The LAKER
ee r F
EAST PASCO EDITION
LAKERLUTZNEWS.COM
DECEMBER 20, 2017
Doggy dining now legal in Pasco
By Kathy Steele
ksteele@lakerlutznews.com
Less waiting where it matters most – our emergency room.
Pasco County now has an ordinance to permit doggy dining in outdoor areas of restaurants. The Pasco County Commission adopted the new measure unanimously at its Nov. 28 meeting in New Port Richey. A $50 permit fee was later approved on Dec. 12 in Dade City. The commission’s action, however, is
news to many area restaurants that already have been allowing patrons to enjoy a meal on their patios, with a tail-wagging companion lounging nearby. It’s standard company policy at a number of restaurants.Yappy hours are popular as special events. There are websites, too, that are devoted to marketing area restaurants that are dogfriendly, including BringFido.com and PascoPetFest.com. BringFido provides information on dog-
friendly hotels, as well as restaurants nationwide. That site lists 17 Wesley Chapel restaurants that are dog-friendly, including Applebee’s, Moe’s Southwest Grill, PDQ, Texas Roadhouse,Tijuana Flats, GrillSmith, and Panera Bread. Dog-friendly restaurants on PascoPetFest.com include The Breakfast Nook, The Garden Café, Crab Shack Port See DOGGY, page 13A
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The Historic Pasco Courthouse in downtown Dade City is dressed up for the holidays.
Iconic scenes offer good cheer across the region By B.C. Manion
Whether it’s a traditional Nativity scene in San Antonio, a dressed up historic courthouse in downtown Dade City, synchronized music and lights at a shopping mall in Wesley Chapel or an old-fashioned Christmas at the Old Lutz
School — the spirit of the season abounds across The Laker/Lutz News coverage area. Whether you’re gathering with family and friends here, or traveling elsewhere to enjoy the holidays, we at The Laker/Lutz News want to wish you the very best that life has to offer during the holiday season, and throughout 2018.
Choirs and bands provided holiday music at many venues this season.
A look at one of the many realistic scenes from a Walk Through Bethlehem at Richland Baptist Church.
bcmanion@lakerlutznews.com
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Development for Adventist Health System to buy Gower’s Corner is Bayfront Health in Dade City one step closer By Kathy Steele
ksteele@lakerlutznews.com
By Kathy Steele
ksteele@lakerlutznews.com
lakerlutznews.com faith &
Worship
2017
Holiday Services and Activities
inside this week,
page 8A
The Dade City Garden Club helped to decorate the Pioneer Florida Village & Museum.
After more than a year of back and forth negotiations, an application to rezone property at the historical crossroads known as Gower’s Corner got the approval of Pasco County’s local planning agency. The rezoning application has been continued repeatedly since late 2016. But, on Dec. 14 in Dade City, members of the Development Review Committee voted in favor of a project to build up to 215,000 square feet of retail/office and a maximum of 40 apartments.The committee also approved a variance related to U.S. 41 right-of-way that will be used to widen the two-lane highway to four lanes, with the potential for six lanes. As part of its five-year work plan, the Florida Department of Transportation is slated to begin construction in 2020 on a segment of U.S. 41, from north of Connerton Boulevard to south of State Road 52.There also are plans to realign the intersection. The approximately 44 acres of vacant land, identified in the rezoning as Tibbett’s Land at Gower’s Corner, is located at the See GOWER’S, page 13A
Adventist Health System, which is the parent company of Florida Hospital, signed an agreement to buy the 120-bed Bayfront Health Dade City Hospital, according to a news release from Adventist Health System. The deal is expected to close in early 2018. Details on the sales price weren’t disclosed. The sale will include the hospital, at
13100 Fort King Road, as well as physician clinic operations and outpatient services. “Finding a partner to allow a seamless medical care experience for our patients is important,” said Linda Stockton, in the news release.“Florida Hospital can bring their experience to build on our history of service and success.” Bayfront is owned by Community Health Systems. The sale is the “best plan for the future of See ADVENTIST, page 13A
Zephyrhills Police undergoes restructuring By Kevin Weiss
kweiss@lakerlutznews.com
The Zephyrhills Police Department is shaking up its command staff — a measure it hopes will improve efficiency and communications throughout the law enforcement agency. The department is adding an operations lieutenant and an administrative lieutenant, while eliminating a captain’s position and a detective sergeant’s position — roles that have been vacant for months. The lieutenants’ positions already have been advertised internally and will be filled
from the current group of sergeants. The starting salary for both is $53,584. The starting salary for the eliminated captain and detective sergeant positions were $57,975 and $47, 696, respectively. The new positions are expected to be filled by the end of the year or in early 2018, Zephyrhills Police Chief Derek Brewer said. The Zephyrhills City Council approved the staffing proposal last month. In a memo to the council and City Manager Steve Spina, Brewer said it offers a See POLICE, page 13A