The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

B.C. Manion

Education is the best weapon against scammers

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Dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic has caused challenges in nearly every aspect of life — including how to avoid being scammed.

The office of U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis recently conducted a webinar called Consumer Protection Forum: Fighting Fraud and Scams.

“Millions of Americans have been forced to isolate,” said Bilirakis, who represents the 12th congressional district in Florida, and is the ranking member for the Consumer Protection and Commerce subcommittee.

U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis represents the 12th congressional district in Florida, which includes all of Pasco County and portions of Hillsborough and Pinellas counties. (File)

“Unfortunately, scammers are continuing to find new ways to exploit vulnerable Americans during COVID-19. Bad actors, unfortunately, continue to exploit consumers — their fears and confusion,” said Bilirakis, whose district includes all of Pasco County and parts of Hillsborough and Pinellas counties.

Fake stimulus checks, fraudulent loans for small businesses and knock-off personal protection equipment are just a few of the scams that have arisen during this time of COVID-19.

“With people remaining locked in their homes, many have logged online for social interaction. That’s understandable. The bad guys, however, know this. And the FTC has already found that people are increasingly falling victim for scams through social media platforms.

“In just the first six months of 2020, for example, scams originating from social media tripled, resulting in $117 million in losses. With more consumers tuning in to these platforms, scammers create fake profiles, offering connection, friendship or economic relief, only to steal information and hard-earned dollars,” Bilirakis said.

Panelists from federal and state agencies shared their knowledge about how to avoid scams and legitimate places to turn to, for help.

Ronald Loecker, from the Tampa field office of the IRS, told listeners: “Education, quite simply, is the most powerful tool we have to prevent fraud and protect consumers.

“Scammers are looking to cash in. Fraudsters never stop,” he said.

He said the IRS will not send text messages asking taxpayers to provide bank account information, under the promise of receiving the Economic Impact Payment.

It also won’t call to threaten you with arrest or a lawsuit, he said.

“If you get a similar call, just hang up,” Loecker said.

“If someone contacts you via text message or email on social media, claiming to be from the IRS, it’s a scam, plain and simple,” he added.

Help is available for housing relief
Lisa Schifferle, a senior policy analyst with the Office of Older Americans, in the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, offered advice regarding housing relief options.

When consumers are struggling with paying their mortgage or rent, they can turn to ConsumerFinance.gov/housing, she said.

“It’s basically a one-stop shop for anyone who needs to find accurate information about housing relief options, available during the pandemic,” Schifferle said.

She also offered this advice: “Never pay someone upfront if they say they’re going to stop your foreclosure. Paying upfront is a red flag for a mortgage relief scam. It is illegal for them to charge you upfront.”

She added, be wary: “If the company guarantees it will get your mortgage changed, or if they guarantee that you won’t lose your home. Also, if they tell you to send your payment to someone other than your mortgage company or servicer, or tell you to stop paying your mortgage.

“You can find free help from certified HUD housing counselors.”

There are sources of legitimate help, she said, but people need to seek it out.

“If you are having trouble paying your mortgage or paying your bills, you are not alone. A lot of people are having trouble right now. The important thing to know is to reach out to your lenders, loan servicers and other creditors. They can’t help you, unless you reach out to them,” she said.

She added: “When you are looking for settling your debt and working out a payment plan, be skeptical of debt settlement companies, also called debt relief companies. They charge you a fee upfront in order to renegotiate your debts. Sometimes, if you work with one of them,  you may end up deeper in debt than when you started.

“We encourage you to consider working with a nonprofit credit counselor, or negotiating directly with a creditor or a debt collector yourself,” she said.

Complaints way up, at FTC
Colleen Tressler, a senior project manager with the Federal Trade Commission, explained the FTC’s role.

“The FTC works to stop unfair, deceptive or fraudulent practices in the marketplace. We conduct investigations, sue companies and people that break the law, and alert consumers and businesses about scams we’re seeing, as well as educate them about their rights,” she said.

“In 2020, the FTC took in more than 4.7 million reports. That’s up from 3.2 million in 2019.

“Total fraud losses in 2020 were $3.3 billion, up from $1.9 billion, in 2019.

“In 2020, people filed nearly 1.4 million reports about identity theft, more than double the number in 2019.”

Reports to the FTC were wide-ranging, with cyber criminals filing unemployment claims using other people’s personal information; identity theft involving federal economic relief payments; romance scams; online shopping scams; people falsely claiming to be the government, a relative in distress or a tech company, and so on.

“More people reported problems with online shopping in April and May in 2020, than in any other months on record, and more than half said they never got what they ordered,” Tressler said.

“Reports show that early in the pandemic, shady sellers began putting up websites, offering hard-to-find products, like PPE and household cleaners and disinfectants. When customers asked about their orders, scammers said the pandemic was causing shipping delays and then stopped responding, all the while, billing people for things that didn’t get delivered, wasn’t what the customer ordered, or was a cheap knock-off.

“The phone is still the top way that scammers are reaching us, both through phone calls and text messages. In fact, it was a sharp increase in the number of callers saying that scammers contacted them by text message, and not surprisingly, many of these text messages were related to the pandemic.”

Rick Kimsey, director of consumer services for the state Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, said his office received about 300,000 calls — and processed about 40,000 consumer complaints last year.

The complaints yielded more than $3 million in direct consumer refunds, he said.

“We continue to see fraud in the area of facemasks, gloves, hand sanitizers and disinfectants.

“As previously mentioned, face masks and gloves are usually products that just never arrived to consumers.

“The department assists consumers in contacting sellers and trying to finalize those purchases or refund the consumers’ money.

“We’re the consumer clearinghouse for the state of Florida. If you feel you’ve been a victim of a scam, or if you’re need of assistance, information, on any consumer-related issue, you can please contact us,” he said. The numbers to call are 1-800-435-7352 (English) and 1-800-352-9832 (Spanish).

For more information, or to watch the virtual forum, which was recorded, visit Bilirakis.house.gov.

Protecting yourself from fraudsters

Be wary of these scams:

  • Phishing schemes: Schemes that use fake phone calls, texts, emails or social media in an attempt to secure personal or financial information
  • Fake donation requests for individuals or groups heavily affected by COVID-19
  • Sophisticated scams asking for investments in companies developing COVID-19 vaccines or treatments, while promising that the company will dramatically increase in value as a result
  • Anyone promising a deal too good to be true

IRS scams

  • Text messages asking taxpayers to provide bank account information, under the promise of receiving the Economic Impact Payment
  • The IRS will never call and threaten you with arrest or a lawsuit. If you get a similar call, just hang up.
  • If someone contacts you via text message or email on social media, claiming to be from the IRS, it’s a scam, plain and simple.

Protect yourself

  • Avoid responding directly to unsolicited emails, text messages and phone calls. If you don’t know who is calling, let the caller leave a voicemail, so you can decide if you want to call back.
  • Seek information from trusted sources, such as the county health department or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
  • Verify sources of solicitations.
  • Pay with a credit card, if you can, especially online — credit card companies often provide extra consumer protection measures.

Avoid vaccine scams

  • Check with state or local health departments, health care providers or pharmacists to learn when and how to get the covid vaccine.
  • Don’t pay to sign up for the covid vaccine. Anyone who asks for a payment to put you on a list, make an appointment for you, or reserve a spot in line, is a scammer.
  • You can’t pay to get a vaccine. That’s a scam. On Medicare, you don’t have to pay to get the covid vaccine. Only scammers will ask you to pay.
  • Ignore sale ads for the vaccine. You can’t buy it anywhere. It’s only available at federal and state approved locations.
  • Nobody legitimate will call, text or email about the vaccine and ask for your Social Security, bank account or credit card number. That’s a scam.
  • Buy PPE (personal protective equipment) from a reputable seller. Lots of companies are popping up online and offering to sell these products to you. Be careful who you buy from.

Helpful websites:
MyFloridaLegal.com
ConsumerFinance.gov/coronavirus
FTC.gov/coronavirus
FDACS.gov

For more information
U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis’ office: 727-232-2921; Bilirakis.house.gov

Published March 17, 2021

Debate over multifamily in Pasco continues

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A Pasco County Commission proposal to halt the use of commercial land for multifamily development has met resistance from the Pasco County Planning Commission.

The county board directed its staff on Feb. 9 to pursue modification of the county’s land development code to remove the consideration of multifamily development as a conditional use on land zoned for commercial use.

A majority of the county board members said they wanted to preserve commercial land for commercial use.

County planners drafted a proposed amendment, to meet that directive, and took it to the planning commission’s March 4 meeting.

Planning commissioners, however — as well as a county staff member and two private attorneys — raised questions about the proposed change.

Planning commissioner Jaime Girardi said, “I understand what the board’s direction here is, and the way they’re trying to go, but I’m just worried if there’s any other unintended consequences here, by moving forward with this ordinance.”

Planning Commissioner Charles Grey asked: “What is the real purpose for doing this, out of curiosity?”

County zoning administrator Denise Hernandez responded: “Based on the conversations that were had, I think the board of county commissioners want to see commercial on commercial uses. And, they also want to see an integration of uses.”

Private attorney Barbara Wilhite often appears before the county board and the planning commission on land use and zoning issues.

Wilhite told planning commissioners: “I’m not speaking on behalf of any client. I just want to make sure there’s no unintended consequences here.

“So, I raise the concern. It has to do with affordable housing,” she said.

Typically, when conditional uses comes in for a multifamily development on commercial property, it’s for affordable housing, Wilhite said.

A pending controversial request in Wesley Chapel is an exception to that general rule, she said.

“I raise the concern. I certainly don’t want to see us make it harder for us to have some of these affordable projects,” Wilhite said.

It also could make it more difficult for the county to compete for state funding for those kinds of developments, Wilhite added.

“When we apply for the lottery, we’re competing statewide for money to bring these projects to Pasco, to help our residents,” she said.

Marcy Esbjerg, director of community development for Pasco County, echoed those concerns.

“Perhaps because of (the) pandemic, because of just growth in Florida — housing costs and rental costs are all exorbitant. Right now, under the eviction moratorium and foreclosure moratorium, our markets have become extremely strained.

“Houses are selling in a day. People are having a really hard time finding housing,” she said.

Even with rental assistance funding available, it has been very difficult to find housing, to help people get out of homelessness, she added.

She urged planning commissioners to retain any tool the county has in its toolbox to increase the supply of the housing.

That is critical, she said, to create a balanced community.

“It concerns me, No. 1, that the county would be going against what would be an Urban Land Institute best practice, or a best practice, again, all over the country. But we decide to go in another direction.

She added: “It’s critical for the county, to always consider any changes in policy, how it’s going to affect affordable housing — either the amount of affordable housing or the cost of affordable housing.

“The need has exacerbated just in the 2 ½ years that I’ve been here, and to put a policy like this in place, would only exacerbate it even more,” Esbjerg said.

Preserving flexibility
Private attorney Joel Tew raised numerous concerns about the proposed amendment.

“I think the commissioner who made the motion was very well-intentioned, but I think, with respect, I think we’re getting in a little bit too big of a hurry to try to do something in a knee-jerk fashion, dealing with this multifamily apartment issue,” Tew said.

“I don’t know if any of you, commissioners, had a chance to review the industry expert presentation that was made by the private industry at the commissioner workshop, but, if not, I would suggest, if you have time, pull that up and look at the presentation about the market demand.

“It’s not only the Class A market demand, which is substantial, but also the changing demographic in Pasco County and the realities of the marketplace,” he said.

Tew also pointed out that online shopping has caused a seismic shift in America, relating to commercial retail.

“Why would you take away one tool that you have? Just because you can apply for conditional use certainly doesn’t mean that this board is obligated to approve it,” Tew said.

Planning commission Chris Poole reiterated Girardi’s concerns about potential unintended consequences.

Grey added: “My only concern was, why would you want to limit yourself in terms of what you can do?

“Are they taking away tools that we should be using in the future that can benefit the county? Is this a knee-jerk reaction to something that we don’t like?” Grey added.

Girardi added: “I think there’s a lot more commercial out there, a lot more commercially zoned properties, in light of what’s going on in the market today — a lot more commercial than there is ever going to be demand for commercial uses.”

David Goldstein, who is the chief assistant county attorney, told planning commissioners if they recommend against the change, they need to do so based on inconsistencies with the county’s comprehensive plan policies.

Tew told planning commissioners that he would be happy to provide “a litany of policies that it’s inconsistent with,” including those relating to the county’s urban service area, affordable housing and density.

Poole said he wanted time to review the board’s workshop, and made a motion to continue the issue until April, which the planning commission approved.

Published March 17, 2021

Two new STEAM magnet schools coming to Pasco?

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The Pasco County school district is looking to convert Centennial Elementary School in Dade City and Marlowe Elementary School in New Port Richey, from traditional elementary schools into STEAM magnet schools.

The acronym STEAM stands for science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics.

Students now assigned to Centennial and Marlowe would be reassigned to nearby schools, and a lottery system would be used to assign students to the new magnet schools.

If the district proceeds with this plan, the change would not occur until the 2022-2023 school year, and boundary hearings would not occur until this coming fall, according to Steve Hegarty, district spokesman.

The issue came up at the Pasco County School Board’s March 2 meeting, when Don Peace, president of United School Employees of Pasco (USEP), complained about the district’s handling of future staffing for the two schools.

Peace objected to the new job description for STEAM magnet teachers.

“Normally, for contract waivers, major changes in curriculum — such as Wendell Krinn (Technical High School), Pine View (Middle) and Gulf Middle  — or school closings, as in Hudson Elementary, Ridgewood, and the Lacoochee proposal, USEP is invited to go to the school, along with district staff, to explain the contractual protocol for what is about to transpire.

“That did not happen with these two schools.

“In fact, when I first heard the details of what was transpiring, I had a district employee make a phone call to put a stop to what was going on. But that did not happen.

“Interviews took place, in an unacceptable manner, for jobs that do not yet exist, at schools that have not yet been voted to be closed, and for a job description that is yet to be approved.

“It appears the cart is in front of the horse,” Peace said.

Peace then told board members that approving the proposed job description would, in essence, create an elite position.

“Why would you want to create divisiveness among teachers?” the union president asked district officials.

“I would contend that with training, professional development and proper guidance, there are numerous teachers across this district that would be able to work in a STEM/STEAM school and be highly successful, if given that opportunity,” he said.

Peace suggested the board delay voting on the new job description, and instead hold a workshop to discuss the issue in greater detail.

Superintendent Kurt Browning responded to the assertions.

“I agree with Mr. Peace when it comes to the fact that any of our teachers, given the opportunity and the professional learning, could probably make it work in a STEM or STEAM environment.

“What Mr. Peace didn’t mention is what I call the ‘want to’ (factor). Do you want to put the effort into working at a STEM or STEAM school?

“We learned lessons when we converted Bayonet Point Middle and Centennial Middle. We did not have a separate job description for that. Honestly, it was more difficult to set the expectations for our staff.

“I will tell you that this job description, in no way, shape or form, is — as Mr. Peace has indicated — divisive. It is not intended to do that. It is merely to set expectations, for teachers that want to move to a STEM or STEAM environment.

“It is different, a lot more technology-driven, project-based learning.

“It is a choice school,” Browning said.

When the schools held faculty meetings to discuss the change, a number of teachers approached the principals and said, “I get it. I just don’t want to do it,” Browning said.

The new magnet schools will choose teachers based on the new job description.

While current teachers may be assigned to different schools, they will not lose their jobs, Browning said.

Before approving the new description, school board members asked for more information.

Board member Cynthia Armstrong asked for more details about how the job description was developed. Board member Alison Crumbley echoed that request.

Samantha Del Valle, assistant director of leading and learning, said “we knew we needed a job description to really be transparent with the staff that we’re going to hire and to share with them what would be expected, as they take those positions.”

So, the job description is based on the practices that happen in a STEAM classroom.

Hiring will mirror the process used in hiring teachers for Sanders Elementary STEAM Magnet School in Land O’ Lakes, Del Valle said.

The questions district officials asked, when drafting the new job description, included: “What is a STEAM teacher? What practices are happening in the classroom? What does STEAM look like and how do we make sure that that occurs in our two new schools?” Del Valle said.

School board member Colleen Beaudoin emphasized that she wanted it to be clear to district teachers that the new job description does not create an elite class of teachers.

“We’re not saying that these teachers are any better than any other teachers. These are just a specific skill set needed for these types of schools. I don’t want to give the impression that we’re saying that teachers at one school are any better than teachers at another school,” Beaudoin said.

Besides looking for teachers who have the attributes described in the job description, they also must be willing to undergo additional training, Del Valle said.

Plus, there is a preferred qualification related to computer science.

Browning reiterated Beaudoin’s point, noting the teachers are not better teachers.

“They’re different teachers.

“This job description was not designed to divide teachers,” the superintendent insisted.

He also said the shift to the STEAM magnet schools is intended to give parents additional options.

“Parents are wanting something different,” Browning said.

Published March 17, 2021

New office space may be coming to Wesley Chapel

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The Pasco County Planning Commission has recommended approval of a request that would allow a new professional office district on a 9.1-acre site on the west side of Wesley Chapel Boulevard, about ½ mile north of State Road 54/56.

Planning Commissioners voted unanimously on March 5 to recommend the change be approved by the Pasco County Commission, which has final jurisdiction on zoning requests.

The applicant for the change is the Southwest Florida Water Management District and Cypress Ridge Professional Center.

The office development would include a 70,350-square-foot building and 327 parking spaces, according to a site plan included in the planning commission’s agenda backup materials.

The surrounding area is characterized by conservation lands, professional office, commercial, and residential uses.

The owner has volunteered a deed restriction to the property that states within 30 days of the county’s request, the owner shall dedicate at no cost to Pasco County, a drainage easement of approximately 15,426 square feet.

This rezoning request is a companion to a request to change the county’s long-range plan to allow office uses on the land.

Both the land use and zoning must be approved, in order for the office development to proceed. Both requests have received recommendations for approval from county planners and planning commissioners.

In other action, planning commissioners:

  • Recommended approval for a rezoning to permit a light industrial park on a 5-acre site, on the west side of Old Lakeland Highway, north of Townsend Road. The applicant for the request is BMI LLC. A change also has been requested to the long-range plan, to allow light industrial uses. If the subject rezoning is approved, it cannot take effect until the companion land use change is adopted and the appeal period for that change has ended.
  • Recommended approval of a request to rezone 10 acres from agricultural land into agricultural-residential, to permit a total of two homes on the two parcels located at 18400 Possom Trot and 18454 Possom Trot. The applicants listed for the request are Robert Wendell Pippin Jr., and Clay Turner Pippin. They have agreed to a deed restriction to allow just one dwelling on each lot, according to county planners.

Published March 10, 2021

Pasco School Board asks for reprieve from state accountability impacts

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The Pasco County School Board has passed a resolution asking for a reprieve from the state’s accountability standards this year, to avoid potential punitive consequences.

The board is seeking to avoid any negative outcomes on teachers, students or schools that could occur based on results of the Florida Standards Assessments, known as FSA for short.

Specifically, the board approved a resolution that requests the governor and commissioner of education “to provide safe harbor to students, teachers, schools, and districts, by pausing negative consequences of the accountability system based on statewide assessments for the 2020-2021 school year.”

The resolution was adopted on March 2, on a 4-0 vote, with Allen Altman, board chairman, absent.

The board’s action followed a discussion of the issue on Feb. 16, prompted by concerns raised by board member Alison Crumbley.

Crumbley said it wouldn’t be fair to use the FSA results for anything other than a diagnostic tool to identify strengths and weaknesses, because of COVID impacts.

Other board members agreed noting teachers shouldn’t be held responsible for testing results, especially for MySchool Online students who had failed to participate.

At the same Feb. 16 meeting, Crumbley questioned how school grades could be “considered accurate, during these COVID-related times.”

In other action at the March 2 meeting, the board:

• Renamed the James Irvin Education Center and Harry Schwettman Education Center. The new names will be the East Pasco Education Academy, James Irvin Campus and the West Pasco Education Academy, Harry Schwettman Campus.

These schools will begin offering voluntary placements options with diploma pathways for students. The Harry Schwettman complex will be relocated to the former Hudson Elementary School site. Additionally, the programs at Achieve Center of Pasco will be relocated to these schools.

• Superintendent Kurt Browning reported that the Department of Health-Pasco County had agreed to 2,500 doses of vaccine, expected as early as the weekend of March 6 and March 7, to vaccinate school district employees, who are at least 50 years old.

Those vaccines are in addition to the 500 second doses for district personnel, scheduled the same weekend.

Board member Cynthia Armstrong said she has been vaccinated, and encouraged others to get vaccinated when they can. “It brings you wonderful peace of mind, to go ahead and get the vaccine,” she said.

• Don Peace, president of United School Employees of Pasco, announced that both school-related personnel and instruction staff overwhelmingly approved this year’s contracts. The SRP contract passed with 98% approval; instructional passed with 95% approval, he said.

Peace thanked the superintendent and the board for their part in the negotiations.

“I think that the results show that this was a fair and equitable contract,” Peace said.

Published March 10, 2021

New partnership aims to prepare tomorrow’s workforce

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Pasco County Schools has launched a new CTE Career Advisory Council aimed at helping the district’s graduates prepare for the world of work — while, at the same time, giving employers a chance to weigh in on what skills are needed for employees to be successful.

The advisory council also aims to give local businesses a chance to help develop the community’s future workforce.

Kristine Hensley, a career counselor at Wiregrass Ranch High School and Jennifer Batchelor, a career specialist in the district’s Career and Technical Education (CTE) division, explained the new advisory council during a recent breakfast Zoom session, and invited members of the North Tampa Bay Chamber to get involved.

The advisory council’s work has the potential to affect thousands of students enrolled in career and technical courses and programs across the district, Batchelor said.

“Currently in Pasco County, we have programs of study, or academies, that fit into 13 of the National Career Clusters. Within CTE — Career and Technical Ed — in Pasco County Schools, we’ve got 574 courses that are specific to those programs.

“We’ve got 17,000 middle and high school students — over 17,000 middle school and high school students — that are currently enrolled in one of these courses, or programs of study,” she said.

Previously, schools had their own advisory councils. This new approach puts the focus on career fields, with the aim to improve the district’s preparation of students, as well as expand their opportunities to get real-world experiences.

Concerns about keeping people safe during COVID has had an impact on opportunities that are currently available, but once things open up, the district hopes that will change, Batchelor said.

“We’re going to be looking for experiential learning opportunities. We need our students to get hands-on experience,” said.

Besides learning about occupations and jobs, the idea is to get students out to see how what they’re learning plays out in the workplace.

“They need to be out there seeing what it’s like in the real world,” Batchelor said.

There will be many different ways to get involved — through sharing expertise or providing suggestions on curriculum, to job-shadowing or offering other ways for students to get a real feel for the world of work.

“Work-based learning experiences are key for these students,” Batchelor said.

Hensley, career specialist at Wiregrass, told the chamber members, via Zoom: “Your involvement will be key to making sure that we are actually aligning what we’re teaching to what all of you need.”

Besides inviting chamber members to get involved, both Batchelor and Hensley encouraged them to put out the word to others who might want to get involved.

The advisories are career-focused and will help students across the district, rather than at any particular school, Batchelor said.

She added: “There are a lot of ways to help these students figure out what they are going to do, once they leave high school.”

Those interested in getting involved, or learning more, should contact Pam Willoughby at or Jen Batchelor at .

Published March 10, 2021

Solution to Land O’ Lakes traffic jams still years away, if then

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Complaints have persisted for years about traffic congestion at the intersection of U.S. 41 and State Road 54 in Land O’ Lakes.

There also have been on-again, off-again public discussions over the best solution for reducing traffic at the place where two of Pasco’s busiest roads meet.

This aerial view shows the intersection of U.S. 41 and State Road 54. During morning and afternoon rush hours, there are significant backups at the busy intersection in Land O’ Lakes. (Courtesy of Florida Department of Transportation)

State Road 54 runs east-west, and had an average daily traffic count of 63,000 in 2019, according to figures supplied by the Florida Department of Transportation.

U.S. 41 runs north-south, and had average daily traffic counts of 69,000 in 2019, according to state road officials.

On top of that, there’s new growth underway and future growth coming in Land O’ Lakes.

Plus, State Road 54 is an evacuation route when hurricanes threaten.

But, complaints about traffic congestion are likely to persist for some time, because even in a best-case scenario, any option for improvements is likely to be at least 10 years away from funding.

That’s according to a Feb. 11 presentation to the Pasco Metropolitan Planning Organization’s board by Craig Fox, a project manager for FDOT.

While a solution may be a long way off, the issue is expected to get public attention this year, as consideration is given to four alternatives being studied by state road officials.

Fox outlined those four options:

  • Alternative 1: Two lanes of State Road 54, in each direction, are elevated over U.S. 41. Two frontage lanes run parallel to State Road 54, east-west. Additional lanes allow left and right turns to U.S. 41.
  • Alternative 2: An at-grade intersection without elevated lanes. Left-turns occur prior to the main intersection, using a frontage road along the cross streets.
  • Alternative 3: Two lanes of State Road 54 are elevated in each direction over U.S. 41. Left-turning traffic crosses over the opposing through traffic, several hundred feet before the major intersection.
  • Alternative 4: No Build

While there’s no funding for construction until 2031, work continues to study the alternatives, Fox told the MPO board.

“We are currently working on concepts for all three build alternatives,” he said.

In evaluating the alternatives, Fox said, “we’re looking at the improvements based on traffic operations, safety costs, impacts, right of way impacts, also.

“From that we’re going to select a build alternative to carry into the PD&E (Project Design & Environmental Study) phase, and eventually the design phase,” he said.

This map shows the Florida Department of Transportation’s study of the alternatives being considered for improvements to the State Road 54 and U.S. 41 intersection in Land O’ Lakes.

He expects a public meeting on the alternatives to occur later this year, he said.

Once the alternative is chosen, the PD&E would be conducted in 2021 to 2022.

That would be followed by design, which would occur from 2022 to 2024.

And, after that, right of way acquisition would occur from 2025 to 2026.

Construction, however, would not start until 2031, Fox said.

“It actually got pushed out to 2031-2032, and that was kind of also due to the impacts of COVID-19 on the statewide budget.”

At the Pasco MPO board meeting, Pasco County Commissioner Jack Mariano told Fox: “I like that you’re doing all of the alternatives. The one that intrigues me the most is the flyover, going east-west, because I think that’s going to be critical. It’s as much a safety factor, with the rail line that goes north-south, and especially if the rail line is ever going to run up and down. That would be safer, as well as more efficient, for that rail line, as well.”

Fox said the FDOT is currently updating right of way costs affiliated with the three alternatives.

He said it will be up to the Pasco County MPO to determine when the Vision 54/56 Task Force will reconvene.

The public will be able to comment on the alternatives at the Alternative Public Meeting, which is expected in Summer of 2021. They also will be able to comment online and via mail, he said.

Published March 03, 2021

Helping people get from place to place, safely

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As Pasco County and the municipalities within the county’s borders continue to grow, Pasco County Commissioner Kathryn Starkey thinks the Pasco Metropolitan Planning Organization should have a greater voice in planning future roads to ensure safety, while promoting connectivity.

The issue came up repeatedly during the Pasco MPO’s Feb. 11 meeting.

“I’m wondering if it’s the role of the MPO to give some policy direction when we work on our road network,” Starkey asked her colleagues.

This aerial photo of the State Road 56 extension shows a pristine stretch of roadway, running from Meadow Pointe Boulevard, in Wesley Chapel, to U.S. 301, in Zephyrhills. But that road will be developed on both sides, and once it is, Pasco County Commissioner Kathryn Starkey says it will be hard for pedestrians and bicyclists to safely cross the road. She’d like future road planning efforts to be more forward-thinking when it comes to cyclists, pedestrians and people driving golf carts. (File)

She’d like the MPO board to be able to weigh in before road projects are done — to keep safety in mind for pedestrians, cyclists and golf cart users.

Otherwise, she said, the county and local jurisdictions could end up with scenarios they don’t want and have to spend more money later to make changes.

The issue of paying more attention to connectivity came up during discussion of an item to amend the transportation improvement plan to include two wildlife culverts under State Road 52.

The culverts will connect the Connor Preserve on the southern side of State Road 52 to the northern side of State Road 52, in the area of Parker Lake.

Once those culverts are added, right of way acquisition will begin this year, according to the agenda item.

Starkey asked if there’s a way to look at these planned wildlife crossings to make them large enough to allow cyclists and pedestrians to pass through them.

She suggested making the crossings 8 feet deep, to make room for people to go back and forth.

Doing that would be much cheaper than putting an overpass over State Road 52, added Starkey, an avid proponent for using trails to create connectivity within and between communities.

She noted that the extension of State Road 56, between Meadow Pointe Boulevard and U.S. 301, would have benefited from forward-thinking regarding pedestrians and cyclists.

“Now, we’re going to have a problem, of how to get people safely from the south side of Two Rivers to the north side of Two Rivers,” Starkey said. “If we had just gone up a little in elevation, it would have been a lot cheaper than whatever the solution is going to be.”

Commissioner Jack Mariano agreed with Starkey’s observation. He told her: “You brought up a great point way back at State Road 52 and (Interstate) 75, about doing something for cyclists to be able to go under that bridge, as well, that did get accomplished. It delayed the project a little bit, but I think it was well worth it.”

Starkey said: “I think it was a $1 million redo. “That is much cheaper than a $10 million, $12 million flyover for cyclists — or whatever other solution there could have been.”

Mariano said he would like the state roads department to take another look at the wildlife crossings proposed for the State Road 52 project.

“Instead of being tight underneath, maybe it should be a big box culvert that will actually allow a couple of bicyclists width-wise to go through. I think it’s something we should explore. It’s a lot cheaper to do it now, than it would be later,” Mariano said.

Justin Hall, with the Florida Department of Transportation, said the department will consider the request. “I can circle back with the project manager and we can take a look at that.”

The issue of advance planning to improve safety and mobility also came up during discussion of two work task orders, approved by the board after discussion.

In one work task, Aecom will prepare Active Transportation Plan procedures and outline a public engagement process.

The consultant will “assist with the actual plan development; the recommended schedule, preparing draft templates for how the plan should be put together and also prepare the next steps. It’s essentially the strategic approach for how to put together the Active Transportation Plan, which is something the county has not had in more recent times,” said Nectarios Pittos, acting executive director for the Pasco MPO.

That work task order was approved for $49,917.25.

The second work task order is being handled by Tindale Oliver & Associates.

“This will include available data sources, data assembly, demographics, data gap, data collection, GIS mapping, crash data analysis, technical memo development, review of comprehensive plan and right of way preservation with standards,” Pittos said.

“This is essentially the technical understanding of what information we have, ahead of the plan formation,” he said. That work task order was approved for $48,666.14.

By having the two work task orders done at the same time, the MPO hopes to finish phase one of the project by the end of June, so it can begin plan development starting in August, Pittos said.

Starkey asked if this planning would be an appropriate place to consider policies that the MPO would like to be considered during future road planning.

“Certainly when they’re developing the plan, there will be recommendations and policies established in that plan. Our understanding is that this plan is going to take a lot of cue from the long-range transportation plan, so there will be a definite dove-tailing of the two documents.

“So, you’ll be able to make recommendations and essentially set policy as well, in these documents.

“The MPO can have its own policy and work with the various jurisdictions that are working with the MPO, to follow that policy,” Pittos said.

Published March 03, 2021

Giving entrepreneurs tools they need to succeed

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When guests arrived at SMARTstart @ The Grove last month, they found a space that’s well-equipped to help entrepreneurs launch a new business, and to help existing businesses grow.

The business incubator is at 6013 Wesley Grove Blvd., Suite 202, in the Grove at Wesley Chapel — a shopping, restaurant and entertainment complex that’s in the midst of a massive refresh.

Bill Cronin, president and CEO of Pasco Economic Development Inc., said all sorts of people will be making use of the new incubator — and who knows, one day a startup that began there could locate its corporate headquarters in Pasco. (B.C. Manion)

Bill Cronin, president and CEO of Pasco Economic Development Council Inc., spoke enthusiastically about the center’s potential.

“These doors that you walked through today, there’s going to be so many different companies — people, families, all different types of things are going to be coming through those doors in the future,” Cronin said.

The economic development expert noted that Pasco County has a pro-business environment, and welcomes not only companies that are transplanting from overseas, but also startup companies that are getting off the ground.

“You look at those big cities all over the United States and they’ve got headquarters — a lot of those headquarters didn’t move there. A lot of them started there,” he said.

The Pasco EDC and Pasco County have programs aimed at helping businesses that are in every stage of development, Cronin added.

Dan Mitchell, the EDC’s program director for SMARTstart, shared some statistics from last year’s activities with Pasco’s incubators.

“This is our third entrepreneur center,” Mitchell said. “Last year, even though we had to deal with the pandemic, through SMARTstart, we were able to help over 645 business owners with counseling sessions to help them with financial assistance, technical assistance and guidance that they needed.

Dan Mitchell, SMARTstart program director, welcomed guests to a ribbon-cutting and tour of SMARTstart@The Grove in Wesley Chapel last week. The goal is to help entrepreneurs to launch, or grow, their businesses.

“We served over 24 businesses in our incubators, actually helping them with workspace and guidance they need to launch their businesses.

“We have over 156 events, many of them were virtual. But we had 1,960 event participants at our SMARTstart events.

“This center is going to allow us to magnify that impact, because right now our two centers are on the far reaches of the county. We’ve got a New Port Richey Center and we’ve got our Dade City Center.

“The New Port Richey Center has a professional services feel to it. The Dade City Center supports our food businesses and food entrepreneurs.

“This center will allow us to have that impact be countywide, and have that impact the entire region as a whole,” Mitchell added.

Tracy Ingram, an entrepreneur who has been involved with Pasco’s incubators for about 10 years, offered his perspective on the opportunities they create.

“I work all of the way down to Sarasota/Manatee, all of the way up to Citrus, all of the way over to Orlando. I haven’t been able to see that level of commitment to the actual starting of companies,” he said.

Pasco has made a decision to help entrepreneurs launch companies, and provides support to help them nurture their companies so they can grow strong, Ingram said.

“Maybe you want to start a lawn service business or a bakery or something like that, maybe you’re starting an app for a dotcom company,” he said.

Pasco’s approach has been: “Can I help you where you’re at — versus trying to fit you into a mold and say, ‘No, you have to be this way.’”

Staff and board members of the Pasco Economic Development Council Inc., joined officials and staff from Pasco County, and entrepreneurs to celebrate the opening of SMARTstart@The Grove, a new business incubator.

Pasco EDC has helped entrepreneurs connect with business mentors to help develop companies, and CEOs to connect with their peers, to learn from each other’s experiences, Ingram said.

Mentors can help entrepreneurs find out if they have a business model that can succeed.

“Maybe you have a great widget, but does anyone really want it?” he said.

Or, perhaps you have a great idea, but don’t have a clue about how to secure financing and get it to market.

Mentors can provide guidance: “How do we take your energy and your enthusiasm and help put some meat on the bones, or put some structure underneath it, to really help you be successful.”

Ingram said he has benefitted from business mentors, and is now giving back.

“Some of the best advice I ever got is that no one really cares about your company, they care about what your product is going to do for them.

“How can I help you? If my product or company can help you, then how do I do that? That becomes this magic, when you start really looking from the customer perspective.

“You start looking at, how do I build something that people want, how do I reach that customer?” he said.

“Pasco County was the county that stood behind us. So, when we started looking at where we wanted to land, Pasco County was where we decided to land because the county was behind us. You don’t get that in every other county. You don’t get the county really stepping in to make sure entrepreneurs are successful,” Ingram said.

“There is so much value here for people who are out on their own. As an entrepreneur, you feel like you have to do it alone. But you realize, the truth is, you can’t.

“The truth is you can’t be an expert in everything.

“But if you can lean on a SMARTstart, or you can lean on an agency like this, that has a mentor network, that can help you in the areas where you’re not an expert, and allow you to be the expert where you’re an expert,” he said.

Pasco County Commission Chairman Ron Oakley assured those gathered: “The Pasco County Board of County Commissioners is very much committed to the entrepreneurship of our new businesses, and the fact that they can start their own business here in Pasco.”

Published March 03, 2021

Business Digest 03/03/2021

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East Pasco Networking Group
Upcoming speakers for the East Pasco Networking Group include Zephyrhills City Councilwoman Jodi Wilkeson and Zephyrhills City Manager Billy Poe, who will speak at the March 9 meeting, and Pasco Sheriff Chris Nocco, who will speak on March 23. The group meets at 7:30 a.m., at IHOP, at 13100 U.S. 301 in Dade City. For more information, call Nils Lenz at 813-782-9491 or Vicky Jones at 813-431-1149.

Business & Community Expo
Network with 40 Pasco County businesses and community organizations at the first annual Pasco Business & Community Expo at The Concourse on March 20 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. The Concourse is at 11919 Alric Pottberg Road in Shady Hills. Admission is $5 and includes a grand raffle entry ticket. Email for more information.

Women-owned businesses
How resilient are women entrepreneurs feeling during COVID-19?

A study by FreshBooks reveals that women entrepreneurs are being harder hit by the direct and indirect impacts of COVID-19.

Here are some of the key findings of the study:

  • On average, women-owned businesses are taking nearly three times longer to recover from the financial setbacks brought on by COVID-19 compared to businesses owned by men.
  • Self-employed women in industries that rebounded quickly are still under-indexing and recovering much slower than their male counterparts (for example, the construction industry).
  • Nearly 60% of women say it will take them longer than six months to recover their business to previous COVID levels, compared to 47% of men.
  • Industries with predominantly women-owned businesses (e.g., education, social assistance, etc.), were among the hardest hit industries during social distancing regulations.
  • Women are more likely to be caring for children or the elderly during the pandemic.

The Business Resiliency During COVID-19 study combines survey data from 2,200 FreshBooks U.S. customers with business data from over 10,000 small businesses in the United States. Survey responses were collected online between July and September 2020. The FreshBooks data science team examined a range of metrics (e.g., revenue, expenditures, invoice amounts) to infer the impact(s) of COVID-19 on overall business performance in aggregate, as well as by gender and industry.

FreshBooks is the No. 2 small business accounting software in America, with paying customers in 100+ countries.

Grocery spending
A new data study found that while most Americans are spending more on groceries than ever before, Florida saw no change in grocery spending.

TOP Data analyzed spending at grocery stores across Florida and found that the average annual grocery bill was the same in 2020, with the average person spending $4,580.

The study also revealed that the biggest increase in spending has been on spirits, which was 33% higher in 2020 than in 2019.

Spending on meat jumped by 16%, with the meat alternatives subcategory seeing a 34% spike. The biggest subcategory increase was storage, which saw a huge 605% increase.

Key Findings from TOP Data’s study:

  • There was a 9.4% increase in annual grocery spend in 2020.
  • 33 states have increased their grocery bill during the pandemic.
  • The average American spent $4,442 on groceries in 2020.
  • People of Florida spent the same amount on grocery in 2020 compared to 2019.

TOP Data analyzed weekly spending data of 900,000 Americans. This spending was mapped to 55 grocery retailers, including Trader Joes, Whole Foods, Safeway, Kroger, Albertsons, Wegmans and Publix Super Markets, and others.

The data was cross-checked with publicly available information from each organization, and any correction provided was incorporated into the report.

Viewing this information in concert, TOP determined the weekly purchases at each merchant over the last 15 months by state.

16 million meals, and counting
The Florida Department of Elder Affairs distributed more than 16 million home-delivered meals last year following the onset of COVID-19. That number represents an increased distribution of over 200% for nearly five months, compared to the number of meals served during periods of non-emergency, according to a news release from the department.

As the department and the Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs) increased the number of home-delivered meals, the Aging Network simultaneously partnered with the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association to launch Feeding Older Floridians Restaurant Meal Initiative that contributed over 3.5 million meals to Florida seniors during the same time period.

Now, the department is reinforcing the successful home-delivered meal programs. An additional $12.7 million in federal funding has been distributed to the 11 AAAs throughout the state, to address the needs of older Floridians who remain affected by COVID-19.

“Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, our restaurants have stepped up to help fill the critical need for senior meals, and the extension of this program will continue to allow seniors to have increased access to hot, nutritious meals from the safety of their home while simultaneously helping to support Florida’s restaurants,” Carol Dover, President and CEO of the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association, said in the release.

The additional funding will allow extension of various meal delivery projects including the Feeding Older Floridians Restaurant Meal Initiative, drive-through meals, and grab-and-go meals for older adults who remain homebound.

Seven productivity hacks to help small businesses
The Better Business Bureau has published a list of seven tips aimed at helping small businesses succeed. In a nutshell, here are the tips:

  • Know when to delegate. You are just one person; you can’t do everything.
  • Set goals and track progress. Make lists of tasks you need to complete and keep track of how you are doing. Having a plan for each day and each week reduces the amount of time you waste.
  • Work in time blocks. After setting your goals for the day, schedule a time for each task. For instance, if you schedule an hour to answer emails, stop doing that task after an hour and move on to the next thing on your list. Don’t forget to schedule in some 10-minute breaks.
  • Avoid multi-tasking. Very few people can do more than one task at a time (Research says just 2.5%). Do one task at a time, and give it your full attention.
  • Have short, impactful meetings. Every meeting should have a clear agenda.
  • Hire the right people. It’s easier to delegate when you have the right people on the job. When choosing new team members, take your time to make sure the candidate is a good fit.
  • Automate processes. Take a good look at your company. Automate, when possible.

For more information, visit BBB.org/smallbusiness.