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DECEMBER 3, 2014
Porters give sweat, tears to Pasco By Michael Hinman mhinman@lakerlutznews.com
Not too long ago,Tampa mayor Bob Buckhorn called Pasco County a bedroom community, doing nothing more than supplement the economic engine of his county, Hillsborough. Whether Buckhorn’s observation of Pasco is accurate or not now is not what J.D. Porter is focused on. Instead, he wants to make sure that’s not the Pasco County of tomorrow. “Bedroom communities are not the future,” Porter recently told members of the Pasco Alliance for Community Associations. Porter represents his
family in the expansive Wiregrass Ranch project that is converting thousands of acres of grazing and agricultural land into sustainable residential neighborhoods and corporate parks in the greater Wesley Chapel area. The land is part of more than 14,000 acres the Porter family picked up in 1941 at $1.73 an acre when their previous land holdings in Zephyrhills were grabbed to create what would become the municipal airport there. Porter’s uncle would be the first to flip his land, douFILE PHOTO bling his money in just four years in what would later J.D. Porter, right, joins his late father, Don, in groundbreaking ceremonies that helped create what would become the Wiregrass Ranch development area in
See PORTERS, page 11A Pasco County. The Porter family has owned much of the land for decades.
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Support the Troops director Mark Van Trees inspects care packages headed for Afghanistan. They contain basic items like coffee and toothpaste, which are precious cargo for troops stationed overseas.
Support the Troops remembers those serving overseas By Michael Murillo
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Mark Van Trees received the Champion of Service Award presented by Gov. Rick Scott on Nov. 12 for his work with Support the Troops.And it would be a good story — except Van Trees doesn’t like talking about it. “It’s certainly not deserved,” the Wesley Chapel organization’s director said. Instead, Van Trees prefers to talk about the dozens of volunteers who stock, store and pack the steady stream of care packages that get shipped to military personnel overseas. He believes they’re the ones who
deserve to be honored. He also likes talking about Bob Williams, the founder of Support the Troops, who worked tirelessly growing the organization until an accident in 2012 left him unable to continue the project. Williams deserves the credit,Van Trees insists, as indicated by the hundreds of certificates of appreciation addressed to him that decorate Van Trees’ office and the walls of the facility, located at 29807 State Road 54, that ships the packages.Williams now resides at Baldomero Lopez State Veterans Nursing Home in Land O’ Lakes, and Van Trees is now the person who works six days a week, raising money for the seemingly
See TROOPS, page 11A
Church expands space for youth programs
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endless postage expenses associated with shipping thousands of care packages overseas every year. The recipients live on military bases that don’t have the facilities for personnel to get the basic comfort items we take for granted in the United States, he said. And while receiving the award was a proud moment,Van Trees keeps a more personal kind of recognition in a box by his desk. “Thank you so much for the gifts. They are greatly appreciated,” reads one card from a member of the military.
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B PHOTOS COURTESY OF HARVESTER UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
INSIDE, PAGE 1B
Lilly Miller is enjoying herself during a celebration at Harvester United Methodist Church. The church has doubled its size, which will enable it to offer Bible lessons more specifically tailored to children of different ages.
Harvester United Methodist Church in Land O’ Lakes recently had two celebrations to mark the beginning of a new era there. The first was an open house.The second: A consecration service to bless the church’s expanded space. Harvester has come a long way since it began 18 years ago in temporary quarters at Denham Oaks Elementary School.Within six years, the church found a permanent home at 2432 Collier Parkway, and is now made up of about 225 families, with members coming primarily from Lutz, Land O’ Lakes, Odessa and Wesley Chapel. It has two Sunday morning services, with a traditional service at 9 and a contemporary service at 11. A couple weeks ago, Harvester unveiled two new wings, doubling the facility’s size and substantially enhancing its ability to serve young children, teenagers and community outreach programs. The initial structure was 5,000 square See CHURCH, page 11A