The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

B.C. Manion

Political Agenda 09/14/2022

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Pasco Republican Executive Committee
The Pasco Republic Executive Committee meeting is set for Sept. 15, at Myrtle Lake Baptist Church, 2017 Reigler Road, in Land O’ Lakes. The doors open at 6 p.m., with the meeting starting at 6:30 p.m.

East Pasco Democratic Club
The East Pasco Democratic Club will meet Sept. 19, remotely on ZOOM. Socializing begins at 6 p.m., with the meeting starting at 6:30 p.m. All friends of the Democratic Party are invited to attend. The presentation is on getting out the vote. Email , or call 813-383-8315 for details.

Virtual candidate forum
A virtual candidate forum for State Attorney for the 6th Judicial Circuit is scheduled for Sept. 20 at 7 p.m. The sixth circuit includes Pasco and Pinellas counties.

Participating candidates are incumbent Republican Bruce Bartlett and challenger Democrat Allison Miller. The forum will be moderated by Rob Lorei. The candidates will take turns addressing identical questions posed by the moderator, and then each will conclude with a personal statement.

This virtual forum will be a Zoom event, and also will be streamed on the ACLU of Florida Facebook page. This online forum is free to the public and no registration is necessary. For those who can’t view the forum live, a recording will be posted at the League of Women Voters St. Petersburg Facebook page and YouTube channel.

Central Pasco Democratic Club
The Central Pasco Democratic Club has scheduled a hybrid meeting on Sept. 21 at Meadow Pointe 1, 28245 County Line Road, in Wesley Chapel. The featured guest will be Kimberly Walker, a candidate for Florida’s 12th congressional district in U.S. House of Representatives. Socializing begins at 5:45 p.m., followed by a meeting at 6:15 p.m.  The guest speaker’s talk will begin at 6:30 p.m. Snacks will be served. For reservations, email .

Republican Club of Central Pasco
Wilton Simpson, the most recent president of the Florida Senate, will be the featured guest of the Republican Club of Central Pasco on Sept. 26. Simpson is the Republican candidate for Florida’s Commissioner of Agriculture. He will be informing the club on his vision for Florida.

The meeting is open to the public and the club encourages anyone that seeks to be involved in the political process to attend. The club meets at Copperstone Executive Suites, 3632 Land O’ Lakes Blvd., in Land O’ Lakes. The social begins at 6 p.m., and the business meeting begins at 6:30 p.m. For more information, call 813-996-3011.

Published September 14, 2022

Pasco adopts new rules for car dealerships

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Pasco County has adopted new regulations relating to motor vehicle dealerships.

Pasco adopted new rules for car dealerships, which was approved by the County Commission with a 5-0 vote, at its Aug. 24 meeting.

The new ordinance addresses concerns expressed by the Pasco County Commission about the overstocking of cars on-site, posing potential safety hazards and making it difficult for consumers to access sites.

The new regulations address general standards for sites approved or established before Jan. 25, 2005, when the vehicle dealership ordinance was established. In that section, the changes are mostly cleanup language, resulting from a change in the Type H Buffer. That buffer used to be a 75-foot buffer and now it is anywhere between 20 feet and 40 feet. It was changed on May 3.

The ordinance also provides additional design standards for sites approved after Aug. 25, 2022.

Those address:

  • Employee and customer parking: There are four methods to choose from.
  • Vehicle inventory and vehicle storage: This section specifies that surface-level inventory and display, combined with ground floor area of buildings/structures are not to exceed 50% of the developable acreage.
  • Vehicle inventory and vehicle storage: These cannot occupy required parking spaces.
  • Vehicle inventory and vehicle storage: These cannot encroach into right of way, landscape buffer, wetland upland buffer, or drainage pond. They also must be delineated on site plans.
  • There also is allowance of triple tandem rows, or quadruple, under certain instances.
  • There also are requirements for pedestrian connectivity.
  • There also is flexibility in landscaping standards, allowing substitutions when required trees have potential for causing damage to vehicles.

Pasco County Commission Chairwoman Kathryn Starkey advocated the updated rules — noting that some dealerships had far too many vehicles on their lots, making it difficult for people to even access the businesses.

She and county staff had several meetings with vehicle dealerships to address the issues.

“I want to thank staff and all our dealerships that were involved in this. We had great representation,” Starkey said, noting representatives from both new and used car dealerships were involved in the discussions.

“I think this will go a long way to help to clean up some of that blight and to make sure we have a fair process going forward,” Starkey added.

The board approved the updated rules on a 5-0 vote, at its Aug. 24 meeting.

Published September 14, 2022

Beware of these government-related scams in Pasco and Hillsborough

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Officials in Pasco and Hillsborough county governments have recently put out the word regarding scams involving the government that have been occurring in the area.

Pasco County Clerk & Comptroller Nikki Alvarez-Sowles is warning people about a scam involving jury duty.

It works this way, Alvarez-Sowles said: “An individual is called and they are told that they missed jury duty and there is a fine out for them, and if they don’t pay the fine immediately, then they’ll get arrested.

“The individual is told to go and buy gift cards, scratch off the back of the gift card, read out the number over the phone and then that satisfied their paying of the fine,” the clerk said.

“Also, I’ve heard from my customers that they require them to remain on the phone, while they drive to the store to pick up the cards.

“They obviously must be very good at threats over the phone to get people to do that,” she said. “It must be serious threats over the phone. We would not do that,” the clerk said.

Pasco County Clerk & Comptroller Nikki Alvarez-Sowles is alerting the public to a scam that requires people to pay a fine, using gift cards, for allegedly missing jury duty. (FILE)

“I just want to state, in public, that my office will never call you to ask you to pay in the form of the cards. That is not a form of payment that we would request from you.

“That is a scam,” she added. “Don’t fall for it.’

Meanwhile, Hillsborough County residents also are being warned to be mindful of text scams.

There are fake text messages circulating that purport to be from Hillsborough County.

“As fraudulent campaigns become more and more sophisticated, residents are urged to use caution when responding to messages claiming they are from Hillsborough County,” a county news release notes.

While text messages and push notifications have become important ways for the county government to share urgent information and offer residents opportunities to provide feedback, there’s also opportunities for scams.

At this time, the county wants residents to know that it is not conducting surveys via texts.

“If you receive a text, delete it and do not click the link,” the county says.

It also notes: Messages from Hillsborough County will always come from 88911 and will be formatted without logos.

Residents who think they have been scammed or taken advantage of by someone pretending to represent the county may visit Hillsborough County Consumer Protection Services online to report the incident, or call the department at 813-635-8316.

Published on Sept. 14.

Solving school discipline issues a ‘sticky wicket,’ superintendent says

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The Pasco County public school district continues to search for an effective way to handle discipline problems. (MIKE CAMUNAS)

It’s not a new problem, but as the 2022-2023 school year gets underway, the Pasco County public school district continues to search for an effective way to handle discipline problems — particularly at the elementary school level.

The issue came up during the Pasco County School Board’s Aug. 30 meeting.

Board member Megan Harding raised concerns about school teachers not feeling the support they need form the school district, when students create disruptions.

Harding said she’d heard from teachers who didn’t understand how the district’s No Tolerance Behavior Plan applies to elementary schools.

Pasco County School Board member Megan Harding wants to be sure that the school district has the backs of elementary teachers when it comes to disciplining students who disrupt their classrooms. (Courtesy of Pasco County Schools)

“I think that there’s not a lot of clear expectations on what that looks like,” Harding said. “When I’m asked that, I don’t really know what that looks like in elementary.

“They (elementary school teachers) don’t understand what that looks like and that the district has their back. I honestly can’t blame them for their frustration,” Harding said.

Pasco Schools Superintendent Kurt Browning told the school board: “That is a sticky wicket.

“We continue, as a staff, to work on the discipline issue and how we address elementary kids.”

The district has a plan for its secondary students. In serious cases, it can remove students from a regular school campus and the student can attend an alternative school.

It doesn’t have that option for elementary school students.

However, there are a small number of elementary school students who create havoc on school campuses, committing what the district defines as Level Two and Level Three offenses.

According to the district’s Student Code of Conduct, examples of Level Two offenses include:  disruptive behavior, physical aggression, lying to a staff member, cheating, fighting, leaving a class or school grounds without permission, defacing property, gambling, and showing gang signals.

Examples of Level Three offenses include fighting that results in injuries; physical attack; using, selling or distributing controlled substances; bomb threat; false fire alarm; extortion, robbery; sexual harassment; theft of property; possession of dangerous objects (box cutters, pocket knives, look-alike weapons, etc.); major disruption on campus; and, sexual contact.

Both levels contain a longer list of offenses.

At the Aug. 30 school board meeting, Browning said there are instances, “where you have kids that are literally beating kids to the ground, bloodying them up and causing them to have to go the hospital because of the injuries they’ve caused. That’s the Level Twos and Level Threes, I’m talking about.

“The last thing I want to do is expel kids from school,” the superintendent said.

“I don’t want to expel kids, but I also want to make sure that the other 24 or 26, 28 kids in the classroom that aren’t fighting, have an opportunity to get an education. That’s what I want.

“That’s what we, as a school district, have a responsibility to ensure,” Browning said.

While the numbers of offenders are low, their impact can be sizable, he added.

“They will disrupt and create chaos either in a classroom, or across an entire school campus,” Browning said.

Harding said there are situations “where our teachers feel they are not being supported.”

“I have been in classrooms where there’s chaos going on, not because there’s any fault of the teacher, but because there are a few students that aren’t making good choices and they are being Level Two, and the teacher isn’t feeling any of that support.

“The learning is being impeded by other students. So, we do, at some point, need to be sure there are consequences for that,” Harding said.

She also cited an instance she’d reported involving a teacher who had been bitten.

“Our elementary teachers need that support just as much as our secondary teachers,” Harding said.

Browning responded: “And, I would agree. The one particular case that you are referring to, I have inserted myself in … I have spoken to the principal.

“I don’t buy the premise that the teacher should not feel supported. When the superintendent gets involved with something, that should send a pretty strong message,” he said.

“We continue to work on the discipline issues in this district. They are out of control. Not just in this district, but across the state of Florida, and quite honestly, across the United States,” Browning said.

“Ms. Harding, you have my word, you have my assurance that we will continue to work on the discipline issues,” Browning said.

While pledging to work on the issue, Browning noted that the problem of disruptive behavior begins long before students arrive on campus and extends far beyond the classroom walls.

“I will say this, until I walk out the door, and that is, ‘Parents have a responsibility to have discussions with their kids about what appropriate behavior is, in schools.’

“We’ve got to partner with them. They’ve got to set those expectations at home, so that they know when they come into school, what those expectations look like and what they need to do in a civilized society — and that is, behave.

Superintendent Kurt Browning said his staff continues to work on ways to deal with the challenges of disciplinary problems in elementary schools. (File)

Superintendent’s message to parents
Superintendent Kurt Browning reminded parents they “play a crucial role in promoting safety on our school campuses,” in a letter he wrote that’s included in the school district’s Student Code of Conduct for the 2022-2023 school year.

The superintendent’s letter says: “Preventing bullying and harassment is vital to establishing the safe, caring, respectful environment necessary for teachers to teach and students to learn. Please review with your student the definitions of bullying and the different types of harassment, as well as the consequences students could face if it is proven that they have engaged in such behavior.

“I want to eliminate uncivilized, disrespectful behavior in our schools, but I need your help to make sure students understand that the schools will not tolerate bullying, harassment or uncivilized behavior.

“We also need your help reinforcing with your student the consequences they face if they make a threat against a school. This issue is an increasing problem with more students on social media.

“Threatening violence against a school is never a joke; it always is taken seriously, and the consequences could include felony charges and expulsion from school. A new Florida law that went into effect on Oct. 1, 2016, makes threatening violence with a firearm a second degree felony.”

Published September 07, 2022

Passage of Pasco school tax is a very big deal, district leaders say

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When someone writes the history of Pasco County Schools, the date Aug. 23, 2022, likely will be remembered.

That’s the day that Pasco County voters approved a referendum allowing up to a 1-mil increase in annual property taxes to pay for wage increases, to recruit and retain non-administrative personnel who work for Pasco County Schools.

For Don Peace, president of the United School Employees of Pasco (USEP), the voters’ decision marked the culmination of five years of pursuing an additional source of revenue to support employee pay.

The union leader characterized the tax initiative’s passage as “probably the biggest thing to happen to Pasco County public education in the last 20 years.”

These students are making their way to the first day of classes at Kirkland Ranch Academy of Innovation. A new tax passed by Pasco County voters is intended to support the district’s educational efforts for students like these, by providing increased revenues to pay for higher wages for teachers, bus drivers, kitchen workers and other non-administrative personnel. (File)

Peace also expressed his gratitude to everyone who helped make it happen, during remarks he made at the Pasco County School Board’s Aug. 30 meeting.

He thanked the community for voting yes. He thanked Superintendent Kurt Browning and the school board for getting the initiative on the ballot.

The USEP president also thanked Lift Up Pasco, a group of retired district employees, as well as employees who volunteered their own time, to help generate support for the tax.

Peace singled out Pasco County Tax Collector Mike Fasano and former state Sen. John Legg, who provided written support for the cause.

“FEA (the Florida Education Association) and Stephanie Kunkel are also to be commended, as they worked to get information out to voters, through mailers,” Peace said.

In essence, the union leader thanked anyone who had anything to do with approval of the new tax.

Browning also characterized the Aug. 23 Primary Election Day as “a great day for the Pasco district.

“It is a game-changer,” Browning said.

The superintendent said the reelection of school board incumbents Cynthia Armstrong and Megan Harding, as well as the approval of the millage referendum, “sent a strong message that our parents are happy with the direction that this district is moving.

“I think they (voters) want to support our teachers, and I think, most importantly, they want to support our students.

“This was a huge thing for us because what it’s going to do is it’s going to put us at even, if not above, our neighbors to the south, when it comes to pay,” Browning said.

The superintendent also noted there’s already been an increase in the number of applicants wanting to work in the Pasco district.

“I think it’s just the beginning of things to come.” Browning said.

While delighted by the outcome, Browning added: “We need to be accountable. We need to be transparent and we need to do what we said we were going to do with those dollars. And, we will do just that.”

The school district leader also thanked the union for its involvement on the tax issue and thanked the school board “for having the courage to place that issue on the ballot.”

School board members expressed gratitude, too.

“I’m so thankful for the community voting yes for our students and for all of the support we had on that issue. That was just a big win for our district,” said Cynthia Armstrong, the board’s chairwoman.

Board member Megan Harding put it this way: “On Aug. 23, you voted yes for our Pasco County students because you believe in public education.

“I truly believe this is going to help us retain our teachers and staff, and recruit teachers and staff to help us be competitive with our surrounding counties.

“Our students deserve to have certified teachers in front of them, teaching them.

“Our teachers and staff deserve to be compensated appropriately for all of their hard work, they do every single day.

“Good schools are created when you have certified teachers teaching our amazing students, and when you have good schools, communities thrive,” Harding said.

Like the others, she voiced appreciation for the work done by Lift Up Pasco, USEP members and district volunteers to support passage of the tax.

Harding praised the efforts of board colleague Colleen Beaudoin, in particular. “She worked really, really, really hard on that, so thank you Miss Beaudoin for all of your support.”

Beaudoin, for her part, began by thanking the Pasco community.

Beaudoin was a fierce advocate for the referendum, reasoning the district had no other way to provide the pay necessary to recruit and retain employees.

“Our students deserve to have high-quality, certified teachers in front of them. This referendum, in addition to our commitment to permanent salary increases, will go a long way toward Pasco County school employees being the best-paid district in the area,” Beaudoin said, during the board’s Aug. 30 meeting.

She, too, expressed appreciation for everyone who pitched in.

“The additional income will be significant for our employees, but I must also say that knowing that the majority of the community supports public education and our educators and staff is a big morale boost to our team.

“I know that this was a big ask for our community in difficult economic times, and I appreciate our voters supporting our schools.

“This is a big win for Pasco students,” Beaudoin said.

Published September 07, 2022

School board urges more sidewalks

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Conversations had already been happening between Pasco County Schools and Pasco County government about the need for the county to build more sidewalks — but school board members want to ratchet up the urgency level.

They agreed during their Aug. 30 meeting to send a letter to the Pasco County Commission asking that sidewalks to be made a priority.

The issue has become more pressing because the school district has dropped “courtesy” bus rides this year for sixth- through 12th-graders who live within 2 miles of school.

A bus arrives on the first day of school at Kirkland Ranch Academy of Innovation. While this bus arrived on time, the school district continues to struggle with late buses because of a shortage of bus drivers. (File)

Pasco Schools Superintendent Kurt Browning said the district was forced to take that action because of a shortage of bus drivers and increasing enrollment.

Last year, the district changed its school start and end times, in a shift aimed at getting students to school and home on time.

Browning characterized that as “an extreme step” but said he hoped it would result in students arriving to school and at home on time.

It helped, but did not solve the problem, he said.

“The second initiative we put in place was the elimination of courtesy ridership for secondary schools for this school year.

“This, too, was an extreme step to take, but one that was necessary,” Browning said.

He said he’s received emails from parents who are asking that empty seats on buses be filed by courtesy riders.

But the superintendent said exceptions cannot be made because that would lead to inequities in the district.

He also told the board that district buses are more filled than ever before.

“We’ve eliminated (more than) 100 routes from the beginning of last year, despite the growth that this district has seen. We continue to combine routes this school year to adjust to the numbers of students that we’re required to transport, and we do not have enough drivers to get this work done today.

“At the beginning of the 2020-2021 school year, we had 436 bus routes. Today, we have 333 bus routes. We’ve grown by approximately 6,000 students in that time,” Browning said.

The Pasco County School Board is urging the Pasco County Commission to put a higher priority of building new sidewalks. Many sixth- through 12th-graders who live within 2 miles of school must walk to school now because the school district dropped its ‘courtesy’ bus rides for secondary students. (Mike Camunas)

Parents have raised safety concerns about their children having to walk to school on streets without sidewalks or lighting.

But Browning is holding firm: “The elimination of courtesy riders for secondary schools will remain in effect.”

Even with the steps the districts has taken, there are still late buses, Browning said.

He attributes that to the district’s 57 driver vacancies.

“I think it goes without saying that our transportation staff is working many, many hours, addressing the issues of parents and students,” Browning said.

School board member Megan Harding said she wants to know how many seats on the bus are vacant.

“I would like some kind of count. We make our decisions based on data, so I think I have the right to have some of that data.

“I believe there are empty seats. You talk about equity and you talk about fairness. It’s not fair if we have empty seats on the bus and we have kids that are walking an hour in the dark to school,” Harding said.

Browning told her the district has rosters of students assigned to buses, but doesn’t keep a running count of how many seats are occupied.

School board chairwoman Cynthia Armstrong noted that parents of students who qualify sign up their children for buses and are entitled to that bus service, whether they use it or not.

In some cases, parents transport their children on most days of the week, but occasionally use the bus, when they’re not able to take the child to school.

Harding said she understands the district is in a crisis, relating to the bus driver shortages, but she added, at the same time: “I do have families reaching out to me, still daily, about their children waiting an hour at their bus stop because the bus is late.”

She said she’s personally written the Pasco County Commission, but asked if the board would support sending a letter, too, which it did.

“I feel that they’re dragging their feet and it’s a huge safety issue,” Harding said.

Deputy Superintendent Ray Gadd said, “I think in the coming months, we’re going to have some commission members who are going to take up the charge for us on sidewalks.

“I think they’re sympathetic toward our cause.”

Meanwhile, Armstrong suggested parents may want to consider the old-school approach of carpooling.

With the availability of today’s social media tools, it might be easier to organize a carpool than it was in the past, Armstrong noted.

Published September 07, 2022

Pasco approves 2 million-square-foot corporate business park

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After months of back-and-forth between two adjoining landowners, the Pasco County Commission has approved a master-planned unit development for a corporate business park on State Road 52, in Land O’ Lakes.

The project, known as Eagle II, is entitled for up to 2 million square feet of corporate business park, targeted businesses and light industrial uses, as well as 150,000 square feet of commercial/office uses on 321 acres.

The site is on the south side of State Road 52 about a half-mile west of Bellamy Brothers Boulevard.

The property is within the Central Pasco Employment Village, which was designated years ago by the county board to create a coordinated vision among a group of landowners.

As adopted, the plan envisions a mixed-use employment village on more than 2,400 acres, located along the south side of State Road 52, roughly between the Collier Parkway Extension and Bellamy Brothers Boulevard.

The employment village is expected to contain commercial, residential and industrial uses.

A system had been developed to allow landowners to swap entitlements among themselves, under the county’s supervision.

But it became clear in this case that those swaps don’t always go smoothly.

During a Pasco County Planning Commission hearing on this request, the planning board voted 3-1 to recommend denial of the request, after it appeared that the applicant in this case, George Southworth, of 3KS Family LLLP, could not reach an agreement with Andy Joe Scaglione, of D&D Ranch, who owns the adjacent property.

During the county board’s Aug. 24 public hearing, Cynthia Spidell, a professional planner with the law firm of Stearns, Weaver, Miller, testified that the issues had been worked out between her client and his neighbor.

“The road alignment was changed, which the neighbor is fine with,” Spidell said.

Commissioner Mike Moore said: “the road alignment needed to get worked out.”

Scaglione said he no longer opposes the proposed connection between Eagle II and his  D&D Ranch.

“It’s a shame this wasn’t done at the planning commission, that it had to come to this point,” Scaglione said.

Moore agreed a quicker resolution would have been nice.

Meanwhile, another aspect of the application involves a proposed alignment for a portion of the proposed Orange Belt Trail.

Spidell said her client has agreed to provide 30 feet of the right of way for free, with the county having the option to buy an additional 30 feet of right of way.

The cost of the additional right of way would be based on the average of costs in the area, she said.

Commission Chairwoman Kathryn Starkey said Tampa Bay Water has control of a portion of the right of way and the county is seeking an agreement to use it for the trail.

Sam Beneck, a project manager with the county’s engineering services, has been working to secure an easement from Tampa Bay Water.

He said it appears that Tampa Bay Water is amenable to granting the easement, along with some reasonable conditions.

If that happens, the trail will be going through a beautiful area, Starkey said. But if it doesn’t, the county can purchase the additional land from Southworth.

Moore said he’d prefer to avoid that option.

“You’re going to pay a pretty penny for that,” Moore said, noting the current land values are inflated.

The price tag would be around $465,000 based on the 5.7 acreages needed at a current average cost $81,122, Moore said.

“I’d be concerned paying that high of price for a trail,” the commissioner said.

Starkey is confident the ongoing negotiations with Tampa Bay Water will be successful and the county won’t need to purchase Southworth’s land.

Published September 07, 2022

Pasco has a new chief correctional officer

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The Pasco County Commission has confirmed the appointment of Stacey Jenkins to serve in the role of chief correctional officer, effective Oct. 1.

Major Jenkins will be leading the Land O’ Lakes Detention Center, as it transitions from being managed by the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office to a department operated by Pasco County.

Stacey Jenkins, the new chief correctional officer for Pasco County, thanks the Pasco County Commission on Aug. 24 for confirming her appointment to the role. (Courtesy of Pasco County)

She has more than 31 years of correctional operations experience as a corrections/law enforcement officer with the Pasco Sheriff’s Office, according to materials in the Pasco County Commission’s Aug. 24 agenda packet.

She is experienced in developing policy and providing direction for the operation of the detention facility, ensuring adherence to federal and state law, as well as standards of the Florida Corrections Accreditation Commission.

She also has developed and managed budgets, set department goals, and has communicated operational needs to the staff and the public, the agenda materials say.

She holds a Master of Science in Criminal Justice, with a concentration in legal studies, from Saint Leo University.

The county board approved her appointment on a 5-0 vote.

In another action related to the shift of jail operations, the county board approved the expenditure of nearly $1.58 million to replace correction department vehicles, to cover some trainee personnel costs and to provide for IT services.

Some of the vehicle replacements will be delivered in fiscal year (FY) 2022 and some in fiscal year 2023, but all are being budgeted in the 2022 fiscal year. The money will roll forward, if the cars are not yet available.

The county also is responsible for picking up the costs of salaries and uniforms for 20 new trainees, for the remaining two pay periods of FY 2022, according to materials in the agenda packet.

The increase includes $514,799 for a separate IT system that is needed for the corrections department.

In other action, the county board:

  • Approved $371,910.08 for the purchase of a fire rescue landing craft boat
  • Recognized the need to provide $6 million more for the health insurance fund because a higher number of claims caused the county to exceed its estimated costs
  • Approved an interlocal agreement with Tampa Bay Water for The Florida-Friendly Landscaping Program, to provide a coordinated environmental education program that promotes responsible actions by homeowners, businesses, and schools to conserve water and improve the water quality by reducing polluted runoff from yards and other landscaped areas
  • Approved an agreement with BayCare Behavioral Health Inc., to provide mental health and human development services for indigent residents in Pasco County. The contract is for an amount not to exceed (NTE) $1,221,148 for fiscal year 2023; NTE $1,221,148 for fiscal year 2024; and NTE $1,221,148 for fiscal year 2025. The cumulative NTE is $3,663,444 for the three-year agreement.

Published September 07, 2022

Business Digest 09/07/2022

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This the board of directors for the Greater Zephyrhills Chamber of Commerce, from left: Kendall Deford, Jasmine Wilkins, Pascal Collard, Sue Prendervill, Bill Morehouse, Sam Abrahani, Ed Goolsby, Kathy Britton, David West, Karly Jarrett, Kevin Sullivan, Vicky Jones, Amy Chappell, Secretary Dennis Harmeson, Kim Poe, Randy Stovall and John Scott. (Courtesy of Greater Zephyrhills Chamber of Commerce)

Zephyrhills chamber announces awards
The Greater Zephyrhills Chamber of Commerce presented its 2022 Business and Community Awards on Aug. 23, during a banquet attended by 180 business and community leaders, at the Southport Springs Golf & Country Club, in Zephyrhills, according to a chamber news release.

State Sen. Danny Burgess was the master of ceremonies for the event, which celebrated business successes and community contributions.

Dr. Randy Stovall paid tribute to Melonie Monson, who is stepping away from her post as the chamber’s CEO, to work in her family’s business.

Awards were announced in eight categories. Here is the list of the recipients:

  • Leadership in Government: Danny Burgess
  • Citizen of the Year: Paul Correia
  • Alice Hall Lifetime Achievement Award: Greg First
  • Small Business of the Year: A.O.K. Axe of Kindness
  • Large Business of the Year: Sarah Vande Berg Tennis & Wellness Center
  • The Diamond Award: Rotary Club of Zephyrhills Daybreak
  • Ambassador of the Year: Sam Abrahani
  • Chamber Member of the Year: Dr. Randy Stovall

The chamber also announced its new board of directors and officers.

2022-2023 officers:
Dr. Edwin Goolsby, chairman
Dr. Randy Stovall, vice chair
John Scott, treasurer
Dennis Harmeson, secretary

2022-2023 board of directors:
Sam Abrahani, Shane Barker, Steve Bahorski, Kathy Britton, Amy Chappell, Pascal Collard, Kendall Deford, Alex Hulbert, Karly Jarrett, Vicky Jones, Amanda Maggard, Bill Morehouse, Kimberly Poe, Sue Prenderville, Kevin Sullivan, David West and Jasmine Wilkins.

For more information about the chamber, email .

Grand opening
The Greater Zephyrhills Chamber of Commerce recently announced the grand opening of the  Zephyrhills Pediatric Dental Center, at 37920 Medical Arts Court. The chamber took part in the grand opening festivities on Aug. 30.

Pasco EDC award finalists
The Pasco Economic Development Council (Pasco EDC) has identified 25 businesses — engaged in a wide range of pursuits — as finalists for its 34th annual awards.

Six winners will be announced at the economic development organization’s awards ceremony, according to a news release.

The event is set for  Sept. 8 from 5 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., at the Pasco-Hernando State College Instructional Performing Arts Center (IPAC), 8657 Old Pasco Road in Wesley Chapel.

Members of the Pasco EDC Annual Awards Committee interviewed each of the finalists and selected the winner in six categories.

Nominated companies include:

  • AdventHealth
  • Orange Blossom Women’s Group
  • American Fabric Filter Co.
  • Pasco Kid’s First
  • BayCare Morton Plant North Bay Hospital
  • PharmaWorks, Inc.
  • Baymar Solutions
  • Pryor Baseball Farm
  • Bravado Pharmaceuticals
  • Rasmussen University
  • Doulas for Life
  • Santander Consumer USA
  • Life Essentials Refillery
  • Starkey Market
  • Florida Avenue Brewing Co.
  • The Acting Studio
  • Keiser University
  • TouchPoint Medical, Inc.
  • Lanky Lassie’s Shortbread
  • TwinStar Optics & Coatings, Inc.
  • Meopta USA, Inc.
  • U.S. Water Services Corporation
  • Mobile Millennial
  • Vincent House Pasco
  • Morganna’s Alchemy

Tickets to the awards event are available online at PascoEDC.com.

285 dwellings approved at Old Pasco Road, State Road 52

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The Pasco County Commission has approved a rezoning for a development of 285 multifamily dwellings, on approximately 29.2 acres, at the southeast corner of State Road 52 and Old Pasco Road.

The development, known as Stillwell Pasco Station, will be maintained under a common ownership, said Barbara Wilhite, an attorney representing the applicant.

All of the structures abutting the Tampa Bay Golf & Country Club will be a single story, Wilhite said, and all of the buildings within the development will be a single story or two stories.

“This will be a high-end, built-to-rent project,” she said.

The expected demographics for the development is roughly 60% retirees and 40% young married couples.

Commissioner Ron Oakley voiced support for the development.

“This actually is a very good project. It’s done very well. It fits the community,” Oakley said.

Commissioner Kathryn Starkey also gave the project high marks for design: “I think this is the best one we’ve seen come through here, personally.”

But Elayne Ayan, who lives nearby on Princeville Drive, spoke in opposition.

“I, and dozens of my neighbors, oppose the Stillwell zoning application.”

She voiced concern about the rate of growth Pasco County is experiencing.

“There are six separate items for rezoning, just on today’s agenda, which creates over 7,000 new homes and millions of industrial/retail square footage, and that’s just today’s agenda.

“In just this year, within a couple miles of my house, dozens more projects have already been approved, tens of thousands of houses and millions more retail/office footage.

“The approvals seem to be done in a routine manner, like, ‘All is well,’ But I’m here to tell you something I think you already know ,and that’s that it’s not all well.

“Already, Pasco is the third-busiest county in the state for EMS calls. At the Aug. 9 board meeting, two people talked of the dangerously long response times for Pasco Fire EMS. One of the speakers said this has been brought to your attention a full year ago. Since then, has anything been done to fix this?

“How will this not be a catastrophe, when all of these approved projects are built and inhabited, adding tens of thousands of residents? The county’s firefighters have been asking the board for its help. This is a public safety issue, which should be a top priority.

“You’re not doing Pasco County residents any favors by building them new houses and inviting thousands of new people to move in, when our public safety infrastructure has not and cannot keep them safe.

“Pasco Fire EMS is struggling and has repeatedly asked for the board’s help. Instead, the board is approving thousands and thousands of new housing units every single month. It is inevitable the county will see an increase in traffic accidents, fires and medical emergencies.

“How is it responsible to continue to approve such rapid new growth without properly resolving the essential required Fire EMS/public safety concern?

“I urge you to pause rezoning approvals, at least in the Route 52/75 area  (State Road 52/Interstate 75). People’s lives are truly at stake and this is why I, and my neighbors, oppose the Stillwell rezoning,” she said.

Chairwoman Starkey asked interim County Administrator Mike Carballa to address the Fire Rescue question.

Carballa responded: “We have a number of new fire stations that are either under construction, under design or in process. We recognize that we’re catching up on a lot of that. We also are putting in a lot more money for additional apparatus and equipment for Fire Rescue, so those items are coming forward.”

He also noted that a big chunk of proposed budget involves investments in Fire Rescue.

Commissioner Mike Moore said the Tampa Bay Golf & Country Club, which is next to the planned development could prove to be an amenity that will provide enjoyment for retirees moving into the area.

Starkey also noted: “This area is going to be filled in, as time goes by. Because everyone wants to live in Florida right now.”

Published August 31, 2022