The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

Michael Hinman

Mariano joins Wilson in opposing elevated toll road

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In a brief email to organizers of an opposition group to a proposed elevated toll road across along the State Road 54/56 corridor, Pasco County commissioner Jack Mariano has joined in the dissent.

“I want you to share this with everyone you can,” Mariano said in an email from his personal account Wednesday morning. “This toll road is bad for residents, businesses and Pasco County commuters. I support using the available north-south connections, the rail connection to Channelside, and Ridge Road extension all the way to” Interstate 75.

Mariano, who is the current chair of the commission, sent the email to Pasco Fiasco organizer Richard Connors. Pasco Fiasco is a group of residents who live along the proposed path of a 33-mile elevated expressway that would connect Zephyrhills and New Port Richey. The final decision on whether to move forward on the project lies with the Florida Department of Transportation, which maintains the corridor. However, officials there have said they won’t approve it without the blessing of Pasco County government leaders.

The road was first proposed last year by a group known as International Infrastructure Partners LLC, and said they would privately fund the estimated $2.2 billion project, earning money back through collected tolls.

Mariano’s opposition to the project joins fellow commissioner Henry Wilson, who has spoken out against the elevated toll road for the last few months. Wilson, who is now facing a primary battle for his seat with Mike Wells Jr., recently reached out to Pasco Fiasco himself, hoping to get help with his campaign based on his elevated road position.

In sharing Mariano’s email with the rest of his group, Connors said he wanted to “thank Commissioner Mariano for his continued opposition to the Pasco elevated toll road and alignment with our group.”

Pasco County commissioners are planning to hold three public meetings in cooperation with FDOT in all parts of the county some time this summer.

Florida set to ban insurance discrimination of gun owners … again

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Although it affects just one of the top five major insurance underwriters in the state, a bill is heading to the desk of Gov. Rick Scott that would prevent property and vehicle insurance companies from discriminating against policyholders who own firearms.

S.B. 424 was introduced by state Sen. Tom Lee, R-Brandon, just before Thanksgiving last year, and passed the House Tuesday by a 74-44 margin. It had previously rolled through the Senate by a 36-3 margin.

The bill consider it an unfair discriminatory practice by an insurance company if it refuses to issue, renew or cancel a policy, or charge an unfair rate based on the lawful ownership, possession or use of a firearm or ammunition by the applicant or anyone affected by the policy. It also would prohibit insurance companies from disclosing the lawful ownership or possession of firearms of those affected by the policy without anyone affected by that policy opting in to allow such disclosure.

It does not, however, prohibit an insurer from charging a supplemental premium when a separate rider is requested, to insure a firearm or firearm collection.

A survey of the top five insurance underwriters conducted by the Office of Insurance Regulation last month showed only one took into account firearm ownership when it came to policies, according to records filed with the Legislature.

It is not clear how the new legislation would affect existing law that has similar language, according to the Senate’s Appropriations committee.

Locally, state Reps. Mark Danish and Janet Cruz — both Democrats — voted against the bill. Local representation in both the House and Senate from the Republican side all voted for it.

Drumm outlines conditions to resign as city manager

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One of Charlie Proctor’s first duties as president of the Zephyrhills City Council is a somber one, by his own admission.

Wednesday, Proctor and the rest of the council will consider a resignation proposal from City Manager Jim Drumm, leaving a vacancy in the city’s top manager’s job for the second time in three years.

In an April 17 letter to Mayor Gene Whitfield and the rest of the council, Drumm maintains his position that the council can’t remove him without four out of five votes, but said he is willing to step down so that the city can move forward.

“This past month has been unsettling for me and my family,” Drumm said. “We came to Zephyrhills seeking stability, and now we have learned that with little notice, we are to leave. This greatly disappoints me.”

The call for change started in March when Drumm’s three-year contract, which expires next month, was up for renewal. Then city council president Lance Smith said he did not want to renew it, joined by fellow councilman Ken Burgess. Proctor, who at first supposed Drumm, later changed his position after what he said was a community mandate to make a change in the city manager’s post.

The question, however, was whether or not the city could part ways with Drumm, even if they didn’t have four votes to oust him. City officials sought three legal opinions, including one earlier this month spearheaded by now former councilwoman Jodi Wilkeson, which all agreed that Drumm could be asked to leave at the end of his contract, whether there were four votes to support it or not.

His contact, Drumm said, was in conflict with the city charter, and when there is a conflict, the charter should be the prevailing document — much like the U.S. Constitution, or Florida’s state constitution.

“We all, including me, have sworn to uphold them all in our oath of office,” Drumm said in his letter.

If accepted by the council, Drumm would receive all wages earned through his last day, reimbursement of all accrued vacation leave, and 20 percent of his accrued sick leave. He also would receive 20 weeks of severance — at a cost of nearly $35,000 — and city-paid premium payments of his health insurance for the next five months.

In return, Drumm will step down and not pursue any legal action against the city.

Wednesday’s special meeting begins at 6 p.m., at Zephyrhills City Hall, 5335 Eighth St.

Dade City zoo welcomes four tiger cubs

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There was celebration at Dade City’s Wild Things park last week as four new tiger cubs were welcomed into the family.

Nakita, a Siberian tiger residing at the 22-acre zoo, gave birth to the cubs, who range in size from 1.5 pounds to 2.5 pounds.

“Nakita is a great, attentive mother,” said Randy Stearns, president and head trainer at Wild Things, in an email. “Bo is standard dad, keeping his distance from mom, but occasionally sneaking a peek.”

As of Saturday night, the cub’s eyes were starting to open, and are “tummy walking” around, with Nakita “trying her best to keep them together with her keen watchful eye.”

Their grandfather, by the way, is Roy, a 1,000-pound, 10-foot Siberian tiger. So it’s likely these cubs will grow up quite big and strong.

The zoo offers tours Tuesday through Sunday, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and is located at 37245 Meridian Ave., in Dade City.

For information on Wild Things, visit DadeCitysWildThings.com.

Post by Dade City’s Wild Things.

 

Future of Pasco lives and dies with municipal airports

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The expansion of State Road 56 into Zephyrhills could be key to a major economic boom for Pasco County, and two candidates seeking to replace state Rep. Will Weatherford, R-Wesley Chapel, in Tallahassee agree state-level leadership must be in place to make sure it happens.

Former Zephyrhills mayor Danny Burgess, left, joins Republican challenger Minnie Diaz in a political forum at the Wesley Chapel Republican Club hosted by county commission candidate Mike Moore. (Michael Hinman/Staff Photo)
Former Zephyrhills mayor Danny Burgess, left, joins Republican challenger Minnie Diaz in a political forum at the Wesley Chapel Republican Club hosted by county commission candidate Mike Moore.
(Michael Hinman/Staff Photo)

Danny Burgess and Minnie Diaz both shared their visions for House District 38 during a meeting last week of the Wesley Chapel Republican Club. The two are seeking the Republican nomination to face Democrat Beverly Ledbetter in the November election, and both flexed their conservative values in front of the small crowd in the training room at Hyundai of Wesley Chapel.

“To have State Road 56 coming all the way to Zephyrhills with our municipal airport sitting right here, we are going to benefit so much as a community, as a district and as an area,” said Burgess, who up until last Monday was mayor of Zephyrhills. “That is such an asset for this area.”

Yet, proposed projects like the private elevated toll road could disrupt plans to start that expansion in the next two to three years, with the Florida Department of Transportation likely going to “hold back” until a final decision can be made on the controversial 33-mile project.

“All they are looking for is a green light or red light by the county to see whether or not they are going to approve it,” Burgess said. But for the elevated road itself? “It is not what we want.”

Diaz said the developers behind the elevated road project, International Infrastructure Partners, have far too many unanswered questions surrounding them for her to support the project.

“We need to look, as a county, at other alternatives,” she said. “Sure, we want to go all the way into Zephyrhills so that the east and west can become more easily accessible. But the original plans are just too big. I think we can probably break it up into smaller pieces and make that work for Pasco County.”

Diaz is a native of California, but has lived in Pasco County for more than a decade after making her career in the U.S. Air Force. She has always been excited about the economic possibilities when it comes to aeronautics, she said, and Pasco County has two airports — Zephyrhills and Tampa North Executive Airport in Lutz — just miles apart that could bookend a major industrial corridor.

“It would be attractive to those in the manufacturing of aerospace and aviation technologies,” Diaz said. “My vision for Pasco is to make Pasco so attractive, it would be a secondary hub for these industries, yet not impact the quality of water and agriculture that is part of our East Pasco makeup.”

While the state should lead the charge, Diaz says she still supports local governments having a final say.

“My role (in the House) should be in advocating economic growth,” she said. “You tell me what you want, and I’ll see that it’s done on the state level.”

One of the key components of listening closely to local city and county governments is that leaders at the state and federal level have a tendency to paint with a broad brush, Burgess said.

“What is best for Broward County is not always best for Pasco County,” he said. “We need to absolutely protect our home rule. That is the doctrine that our state has adopted many years ago, and it allows our local governments to make their own decisions, to adopt their own charters and adopt their own ordinances.”

During the forum, Burgess highlighted his time as both the youngest city councilman in the state (he was first elected in Zephyrhills when he was 18), and later the youngest mayor in the city’s history, fresh out of law school.

Diaz acknowledges she has not held elective office before, but that hasn’t stopped her from trying to make a difference when it comes to making laws. A bill she helped craft was in committee late last week, she said, and is designed to provide funding to jails to help train officials on how to provide services to the mentally ill.

“It will not have cost us any money as taxpayers,” Diaz said. “The initiative was written in such a way that it requires funding from other sources like gambling and lottery. It would not create an increase on our community burden.”

The primary election for House District 38 is Aug. 26, with the winner heading to the general election Nov. 4.

And your most-admired judge is …
House District 38 candidates Danny Burgess and Minnie Diaz were asked during a recent Wesley Chapel Republican Club forum to identify their favorite U.S. Supreme Court justice.

It’s definitely not Elena Kagan or Sonia Sotomayor, two justices appointed by President Obama, Diaz said. Instead, she likes Clarence Thomas.

“He had to go through those (sexual harassment) hearings unfortunately, and I think his time is coming up now,” Diaz said. “He needs to step up and confront the current judges and be more vocal and create more advocacy for conservatism.”

Burgess, himself a lawyer, says he prefers Antonin Scalia.

“You become fascinated by this man’s legal opinions, the way he words his opinions,” Burgess said. “He is really an asset to the Supreme Court, and I just hope that he can stick around for as long as he can muster.”

Published April 16, 2014

Outlet mall moves forward, but can Wesley Chapel claim it?

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Now that developers of a proposed outlet mall just off Interstate 75 took a big step forward last week with revised site plans for their 57-acre project, one question remains on the minds of local businesses: Will the new mall include “Wesley Chapel” in its name?

Plans for Tampa Premium Outlets Mall call for nine buildings with 482,000 square feet of retail. It would be the first of seven phases on 57 acres of land off Wesley Chapel Boulevard and State Road 56. (File Photo)
Plans for Tampa Premium Outlets Mall call for nine buildings with 482,000 square feet of retail. It would be the first of seven phases on 57 acres of land off Wesley Chapel Boulevard and State Road 56.
(File Photo)

“I think on one hand, we would love to have our local identity,” said John Hagen, president and chief executive of Pasco Economic Development Council Inc. “We would love to see that be more prominent, but we also benefit from our association with Tampa and Tampa Bay. It’s a mixed bag, but I see both things.”

Simon Property Group, part of the development team that’s officially JG Cypress Creek LLC and Tampa Premium Outlets LLC, have named the project on Wesley Chapel Boulevard and State Road 56 “Cypress Creek Town Center Premium Outlets Mall.” However, it’s unclear whether that name is just a working title, or if that is a final decision.

A request for comment from Simon about the name was still pending when The Laker/Lutz News went to press.

Wesley Chapel might be part of the greater Tampa Bay area, but the community has long sought its own identity, and has pushed hard for businesses — especially high-profile ones — to include “Wesley Chapel” in names, and not “Tampa.”

Because this mall will be so prominent for the thousands of travelers that take to I-75 each day, this could very well become a place maker for Pasco.

“Outlet malls draw regionally and nationally with snowbirds and all that sort of thing, and we see it in some respect as a tourism play,” Hagen said. “Once you get things going there, we can leverage some hotel development, and you’ll probably see some office buildings as well as an area like that can really come alive. It should be exciting.”

Hagen points to The Shops at Wiregrass as a prime example of what a major shopping center can do, especially as other businesses come to fill in around it.

The revised plans call for the entire mall property to be constructed in seven phases, beginning with outlet mall itself. The mall calls for nine buildings with 482,000 square feet of retail. Overall, the project is calling for 1.1 million square feet of retail space.

The mall got back on track last November after developers finalized an agreement with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers about how the project would impact surrounding wetlands and waterways.

Back then, Simon officials said the mall could open as early as the end of this year. However, County Administrator Michele Baker later put that timeframe somewhere around summer 2015.

There are still other questions to answer beyond the mall itself, including what plans are to expand and extend Wesley Chapel Boulevard, and other infrastructure improvements needed to accommodate the mall.

“That particular piece of road, down to State Road 54, is already designed,” Baker told members of the Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce back in January. “When we balance our capital improvement budget, we look at the needs for the what and where, and we balance that. The road got pushed out because we didn’t have a mall there that needed it.”

Published April 16, 2014

All on-the-job training for Zephyrhills’ newest councilman

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Zephyrhills doesn’t waste time when it comes to elections.

Jodi Wilkeson
Jodi Wilkeson

Last Monday, less than a week after the election, Alan Knight was installed as the new city councilman following his victory over one-time council president Jodi Wilkeson. And there isn’t even time for Knight to catch his breath.

Moments after the swearing in, Knight was asked to consider two board appointments, donating vehicles to a local college, who should build a new skate park, and, according to the agenda, decide the fate of City Manager Jim Drumm.

Being a council member is not as easy as some make it look, and there’s a steep learning curve that Knight, a former high school principal and football coach, will have to endure, Wilkeson said after the election.

“I know that he’ll do a fine job,” she said. “But there’s still so much to learn once he gets up there.”

Wilkeson was first elected to the council in 2008, and described her loss last week as disappointing.

“I worked as hard as I could, and I can’t imagine another thing I could’ve done to garner more votes,” she said. “I do think I was hurt a little bit by Mr. Knight’s name recognition. He’s impacted the lives of just a tremendous amount of people.”

Yet, it’s the Drumm situation that may be affected the most from the election. Wilkeson essentially delayed the council’s attempt to remove Drumm from the city manager position last month by asking for a third legal opinion on whether the council can do that without a supermajority.

Her perceived support of the embattled city manager may have cost her votes as well, Wilkeson conceded.

“I just feel that it’s imperative that we treat him fairly,” she said. “He didn’t make any really egregious missteps, and he helped get us out of a million-dollar deficit. He had exactly the skills we needed at the time.”

Drumm “did a fine job,” Wilkeson said, but is a bit introverted, which may have worked against him in terms of relationships.

As for Wilkeson’s political future, she’s not sure what might happen next, but she isn’t ruling anything out.

“I never say never,” Wilkeson said. “If a group of concerned citizens came to me and said they wanted me to run again and they would support me, I would consider it. I enjoy being involved in the community and bringing my training and education to the table for the benefit of the city. But I don’t have any aspirations right now.”

Incoming St. Leo commissioner says there’s no interest to dissolve town

Ray Davis says the rumor mill in St. Leo has it all wrong.

Donna DeWitt
Donna DeWitt

Although he’s the third Lake Jovita resident to be elected to the small town’s commission — ousting longtime commissioner Donna DeWitt — he’s focused on making sure his neighborhood is no longer a part of St. Leo, one way or the other. However, Davis says he has no intention of dissolving the Town of St. Leo itself to make that happen.

Yet, how he can help de-annexation along as a commissioner is unclear. The town attorney has cited past legal opinions she says forbids St. Leo from de-annexing the small portion of the Lake Jovita subdivision inside its town limits. Any area that can be annexed by a municipality, based typically on population, cannot be de-annexed, according to the state attorney general’s interpretation of the law.

Because of that, the decision to allow Lake Jovita to de-annex lies with the legislature, in a bill introduced last March by state Rep. Amanda Murphy, D-New Port Richey. It passed its final committee on Friday, and should soon be heading to the House floor.

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

Davis did not want to speculate on what would happen if the state didn’t open the door for de-annexation. When asked if he would vote to dissolve the town itself in that instance, Davis was non-committal.

“I think it’s wise not to make a statement based on speculation, and I don’t think that’s the smart thing to do,” Davis said.

DeWitt, who expects to get her job back when Lake Jovita is de-annexed and three positions suddenly open on the commission, prays there’s a town to come back to.

“Hopefully, they won’t do anything drastic until they can get de-annexed out of the town,” she said.

Many projects have been put on hold while the Lake Jovita issue has remained hot in recent months, including a request by the Iafrates family to annex 179 acres of land on St. Leo’s south side. Although it’s not directly related to the Lake Jovita issue, commissioners decided to delay that prospect until the de-annexation question is resolved.

Despite the legal opinion, Davis maintains the commission still has the power to vote a de-annexation. The only reason why it didn’t happen before, he said, was because Lake Jovita didn’t have a majority on the commission until this past election.

DeWitt’s support of the de-annexation did not become known until after he had filed to run, Davis added.

“We didn’t know that, and we had only heard that through hearsay,” he said. “Now we’re just waiting to see what happens.”

Published April 16, 2014

Business Digest 04-16-14

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(Courtesy of Amanda Wright)
(Courtesy of Amanda Wright)

Women-n-Charge awards grant
Angela Gilbert, third from left, was the winner of the Women-n-Charge career advancement grant, founder of Building a Foundation. The grant is for continuing education, and will help with her advocacy for homeless individuals and families, veterans, and women and children leaving domestic violence shelters to help them acquire safe and affordable housing. Joining Gilbert are, from left, Suzin Carr, Paula O’Neil, Pat Carroll and Elayne Bassinger.

 

Levy joins GulfShore Bank board
Jonathan Levy of Lutz has joined the board of directors for Tampa-based GulfShore Bank.

Levy is co-founder and managing partner of Redstone Investments, having been involved in the real estate and construction industry for more than 30 years. He started his career with Burdman Bros., a family-owned real estate construction and property management company.

Levy started Redstone in 1987 as JLB Investments with cousin Lee Burdman. Based on Youngstown, Ohio, Redstone is a development, management and acquisitions company with a focus on shopping center development.

Seed Library launching
The official launch of The Seed Library will take place April 22 beginning at 10:30 a.m., at Morning Star Fisherman, 33336 Old St. Joe Road in Dade City.

There will be an open house with free facility tours until 1:30 p.m. A ribbon-cutting ceremony is scheduled for 11:30 a.m., hosted by the Greater Dade City Chamber of Commerce.

Social for Women-n-Charge
Women-n-Charge will host a social and open house April 17 beginning at 5 p.m., at City Grill, 5429 Village Market in Wesley Chapel.

No RSVP or meeting fees are required.

For information, call (813) 600-9848, or email .

Forum, mixer with Zephyrhills chamber
Upcoming events with the Greater Zephyrhills Chamber of Commerce includes the East Pasco Transportation Forum it’s hosting with the Greater Dade City Chamber of Commerce April 16 beginning at 4:30 p.m.

It takes place at the East Pasco Adventist Academy, 38434 Centennial Road, Dade City, and will discuss Pasco County’s Mobility 2040 plan and its impact on businesses and economic development on that side of the county.

The chamber will then host a mixer with Skydive City, 4241 Sky Dive Lane in Zephyrhills, April 17 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Manufacturing Café at SmartStart
A manufacturing café event hosted by Pasco-Hernando State College and the Pasco-Hernando Workforce Board will take place April 16 from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m., at the SmartStart Incubator, 15000 Citrus Country Drive, Suite 103, in Dade City.

To reserve a spot, call (727) 816-3227, or email Margie Burnham at .

Upcoming SCORE seminars
The Pasco-Hernando Chapter of SCORE, which historically stands for Service Corps of Retired Executives, will host the following upcoming free seminars. For information, visit Score439.org.

• E-Marketing Concepts May 6 at 5:30 p.m., at New Port Richey Branch Library, 5939 Main St., New Port Richey. Attendees can obtain an understanding of e-marketing technologies and how they may help to enhance the ability of a small business to reach customers and communicate their brand, products and services.

• Introduction to QuickBooks May 8 at 5 p.m., at Spring Hill Branch Library, 9220 Spring Hill Drive, Spring Hill; May 29 at 5:30 p.m., at New River Branch Library, 34043 State Road 54, Zephyrhills. This two-hour seminar is designed for those planning to start a business, or who have recently started a business, but who have not yet set up an effective record-keeping system.

• Using the Internet in Your Business April 24 at 5:30 p.m., at the New River Branch Library, 34043 State Road 54, Zephyrhills; May 14 at 5:30 p.m., at Hugh Embry Branch Library, 14215 Fourth St., Dade City; May 27 at 5:30 p.m., at Land O’ Lakes Branch Library, 2818 Collier Parkway in Land O’ Lakes. After reviewing the various roles a website can support in enhancing a business, participants will be walked through an eight-step process of key activities needed to quickly leverage this technology in many businesses.

• Marketing to Grow Your Business May 8 at 5:30 p.m., at Regency Park Library, 9701 Little Road, New Port Richey. Participants can learn how and where to find some of the answers about what works and doesn’t work, what information is required to write a sales and marketing plan, how to profile customers, determine the best type of advertising and promotions, and what can be learned from competitors.

• Banker’s Delight Business Plan May 20 at 5:30 p.m., at Greater Hernando County Chamber of Commerce, 15588 Aviation Loop Drive, Brooksville. Bankers are not typically interested in the extensive business plans discussed in most books. Instead, they just want the facts. This seminar will walk participants through these dozen or so pages critical to obtaining financing.

• How to Apply for a 501(c)(3) May 20 at 5:35 p.m., at Centennial Park Library, 5740 Moog Road, Holiday, and the same day at Hudson Regional Library, 8012 Library Road, Hudson. An interactive seminar designed to assist participants in the completion of the IRS’s nonprofit application.

(Courtesy of Greater Dade Chamber of Commerce)
(Courtesy of Greater Dade Chamber of Commerce)

New facility in Dade City
Apollo Group LLC had a ribbon-cutting and grand opening for its new facility on the corner of Pasco Avenue and Sixth Street in downtown Dade City. Hosted by the chambers of commerce in Zephyrhills and Dade City, Faith Knight (peeking over the top) and James Hubbs (at the door) offer mediation services, substance testing and legal case management for employers, families and organizations.

 

Political Agenda 04-16-14

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Moore adds another $6k to campaign
Mike Moore continues to prove he can raise lots of money in a short period of time, pulling in more cash than all of his challengers in his run for the Pasco County Commission.

In March, Moore raised $6,261, bringing his total to $50,561 in his efforts to replace Pat Mulieri on the commission. Only former state Rep. Ken Littlefield was close with $1,200 over the same time period, bringing his total to $2,200.

Moore remains committed to raising money from builders and developers, including $1,000 from the Alfonso family in Tampa, $500 from rancher and developer Don Porter, and $500 from the commercial land broker Eshenbaugh Land Co.

In all, those connected with real estate, development and construction accounted for $4,400 of Moore’s totally monthly haul, while only $2,800 of it came from Pasco County residents.

Littlefield had just one major donor in March, Hodges Family Funeral Home, which donated $1,000. The third Republican in the race, Bob Robertson, raised $238 in March, bringing his overall total to $10,860.

The lone Democrat in the race so far, Erika Remsberg, raised just $50 – small donations from Pasco County residents. She has raised just $450, but so far, she has not drawn a primary challenger.

Moore still has $37,000 in the bank based on money he hasn’t spent, while Robertson still has $4,900 to work with. Littlefield has $1,600, and Remsberg $140 available.

Moore, Littlefield and Robertson will face off in the Aug. 26 primary, the winner set to face Remsberg in November.

East Pasco Democrats meet
The East Pasco Democratic Club will meet April 21 at 7 p.m., at The Commons, 38130 Pretty Pond Road in Zephyrhills.

The speaker will be Lynn Providence of Legal Shield talking about identity theft.

For information, call (813) 838-0767.

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 .

Poll workers needed for August, November elections
Energetic? Service-oriented? Then the Pasco County supervisor of elections may be looking for you.

Poll workers are needed for both the primary election Aug. 26 and the general election Nov. 4. Positions are paid, but potential candidates will need to be able to stand, bend, stoop, lift approximately 30 pounds, and have normal vision and manual and physical dexterity.

Applicants also need to write and read English, have an email address, and be able to work the entire day from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.

All positions receive mandatory paid training the month preceding both the primary and general elections.

For information, call (800) 851-8754, or visit PascoVotes.com.

Mobile hours for Ross
U.S. Rep. Dennis Ross, R-Lakeland, will host mobile office hours May 13 from 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., at the Lutz Library, 101 W. Lutz Lake Fern Road in Lutz.

Other dates in Lutz include June 10, July 8, Aug. 12, Sept. 9, Oct. 14 and Dec. 9.

For more information, call (863) 644-8215, or (813) 752-4790.

Business parks, convention center in Pasco County’s future?

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The first dollars expected from a renewed Penny for Pasco program is not expected until next January. But John Hagen says there’s no reason to wait to put those dollars to use.

Hagen, president and chief executive of Pasco Economic Development Council Inc., is scheduled to present his economic development ideas involving the tax fund during a Pasco County Commission workshop Tuesday afternoon. He wants the county to allocate $26.5 million toward attracting big business and jobs, including nearly $21 million to construct office buildings and office parks, among other things.

“It’s a 10-year allocation, and we need to think ahead,” Hagen said. “It takes a long time to accumulate that money, but we need to do some things right now. We ned to think about bonding some of those dollars up front, or borrowing them internally, just to get some things going.”

The economy has been improving for Pasco, with unemployment on the decline, but there are still a lot of people who need jobs now, not five to 10 years from now, Hagen said.

The current round of Penny for Pasco funding provided money for schools, transportation and law enforcement — all important things, Hagen said. But nothing was earmarked for economic development, and attracting that kind of business requires a concerted effort.

One idea is to spend $5.5 million on a business park, according to documents the PEDC submitted to the county. These would contain large parcels, as well as all the infrastructure needed to support it, like roads. Another $2.9 million could be used to construct spec buildings that could attract companies with space ready to go without having to wait to build it.

The biggest chunk would be for the county to acquire land, and then prepare it for redevelopment. By having all the administrative hurdles cleared, the county could make such land attractive to companies, helping them choose Pasco over other areas.

Finally, $6 million would be earmarked for a convention center, although it’s not clear where that convention center would be located. It could serve more of the niche convention market, and be the home for business meetings as well, along with some civic uses.

“The numbers we put into our proposal, there is not really any budget behind them,” Hagen said. “It’s more about orders of magnitude to get something going. If we can get some validation here in the workshop tomorrow, we can sit down and figure out what things really cost, and get into that in a more detailed way so that it actually works.”

But it’s a starting point, Hagen said, to get the conversation going. Especially with something as important as the Penny for Pasco funding.

“It is a tremendous gift from the voters to have these kinds of dollars available to dome things that ordinarily we wouldn’t be able to do,” he said.

The commission will hold its workshop April 15 beginning at 10 a.m., at the West Pasco Government Center, 8731 Citizens Drive in New Port Richey. Hagen’s presentation is scheduled to begin at 1:30 p.m.