The LAKER
ee r F
LAKERLUTZNEWS.COM
EAST PASCO EDITION
APRIL 27, 2016
Turning bottle caps into love By Kevin Weiss
kweiss@lakerlutznews.com
“Bayfront Health saved my heart. And my life.”
The culmination of donations over eight months was quite a sight at Saint Leo University recently. Dozens of students, faculty and staff gathered on April 18 at the university’s northeast campus parking lot to witness 14 pallets — containing 8,000 pounds of plastic bottle caps — being loaded onto a 53-foot trailer, and sent to Bluegrass Recycling in Kentucky. This school year, the university collaborated with Caps of Love, a Florida-based, nonprofit organization that recycles three See CAPS, page 11A
KEVIN WEISS/STAFF PHOTO
Students gather to see pallets full of bottle caps loaded onto a 53-foot truck that will send them to a recycling center in Kentucky. They have been collecting caps since August.
---Oliver D., Heart Patient
To find a cardiologist for your heart’s health, visit
BayfrontDadeCity.com.
FREE Business Seminars Thursdays 7 to 8:30pm START YOUR OWN BUSINESS NO COLD CALLING PART-TIME OR FULL-TIME
CALL ED ORTIZ to Reserve your spot
IMAGES COURTESY OF CRYSTAL LAGOONS INC.
Crystal Lagoons are the invention of Chilean biochemist and real estate developer Fernando Fischmann. They offer white sandy beaches and clear blue waters suitable for watersports and recreational activities. In this artist’s rendering, a sunbather enjoys the crystal lagoon at Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.
813-546-9060 Crystal Lagoon at edortiz@primerica.com www.primerica.com/edortiz
8902 N. Dale Mabry Hwy., Ste 117 CARROLLWOOD
Auto Accident? Slip and Fall? FREE CONSULTATION
No Fees Or Costs Unless You Win HOLLIDAY KARATINOS LAW FIRM, PLLC HelpingInjuredPeople.com Call Attorney
JIM HOLLIDAY “I Will Aggressively Fight To Protect Your Legal Rights”
813-868-1887 OR
352-597-0009
B INSIDE, PAGE 1B
Epperson Ranch coming soon By Kathy Steele
ksteele@lakerlutznews.com
Developers at Epperson Ranch anticipate a construction start in May on the “Crystal Lagoon” that will be a showpiece for their master-planned community, and the first of its kind in North America. Model homes at Epperson could be under construction by summer. Home prices will start in the mid$200,000 range. Metro Development Group is finalizing the permit process before digging dirt on a 7-acre manmade lagoon. The water body is designed with patented technology by Crystal Lagoons Inc., and the lagoon will be filled with about 16 million gallons of crystal blue water. Construction could take a year. The Epperson Ranch project is also the site for another first for Pasco with plans for creating a “Connected City” corridor with ultrafast Internet connections. The project is a state-approved, 10-year pilot program that envisions state-of-the-art
Kayaking is among recreational activities that can be pursued at the Cabo San Lucas crystal lagoon.
technology embedded in the design of residential and commercial development in a 7,800-acre special district.The district’s borders are Interstate 75, State Road 52, Curley and Overpass roads in east central Pasco. Metro Development Group and Crystal Lagoons are partnering on the creation of several Crystal Lagoons’ communities, including a second location in Pasco, and in Fort Myers. Pasco’s growth boom and the availability of such a large swath of vacant land were motivators for the companies’ partnership, according to an email from Greg Singleton, president of Metro Development.
“Our hope is that we are one part of a collective group of planners, thinkers, educators and others who see Pasco County as a destination for more jobs, top schools, premier shopping, dining and entertainment,” the email states. Biochemist and real estate developer Fernando Fischmann created and built the first Crystal Lagoon at San Alfonso del Mar in Chile in 2006. According to the company’s website, the lagoons are eco-friendly and need to be filled with water only once. They use 100 See LAGOON, page 11A
Celebrating health care services in Lacoochee By B.C. Manion
bcmanion@lakerlutznews.com
The Lacoochee Family Health Center, a Premier Community Healthcare Group satellite location, hosted an open house on April 20 to celebrate the location’s first anniversary. The event was at the Stanley Park Lacoochee Community Center in Dade City. The center served nearly 400 patients during 2015, according to a news release. The Lacoochee health center opened in response to a need expressed by the community, said Cheryl Pollock, director of business development for Premier. Premier is dedicated to providing high quality, affordable, accessible medical care to Medicaid/Medicare recipients, uninsured and underserved communities of Pasco County. Premier provides a full range of comprehensive primary care medical services that include family medicine, pediatrics, dental, be-
havioral health, obstetrics and gynecology. The center in Lacoochee was opened in response to the community’s request for more accessible health care, Pollock said. Most of its patients walk to Cheryl Pollock the clinic. It provides a wide range of services, and it can provide bus passes to help people who need to go to other locations for services it doesn’t provide, Pollock said. The center in Lacoochee is not funded with grant money, so its operations must be paid for through fundraising efforts, she added. Statistics for the first year of operations show that 47 percent of patients were on Medicaid, 31 percent were uninsured or opted to self-pay, 12 percent were classified with private insurance, 6 percent were on
Medicare, and 4 percent were classified as “other.” Of those served, 24 percent were under age 17, and the rest were adults. Also, 37 percent of all patients received services through same-day appointments. The 600-square-foot clinic is staffed by a nurse, a provider and a clerical worker, Pollock said. The equipment and furnishings were provided by the Florida Medical Clinic Foundation.The clinic space is also provided for free, through a coalition of community organizations. The anniversary celebration was held to help draw attention to the center and to encourage more people to take advantage of the availability of primary health care services in the area. Those attending had a chance to pick up information about health care services and enjoy some refreshments. Premier Community Healthcare has eight offices throughout Pasco County.