The LAKER
ee r F
EAST PASCO EDITION
LAKERLUTZNEWS.COM
Auto Accident? Slip and Fall? FREE CONSULTATION
No Fees Or Costs Unless You Win HOLLIDAY KARATINOS
APRIL 28, 2021
Moffitt exceeds early expectations
By B.C. Manion bcmanion@lakerlutznews.com
When Moffitt Cancer Center at Wesley Chapel formed a medical partnership with AdventHealth, the idea was to bring Moffitt’s brand of oncology services closer to its patients, said Dr. Timothy Kubal, the cancer center’s senior medical director. “We’re coming to you, as opposed to you
coming to us,” Kubal said, explaining that a lot of Moffitt’s patients were coming from Wesley Chapel,Trinity, Dade City or Land O’ Lakes. “We wanted to get closer to the patient and Wesley Chapel was a great opportunity to do that with a partner,” he said, during Zoom economic development briefing with members of the North Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce on April 22.
As one of the nation’s top cancer centers, Moffitt wanted to deliver its expertise to patients, rather than them having to drive to its main campus in Tampa. At the same time, Moffitt wanted to partner with a highquality hospital, he said. “We can augment what they do; they can augment what we do,” he explained. See MOFFITT, page 11A
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
DON’T MIISS Fo o d i e Fr i d ay FRED BELLET
with ka at tie & kel lli
Festival benefits Gulfside Hospice Those attending the Charity Festival of Arts could view an art competition, enjoy a talent showcase, visit a variety of vendors, and kids could make crafts, at an April 17 event at Heritage Park, in Land O’ Lakes, benefiting Gulfside Hospice. Above, 14-year-old Allie La Russa, of Land O’ Lakes, was among the entertainers at the Charity Festival of the Arts, a benefit for Gulfside Hospice held at Heritage Park in Land O’ Lakes. See more photos on page 11A.
Gulfside Hospice volunteer Patty Killoy, of Land O' Lakes, had her hands full when a gust of wind blew over the painted canvases of artwork entered into the competition. Killoy has been volunteering for hospice for two years.
www.lakerlutznews.c com
LOC AL W ILDLLIFE IFE CAL WILD Seven-year-old Hallynd Zipf, of Land O' Lakes, enjoys a bowl of Lucky's Italian Ice, at the festival. She was there with her dad, Charley, and her 5year-old sister Landrey.
Zephyrhills councilmembers retain seats
STEFFA ANIE BURLINGAM ME/STAFF PHOTO
Share your wildlife pho otos If you’ve captured a photograph of an interesting bird or wild creature, we’d love to share your image with our readers.
sider If you’d like us to consider graph, publishing your photograph, please email it to us att news@lakerlutzne ew ws.c com. Please be sure to include what kind of animal it is, and where you took the picture. Also include your ur contact information, so we can get in touch with you, if we need to.
There’s
no place
like
SPECIAL SECTION inside this week
By Kevin Weiss kweiss@lakerlutznews.com
position to the proposed changes. Next, the developer must secure a rezoning to create the proposed community.That request is in process and is expected to come to the county board in coming months. Once the regulatory hurdles are cleared, efforts can begin to bring the proposed 3,405-acre community to life. Two Rivers is envisioned as a place that features a mixture of housing types, work opportunities, shopping, recreation and schools, according to previous public hearings involving the development.
The names and faces on the Zephyrhills City Council will remain familiar — but some titles are changing. Incumbent councilmembers Charles Proctor and Jodi Wilkeson have been reelected to new three-year terms, both running unopposed in the 2021 municipal election. They each took the oath of office, in a swearing-in ceremony conducted by City Clerk Lori Hillman during a special meeting on April 15 at Zephyrhills City Hall. Other members on the voting council include Ken Burgess, Alan Knight and Lance Smith. Mayor Gene Whitfield also sits on the dais, though he doesn’t run council meetings, cannot make motions and cannot vote on matters before the council. He does, however, have veto power on city ordinances. While the composition of the council didn’t change, there was a reorganization, with Knight selected to serve as council president, and Wilkeson as vice president. Councilmember liaison appointments were finalized, too. Burgess will serve on the Pasco County Tourist Development Council (TDC) and Greater Zephyrhills Chamber of Commerce;
See TWO RIVERS, page 11A
See SEATS, page 11A
FILE
This land, along State Road 56, east of Morris Bridge Road, is now occupied by trees, ponds and open fields. But it is proposed to become the future community of Two Rivers — a place that will feature homes, businesses, recreational options and schools, under proposals going through Pasco County’s regulatory process.
New community of Two Rivers edges closer to reality By B.C. Manion bcmanion@lakerlutznews.com
Two Rivers — a community proposed to rise along State Road 56, between Morris Bridge Road and U.S. 301 — will offer people places to live, work and play — under plans submitted to Pasco County. The community has taken a step closer to development — through the Pasco County Commission’s April 20 approval of a text change in the county’s comprehensive plan, and a change to the county’s highway vision map. Commissioners approved the changes unanimously. No one spoke in favor or op-