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Veterans Administration

Officials express guarded optimism through COVID-19

May 5, 2020 By Kevin Weiss

As Florida slowly lifts stay-at-home orders — caused by concerns about potential spread of  coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19)  —  local leaders and officials are taking a positive, yet guarded, outlook.

They are hopeful that the regional and state economy can rebound sooner than later.

Pasco County Commissioner Ron Oakley (File)

Many retailers and restaurants have announced plans to reopen to modified dine-in and foot traffic, while more parks and beaches are reopening with restrictions.

Signs of optimism are beginning to show, state Rep. Randy Maggard, R-Dade City said, during an April 28 virtual town hall meeting presented by The Greater Zephyrhills Chamber of Commerce.

“A lot of people feel we’ve crossed the high point of (COVID-19) and we’re on the downward slide. We hope so,” Maggard said.

In the same breath, he urged people to continue to take necessary safety precautions and “use common sense” in public gatherings.

“It will be good to get our economy going. It’s been tough for a lot of businesses here, it’s been tough for a lot of individuals,” he said.

Maggard also addressed “the 800-pound gorilla in the room” during the speaking engagement. And, that’s the fact that the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO) is having trouble managing the massive volume of people filing for unemployment benefit claims.

The state representative pointed out roughly 40% of the 1.8 million claims filed have been either bogus or scams. That has led to further delays in legitimate applicants getting their unemployment benefits, he said.

“The process just takes long when you have to deal with things like that,” Maggard said, adding the DEO is expected to have those issues resolved soon.

Pasco County Commissioner Ron Oakley, like Maggard, has an optimistic view of the future of the local economy and markets, overall.

“Things will get better. There is a light at the end of that long tunnel we didn’t think we’d have,” Oakley said.”

He said Pasco government activities have not slowed, in the midst of COVID-19.

Oakley noted that neighboring counties haven’t been so lucky as to keep operations moving along when it comes to handling regular tasks, such as reviewing building permits.

“We’ve continued to work, as we do normally,” Oakley said, “except most of our people are working from home instead of our offices.”

Oakley, 74, is still taking the virus quite seriously, however.

He reported the county had 241 positive coronavirus cases and six deaths, as of April 28. One place particularly “hit hard” is the Royal Oak Nursing Center in Dade City, with 20 positive COVID-19 cases, he said.

The commissioner acknowledged most of the people who’ve died from the disease have had pre-existing conditions. But, he added: “This is not the flu. It’s a little more infectious than the flu is.”

So, while businesses start opening with some semblance of normalcy, Oakley said he’s not yet  comfortable to enter a restaurant or other public spaces.

“You probably won’t see me out in a restaurant, that’s just my feeling,” said Oakley. “Of course, I’m of the age that the virus will treat me a lot worse than it would for younger people, but I think there’s probably a pretty large percentage of young people, middle-aged people that will do that, they’ll go right back out, they’re not fearful of any of that, and hopefully they’re taking precautions.”

Like Oakley, Zephyrhills Police Chief Derek Brewer remains concerned about the serious nature of COVID-19 and feels it isn’t going away anytime soon — witnessing the virus’s impact on the frontlines.

Brewer said there’s an expectation the county’s coronavirus cases could peak sometime around mid-May, based on joint conversations with the Pasco Sheriff’s Office and Pasco County Emergency Management.

“We may be getting close to opening the state,” Brewer said, “but, I don’t think we’re going to be ready yet to open it up completely yet.”

The police chief reported Zephyrhills has 25 positive COVID-19 cases as of April 28, representing more than 10% of all cases in the county. Additionally, the department is tracking a total of 48 addresses under investigation as possible COVID-19 cases as of that date.

Meanwhile, Brewer said the local law enforcement agency has observed spikes in domestic violence and disturbance cases, as well as increased juvenile problems, during the course of the pandemic.

On the other hand, the department has seen fewer accidents and total calls for service overall.

With fewer service calls, Brewer said officers have placed more focus on performing spot checks on local businesses that may not be in compliance with state executive orders.

He also noted the department has enacted an “extensive screening process” to determine whether someone absolutely needs to be sent to jail after an arrest. That approach is being taken to try and limit the spread of COVID-19 within the local criminal justice system.

He said the pandemic “has been a been a unique challenge for law enforcement.”

City of Zephyrhills pushing through COVID-19
Zephyrhills City Manager Billy Poe also offered an update on some of happenings within the East Pasco municipality throughout the town hall discussion.

Despite the COVID-19 outbreak, Poe said the city is “open for business, so there are still a lot of projects that are going on.”

The Greater Zephyrhills Chamber of Commerce organized an April 28 virtual town hall meeting featuring a panel of area leaders and representatives, discussing the various impacts of the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. (Courtesy of The Greater Zephyrhills Chamber of Commerce)

For instance, work is progressing on multiple subdivisions and communities that will bring hundreds of new homes to the area. Those projects include the Oaks at Pasco and Links at Calusa Springs located on both sides of Simons Road; District at Abbott’s Square near the forthcoming Sarah Vande Berg Tennis & Wellbeing Center; and Abbott Park, situated on the former Gore’s Dairy property that wraps behind the Publix Super Market at Zephyr Commons on Gall Boulevard.

Several commercial developments are moving along, too.

A couple notable projects under final site plan review include a new Veterans Administration clinic along Eiland Boulevard, as well as the Crystal Bar rebuild on Gall Boulevard, a longtime community staple destroyed in a fire last May.

Poe said a Chipotle Mexican Grill franchise at Zephyr Commons “is projected to come here in the next few months.” Also, the Chancey Partners industrial park project continues its build out with “a lot of businesses going in at that location.”

Poe touched on various city-related projects, as well:

  • Relocation of the U.S. 301/Pretty Pond Road traffic signal should get underway in August, spurring development in that area, which he said will eventually include a Chick-fil-A franchise
  • Sarah Vande Berg Tennis & Wellbeing Center construction “continues to be strong” and should be complete around July or August
  • Road paving and resurfacing has been ongoing at various city streets the past several weeks

Elsewhere, the city manager encouraged residents to continue to support local businesses “either by takeout or gift cards or anything that you can do.”

He also noted he’s in conversation with Zephyrhills High School Principal Dr. Christina Stanley to “plan something special” for graduating seniors, such as a parade or other community-wide gathering at some point.

Other speakers during the town hall included Zephyrhills Mayor Gene Whitfield and Zephyrhills City Council president Ken Burgess.

Published May 06, 2020

Ceremony honors Vietnam veterans

July 6, 2016 By Kevin Weiss

It was a day set aside to honor veterans of the Vietnam War, and their loved ones.

More than 100 veterans of the Vietnam War, and their families, gathered inside the East Pasco Adventist Academy’s gymnasium on June 27 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War.

Veteran Air Force Sgt. Robin McIntosh, of Zephyrhills, shows off the lapel pin acknowledging service during the Vietnam War. (Photos courtesy of Richard K. Riley)
Veteran Air Force Sgt. Robin McIntosh, of Zephyrhills, shows off the lapel pin acknowledging service during the Vietnam War.
(Photos courtesy of Richard K. Riley)

Veterans at the ceremony received lapel pins acknowledging their service. Tribute was paid, as well, to the 58, 307 service members who died in the war, as well as the 1,167 still considered missing in action.

In his remarks to the audience, U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis thanked the veterans for their service and for their sacrifices.

Bilirakis, who represents Florida’s 12th District and is vice chairman of the House Committee on Veterans Affairs, said two lessons learned from the controversial Vietnam War continually stand out to him: To leave no one behind and to honor the commitment to support war veterans.

“The members of the armed services who faithfully served with courage and honor were caught in the crossfire of public debate regarding the nation’s involvement, and did not receive the welcome home that they deserved,” Bilirakis said.

“Our veterans are our heroes — not our movie actors, not our athletes and certainly not our politicians; Americans need to continue to thank veterans on a daily basis,” Bilirakis said.

U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis thanks veterans for their service. Others at the ceremony, included Jack Mariano, a Pasco County commissioner; Frank Jones of the Pasco Veterans Center; Arthur Hibbard, a U.S. Marine Corps corporal; and, Danny Burgess, a member of the Florida House of Representatives.
U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis thanks veterans for their service. Others at the ceremony, included Jack Mariano, a Pasco County commissioner; Frank Jones of the Pasco Veterans Center; Arthur Hibbard, a U.S. Marine Corps corporal; and, Danny Burgess, a member of the Florida House of Representatives.

Within the past three years, Bilirakis has introduced two pieces of legislation (COVER Act, PROMISE Act) to help veterans get better access to primary medical care and to address the prevalence of mental health issues amongst veterans.

Estimates show that 22 veterans a day commit suicide, with many suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.

A survey conducted by the Veterans Administration revealed that some 500,000 of the 3 million troops who served in Vietnam suffered from the condition.

Rates of divorce, suicide, alcoholism and drug addiction are also markedly higher among veterans.

“It’s awful; we must do something about it,” he said about the staggering suicide figures. “Our veterans have sacrificed so much for our country that it is up to us to provide them with the care and benefits they need, and have earned and deserve.”

The congressman said that serving veterans will continue to be his top priority in office.

The ceremony’s featured speaker was U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. Art Hibbard, who served in the war from 1968-1969.

Hibbard choked up with tears as he reminisced the moment when all U.S. troops were withdrawn from the war in 1973 and the subsequent negative treatment they received upon arriving in America.

Jim Shultz, Rod Rehrig, Trevor Gray, all of Zephyrhills, and Tom Conely, of Dade City, listen to a speech by U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis.
Jim Shultz, Rod Rehrig, Trevor Gray, all of Zephyrhills, and Tom Conely, of Dade City, listen to a speech by U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis.

“There were no ticker tape parades, no triumphant marches as it were in the first two World Wars,” Hibbard said. “American Vietnam veterans returned home to silence, or worse,” he said, for having served their country during a controversial war.

Hibbard said he often gets asked about when he served in Vietnam. His response is the same each time: “Man, I was there just last night.”

For Hibbard, not a day goes by where he doesn’t think about his experiences in the Vietnam jungles.

“Every day for the past 40 years,” he said, “I wake up with it. I go to bed with it. I can’t stop thinking about it; I never will.”

The pungent odor of the bloodshed of war still haunts him, too.

“I’ll never forget the way blood smells,” he said. “You didn’t want to make a lot of friends when the possibility of dying is that real; we were in the business of death, and death was with us all the time,” Hibbard said.

Vietnam War (1954-1975)
U.S. Troop Statistics:
8,744,000 – Total number of U.S. Troops that served worldwide during Vietnam
3,403,000 served in Southeast Asia
2,594,000 served in South Vietnam

The total of American servicemen listed as POW/MIA at the end of the war was 2,646.

Death Toll
58,307- Total U.S. Deaths (Average age of 23.1 years old)
1.3 million – Total military deaths for all countries involved
1 million – Total civilian deaths
–Figures compiled by the U.S. Dept. of Defense

Published July 6, 2016

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05/21/2022 – Folk Art Festival

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05/21/2022 – Founders Day Festival

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05/21/2022 – Free vaccines/microchips

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05/21/2022 – Garden Club

The New River Garden Club will meet on May 21 at 10:30 a.m., at the New River Library, 34043 State Road 54 in Wesley Chapel. The meeting will be followed by an outdoor garden presentation on mosquito control. A separate registration is required for the meeting and the presentation, online at PascoLibraries.org. For information, call 813-788-6375. … [Read More...] about 05/21/2022 – Garden Club

05/21/2022 – Train show & sale

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