The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

B.C. Manion

Pasco names a new libraries director

By

A familiar face is returning to Pasco County Libraries to assume leadership of the nationally recognized branch of county government.

The Pasco County Commission on June 20 confirmed the appointment of Sean McGarvey to the top post, at an annual salary of $125,000.

Cathy Pearson, an assistant county administrator who oversees the county’s libraries, introduced McGarvey to the board.

The Land O’ Lakes Branch Library, at 2818 Collier Parkway, in Land O’ Lakes, attracts patrons from across the county. It underwent a complete renovation that includes a new look, updated technology and more meeting spaces. (File)

“He worked with us from 2013 to 2019, as one of our library administrators,” she said. 

Pearson told the board that McGarvey has considerable library experience and IT knowledge. He left for a four-year stint to work at Hillsborough Public Libraries and is now returning to Pasco to serve as the library system’s director.

During his previous experience in Pasco, McGarvey led library operations projects including contract negotiations, grant execution, major IT system upgrades, personnel management, collection development, and facilities safety and security, according to background information in the board’s agenda packet.
He has also helped plan, fund and execute a general obligation bond vote campaign with Pasco County administration to remodel all county libraries in 2018.

McGarvey has collaborated with a number of organizations to implement new internal and external partnerships, including creating Pasco County’s first drone program, a first-in-the-nation library robotics team and a grant to distribute laptops to families in need.

The county board voted 5-0 to confirm McGarvey’s selection.

Pasco County Commissioner Seth Weightman told McGarvey he agreed with sentiments that were previously expressed by his colleague, Commissioner Kathryn Starkey.

Weightman would like to see a rebranding of the county’s library system, with an emphasis of maximizing their potential.

“What is a library today? What kind of resources can it bring? What kind of out-of-the-box thinking can we use these fantastic facilities for?” Weightman said. “What can we do to take our library system to the next level?”

Starkey said she’d like McGarvey to visit AmSkills, which focuses on equipping people with skills needed by today’s workforce. She’d also like McGarvey to revive the robotics team and spread it across the county.

Starkey said she thinks the county’s libraries need to be renamed, to reflect their role as community centers.

She’d also like to see an expansion of their use.

“Why not have more activities at these centers on the weekends and in the evenings?”

“We can do a lot more on these properties,” she said, adding she’d like to see playgrounds added at each library.

Starkey said she’d be interested in hearing what McGarvey learned in Hillsborough County that can be brought to Pasco.

The updated Land O’ Lakes Branch Library, at 2818 Collier Parkway, in Land O’ Lakes, features an ample space for children’s activities.

The Florida Libraries Association (FLA) recently named the Pasco County Libraries system as the state’s Library of the Year, during the 2023 FLA awards ceremony.

On its website, the FLA reported that: “The Pasco County Library System provides innovative services, materials, programs, instructional classes, and informational events relevant to their populations.

“Most notably, the creative development of their library spaces has earned them the Library of the Year award. 

“An ambitious makerspace initiative with heavy citizen input has added a custom makerspace to almost every library branch in the system. From ‘The Foundry’ woodshop at the Land O’ Lakes Library to the ‘Regency Fresh Test Kitchen’ in New Port Richey, citizens now have open access spaces to gather, learn new skills, and share ideas. 

“The system’s newest branch, the Starkey Ranch Theatre Library Cultural Center (in Odessa) has multiple makerspaces and a 250-seat theater shared with the K-8 school next door.

“These unique spaces and their top-quality staff promote access to information, community, education, and culture throughout Pasco County and provide a blueprint of the 21st century Florida library.”

McGarvey said he actually shared ideas from Pasco with Hillsborough’s library system.

Noting the Pasco library system’s success, Commissioner Ron Oakley said he’ll be interested in seeing how McGarvey builds on that.

Oakley also noted how important the county’s libraries are to its residents.

Whenever one is closed for renovations, patrons can’t wait for them to reopen, Oakley said. He pointed to the Hugh Embry Branch Library in Dade City, as a recent example.

Published July 04, 2023

Sharing an insider’s look at building a hospital

By

BayCare Hospital Wesley Chapel opened in March, and Becky Schulkowski, the hospital’s president, recently discussed the various challenges that go into opening a new hospital during the breakfast meeting of the North Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce. (FILE)

When it comes to opening a new hospital, there are millions of details to consider.

Just ask Becky Schulkowski, president of BayCare Hospital Wesley Chapel, 

“If somebody had told me what it was really like to open a hospital, I’d have thought twice about accepting the job. It was the hardest, most stressful and most incredible thing I’ve ever done in my career,” Schulkowski told the crowd at a recent North Tampa Bay Chamber breakfast meeting.

There are challenges one might not consider.

For instance, when a hospital is under construction, since it’s not possible to be in the building yet, visualizing how the building will function is key, she said.

“You have to think of everything  you’re going to do in the building,” she said.

So, it’s a matter of taking printed floor plans and attempting to convert them, mentally, into three-dimensional spaces, and then to include the patient’s perspective, while figuring out how the building will function, she explained.

“How is the patient going to come into our ER? Once they do, how are we going to get them to that MRI? How are we going to get them upstairs?

“I am not a creative type, so it was extremely difficult for me to take those printed plans and try to visualize what it really meant,” Schulkowski added.

To help prepare for patients, staff began working in the building in December.

That gave them time to practice how the building would be used.

“We drilled and we trained and we literally had people in stretchers and we pushed them through the hallways and we were like, ‘No, you actually can’t get there from here, we’ve got to do it a different way.’”

It was a lot of figuring it out, the hospital leader said.

“You think you know how it’s going to work, then you get in the building — you realize you have to change it. The patients show up and you realize, you have to tweak it some more,” she said.

It also was important to set the right tone, she added.

Becky Schulkowski, president of BayCare Hospital Wesley Chapel, is seen here during BayCare Wesley Chapel’s community open house. (FILE)

“As we were introducing BayCare to the community, the very first thing I wanted our community to see is our values, and our commitment of taking care of the community,” she said.

There’s a sculpture in a prominent spot outside of the building etched with the words representing BayCare’s values.

“Dignity, excellence, respect, responsibility, and trust — that’s what you can expect when you come to a BayCare facility,” the hospital executive said.

When people arrive at the hospital, she wants them to feel at ease.

“We put a lot of thought into what the facility looked like, what you feel when you walk in.

“I’ve been working in hospitals and health care for over 20 years. I walk into a hospital, it feels like home.

“Most people don’t feel that way. (For) most people coming into a hospital — it’s unnerving. You’re scared. Your family member is sick. Maybe it’s some kind of emergency, having surgery.

“We wanted to make you feel calm, welcomed and that we were going to take care of you,” she said.

Having the right team is crucial, too, Schulkowski said.

The hospital president and the other three members of her executive team represent a total of more than 70 combined years in BayCare’s system, she said.

“We spent a lot of time as a leadership team: How are we going to embody that every single day? We did a lot of work on visioning and culture building.

“We had set questions for every single team member interview that we did, because if you were going to work at BayCare Hospital Wesley Chapel, you had to have the same mindset of the leadership team and give that most incredible care to every person who sets foot in our building,” she said.

The talent acquisition team used social media to attract applicants and held a hiring fair. The hospital was able to meet its hiring needs of slightly more than 270 full-time equivalent positions, which works out to about 350 individual people including part-time and labor pool roles.

It helped that the hospital is part of the BayCare system. About 45% of Schulkowski’s staff came from another BayCare location.

“I think one of the things that worked in our favor is that we were the shiny new building. Everybody wants to come and work in the shiny new building, right?”

BayCare Hospital Wesley Chapel

Where: 4501 Bruce B. Downs Blvd., Wesley Chapel

Quick facts:

  • Opened March 7
  • 318,000-square-foot building on a 40-acre site
  • 86 private rooms, including 12 intensive care unit beds,
  • 20 Emergency Room beds.
  • Cost: $246 million

Details: BayCare Wesley Chapel offers comprehensive medical services and health care resources, including an emergency department, an intensive care unit with virtual-monitoring beds, diagnostic services such as imaging and lab, and surgical services. Patient rooms are Alexa-enabled. Patients can ask Alexa to play music, turn on the TV, turn off the TV; raise the blinds, lower the blinds; change the temperature; and, of course, call the nurse.

Published on June 28, 2023.

New rules apply to wireless devices in schools

By

Stock art

Pasco County Schools has adopted a new policy relating to wireless communications devices.

In essence, the policy requires:

  • Students in pre-kindergarten through fifth grade keep their wireless communication devices (WCDs) on silent mode and completely out of view for the entire school day.
  • Students in grades six through eight keep their devices on silent mode and out of view throughout the school day, except for during the student’s lunch period, or when expressly authorized by a classroom teacher for a specific instructional activity.
  • Students in grades nine through 12 keep their devices on silent mode and out of sight for the entire school day, except for during the student’s lunch period, in between class periods or as expressly authorized by a classroom teacher for a specific instructional activity.

As defined by the board’s policy, WCDs include peripheral devices such as headphones, earbuds and watches.

The school board adopted the policy at its June 20 meeting.

Materials in the board’s agenda packet note “the board is aware that WCDs are used by students and parents to communicate with each other. However, the use of WCDs on school grounds must be appropriately regulated to protect students, staff and the learning environment.”

The background materials added: “Whether intentional or not, WCDs can remove students socially, intellectually and emotionally from being present while at school or when involved with school-related activities.

“The district wants all students to have the greatest opportunity for face-to-face engagement with their teachers and peers, as not being presently focused can increase social and academic isolation issues. In addition, while the use of social media can be intentional and positive, it can also be used in a way that causes others to feel left out, judged, anxious and targeted. “Unfortunately, WCDs can also be used by students to initiate and perpetuate inappropriate and/or unlawful conduct that can disrupt the orderly operation of schools and jeopardize the health, safety and welfare of others in the school community,” the agenda materials say.

School board member Colleen Beaudoin raised objections to the part of the policy that prohibits elementary teachers from allowing students to wireless devices in connection with specific lessons.

But Superintendent Kurt Browning said, “There’s no need to have elementary school students with cell phones. It is incredibly rare that you will have a teacher in elementary school that is engaging kids on their personal devices.”

Initially, the superintendent said, “I wanted a scorched-earth approach — which is no cell phones anywhere, pre-K/12. That’s where I started.

“I became a little more lenient in middle school, which is grades six through eight, by saying, you can have them at lunch. And, in high school, I became a wee bit more lenient by saying you can have them not only at lunch, but also at passing (between class periods), but in no circumstances, will you take them out, whether you’re in first grade, or fifth grade, or sixth grade or 12th grade during instructional time,” he said.

The district is “spending an incredible amount of resources on support and supporting schools and curriculum,” Browning said. It has invested in instructional assistants, tutors and materials aimed at helping turn students around, he said.

“Yet, we have kids in some of our classrooms that stay wed to these things (WCDs),” Browning said.

But Beaudoin said she sees no reason to prevent elementary teachers from using the tool, when appropriate.

“I think we should treat our teachers as the professionals that they are and why would we take away an option from teachers who are using technology effectively?” Beaudoin said.

She thinks the policy sends the wrong message to elementary school teachers.

Browning responded: “At no time, when we crafted this policy, did I, as superintendent, or staff, want to impugn the professionalism of our staff or teachers in pre-K/5. That was never the case.”

Rather, he said, the focus was on the potential harm that wireless devices can cause.

Published on June 28, 2023.

Premier Soccer FC scores honor for excellence

By

The Pasco County Commission recently honored the accomplishments of Florida Premier FC, an organization that’s been operating in the county for 44 years. From left are: Pasco County Commissioner Ron Oakley; Kristin Russell (goalkeeping director); Danielle Fotopoulos (elite clubs national league director); Pasco Commission Chairman Jack Mariano; Nathan Binder (soccer director); Ljubo Korda (girls director); Bosho Maric (chief operating officer); Pasco Commissioner Seth Weightman and Pasco Commissioner Kathryn Starkey. (Courtesy of Florida Premier FC)

In the beginning, Florida Premier FC was a small recreational neighborhood club, known as the West Pasco Soccer Association.

That was back in 1979, when the club was relatively unknown.

Since then, it has grown into one of the nation’s most successful youth soccer organizations, giving youths an opportunity to play recreational and competitive soccer — while at the same time giving the athletes an opportunity to develop a work ethic, form relationships and stay fit, according to a recently adopted resolution by the Pasco County Commission.

“Florida Premier FC strives to develop future leaders by teaching kids teamwork, respect, and values in a positive training environment, while developing necessary skills to have a successful future on and off the field,” according to the county board’s resolution, adopted on June 6.

The resolution details many of the soccer organization’s accomplishments.

For instance, “Florida Premier FC has proudly sent over 40 players to play NCAA soccer on athletic scholarships this year and has placed over 400 of their players in college as student athletes,” it says.

The organization also “hosts teams from all over the United States every weekend, invests in the community, and has a positive economic impact on Pasco County,” the resolution notes.

Beyond that, its soccer programs are highly successful.

“The boys and girls programs are ranked No. 1 in the state and Florida Premier FC

currently has seven teams competing for the national title at the highest youth soccer competition,” according to the resolution.

In addition to its tournaments, “Florida Premier FC provides a low-cost recreational soccer program so that all families have the opportunity to involve their children in the sport while also providing over $100,000 in hardship and scholarship money every year to kids in Pasco County,” the resolution says.

Florida Premier FC also hosts a no-cost program for disabled children in Pasco and provides free clinics in the community six times each year. Plus, it works with multiple nonprofit organizations, hosts fundraising events, and gives soccer balls to schools, according to the resolution.

Pasco County Commission Chairman Jack Mariano told his colleagues that his daughter knew she wouldn’t pursue playing Division 1 soccer, but enjoyed competing.

“She made the most of that opportunity,” he said.

“I will say the training, the camaraderie of going into a tournament and winning — the thrill of that is phenomenal,” Mariano said.

“Sports is just a great thing for the families. It’s great for the kids. It keeps them busy. It keeps them out of trouble. It keeps them motivated. It leads to great things to happen,” Mariano added.

The county board chairman was impressed by the number of scholarships associated with Premier Soccer FC.

“That’s phenomenal. I salute all of the work that you do,” Mariano said.

Nathan Bender, director of soccer at Florida Premier, responded to the board’s recognition.

“On behalf of Florida Premier, we want to thank the county commission — Kathryn Starkey, Jack Mariano, Seth Weightman, Ron Oakley and Gary Bradford — for all of you, and what you guys do, to elevate and push Pasco County forward, as the premier county in Florida.”

He thanked the county’s Parks and Recreation department, specifically mentioning Keith Wiley, Brian Taylor and their team.

“Without this team, we literally would not be able to do what we do,” Bender said.

Soccer players compete on a field at the Starkey Ranch District Park. Florida Premier FC, which began in 1979 as a small neighborhood club, hosts scores of soccer tournaments throughout the year. It has been instrumental in putting Pasco on the map among national soccer circles. (Courtesy of Mike Moore)

“They provided a world-class facility for our players and families to play on and impacted thousands of kids’ lives.

“We want to thank (County Administrator) Mike Carballa and (Assistant County Administrator) Cathy Pearson for all of the support to the club, and the community.”

He also expressed appreciation for the county’s tourism arm, Florida’s Sports Coast, and Adam Thomas, the county’s director of tourism and Consuelo Sanchez, sports development and tourism manager.

Each weekend, Florida Premier FC brings 80 teams and more than 5,000 people to Pasco County, Bender said.

“On a monthly basis, this brings in an impressive 360 teams and 20,480 people into our county.

“Over the course of a year, which is a 10-month season for us, our contributions are even more  impactful, with this year, 3,600 teams coming and 204,800 individuals coming to Pasco to play Florida Premier.

“We’re honored to consistently showcase the potential and the allure of Pasco County to all of those attending.

“We know that none of this impact would be possible without our partnership with Florida Sports Coast and with you,” Bender told the commissioners.

Florida Premier FC has come a long way since its inception at Mitchell Field, as just a small neighborhood club with a few teams, he said.

“We’ve been lucky enough to grow into one of the most successful and largest youth organizations in the entire country, and in the past year, have represented USA on an international stage, as well.

“As a non-for-profit club, as you mentioned, our mission is to serve the community in any way that we can.

“We want to enhance the lives of every member of Pasco County, through the beautiful game of soccer, through community engagement and through helping change young people’s lives, on and off the field.

“Each year, the club has been able to give over $100,000 in scholarships to players and families that are experiencing financial hardships and ensuring these young men and women can pursue their dreams and experience their dreams.

“We’ve been lucky enough to send 40 players this year alone, to play on an academic scholarship and continue their dream of playing collegiate soccer.

“This year we have 150-plus seniors graduating that will go on to attend university and colleges, many are the first person in their family to attend university and college,” Bender said.

Bender said he also appreciates the work that’s done by the Florida Premier FC board of directors to foster the organization’s success.

Pasco County Commissioner Kathryn Starkey noted that years ago, when her daughter wanted to play Division 1 soccer, she was forced elsewhere for training because there weren’t any opportunities in Pasco.

That’s no longer true today.

Published on June 28, 2023.

Voter-backed salary increases expected to start soon in Pasco schools

By

Pasco County Schools and the United School Employees of Pasco have reached an agreement on how funds from a voter-backed tax increase will be used to raise salaries for non-administrative district employees.

Payment of the salary supplements is expected to begin with the start of the eligible employees’ 2023-2024 work calendars on or after July 1, according to information in the Pasco County School Board’s June 20 agenda packet.

The approved plans outline how to distribute these funds to eligible teachers and school-related personnel (SRPs) for the 2023-2024 school year.

The school district also developed a plan for the distribution of a proportional share of these funds to eligible district employees who are not represented by the union.

For the 2023-2024 school year, approximately $53,470,000 of referendum revenue will be generated based on a 1 mil levy of the projected 2023 Pasco County tax roll, according to district calculations, according to the agenda packet materials.

Assuming a maximum collection rate of 96%, establishing 5% reserve for fund balance and providing eligible charter schools with their proportional share of funds, the district estimates that $43,880,000 will be available to provide non-recurring salary supplements, including mandatory employer deductions for the district’s non-administrative employees.

By providing a proportional share of funds to each of the eligible employee groups, an estimated $28,860,000 will be provided for instructional employees, $10,410,000 for SRP employees, $3,730,000 for non-instructional, non-bargaining employees and $880,000 for professional-technical employees, the background materials say.

On another salary-related matter, the board and the union are expected to soon begin the traditional annual negotiations process for the 2023-2024 school year.

In other action, the board discussed two new tools the district intends to use to help improve communications with parents and bus safety.

The first tool — called “Where’s the bus?” — is an app allowing parents to see where their student’s bus is located. The board also expects to eventually have cards students can use to check onto and off of the bus.

“We know with our driver shortage we do have a lot of late buses in our system. We’ve worked hard on making sure that we’re connecting our routing system with our communication. This would then ramp that up and provide additional communication,” said Betsy Kuhn, assistant superintendent for support services.

The district also wants to improve its use of data to make its bus routing more efficient. By having daily counts, the district will have better information to use when making routing decisions, Kuhn said.

The district also plans to install a more sophisticated video system on its buses, which also will have additional features, Kuhn said. The system will provide reliable video and additional capabilities that are intended to enhance the district’s safety efforts.

Published on June 28, 2023.

Saddlebrook Resort appears poised for massive makeover

By

In its heyday, Saddlebrook Resort enjoyed an international reputation for excellence, and attracted luminaries from the worlds of professional golf and tennis to compete and train there.

Those glory days diminished over time, as fewer resources were invested in the property, which is located off State Road 54, east of Interstate 75.

The current owner, Miami-based Mast Capital — who purchased the resort from original owner Tom Dempsey — has proposed a redevelopment plan it says will recapture Saddlebook’s potential to be a world-class resort.

Mast’s initial plans faced a wall of resistance.

The Pasco County Commission will consider a Saddlebrook redevelopment proposal on July 11.(File)

Over time — through 30-plus private, community, public, in-person and virtual meetings — Mast has changed its plans and opposition decreased.

Efforts continue by some Saddlebrook residents and their attorney to push for additional concessions and more assurances, but the gap between the two sides is considerably smaller.

Issues involving the request were thoroughly discussed during the June 8 meeting of the Pasco County Planning Commission, which makes recommendations to the county board relating to land use and zoning requests.

“We’ve done a lot of work since we were here in January. We’ve had a lot of meetings over time,” Barbara Wilhite, an attorney representing Mast told the planning board.

“We’ve worked very hard on a private deed restriction,” Wilhite said, noting that will ensure that golf course land would remain golf course land.

“Every home in Saddlebrook that is now on a golf course is still on a golf course and maintains their view,” said Jordan Kornberg, managing director and head of acquisitions for Mast.

The company has agreed to a binding concept plan and to phasing conditions that are intended to give Saddlebrook residents assurances that the company will be making an investment in the resort itself, not just redeveloping land along State Road 54 into a mixture of apartments, town homes, office and retail uses.

“We’ve ensured that ultimately, for development to happen, we need to make a significant commitment to the improvement of the resort to ensure that ultimately Saddlebrook will be improved and receive the investment that we all know it needs,” Kornberg said.

In broad strokes, Mast’s redevelopment plan has four parts: two areas are within Saddlebrook’s gated community and two are outside, flanking State Road 54.

Area 1 and Area 2 are outside of the gated community.

The plans for Area 1 call for 75,000 square feet of commercial retail/office, 465 multifamily units and 35 townhomes.

The plans for Area 2 call for 25,000 square feet of commercial retail/office and 120 townhomes.

Area 3 and Area 4 are within the existing resort community.

Plans for Area 3 address tennis courts, parking, the renovation of the clubhouse and resort area.

Plans for Area 4 call for the redesigned golf courses and relocation of the driving range, which currently fronts State Road 54.

The developer also has committed to improvements aimed at increasing the access points into and out of Saddlebrook, to address additional traffic the redevelopment will create.

Eran Landry, a managing director of Mast said: “Our intention is to really enhance what is out there today.

“The community has been very vocal about wanting to make sure that it feels good as you come in,” he said.

Plans call for the village center to have retail on the ground floor, with offices on the upper floors.

Planning board member Chris Poole asked Mast if some parking could be placed under apartment buildings, to reduce the amount of surface parking.

But Landry responded: “The economics doesn’t work.”

Wilhite said that Mast will commit to an enhanced landscaping plan.

Larry Barbetta, of the Save Saddlebrook Coalition, said he doesn’t want to minimize the progress that’s been made.

However, he said some gaps remain.

“Specifically, we need better commitments on the resort renovations, in terms of the scope of the renovations and the timing,” Barbetta said.

Concerns also continue over the amount and type of development that would be added and the amount of traffic it would create, he said.

Barbetta wondered if it would be possible to shift some of the proposed density to another area of the plan.

But Wilhite said “the design is village-focused. It’s the density that you need to have a village.

“If you drive around Pasco you’ll notice that we have mostly anchor-based retail, with outparcels. It’s all auto-dependent. It serves people driving by.

“When you try to create a village center, you need density.”

“You have restaurants where people want to stay and eat outside and listen to music, and you have festivals and markets. The density is very important for people to have those kinds of businesses,” she said.

Jane Graham, attorney for the Save Saddlebrook Coalition, told the planning board: “We’re getting really close, but we’re not there yet. There are continuing issues as far as the density and the compatibility of land use.”

But planning board chairman Charles Grey noted that it’s important to keep in mind that Mast’s investment is needed for the overall common good.

“From all of the reports that I’ve heard, Saddlebrook needs somebody to come in there and put some money into it.

“These people seem to be making a monumental effort in working with you,” Grey told Graham.

“If somebody is going to come and try to rescue Saddlebrook, give them something. They’ve got to have a carrot, too.

“You have to think for the greater good of everybody in there,” Grey said.

At the same time, Grey complimented both the applicants and the community for being willing to work together to iron out differences.

“You’ve come a long way. I think you’re almost there.

“I think we’ve got to do what we can to push it over the edge because if you lose out on this investor, who knows when the next one might come along, especially in this market,” Grey said.

Published June 21, 2023

Shuffle of road work priorities ruffles feathers in Zephyrhills

By

A project to address congestion near downtown Zephyrhills had been ranked fourth on the proposed Pasco County Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) project priority list.

But it dropped to eighth place on the list after a discussion during the MPO board’s May meeting.

That action drew a response from the City of Zephyrhills during the MPO board’s meeting on June 8.

Lance Smith, a city councilman from Zephyrhills, said he’s not sure the Pasco MPO board should change the priority of projects that were ranked using a matrix to establish their place on the list.

Todd Vande Berg, planning director for the City of Zephyrhills, asked the board to reconsider its decision and restore the priority list to its original order.

“So, we heard there was some discussion about flipping the 301 rankings and placing some higher priority on the 301 project, south of town, down to 56,” Vande Berg said, during the public comment portion of the board meeting.

“The city has some concerns about this and we wanted to share some of those concerns.

“Not only has the project through town, through Zephyrhills, been on the project list for a couple decades, we’ve been patiently waiting for the State Road 52 project to get done,” Vande Berg said.

“Without these major road improvements, sidewalks, roads, lighting for safety, it’s kind of stymied our efforts for development and redevelopment.

“Meanwhile, the traffic through town has significantly gotten worse through the past couple decades.

“So, city staff, our city council and businesses are not excited about the ranking being changed,” the planning director said.

He noted that Zephyrhills’ city staff, the city council, the business community and the MPO’s technical advisory committee all recommend sticking to the original order.

Vande Berg also noted that the other project is expected to be addressed relatively soon.

“While there are traffic tie-ups at U.S.301 and State Road 56 during peak hours, Zephyrhills has congestion throughout the day,” he said.

Zephyrhills Councilman  Lance Smith suggested the ranking order could remain the same and that other interim improvements be made to lessen congestion at State Road 56 and U.S. 301.

Smith noted the original rankings were based using a set of criteria for prioritizing projects.

“Why are we changing it?” he asked.

Pasco County Commission Chairman Jack Mariano said the Florida Department of Transportation wants to see both projects done, back-to-back.

“I think they’re both going to fly,” Mariano said.

Pasco County Commissioner Ron Oakley observed: “Zephyrhills right now has three lanes going north and three lanes going south,” he said.

But U.S. 301 has just two lanes in the area near State Road 56, creating a bottleneck.

He’d like to see State Road 56 extended across U.S. 301, down through Crystal Springs and then around toward the Zephyrhills Municipal Airport.

Besides improving the transportation network, it could address stormwater issues in the Crystal Springs area, Oakley said.

Oakley added: “I’m for both (U.S. 301 projects). I just think that bottleneck at the south needs to be opened up or it won’t keep jamming all of that traffic back up to the city.”

Justin Hall, director of transportation development for the District Seven office of the FDOT, offered assurances to Zephyrhills’ officials that FDOT is very interested in improving conditions on U.S. 301.

The Pasco County MPO is the lead transportation planning agency in Pasco County. Its board is made up of the five members of the Pasco County Commission and one elected official from the cities of New Port Richey, Port Richey, Zephyrhills and Dade City.

Published June 21, 2023

Pasco wants to protect its voice in transportation planning

By

On the one hand, forming a regional transportation planning organization could put Tampa Bay in a better position for attracting federal dollars for projects.

On the other, Pasco County officials worry a regional board could put Pasco at a disadvantage in securing transportation dollars to address its needs.

So, for now, the Pasco County Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) is resisting any effort to become part of a regional MPO board.

Board members said they might feel differently if the composition of the new board is made up of equal numbers of county commissioners from Pasco, Pinellas and Hillsborough counties.

The Pasco, Pinellas and Hillsborough transportation planning agencies must participate in preparing a report that lists the pros and cons of creating a regional transportation planning agency, Carl Mikyska, executive director of the Pasco MPO said during its June 8 meeting.

That report must be submitted by Dec. 31 to the Speaker of the House, the Senate President and the Governor, he said.

Under the proposed regional board, Pasco County would have four representatives, Hillsborough County would have 12 and Pinellas County would have nine.

That composition did not sit well with the Pasco MPO’s Citizens Advisory Committee, Technical Advisory Committee or its Bicycle Pedestrian Advisory Committee.

All three expressed concerns that the new approach would diminish Pasco’s voice as it relates to transportation needs and priorities.

The proposed number of representatives on the board is based on the April 1, 2020 U.S. Census figures, Mikyska said.

However, he noted: “We have explosive growth here. We are the fifth fastest-growing county in the nation.”

The topic is expected to be discussed at a regional meeting on June 23, Mikyska said, asking the board to convey their thoughts on the issue.

Board members expressed concerns about Pasco County’s projects securing enough votes to make it to the top of priority lists.

Zephyrhills City Councilman Lance Smith said: “As a small city, my fear is getting lost in the shuffle. We may never get funds for anything, really. I would hope that it would be equitable, but who is the staff going to be?

“I think there’s a lot of questions that need to be answered, on who’s going to staff it.”

Smith also noted that it can be difficult to make it to the top of Pasco’s priority list, let alone a regional list.

MPO board chairman Matt Murphy, who is deputy mayor of New Port Richey, said he doesn’t think that having four votes will work for Pasco County.

Pasco County Commissioner Seth Weightman agreed: “I think we’re all a ‘Hard No’ for four votes.”

Pasco County Commission Chairman Jack Mariano said working together as a region could have significant benefits, in terms of having a greater regional voice and working together on regional transportation issues.

“There’s potential,” Mariano said.

Pasco County Commissioner Ron Oakley said he opposes moving forward with the proposed level of board representation.

“I definitely wouldn’t want this to go forward with this kind of membership,” Oakley said.

Pasco County Commissioner Kathryn Starkey, who was not at the meeting, previously has advocated for a regional approach.

She has said that previous efforts have failed to provide transportation solutions for the region and a regional perspective is needed to address issues that cross governmental boundaries.

David Gwynn, secretary for the Florida Department of Transportation’s District Seven office, also has previously said that establishing a regional MPO may bring more federal dollars to this part of the state.

“With 3.2 million people in an MPO, you’re going to be the largest MPO,” Gwynn said, during a meeting with officials from across the Tampa Bay region earlier this year.

He also said if that happens, then more improvements could be accomplished throughout the region.

The Pasco County MPO is the lead transportation planning agency for Pasco County. Its board is made up of members of the Pasco County Commission and an elected official representing New Port Richey, Port Richey, Zephyrhills and Dade City.

Published June 21, 2023

Supervisor of Elections says Florida’s system is sound

By

As another election season begins to rev up, Pasco County Supervisor of Elections Brian Corley recently talked about election integrity at a North Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce luncheon.

His talk came amidst the backdrop of persistent claims by some that the 2020 presidential election was stolen, continuing court cases involving that election and a $787 million settlement in the Dominion Voting Systems against Fox News.

Despite those controversies, Corley said voters in Pasco and across Florida should have confidence in the integrity of the voting system.

“Florida leads the nation in what we do,” Corley said. “For example, paper ballots — we’ve been using them since 2008. Worst-case scenario, we could always recreate an election.

Pasco County Supervisor of Elections Brian Corley offers assurances that great steps are taken to ensure the integrity of election outcomes, during a speech at a North Tampa Bay Chamber luncheon. (B.C. Manion)

“Some states, they don’t have early voting. Some states, you have to have an affidavit for why you can’t vote by mail. Vote by Mail has become so politicized,” he said.

Under Florida’s system, the ballot is sent at the voter’s request.

“And, when you request it, you have to provide the last four of your social (Social Security) and your driver’s license, so we can match it up. That’s very, very important,” Corley said.

Also, when ballots are mailed, they cannot be forwarded.

“Every election we send out a mass mailing of those who made a request to us, and it comes back to what I refer to as the ‘Trays of sadness,’” Corley said.

The elections supervisor was talking about the mail that returns to his office with yellow stickers on them, because the ballots cannot be forwarded.

People don’t think twice about notifying their bank, their utilities and others when they move, but he added: “I can tell you what they probably didn’t do, they didn’t notify their local Elections Office.”

That can result in a voter being registered in two states, which, in and of itself, isn’t a huge problem, Corley said. But it becomes a serious issue if someone tries to vote in two states.
Corley thinks the improved convenience of voting has helped the process.

“Having early voting, having Vote by Mail is just so, so huge,” he said.

He acknowledged, though, that it has been problematic in some states.

“I knew trouble was brewing in 2020.

“In October, I was talking to my colleagues in Michigan.

“Because of the pandemic, almost half of the votes that were cast were votes by mail,” he said.

His Michigan peer told him: ‘Yea, we’re at record numbers for us, but it’s going to be a problem.’

“I said, ‘What do you mean?’

“She said, ‘By law, we can’t start counting until Election Day.’”

Being unable to begin the count until Election Day meant it would take longer to report the vote, which aroused suspicions among some voters.

Even though Florida’s results weren’t close, Corley said he encountered some of that skepticism.

“I can’t describe the awkwardness of when you have family members that want to re-litigate the election,” Corley said.

He said a relative told him: “Brian, ‘I go to bed and Trump’s winning and I wake up, and Biden’s winning.

“What, in the middle of the night did they dump these votes when no one was looking?’

“I’m like, ‘No.’

“Elections are not over on Election Night. They never have been,” Corley said.

There needs to be time to count provisional ballots and ballots cast by men and women in the military, he said.

“By law you can drop off your Vote by Mail ballot to any one of our offices by 7 p.m. on Election Day,” he said. So, if a voter drops off a ballot in Dade City and it is taken over to New Port Richey, it takes some time to get there, to be verified and counted.

There are other reasons that votes are counted past Election Night, Corley said.

“If you don’t sign your Vote by Mail ballot, or the signature doesn’t match, you’ll have until that Thursday by 5 p.m. to basically prove why it should count.

“Or, if you show up to the polls and you don’t have your ID — we never turn voters away — you get to do a provisional ballot. By law, we can’t even look at those until Thursday at 5 p.m.

“Having those safeguards in place for Vote by Mail is absolutely huge,” he said.

There are other steps that Corley’s office takes to ensure the integrity of the voter rolls.

“We do voter list maintenance every single day,” he said. “People move. People die. People commit felonies.

“After every cycle, we reach out to people we think have moved.

“If you haven’t voted in two cycles, we will get with you and say, ‘What’s the deal?”

“If you don’t vote, you’ve got to return the form to us. If you don’t, then you get a second notice. Then, if you don’t do that form, you get put on inactive,” he said.

Before elections are held, election equipment is tested.

After votes are counted, it does audits to check results.

“We randomly select a contest. It can be the president, it can be a county commission.

“Then, we select a percent of precincts. Usually about four out of our 120 precincts, and we physically hand-count the ballots.

“It has been 100% accurate since August of 2008,” Corley said. “I’m not bragging. It’s supposed to be accurate.”

Published June 14, 2023

State sales tax holidays will yield savings for consumers

By

Bills passed by the Florida Legislature and signed into law by Gov. Ron DeSantis will help consumers save when purchasing essential items and while having fun.

For details on exemptions and other information, check FloridaRevenue.com and search for the Sales Tax Holiday page.

Here is a rundown on the sales tax holidays that were adopted:

  • 2023 Disaster Preparedness Sales Tax Holiday: The first tax relief period ended on June 9 and the second one runs from Aug. 26 through Sept. 8. Items designed to help people and pets safe during hurricane season are tax-free.
  • 2023 Freedom Summer Sales Tax Holiday: Consumers can purchase qualifying recreation and outdoor items and admissions to entertainment and cultural events. The sales tax holiday began on May 29 and runs through Sept. 4.
  • 2023-2024 ENERGY STAR Appliances Sales Tax Holiday. Consumers can purchase qualifying ENERGY STAR® appliances, This sales tax holiday begins July 1 and extends through June 30, 2024.
  • 2023-2024 Gas Ranges and Cooktops Sales Tax Holiday. The tax relief applies to qualifying gas ranges and cooktops. The tax holiday runs from July 1 through June 30, 2024.
  • 2023-2024 Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday. Consumers can purchase qualifying back-to-school supplies exempt from tax,  from July 24 through Aug. 6, and from Jan. 1 through Jan. 14, 2024.
  • 2023 Tool Time Sales Tax Holiday. Consumers can purchase qualifying tools and equipment exempt from tax from Sept. 2 through Sept. 8.

The list of exemptions also includes two that began last year and that are ongoing. They are:

  • 2022 Home Hardening Sales Tax Exemption. Consumers can purchase qualifying home hardening products exempt from sales tax from July 1, 2022 through June 30, 2024.
  • 2022-2023: Children’s Diapers and Clothing Sales Tax Exemption. Consumers can purchase qualifying children’s diapers and clothing exempt from tax July 1, 2022 through this June 30.

Published June 14, 2023