The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

Michael Hinman

Lake Jovita de-annexation passes House, Senate

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The fate of Lake Jovita and St. Leo is now on its way to Gov. Rick Scott’s desk.

The Florida Senate today passed H.B. 1401 by a 40-0 vote, after it was withdrawn from the Rules Committee there. That votes comes just days after the Florida House approved it 118-1, with only state Rep. Daphne Campbell, D-Miami, voting against it.

H.B. 1401 was filed by state Rep. Amanda Murphy, D-New Port Richey, on March 1, which would separate a portion of the Lake Jovita subdivision from the Town of St. Leo. The community and the town have been at odds for years, with Lake Jovita homeowners affected by the town complaining about high taxes and low level of services.

Those homeowners have worked to get their way onto the town board, the latest being Ray Davis who beat longtime commissioner Donna DeWitt in April to help maintain the Lake Jovita majority. Davis is expected to take his seat in May, unless Gov. Scott signs H.B. 1401, which would move the affected part of Lake Jovita into unincorporated Pasco County like the rest of the subdivision.

The St. Leo commission is set to meet May 5, according to town attorney Patricia Petruff, to discuss what happens next based on how H.B. 1401 moves forward. It’s not clear when Scott will sign the bill, but it would take immediate effect upon his signature, or within 15 days of his receiving the bill if he chooses not to sign or veto.

H.B. 1401 becoming law would create three immediate openings on the St. Leo commission, and new members of the commission would have to be appointed. That could mean DeWitt could remain on the commission, despite losing her election, if she is appointed to return.

The new St. Leo without Lake Jovita will see its population drop from 1,369 to 1,173, according to a House committee report. The town itself would lose $50,000 each year, or 15 percent of its total revenue, and would reduce the number of rooftops by 85.

Lake Jovita is a planned 871-home development that broke ground in the late 1990s. By chance, a small portion of the subdivision landed inside St. Leo. The town itself could not de-annex the Lake Jovita homes, because state law prohibits a municipality from de-annexing areas that, if it wasn’t part of the town already, it could have legally annexed. That meant only state lawmakers could allow the divorce.

Plantation Palms resolves water overpumping claim

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Plantation Palms Golf Club pumped a lot more water than it was permitted to in 2011, but a proposed $13,000 penalty issued by the Southwest Florida Water Management District last September is no more.

Instead, MJS Golf Group LLC will be penalized a little over $2,000 not for violating its permit, but instead not informing the agency — more commonly known as Swiftmud — that its reclaimed water system was under repair.

Swiftmud claimed the golf course, located at 23253 Plantation Palms Blvd., in Land O’ Lakes, used an average of 144,500 gallons of water per day in Summer 2011, well beyond the 76,600 gallons it’s permitted for. The violations took place around the same time MJS purchased the course in May 2011 through a $2.18 million mortgage from Native American Bank of Denver. The violations continued into 2012, according to Swiftmud, despite its efforts to contact the owners.

Soon after Swiftmud threatened to sue MJS for the penalty amount, owners of the golf course contacted the regulatory agency and explained they had a leak in their reclaimed water system, and had to switch over to potable water while it was being fixed. Plantation Palms put its reclaimed water system back online in November, according to agency documents.

Since then, there has not been any overpumping, and water usage at Plantation Palms is back to normal, Swiftmud said. Because of that, the agency recommended to reduce the penalty it issued last year to $1,800, along with a $250 cost reimbursement. MJS’ permit requires they inform Swiftmud if alternative water sources are not available, which the agency said did not take place.

Swiftmud’s governing board is expected to approve the reduced penalty during its regular meeting Tuesday.

The course temporarily closed last August in what one owner described as a combination of the economy and summer conditions.

“It’s been too hot, and it’s been raining, and the culmination of all that just resulted in not a lot of people playing golf,” one of the owners, Jason Ray, told The Laker/Lutz News back in August. “Summertime is always tough for all the golf courses.”

Plantation Palms reopened within a week of closing.

Saint Leo grads ready to learn something new from Petters, Davidson

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Last year, Huntington Ingalls Industries earned more than $6.8 billion.

Huntington Ingalls Industries president and chief executive C. Michael Petters, right, shakes hands with employee Timothy Madden at the yard at Newport News Shipbuilding in Virginia. Petters hails from Pasco County, and he and sister Susan Davidson will speak May 3 at Saint Leo University commencement ceremonies. (Courtesy of Chris Oxley)
Huntington Ingalls Industries president and chief executive C. Michael Petters, right, shakes hands with employee Timothy Madden at the yard at Newport News Shipbuilding in Virginia. Petters hails from Pasco County, and he and sister Susan Davidson will speak May 3 at Saint Leo University commencement ceremonies.
(Courtesy of Chris Oxley)

Chances are, you’ve never heard of this Virginia-based company. But you should definitely be familiar with its products — nuclear-powered aircraft carriers that are more than 1,000 feet long and weigh 100,000 tons — and you may even know its president and chief executive officer.

C. Michael Petters has led Huntington Ingalls since before it was spun off from Northrop Grumman. Petters is a preeminent shipbuilder who learned his skills through the U.S. Naval Academy and the College of William and Mary, but the foundation of his success goes back even further — all the way to the small German Catholic St. Joseph community in Pasco County.

There, Petters and his siblings worked hard on the family’s orange groves, but still remained focused on education and service. So it’s no surprise that not only has Petters been invited to speak at upcoming commencement exercises at Saint Leo University, but so has his sister — U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Susan Davison.

The Class of 2014 graduation marks a milestone in the Petters’ family history — it’s 60 years after their father graduated from what was then Saint Leo Prep School.

“My parents were committed,” Petters said. “They were committed to the farm and their business and to their acquaintances and all that, but the one thing that they held out there more than anything else was education.”

Petters’ grandfather said each person should strive to learn something new every day. That prompted a daily question from his own father, asking what he’d learned.

“If you said ‘nothing,’ that wasn’t a good answer,” Petters said. “It didn’t matter to my parents whether it was classroom training or not. It was learning, and it wasn’t just words to them. They went the extra mile to make sure they could afford to send us to schools.”

Yet, good schools cost money, something the Petters didn’t necessarily have a lot of. So Mike Petters and his siblings would work their way through school, and even paused long enough to serve their country in the military. Petters would end up on the USS George Bancroft, a nuclear-powered submarine in the 1980s. And sister Susan Davidson would make her career in the military.

Davidson received her commission in 1983, but didn’t begin active duty until 1986 after a short delay when she had to help replant the family orange grove that was damaged in a hard freeze.

Davidson served in Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm in the 1990s, and later in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Two years ago, she assumed command of Defense Logistics Agency Distribution. But they are not the only Petters children who have found success.

“The whole gang has been successful,” Petters said. “We even have a rocket scientist and a helicopter pilot in there. And they’ve all been successful because they have taken this never-stop-learning approach, and made it the drumbeat of their lives.”

Commencement ceremonies are set for May 3, honoring the portion of Saint Leo’s 16,000-student body who have finished this level of their education. However, if graduates walk away from anything after Petters’ remarks, he hopes that it’s with the understanding that education never ends.

“Where you’re from is an asset,” Petters said. “Everything you have done up to today prepares you for what you’re going to be doing tomorrow.”

Published April 23, 2014

Lowe’s, Marshalls bring new jobs in heart of Central Pasco

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Plans for a home improvement store left for dead three years ago is now being resurrected as Lowe’s gets ready to finally come to Land O’ Lakes.

Marshalls will open this summer with space at Village Lakes Shopping Center that used to be home for Walmart. It’s strategically located in the same plaza as its primary competitor, Ross Dress for Less. (Michael Hinman/Staff Photo)
Marshalls will open this summer with space at Village Lakes Shopping Center that used to be home for Walmart. It’s strategically located in the same plaza as its primary competitor, Ross Dress for Less.
(Michael Hinman/Staff Photo)

Crews are now clearing trees and other foliage from a 42-acre tract of land on State Road 54 just east of Land O’ Lakes Boulevard where they expect to have a 152,000-square-foot Lowe’s by winter, according to company spokeswoman Natalie Turner.

The store will bring 125 jobs, and the hiring process could begin later in the year.

“We’re excited as all get-up,” said Dennis Esber, president of the Central Pasco Chamber of Commerce, and owner of Point to Point Printing. “What’s happening is that people are starting to recognize that the Lutz and Land O’ Lakes area is a great area to be in.”

The North Carolina company purchased the land between Winter Quarters Pasco RV Park and the Pasco County fire station there in 2005 for $2.7 million, and had hoped to open the store by 2009. However, Lowe’s abandoned those plans in 2011, with reports the company would try to sell the land.

The new Lowe’s will have a 103,000-square-foot sales floor and a 31,300-square-foot garden center, according to the site plan submitted to Pasco County officials. It also would have enough parking for nearly 525 cars.

Its primary entrance would be on the east side of the property, creating an intersection with the Village Lakes Shopping Center across the street, where a new Marshalls location is just weeks away from opening.

Officials with the Framingham, Mass.-based discount clothing department store chain said they’re not ready to release any details, but Marshalls stores are typically 31,000 square feet, and the newest location hosted a job fair for prospective employees last week in Port Richey.

Marshalls will now be in the same plaza as one of its primary competitors, Ross Stores Inc., which operates a Ross Dress for Less there. The draw of all three stores, along with several others in Village Lakes and surrounding shopping centers, should continue to help draw more and more people to Central Pasco County. It’s also a boon for Village Lakes, which suffered tremendously in the years after losing its Walmart anchor, only to bounce back and be a major player in the area’s growth.

“The county had finally got involved to get things corrected in that little shopping center, and turned it into something real good,” Esber said. “If you have an eyesore, people start grumbling and then start thinking the worst about the area. But now you see a nice change in people’s mentality, and I like to see the positive atmosphere.”

And that includes how people outside of Central Pasco think of the area.

“People have been negating this area for quite a long time, but that’s really starting to change,” Esber said. “They’re finding out there is a lot more here, and a lot of history. And we’re ready to keep growing.”

Published April 23, 2014

FDOT leader goes point-by-point on elevated toll road

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Patrick Knight has been an active voice against the proposed elevated toll road in the State Road 54/56 corridor, and tried to pull the big guns into his fight by writing Gov. Rick Scott.

Instead, Knight’s letter was answered by Florida Department of Transportation District Seven secretary Paul Steinman, who responded to Knight point-by-point on the potential 33-mile project that would stretch from Zephyrhills to New Port Richey.

“This type of project has already been built, and is operating successfully around the country, so we are getting a good idea of what people are able or willing to pay to use them,” Steinman wrote in a letter to Knight, which was shared with members of elevated road opposition group Pasco Fiasco. “Like any good business, the company that runs this venture will study its potential customers and set reasonable prices. If they were to charge too much, they would lose money in the end.”

In his letter to Scott, Knight touched on not only the potential high cost of tolls, but other factors he and members of his opposition group fear, like sinkholes, traffic congestion, extra noise from the road, and even allowing a foreign company to participate in a road project. One of the key partners working with developer International Infrastructure Partners LLP is OHL Group of Spain.

“There will never be public support for this project,” Knight wrote. “An elevated toll road owned and operated by a foreign corporation and used only by those who can afford a very high toll is not needed.”

However, where a proposing road construction company is based is not necessarily something the FDOT considers when partnering with projects, Steinman said.

“Nothing prohibits foreign companies form competing for this type of project,” Steinman said. “Allowing more companies to compete benefits Florida by increasing competition and lowering costs for the taxpayer.”

Also, any company, foreign or domestic, would have to hire local subcontractors and engineers to build, Steinman added. And both that work and the attraction to develop in the area because of the “presence of the roadway” would create more jobs in the state.

Steinman also downplayed any potential problems with sinkholes in the county, citing recent work on Interstate 75, which he said created no sinkhole problems either on the project site, or in surrounding private property.

There was a little bit of hope for opponents of the road, however.

“We have received many similar comments from other citizens, and have asked the company proposing the project to provide other options to the original elevated concept,” Steinman said.

International Infrastructure Partners submitted its unsolicited proposal to FDOT last summer, and the decision to give the company the necessary right-of-way along the State Road 54/56 corridor to build the potential $2.2 billion project lies with the state agency.

However, FDOT officials have said in the past they would not move forward without the blessing of the Pasco County government. Two members of the commission, Henry Wilson and commission chair Jack Mariano, have publicly come out against the project.

Public meetings about the proposed project are set to begin in June and July.

De-annexing Lake Jovita could create mess on St. Leo commission

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The results of a recent election in the town of Saint Leo and a bill making its way through the Legislature could be on a collision course that may result in a town commissioner resigning, a special election or an appointment to the commission by Gov. Rick Scott.

All of these scenarios are possible.

Patricia Petruff
Patricia Petruff

It all boils down to the fact that the town’s commission may soon lack a quorum.

The purpose of a quorum is to ensure elected representatives are actually representing the people who elected them by typically requiring more than half of those representatives to be present at a meeting.

It’s a concept nearly as old as organized meetings themselves, and prevents a leader from having more power than he should. Without a quorum, decisions can’t be made, governing virtually comes to a complete halt, and nothing gets done.

St. Leo’s government requires three of its five commissioners to be present to create a quorum.

However, a bill making its way through Tallahassee is expected to pass and once it gets the governor’s signature, three of those five St. Leo commissioners will be removed from office. Thus, there won’t be a quorum available with the remaining two to fix it.

It’s something that could keep attorneys up at night, but not St. Leo town attorney Patricia Petruff. That’s because she has a plan.

“We’re going to have three commissioners (from Lake Jovita) as of May, and if one of them does not resign, we’ll have a little bit of a pickle on our hands,” Petruff said.

With the Florida House back in session this week, work once again begins on H.B. 1401, introduced by Rep. Amanda Murphy, D-New Port Richey, that would remove part of the Lake Jovita subdivision from the St. Leo town limits, and have it join the rest of that community in unincorporated Pasco County.

When there’s a vacancy on the commission, the mayor — with the consent of his fellow commissioners — can appoint a replacement. In fact, that happened in 2005 when Commissioner John Fantone decided not to seek re-election, and no one ran to replace him. Then-mayor James Hallett appointed Bill Hamilton, the son of a former St. Leo mayor, to the seat.

That couldn’t happen this time, because in order for the commission to consent to an appointment, there has to be an actual commission, which doesn’t exist without the three-member quorum.

The battle to de-annex has been ongoing for years, especially as Lake Jovita residents have slowly moved into commission seats. Right now, commissioners James Wells and Robert Inslee as well as Mayor John Gardner hail from Lake Jovita. Gardner chose not to seek re-election, but Ray Davis defeated longtime commissioner Donna DeWitt on April 8, and with that, kept the Lake Jovita majority on the commission.

Whether H.B. 1401 is signed into law before the new commission is seated in mid-May or after, an immediate de-annexation of St. Leo is going to leave three empty seats and a complicated process to fill it. In fact, it could be up to Gov. Rick Scott to appoint at least one member to the commission so that they can order a special election. But Petruff hopes it doesn’t get that far.

In fact, there’s an even easier solution: resign.

“If we have only two members who are from the area impacted by (H.B.) 1401, then after the new commission is seated in May, we would only lose two members, and the mayor could appoint to fill the spots,” Petruff said.

That would mean some trust on behalf of the Lake Jovita residents on the commission, as the mayor would need to appoint someone outside that subdivision to fill the seat, giving non-Lake Jovita residents the majority.

The commission has scheduled meetings already for April 28 and May 5, depending on how far H.B. 1401 has moved in the House.

“I think the plan is that one of them will resign, but nobody has told me that for sure,” Petruff said. “And none of them have come up and said that.”

One person who probably won’t hand in his resignation if this situation continues past mid-May is Davis, who beat DeWitt by just four votes to win her seat. Davis told The Laker/Lutz News after the election his goal was to be insurance in case H.B. 1401 failed.

“They call me ‘Plan B,’” he said. “You never know what’s going to happen.”

Davis himself said he didn’t want to speculate, but DeWitt feared they could keep a move to dissolve the 123-year-old town in their back pocket just in case.

Petruff, however, isn’t focused on that. She is expecting H.B. 1401 to clear both the House and Senate, and find itself under Scott’s pen in the near future. But just in case no one resigns, and there are just two commissioners in the St. Leo Town Hall once that happens? Petruff said she wants the current commission to give her and Town Clerk Joan Miller the power right now to organize and conduct a special election and get the empty seats filled. The two would also run the town until a quorum once again exists.

“We talked a little bit about whether or not the sitting commission could give direction in the event that this happens,” Petruff said, noting no final decision has been made yet.

But those decisions will have to be made soon.

“Timing is critical,” she said. “That’s why we’re watching this very closely.”

Published April 23, 2014

Pasco wants to turn pennies into jobs

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Penny for Pasco starts a new round of funding in January, using an extra 1 percent sales tax to provide nearly $50 million in additional annual funding for Pasco County projects over the next decade.

Commercial building has ramped up in Pasco County, especially in the Lutz area at ComPark. Gov. Rick Scott, left, joined developers Larry Morgan and Ross Kirk during a recent groundbreaking last February that marked the first major commercial construction in the county since the start of the economic recession. But now county officials may use Penny for Pasco to stimulate more. (File Photo)
Commercial building has ramped up in Pasco County, especially in the Lutz area at ComPark. Gov. Rick Scott, left, joined developers Larry Morgan and Ross Kirk during a recent groundbreaking last February that marked the first major commercial construction in the county since the start of the economic recession. But now county officials may use Penny for Pasco to stimulate more.
(File Photo)

But how should the money be spent? In the past, dollars have been dedicated to the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office, road construction and maintenance, and purchasing land for conservation.

This time, however, nearly 10 percent of funds — or $4.5 million — has been earmarked toward economic development. And if spent the right way, leaders from the independent Pasco Economic Development Council say the impact of those funds could be tremendous, bringing new commercial parks and maybe even a convention center to Pasco County.

“It should create jobs and it should grow the economy,” PEDC president and chief executive John Hagen recently told Pasco County commissioners during a workshop. “If it doesn’t do that, then it’s not economic development. That means attracting businesses that actually bring money into the community.”

Of course, $4.5 million each year might not be the best way to accomplish that goal, Hagen said. But $36 million all up front? That can go a long way.

“We think it’s important to use leverage,” he said. “We’d rather get some of that revenue upfront now, so that we can get more of an impact over the 10-year period, rather than wait. We need jobs and we need economic development now.”

That could mean borrowing up to 80 percent of the projected revenue over the next 10 years, and using revenue from those projects — or simply funds from Penny for Pasco itself — to pay it back.

If commissioners were to take that route, the county could take the lead in attracting new businesses to Pasco, instead of losing them to neighbors like Hillsborough and Pinellas counties. That starts with a business park project, assembling land together somewhere in the county and earmarking all of it for commercial use.

It continues with speculation building — helping developers construct commercial space in hopes it will attract tenants once completed.

And it would be topped off with a convention center, possibly built in conjunction with a hotel, that could provide even more reasons to bring people into Pasco County.

“We have a very pressing need to develop some real estate product, and by that I don’t mean residential,” Hagen said. “I mean office and industrial flex space, something we need to put a significant amount of money into because we’re experiencing the loss of opportunities right now because we don’t have the product” to offer potential relocations.

Commissioners appeared receptive to the concepts, and even saw it as a chance to jump ahead of its neighbors.

“I think Pinellas County’s whole economic development budget is $1.2 million, and we’ve got such an advantage with this penny,” Commissioner Kathryn Starkey said. “I am excited. I like the idea of planning ahead like this so that we know where we need to go.”

Although borrowing to support economic development projects would increase the county’s current debt, Hagen said it could actually save Pasco money in the long run. Construction costs will undoubtedly go up between now and 2025, and if interest rates rise, it will cost more just to borrow in the future compared to today.

Having the right plan and the money to implement it has the potential to put Pasco on the map, county planning and development administrator Richard Gehring said. Places like Triangle Park in North Carolina were created from strong planning and the funding to make it happen. Nothing is stopping Pasco from looking to reach similar heights.

“There is not an upper limit for what we could shoot for,” he said. “The potential for the access and land position is tremendous.”

Although its numbers are meant to show examples, this is how the Pasco Economic Development Council says it can spend part of Penny for Pasco revenues.

$7.5 million
Added to an existing $2.5 million fund used as an incentive to bring large employers to Pasco County.

$20.6 million
Assembling land and promoting speculation building through the development of a business park. Also, construction of a convention center.

$12.7 million
Earmarked for business loans, business investment fund and business incubation.

$3.7 million
Marketing and branding campaign to promote what Pasco County has to offer.

$500,000
Workforce training, enhancing more than $4.5 million from state and federal sources.

Published April 23, 2014

Business Digest 04-23-14

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Central Pasco Chamber orientation
The Central Pasco Chamber of Commerce will host a new member orientation April 29 beginning at 5:30 p.m. at Copperstone Executive Suites, 3632 Land O’ Lakes Blvd., in Land O’ Lakes.

The event is open to all new members, and any others who have not attended such a meeting in the past.

Wesley Chapel chamber heading to Tuscany
The Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce is planning a nine-day trip to Tuscany, Italy.

The trip is planned to begin Oct. 20, and space is limited.

For information, call (813) 994-8534, or email .

Connerton opens new Homes by WestBay model
Homes by WestBay has unveiled its Terracena II model in Connerton’s Rose Pointe in the Arbors neighborhood.

The nearly 4,900-square-foot home will offer five bedrooms, nearly as many bathrooms, theater, and both a two-car and separate one-car garage.

It’s located at 20431 Lace Cascade Road in Land O’ Lakes.

Homes by WestBay was founded in 2009 by Tampa bay-area homebuilders Roger Gatewood and Willy Nunn. Homes in the company’s portfolio typically run from between $150,000 and more than $1 million.

For information, call (813) 438-3838, or visit HomesByWestBay.com.

PEDC looking for Industry Awards nominees
Pasco Economic Development Council is looking for outstanding companies that have made a contribution to the local economy as part of its Industry Awards.

These companies are recognized for job creation, increased capital investment, and for contributions to the community through civic involvement.

Categories include manufacturing, service and distribution, technology and entrepreneurship.

Nominations can be faxed or mailed to the Pasco EDC, but no later than April 30.

For information, call (813) 926-0827, ext. 227.

New location for All-Tech Air
All-Tech Air & Filtration LLC is relocating to 35946 State Road 54 in Zephyrhills beginning May 1.

The air-conditioning and heating company’s phone number will remain the same at (813) 870-6934, as will its website at AllTechAir.com.

CPA students sought for scholarship
The Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation is looking for minority accounting students across the state to apply for the Clay Ford scholarship.

It is awarded each year to minority students looking to become certified public accountants. The program has awarded more than $1 million since it was first implemented in 1999.

A $10 portion from each individual and firm license fee funds the scholarship. Applicants may be eligible for scholarships ranging from $3,000 to $6,000 per semester, and awarded for a maximum of two semesters.

Applications must be postmarked by June 1. For information, visit MyFloridaLicense.com/CPAScholarship.

Lutz company earns USF honor
ClearTrust of Lutz was recently recognized as one of the University of South Florida’s Fast 56 — the fastest growing businesses in the world led or owned by a USF alumni.

Run by Juan Osorio and Kara Kennedy, ClearTrust is a leading stock transfer agent serving public and private companies globally, according to a release. To be considered for the list, an organization must have been in business for at least three years, with revenue of $250,000 or more for the most recent 12-month period.

Connerton launches new website
Connerton has launched a new website designed to make it easier for prospective buyers to find various offerings in the community, and connect with the people they need to reach.

Some of the features include a complete database of all new homes available, information about builders and neighborhoods, an interactive trail map and Google area map, a community calendar, and others.

The site can be found at Connerton.com.

The community is located off U.S. 41 in north Land O’ Lakes, and features two miles of nature trails, a clubhouse, and miles of winding roads and walkways.

Lots of visitors to region last quarter
Visit Tampa Bay ended the second quarter of its fiscal year booking five major meetings and conventions, securing more than 43,700 room nights and an $18 million economic impact, according to a release.

Those bookings included a three-year deal for the Florida State Thespian Society Annual Festival, which continues into 2021 that is expected to bring more than 22,000 room nights and an $8.5 million economic impact.

Other bookings include the American Phytopathological Society, as well as Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. Both combined for more than 20,000 room nights, and nearly $10 million in economic impact.

Political Agenda 04-23-14

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Corcoran campaign spending drops
Since January 2013, state Rep. Richard Corcoran, R-Land O’ Lakes, was spending more than $9,000 a month on a campaign without an opponent — a statistic shared in the March 20 edition of The Laker/Lutz News. But now that spending has slowed significantly.

In March, Corcoran spent just $1,550 — a fraction of the nearly $16,500 expended the month before, and an 83 percent drop from his average, according to state election records.

Corcoran’s biggest bill in March was to his accounting firm, which he paid $1,050. He also attended and bought advertising at an event hosted by LifeChoices Women’s Care in Lutz.

Corcoran defended the fact that he’s spent more money than any other candidate in House races — including those with opponents — because it gives him a chance to connect with constituents.

“If there’s any chance you get where you can communicate with the voters and get their input, we do it,” Corcoran said in March. “Anytime you get input from the voters, that just makes you much more effective.”

Corcoran’s fundraising has not slowed down, however. He raised $21,000 in March, well ahead of his $14,500 monthly average. Some $7,500 of it came from out-of-state, including $1,000 from Pepsico, and $1,000 each from DirecTV LLC and Dish.

Through March, Corcoran has raised just under $207,500, with $87,000 in the bank.

Clay shoot for Mike Moore
Mike Moore is looking to raise more money for his Pasco County Commission campaign with a clay shoot June 21.

It will take place at Tampa Bay Sporting Clays, 10514 Ehren Cutoff in Land O’ Lakes, with registration beginning at 8:30 a.m. The cost would be $125 per person, or $500 per team of four. All payments would be considered political donations.

For more information, email .

MacManus to speak at PFRWC luncheon
University of South Florida professor Susan MacManus is the guest speaker at the Pasco Federated Republican Women’s Club monthly luncheon, May 2 at 11:30 a.m., at the Fox Hollow Golf Club, 10050 Robert Trent Jones Parkway in Trinity.

MacManus, a distinguished professor in the College of Arts and Sciences at USF, will speak on government and international affairs.

Cost is $15.

For reservations, call Fran Scerbo at (727) 597-3727, or email her at .

Aging group gives Bilirakis award
The Area Agency on Aging of Pasco-Pinellas Inc. has given its Distinguished Leadership Award to U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis, R-Palm Harbor.

The nonprofit group coordinates services and care for senior citizens, the disabled and caregivers throughout the two-county area.

“I am humbled and inspired by this honor, and remain committed to ensuring older Americans are treated with the dignity they deserve,” Bilirakis said in a release.

Bilirakis, who represents District 12 in Washington, D.C., faces James Denton Jr. in the August primary, and recently pulled another challenger in the form of Lois Duncan, who has no party affiliation.

Coffee with Burgess fundraiser
Danny Burgess, who is seeking to succeed Will Weatherford, R-Wesley Chapel, in state House District 38, is hosting a coffee fundraiser April 29 at 9 a.m., at Rose’s Café, 38426 Fifth Ave., in Zephyrhills.

Suggested political donation is $20.

For information, visit VoteDannyBurgess.com.

 

Zephyrhills council, Drumm disagree on severance package

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They struggled over the difference between employees who are paid by the hour, and those who work on salary. They at times seemed confused about why they were negotiating a settlement in the first place. And they even started to replace someone before he even had a chance to offer his resignation.

But one thing that seemed quite clear from Wednesday night’s special meeting of the Zephyrhills City Council is that both elected officials and embattled city manager Jim Drumm are likely miles apart from negotiating a separation agreement.

Drumm, dressed in a shirt sporting the official Zephyrhills logo, took on what he later described as an emotionally difficult task of presenting his proposal to resign from the job he’s held for the last three years. He asked for 20 weeks of severance pay at a cost of $35,000, all wages earned through his last day on the job — including nearly 400 extra hours, or “comp time” he never redeemed — reimbursement of his accrued vacation days and 20 percent of his sick days, and for the city’s continued payment of its share of his family’s health insurance premium for the next five months.

Instead, the council offered 13 weeks of severance pay, all his wages through his last day on the job, just 40 hours of comp time, his accrued vacation and 20 percent of his sick days, and the city’s commitment to pay its share of Drumm’s health insurance for the next three months. In return, they wanted Drumm’s agreement to not take the city to court over what he has suggested could be a wrongful termination, based on interpretation of the state’s contract laws and the Zephyrhills city charter.

In all, the total package would cost the city a little more than $54,000 to part ways with Drumm, only a portion of that money as cash for Drumm, but possibly not enough to get the city manager to agree.

“I’m being asked to sign a release for $6,000,” Drumm told the council, citing the difference between what the city offered and what he says his existing contract would give him if he simply resigned and walked away, while still reserving the right to sue the city in the future.

Although Drumm said he would need time to review the city’s offer before he could resign, new council president Charlie Proctor jumped into a discussion about who would replace Drumm as an interim city manager. However, Proctor was stopped cold after City Clerk Linda Boan shouted out that Drumm hadn’t even resigned yet.

One of the major sticking points of Drumm’s proposal was his request to be paid for all his accrued comp time. Salaried employees are not paid by the hour, and thus do not accrue overtime. However, they are still compensated for their extra hours, typically with time off that wouldn’t cost them vacation or sick time.

Under the city’s policy, however, hourly employees can accrue comp time up to just 40 hours. After that, they have to be paid for extra hours worked, typically at a wage 50 percent higher than normal. That way, said city finance director Stacie Poppell, if the employee does leave his or her job, the city is not stuck with a large comp bill to reimburse all at one time.

Drumm should be held to the same standard, newly elected councilman Alan Knight said, despite the city manager’s protest he was not an hourly employee, and had not been compensated for any extra time.

“I know that we are all struggling with this, but my initial feelings are there should be no comp time,” Knight said, adding that if the city just allowed the contract to expire next month, there wouldn’t even be a severance package outside of unused vacation time.

Knight also questioned why Drumm chose 20 weeks of extra reimbursement instead of the 13 called for in his contract. The city manager cited his belief when he signed the contract in 2011 that while 20 weeks was the standard for people in his position, he agreed to the lower amount because he believed it would take four votes to remove him from his job.

Once it appeared only two votes could remove him, Drumm said he deserved the extra weeks when what he was led to believe was true was indeed not true.

Councilman Lance Smith suggested Drumm didn’t need the extra weeks of severance pay, especially since he was paid well.

“I understand that (city manager jobs) are hard jobs to find,” Smith said. “But last year, you made over $90,000. And that is a good wage.”

Drumm, however, said it takes municipalities months to go through the process of hiring a city manager, and even if he started that process immediately after leaving Zephyrhills with some other city, his severance would run out long before he could be hired.

“I don’t just go to another job,” Drumm said. “I have to pick up my entire household and move to another community.  I’m not in any position to change my whole career.”

Drumm could have the option of collecting unemployment, but even then, he would struggle to pay bills as his income would drop from a gross of $1,730 a week to about $270.

The council wants Drumm to resign by Friday, but that would depend on both sides agreeing to a severance package. Drumm was non-committal to what the city offered Wednesday night, but said he would have it reviewed by an attorney right away.

The final vote on the severance package was 4-1, with Councilman Kenneth Compton voting against.