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A new home for neurological care.
Committee seeks higher fees
By B.C. Manion
bcmanion@lakerlutznews.com
A committee appointed by the Pasco County Commission to recommend ways to boost funding for Pasco County school construction has recommended a hike in school impact fees. The committee stopped short of initially suggesting the full amount recommended by a consultant hired by Pasco County Schools. Experienced neurologist Alexander Kiss, M.D., has joined Bayfront Health Medical Group. Dr. Kiss treats neck, back and facial pain, strokes, migraines, Alzheimer’s, dementia and more. Call 813-602-8805 and ask about same-day appointments.
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However, the committee said the full amount of the increase should be approved, if the Pasco County School Board votes to put at least a quarter-cent sales tax increase on the 2018 ballot so voters can decide the issue. In other words, the recommendation calls for raising the impact fee for a singlefamily detached house to $7,175 immediately, then up to $9,028, when the school board approves putting the sales tax
increase on the 2018 ballot. If the sales tax is approved by voters, the impact fee would drop to $8,101. Impact fee rates would be increased by varying amounts for other types of new residential construction. Jennifer Motsinger, the committee members who made the motion, noted that the higher fee is not tied to voters approving the higher sales tax. See FEES, page 11A
Students vie in entrepreneurial competition By Kevin Weiss
kweiss@lakerlutznews.com
6751 Gall Blvd. • Zephyrhills
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Timothy Hernandez noticed a problem, and he set about to solve it. Not too long ago, the 17-year-old Zephyrhills High senior was undergoing safety training as a YMCA pool lifeguard. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) masks kept falling off during tutorials. “It was a real inconvenience,” he said. Strap-based CPR masks didn’t fare much better, said Hernandez, who currently works at the East Pasco YMCA and the New Tampa YMCA. His solution: CPRGo, a mask with an automatic seal, via suction cup features. “It makes CPR a simple and more efficient process,” Hernandez said.“It also ensures the victim is getting a sufficient amount of air.“ In short,“Saving lives has never been so easy.” For the concept — yet to be prototyped and patented — Hernandez won first place and $2,500 in Pasco’s Young Entrepreneur Finals, held April 25 at the Land O’ Lakes High School Culinary Arts. The inaugural competition showcased seven students from Pasco County Schools’ business and entrepreneurship principles program. It gave contestants an opportunity to present their unique business idea in a traditional slideshow format to a live audience and panel of judges — startup experts representing Pasco County and the Tampa Bay region. Hannah White, a Pasco High School senior, earned second place and $1,000 for Organized Design, which refers to planners that can be customized entirely. Jackson Rossi, a senior at Mitchell High School, received third place and $500 for Brij, an app for social media marketing. Other finalists were Justin Hall and Katelyn Ortiz, of Sunlake High; Taylor Townsend, of River Ridge High; and, Alex Violini, of Ridgewood High; each were winners at school-level competitions, held April 3 through April 10.
COURTESY OF PASCO COUNTY SCHOOLS
Timothy Hernandez, center, won first place and $2,500 in Pasco’s Young Entrepreneur Finals. His business concept is CPRGo, a mask with an automatic seal, via suction cup features. Also pictured: Kelly Castro, youth coordinator for the Pasco Hernando Workforce Board, and Stacey Capogrosso, executive director of the Pasco Education Foundation.
Those attending the competition included representatives from Pasco County Schools, CareerSource Pasco/Hernando, the Pasco Education Foundation, the Pasco Economic Development Council, the USF Stavros Center, and Pasco SCORE. SCORE’s name is based on an acronym for Service Corps of Retired Executives. Loosely based off ABC’s hit TV show “Shark Tank,” each student had 10 minutes to present his or her startup. Judges then lobbed critiques, criticisms and suggestions, for all the audience to hear. The finalists later were evaluated on a 10point scale on 10 factors, including professionalism, the viability of their enterprise, and their ability to back it with research on startup costs, revenue, distribution, customer base, competitors and the business and/or social impact of their venture. Hernandez received high marks for his revenue and cost projections model, and his ability to identify a target market — life-
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HelpingInjuredPeople.com
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B INSIDE, PAGE 1B
See COMPETITION page 11A
Raising awareness about child abuse
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JIM HOLLIDAY
guards and other emergency responders. For the judges, choosing just three winners wasn’t easy. “The kids that did this — great job,” said Steven Hickman, president/CEO of First National Bank of Pasco.“I’m just thrilled to see the quality and the poise.” Fellow judge Mike Lewis, chairman of SCORE Chapter 439, was likewise impressed with each presentation, praising students’ thought process, concepts and business plans. “They are absolutely to be commended,” he said. About 200 Pasco County high school students participated in the entrepreneurship curriculum during the 2016-2017 school year, said Terry Aunchman, director of career and technical education for Pasco County. That figure, along with the Young Entrepreneurs event, is expected to grow, as the program will be introduced in five more
an open house was held for the monastery’s new 10-room expansion. Each of the rooms has two single beds, a desk, some chairs and a private bathroom. There’s also a separate room where laundry can be done and food can be refrigerated. There’s a reception area, too, where a few people can gather for meetings. That room is dedicated to Daniel and Florence Picciano, who are John Picciano’s parents. Picciano, who was at the open house, is the CEO of Ogelthorpe Inc. He donated $1 million for the expansion. Kathy and Gary Kuta were there, too. Their mother, Sylvia Kuta has passed away, but made it known to them that she wanted to donate an artwork depicting St. Peter’s Square purchased during a visit to Rome.
Learning to recognize the signs of child abuse is a critical first step in knowing when to report suspected abuse. Pasco-Hernando State College and Pasco Kids First Inc., hosted a child abuse awareness seminar on April 20 for about 30 people.The seminar was free and open to the community, students, faculty and staff. The “Stop the Abuse” seminar was part of the Summer 2017 Community Awareness Series.The next seminar will be on skin cancer awareness on May 24 from 11 a.m. to noon at PHSC’s Porter Campus at Wiregrass Ranch, at 2727 Mansfield Blvd, in Building B, Room 203. Staff members from Pasco Kids’ child protection team and trauma therapy team discussed tools and resources to help victims of child abuse and how to recognize when child abuse is happening. There’s no doubt that child abuse is an issue in Florida.A hotline to report suspected child abuse gets thousands of calls every year in the state. Many of those attending the seminar are nursing students at the college. “You’ll be faced with a lot of different scenarios,” said Natalie Epo, associate dean for academic affairs and retention services at the Porter Campus. Data shows that children from birth to
See REFLECT, page 11A
See ABUSE, page 11A
COURTESY OF RICHARD RILEY
An event was held April 30 to celebrate the opening of the new guest and retreat wing at Holy Name Monastery, which is the home of the Benedictine Sisters of Florida, in St. Leo.
Finding a quiet place to reflect, amidst life’s hectic pace By B.C. Manion
bcmanion@lakerlutznews.com
When the Benedictine Sisters of Florida moved into their new Holy Name Monastery, at 12138 Wichers Road, they knew that the building would eventually need expansion. After all, they were leaving a 100,000square-foot building and moving into a 28,000-square-foot structure. They knew they would need more room for retreats, and their original plans called for that. They just didn’t expect it to happen so soon, said Faith Pridmore, director of mission advancement for the Benedictine Sisters of Florida. On April 30, not even three years after the sisters moved into their new quarters,