Quail Hollow Residents Oppose Youth Group Home

One of the complaints by residents about Elevated Youth Services’ plan to build a residential treatment facility on Lawrence Ave. is overcrowding on what is barely a two-land road.

Residents in a Quail Hollow neighborhood are hoping to stop a residential treatment facility for young boys ages 13-17 from taking root — or at least wait until it has gone through a thorough zoning verification that examines exactly what its plans are and will mean to the community.

The issue, however, is that Pasco County may have already erroneously granted permission to Elevated Youth Services (EYS) to proceed with opening a facility at 26318 Lawrence Ave.

According to chief assistant county attorney David Goldstein, back in August, EYS owner Nicholas Browning sought approval for a residential treatment facility for 12 minors with handicaps and disabilities. Frederick Humberstone, a planning and zoning tech II for the county, wrote back to Browning informing him that the proposed use as a residential group (single family of unrelated people) was a permitted use (as opposed to a conditional use, which residential treatment and care facilities are supposed to be considered).

Browning then closed on the property, paying $495,000 for the five bedroom, 3,500-sq.ft. home.

However, Humberstone was incorrect, because the correct permitted use is only supposed to be for six or fewer residents.

“Was the letter probably erroneous under our code? Yes,” Goldstein said at the Jan. 6 Pasco Planning Commission meeting . “However, it’s clear that the applicant relied on it, and then bought the property after they got the letter.”

Goldstein says that makes this a “fairly unique” case, although he still recommended approval but with conditions, which would include a 1-to-4 ratio of supervisors to children, limits on street parking, and not accepting any residents who have been adjudicated as sexual offenders.

However, that wasn’t sufficient for other members of the planning commission — nor for a dozen or so Quail Hollow residents who showed up at the Dade City Courthouse — and the case was continued to the March 3 Planning Commission meeting while Goldstein and EYS continue to negotiate the conditions.

EYS is essentially seeking approval for a residential and treatment facility but want relief from going through the conditional use process (CUP) because it claims it would violate the Fair Housing Act (FHA), Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and unfairly burden EYS’s use of the property.

“We would have no problem going through the CUP process if it was required of all groups of unrelated persons,” said EYS attorney Dan McDonald, “but it’s only required of handicapped persons needing treatment and care at a treatment and care facility. The case law is very, very clear on this. This is discriminatory.”

Some members of the planning commission and the Quail Hollow residents argued that not enough is known about EYS to grant any approval, and would like to see them go through either the state screening process, or by a third party. 

“They (EYS) haven’t agreed, and specifically refused to agree, to state screening,” claimed Dan Lincoln, the attorney representing Quail Hollow.

Some Planning Commission members and residents also raised concerns that the EYS website makes references to problem sexual behavior. Worried that the home’s residents may include juvenile sexual offenders, one resident said that while she understood the need to rehabilitate, “our quiet residential area is not the place.”

McDonald denied that EYS accepts any sexual offenders. He said EYS does not accept youths who pose a direct threat of harming others, and it uses individualized risk assessment and psycho-sexual evaluations to make those determinations.

Residents who spoke also raised other concerns, wondering where so many teenage boys would find room to play outside in a small yard, whether the property’s septic tank could handle so many people and parking on the street causing safety issues. 

Goldstein suggested a continuance as both sides try to come to an agreement and the county can avoid getting sued.

Resident Lauren Taylor had little sympathy for the county’s predicament.

“It’s not our fault you sent that letter out,” Taylor said. “And, if there’s repercussions because of that, that’s not our fault either. Pasco is going to have to deal with it.”

What Betty White, John Madden & Bob Saget Meant To Me

The late, great Betty White always sort of reminded me of my grandmother — my beloved Nana Betty. Not only did they have the same first name, Nan lived until about a month before her 92nd birthday (and Nan’s older sister, my great aunt Molly, lived to three weeks before her 100th, just like Betty) and, like the esteemed actress and comedian, Nan was the queen of the one-liners and her relatively long life simply wasn’t long enough for her.

“I have to get better,” Nan told me as she lay dying from COPD. “I have a formal party to go to next month and I already have my dress picked out.”

And, also like the amazing Ms. White (photo), because she had such a zest for life and was always in good health until a couple of mild heart attacks in her 80s, we thought Nan was a shoo-in to make it to 100 years old.

Sadly, neither one made it that far. Even Aunt Molly, who was the oldest of the six siblings and who ended up outliving all of them, fell almost exactly as short of the century mark as did the former “Mary Tyler Moore Show,” “Golden Girls” and “Hot in Cleveland” star.

While today’s social media age mainly honors heavily filtered beauty, it’s been a nice change of pace seeing a geriatric woman who started out as beautiful on the outside inspire so many people — including yours truly — because of her inner beauty that made people smile, laugh and want to support the causes that were near and dear to her heart.

To that end, Jannah and I made a donation to a local animal shelter on what would have been Betty’s 100th birthday — Jan. 17.

Is it just a coincidence that Nan was born on June 17? Maybe, but I think not. 

On Losing My Favorite NFL Coach

Most people who are my sons’ ages only know the late, great John Madden (who died a few days before White, at age 85) because he leant his name to the first hugely popular football (or any major sport) video game.

But for me, as a sports-crazy kid growing up in Lawn Guyland, New Yawk, who never forgave my original favorite NFL team — the Giants — for trading away my favorite player (a little-known wide receiver named Homer Jones) after the 1969 season,  I was on the lookout for another NFL team to root for and Madden had just completed his first season as the Oakland Raiders head coach.

But, the reason I chose the Raiders as my team wasn’t just because they went 12-1-1 in 1969 under Madden, it was because they had my second-favorite player — and the wide receiver who gave me the most hope that I could someday play in the NFL — the great Fred Biletnikoff, who was my NFL role model, with his relatively small size, great hands and lack of breakaway speed.

Whether intentionally or not, the Raiders became the bad boys of the newly merged NFL under Madden, known as much for cheap-shot defensive backs who tackled with elbows and forearm shivers as they were for being a consistently great team on both sides of the football.

Unfortunately, Madden’s last season as a coach — 1978 — was the same year that New England Patriots wide receiver Darryl Stingley was paralyzed on a clean hit delivered by one of the dirtiest of the Raiders, safety Jack Tatum.

That also was the last year I rooted for Oakland. I still loved the NFL, I just was a fan of the entire league, rather than of any particular team, until I moved to the Tampa Bay area in ‘93.

But, Big John finished his 10-year coaching career (all with Oakland) having never had a losing season and his .750 career regular-season winning percentage is still a record for coaches with at least 100 NFL games coached. 

Yes, I loved John’s “Boom” Hall of Fame TV sportscasting career and his Miller Lite commercials, but for me, he’s the coach who taught me that you don’t always have to root for your home team to be a fan. 

I miss you, big guy.  

Bob Saget, Too 

Although I wasn’t much of a fan of his TV shows “Full House” or “America’s Funniest Home Videos,” I was a fan of the late Bob Saget’s super-raunchy standup comedy, including his appearances on many celebrity roasts.

But, the fact Saget was only a couple of years older than me and died so close to my birthday (in an Orlando hotel room, no less), plus the amazing tributes about him from not only his former castmates but so many other celebs made me realize yet again that it’s not only about what you accomplish in your career or your life, but the legacy you leave behind.   

 

Wesley Chapel’s Theater Group Set To Make Its Debut Jan. 9!

Members of the Board of Directors of the Wesley Chapel Theater Group.

Considering that New Tampa has had an acting troupe for 20 years and is awaiting the opening of the New Tampa Performing Arts Center early next year to call home, it seems only fitting that Wesley Chapel should have a theater troupe of its own.

So, it’s exciting to announce that the Wesley Chapel Theater Group (WCTG) Inc. is set to make its own debut, on Sunday, January 9, at 2 p.m., at the clubhouse at The Ridge at Wiregrass Ranch.

Wesley Chapel’s theater troupe will be performing three short plays written and directed by Marc Sanders and between each play, the Wesley Chapel Theater Singers will perform a variety of musical numbers, led by WCTG’s artistic director Rodney Bueno.

“All of us have backgrounds in theatre and performing,” Sanders told me when I both went to cover (and decided on the spot to audition for) the group in late October. “We all just felt the time was right for Wesley Chapel to have its own theater group.”

And, although I wasn’t selected to be a performer, I told the group members that I will support their efforts in much the same way I threw the support of the Neighborhood News behind the New Tampa Players theatre troupe two decades ago — and have promoted that group’s efforts ever since.

Performers with the Wesley Chapel Theater Group rehearse for their upcoming debut showcase on January 9 at The Ridge at Wiregrass Clubhouse.

The three plays to be performed on Jan. 9 include “Stick ‘Em Up!,” a send-up of a silent movie, the drama “Legos For Tim” and a comedy and all are short plays.

I unfortunately couldn’t attend a recent rehearsal (top photo) and performance at Avalon Park Wesley Chapel to find out what songs will be performed but according to the group’s post on Facebook, they will perform some “beautiful musical numbers.”

The singers include Jim Kendall, James Hernandez, Mike Dixon, Liz Loftus, Cheryl Sanchez, WCTG President Diana Dechichio, and artistic director Rodney Bueno, who also serves on the WCTG Board.

The other Board members include Vice President Colleen DeFelice, treasurer Dan Dechichio, secretary Kendall Bueno, fund-raising chair Meshalynn Olsen, publicity chair Rachael Naylor and Sanders. 

WCTG is still seeking performers, volunteers, sponsors, stage hands and more.

For tickets to WCTG’s Jan. 9 showcase event, which will be followed by light refreshments and a meet & greet with the group, visit eventbrite.com/e/wctg-showcase-introducing-new-theater-group-in-wesley-chapel-tickets-217583115957?aff=eand&fbclid=IwAR21Uscb-Bp1Emdqwt-LhGylvyTpTfbrxHIvtG2OYJrXJh6z95GWowq7FC8. For more information, follow the Wesley Chapel Theater Group Inc. on Facebook.  

RADDSports Charity’s First Golf Tournament Raises $7,000!

Congratulations go out to my wife Jannah and her daughter Lauren Cione, who together put on a successful first charity golf fund raiser that raised about $7,000 for the new RADDSports Charity, Inc., a 501(c)(3) registered nonprofit charitable organization. The new charity will provide scholarships to young athletes who couldn’t otherwise afford to participate in the sports programs at the Wiregrass Ranch Sports Campus of Pasco County.

The golf tournament was held at the recently revamped Lexington Oaks Golf Club on Dec. 6 and was blessed with more than 70 golfers, wonderful auction prizes, a bag lunch and a delicious Italian buffet dinner created and served by Lexington Oaks owner Anass El-Omari, his wife Susana Herrera and the golf club staff.

RADDSports president and CEO Richard Blalock told the golfers about the reason why he and the management of RADDSports wanted to start the nonprofit and Anass gave some pre-tournament instructions.

Several of the tournament’s sponsors, including the Champion Sponsor, the Residence Inn Tampa-Wesley Chapel, Heineken and JJ Taylor provided on-course adult beverages. 

What a great day! — Gary Nager; photos by Charmaine George & Morgan Conlin

Wesley Chapel Leads The Way To A Tourism Slam Dunk

In 2019, Pasco County hit new records for tourism, but Covid delivered a hit in 2020 that Florida’s Sports Coast director Adam Thomas figured might be tough to overcome.

Turns out that it wasn’t. Not only did the county bounce back from its Covid-plagued 2020 by exceeding last year’s tourism numbers, but it even passed its pre-Covid 2019 numbers as well. 

“It was definitely a revival year for tourism for Pasco County,” says Thomas. “We beat our record-breaking historic year of 2019 by 10.6%. It was amazing,”

In Fiscal Year 2021 (which ran from Sept. 2020 to Oct. 2021), visitor spending in Pasco County generated $721.7 million in economic impact to the county, according to Downs & St. Germain Research. That is an increase of 30.7% above FY 2020, and 10.6% above the 2019 numbers. Direct spending in the county was $511.8 million of that total.

Thomas said an increase in marketing, as well as the state’s openness, allowed tourism to flourish here this year.

“Many other states were still not fully operational,” Thomas says of FY 2021. “That allowed our destinations to attract events throughout the year.”

Pasco County Commissioner Mike Moore (left) and Tourism Director Adam Thomas pose with the Florida Sports Foundation trophy won by the Wiregrass Ranch Sports Campus for Florida’s Best Small Market Venue. 

 With the doors to Pasco County wide open this year, people didn’t hesitate to rush through. The numbers don’t lie:

• Florida’s Sports Coast attracted 1,358,200 visitors (41.5% higher than last year, and 30.8% higher than FY 2019)

• Visitors generated 1,419,000 room nights in paid accommodations (32.6% higher than last year, and 16.6% higher than FY 2019)

• Spending by visitors supported 9,254 local jobs (36.3% higher than last year, and 17.6% higher than FY 2019)  

• Tourism generated $231.6 million in wages and salaries for local jobs (55% higher than FY 2020, and 37.8% higher than FY 2019).

• Every 147 visitors to the county created an additional job.

• Visitors staying locally generated $3.6 million in Tourist Development Tax collections (36.3% higher than last year, and 18.4% higher than FY 2019).

• Visitors in FY 2021 saved every household in Pasco County $385 in state and federal taxes.

And, Thomas says that amateur sports drove those record-setting numbers; primarily, amateur sports played in Wesley Chapel at its trifecta of sports tourism — AdventHealth Center Ice, the Wiregrass Ranch Sports Campus of Pasco County and Saddlebrook Resort. As far as the county goes, the nearby Sarah Vande Berg (SVB) Tennis Center in Zephyrhills also contributed to Pasco’s big numbers.

“All these record-breaking numbers that we had are basically from our sporting events,” Thomas says.

Following the heightened 2020 Covid concerns, 2021 may have started with a whimper, but is ending with a bang — for example, the Wiregrass Ranch Sports Campus will host 128 of the best high school girls basketball teams in the state and beyond, as well as 32 boys high school teams, at the Tampa Bay Christmas Invitational beginning tomorrow and running through Jan. 1. 

The tournament expects to bring 1,500 coaches and players and 3,000 total spectators for the event, meaning the Sports Campus will be capping its first full year of operation with the equivalent of a slam dunk. “It’s been an awesome year,” says Richard Blalock, the CEO of RADDSports, which operates the Sports Campus in a public-private partnership with the county. “Considering all of the (Covid-related) social issues we encountered, I think it was very successful.”

Crowds at many of the tournaments at Center Ice were the norm in 2021.

Blalock says 2021 has been a challenging year, but one that came with great exposure. In fact, the Wiregrass Ranch Sports Campus was named Small Market Venue of the Year by the Florida Sports Foundation in November.

“We were fortunate that we’re in a quasi-conservative area where we got support from the local government to be able to operate,” he says. “We just had to figure out what the rules were, come up with protocols and then follow those protocols to be able to operate.”

The Wiregrass Ranch Sports Campus hosted a number of large events in 2021. Whether it was current Philadelphia Eagle and Heisman Trophy winner DeVonta Smith preparing for the NFL Draft by working out at the campus, or USA volleyball and USA Gymnastics events, or a myriad of AAU and youth basketball, cheerleading and volleyball tournaments taking place monthly, the new facility was always bustling.

The same goes for Center Ice, which saw more than a million people pass through its doors in FY 2021.

General manager Gordie Zimmermann said his business was up more than 30 percent from 2019. Center Ice hosted an NHL Prospects tournament, burgeoning local adult and youth recreational leagues and a series of hotel-filling tournaments in ice, sled and roller hockey, as well as figure skating.

“It was pretty amazing,” Zimmermann says. “I think Florida handled (Covid) better than anybody, and we have had a lot of people coming here. Plus, hockey is on a growth spurt, and the (back-to-back Stanley Cup champion) Tampa Bay Lightning have certainly helped with that.”

The five-rink facility is one of a kind in the Southeast, and you won’t find many like it in the U.S., Zimmermann says, making it a popular destination for big tournaments.

The biggest sporting event held in Pasco County this year was at Center Ice, according to Thomas — the TORHS (Tournament of Roller Hockey Series) Nationals in June. The tournament runs 8-10 days, had more than 150 teams and generated 2,300 room nights. Thomas says the economic impact to the county of the event was roughly $3 million.

As we head into 2022, could another record-breaking year be in store? Thomas doesn’t see why not.

With the impact created by sports as great as it has been, Thomas and others see only growth.

Wesley Chapel has facilities, like the Wiregrass Ranch Sports Campus (above), that can host more than 1,000 people over the course of a weekend, providing a boost to the tourism dollars generated in Pasco County. (Photos courtesy of Florida’s Sports Coast)

A recent study commissioned by Florida’s Sports Coast, which was intended to find the gaps in the amateur sports arena, showed that adaptive sports, or sports that are accessible to those who are disabled, is a possible growth area. An aquatics facility is on the radar as well, and private developers have inquired about things like BMX and surf parks, as well as a track & field facility.

Adaptive basketball could be headed to the Wiregrass Ranch Sports Campus, says Blalock. Thomas says the county also is working on the bringing the U.S. Fencing championships to the Sports Campus, in addition to a large Can-Am competition between first responders from Canada and the U.S.

Saddlebrook Resort may host the 2022 American FootGolf League national championships in 2022. The relatively new sport is like golf but is played with feet and a soccer ball instead of clubs and a golf ball. 

“We are thinking outside the norm,” Thomas says.

Center Ice will launch the Sunshine Cup this summer, a week-long tournament that will feature teams from the U.S., Canada, Denmark and Europe. The mid-July event is expecting more than 3,000 visitors and would eclipse the TORHS event as the largest tournament hosted by the facility.

“We’ve always considered ourselves to be a player in the sports tourism industry,” says Thomas. “People are starting to notice our success, and they want to be a part of it. We’re excited. We’re an amateur sports hot spot, and we have some great opportunities for growth.”