Get in the Game Zone

Children ages 6 to 11 can play Wii, board games, or other activities from 2 to 5 p.m. today (July 31) at the Lutz Branch Library, 101 Lutz-Lake Fern Road.

Pride Elementary's new leader wants parents deeply involved

[ Newly-appointed Pride Elementary School principal Cindy Land talks with secretary Beverly Campbell in the school office. DANIEL WALLACE | Times]

From the Times:

By Rodney Thrash

NEW TAMPA — When Pride Elementary students go back to school next month, they will have a new leader. • In June, the Hillsborough County School Board picked Cindy Land, previously the assistant principal at Chiles Elementary, to succeed Jamie Johnson, who moved out of state. • The 38-year-old Pebble Creek resident takes over a school shrouded in controversy last year after Johnson allowed a 160-foot cell tower on the campus without public notice. • The episode strained relations between administrators and parents. Some threatened to pull their children out of Pride. • Land said she can't do much about the past, but believes all stakeholders should be at the table before any major decisions. She wants to hear from those stakeholders at 2 p.m. Aug. 24 in the school cafeteria. Until then, pull up a seat for the St. Petersburg Times' conversation with Land.

Xtreme Adventures offers Pasco kids fun workout in site of old gym

From the Times:

By Mike Camunas

LUTZ

The action has gone from pumping iron to pumping tokens. For years, buff bods went in to tone muscles at World Gym. Now, the site is Xtreme Adventures Family Fun Center, a central Pasco arcade with laser tag and other features that opened June 14.

After a $3 million renovation, owner Ann Atkinson and general manager Leila Kroll have traded in the free weights for prize tickets.

"It's different, for sure," Kroll said, referring to switching from bodybuilding to gaming high scores. "They're both fun places (the gym and Xtreme), but the kids here make it worthwhile. They can be so cute, especially when they win their tickets and they bring them to the counter (to exchange for prizes) and they take forever to select something. That's just great because they are usually pretty happy. It is so fun to see their smiles."

Aerial mosquito spraying tonight in Lutz Area

View Aerial mosquito spraying tonight in Lutz Area in a larger map
Members of the Hillsborough County Mosquito and Aquatic Weed Control will spray by air for mosquitoes between 9 p.m. and midnight tonight (July 22).

The boundaries are the Pasco County line to the north, west of the Suncoast Parkway to the west, Van Dyke Road to the south, and U.S. Highway 41 to the east.

Workers will spray the pesticide Dibrom 14 from a Bell 206 helicopter, at an altitude of 300 feet. Call (813) 635-5400.

Is the party at Rehab Mansion over?

From the Times:

By Susan Thurston

It's been hot for a while, maybe a little too hot.

Sunday afternoon parties held at a mansion in rural Lutz have drawn 300 to 650 people a week since their debut May 31.

Partygoers dip in the 6,000-square-foot pool as DJs broadcast live from a gazebo. Waitresses in bikinis keep sunbathers hydrated with Red Bull and vodkas.

Guests have compared the Extreme Rehab Mansion Parties to Sunday bashes at Shephard's in Clearwater and Crabby Bill's in Tampa, only better, if you prefer a pool over a beach.

"You've got to do something in the water to enjoy yourself,'' said Samantha McHugh, 28, who drove an hour from St. Petersburg for last week's party. "It's so hot.''

But the allure of the 200,000-gallon pool, with its swim-up bar, hot tub and waterfall, may have led to the party's demise in Lutz.

Facing citations from Hillsborough County zoning officials, Extreme Events and Catering decided this week to relocate the parties to the Days Inn on Dale Mabry Highway, just north of Interstate 275, starting July 19 through the summer. This Sunday will be the last mansion party.

"Being that it's a residence, it really makes it too dangerous. We don't know who's coming in,'' said Jay Roberts, owner of the catering company. "It's just gotten so big.''

Roberts plans to duplicate the parties at the hotel's courtyard pool, which can accommodate more people. Radio station 93.3 FLZ will continue its live broadcasts, he said. A portion of proceeds, he said, will go to Project Ahimsa, which helps children through music.

Roberts hopes leaving the mansion pool won't put a chill on the crowds.

The pool has been the party's main attraction. Homeowners Eric and Lisa White created it as a showcase for their business, Whitewater Pools and Spas. It has palm trees growing on a center island and a pirate ship with a diving board and an air-conditioned cabin in the lower deck. Dark blue glass tile give it a Mediterranean look. The owners estimate the value at $1.5 million.

The Whites built the 4,700-square-foot home at 19165 Geraci Road near Cheval three years ago. Recently, the couple put the 7 1/2-acre estate up for sale for $2.9 million in the hopes of building an even bigger home elsewhere. When it didn't sell, they decided to rent it out for special events. For Super Bowl, it became the House of Hennessy, a party that drew 1,000 people, among them Cuba Gooding Jr.

For the past six Sundays, it hosted the Extreme Rehab Mansion Parties.

• • •

Within days of the first party, the county's code enforcement department received an anonymous online complaint about the parties. Officials investigated, and on June 11 issued a citation for operating a business in a residential/agricultural zone.

This week, county zoning officials revised the violation to require the homeowners or caterers get a conditional-use permit to sell alcohol at the site.

Getting approval, however, would be unlikely.

"They aren't going to be able to get that there,'' said Jim Blink, the county's manager of code enforcement. "In order to get that they would have to be a private country club or a special event. This is not a special event. This is a business.''

County zoning administrators have no grounds to shut down the parties, he said, but could place a lien on the property if they fail to comply. Throwing weekly parties at a house also could violate the catering company's liquor license.

Roberts, the caterer, said he had not heard about the complaints and did not know the county cited the property. They decided to move the parties to avoid problems, he said.

Sheriff's deputies came out to the property twice last weekend after someone stole audio and video equipment left outside Saturday night.

Eric White, the homeowner, didn't expect the Sunday parties would go year-round. He said he may put the house back on the market or continue to rent it to out-of-towners for $1,500 a night. The pool is just one of the perks. Guests also get a ride in White's Hummer limousine.

Aerial mosquito spraying Friday morning in Lutz, Tampa Palms

View Aerial mosquito spraying Friday morning in Lutz, Tampa Palms in a larger map Members of the Hillsborough County Mosquito and Aquatic Weed Control will spray by air for mosquitoes from 3 to 6:30 a.m. Friday (July 17) in the Lutz-Tampa Palms area.

The boundaries are the Pasco County line to the north, U.S. Highway 41 to the west, West Bearss Avenue to the south, and Interstate 75/Bruce B. Downs Boulevard to the east.

Workers will spray the pesticide Dibrom 14 from a Bell 206 helicopter, at about 300 feet above ground level.  Call (813) 635-5400.

Shoe drive to benefit shoe charity going on now

Lutz residents can recycle gently worn shoes to help the shoeless to Christ Cumberland Presbyterian Church, 19501 Holly Lane through June 28.

The shoes will be given to Soles4Souls, a charity group that provides shoes to those in need.

People and companies interested in donating also can visit giveshoes.org. Call Rev. Mike Laperche, Christ Cumberland Presbyterian Church (813) 909-9789.

Police raids aimed at illegal street racing in St. Petersburg — and those watching the races

Many of the tickets for watching street races in St. Petersburg went to residents living outside of the city including to Cape Coral, Dade City, Fort Lauderdale, Lutz, Plant City, Tampa and Valrico residents. A recent Freedom High School graduate also was issued a citation.

A photo gallery of the crackdown is here.

From the Times:

By Jamal Thalji

ST. PETERSBURG --First came the wheelies.

Two motorcycles sped back and forth along Fourth Street N as Saturday turned into Sunday. The riders leaned back on their back wheels, showing off as hundreds watched along the road.

Then two Honda Civics spun their tires in the northbound lanes. It was the night's first race.

A beat-up coupe in primer gray flew down the road after them. The tires smoked and screeched as the driver executed a high-speed skid, spinning 180 degrees through a U-turn. Drifting was popular with the night's crowd.

But then Fourth Street N has always been a place to see and be seen. Of course, no one is allowed to race, or pop a wheelie, or park on the side of the road until the sun comes up. They do it anyway.

The crowd cheered as the gray coupe whipped by again, the rear end missing them by mere feet.

Then they were all running for their cars.

Police cruisers raced down the interstate ramp, lights flashing, to block the roadway. Suddenly Fourth Street N was like a mall parking lot on Christmas Eve.

Officers blocked the north end and any hopes of escape onto I-275. But as the drivers turned to flee south to Gandy Boulevard, it dawned on them that it's a trap.

More red and blue lights flashed in the distance.

Busted.

• • •

As the Courtney Campbell Parkway is to Clearwater, so too is Fourth Street N to St. Petersburg: a haven for two- and four-wheeled recklessness.

The stretch of Fourth from I-275 to the Inlet Bay at Gateway apartment complex is flat and straight, four lanes surrounded by nothing but grass and water.

It's a popular fishing spot, but better known as a hangout, especially for the car culture crowd.

But the complaints have been piling up again. The roadway is a public nuisance and a disaster waiting to happen, said St. Petersburg police Sgt. Karl Lounge.

"There's a complete disregard for safety," he said. "You've got vehicles completely sliding out of control. A motorcycle popping a wheelie at 80, 90 mph has no control. And the entire street is lined up with pedestrians standing up in the roadway."

Earlier in the month, officers had swooped in and arrested four people on misdemeanor racing charges. Hundreds of spectators tried to scurry away. But it was too late.

Undercover officers had already videotaped their license plates. Days later, 130 drivers got $30 parking tickets in the mail. The signs there warn that it's illegal to park along Fourth Street N from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m.

But police changed tactics on Saturday and Sunday — and targets. This time they aimed for the spectators. Street racing is a crime, but watching one also carries its own penalty.

Being a spectator to street racing is a civil infraction, a $151 ticket and three points placed against a driver's license.

• • •

The crowd swelled by the minute as midnight approached. They were mostly young, some middle-aged. There even was a 12-year-old kid with his dad.

The air was hot and humid, and thick with paranoia. Everyone was still spooked from the last raid. Many believed a Times reporter and photographer were actually cops.

They covered their license plate tags with towels and bits of cardboard. It seemed to be the only lesson gleaned from getting those tickets in the mail.

The trap was sprung at 1:20 a.m. Sunday. Soon thick lines of small imports and pickup trucks stretched at least a mile.

Angel Rosa, 18, just graduated from Freedom High School in New Tampa. He voiced a common excuse: He was just passing by.

Rosa said he was on his way to Derby Lane and wasn't there for the races. He and his friends leaned against his gold 1991 Toyota Corolla, stuck in the middle of the line.

"It's hot, we're getting bit up," he said, "and I'm getting a fine for nothing."

Dozens of people declined to speak with a Times reporter on the record, but their complaints fell along several lines:

Many denied they were watching any racing. Many complained that the police and the state statute were heavy-handed. Some denied the scene was at all dangerous.

Everyone seemed to have this in common, though: No one knew they could be cited just for watching a street race.

And no one had a good excuse.

"Just passing by" was the most common excuse. Some said they didn't know there was street racing going on there.

Some gave up on the line and parked along the trees to hide. But the cops found their vehicles.

Some left their vehicles behind and walked to a 7-Eleven to wait the cops out. But the cops waited.

• • •

The last ticket was written at 4:40 a.m. In 31/2 hours, 221 citations were issued, and one arrest was made for DUI.

Sgt. Terri Hubble's 24 tickets left her massaging her aching fingers. It was the most she had written in one shift in her 20 years on the force.

"My hands will never be the same," she said.

But few went to St. Petersburg residents. Most of the tickets went to cars from Cape Coral, Dade City, Fort Lauderdale, Lutz, Plant City, Tampa and Valrico.

Police know it's a temporary solution. The racers will just move on to the causeway, or either end of the Gandy Bridge, or that spot along 28th Street N the motorcycle crowd favors.

But as the sun rose Sunday, Fourth Street N was finally clear.

"The ultimate goal is to make that stretch of roadway safer," Lounge said. "If the racers choose to go somewhere else, we'll deal with that then."

Transit talk

Find out the county's transportation future at either of these meetings from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.:

• Today (June 23) at the Lutz Community Center, 98 First Ave. NW

• On Wednesday (June 24) at the University Area Community Center, 14013 N 22nd St.

Call (813) 272-5920 or visit hillsboroughmpo.org.

Neicy, boxer puppy rescued from Lutz bathroom, is doing well

From the Times:

By Kim Wilmath

LUTZ — A puppy rescued from a Lutz apartment bathroom is eating, drinking, barking and wagging her tail, said Animal Services spokeswoman Marti Ryan.

"She feels really good," Ryan said of Neicy, a 6-week-old, 4-pound boxer. "She's unbelievable."

Ryan said Neicy soon should be ready to move out of the Animal Services veterinary office and in with a foster family, though she didn't know yet who will take her in.

Ryan also couldn't say whether Neicy will have any permanent damage from the experience. She was locked in a bathroom without food or water for two weeks. A dead poodle was found in the bathroom with her.

It's unclear why the dogs were abandoned. The tenant in the apartment at the Preserve at Deere Park has not returned calls from Animal Services, Ryan said, and no arrests have been made. The case is under investigation.

Read previous coverage here.