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Plantation Palms Golf Club closes
By Michael Hinman mhinman@lakerlutznews.com
Unless you’re a resident, a guest or a vendor, anyone thinking about trying to get into the Plantation Palms community off Collier Parkway should think again. The community is on lockdown, even during the day. And it’s all because the golf course has shut down … again. Nine months after closing for a week, Plantation Palms Golf Club has shuttered its links, and this time there’s no telling when it might reopen. That’s forced the homeowners associa-
tion at Plantation Palms to act swiftly to protect not only its residents, but the private golf course as well. “While not our property and not our legal responsibility, (the golf course) is a critical component of our neighborhood,” the board, led by president David Gunsteens, said in a written statement to The Laker/Lutz News. “Many of our residents purchased their homes here because of the excellent golf course. Not only that, but one of the benefits all of us enjoy in living in a golf course community, whether golf enthuSee GOLF, page 14
It’s closed again. Plantation Palms Golf Club has shut down the course, and it’s not clear when it will reopen.
Pasco lacks incentives for local filmmakers By Michael Hinman mhinman@lakerlutznews.com
Years of filming low-budget shorts in and around Pasco County finally paid off for Christopher Leto when investors offered $250,000 to fund his biggest movie yet, a horror thriller called “The Ritual.” Yet when filming starts later this month, it won’t happen anywhere near his Land O’ Lakes home. Instead, Leto and his crew are heading south to Sarasota County where he can take advantage of film incentives like a 20 percent rebate on certain purchases, and waived costs for government services. “I met with the film commission there, and they were amazing,” Leto said. “Everything I asked them to do, they would bend over backward to help me get what I needed.” But if he had a choice, Leto would’ve much preferred to stay right in Pasco County. “I didn’t want to go to Sarasota to shoot my movie,” he said.“But they have incentives that are really nice.” Pasco has what officials here call a simple permitting process with no fees, and a requirement to carry an insurance rider that costs around $85. But don’t expect too much help beyond that, because Pasco County not only lacks incentives for filmmakers, it lacks an actual film commission.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF CHRIS LETO
Land O’ Lakes filmmaker Christopher Leto shot his independent film ‘Die Die Delta Phi’ in Pasco County, but his first larger-budget film, ‘The Ritual,’ moved to Sarasota County because of the financial incentives in place there.
The work instead is handled through Pasco’s Office of Tourism Development, a department led by Ed Caum, who admits he is forced to wear so many hats, the film industry is almost an afterthought. Which is probably why the county’s website still links production companies to the closed mailbox of Eric Keaton, who hasn’t been with the county since last year. “I’m not making any excuses, but I’m
probably one of the only people on my staff trained to” update the website, Caum said. “And I’m always sitting in on meetings and doing other work, that I can’t seem to get to it.” Pasco has never been ignored by filmmakers, which can offer a little bit of everything when it comes to locales. It has See FILMMAKERS, page 14
Eat, drink and help charity with wine walk By Michael Murillo mmurillo@lakerlutznews.com
Wednesday, patrons at The Shops at Wiregrass will drink wine, sample food, listen to live music, and do a little shopping. And they’ll help a charity at the same time. Wine Walk Wednesdays, a series of four events scheduled for this year, continues on May 7 at the shopping center, 28211 Paseo Drive in Wesley Chapel.The annual charity series benefits the Jason Ackerman Foundation, an organization that provides educational opportunities and entertainment experiences for young people who have endured various types of tragic circumstances. They provide scholarship funds directly to four-year universities, community colleges and vocational training schools to benefit recipients based on financial need and their
COURTESY OF THE SHOPS AT WIREGRASS
Hundreds of people helped The Shops at Wiregrass raise more than $8,000 at last month’s Wine Walk Wednesday. Next week’s event will be the last one until September.
desire to make a positive impact on the community. Wine Walk Wednesdays is fun for anyone looking for a fun destination, said Shops
marketing director Debbie Detweiler. “It’s a great thing not only for ‘girls night out,’ but also for couples as well,” she said. “And there are families who come out and they’re enjoying the entertainment and activities. It’s really casual and just a fun night, and it’s all for a great cause.” Those who want to eat and drink will receive “passports” and a map, showing them the location of each tasting station. In addition to sampling wine and food, visitors can enjoy live music on two stages, mini-massages and models showing off the latest fashions. There also will be caricature artists and free painting classes available. While Wine Walk Wednesdays has been happening for a few years, the format changed for 2014. Instead of having it on See WINE, page 14