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APRIL 29, 2015
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Thousands of people streamed to Lowry Park on April 18 to celebrate Earth Day a bit early. The event initiated by Learning Gate Community School in Lutz had to be moved to a larger venue last year because it has become too large for the school’s campus.
EcoFest offers fun, and food for thought By B.C. Manion
at Lowry Park, and already it is growing, she said, estimating attendance at more than 4,000 people. From sophisticated presentations to simThis year, EcoFest had the feel of a ple signs, the theme of protecting the earth farmer’s market and that was intentional, was on abundant display at the sixth annual Northrup said. EcoFest at Lowry Park. As its name implies, the festival celeThe event, which was initiated by brates efforts to make the earth more Learning Gate Community School in Lutz, sustainable by promoting energy conservamoved to Lowry Park last year as a result of tion, environmental protection and healthy partnership between the school, the City of living practices. Tampa and The Patel College of Global The event initially took place on the Sustainability at the University of South grounds of the school in Lutz, but it outgrew Florida. that location. Instead of having separate Earth Day Festival-goers checked out entertainment events, they decided to join resources to put and educational presentations near the band on the event at Lowry Park, said Michele shell at Lowry Park, 7525 N. Boulevard, and Northrup, of Learning Gate. browsed through a wide assortment of venLast year was the first time the event was dors on the park grounds across the street
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Lots of people did a double take when they saw Amanda Renaud, of Topsy Turvy — an entertainment troupe — towering above them on stilts at the sixth annual EcoFest at Lowry Park.
from Lowry Park Zoo. The event gave people a chance to begin celebrating Earth Day — officially April 22 — a bit early. There were 167 vendors at the event this year, which is a record, according to Northrup. It’s also a sizable jump from last year, when there were 118. Event-goers could pick up foods from orSee ECOFEST, page 9A
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Florida Medical Clinic’s expansion story continues By B.C. Manion
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Florida Medical Clinic is continuing to expand at a brisk pace, with an 85,000square-foot facility expected to open near Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel in March 2016, and a 15,000-square-foot expansion at its facility on State Road 54 in Land O’ Lakes now under way. The new projects are part of a story that dates back to 1993, when four practices in Zephyrhills decided to merge to gain advantages they could not secure independently, said Chris Alvarez, the health care provider’s chief financial officer. Since then, Florida Medical Clinic has grown to have 43 locations totaling 550,000 square feet, with 750 patient encounters each year. It has 235 providers, representing 33 medical specialties,Alvarez said. It also has ambitious plans. The five-year vision is to have 70 locations, with 1.3 million patient visits a year, Alvarez told those gathered at an economic development briefing organized by the Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce. Alvarez spoke at a luncheon meeting at Hoosiers Grille at the Heritage Isles Golf and Country Club on April 23. Florida Medical Clinic will be building
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Florida Medical Clinic’s new 85,000-square-foot location in Wesley Chapel will be a threestory building. It is expected to open in March 2016.
the new 85,000-square-foot structure in Wesley Chapel at 2352 Bruce B. Downs Blvd., north of State Road 56. “Obviously, the location is perfect for us. It’s very close to the hospital,” Alvarez said. “It’s a great location from a visibility standpoint.” There will be 60 physicians and 200 employees in that building,Alvarez said. “Everything we’re going to do at Wiregrass is going to be practices that already exist in the Wiregrass area or new providers that we’re going to bring in, or have already brought in, in anticipation of that opening,”Alvarez said. The new facility will provide a convenient one-stop shop for patients, as patients
will be able to see their doctor and pick up prescriptions at the same location, he added. In Land O’ Lakes, Florida Medical Clinic is building a 15,000-square-foot addition, at a location it opened in 2009. There’s room for another building there, which the clinic may construct sometime relatively soon, Alvarez said. When that occurs, Florida Medical Clinic’s total presence at that site will be 75,000 square feet. Just two years ago, Florida Medical Clinic expanded its main campus in Zephyrhills at Market Square to open a new urgent care facility. It also built a 12,000-square-foot office See EXPANSION, page 9A
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Learning how to police the ‘teenage brain’ By B.C. Manion
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When it comes to de-escalating aggressive behavior — different methods are needed for juveniles than the ones that work on adults, said Jeff Golden, who teaches criminal justice classes at Saint Leo University. Golden and other experts in law enforcement and criminal justice will be sharing their knowledge in a Summer Institute Course on juvenile aggression at Saint Leo University, May 5 through May 7. In addition to Golden, other experts who will be leading instruction are Lt. Tim Enos, who currently works for the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office; Norm Miller, an investigator assigned to gang prosecutions; and Deputy Dave Cappel, a school resource officer for the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office. The class is being offered both for credit and for noncredit. Those who are not seeking credit can attend for free, provided there are still seats available. Besides exploring issues involved with
“Pain for a juvenile — and on a teenage brain — is like throwing kerosene on a fire. The pain is going to make them scream louder, fight harder, and they are not going to listen.” — Jeff Golden policing the teenage brain, the experts will cover: • Tools for de-escalating and preventing juvenile aggression • Techniques for communicating with troubled youths and building trust • Youth gangs and violence, impacts and opportunities • Crisis intervention teams and school resource offices, and what they do • Federal and Florida laws and agencies relating to juvenile • Causes of juvenile aggression and schools and solution • Bullying, harassment, violence and cyber bullying The vast majority of police academies
spend little to no time training patrol officers on effective techniques for policing juveniles, Golden said. Most patrol officers have been taught restraints that work well on adults, but that can actually escalate aggression in juveniles, said Golden, who teaches graduate and undergraduate classes in criminal justice, juvenile justice and law at Saint Leo University. “Most law enforcement agencies rely on some type of pain-inducing restraint to control someone physically,” he explained. “Adults understand: Stop what you’re doing and the pain will stop. See TEENAGE, page9A