Category: News

By Anu Varma Panchal

Many people toy with the idea of learning a foreign language, particularly when it’s beneficial for business or work. Some go as far as investing in the Rosetta Stone or maybe taking a few classes online.

But, when St. Petersburg, Russia, native Elina Linderman began seeing huge numbers of Spanish-speaking clients at her La Rusa, LLC (now located in the same plaza as the Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce office in front of The Grove shopping center off Oakley Blvd., across from TJ Maxx), she enrolled at the University of South Florida and obtained a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree in Spanish Studies two years ago, adding that to her 1997 Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree in accounting.

“I like to study; I like to go to college,” says Linderman with her full-on Russian accent and infectious laugh. “What can I say?”

That over-the-top level of commitment may explain why La Rusa, Linderman’s full-service accounting firm, has shown almost exponential growth, thanks in part to the referrals of her clients who have been with her for years. Linderman is registered as a tax return preparer with the Internal Revenue Service, which means she is licensed to prepare income tax returns for individuals, couples, families and businesses. She has completed rigorous training and also must complete continuing education every single year in order to remain licensed and up to date on all new tax laws, state and federal. In addition to her tax preparation, bookkeeping and payroll services, Linderman’s office in The Grove also is a prime destination for health insurance seekers looking for someone to walk them through enrolling in “Obamacare,” also known as the “Affordable Care Act.”

Obamacare first kicked off in January 2014, and mandates that all U.S. citizens and legal residents must obtain health insurance for themselves and their dependents, or obtain an exemption from doing so. Anyone who doesn’t either get insurance or an exemption will most likely have to pay a penalty while filing their tax return. This penalty, according to Linderman’s web site, can range from about $325 to $975 or about 2 percent of the yearly household income above the tax filing threshold.

You have to reapply for Obamacare every year, based on your estimated income for the upcoming year. If you do not resubmit your application, you will be automatically re-enrolled by the Health Insurance Marketplace, and Linderman explains that you may end up in a less advantageous plan because the marketplace is not privy to the most current and updated information about your income.

To enroll in one of the plans offered under the Affordable Care Act, you can call or go online to the government’s Health Insurance Marketplace by yourself and find a plan in which to register, but Linderman says the marketplace can be bewildering, and it’s all too easy to make mistakes that will cost you money. At La Rusa, a team of experts with a unique blend of experience in tax accounting and health insurance will help clients enroll in Obamacare for 2016 — free of charge. Linderman and her colleagues will help you apply for a subsidy, complete all the paperwork for you and figure out the right income to report.

“When an estimate is not done correctly, people will estimate one thing but the reality will be different,” says Linderman, who explains that estimates for 2016 income are used to apply in 2015. “[For example], if they estimate an income of $30,000, but only make $25,000, they get money back. But, if they estimate $30,000 but end up making $40,000, they have to pay back [the IRS]. A lot of times people overlook income they think is irrelevant.”

Linderman also can help those who may mistakenly think they do not qualify for Obamacare. If you do not make a certain income, you have to apply for Medicaid, which Linderman says may not be the best option because clients may have to pay deductibles. She helps people go through their finances and notices deductions they may not have otherwise known about in order to qualify for Obamacare.

One-Stop Shopping

People may choose to see an accountant to file their taxes, or an insurance agent to help obtain health insurance. But, at La Rusa, they get both in one package. Linderman notes, however, that it would be inaccurate to say that she is just an accountant. To her clients, it’s almost as if she functions as a counselor, financial expert, trusted friend and even (sometimes), a business coach.

Linderman exemplifies a work ethic and drive she learned early, as an 18-year-old Russian political refugee who arrived in Pennsylvania with her parents, two younger sisters, five suitcases and $100. While working in auditing and accounting positions for various firms, Linderman says she began doing tax returns for friends and family on nights and weekends. For one friend, Linderman was able to spot a mistake in her former accountant’s work and amend three years of tax returns, garnering her friend $10,000 back from the IRS. That first year, Linderman prepared 48 tax returns. The following year, due to referrals and word of mouth from satisfied clients, that number rose to 400.

Six years ago, she decided to take a risk and quit her job.

“I was making six figures,” she says. “Everybody thought I was nuts.”

The gamble paid off. Linderman was soon preparing around 1,000 tax returns from home annually, and that was before Obamacare took effect.

“Clients were calling me in a panic,” she says. “They didn’t know how to report income on their tax returns. They were scared. I helped one client; then helped another… a lot more clients needed help. So, I got licensed.”

She obtained her Florida 2-15 Insurance License, which allows her to sell health and life insurance. That expertise in two fields — tax accounting and insurance — makes her uniquely positioned to help clients best juggle their incomes in order to buy the best possible health plans and get the most amount of money back to which they are legally entitled.

“I approach it from a whole different perspective,” she says. “First, I decide the subsidy; then I select the insurance.”

There are other differences between La Rusa and other firms — both accounting and insurance. For one thing, there is the multicultural, multi-ethnic vibe, with voicemail messages in English, Russian and Spanish. In fact, Linderman got the name of her company from her Spanish-speaking clients, who would refer to her as “La Rusa,” which means “the Russian lady” in Spanish.

“My customers invented the brand,” she laughs.

She notes that she didn’t just learn Spanish to communicate better; she chose to major in Spanish Studies because that gave her a better insight into the cultural practices and differences between the various different ethnicities of Europe and Latin America.

“It’s a very personal business,” Linderman says. “I deal with people’s lives. I have to ask questions that get very personal.”

In fact, while many businesses glean information about a client through a standard questionnaire, an initial meeting with Linderman can take as much as a couple of hours of detailed questioning. A box of tissues is not an unusual accompaniment to a meeting with a client. Asking about an illness or a divorce can yield significant financial gains in the long term (for example, a house remodel to accommodate a new handicap can lead to a deduction), but many are sensitive matters. “I cry with them,” she admits. “I’m also human.”

Michelle Chamo, who owns Sliding Door Roller Replacement, Inc., and whose taxes, bookkeeping and payroll Linderman has handled for four years, says, “Elina will text me and say, put aside this amount this week,” says Chamo, who found Linderman when she was looking for someone to go over her previous accountant’s work. After their initial three-hour meeting, Chamo says that not only did Linderman fix the mistakes, she listened to Chamo’s concerns and patiently explained everything to her.

“I left that day knowing more about what I should be doing than in five years of owning my own business,” says Chamo, who Linderman still texts every Wednesday to remind her about payroll.

“My cell phone number is the worst kept secret in Tampa Bay,” says Linderman wryly. Not only does she have all her clients’ information on her phone, she is routinely invited to clients’ weddings and children’s birthday parties, and is a fixture on their Facebook pages, as they are on her Facebook page as well. Many of them who have been with her for years also have seen her now 16-year-old son growing up.

“You can’t get this at H&R Block,” Linderman quips.

For more information about the services that La Rusa, LLC, provides individuals and businesses, check out LaRusaTax.com. You also can visit the office at 6013 Wesley Grove Blvd., #101. For appointments, call 867-7111 or email info@larusatax.com.

Will the fourth time be the charm for a Pasco County sports complex?

After three failed attempts since 2001 to build tennis, baseball and outdoor facilities, Pasco County commissioners are poised to make another run at a sports facility in Wiregrass Ranch, this time an indoor complex on 8-10 of the 80 availa
ble acres just east of Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel (FHWC) donated by the Porter family.

The county also is discussing the possibility of the Porter family building and operating outdoor fields and green space adjacent to the indoor facility, which could be used to help with events like Dick’s Sporting Goods Tournament of Champions lacrosse tournament and rugby, soccer and other outdoor sports events

The commissioners are in the process of preparing a request seeking partners in a private/public partnership to build the indoor facility. Pasco County will contribute $8.5 million to the project in monies raised through its tourist development tax.

The cost to build similar facilities in Tennessee, Texas, Alabama and South Carolina ranged from $12-million to $25 million, according to an 88-page feasibility study put together by Johnson Consulting of Chicago at the request of the Pasco County commissioners.

“Initially, the feasibility study came back and I was a little surprised by the focus on an indoor facility,’’ said District 2 county commissioner Mike Moore. When the Porter family offered to build an adjoining outdoor facility that would be more available to the public at no costs, he was sold.

“That got me really excited,’’ Moore said. “With what the Porter family has proposed, it really gives us the best of both worlds.”

According to Johnson Consulting, the outdoor facility market is saturated but there is a need for indoor facilities. In Florida, there are 25 tournament-quality outdoor facilities. The Wiregrass location would be just the eighth indoor facility.

The complex would go beyond just serving Pasco County residents, said county tourism manager Ed Caum, who sees it as a future hub for surrounding areas looking for a place for youth tournaments.

“This is a very specific complex that will meet the needs of Central Florida, not just Pasco County, and that’s what makes it unique,’’ Caum said, adding he hopes to see the facility eventually host major regional and national tournaments.

The commission held a workshop on Oct. 27 at the Pasco Government Center in New Port Richey, where Johnson Consulting presented its study and made its recommendations.

Johnson Consulting suggests a three-phase project, beginning with a multi-purpose indoor complex between 85,000 and 100,000 square feet on 5-7 acres.

The facility would have 6-8 basketball courts, which could be converted to 12-16 volleyball courts, elevated seating for 500-750, concession stands, 4-6 multipurpose rooms and a sports orthopaedic and healthcare partnership.

The county is negotiating with the Porter family to control the final two phases.

Phase 2 of the project (5-15 acres) would include 3-4 outdoor rectangular multi-purpose fields (two with lights), a Championship area, an interactive playground and splash pads.

Phase 3 (10-15 acres) would incorporate an alternative entertainment zone, indoor skydiving, zip lines, ropes course and driving range.

The remaining 25-35 acres would be for hotel development, themed retail, a community center, active and passive green space for the community, and trails for walking, running and biking.

“Pasco has many key characteristics and requirements to support a multi-use sports complex – namely solid population growth, access to regional, national and international transportation and county household incomes projected to increase at an above-average rate,” the report concluded.

Johnson Consulting, based on the average of other similar facilities in the United States, conservatively estimates more than 100,000 participants using the facility annually. Deficits are projected the first four years, but starting in year six the facility is projected to bring in over $200,000 a year in net profit.

One concern for commissioners is the small number of hotels rooms in the area, which will likely result in tournament participants spending their money in Hillsborough County. According to Johnson Consulting, there are 3,474 hotel rooms within at least 11 miles of the proposed location, though 800 of those are in Saddlebrook and only 322 are in Wesley Chapel.

Caum, however, said a Holiday Inn Express is scheduled to open in January, adding 75 rooms and 12 suites, and two other hotels slated for the 54/56 corridor are in the permitting process. And according to the Urban Land Institute, over the next five years the county will add 75-100 hotel rooms annually.

Moore thinks despite past failures, the latest proposal has an excellent chance to succeed.

“This is the perfect scenario,’’ he said. “We are going to make sure when we are accepting these bids that the funding is available. I’m confident it will work, and everyone seems pretty excited.”