who embodies all of the chamber’s core values, through the organization’s chairman’s award.

The awards ceremony was held virtually, on Nov. 12. A number of organizations hosted watch parties in different locations, while some chamber members watched from the comfort of their own homes.

Recipients of this year’s honors are:

Excellence in Integrity Award: The Laker/Lutz News. This award honors an organization that demonstrated commitment and resilience during the past year has benefited the community and region.

Excellence in Collaboration Award: Sarah Vande Berg Tennis and Wellness Center. This award honors an organization that has sought to build bridges and partner with individuals and groups that has strengthened the community and region during the past year.

Excellence in Inclusivity Award: Pasco-Hernando State College — Porter Campus. This award honors an organization that has demonstrated, through its organizational culture or in service to the community, leadership in diversity and inclusion practice during the past year.

Excellence in Innovation Award: Pinot’s Palette. This award honors an organization that demonstrated unique ingenuity during the past year has benefited the community and region.

Community Heroes: Ghada and Lufti Judallah; Troy Stevenson; and, Dr. Paula O’Neil. Through their efforts, these individuals exemplified their concern and a compassionate response to the pandemic.

Chairman’s Award: Roberto Saez. This award honors the myriad ways that Roberto Saez has contributed to creating a better community. He has given generously to charitable causes, has supported scholarships and has shared his talents, without charge, on chamber projects.

Published November 18, 2020

So proud to receive the Excellence in Integrity award

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In 2021, The Laker/Lutz News will be 40 years old, and I have had the opportunity to be its owner for the past 20 years. Over the years, we have received many awards from newspaper organizations for our editorial excellence and ad design, as well as recognition from local chambers of commerce, civic groups and economic development agencies.

My staff and I are always honored to accept these awards, and we proudly display them at our Land O’ Lakes office. But, no award has been as emotionally satisfying as the one we received last week from the North Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce.

At last week’s Celebrating Excellence in Business event for the North Tampa Bay Chamber: (front row, from left) Diane Kortus, Mary Eberhard, B.C. Manion, Terri Williamson; (back row, from left) Kelli Carmack, Katie Fernandez. (Staff members not pictured are: Stefanie Burlingame, Matthew Mistretta, Steve Mistretta, Kennedy Murdock, Mary Rathman and Kevin Weiss.) (Courtesy of Paula O’ Neil)

We learned in early October that we were nominated for the Chamber’s 2020 Excellence in Integrity award. This was exciting, of course, but when we were notified a few weeks later that we were one of four finalists, we were extremely gratified.

The announcement that we had won came during the Chamber’s 2020 Celebrating Excellence in Business event. This virtual event was well done, with hosts Hope Kennedy and Kevin O’Farrell keeping the commentary energetic and fresh.

Most people participated by watching on the Chamber’s website or via its Facebook page, while several area businesses had small “watch parties,” with safe social distancing. We were invited to a small gathering at The Hilton Garden Inn in Lutz, and six of us from The Laker/Lutz News were able to go. It was fun to be out together, and to watch the show with other chamber members.

We were fortunate that the Integrity category was the first award to be announced — allowing us to relax and enjoy the rest of the show, and cheer on other finalists and winners. Every business nominated for these awards is to be congratulated and honored for the outstanding work they do, and their outreach in the community (see related story).

Receiving the Excellence in Integrity Award is especially meaningful in a year of so many challenges. What began as a strong first quarter, as we welcomed Pasco County’s many new businesses and residents, dramatically changed in March with the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic.

Like many businesses, our revenue plunged after most area businesses and institutions closed. We responded by reducing expenses significantly, but were careful not to make cuts that would negatively impact the quality of our news coverage, or reduce the number of papers we print and deliver every week.

We believe people want and need local news more than ever during a worldwide health and economic crisis. And, because we are the only weekly newspaper in central Pasco and north Hillsborough, we also believe that local businesses still in operation and those reopening need our local audience to market their products and services.

We are successfully navigating through this difficult year because of our commitment to our community, optimism that our local economy will rebound, and the hard work and integrity of my staff.

With the help of my employees, we have moved our company forward and have made — and continue to make — changes that we believe are best for our readers, advertisers and community.

Making good decisions begins with integrity. It means living your life personally, and professionally, with honesty, commitment, selflessness and empathy. Those core values are exemplified by every employee at our newspaper.

I want to thank the North Tampa Bay Chamber for honoring our newspaper, and I want to close by sharing with you a note I received from our editor, B.C. Manion. She captures perfectly why this Integrity Award means so much to our team, and why we are so thankful to receive it.

B.C. wrote: “I am so proud of our newspaper, Diane. I can’t imagine receiving an award that means more than receiving an award for integrity. It came at a good time, too. It’s been a tough year, with lots of demands. But, we are working our way through it and we will come out the other side, an even stronger and better company than we are right now. So, congratulations for leading a newspaper that means so much to the community.”

Published November 18, 2020

Hillsborough schools face shortfall

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Hillsborough County Schools is making massive cuts, as the district battles to stop the financial bleeding, Superintendent Addison Davis told members of the North Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce, during a Zoom business meeting.

The superintendent detailed the rollercoaster ride the district has been on — adjusting to challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, and dealing with significant financial problems.

Davis joined the district on March 2, just weeks before the district shifted to remote learning for the remainder of the school year because of a shutdown imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Addison Davis

Then, when the 2020-2021 school year began, there was the controversy over whether schools should be required to offer brick-and-mortar for students, or online options only.

To retain state funding, the district was required to offer a brick-and-mortar option at every campus. It also offered parents the ability to choose an online option.

Davis said about 122,000 students are in brick-and-mortar classrooms and about 95,000 students are learning remotely. Some remote learners are assigned to specific classes, while others are enrolled in a more flexible virtual learning program.

The pandemic also has required the district to spend money on personal protective equipment, and has increased sanitation and cleaning costs for district schools and facilities.

“We have spent close to $14 (million) to $15 million initially to start the school year out, related to buying the necessary PPE, whether it’s gloves, masks, hand sanitizers, other cleaning equipment and technology, to ensure every one of our common areas, every one of our classrooms were protected for every one of our learners.

“And, that’s a reoccurring costs that we don’t get additional funding for, and it’s costing us close to $4 million to $5 million a month to continue that PPE, to make certain that we have sanitation stations, not only through our common areas, but also within every one of our classrooms,” Davis said.

The superintendent also pointed out the need to cut staffing because of district deficits.

“We’re $72 million in the hole,” Davis said.

Enrollment has dropped by 3,079 students, which could result in a requirement to give money back to the State Department of Education, unless state officials hold the district harmless, Davis said.

The school system already has cut hundreds of positions and is identifying others.

It has a long ways to go to bring staffing into alignment with the district’s allocation model, he said.

“We’ve identified over 3,000 positions that were overstaffed at our schools,” Davis said.

The district has already cut hundreds of employees, including some brand-new teachers that were hired on temporary contracts, after Aug. 14.

“It breaks my heart, and I know it’s disruptive,” he said.

The actions are necessary to protect the payroll for the district’s 24,000 employees — which amounts to $66 million, every two weeks.

“We’re in a bad spot, but we’re going to stand strong, and we’re going to lead through it,” he said.

Staffing is just one issue
Besides cutting personnel, the district is scrutinizing its vendors and its contracts.

The district is “going to selectively abandon contracts and exit them, if they’re not mission critical,” Davis said.

It plans to put a freeze on consultants.

The district has been “consultant-rich, program-rich” but ”results-poor,” the superintendent said.

“We’re ranked 40th out of 67 in the state of Florida. We have the title for having the most D and F schools in Florida, as well.

“So, we have a lot of work — not only from a fiscal perspective, but we have a lot of work with what we’re going to do to improve the overall health on the instructional side of the work.

“So now, more than ever, we’ve got to find ways to reset our priorities,” Davis said.

The school chief said the pandemic has hampered his efforts to “connect with constituents” through town hall sessions.

The town halls are needed, he said, “to talk and share about the current status we are in, and why we are having to make some hard decisions as an organization.”

While unable to connect personally with community groups, Davis is doing Zoom sessions, such as the one with the North Tampa Bay Chamber on Oct. 22.

He told those listening that the district’s top three priorities are student achievement, fiscal responsibility and community engagement.

He said the district is planning a luncheon in November in an attempt to recruit students to boost enrollment.

Davis also fielded questions during the Zoom session.

In response to a question about masks, Davis said he expects them to be required until at least January.

A question also came up about when parents and volunteers will be allowed on campus.

Davis said the district has restricted access to campus to reduce potential spread of COVID-19.

The district leader said he looks forward to the day when those restrictions can be eased.

“We’ve got to get back to a point where we’re having some normalcy,” he said, where “we can have volunteers on our campuses — those who want to reach out and do mentorships.

“That’s going to really help us.”

Another question came up regarding how the district’s experience with COVID-19 cases compared to what it had expected.

“We thought we would be a tremendous super spreader when we opened and have to shut down wings, classrooms and schools. And, it wasn’t the case.

“What we did see — and are seeing —  is that individuals are going to parties, going to events, coming to school when they don’t feel well, when they have symptoms — that’s creating the positive cases in our schools,” Davis said.

“In one of our high schools, we had to quarantine 260 kids last week because they went to a party. Four of them came back to school, they’re in classes —  they moved — and we quarantined 260 kids.

“This is where we have to reclaim the dinner table and talk about core values, and talk about expectations,” said Davis, whose daughter had to be quarantined from school, and he had to be quarantined, too.

Position cuts in Hillsborough County Schools
Hillsborough County Schools has announced these cuts:

  • 424 vacant positions that will not be filled for the 2020-2021 academic year
  • 246 positions (Teachers hired prior to Aug. 14, will not lose their jobs, but may be reassigned to a different role at their school or to another school)
  • Fewer than 60 teachers hired on temporary contracts after Aug. 14
  • 150 district level staff

The district also is scrutinizing its contracts and will selectively abandon those that are not deemed to support the district’s critical missions.

Source: Hillsborough County Schools

Published November 04, 2020

Efforts underway to encourage tourism

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It’s no secret that Florida’s tourism economy has been decimated from impacts of COVID-19, and Dana Young, president and CEO of Visit Florida, recently detailed tourism losses the state has suffered during a Zoom breakfast meeting with the North Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce.

At the same session, Young outlined efforts that have started to spur a tourism rebound.

“Prior to the pandemic, Florida tourism had just capped off our 10th consecutive year of record visitation. We welcomed over 130 million visitors to our state in 2019,” Young said, during the Oct. 6 meeting.

“And, these folks contributed $91 billion to our economy and supported 1.5 million jobs,” Young added.

In fact, she reported that Florida’s State Economist Amy Baker warned last year that tourism-related revenue losses posed the greatest potential risk to Florida’ economic outlook.

“A little over a year later, that prediction has come true. In the long-range financial outlook released last month to the Legislature, the economists reported that the pandemic’s fiscal impact on tourism accounts for half of Florida’s $2.7 billion budget shortfall,” Young said.

Hotels have been hit hard, Young said, in response to a question from a Zoom listener.

“The latest number I saw was that hotels in Florida had lost over $5 billion, and that was several weeks ago, so I’ve got to think that number is significantly higher,” she said.

But, Young said Visit Florida is ready to meet the challenge.

Speeding up recovery, if only just by a few months, will restore millions of dollars in tax revenues and create thousands of jobs for Floridians, she said.

“Since the pandemic began, Visit Florida and my great research and marketing professionals have been carefully monitoring public health data, travel-related metrics and trends, to guide our decision-making process,” she explained.

When the virus began making news in China, Visit Florida decided to stop advertising in that market.

“When travel essentially ceased to exist in March, Visit Florida pulled out all of our advertising, in preparation for the recovery,” Young said.

Doing that saved $13 million that is now being invested in a recovery campaign, she said.

“The timing of our recovery plan, as in everything at Visit Florida, is driven by data.

“We’ve been monitoring traveler sentiment, destination readiness and all sorts of trends out there — to determine in a data-driven way, when we should start advertising again.

“We want to make sure that people are ready to book travel, or receptive to seeing messages about travel,” she said.

“In these early stages of recovery, we know that people are more likely and more comfortable to travel closer to home. So, in-state travel is absolutely critical to our rebound.

“Floridians hold the key to our recovery, particularly in these early stages.

“In our first round of ads, we’re looking to remind Floridians of why they should be so proud to live here, and live in a state where the world dreams of vacationing.

“We want to take that pride and we want to channel that into getting Floridians to travel within our state, and harness that into supporting our Florida businesses, so many of which are hurting badly right now,” Young said.

“We’re trying to introduce them to maybe a part of Florida that they’ve never seen.

“Maybe they thought they would have to fly to another state or another country to have experiences that they can have right here at home,” she added.

The budget for the in-state marketing campaign is $3.4 million.

Visit Florida also understands how important it is to attract out-of-state visitors, too, Young said.

It launched a new effort last week that focuses on key drive markets to Florida, around the United States, particularly in the Eastern United States.

The tourism organization’s research reveals that people are willing to travel about 700 miles for a Florida vacation, Young said. So domestic marketing focuses on areas such as Atlanta, Charlotte, Houston, Birmingham, Nashville and Philadelphia.

The budget for that campaign is around $10 million, Young said.

“While we have heard anecdotally that other states are at a complete standstill about marketing to out-of-state visitors, we at Visit Florida plan to continue to be very aggressive in our approach, to save as much of the winter season and early 2021 as possible,” Young said.

“We want Florida to be the first destination that comes to mind when travelers sit down and plan a vacation, and heavy marketing is the best way to accomplish that goal. So, that is what we are doing,” Young said.

During the pandemic, the North Tampa Bay Chamber has shifted presentations that typically were given at in-person breakfast and luncheon meetings to Zoom sessions instead, allowing members to hear from speakers on a broad range of topics — without risk of exposure to COVID-19.

Published October 14, 2020