Epperson Resident Frustrated With Florida’s Unemployment Failures

“The incompetence is literally off the charts,” said Epperson’s Glenn Barca, pictured here working on his petition that demands that Florida meet the needs of the state’s unemployed.

After waiting weeks for his application to receive unemployment to be approved, Epperson resident Glenn Barca couldn’t take it anymore.

So, he started an online petition, hoping to draw attention to his plight, as well as the plight of hundreds of thousands of others who have been waiting for assistance from the state.

“The main objective of the petition was that folks in Tallahassee would pay attention and take notice at how many people are upset out here,” Barca says. “They need to take the petition and the people that signed it seriously, and get to work.”

The petition demands that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Florida Department Of Economic Opportunity (FLDEO) fully implement the Federal CARES Act and “disperse without delay the monetary resources” the law is supposed to provide.

Barca, like many others, still hasn’t received a dime from the state, despite applying for unemployment on March 23, a day after his job as a self-employed driver for a luxury car service ended. 

With most of his work for business people heading to corporate events at places like Saddlebrook Resort, Barca’s rides dried up due to coronavirus fears, as staying safe became his top priority. 

“I didn’t want to end up with a tube down my throat,” Barca says. “It’s kind of hard to maintain social distancing when there is someone in the back seat.”

Now Barca, 53, worries about draining his nest egg.

His petition on Change.org has drawn nearly 10,000 signatures, with angry commentors criticizing Florida’s CONNECT website that has failed and has become a national laughingstock. 

Even DeSantis called the system a “clunker” and “problematic,” as Florida has been overwhelmed with more than 700,000 claims while distributing money to barely 20 percent of those applying for unemployment benefits.

On April 27, Barca and roughly 200,000 others were deemed ineligible to receive unemployment funds, and have had to reapply.

Barca says he made 100-150 attempts over 12 straight hours to refile his claim on April 28, only to get to get booted off the system as he reached the final screen. 

“This is so frustrating,” Barca says. “The level of incompetence is literally off the charts.”

His petition has been featured all over the country, thanks to a story by Spectrum News 13 in Orlando and the Associated Press, as well as on local television stations.

He estimates that the state owes him more than $5,000 and says that he “knows for a fact” he will get that money one day.

He also says he is not done fighting.

Barca also has signed on to the complaint filed April 24 by Tallahassee attorneys Marie Mattox and Gautier Kitchen accusing state officials of negligence. A hearing was scheduled for May 6 in Leon County, which was after we went to press with this issue.

“I kind of needed this money yesterday,” Barca says. “I have about 3-4 weeks of reserves left, but what about those people that didn’t have reserves? What’s happening to those people?”

Work On Kinnan-Mansfield Under Way, Expected To Be Completed Soon

Kinnan Mansfield
This is the view from the end of Kinnan St., which runs north from Cross Creek Blvd. Mansfield Blvd. in Meadow Pointe is on the other side of the barrier, about 40 feet away. (Photo: John C. Cotey)

For New Tampa residents hoping that one day Kinnan St. in New Tampa would be connected to Mansfield Blvd. in Meadow Pointe at the southern county line of Pasco County — allowing locals an alternate route to Wesley Chapel — news that work has already begun on connecting the roads for emergency vehicles only might be a bit of a letdown.

 Luis Viera, however, says he will take it. The Tampa District 7 City Council member (see pg. 6) and New Tampa resident likened the final result to “a single, maybe a double” but praised the decision to move forward and provide that emergency access.

“The firefighters at Station No. 23 (on Cross Creek Blvd.) that I’ve talked to are very excited about it,” Viera says. “This is something all of New Tampa should celebrate. The Kinnan-Mansfield stalemate literally hasn’t moved even an inch forward in two decades.”

The connection was orignally expected to be completed by the end of the summer, but a finishing date is unclear, due to the coronavirus outbreak. Viera says some final meetings between the City of Tampa and Hillsborough and Pasco counties to put the finishing touches on the agreement have been postponed, and may be rescheduled via phone.

The deal calls for the developer of K-Bar Ranch to pave the connection, while Hillsborough County addresses the design and construction of the remaining infrastructure, which will include an emergency access gate and paths for pedestrians and bicyclists.

“We want to have control over that,” said Pasco County commissioner Mike Moore, a longtime opponent of connecting the two roads to through traffic.

Moore says that while the Pasco County Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) has voted to grant access to first responders only, it remains opposed to ever opening to local traffic and that will be codified in an agreement coming before the Pasco County Board of Commissioners in the near future, where it also will vote on the maintenance agreement for the connection.

So, say goodbye to the most infamous patch of untended, overgrown, garbage-infested grass and bushes in our area, as the agreement ends years of bitter fighting between the two counties, with Hillsborough County and Tampa seeking numerous times to connect the road and Pasco County, which at one time wanted was the entity that wanted it connected, refusing to budge in its opposition.

Love Of Writing Pays Off For Liberty’s Jaylen McCall

Jaylen McCall poses with his dad and biggest supporter Jamal (left) and with his dad and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Selling kids on the importance of writing gets harder and harder every year, according to Liberty Middle School language arts teacher Alycia Marcarian. She says it’s true even when the prize is a full scholarship to any university in the state of Florida.

However, Jaylen McCall, 13, might be changing that, at least at Liberty.

The eighth-grader’s 500-word essay about former Black Seminoles leader John Horse was chosen last month as the winner of the middle school division of the Florida State Black History Month Essay Contest.

The prize: a full ride to the Florida university of his choice.

“It’s incredible,” says Jaylen’s father, Jamal. “I had to look at (the prize) a couple of times.” 

It was Jamal, who does data and analytics for MetLife, who found out first that his son had won. He says he was in a midday meeting and missed a call. He didn’t recognize the area code, but called back anyway and received the good news.

He was able to keep it a secret while picking Jaylen up, bringing him home to change clothes, and dropping him off at practice for his West Florida Flames club soccer team.

From there, Jamal hustled over to Publix to buy some celebratory cupcakes, and returned to the field. 

“I had to play it cool,” Jamal says. “I ended up with a bunch of Valentine’s Day cupcakes and passed them out to a bunch of 13-year-old boys.”

The soccer celebration shocked Jaylen — “I thought it was somebody’s birthday or something” — and he says his teammates have now nicknamed him “Scholar.”

Sadly, plans for Jaylen and Jamal to attend a celebratory Miami Heat vs. Chicago Bulls NBA game had to be scrapped due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Getting Jaylen, who says he enjoys writing, to enter the essay contest wasn’t that tough a chore. He says that he tries to write at least five stories every summer about “interesting and entertaining” things, and finds the craft relaxing and a great stress reliever.

When Alycia told him about the contest, he set out to write about someone whose story hasn’t been widely told. He had read about the Black Seminoles, a group of free blacks and runaway slaves who fought alongside the Seminole Indians during the Seminole Wars, the year before, and that led him to John Horse.

“I wanted to do somebody that nobody has heard of, so they could be interested in it,” Jaylen says. 

Once he started researching, he found himself wowed by the John Horse story — a former slave who earned his freedom and went on to help other slaves escape, while wielding a large amount of influence as one of the leaders of the Black Seminoles. 

It was a difficult process fitting everything he learned into 500 words. After days of researching, writing and editing, he entertained thoughts giving up. 

“But I kept working on it, and when I was done, I was really excited about it,” Jaylen says.

Not only did Jaylen win a scholarship for his essay, he got to visit the governor’s mansion in Tallahassee and received his award from Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.

“There were a lot of other people there and the governor’s mansion was really cool,” Jaylen says. “They also served food. They had some really good pineapple. It was really good.”

Jamal’s essay, and the significant prize that goes with it, is sure to inspire other students to enter next year. He says many of his classmates have already told him that next year they will be participating, and some sixth graders recently told him they were amazed he got to go to Tallahassee and meet the governor.

“It’s a really hard sell, even when the prize is something great like this,” Alycia says. “A lot of kids don’t want to do the extra work or think they won’t win. It’s a challenging task, but writing is something they have to do in college and beyond
.luckily we have kids like Jaylen that work hard and do it anyway.”

One Tampa Plan Unveiled, Will Assist Those Hurt By COVID-19

Tampa Mayor Jane Castor announces the One Tampa plan, which will help with rent, mortgage and utilities payments for City of Tampa residents.

Center ice at Amalie Arena is usually the backdrop for thousands of cheering fans and thunderous ovations, but on Tuesday, it was empty.

That didn’t stop Tampa Mayor Jane Castor, however, from standing on the same spot usually reserved for the heroics of the Tampa Bay Lightning and doing something that is likely to earn her cheers from thousands as well.

As hurting Tampa residents await aid from the federal government, Castor unveiled details of the City of Tampa’s new “One Tampa: Relief Now, Rise Together” fund, a partnership with the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay and the Greater Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce that will provide significant relief for many in the community.

The fund will cover up to $1,000 for rent or mortgage paid directly to the landlord or mortgagor, and up to $250 for essential utilities (water, gas and electric).

Small businesses that meet the criteria will have up to $4,000 for rent or mortgage covered, and up to $1,000 for utilities. 

“As a lifelong Tampanian, I know one thing to be true: Tampa has grit,” Castor said. “When faced with challenges, our community always comes together to help our neighbors in need. One Tampa will provide critical financial support to those hit hardest by the COVID-19 crisis.”

While the plan will effect the majority of those living in New Tampa, those who reside in the unincorporated sections — Cross Creek, Pebble Creek and Live Oak, primarily — are not eligible fro this funding.

Applicants will be able to apply online at OneTampa.org, by phone, or by mail by filling out an online qualifying questionnaire, which will be available Friday, April 17 at noon for individuals and families, and on Tuesday, April 21 for small businesses.

The Tampa Bay Lightning, Buccaneers, Rays and Rowdies have already donated $100,000 each to the One Tampa fund. 

Anyone can be a part of the One Tampa project. If you’d like to make a tax-deductible donation, you can do so at the website.

The Crisis Center of Tampa Bay will be responsible for ensuring the aid is reaching those who need it most, while the Tampa Bay Chamber will assist small businesses that qualify for these grants.

For more information and details about qualifying criteria, visit OneTampa.org. Residents also can call the Crisis Center hotline at 2-1-1 and dial 7 for more information or assistance with the application process.

Small Businesses Working Hard To Stay Afloat In Tough Times

Owner James Serrano exercises proper social distancing as he “hands” over a painting kit to a Pinot’s Palette customer. 

Many local businesses were already way ahead of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis when he declared on April 1 that all nonessential businesses needed to close their doors.

Sensing the bad news was inevitable, some had already begun adapting in order to stay alive.

James Serrano, who owns Pinot’s Palette in the Shoppes at New Tampa, had already temporarily converted his Wesley Chapel studio, which specializes in large group gatherings with wine drinking and painting, into a stay-at-home, do-it-yourself painting “experience” by selling kits that included paint, brushes, a canvas and instructions.

“We basically had to do something,” says Serrano. “We were worried.”

On the first day of selling the take-home kits, he arrived to find a line of cars. Some ended up waiting for more than an hour because Serrano was overwhelmed by the turnout. Most of the cars were occupied by eager parents looking for a way to keep their children occupied.

Serrano also turned to virtual classes and, last week, hosted his first virtual private party for a church group — 13 women painting the same picture who were able to converse with each other online as they did so.

He also has delivered kits to people who request them, and even filled an order to be shipped to Puerto Rico.

Although some adults have asked if he could include Pinot’s usually-present wine with their order (he’s looking into it), he says his No. 1 customers now are kids, as parents have to constantly be entertaining their homebound youngsters.

Because Serrano still has to pay rent on a studio he isn’t using, he isn’t making money right now. However, he is staying afloat and hopeful things can return to normal soon.

“The community support has been so great,” he says. “Thank God people are buying the kits. Thank God.”

 While a host of the area’s non-essential businesses will have no choice but to close down for the next month, the ones that can incorporate video conferencing technology like Zoom, or even FaceTime, are finding ways to survive.

Excel; Music in New Tampa Tampa Fine Arts Academy (TFAA) in Wesley Chapel now offering all their lessons online.

John Thrasher, the owner of Excel Music in New Tampa, and Larry Bigel of Tampa Fine Arts Academy (TFAA) in Wesley Chapel, both are able to provide all of their lessons online.

Thrasher said Excel began the transition the first week in March, with some students choosing to go online. Following spring break, everything went online, and students were able to keep their same teachers.

“We did it quickly and on the early side,” Thrasher says. “We beat the governor’s stay-at-home order by a couple of weeks. Anytime you transition, there are going to be some bumps, but for the most part, it’s actually gone pretty smoothly. We’re seeing a lot of smiling faces.”

For Bigel, who says TFAA transitioned 600 students to 100-percent online by March 23, it was all about keeping the students and teachers safe and the business viable.

“Thankfully, you can never catch a disease over the internet,” he says.

At F45 Training at The Grove, the group fitness training facility’s grand opening plans had to be put on hold and the free bootcamps offered to drum up business and market the area’s newest fitness center had to be canceled.

But, F45 at The Grove owners Bob and Kim Balfe are bringing the exercise right to your home instead.

They have posted a video series of home bootcamps on their Facebook page (search: F45 Grove Wesley Chapel), with their trainers doing 45-minute programs in their own driveways that you can follow along to. 

All of the workouts are free.

Bob says other F45 studios are now following suit.

“Oh my God, it’s been amazing,” says Bob. “Some of the F45s from all over the world are kind of jealous. When we put these (workouts) out, they are getting hundreds of views in just minutes.”

Bob says his F45 studio just finished receiving its final coat of paint, and will be ready for a soft opening on (or around) Friday, May 8, if Florida’s stay-at-home order is lifted by then.