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LAND O’ LAKES/LUTZ EDITION
MAY 13, 2015
HOLLIDAY KARATINOS
Speakers shed light on health care challenges
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Construction is under way on Alta Terra Bella, an apartment complex of 311 garden apartments off State Road 54 in Land O’ Lakes.
Land O’ Lakes to get Dairy Queen, apartments By Kathy Steele
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A Dairy Queen and a long-planned apartment complex at Terra Bella are under construction on State Road 54 in Land O’ Lakes, between Livingston Road and Via Bella Boulevard. The fast-food restaurant is expected to open in two to three months, possibly by the Fourth of July weekend, according to Keith Bennett, owner of Retail Site Development. The Dairy Queen location is one of several outparcels adjacent to Terra Bella that are available for commercial development. These smaller commercial projects are benefiting from proximity to shopping malls such as The Grove in Wesley Chapel, The Shops at Wiregrass and the soon-to-open Tampa Premium Outlets, Bennett said. “Between those three projects…you’re getting outward growth,” he said. “It’s natural for commercial development like this, with interested companies like Dairy Queen.” The fast-food restaurant will seat about 75 people and have a drive-through window. Bennett owns additional commercial
parcels adjacent to the Dairy Queen site. Once that project is complete, he said, “We’ll look to see what we choose to do with the balance.” Southeast Commercial also is marketing commercial outparcels fronting State Road 54 at Terra Bella. Behind the Dairy Queen site, along Venezia Avenue, construction also is under way on Alta Terra Bella, an apartment complex of 311 garden apartments in 14 three-story buildings. The North Carolina-based Wood Partners is building the complex as the final residential phase of Terra Bella, a community of more than 250 single-family homes. A groundbreaking was held late in 2014. Construction is expected to finish by May 2016, but leasing could begin as early as September of this year, according to a press release from Wood Partners. The project is projected to generate $24.5 million in local income, $2.5 million in taxes and other revenues for local governments, and nearly 380 jobs. The data provided by Wood Partners in its press release is based on a formula used by the National Association of Home Builders.
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Wiregrass Ranch graduate gets Ivy League offers By B.C. Manion
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Patients and providers offered insights into obstacles relating to the treatment of people living with Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s and Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis during a recent roundtable hosted by U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis. Bilirakis, who is a member of the Energy and Commerce subcommittee on Heath, hosted a roundtable focusing on neurological conditions on May 6 at the Carrollwood Cultural Center. Bilirakis asked panelists and members of the audience to talk about challenges facing patients and their families, and obstacles thwarting U.S. Rep. providers. He also Gus Bilirakis asked those gathered to share information about clinical trials and breakthroughs. Ron Hall, who has Alzheimer’s disease told Bilirakis, “probably the biggest thing is the unknown —trying to figure out what you’re going to do to keep your life normal as possible.” The hard part, he said, is “just not knowing what’s coming your way. “With all of these other diseases out there, you can say, ‘I’m going to fight it. I’m going to beat it.’ With Alzheimer’s, there’s no beating it.” Hall’s wife, Diane, said “we’ve never been to a neurologist, just a geriatric doctor and had tests performed. “Sometimes, we think, maybe we should go, and then we ask ourselves: ‘Do you really want to know how far along you are?’ ” she said. Dr. Charles Brock, another panelist, told the couple: “I think visiting the neurologist is helpful. It’s empowering because that physician is likely to know there may be drug trials going on, there may be new treatments, there may be new supportive measures that would be helpful to you and at least give you the opportunity to make a decision about what you want, which gives you more control.” Dr. Jessica Banko, associate institute director for the University of South Florida’s Byrd Alzheimer’s Institute, agreed with Brock. “Having some of that knowledge of where in the journey you lie may open doors to additional measures, not always necessarily pharmacological,” Banko said. “There are caregiver interventions to minimize stress and burden, and improve quality of life; there are behavioral measures and other ways to get involved in, maybe in validating new diagnostic tools.”
Antonio Medina wanted to give himself the best chance he could to attend the college of his choice, so he applied to several places. “You can be a top candidate but still, it’s really tough to get in. They get more top candidates than they can accept. Sometimes, it comes down to luck,” said Medina, who will be graduating soon from Wiregrass Ranch High. So, he applied to scores of schools, including the University of South Florida, the University of Central Florida, the University of Florida, as well as to such colleges as Princeton, Columbia, Penn, Brown, Harvard and Yale. Brown University sent him a letter saying he would likely be accepted, Medina said. “We were so excited about the letter. That was so amazing. We were happy with that,” he said. On the day that the colleges announce their decisions, Medina and his mom, Sandra, were sitting at three computers, waiting. “So, I checked Brown. I got accepted, so I was happy,” Medina said. “We checked Penn and Columbia and Princeton. None of those. “Then I checked Yale and got in. I was super surprised. “I checked Harvard last. I was like, ‘Let’s just see.’ ”
wrong with either school,” Medina said. “It came down to, which school did I feel better at?” He chose Yale. “I was more at home there,” said the Wesley Chapel resident. He is excited about his academic future. “The caliber of education is through the roof,” said Medina. “You have world-class professors. I could be a roommate with a future president.” Medina ranked second in the class of 2015 at Wiregrass and also was named the school’s Most Outstanding Senior. In addition to his academic acPHOTOS COURTESY OF THE MEDINA FAMILY complishments, he was catcher on Sandra, Antonio and Alfredo Medina pose for a the school’s baseball team, drum photo after Antonio is named salutatorian of the major for the marching band and a class of 2015 at Wiregrass Ranch High School. member of the jazz band. On top of all that, he has worked for his mom and dad’s business, Gator And he got into Harvard, too. Fred’s, a fun and party center in “I was speechless,” his mom said. “I’m Carrollwood. never going to forget that day.” “I helped them since I was 7. I’ve seen Medina also received full-ride offers from what it is like to manage a business, to work USF, UCF and UF. in a service — entrepreneurial, all that stuff, So, then it was a matter of choosing since I was a child,” Medina said. where he would go. That work has left an indelible impresHe and his dad, Alfredo, visited Harvard sion on him. and Yale. “Probably because of the influence of Then, Medina made his final choice. See GRADUATE, page9A “They’re both great schools. You can’t go