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WESLEY CHAPEL/NEW TAMPA EDITION
JUNE 29, 2016
Tampa Bay Express wins a crucial vote By Kathy Steele ksteele@lakerlutznews.com
A hard-fought, often passionate battle over Tampa Bay’s transportation future ended with a vote in favor of building the Tampa Bay Express. The project calls for 90 miles of new toll lanes on Interstate 275 from St. Petersburg to Wesley Chapel, along Interstate 4 to Plant City, and south on Interstate 75 to Manatee County. The project is seen by many in Pasco County as key to propelling economic growth and easing traffic congestion.
“We’re happy it passed,” said Hope Allen, executive director of The Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce. “Common sense prevailed in that it will be moving forward. Further discussion will happen and that’s good.” Advocates for and against packed the June 22 public hearing of the Hillsborough County Metropolitan Planning Organization. More than 160 people signed up for public comment during an 8-hour speaking marathon that lasted until almost 2:30 a.m. Most See EXPRESS, page 11A
FILE PHOTO
Vehicles stack up near ramps onto and off Interstate 75 in Pasco County. The interchange is near Tampa Premium Outlets and an active development area for new shops and restaurants. Supporters of Tampa Bay Express hope the transportation project will ease congestion.
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Expo aims to help aspiring entrepreneurs By B.C. Manion bcmanion@lakerlutznews.com
The Tampa Bay Cottage Industry Expo, coming to Wiregrass Ranch High School in July, aims to help people who want to launch a new enterprise, or expand an existing business. The expo, which is intended to become an annual event, will focus on the finer aspects of marketing and regulations of value-added products that are associated with growing fruits and veggies — either conventionally or through hydroponic production. The expo also will detail requirements for production and marketing of animal products for sale, such as milk and eggs. Experts from the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences and the Florida Department of Agricultural and Consumer Sciences, as well as cottage industry entrepreneurs, will share their experiences and knowledge to help people who are interested in establishing or expanding a cottage industry. Whitney C. Elmore, Pasco County extension director, came up with the idea for the conference after seeing similar types of events and meetings being held around Florida. “It also really comes out of a need from the community,” said Elmore, who also is a horticulture agent. She said her office receives lots of inquiries from people who want to start businesses and don’t know where to begin. “There’s a lot of detail there, with regulation, safety factors, rules and what not, and just helping them market.We want to be able to follow them from set-up to all of the way through,” said Elmore, who is working with
extension staffers from Pasco, Hillsborough and Pinellas counties to present the event. “We get calls a lot about hydroponics, about vegetable and fruit production,” Elmore said. People will call about the newest thing, and they’ll want to pursue it, she said. The goal is to provide information to those attending so they can begin new businesses or immediately improve their existing operations. The sessions will cover agriculture production, legal and regulatory considerations, and marketing in topic areas, including fruit and vegetables, livestock and hydro/aquaponics. The expo also will include a trade show area for participants to learn more about products and services that are available to their business. There also will be vendors who will be exhibiting different types of products or tools that people in cottage industries might find helpful in starting their business or taking it to the next level, Elmore said. The expo also will focus on safety, which is especially important for products being produced as food sources. “There are liability issues. People could end up losing everything, if they don’t do this right at the start.We want to mitigate any of those unfortunate realities that can spring up,” Elmore said. The event is at Wiregrass Ranch High, at 2909 Mansfield Blvd., in Wesley Chapel, because of its convenient location, Elmore said. The school is near Interstate 75 and State Road 56, offering good access for people coming to the expo from Hillsborough, Pasco and Pinellas counties. See EXPO, page 11A
ith today’s edition, we’re realigning the distribution of our papers to better match up with the community where you live. The changes primarily affect two areas: • If you have a Lutz address and live in Pasco County, beginning today you will receive The Lutz News instead of The Land O’ Lakes edition of The Laker. These families live north of County Line Road and south of State Road 54.At the same time, our 45 business locations and boxes on the south side of State Road 54 in Pasco County now will be stocked with The Lutz News. • If you have a Land O’ Lakes address and have been receiving the Wesley Chapel/New Tampa edition of The Laker, beginning today you will receive the Land O’ Lakes edition of The Laker.These families live north of State Road 54 along Wesley Chapel Boulevard in the subdivisions of Stagecoach Village,The Enclave and Cypress Estates. People who live in Grand Oaks, who also have a Land O’ Lakes address, will continue to receive our Wesley Chapel edition because of their close proximity to the Interstate 75/Wesley Chapel community. We view these changes as course corrections to our distribution, which will allow us to publish, more precisely, news stories pertinent to where you live.This means readers living south of State Road 54 now will receive more news about their hometown of Lutz, and readers living north of State Road 54 will receive more news about their hometown of Land O’ Lakes.
Welcome New Readers In addition to adjusting these boundaries, this week we’re also welcoming several new areas to our home delivery. In Wesley Chapel, we now deliver to families living in Estancia and and in the Silver Leaf area of Seven Oaks. In Lutz, we are welcoming families in Long Lake Ranch. In Land O’ Lakes, we have increased home delivery in Ballantrae, have added The Woodlands and also have added two subdivisions in Connerton — Taylor Morrison’s Gardenia Glenn and Homes by WestBay. Our new home delivery totals 1,000 households — an astounding, one-week inSee EDITION, page 11A
Expert offers free advice on how to build your wealth By B.C. Manion bcmanion@lakerlutznews.com
When it comes to becoming wealthy, most people have more power over their financial situation than they realize, Miranda Reiter, a financial advisor for Raymond James told an audience at Pasco-Hernando State College’s Porter Campus at Wiregrass Ranch. And the good news is, that no matter how old you are, there are specific actions you can take to build your wealth, added Reiter, who worked in the banking industry before she became a financial advisor. While she was working at the bank, she observed there were some people who always seemed to be financially fit. “There are five things that I’ve noted that, if you can keep these five going, you can be on a good path, a solid path, to building your wealth,” she said. Before they can build their wealth, people need a clear picture of their financial situation, she said.
Knowing your net worth is a good starting point, she said.To determine that, add your assets and subtract your liabilities. “Law No. 1 for building your worth is knowing how much it costs to be you,” Reiter said. “I had two clients come in a few weeks ago. Married couple. Husband, 65, and wife is a little older. “Together, they bring home $150,000 a year. They’re both looking to stop working sometime soon.They came in with $400,000 in their 401-k.The husband looked at me and he says,‘Miranda, are we going to make it? Is this enough?’ “I couldn’t answer that question. “People want to know this all of the time. Are we going to be OK, can I make it? “I can’t answer that question because there’s a piece of information about him that I don’t know yet. This information was, ‘How much does it cost to be you?’ See WEALTH, page 11A
B.C. MANION/STAFF PHOTO
Miranda Reiter, a financial advisor for Raymond James, shared her expertise on wealth building at a community seminar hosted by Pasco-Hernando State College’s Porter Campus at Wiregrass Ranch.