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Fortune-tellers

This is the time when we typically look at the year that is passing and recap the events that changed us, shaped our communities or piqued our curiosity. We scrapped that in favor of more important questions What challenges will we face in 2007? How will our communities change? We put those questions to a group of your neighbors. A produce broker. A pastor. A high school senior. A real estate agent. A Christian activist. A college president. A high school principal. A development consultant. A neighborhood organizer. Here are their predictions for 2007.

By Saundra Amrhein, Ben Montgomery, Helen Anne Travis, Andrew Meacham and S. I. Rosenbaum
Published December 29, 2006

Agriculture

WILLIAM CRUZ, pastor of Good Samaritan Mission in Balm, where many farm workers seek assistance

I'm very hopeful that the new political situation with the United States probably will make it possible for a solution to the undocumented (immigrant) situation. ... I believe this is something that will be accomplished and one of the first things Congress will deal with at the start of the year.

I think it will be a tremendous blessing for people (now) living with a bad feeling when you feel yourself trapped, when you fear a gloomy future that means no jobs and no way to show yourself in public because you are undocumented. ... You will not have a source of guilt inside of you but the pride of someone who can work without being watched and scared.

If you are able to work and aren't relying on fake papers, imagine what that could mean. The (border) wall will not stop undocumented people from crossing the border. Why? Because we need them. We can't solve our agriculture needs without them.

Education 

PRIYA MODI, Brandon, senior in the International Baccalaureate program at King High School in Tampa 

Rumors have been flying about the possible changes to the next school year, but the School District of Hillsborough County has confirmed its decision to lengthen the upcoming summer break, and every summer break, by nearly a month. Students will relish the change, as it will allow them to enjoy their vacation thoroughly while still finishing their summer homework. High school students with seasonal jobs will especially appreciate the extension because it means more hours at their jobs and more money earned before school starts again.

However, the other consequences of this decision will be less welcome. To make up for the extra days during the summer and maintain the school year, the School Board has decided to eliminate some nonstudent, nonteacher holidays [during] the year. Students tend to keep count of the number of days until their next day off because they provide a mental break from school and the workload. Without these days, students will be worked to their potential, but may go for weeks without a break to rest their minds.

Agriculture

GARY WISHNATZKI, Plant City produce broker and president of Wishnatzki Farms

I am sure our industry trade organizations will be keeping a watchful eye on the new Congress and the legislation that is proposed. The agriculture industry recognizes the need for border security, but it is important that any new laws, rules or regulations are not overly burdensome on our growers. Growers need a revamped guest worker program that will match employers' needs with the immigrant workforce.

We'll also be using new technology on the field next year. The California strawberry industry has been revolutionized in the past three years by the use of harvest machines in Ventura County. The machine has a platform with two large conveyor belts stretching across the rows of strawberries. Pickers pick the fruit by hand like they do now. The time-saving aspect comes from the workers not having to walk in and out of the field with finished flats. They place their finished flats on the conveyor in front of them. In California, the growers who use them have reduced the need for labor by about one-third.

Real Estate

STEVE PURIFOY, real estate agent Re/Max Realty Unlimited in Brandon  

Interest rates are the lowest we've seen them in some time. That's going to help us with the buyers who are on the sidelines. They're going to be getting into the marketplace and that's going to fuel us the next year. It won't affect value, but it will inject people into the market. That shift has already started to occur at the lower price levels.

The job market is very healthy. There are still a lot of relocations coming in and there are lots of positive things happening. That will continue so long as builders stay out of the market. But prices won't start going back up until 2008 because of the inventory. Permit numbers are already indicating that the pace of new building is down, even though everywhere you drive new subdivisions are popping up. That was pre-planned construction.

Politics 

TERRY KEMPLE, local Christian activist affiliated with Bell Shoals Baptist Church in Brandon 

I think we're going to see more of a focus on schools and on the School Board. As people become more aware of the social engineering being done in the schools, they're taking more notice and becoming more involved.

For example, the state curriculum guideline in terms of sexual education is clearly stated to be abstinence until marriage and a promotion of the benefits of monogamous heterosexual marriage. Yet in the Hillsborough School District and others, the administration or school district leaders are getting away from that foundational tenet ... I think we'll see some light focused on that, and hopefully we'll see some change - that the School Board will specifically move to establish this school district's policy as abstinence until marriage.

Also, ordinances on adult businesses and bikini bars ... are in the litigation process These businesses are about making money and, when it becomes more clearly defined that those things aren't legal, the vast amounts of money going into these businesses will diminish and then the desirability of opening these business will go away.

Education 

KATRINA BRADY, program director at neighborhood improvement group Palm River POINT and mother of seven

Well, hopefully the FCAT will go away. It's just too stressful on the children. I'm not speaking of my kids. I'm speaking about other kids. We prepare for it at my church: teachers come in and go over the material with the children. But school needs to just be regular school, like it was. A lot of kids are stressed out about it, it's hard on them preparing for that test.

Locally, we're trying to do a lot of development in Palm River and make it look better, bringing more small business into the community. Hopefully, they'll get that up and running. To see different stores here would be good. You have to drive into Brandon for the good stores.

We've seen a nice rise in the Latino and African-American students we are serving. And now, partly with state help, we got funding for four new faculty positions including a mathematician, sociologist and an English professor.

I see us doing more on an on-campus basis. We have a good working relationship with the Brandon Chamber of Commerce and we plan on continuing to build that relationship. While the state and local economy may not be growing by leaps and bounds, I still see growth in the economy. Maybe a slowing down is not a huge setback, but a chance to catch our breath and simply to keep up with all of the changes that are happening in our community.

The biggest job is keeping up with the increased demand for additional adult classes with the student population growing on campus. Things like parking are becoming nightmare situations.

Development 

MICHAEL D. HORNER, president, Horner and Associates, a consultant for numerous large developments in Hillsborough county 

I don't think there's any question that concurrency is going to be critical for guiding development. (Concurrency rules require new roads, lighting and other necessities to be built at the same time as a new development.) The county seems to use a strict interpretation of the ordinance, yet gives developers no detail on how to apply the standards.

We are now having to tell sellers that in what used to be a five- to seven-month process that we have to extend contracts for a year and a half or longer to make sure we have a project to be built. Developers are trying to find a project that has a profit margin to it to make it feasible in a rapidly changing marketplace with major uncertainty.

On the plus side, buyers are looking for opportunities to purchase office space instead of renting it. Corner retail outlets like Walgreens and Starbucks are still doing fairly well. Developers are looking at condo-hotel arrangements, mixed-use creative deals, and proximity to major employment and market centers.

Education 

CLETO "SUNDAY" CHAZARES, principal, South County Career Center, a vocational high school in Ruskin

We're going through quite a number of changes to make sure we are keeping pace with (state mandates) limiting the numbers of students per class. That in itself, along with teacher shortages and not being able to keep up with infrastructure, is going to be a challenge.

It's not so much a disruption for students, but we have to find ways as teachers and administrators to cope with the changes that are going to come our way and have to be good soldiers and deal with it. In the school, we need to continue to show appreciation for teachers and give them internal incentives that don't have to be monetary. It can be something like a nice card or saying "Have a nice day," or rewarding them with compensatory time.

[Last modified December 28, 2006, 08:55:11]