The Laker-Wesley Chapel/New Tampa-August 14, 2019

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The LAKER

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WESLEY CHAPEL/NEW TAMPA EDITION

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Victims’ advocate wins state award

By Kevin Weiss kweiss@lakerlutznews.com

A longtime Pasco Sheriff’s Office civilian supervisor has earned a statewide honor from the Florida Sheriffs Association (FSA). Gina Youmans has dedicated her career to helping crime victims and their loved ones, as a supervisor of the Pasco Sheriff’s Office Victim Advocates Unit.

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The 28-year veteran of the law enforcement agency is being recognized for her work. Youmans is the recipient of the inaugural FSA Civilian of the Year award.This award, sponsored by the Florida Sheriffs Risk Management Fund,“recognizes exemplary service above self by a civilian employed at a Florida sheriff’s office.” Youmans was officially named the 2019

Civilian of the Year at the FSA Summer Conference banquet in Tampa; she was nominated for the award by the sheriff’s office command staff. Youmans said winning the award was “humbling,” adding it was also nice to see the agency’s victim advocates unit recognized as a whole. See AWARD, page 11A

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Reptiles put on quite a show During a recent show at the Hugh Embry Branch Library in Dade City, Bruce Shwedick, owner of Reptile Discovery, a mobile, live reptile show based in Plant City, shows off a corn snake to 12-year-old Isaac Dawkins, of Dade City, left, and 8-year-old Soren Wallace, of Dade City. For a closer look at Shwedick’s show, turn to page 1B.

Frolicking in the Florida snow? That’s the plan at a new winter park approved for Northeast Pasco

STEFANIE BURLINGAME/STAFF PHOTO

Share your wildlife photos If you’ve captured a photograph of an interesting bird or wild creature, we’d love to share your image with our readers.

If you’d like us to consider publishing your photograph, please email it to us at news@lakerlutznews.com. Please be sure to include what kind of animal it is, and where you took the picture. Also include your contact information, so we can get in touch with you, if we need to. ee Fr

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The LAKER WESLEY CHAPEL/NEW TAMPA EDITION

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FEBRUARY 3, 2016

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Auto Accident? Slip and Fall?

By Kathy Steele

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The site is located at the corner of of heading toward a construction start Magnolia Boulevard and Wesley Chapel Amici Plaza in spring with an opening likely Boulevard, which is also known as County ksteele@lakerlutznews.com by the end of 2016. Road 54. Pasco County records show a conceptual Pasco County is moving forward with acOwners of Amici Pizza & Deli are planthe plan with about 3,000 square feet for Road ning to build a new stand-alone restaurant, for quisition of right-of-way along County restaurant, and about 1,800 square feet 54 to prepare for the expansion of the twowith additional retail space, on Wesley retail. the lane road into a four-lane road at Chapel Boulevard. “We’d like to have our own building and 54 junction of State Road 56 and State Road The new restaurant is a short distance a bigger kitchen,” said Andrea Mannino. from the existing Amici restaurant in Grand No decisions have been made on the adSee PIZZA, page 13A Oaks Square, at Wesley Chapel and Pet Lane. ditional retail space, he said. Andrea and Josephine Mannino, are

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JANUARY 27, 2016

Pasco administrator to retire in

By Kathy Steele

ksteele@lakerlutznews.com

Pasco County Administrator Michele Baker expects to be very busy over the next year and a half. She’ll be crossing off a to-do list, one by one, before leaving in 2017 to go on a lengthy road trip with her husband. The couple will hit the road with their recreational vehicle and their motorcycles, on a tour of as many baseball parks and national parks as they can squeeze into a year. “That’s been our dream,” Baker said, so letting her contract lapse in July 2017 makes sense. But, don’t expect a lame duck administrator. “There’s no kicking back here,” Baker said.“This isn’t me slowing down. ” Baker has told Pasco County commissioners she won’t seek renewal of her current two-year contract, which makes her

2017

last day July 9, 2017. the jail and construction of new fire stations By then, Baker will • Relocating have worked 35 years central Pasco more government offices to in public service, 24 Baker also plans to fill vacancies for a of those years with few key leadership positions that remain, Pasco County. cluding an assistant county administrator infor Her to-do list, in public safety and administration. short form, includes: Progress has been made, Baker said, but • Completing mas- government services still could be more ter plans and updates customer-friendly. for storm water, solid A culture that was decades in the waste and tourism making is being changed, she said.“You don’t • Funding and building a diverging get to dia- turn a canoe.You’re turning mond road design to ease traffic congestion a ship.” Public service wasn’t Baker’s first at State Road 56 and Interstate 75 career choice. • Completing the State Road 56 extenOver the years she worked sion as a waitress, • Nurturing SunWest Park, the county’s flight attendant and a theater manager. She also served in the U.S.Air Force Reserve. fledgling aqua park Her undergraduate degree was in • Replacing and repairing aging busiinfra- ness administration. structure and roads damaged by the It wasn’t until she accepted a secretarial summer flooding • Making progress on the expansion of See RETIRE, page 11A Michele Baker

Kumquats reign supreme at area festival By Kathy Steele ksteele@lakerlutznews.com

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Saturday, January 30, 2016 9 AM - 5 PM Historic Downtown Dade City

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WESLEY CHAPEL/NEW TAMPA

Amici Pizza plans stand-alone location

Mark Pizzurro, Joe Traina and Peter Abreut

anticipate opening their craft brewery

in Land O’ Lakes in spring.

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The first kumquat tree in St. Joseph took root more than 100 years ago, when C.J. Nathe planted it in his backyard. He added a few more, and soon he had small grove on an acre of fertile ground. a The kumquat king, as Nathe was later dubbed, transformed a quiet back road community into the Kumquat Capital of the World. An open house will take place on Jan. and Jan. 29 at the Kumquat Growers 28 packi h d

Margie Neuhofer and her h

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KATHY STEELE/STAFF PHOTO

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By B.C. Manion bcmanion@lakerlutznws.com

Children, and adults alike, will have a new recreational option when a new winter park opens for business in Northeast Pasco. The Pasco County Commission on Aug. 6 approved the addition of a snow park, which will be situated next to Tree Hoppers Aerial Adventure Park, on the north side of St. Joe Road, about 800 feet east of Bellamy Brothers Boulevard, in Dade City. The conditional use, approved by the board, applies to a western parcel that makes up about 58.5 acres and an eastern parcel that makes up about 60 acres. The western parcel, which consists of areas of dense vegetation and a mature tree canopy, will be used for the winter park. Under the conditions, it can operate up to 120 days a year The eastern parcel, which is the Tree Hoppers site, consists of zipline and rope ridge obstacle courses, concession areas, and a gift and pro shop. It also is used for fall festivals and Halloween festivities, including Scream-A-Geddon.Those activities will be allowed for up to 56 days a year, according to the conditions. Both attractions will operate between two days and seven days a week, and they will not be allowed to operate at the same time, the conditions say. The Pasco County Planning Commission and the county’s planners recommended approval of the request. They also recommended approval for the sale of beer and See SNOW, page 11A

BRIAN FERNANDES

Members of the Pasco County Commission and the Wesley Chapel Rotary Club display a check representing the Rotary Club’s contribution to help pay for a playground designed for children with special needs. The playground will be built at Wesley Chapel District Park. AdventHealth Wesley Chapel and the Lennar Foundation also contributed, bringing the total contributions to $125,000.

Local donors help propel playground development By Brian Fernandes bfernandes@lakerlutznews.com

A new playground designed to be welcoming for children with disabilities is planned for Wesley Chapel District Park, and the project got a big boost from some local donors. The Wesley Chapel Rotary Club, AdventHealth Wesley Chapel and the Lennar Foundation are contributing a combined total of $125,000 to help Pasco County pay for the project. The Pasco County Commission recognized the groups and their contributions at their meeting on Aug. 6. Pasco County Commissioner Mike Moore has been involved in the initiative since the beginning. He noted that he has spent quite a bit of time at the park, coaching teams. “I realized there was a void of play-

ground equipment for children with special needs,” Moore said. So, he approached Keith Wiley, director of Pasco County Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources, to discuss the issue. Wiley shared the same concern. So, the two men set out to find accessible playgrounds around the country, to serve as a model for an “inclusive” playground in Wesley Chapel. Moore also reached out to the Wesley Chapel Rotary Club, AdventHealth Wesley Chapel and the Lennar Foundation to ask for their help to make the playground happen. Wiley and members of those local organizations expressed their thoughts about being part of the project. With a video and an unofficial schematic, Wiley explained some potential features of See PLAYGROUND, page 11A


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