Benito 7th Grader Aubrey Raile Scores A Flag Football TD With Her Persistence

Gabby Allen (left) and Aubrey Raile after the first day of boys flag football tryouts at Benito Middle School on March 21. (Photo courtesy of Christy Raile)

For the first time ever this school year, middle school girls in Hillsborough County can play flag football, and middle school boys can play volleyball.

Both sports have been added to the calendar, and Benito Middle School seventh grader Aubrey Raile played a big role in making it happen.

It was Aubrey’s carefully researched crusade that led county administrators to take a closer look at the middle school sports calendar. While the Hillsborough County School District couldn’t legally stop Aubrey, or any of her friends,  from trying out for the boys flag football team, concern about letting girls play a physical contact sport with much bigger boys led to the addition of two new middle school sports.

Aubrey started playing flag football in the sixth grade last year during PE class. She had never played before, but found that her speed made her an excellent pass rusher and that she enjoyed the other aspects of flag football – passing, catching, dodging tacklers, and pulling flags.

Flag football is 7-on-7, with all of the players wearing a belt with three flags on them (one in the back, one on each side). Everyone on the field is a receiver, and the game is played on an 80-yard field with first downs for teams every time they advance the ball 20 yards.

“As soon as I played, I found an enjoyment in the sport and wanted to play for my school,’’ Aubrey says.

When the middle school flag football season rolled around last March, however, she was told she couldn’t try out for the Jaguars’ team. Boys only, they said. Aubrey didn’t think that was fair.

She marched right to the library, and starting reading about the rules, and specifically, Title IX, a federal law that ensures that no one can be excluded from participation in any school program or activity receiving federal financial assistance. Basically, if a school offers a program just for boys, it needs to offer an equal opportunity for girls.

“When the coaches told her she couldn’t play, she went to the school library and found some books that explained the law,’’ said Christy Raile, Aubrey’s mother. “She put sticky notes all over the pages and gave it to me. She found the law, and highlighted it.

“Mom, is this right?,” Aubrey asked Christy. “Am I right?”

“I’m not an attorney, but I think this is right,’’ Christy replied. “I think they have to let you play.”

Emboldened by the support of friends like fellow sixth-graders Alexa Evans, Suhani Rana, Sannvi Prasad and Gabby Allen, the Railes continued to fight.

The people she talked to at the school district, Christy said, tried to dissuade Aubrey from trying out. She said she was told their rules overrode the state rules, although the county athletic office denies ever having said that.

Both sides continued to talk, but Aubrey was determined to show up to tryouts with a stack of books to argue her case.

An hour before the tryouts began at 3 p.m. on March 21, Christy says she was told Aubrey could trade those books for cleats and try out for the boys team.

While the school district does not consider it ideal for boys and girls to participate in contact sports like flag football, “We were directed by our attorney and our compliance officer that we needed to let that individual tryout,’’ said Jennifer Burchill, the county’s assistant director of athletics. “And, girls in general.”

Aubrey competed that day with roughly 75 boys, many of whom came up to her at tryouts and offered encouragement. Emery Floyd, one of the boys, was especially supportive, says Christy, picking Aubrey for his team and making sure she got as many opportunities to impress the coaches as everyone else.

Aubrey scored a touchdown during tryouts, produced several first downs and pulled four flags. Christy gets choked up when recalling that day, and how the other boys started chanting Aubrey’s name as she walked off the field.

“She played her heart out,’’ Christy said. “Maybe she wasn’t good enough to keep up with those eighth grade giants, only 5-feet tall and 95 pounds, but her heart was. And they knew it.”

Benito decided to create a sixth grade team for those who didn’t make it, and Aubrey played on it. The team had three practices, and played one game, against a sixth grade team from Turner/Bartells. Some of the opponents laughed at her, she says. “I expected it,’’ Aubrey says. “But, it only made me more determined to show I had as much right to be out there as they did.”

So, What About This Year?

The district, however, still had a problem to solve for the upcoming 2017-18 school year.

“It was felt in our department, amongst our district and upper administration, that we really did not want to combine boys and girls (on a flag football team),’’ said Burchill. “It really was not to our advantage for boys and girls to play together in flag football. We needed to find a solution.”

One principal from each of the county’s eight areas came together to form a committee. Instead of cutting sports to meet Title IX compliance, they came to the decision in May to reduce the track and field season, making room to add a boys team to volleyball, which previously only had a girls team, and a girls team to flag football, which only had a boys team.

It was the perfect compromise. The two sports are both low cost and open up a number of athletic opportunities that didn’t otherwise exist. It also keeps the county Title IX complaint.

“A win, win, win, all the way around,’’ says Christy, proudly.

While very few high schools have boys volleyball teams — Berkeley Prep and Brooks Debartolo are two of them — girls flag football has taken off at the high school level.

Last year, the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA), which has offered a high school state championship since 2003 when it had 70 teams playing, expanded its playoffs from one classification to two.

There are now more than 200 girls flag football teams playing statewide, and Tampa Bay is one of the hot spots. Last season, Tampa’s Robinson High captured the Class A flag football title, while Plant High in downtown Tampa took home the Class 2A title.

For the first time, the teams at Wharton and Freedom high schools will now have feeder programs.

And, they can thank Aubrey, who saw something she thought was wrong and fought to make it right.

“I think this has been a great experience,’’ she says. “It opened up a lot of new opportunities and new possibilities. I think its great to know that kids and people like me can make a difference. That’s pretty amazing.”

Planned ‘Sensory Park’ Close To Viera’s Heart

Tampa City Councilman Luis Viera hosted a town hall meeting at the New Tampa Recreation Center in Tampa Palms that attracted roughly 75 local residents who came to discuss a number of issues., especially those related to the traffic in our area.

District 7 Tampa City Council member  and Hunter’s Green resident Luis Viera has championed many causes since being elected last December, from starting a veteran’s council to creating a New Tampa Council to taking a hands-on approach to tackling issues at the New Tampa Recreation Center.

But, Mayor Bob Buckhorn’s proposed Fiscal 2018 Tampa city budget has now given him another one. With $90,000 in the proposed budget earmarked for the design and study, it appears that a new “sensory-friendly” park could be in New Tampa’s future, to be located behind the BJ’s Wholesale Club on Commerce Palms Dr. in Tampa Palms.

For Viera, whose older brother Juan has autism, creating parks for special needs children and adults is an issue that hits close to home.

“It’s a big issue for me,’’ Viera says. “This park will be the first of its kind in Tampa. Frankly, this is the kind of stuff, that helps people, that you run for City Council for.”

A number of sensory-friendly attractions are being added across the country as more and more children and adults are identified as having Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 3.5 million Americans live with ASD. Roughly one in every 68 children has been identified with ASD, and it is 4.5 times more common in boys (1 in 42) than girls (1 in 189). The prevalence of autism in U.S. children has increased by nearly 120 percent since the year 2000.

Those on the autism spectrum take in information from their five senses just like everyone else, but cannot process it the same way and become overwhelmed. Being overwhelmed leads to those within the spectrum being unable to communicate and interact, leading to anxiety and, in parental parlance, meltdowns.

A sensory-friendly park, then, would stress serenity. Sometimes, it is subtle and barely noticeable changes — like the addition of gardens and artwork, different walking surfaces, more comfortable swings — that can distinguish these parks from others but still keep them accessible to everyone.

“I think it would have a huge impact for many families who can’t participate in a typical park,’’ says Mindy Stevens, M.S., the program director for USF’s Center for Autism & Related Disabilities (CARD). “It will definitely lead to (these affected) families being able to access their community more.”

Because so many don’t understand what those on the autism spectrum go through, it often leads to bullying. Viera said his family still has painful memories of middle and high school, when Juan, who is now 46, was bullied.

“It’s something I grew up with, it was part of my life,’’ says Viera. “We have a lot of work to do. I’ve certainly seen changes. You still see lots of bullying out there, but it is getting better.”

Stevens said her staff has already met with Mayor Buckhorn about the park, as well as many within the city’s Parks & Recreation department. CARD will help train the proposed park’s staff and volunteers, while also providing technical support.

While the groundbreaking for the park is a ways off, Viera says he hopes the see it open within two years, adding that it will be one of his big priorities over the next 12 months.“The first sensory-friendly park in Tampa, to have it here, that’s a big deal,’’ he says.

Niche.com Study Says Easton Park Is No. 1

If you’re looking for  the best place to buy a home, Niche.com says you should look no further than Easton Park.

According to the website, Easton Park, which is part of K-Bar Ranch and located just north of Cross Creek Blvd. off Morris Bridge Rd., is the best place to buy a house in America.

Easton Park is No. 1 on the Niche.com list, but not the only New Tampa neighborhood to be highly ranked, as Grand Hampton came in at No. 4.

Niche.com is a Pittsburgh-based website that highlights the best places to live and go to school. It claims to combine “rigorous analysis with authentic reviews” in determining its rankings. A team of data scientists, it says, evaluate countless data sets to produce its results.

To determine the best places to live, 12 data sources — crime reports, community surveys, zip code business patterns and the American Community Survey from the U.S. Census Bureau, to name a few — are listed with links.

Easton Park was given a B- grade for public schools, but A-plusses for housing and being good for families. It also received As for nightlife and diversity.

According to Niche.com, the median price for a home is $224,659, while the median household income in Easton Park is $109,293. The community is highly educated, according to the study — 25 percent of adult residents have a Master’s degree or more, compared with the national average of 11 percent, while 37 percent have Bachelor’s degrees, compared with the national average of 19 percent.

Grand Hampton, which is located west of Bruce B. Downs Blvd. on County Line Rd., received the same grades as Easton Park, with one exception — instead of an A for nightlife, it received an A-.

The median price for a home in Grand Hampton is $261,662, while the median household income is $121,245.

To check out more rankings or to search for your neighborhood or school, check out Niche.com.

City’s 2018 Budget Includes NT Rec Center Upgrade & More

Thousands are on waiting lists for the New Tampa Recreation Center’s dance, acrobatic and sports readiness programs, like the one pictured, a problem that could be alleviated with the $1.95 million dedicated to expansion in Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn’s proposed budget for 2017-18.

Tampa mayor Bob Buckhorn has proposed a $972.4 million budget for fiscal year 2018 (which begins Oct. 1) that will result in some increased taxes, but it is a budget that also had some good news for local residents.

Buckhorn’s 2018 budget proposal includes money for a new fire station located off County Line Rd. near Grand Hampton, the expansion of the New Tampa Recreation Center in Tampa Palms, design funding for a future “sensory friendly” park behind the BJ’s Wholesale Club store in Tampa Palms and funds to improve both water pressure and code enforcement in the area.

“Overall, there are some good things in there for New Tampa, so I think we did well,’’ says Tampa City Councilman Luis Viera, the Hunter’s Green resident who represents District 7, which includes New Tampa, Terrace Park, Forest Hills and the University area. “Not to say we worked hard for it…but we worked hard for it.”

Buckhorn’s budget proposes a property tax increase for the first time since 1989, as he is asking to raise the city’s millage rate 9/10ths of a percentage point from 5.7326 to 6.6326 (or $6.63 for every $1,000 of taxable property).

“The day of reckoning has come,” says Mayor Buckhorn, a self-proclaimed fiscal conservative whose last term (due to term limits) as mayor ends in 2019, said. “I don’t like it any more than you do.”

For a home assessed at $168,829, which is the average in all of District 7, the property tax increase for homeowners will be $142.55 a year.

The increase for a home assessed at $261,500, which according to Zillow.com is the median home value for New Tampa, will be $235.35 a year, or $19.61 a month.

The property tax revenues are expected to produce $40 million in additional annual revenue for the city.

However, the city faces a $14-million shortfall this year and will have to soon start making $13-million-per-year debt payments on a 20-year-old public safety bond.

“Much of what we face today is not of our making,” Buckhorn says, “but the solutions will be.”

A ballot measure approved by the Florida Legislature, however, to increase homestead exemptions from $50,000 to $75,000 would reduce a property’s taxable value, saving the homeowner money but costing the city more than $5 million a year.

“In the 30 years I have been doing this (working in government), I have never seen the attack on local governments that I have seen this (legislative) session,” Buckhorn says. “This Legislature is hell-bent on doing whatever they can to limit local government and hamstringing us.”

However, without the millage rate increase, it is unlikely that all of the projects that will benefit New Tampa could go forward.

The proposed budget has $1.9 million earmarked for expanding the New Tampa Recreation Center, which is one of only two facilities in the city that is home to the highly touted dance, acrobatics and sports readiness program (the other is the Wayne Papy Athletic Center in Seminole Heights).

But, there currently is not enough room or staff to accommodate everyone.

The program at the NT Rec Center has grown from 59 participants in 2008 to more than 1,200 today, but that’s not even half of the people who want to participate — roughly 2,200 are on a waiting list.

This is the third time a budget proposal has had money in it for Rec Center expansion.

Last year’s budget had $3 million allocated to expansion, before it was amended and the money was redirected to fixing the Cuscaden Pool in Ybor City.

But, Viera said last year’s experience — which left a sour taste in the mouths of many in New Tampa — has created a new awareness of the budget process, emboldened by town halls he has been hosting as well as the recently formed New Tampa Council, which consists of representatives from most of New Tampa’s neighborhoods.

“New Tampa has got to lobby and push it through because you know what happened last year,’’ Viera said. “You have one vote with me, but you need four (of seven Council member votes).”

An additional $1.4 million of community investment taxes will be budgeted to complete the construction of Fire Station No. 23 (above), which will be located in the Grand Hampton/Grand Colony area off County Line Rd.

It will be the fourth fire station in the New Tampa area, along with fire stations 20 (on Bruce B. Downs Blvd. in Tampa Palms), 21 (just east of BBD on Cross Creek Blvd.) and 22 (on Cross Creek Blvd. between Cory Lake Isles and Morris Bridge Rd.).

“Public safety is issue no. 1 when you look at what government’s job is,’’ Viera says. “Just look at the city’s budget expenditures, where half of it ($243.7 million of $399.3 million) goes to police and fire.”

The station will house 39 firefighters (many of whom will come from the city’s proposed 48 new Fire Rescue personnel city-wide), an engine company, a truck company and a rescue unit.

The new station also will be home to a new District Fire Chief, who will coordinate responses between the other New Tampa fire stations.

The addition of Fire Station No. 23 is seen as an important safety measure in a sprawling area that is still growing and still lacks easy emergency access to many of the communities. It also will take some of the pressure off the other locations.

A fifth Fire Station, No. 24, was announced last year for the K-Bar Ranch area, but won’t be built until at least 2021.

The proposed 2018 budge also includes $90,000 for a study and design of a “sensory-friendly” park on the land behind BJs, which will be developed in conjunction with the University of South Florida (See story, right).

The budget proposal by Buckhorn was met with approval by members of the New Tampa Council, which Viera formed to help lobby the city on the needs of the New Tampa community.

New Tampa Council members Maggie Wilson, Warren Dixon, Brian Koerber and Tracy Falkowitz, all Tampa Palms residents, attended the budget presentation with Viera.

The city will hold a pair of public hearings on the proposed budget and tax rate on Weds., Sept. 13 & 26, at 5:01 p.m., in the City Council chambers on the third floor of Old City Hall at 315 E. Kennedy Blvd.

County Commissioners Prepared To Vote For Impact Fee Increase This Month

New schools like Cypress Creek Middle High School will help alleviate school overcrowding in Pasco, but an increase in school impact fees has to be approved by Pasco’s County Commissioners to build 4-5 more new schools.

After months of meetings and workshops, Pasco County’s School District and Board of County Commissioners (BCC) appear ready to seal a deal with the Tampa Bay Builders Association (TBBA) which would raise impact fees on new homes in Pasco to help build new schools.

The deal to phase in an impact fee increase of roughly $3,500 per home over three years was forged a day before a public hearing was held on July 13 regarding the issue. While signaling strong support for the increase, the commissioners ended up being unable to vote on the ordinance because it had changed significantly from what was originally advertised.

The vote will be held on Tuesday, Aug. 15. Every commissioner signaled support for the increase at the July 13 meeting.

“This gets us in the right direction,’’ said District 5 commissioner Jack Mariano.

“We’ve come to a great agreement here,” said District 4 commissioner Mike Wells. “We haven’t had an increase in the impact fee since 2007. To give the school board 92 percent of what they asked for is strong.”

Wells added, “it’s time to stop kicking the can down the road.”

Pasco Superintendent of Schools Kurt Browning was seeking to increase the current impact fee of $4,876 for a single-family home to $9,028, or an 85 percent increase. That increase, it said, would help fund the construction of five new schools.

The TBBA was hoping to keep the increase at no higher than $7,176, or a 48-percent raise.

Pasco County chief assistant attorney David Goldstein said the county and TBBA worked through the weekend to get a deal done. The biggest battle, he said, was determining what was a fair increase for both sides.

“To me, a reasonable fee is when both sides have to give up a little bit,” Goldstein said. “I’m not going to tell you that either one is (completely) happy with this compromise we have reached. They both gave up a little bit, and neither is entirely thrilled.”

The school district got 92 percent of what it was hoping for, but it will be phased in over three years. The school district will get 79 percent of the amount requested ($2,252) on Jan. 1, 2018, with a $600 increase each year on Jan. 1 of 2019 and 2020, bringing the total to $3,452.

The new fee will help raise more than $200-million over the next decade for school construction, which will build 4-5 schools.

“It’s a number I feel comfortable with,’’ said District 1 County Commissioner Ron Oakley, who represents part of Wesley Chapel.  in District 1. “It’s not too high or too low…you can’t have a better thing than education for your kids.”

District 3 commissioner Kathryn Starkey was part of the School Board in 2008 when she sent a letter to then-BCC chair Ann Hildebrand requesting approval of a 2007 Impact Fee Study to raise the fee to $8,983. The BCC never took up the study.

“This may not get them where they need to be, but it gets them close,’’ Starkey said. “I’m supporting the 92 percent.”

Mark Spada, president of the TBBA, said his organization was incurring significant increases that make the impact fees, “among the highest in Florida and the nation.”

Spada says while he recognizes the building industry is part of the solution, he also suggested the school district look for additional revenues, or consider selling some of the 20 school sites he claims Pasco owns to help pay for new schools. Deputy superintendent Ray Gadd disputed Spada’s numbers, saying the county currently only owns nine school sites outright.

Pasco has struggled for years with overcrowded schools, and few areas have felt the pinch more than Wesley Chapel.

Wiregrass Ranch High (WRH) has been on a 10-period schedule for the last two years, and while the new school boundaries were drawn late last year will alleviate some of that overcrowding, the school still has no room. The newest school set to open next month, Cypress Creek Middle High, will do so as both a middle and high school, with 1,900 students combined.

By its second year, Cypress Creek could already be at capacity.

Everyone who spoke at the public hearing was in favor of the impact fee increase. Most, in fact, urged the BCC to vote for the full increase originally asked for by the school district.

“We’re asking you to please fully fund our schools,’’ said county PTA president Denise Nicholas. “Our children need these schools. They are overcrowded. It is absolutely unacceptable… please vote for our kids.”

Doug Wood, a Wiregrass Ranch High parent, urged the BCC to “pass the full impact fee that was asked by the school system; why should the burden fall on our kids?”

Wood said an extra $10,000 to buy a house wouldn’t deter him as long as the money was going to help build schools. Others worried the higher fee would just be passed on to homebuyers, citing how the same villa in the new Estancia at Wiregrass Ranch development that was $320,000 last year already now sells for $370,000.

“Home prices in Pasco County are up 10-15 percent,’’ said Trinity’s Heidi Janshon. “That’s awesome, but not awesome when we need to fund our schools. I’m asking you to vote for the full amount….I reiterate, please fund us.”