Despite Promotional Concerns, DICK’s Lacrosse Tournament Is Back

The 13th annual DICK’s Sporting Goods Tournament of Champions (ToC), dubbed as the national championships for the sport of lacrosse, is once again scheduled to be played in Wesley Chapel at the end of the month.

However, the once-friendly relationship between host Pasco County and Kroenke Sports Enterprises (KSE), LLC, which puts on the event, has become a little bit frosty, as the county is claiming KSE is not holding up its end of a deal the parties agreed to in 2016.

As a result, the Pasco County Board of County Commissioners voted on Dec. 12 to reduce the amount of money the county pays the tournament organizers from $90,000 to $20,000.

According to a letter sent to KSE’s Stephen Stienker, the county is claiming that KSE agreed to promote Pasco County in exchange for the $90,000 annual rights fee the county previously paid to KSE each year.

Administered by the Pasco County Tourist Development Council (TDC) and collected from a local-option tourist development tax on transient lodging like hotels, motels and campgrounds, the $90,000 is roughly half of the county’s budget for sports event sponsorships.

Adam Thomas, who replaced Ed Caum as the Pasco County director of tourism in September, said that as a new employee, he was going through various contracts and checking to make sure the deliverables were being met. After some research, Thomas determined that was not happening in KSE’s case.

“None of the agreement was being met,’’ Thomas says.

That included displaying the county’s name or “Visit Pasco” slogan and logo on the websites of 60-plus qualifying tournaments in 22 different states for the DICK’s ToC, as well as in newsletters, backdrop banners, apparel, mentions in news and press releases and on trophies.

Thomas said that when he visited the websites of the qualifying tournaments, many weren’t even active, and on the ones that were still active, he says there was not a single mention of Pasco.

Videos were supposed to be created by KSE as well, promoting the DICK’s ToC and Pasco County.

“It is a long laundry list of deliverables and obligations that weren’t being done,” Thomas says.

The county has requested a full and detailed accounting of the expenditures of the $90,000 paid to KSE for the 2016 event and expenditures already made for the 2017 ToC.

According to Florida Statute 125.0104, any money from the Tourist Development Tax earmarked for promotion has to be spent on promotion.

“I do want to see the audit of 2016,’’ Thomas says. “If that money is being spent on something else, like operations or salaries, that’s a bigger problem.”

Thomas said this year’s DICK’s ToC, scheduled to be played Dec. 29-31 at Wesley Chapel District Park on Boyette Rd. and Wesley Chapel High on Wells Rd., will still go on, but the letter to KSE says it will take whatever legal remedies are necessary, from withholding payment or even terminating the agreement.

This is the second year of the two-year deal — with an option for a third year — Pasco County signed with KSE in May of 2016.

“We don’t want the tournament to cancel,” Thomas says. “It brings a lot of people and fresh dollars to our economy. I just want the return on investment from the agreement that was signed by KSE and the county. I don’t want them to cancel the tournament at all.”

The ToC website, at NDPLacrosse.com, has made some changes and is currently referencing Pasco County twice, while also displaying a large bright yellow “Visit Pasco” logo.

The DICK’s ToC started in 2006, and has been held in Wesley Chapel every year since 2008. Hosted by the Wesley Chapel Athletic Association (WCAA), the county says the tournament has an estimated annual economic impact of about $3 million.

As many as 115 teams have competed in the ToC, although in recent years, those numbers have declined. In 2015, there were 73 teams participating, and last year’s event attracted only 53 teams.

Tj Fitzsimons, the Wiregrass Ranch High lacrosse coach who has coached some of the Pasco Lions teams from the WCAA at the tournament in the past, said he was told just under 70 teams are slated for this year’s event.

Teams earn bids at regional qualifying tournaments to compete for the DICK’s national championship across five divisions – Rising Stars (graduation years of 2019, 2020 and 2021), Elite (2018-2021) and 9U-10U through 15U.

One of those qualifiers, the Derek Pieper Memorial Cup, is held in Wesley Chapel every year in mid-November.

Game times each day will be held from 8 a.m.-6 p.m. For more information, visit NDPlacrosse.com/Default.aspx?tabid=493987.

WCCC wraps up a big 2017

Hope Allen & Jen Cofini thank the Board’s longest-tenured members Dr. Micah Richeson (left) and Steve Domonkos, who have each served for seven years.

Congratulations to the Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce (WCCC) for another truly amazing year of growth in both membership numbers and in standing within not only Wesley Chapel and New Tampa, but throughout Pasco County and beyond.

The WCCC wrapped up 2017 at its annual breakfast meeting on Dec. 5, at Pasco Hernando State College’s Porter Campus at Wiregrass Ranch, where 2017 Board of Directors chair Jennifer Cofini of Parks Auto Group handed her gavel over to local dentist Dr. Zack Kalarickal, who will lead the Board in 2018. Pasco County Clerk & Comptroller Dr. Paula O’Neil swore in Kalarickal and his new Board.

After that rite of passage, as her final acts as Board chair, Cofini first  named a few award winners for 2017, including Karen Tillman-Gosselin of Smith & Associates Realty, who was named the Board Member of the Year. Also honored at the event, emceed by Bob Thompson of Thompson Brand Images, was my former WCNT-tv partner Craig Miller of Full Throttle Intermedia, who won Rookie Board Member of the Year, in part for his more than 200 man-hours putting together the Chamber’s “Explore Wesley Chapel New Tampa” video. Mary Nash of the Advisor magazine won Ambassador of the Year, although the honor wasn’t announced at the event because Nash wasn’t present at the meeting.

Board Member of the Year Karen Tillman-Gosselin (center) is joined by outgoing Board president Jen Cofini (right) and Chamber CEO Hope Allen.

Also recognized were Cindy Ross of RP&G Printing, who chaired the Chamber’s Ambassador Council, and attorney Cristen Martinez of Martinez Law for chairing the Chamber’s Women of Wesley Chapel (aka WOW) group.

(Note-Although it also wasn’t announced at the meeting, WCNT-tv’s own Mollyana Ward has been named the WOW chair for 2018.)

Also recognized at the breakfast, which was provided by WCCC Ambassador Peter Gambacorta of Private Chef of Tampa, were the Board members who have had the longest tenures — Dr. Micah Richeson of Cypress Creek Chiropractic and Steve Domonkos of The Shops at Wiregrass, both of whom have served on the Board for seven years.

Cofini also reviewed some of the Chamber’s 2017 accomplishments, including the WCCC’s acquisition of the Greater Pasco Chamber, which allows Wesley Chapel to extend its reach out not only to western Pasco, but also to northern Pinellas county. Cofini also noted that the WCCC hosted more than 150 networking events during 

2017.

Dr. Kalarickal also mentioned that the Chamber has agreed to continue as a partner in WCNT-tv, which just passed a Facebook reach of 1 million and has had nearly 500,000 views on YouTube and Facebook.

Sadly, shortly after the meeting, WCCC membership director Jennifer Tussing announced she was leaving the Chamber to work at Martinez Law. You’ll be missed, Jen!

For more information about the Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce, visit WesleyChapelChamber.com or call (813) 994-8534.

Wesley Chapel resident led effort to place 20,000 wreaths at Florida National Cemetery

Wesley Chapel resident Randy Lewer and other volunteers placed wreaths at the graves of thousands of U.S. military veterans buried at the Florida National Cemetery in Bushnell.

Back in December 2006, Wesley Chapel resident Randy Lewer and a couple of his buddies from the U.S. Military Vets Motorcycle Club held a small ceremony at the Florida National Cemetery in Bushnell to remember the veterans buried there during the holidays. Randy says just a few people gathered in the rain that day for a brief ceremony.

The group had been provided with seven ceremonial wreaths (honoring the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, Air Force, POWs {Prisoners of War}/MIA {Missing In Action}and Merchant Marines), which were donated from the organizer of an effort to lay wreaths on the graves at Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, D.C. That effort has since grown into what is now called “Wreaths Across America” and helps to adorn graves at about 1,500 military cemeteries throughout the U.S.

While Wreaths Across America has grown nationwide, Randy’s efforts at Florida National Cemetery (which is located in Sumter County, northeast of Brooksville), have flourished into one of the largest in the country.

Last year, Randy estimates that 8,000-10,000 people came out to the Florida National Cemetery, where 21,600 wreaths were laid on the graves of those buried there. While there are more than 100,000 U.S. military veterans and 30,000 spouses buried at the cemetery, he says the number of graves adorned with the wreaths is determined by how much fund-raising is done.

Randy is one of the Wreaths Across America organizers who work nearly year-round to raise funds to purchase the wreaths. Many local organizations and community groups, such as the Boy and Cub Scouts, Civil Air Patrol, and even companies, ask friends, family and neighbors to sponsor the wreaths for $15 each.

 “Wreaths Across America” was held on Saturday, December 16, Randy was expecting to place at least 21,200 wreaths.

Randy’s focus is not on the number of wreaths, though. He says every veteran in the cemetery is honored and remembered. He says his focus is on Wreaths Across America’s mission, which is to, “Remember our fallen U.S. veterans, honor those who serve and teach your children the value of freedom.”

“That’s probably the biggest thing for me,” says Randy, “teaching our kids the values of freedom, respect and patriotism.”

He says the best time to do this is when there starts to be a “lack of thought,” as he calls it, when people start to forget about the sacrifices of our country’s veterans.

“Around Christmas you get so busy, sometimes the only people who think about our fallen veterans are the families who recently lost someone,” Randy says. “This is one way to get out there and look at a grave and say, ‘Thank you for your service.’”

One of Randy’s two “brothers” from the motorcycle club who originally started the wreath ceremony at Florida National Cemetery has moved on and no longer organizes the event. The other, Jack Sellers — known as “Breakdown” — passed away a few years ago after an illness associated with exposure to Agent Orange in Vietnam. 

“He used to emcee the ceremony,” says Randy. “When we buried him, I asked to have him buried in the section across the street from the ceremony area. They put him in the front row, so he’s always looking at the ceremony.”

Randy hopes the event is a reminder to everyone to remember what is important in an era of disagreement.

“The way this world’s gotten, things are so divisive,” says Randy. “It’s nice to have 10,000 people come together and not be divided. We can all be behind one thing – to remember, honor and teach.”

For additional information about Wreaths Across America, visit WreathsAcrossAmerica.org.

Union Park ‘Resident’ Is A Security Robot

Patrolling the streets of Union Park (located just south of 56, off of Meadow Pointe Blvd. in Wesley Chapel) is the first “security robot” to be on duty in a residential neighborhood in the United States.

“Right now, we’re beta testing for six months at Union Park to see how a security robot would help us in a large community,” says Kartik Goyani, vice president of operations for Metro Development Group, developers of both Union Park and Epperson (see page 1), the latter of which is part of the “connected city” and which will be home to the first of two Crystal Lagoons coming soon to Wesley Chapel.

The robot has been named “Deputy Metro” and is a five-foot tall, 400-pound robot that drives itself throughout the community. It records data and provides 360-degree video.

“What we do at Metro in our heart and in our DNA is innovation,” Goyani says, so experimenting with brand new technology makes a lot of sense.

While Union Park is the first residential community to get a security robot, Goyani says it’s actually the 39th of more than 50 such robots throughout the country, created by a company called Knightscope. These robots patrol malls, hospitals, office parking lots, even the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta.

Goyani explains that it’s too early to tell exactly how Deputy Metro will be used in the long term, but it’s planned to be used at the soon-to-be-renamed connected city and at Metro’s developments with Crystal Lagoons. Goyani explains the current beta testing will help determine how it will be used in those larger communities. “The main goal is as a deterrent and seeing how this technology can fit into our lives,” Goyani says.

“For example, Union Park is not gated,” he says, so Metro tried stationing the robot at the entrance to the community to see how that worked. “We essentially made Deputy Metro like a virtual gate, monitoring the traffic going in and out.”

Meanwhile, he says video from the security robot has already been requested by the Pasco Sheriff’s Office (PSO).

In the future, Goyani hopes the PSO won’t have to request the footage. As part of its partnership, Metro Development expects to make streaming video available to the Sheriff, “so they don’t have to call us at all.”

Goyani says the reactions to Deputy Metro have been overwhelmingly positive, and many negative responses are due to concerns they have been able to alleviate, such as a concern that the robot could cause a resident to get a speeding ticket.

He says some of the positive response has been even more than what they expected.

“Deputy Metro is part of the community,” says Goyani. “One time when I was at Union Park, a couple of engineers from Knightscope were there, and a young girl who lives in the community came with her dad and brought her notebook and followed them around. She said (Deputy Metro) inspires her to learn more about STEM and robotics.”

For more information about Deputy Metro, visit DeputyMetro.com.

Plans To Widen & Improve Curley Rd. Getting Fresh Look

The connected city projected is not only bringing fast internet and Crystal Lagoons (see pgs. 1 & 4) to Wesley Chapel, it will also result in some local road improvements, as the county preps for additional traffic in the future.

A 2005 route study that recommended widening Curley Rd. (C.R. 577) is getting a re-evaluation, due to development in the area that is expected to increase traffic. Curley Rd. makes up the connected city’s western border.

Also, Clinton Ave. is being extended to the west and will become the new re-aligned S.R. 52, which runs along the connected city’s northern border in San Antonio.

A steady crowd (photo) showed up to participate in the route study re-evaluation Open House held Dec. 6 at Saint Anthony of Padua Catholic Church Parish Center in San Antonio.

Local residents were allowed to view the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) plans for east-west re-aligning of S.R. 52, which is expected to begin in June of 2019.

The county hopes to complete its right-of-way acquisitions by the spring of 2019.

The Curley Rd. project itself is even further off. While minor improvements will be made where Curley connects with the realigned S.R. 52, right now, it is unlikely anything will be done with widening it or re-routing where it connects with Prospect Rd. (579A) before 2030.

“Because of connected city (east of Curley)and the Villages of Pasadena (a development on the west side of Curley Rd.), things have changed,’’ said Panos Kontses, project manager for the Pasco County Engineering Services Department. “What we analyzed then has changed, so we are doing a refreshing of the study.”

The study is looking at widening Curley Rd. from two to four lanes (from one lane in each direction to two lanes in each direction) from north of the Wesley Chapel schools on Wells Rd. to north of the S.R. 52 re-alignment.

The road would have one sidewalk, and a 46-foot grass median that could allow for the expansion of the road to six total lanes.

Also presented at the open house were three alternatives for a Curley Rd.-Prospect Rd. intersection, north of Tyndall Rd.

Prospect Rd. is an east-west road that curves north before ending at Curley (after Curley curves west).

New plans call for extending Prospect west to Curley, where the two roads will intersect. But, Prospect will become Mirada Blvd. and run northwest through another connected city/Crystal Lagoon development called Mirada.

Residents were asked to weigh in on three options: a single signalized intersection, a roundabout with right turn bypass lanes or two signalized offset “T” intersections for the Curley Rd./Mirada Blvd./Prospect Rd. intersection.

According to traffic studies, Curley Rd. currently handles roughly 7,200 vehicles a day, but by 2041 is projected to have 21,000 vehicles traveling on it each day.

Likewise, Prospect Rd. is expected to increase from 6,200 to 15,100, and once the intersection is complete, Mirada Blvd. will be handling 11,900 vehicles daily.

“It is a ways off,” Kontses said. “All we’re doing right now are the planning studies. We don’t (currently) have the funding for design or construction of this project.”