B.C. Manion

Mixed-use project proposed on State Road 54

March 8, 2022 By B.C. Manion

The Pasco County Planning Commission has recommended approval of a request that would set the stage for a mixed-use project including a medical office, commercial uses, apartments and a veterinary office, at State Road 54 and Henley Road.

The site is about 1 mile west of U.S. 41, in Land O’ Lakes.

The applicant first is asking for a text amendment to the county’s land use plan. Then, the applicants plans to seek a rezoning for a master-planned unit development, to allow the proposed uses.

The request for the entitlement change ran into resistance at the planning board’s Feb. 17 meeting because David Goldstein, chief assistant county attorney, asked why an analysis had not been presented regarding the impacts of the proposed shift on the site’s job-generating capacity.

In February, Goldstein told the planning staff: “It’s clearly an exchange of employment-generating uses for apartments, and if staff wants to recommend approval of that, I’m not saying you can’t, but there should be some analysis.”

At the planning board’s March 4 meeting, Goldstein said the subsequent analysis shows that more jobs would be generated from the proposed project than from the previous entitlements, so he would not object to the request on that basis.

During the applicant’s presentation, the owner of the property urged the planning board to allow the change in entitlements. He said his original vision of using the property for an assisted living facility could not be fulfilled because research indicated that there was not sufficient demand for that type of use and he was unable to finance the project.

So, instead of realizing that goal, he said he has been paying taxes on the land for years and it has become a financial burden to his family.

With the planning board’s recommendation for approval, the issue now goes to the Pasco County Commission, which has final jurisdiction on land use and zoning cases.

In other action, the planning board:

Recommended approval of a change to the county’s land use plan that would allow consideration of light industrial uses on 21 acres now designated for residential uses. The site is west of Old Lakeland Highway, north of Townsend Road, about three-quarters of a mile east of U.S. 98.

The property currently has a single-family dwelling unit and a barn. The site also is within the boundaries of the Old Lakeland Highway Study Area, in which property owners in the vicinity shared their vision of the area, according to information contained in the planning board’s agenda materials. Light industrial uses are compatible on the subject property because of its location adjacent to major thorough fares such as the CSX rail line, U.S. 98 and U.S. 301, according to the planning analysis in the agenda packet. Also, the Pasco County Commission approved a land use plan amendment in April 2021, changing the designation on a 5-acre lot south of the subject property from residential to light industrial.

Recommended approval of a request for a master-planned unit development known as Amavi Village, at 31725 State Road 52. The 27.75-acre site is on the north side of State Road 52, approximately 2 miles east of Interstate 75.

The rezoning would change the allowed uses on the land from an agricultural residential zoning to a master-planned unit development, allowing 220 multifamily units and 74,813 square feet of retail and office.

Published March 09, 2022

Business Digest 03/09/2022

March 8, 2022 By B.C. Manion

Insurance Group relocates
Lewis Insurance Group, which has operated for eight years in Lutz, has relocated to Land O’ Lakes.

The company, operated by Richard and Angela Lewis, is now at the Copperstone Executive Suites, 3632 Land O’ Lakes Blvd., Suite 106.

Lewis Insurance Group is an insurance brokerage that specializes in home, auto, flood and recreational vehicle insurance.

The company seeks to use its strategic partnerships with insurance companies to find quality options at competitive prices for its clients. It also emphasizes superior customer service and claims handling.

For more information, call 813-467-8778, or email .

David Weekley Homes building in Copeland Creek
David Weekley Homes, one of the largest national privately held homebuilders, is bringing single-family homes to Copeland Creek, a private, gated community located in the Keystone area of Odessa, according to a news release. The builder recently broke ground on a model home, The Terraglen, which is slated to open for tours in late spring.

Rents still on the rise
Rents in Tampa increased 0.8% month-over-month, compared to a decrease of 0.6% nationally, according to a report from Apartment List. Month-over-month growth in Tampa ranks No. 32, out of 100, the report says. Year-over-year rent growth in Tampa currently stands at 31.2%, compared to 4.1% at this time last year. Year-over-year growth in Tampa ranks No. 2 among the nation’s 100 largest cities.

New chief of staff
Florida Insurance Commissioner David Altmaier has announced the appointment of Alexis Bakofsky as the chief of staff for the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation, according to news release from that office.

Medical office ribbon-cutting
Aegis Medical Group, 15953 N. Florida Ave., in Lutz, had a grand opening/ribbon- cutting celebration on March 1, according toa news release from the North Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce.

Area real estate agents win recognition
Century 21 Real Estate LLC recently recognized a number of agents as recipients of the company’s Quality Service Pinnacle Producer Award, according to a news release.

The award is bestowed based on criteria relating to customer satisfaction.

Here are the recipients within The Laker/Lutz News coverage area.

Jeanne Jones of CENTURY 21 Affiliated, 503 Guisando De Avila in Tampa
Michelle Glantz of CENTURY 21 Affiliated, 503 Guisando De Avila in Tampa
Mahmoud Odeh of CENTURY 21 Elite Locations Inc., at 11406 North Dale Mabry Highway, Suite 107
Lynn Werner of CENTURY 21 Elite Locations Inc., at 11406 North Dale Mabry Highway Suite 107
Coleen Garner of CENTURY 21 Elite Locations Inc., at 11406 North Dale Mabry Highway Suite 107

Hillsborough expands MBE/SBE
Hillsborough County has named Ken Jones as the director of the county’s expanded Minority/Small Business Enterprise Division, according to a county news release.

The Hillsborough County Commission recently expanded the Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) and Small Business Enterprise (SBE) programs to make sure more minority-owned, women-owned, and small businesses have opportunities for doing business with Hillsborough County.

Hillsborough County entered into contracts worth more than $220 million with minority- and women-owned, and small businesses during the last four fiscal years.

Ribbon-cuttings
These ribbon-cuttings were held recently, according to news releases from the Greater Pasco Chamber of Commerce:

Mathnasium of Wesley Chapel, at 28652 State Road 54, on Feb. 26
Sit. Stay. Splash, 1930 Collier Parkway, in Lutz, on Feb. 22.

Free small business seminars
The Pasco-Hernando Chapter of SCORE has some free webinars scheduled, intended to help small businesses. Those webinars are:

March 17, noon to 1 p.m.: How to buy and sell a small business
March 22, noon to 1 p.m.: Health insurance for small businesses
March 30, noon to 1 p.m.: Conflict resolution in the workplace

To register, go to PascoHernandoScore.org.

You also can receive free individual, confidential help for your small business, or you can volunteer to be a mentor. To find out more, check out the organization’s website.

New ordinance aims to ban panhandling in Pasco County

March 2, 2022 By B.C. Manion

An ordinance adopted by the Pasco County Commission aims to halt solicitation by panhandlers — by making it unlawful for pedestrians and motorists to physically interact, unless a vehicle is parked.

The ordinance is patterned after one adopted in Lee County, and Pasco county board members said it’s needed to reduce safety hazards on county roads.

Pasco County Commissioner Jack Mariano applauded Lee County for finding a solution to the issue of panhandling, and he thanked Senior Assistant County Attorney Patrick Moore for handling the legal work to bring the ordinance forward.

Mariano repeatedly has said it’s a problem that needs to be addressed.

“You hear some of them talking about making $600 a day, doing it.

“One watched some guy finish for the day. He got through with his panhandling, got into his new Cadillac and went away,” Mariano said.

“When the people know they can’t do business in the middle of the right of way, I think they stop,” Mariano said.

He added that when the source of the money goes away, “I think this problem will get eliminated a lot quicker.”

According to Moore, from the county attorney’s office: “What this ordinance does, regardless of the reason why someone is in the road, or why they’re in the median, or interacting with vehicles, it’s dangerous. Regardless of the reason of that occurring, it (the ordinance) makes it prohibited.”

Commissioner Christina Fitzpatrick said it needs to be addressed to improve safety.

She noted that of the county’s top 10 most dangerous intersections for pedestrians and bicyclists, six are on U.S. 19.

The U.S. 19 corridor has been notorious for the number of panhandlers that congregate there, according to testimony offered by commissioners during previous discussions relating to panhandling.

Commissioner Mike Moore noted that when he joined the board, the problem was predominantly in West Pasco, but it since has spread into Land O’ Lakes, Lutz and Wesley Chapel.

Commissioner Ron Oakley said panhandling isn’t a big issue in East Pasco, but he joined his colleagues in approving the ordinance because he thinks it is needed to address the problem in other parts of the county.

Commission Chairwoman Kathryn Starkey said, “I’m hoping that this ordinance can help stop the tragic things that are happening out on our roadways.”

She told her colleagues that recently she was driving home along U.S. 19, at night, and could barely see a woman, who was dressed in dark clothing, walking along the median.

Mariano brought a video to show board members panhandlers out in the road. There was a glitch on the video, but board members didn’t seem to need to see it, to understand there’s a problem.

Moore, from the county attorney’s office, said the new ordinance prohibits the stopping or standing by pedestrians in a median, and also prohibits the physical interactions between a pedestrian and an occupant of a motor vehicle that is not legally parked.

The regulations also prohibit the commercial use of public rights of way.

Any person found in violation must cease the activity and may be issued a citation punishable by a fine not to exceed $500, according to the ordinance.

Each action in violation of a provision of this chapter shall constitute a separate offense. Issuance of a citation does not preclude an action for injunction, issuance of a trespass warning where authorized, or any other legal remedy available to Pasco County, the ordinance adds.

The board unanimously adopted the new regulations at its Feb. 22 meeting.

The ordinance must be filed by the clerk to the board to the Department of State, within 10 days of its adoption. It takes effect upon that filing.

Published March 02, 2022

Brace for higher costs, Pasco school board member says

March 2, 2022 By B.C. Manion

Pasco County Schools should prepare to pay more for insurance, as it prepares its plans for the next budget year, said Allen Altman, a school board member who serves on the board’s insurance committee.

He recently attended a meeting of a statewide insurance trust that represents 400 public entities, including Pasco County Schools.

The news at that meeting about upcoming insurance costs wasn’t good, Altman said.

“The property market in Florida right now — to say it is in chaos, is an understatement.

“Many, many carriers are shut down completely or are bleeding so much money they’re leaving the state,” Altman told his colleagues during the Pasco County School Board’s Feb. 15 meeting.

“On the commercial side, which is what we are, the rate indications from the re-insurers so far, are running from 20% to 35% (higher),” he said.

Pasco expects to face rate increases in the 10% to 15% range, he said.

He told the board the reason Pasco is expected to face lower cost increases is because it has excellent data regarding its buildings and values.

He said he was told that out of all of the entities represented in the group, Pasco County Schools has the best data.

Still, the district will face increases and it needs to plan for that, he said.

It also will pay more because it is adding coverage for millions of dollars of new facilities that were finished in the past year, Altman said.

Another issue that is expected to result in higher costs involves a proposed change in state legislation, the board member said.

Under current law, under the auspices of sovereign immunity, government entities are liable for a maximum of $200,000 on a claim, unless a claims bill goes to the Legislature and gets approved, Altman said.

But a proposed change by the Florida Senate would increase that limit to $300,000 and a proposed change by the Florida House of Representatives would bump the limit to $1 million, Altman said.

At the moment, it looks like the Senate is accepting the House version, he added.

The proposed increase could be a “significant hit on a budget,” Altman said, especially since the school district has a large number of employees who operate vehicles.

Another issue demanding heightened awareness involves cybersecurity, Altman said. Government agencies are increasingly being targeted and some have fallen victim to successful Ransomware attacks.

While Altman raised issues about increasing costs, Don Peace, president of the United School Employees of Pasco, again urged the board to stand with the union to support a ballot initiative aimed at increasing funding to improve wages.

“We are now, the only district in an eight- or nine-district region without a significant secondary source of income for salaries and personnel.

“Again, I am asking this board to take a stand. Investigate the possibility of a referendum for the sake of the students.

“We cannot continue to be the lowest paid district in our region,” Peace said.

Board Chairwoman Cynthia Armstrong said efforts are being made to make state lawmakers aware of the impact their policies have on general funds, which are the source of pay raises for employees.

School board member Megan Harding wants district leadership to do more.

“I’ve said this before, but I’m going to have to say it again: We need to do better,” Harding said.

Exit interviews indicate that 24% of those leaving the district are doing so because of pay and benefits, she said.

“Burnout is very real, and our teachers and staff need to see action as to how much we appreciate them,” Harding added.

“I am sure there tools in our toolbox that we are not using, and I want to use every tool that we have to get our teacher and staff pay up to be competitive in our region.

“Other districts around us are making it work. Other districts around us are asking their community for help,” Harding said.

Published March 02, 2022

Pasco seeks to strengthen trade ties with German town

March 2, 2022 By B.C. Manion

The Pasco County Commission welcomed Andreas Siegel, the consul general of Germany, to its meeting last week and celebrated its Document of Friendship with Germersheim, Germany.

The Document of Friendship establishes the basis for developing and promoting a transatlantic exchange of mutually beneficial information, cooperation and fosters a relationship of understanding between the peoples of the District of Germersheim and Pasco County

The friendship pact also calls for the continued promotion of economic development, educational opportunities and cultural exchange.

The document came about during a trade mission to Germany last October.

Commission Chairwoman Kathryn Starkey, Commissioner Christina Fitzpatrick, state Rep. Amber Mariano and others accompanied Bill Cronin, president and CEO of the Pasco Economic Development Council, Inc., on the mission, which involved exploring opportunities to establish business relationships and to learn more about apprenticeship programs, among other things.

The ties between Pasco and Germersheim date back to 2008, when Pasco County Schools established a student exchange program with the German district.

Starkey said Siegel, who is based in Miami, has been instrumental in strengthening the relationship between Pasco and Germany. She said Seigel planned to meet with the Pasco EDC later in the week.

On another matter, the board delayed, until March 22, its consideration of a temporary moratorium on the submission and acceptance of applications for building permits, site plans, special exception uses, conditional uses, rezonings and comprehensive plan amendments proposing to increase entitlements on land around the airports in Pasco County.

The moratorium would apply to land near the Zephyrhills Municipal Airport, Tampa North Aero Park, Pilot Country, Hidden Lake Airport and a portion of the conical and horizontal surfaces of the Brooksville-Tampa Bay Regional Airport.

In other action, taken on Feb. 8 or Feb. 22, the county board:

Approved a task order for Coastal Design Consultants Inc., to perform work connected to an expansion at Starkey Ranch District Park.

The task order involves architectural, engineering, and related services for six multipurpose fields, an additional parking area, a concession stand, and to extend the multi-use path around the existing stormwater pond area.

The work is to be done for price is not to to exceed $177,600 for fiscal year 2022.

Approved of a task order with ESA Scheda Corporation to provide environmental engineering and consulting services for the county’s Parks, Recreation, and Natural Resources’ Environmental Lands Acquisition and Management Program. The consultant will work with its subconsultant, Wildlands Conservation Inc., to provide environmental and land management planning services for five Pasco County ELAMP sites. These sites will be referred to as:
Pasco Palms Preserve (116 acres)
Upper Pithlachascotee River Preserve (129 acres) with the northern portion of the Arthur Site (195 acres)
Five Mile Creek Conservation Area (179 acres) with the southern portion of the Arthur Site (647 acres)
Jumping Gully Preserve (1,839 acres)
Crockett Lake Tract (519 acres)

The effort aims to review all available information, former land management plans, desktop data reviews, and interviews with the county’s land managers, coupled with thorough site investigations to provide land management approaches that enhance, conserve, and protect natural resources, while achieving short and long-term objectives.

Funding for the project is budgeted at $190,806.00 and is in fiscal year 2022.

Amended the county’s land use plan from a designation for residential to a designation allowing commercial uses on 3.34acres at the Intersection of Gall Boulevard and Chancey Road.

Published March 02, 2022

While planning its budget, Pasco watches inflation, labor costs

March 2, 2022 By B.C. Manion

Inflation, low unemployment and the prospect of rising interest rates are key considerations, as Pasco County prepares its budget for fiscal year 2023.

“We’re expecting taxable assessed values to be at or near what they were last year. You can see the taxable assessed values for ’22 — this fiscal year — was 10.8%,” Robert Goehig, budget director for Pasco County, said during the Pasco County Commission’s Feb. 22 meeting.

“I’ve been in local government for a long time. I’ve never seen the taxable assessed values that are this high and that have been assessed at this high level for a long time. So, we want to prepare for the inevitability that they are not going to be at that level forever,” Goehig said.

While revenues are expected to be up in some categories, expenses are expected to increase, too.

Goehig identified some key drivers to higher expenses:

Medicaid, expected to go up $300,000 to $400,000
Employee health care, an increase of minimum of $500 per budgeted FTE (full-time equivalent)
Property insurance
Workers compensation insurance
4% negotiated firefighter wage increase
Pay and classification study
Capital needs and maintenance
Rising fuel costs
Opening of two new fire stations
Higher costs for vehicles and construction
Increasing expense for indigent burials and cremations

The budget director’s remarks came before news broke regarding the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The war, of course, could affect the world economy, as well as the local fiscal picture.

Still, at the February meting, Goehig provided a briefing to the county board regarding the current situation and how the county plans to proceed with budget planning.

The county needs to pay attention to increasing costs, he said.

“As you can see here, the unemployment rate is at an all-time low and it has remained at an all-time low in the Tampa Bay region, Pasco County included, for the past couple of years,” Goehig said.

Nationally, at this time the unemployment rate was 6½%, while it was 3½% in Pasco. It remains at 3½% locally.

“With that low unemployment and with that very high demand for employment, that’s going to cause wages to increase,” Goehig said.

The employment cost index, which measures all compensation, not just wages, has increased by 4%.

At the same time, the rate of inflation is at 7.5% nationwide and 9.6% in Tampa Bay.

The region’s inflation rate is the highest it has been for 40 years, Goehig said.

“It’s always higher in Florida than it is throughout the nation, but that gap is much wider than we would expect,” he added.

As the county considers wages, Commissioner Ron Oakley wants to be sure that it addresses the differentiation in pay rates between highly experienced employees and those less experiences. He said thinks there needs to be a bigger gap between those pay rates.

County Administrator Dan Biles said a wage study will address pay issues.

The cost of doing business also is going up because of inflation, Goehig said.

He attributes rising inflation to a combination of the federal government pumping money into the economy through American Rescue Plan funds at the same time there are supply-side issues because of the pandemic.

“We have a lot of money chasing too few goods,” Goehig said.

The Producer Price Index also increased 9.7% over the past 12 months, he said, including an increase of 87% for the cost of construction materials.

“That is insane,” Goehig said. “Anybody who has been out trying to buy a 2-by-4 recently can feel the pain of that 87%.”

The cost of housing also has gone up, with Pasco home values increasing by 25% to 30%, he said.

Interest rates, which are expected to increase, will affect impact the county’s long-term taxable assessed values, the budget director said.

Once those interest rates hit 4% there will be fewer people in the housing market, which will have an impact on the county’s budget because of a decrease in taxable assessed value.

But that impact won’t be felt immediately, Goehig said, because once a house is permitted, it takes about two years for that house to show up on the tax roll.

“Moving forward, we’re optimistic about the future, however, we do want to keep in mind that it’s important to maintain the level of service that our customers have come to expect, and given the rate of inflation and the increase in wages, just maintaining that level of service moving forward is going to be more and more expensive.

“We don’t want to bring on additional costs now that we may not be able to sustain in the future,” Goehig said.

Pasco County Administrator Dan Biles put it this way: “This isn’t going to be a year when we see a lot of new initiatives, just because we’re trying to maintain our level of service across the enterprise.”

The county board is scheduled to have a budget workshop on May 24.

Pasco budget considerations for 2023 fiscal year

Taxable assessed values expected to rise by 10.8%
Higher values are expected to yield $27 million in additional revenues
Low unemployment rate will translate into higher wage costs
Inflation in Tampa Bay area at 9.6%, outpacing national rate of 7.5%

Source: Robert Goehig, Pasco County budget director

Published March 02, 2022

No retail ban of rabbit sales in Pasco

March 2, 2022 By B.C. Manion

Despite a strong push by animal advocates, the Pasco County Commission has decided to not ban the retail sale of rabbits in the county — at least for now.

Numerous advocates appeared during the public comment portion of the board’s Feb. 22 meeting, urging them to take action to protect rabbits.

At the Feb. 22 meeting, and at previous meetings in September and December, the rabbit advocates asked the board to include a ban of the retail sale of rabbits — in addition to the county’s ban on the retail sale of dogs, cats, kittens and puppies.

This bunny lived in a loving home and was well taken care of from the age of 6 months; unfortunately, rabbits often are ‘impulse buys’ and are abandoned on the streets shortly after their purchase, say some animal advocates who want to ban the retail sale of rabbits at pet shops. (Courtesy of Meagan Rathman-Urena)

Many of their comments at the most recent meeting reiterated concerns raised previously.

According to the animal advocates:

Rabbits are the third most surrendered pet
It is difficult to find fosters and homes for them, because they are a high-maintenance pet and require expensive care
Rabbits reproduce rapidly, resulting in more rabbits than wanted
There are very few places that will accept rabbits that are surrendered or abandoned, including just one private rescue in Pasco County
Rabbits do not fare well when they are abandoned to the wild because they are not well-equipped to defend themselves or secure necessary food and water
Many people who purchase rabbits do so as impulse buys, with no clue of what a rabbit’s care requires

When the issue came up in December, the county board directed its department of Animal Services to research the issue and make a recommendation.

Mike Shumate, director of Animal Services, addressed the issue on Feb. 22.

A memo from that department in the board’s agenda packet, says: “Although the abandonment of pet rabbits is a problem in Pasco County, Animal Services found the data to support a ban on retail sales was insufficient to attribute it specifically to retail sales at pet stores.

“Pet rabbits are sourced from a variety of sources including local and regional breeders, online pet sales, pet owners, 4-H participants, and other commercial sources,” the agenda memo notes.

“Other factors that may lead to the abandonment of pet rabbits include the lack of rehoming options for pet owners; access and affordability of proper veterinary care including sterilization; and lack of public education for the care and ownership of pet rabbits,” the memo adds.

At the Feb. 22 meeting, Shumate said: “Our recommendation to the board at this time is basically to direct Animal Services to initiate an ordinance amendment that would strictly focus on the prohibition of sales in public places, such as the flea markets, and require the retail stores to have certificates of source.”

He added: “The department will provide public education programming on rabbit ownership; public information on rehoming assistance; and resource support for animal welfare organizations to help remedy the abandonment of pet rabbits.

“Some of that resource can be to help them with the spay and neuter of rabbits that come into their rescues,” he said.

Commissioner Mike Moore thanked the animal advocates who turned out to the board’s meeting and suggested to them: “Give this some time. See how it works.”

If it doesn’t work, Moore added, “ it needs to come back to us.”

Shumate told commissioners: “I think we definitely need some time, so we can actually start looking at the volume of rabbits that we’re talking about that are abandoned.

“We want to hear that from the public. We want to hear from the rabbit rescue, the other folks that work with rabbits, in the county.

“We want to see what the numbers are,” Shumate said.

Moore encouraged the animal advocates to work with Shumate through that process.

Commission Chairwoman Kathryn Starkey said she would have supported the ban.

“I was OK with the ban. We had a couple of rabbits and it didn’t work out well for the rabbits.

“Our dog did not like my daughter’s little bunny, so that didn’t work out well.

“When I was young, we had a bunny and that bunny ended up folded up in the pull-out sofa. “We couldn’t find it and then we found it. It didn’t work out well for that bunny. I don’t think they’re great pets,” she said.

Starkey told Shumate: “I’ll go to your leadership. Bring it back to us, please and let’s see if we think we need the ban.”

Commissioner Jack Mariano also expressed support for Shumate’s approach.

Published March 02, 2022

Pasco aims to rein in rogue vehicle sales businesses

March 2, 2022 By B.C. Manion

The Pasco County Commission is taking aim at businesses that sell vehicles, but don’t follow the county’s rules.

The county board held a public hearing on Feb. 22 to discuss a proposed six-month moratorium on the opening or establishment of new and used car, truck and van sales businesses.

The moratorium is not aimed at businesses that are playing by the county’s rules, Commission Chairwoman Kathryn Starkey said. In fact, there are exceptions within the moratorium that protect those businesses.

The idea is to rein in businesses that have been opening without following the proper protocols, or doing business without regard to the county’s regulations.

The board is scheduled to hold a second and final public hearing on the issue and vote on the proposed ordinance at its March 8 meeting, in the Historic Pasco County Courthouse in Dade City.

During the 180-day pause, county staff will study the issues and to draft appropriate regulations to address concerns raised regarding these types of businesses.

In seeking action on the issue during past county board meetings, Starkey has specifically mentioned safety hazards posed by these types of businesses that are crowding too much inventory on their lots.

The county’s code enforcement department also has investigated various complaints relating to this issue.

No one from the public spoke in opposition of the potential moratorium.

Starkey said she’d heard from people in the vehicle sales industry and that a stakeholder meeting will be held.

“We will include both used car dealer representation and new car dealer representation,” Starkey said.

Commissioner Jack Mariano, however, raised some concerns.

“I know how this all started was the used car dealerships, up and down, especially on (U.S.) 19,” Mariano said.

He said he knows there are businesses that have defied the system and that has been an ongoing problem.

The focus should be on fixing that, Mariano said.

But he voiced doubts about the proposed moratorium.

“Right now, you’ve got one dealer, in particular, that’s got a $50 million investment scheduled to open,” Mariano said, noting he doesn’t want the county to do anything that could jeopardize that.

“You’re going to affect a business that brings tremendous tax base,” Mariano said.

Starkey said the proposed moratorium will not affect that dealer or any dealer that is playing by the county’s rules.

Mariano said he’s worried about the impact that the moratorium could have on the county’s image. He said it could create the impression that Pasco isn’t a good place to do business.

He noted that he’d been talking to people in the industry recently and, “everyone I’m talking to is afraid of what we’re doing here.

“The image that’s out here is putting us in a dangerous position,” Mariano said.

Starkey, however, said the moratorium is a good thing for businesses that are following the county’s regulations.

They’re put at a disadvantage she said, when they spend the money to abide by the county’s rules and their competitors don’t.

Senior Assistant County Attorney Elizabeth Blair said the proposed moratorium has an exception for “vehicle sale businesses that have an approved site plan and are operating in accordance with the approved site plan, and any county-approved amendments to that approved site plan.”

In essence, according to Blair, the moratorium “does not stop any good actor from operating their business, from opening their business, as long as they have an approved site plan, which is part of the process.”

“It was crafted in a way where only the bad actors are being stopped from going down the street and opening up a business that they shouldn’t be opening,” Blair added.

She also told Mariano that there’s no legal distinction between new and used inventory because the impacts of the dealership are the same, regardless of the status of the vehicle.

Published March 02, 2022

Bass contest winners

March 2, 2022 By B.C. Manion

Dave Panno and Ken Willis were the February winners in the South Pasco Bassmasters contest. (Courtesy of South Pasco Bassmasters)

Dave Panno, left, and Ken Willis caught their five-bass limit weighing 20.82 pounds, with their big bass weighing 5.78 pounds. Panno and Willis caught their fish in 3 feet to 6 feet of water around assorted grass, using stick baits and jerk baits. The South Pasco Bassmasters’ next tournament is on Lake Istokpoga on March 19.

Women Trailblazers: They helped carve a path for others

February 22, 2022 By B.C. Manion

When Madonna Jervis Wise set out to write about women trailblazers in Tampa Bay, she was looking for women who carved their own path — through Florida’s wild lands, and within such realms as law, politics, education, social justice, sports and community life.

Kate Jackson stands between two friends with their bicycles. Jackson, who made her mark in Tampa, was commissioner of the Girl Scouts, was involved in the business and Professional Women’s League, the Catholic Woman’s Club and nearly every women’s group in Tampa. (Courtesy of the Tampa Bay History Center)

Some of these women are widely known today, occupying — or having occupied — positions of prominence. Others played a pivotal role in shaping opportunities for future generations but were not necessarily heralded during their own lifetime, and are all but forgotten today.

Wise’s book, “Images of America: Trailblazing Women of Tampa Bay,” shares the stories of women who have helped to shape today’s way of life.

She conveys their contributions through photographs and through accounts she gleaned from artifacts, historic sources, newspaper clippings, public records, oral histories and interviews.

The 159-page book is a result of months of recent work, coupled with years of research Wise has done for her other local history books, as well as from knowledge she has acquired through deep involvement with area historic societies.

‘Alice Hall made a living doing what people say cannot be done,’ Paul Hogan wrote in The Tampa Tribune in 1990. She was active in the Zephyrhills chamber, the Garden Club and the Veterans Associations. She was instrumental in bringing a hospital to the area and later equipped it with cardiovascular equipment from funds she raised. She worked for the Tribune from 1953 to 1990, and retired as a writer for the Tribune when she was 86. Here, she is shown wearing period clothing for a Founder’s Day celebration. ‘Without her, gone would be the hospital, the city’s first nursing home, first bank, its first emergency rescue equipment, its blood drive, its floral displays, Krusen Field, the Pioneer Florida Museum, and even the continuation of Founder’s Day. What she does, she does with her whole heart,’ said councilwoman Gloria Brown. (Courtesy of Zephyrhills Historical Society)

When Wise was compiling a list of women to include, she put out feelers to former colleagues and to community leaders.

She also consulted her daughters, Mamie and Rachel, and her daughter-in-law, Emily.

Mamie is an assistant U.S. Attorney and Rachel is a public defender. Emily is a director at Academy of the Holy Names.

They brainstormed with the author, with a focus on diversity and inclusion.

Many colleagues suggested names of women whom Wise said she had not known before, but once she did her research, she knew they must be included.

Others in the book are women that Wise met during her own professional life.

One of those women in retired Sixth Judicial Circuit Judge Lynn Tepper, who presided over Family Court cases in Pasco County. Wise said the judge is known for her work in creating a family centered, trauma-informed courtroom.

The other is Margarita Romo, an ordained minister who founded Farmworkers Self-Help, in Dade City and has spent decades working to improve life for migrant farmworkers. She was recognized for her contributions when she was inducted into the Florida Civil Rights Hall of Fame, an honor bestowed to individuals who have made significant contributions to improving the lives of minorities and all citizens in Florida.

The book covers a lot of ground.

It begins with contributions of indigenous women and includes women who are still making a difference today.

The photographs came from myriad sources, including The Tampa Bay History Center, newspaper archives, fivay.org, Florida Memory (Florida State archives), The Burgert Brothers Collection at the John Germany Genealogical library, the East Hillsborough Historical Society, Brooksville Mainstreet, and others.

She even obtained photos from the Henfield Museum in London featuring some Tampa Bay suffragettes.

Local photographer Richard Riley provided some photos, and others were supplied from private collections.

When Wise couldn’t acquire a usable photo, she turned to a local retired art teacher, who sketched the photographs for her.

Throughout her research, Wise said there was one common thread — regardless of the women’s background or endeavors —the woman had to be willing to step out, to break the mold.

“Without a doubt, successful, professional, prominent women will talk about how difficult it was to speak up. How difficult it was to be one of a few, maybe the only one, in class,” Wise said.

“I think you’re always reminded of the incredible courage it takes,” the author added.

She hopes the book will show that from generation to generation, women have built on the work done by women who blazed a trail before them.

Want a copy?
“Images of America: Trailblazing Women of Tampa Bay,” is available for $23.99, at Amazon.com; the Greater Zephyrhills Chamber of Commerce; Pioneer Florida Museum & Village; Tampa Bay History Center Museum store; Wesley Chapel Barnes & Noble; and Lanky Lassie Shortbread in Dade City.

Madonna Jervis Wise book talks
March 1 at 6 p.m., and March 18 at 6 p.m.
Both talks are at the Florida Pioneer Museum & Village, 15602 Museum Road, in Dade City. The March 1 talk is in the main museum building; the March 18 talk is in Mabel Jordan Barn.

Published February 23, 2022