Andrew Powell

State regulators approve rate cut requests by two utilities

May 21, 2024 By Andrew Powell

(The Center Square) — Florida utility regulators approved requests this week to cut customer rates for two of Florida’s biggest electricity providers.

The Public Service Commission (PSC) held its monthly meeting Tuesday and approved Tampa Electric and Duke Energy Florida’s requests to lower electricity rates, citing lower-than-expected fuel costs. Duke Energy customers using 1,000 kilowatt hours per month, can expect a $5.90 reduction in their monthly bills.

Under state law, utilities can charge customers for increased fuel charges, but when prices go down, they’re also required to lower rates.

(American Public Power Association/Unsplash)

These rates will take effect in June and are in addition to an existing 6% reduction in monthly costs that adds up to $11.29 in monthly savings from January. Duke Energy Florida supplies electricity to over 2 million residential, commercial and industrial customers in Florida, spread over a 13,000-square-mile service area.

On the company’s website, Duke Energy Florida state president Melissa Seixas said in a statement that the approvals are great for Duke Energy Florida customers.

“Today’s approvals are great news for Florida customers, especially as we get closer to our warmest months,” Seixas said. “Duke Energy continues to look for ways to pass on savings to our customers while providing the reliable, increasingly clean power our customers and communities expect.”

Tampa Electric customers using 1,000 kWh per month will have an almost $10 reduction in monthly bills, going from an average of $143.48 to $136.44 per month. The company provides services to over 840,000 customers throughout west-central Florida

Tampa Electric’s commercial customers will also have a reduction of between 4% and 11%. This is the second time rates have been lowered this year after Tampa Electric petitioned the PSC to decrease residential bills by almost $18 monthly. This cut could lead to potential savings of up to $175 for the remainder of 2024.

President and chief executive officer of Tampa Electric Archie Collins, said in a statement on the company’s website that they are pleased to be passing on savings.

“Tampa Electric is pleased to be in a position to reduce electricity bills again this year,” Collins said. “We are happy to provide customers with some welcome relief as the summer’s heat begins.”

Published May 22, 2024

Report details how state policymakers should use artificial intelligence

May 21, 2024 By Andrew Powell

(The Center Square) — A report on artificial intelligence provides guidance on how Florida policymakers can best deal with this emerging technology.

The James Madison Institute (JMI) released Bringing Government Into the 21st Century: Artificial Intelligence and State Government Operations this month and the report says that it is often thought that AI is a new technology, when it has been around for some time in many ways.

The report outlines several ways lawmakers can use this technology to streamline and modernize state government operations and help deliver better services. It also noted some of the potential challenges that could be faced.

One of the biggest concerns is how this technology will affect jobs. The report points out that the International Monetary Fund has stated that around 60% of jobs in developed countries could be exposed to AI. However, researchers have found that early indicators show that instead of replacing jobs, AI is changing jobs.

Privacy and data security are also serious concerns, potentially putting state agencies at risk of cyberattacks. The report further notes that the time it takes for state agencies to procure AI technologies could present significant roadblocks to implementation, leaving those agencies lagging behind.

On the positive side, AI technology presents the opportunity to better streamline unemployment and reemployment benefits by screening applications and pinpointing instances of fraud. AI could also take up general administrative tasks, allowing government workers to focus on more important responsibilities.

Edward Longe, report author and director of the Center for Technology & Innovation at The James Madison Institute, said in a statement that the report’s purpose was to show lawmakers why they should be embracing AI.

“Artificial Intelligence has the power to streamline state government operations, not just here in Florida, but across the country,” Longe said. “In releasing this policy brief, JMI hopes to illuminate the ways emerging technologies can make government work better for citizens in the coming years. We also hope to show why state lawmakers should be embracing these technologies and not rejecting them.”

According to the report, policy solutions include procurement reform, establishing government task forces to study how AI can be incorporated into government services, implementing cybersecurity reform, retraining and reskilling employees and state government allowing state agencies to experiment with AI and use it in day-to-day operations.

Published May 22, 2024

Audit finds cybersecurity issues with Florida Department of Revenue

May 21, 2024 By Andrew Powell

(The Center Square) — A recent audit of the Florida Department of Revenue showed that improvements were needed to ensure the safety and privacy of data.

The Florida auditor general found a handful of issues with the department’s operations, including not appropriately maintaining public records, a lack of oversight around ex-employee access to certain accounts and not properly clearing data from surplus information technology equipment.

The Department of Revenue has three main functions: Collecting and distributing state taxes and fees, overseeing Florida’s property tax system and providing child support enforcement services. The department was allocated over $717 million in last year’s budget.

According to the report, it was found that department management’s internal controls for ensuring that text and multimedia messages were not retained in accordance with state law. Communications are statutorily required to be retained for a period of three years for administrative correspondence and five years for policy development correspondence.

The auditor general recommended that the department make or obtain independent, periodic assessments, test the effectiveness of relevant internal controls and strengthen existing controls to ensure department devices with messaging capabilities are retained according to Florida statutes.

The audit also found that department controls over employee access to several different data systems — including the Florida Accounting Information Resource Subsystem, the Contract Accountability Tracking System and the Child Support Enforcement Automated Management System — needed to be improved to prevent unauthorized or improper use of access privileges.

Several instances occurred where ex-employees did not have their access removed immediately upon leaving the department. Further, some access reviews did not have supporting documentation to prove they had been carried out per statutory requirements.

The auditor general recommended that IT user access privilege controls be enhanced and that employee access privileges be deactivated upon leaving the department.

Lastly, department records between July 2021 and January 2023 showed that 1,871 items were identified as surplus IT equipment with data storage. Of the 25 selected for the audit, five iPhones, one iPad and a laptop computer lacked evidence to show they had been properly sanitized and wiped of potentially confidential information.

It was recommended that the department better document evidence that surplus items are sanitized or physically destroyed appropriately to ensure sensitive information is not disclosed.

Published May 22, 2024

Wireless activity may be improved in Blanton Lake area

May 21, 2024 By Joe Potter

Current and future residents of the Blanton Lake area may be a step closer to experiencing significant wireless network improvements in the future following a recent action by the Pasco County Planning Commission.

Planning commissioners approved sending to the Pasco County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) a request for conditional use submitted by Beverly and Vesta James Elliott/Coral Towers, LLC/Verizon Wireless. The applicants want to be allowed to have a cell tower installed at 17272 Spring Valley Road in Dade City.

If approved by the BOCC at its June 4 meeting in Dade City, a preliminary site plan will have to be submitted for review and approval before the cell tower may be installed. All applicable sections of Pasco County’s Land Development Code (LDC) also must be met prior to the tower’s installation.

The tower, which will be 195 feet high with a 4-foot-tall lightning rod on top of it, is expected to provide more coverage and capacity for the existing service area, the conditional request application said.

Plans call for the tower to be installed within a 1,600-square-foot fenced compound that will be suitable for the co-location of three additional carriers, for a total of four carriers.

The property where the tower will be placed is located on the north side of Spring Valley Road, approximately 870 feet west of Adela Street in County Commission District 1 in North Central Pasco County.

In other business at the May 2 meeting in Dade City, planning commissioners also:

Agreed to approve a zoning amendment requested by Trust 12304/Happy Hill for the zoning of approximately 0.66 acres of property located on the southwest corner of Happy Hill Road and Lakeview Drive to be changed from an R-2 Low Density Residential District to a PO-2 Professional Office District.

There currently is a duplex on this property in County Commission District 1 in East Central Pasco County. The change will allow an office to be built on the property.

Approved a zoning amendment requested by Hudson-based Tochas LLC. The applicant asked for the zoning of an approximately 0.69 acre site on the north side of Breakwater Lane approximately 180 feet west of Shady Hills Road to be changed from a C-2 General Commercial District to an A-R Agricultural-Residential District. The property is in County Commission District 5 in Northwest Pasco County.

The property owner had contacted Pasco County’s Zoning Office in August 2023 after he had listed the property for sale. He was told the property was not permitted for residential use except ancillary to a permitted commercial use on the property. He had purchased the property in December 2022 and told officials he did not intend to sell it for commercial use.

The single-family dwelling on the property had originally been zoned General Commercial for the specific use of a pet shop and kennel for racing, breeding and sales of small animals.

Both of the above zoning amendment requests will not become effective unless approved by the BOCC at its June meeting. This is because the Planning Commission acts in an advisory capacity to the BOCC.

The Planning Commission also continued until its own June 6 meeting three requests for zoning amendments. They were for:

The zoning of approximately 3.22 acres on the southwest corner of State Road 54 and Ryals Road to be changed from an A-R Agricultural-Residential District to a C-2 General Commercial District. Thomas Lee and Kimberly Anne Samone asked for the zoning change on the property in County Commission District 1 in Southeast Pasco County.
The zoning of approximately 29.5 acres of property on the east side of Old Lakeland Highway slightly east and north of U.S. Highway 98 to be changed from an A-C Agricultural Zoning District to a MPUD Master Planned Unit Development District
Crossways MPUD – Crossways 301 LLC is requesting the zoning change for the property in County Commission District 1. Crossways seeks to be able to develop up to 130 single-family residential units on the property. The applicant said in its request that the proposed development would consist of 130 single-family detached units and associated infrastructure.
The rezoning from C-2 General Commercial District to a MPUD Master Planned Unit Development District for approximately 14.55 acres on the northwest corner of the intersection of State Road 54 and Lake Crystal Boulevard in County Commission District 1. The applicant is SR 54 and Lake Crystal MPUD Master Planned Unit Development – Interstate Homes LLC, et al. They are seeking to develop a maximum of 300 multifamily dwelling units, 7,000 square feet of office and 7,000 square feet of retail or 160,000 square feet of commercial on the property.

Published May 22, 2024

Rep. Gus Bilirakis named Democracy Award finalist

May 21, 2024 By Special to The Laker/Lutz News

The Congressional Management Foundation (CMF) announced Rep. Gus Bilirakis as a finalist for a Democracy Award, CMF’s annual awards recognizing non-legislative achievement and performance in congressional offices. Bilirakis was selected as a finalist in two categories: Constituent Service, and Constituent Accountability and Accessibility, according to a news release.

Rep. Gus Bilirakis

“As a Democracy Award finalist in two categories, the Rep. Bilirakis office is clearly one of the best in Congress,” said Bradford Fitch, CMF president and CEO, in a news release.

“This designation demonstrates that Rep. Bilirakis has made a significant commitment to being the best public servant for his constituents. Rep. Bilirakis and his staff are to be congratulated for not only being a model for his colleagues in Congress, but for helping to restore trust and faith that our democratic institutions can work,” said Fitch.

Fifteen House and Senate offices were honored as finalists for excellence in public service in four categories: Constituent Service; Constituent Accountability and Accessibility; Innovation and Modernization; and “Life in Congress” Workplace Environment.

Finalists and winners will be honored at a ceremony in Washington D.C., in September.

For more about the awards, visit CongressFoundation.org/democracy-awards.

Published May 22, 2024

Build your own window feeder for summer bird watching

May 21, 2024 By Special to The Laker/Lutz News

There are very few things more relaxing than the amazing sight and sound of birds. A 2022 study even uncovered profound mental health benefits to birdwatching, including stress relief. But how do you go about bringing some of this outdoor zen to your kitchen or living room? The answer is simple: a DIY window bird feeder.

“With a window bird feeder, you’ll create a fascinating view of feathered friends going about their daily routines, great educational opportunities, family bonding moments and even a little fun for your indoor pets,” says Jamie Briggs, director of marketing at Exmark, a leading manufacturer of lawn care equipment.

Below are the tools, materials and basic instructions for this “Done-in-a-Weekend-Project” from Exmark:

Drill
Jigsaw
Miter saw
Speed square
Brad nailer
Sand paper
Tape measure
Wood glue
Pencil
Paint or pre-conditioner and stain
Ear and eye protection
Dust mask
1-1 1/2-inch brad nails
(4) suction cups
Landscape fabric (optional)
(1) 1-inch x 8-inch x 3-foot pine board
(2) 1-inch x 4-inch x 3-foot pine boards
(1) 1-inch x 2-inch x 3-foot pine board

Build Steps

Cut boards to length, according to the cut list (downloadable on the Exmark site).
Measure the angles to form the roof peak.
Trace a window shape in board A and use a jigsaw to cut out the window hole.
Secure the tray using brad nails. Use wood glue along the seams.
Attach the roof boards using nails and glue.
Drill holes that match the diameter and depth of the suction cups. Fill them with glue and insert the suction cups.
Sand the feeder’s edges.
Apply paint or preconditioner and stain of your choice. Finish off with a sealer.
Line the interior of the tray with landscape fabric.

To view the video tutorial and download the full build plans, visit Exmark’s Backyard Life site at Backyard.exmark.com, a multimedia destination that provides homeowners with everything from grilling tips and design projects to gardening and lawn care advice.

“Now all there’s left to do is pick out the perfect window, hang your new DIY bird feeder, and enjoy all the sights and sounds our avian friends have to offer,” says Briggs.

-StatePoint

Published May 22, 2024

How athletes can keep feet and ankles in tip-top shape this summer

May 21, 2024 By Special to The Laker/Lutz News

With the weather warming, the time is ripe to lace up your trainers and hit the asphalt. But summer fun and chores alike come with potential hazards to feet — and the last thing you want is to be sidelined from sports with a nagging foot issue. According to the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons, here’s how to protect feet and ankles from the most common seasonal hazards:

Be DIY safe
DIY projects like power washing, roofing and decking require ramped up safety measures. Always wear closed-toe shoes with traction to prevent injuries, splinters, puncture wounds and falls. Mowing can be particularly hazardous. The U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission estimates more than 37,000 Americans suffer a power mower-related injury annually.

“Lawn mower blades whirl at 3,000 revolutions per minute. Yet we see patients who’ve been hurt operating a mower barefoot,” said Matthew Dairman, DPM, FACFAS, a board-certified foot and ankle surgeon and a fellow member of the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons (ACFAS). “Foot injuries range from dirty, infection-prone lacerations to severed tendons to amputated toes. People need to take lawn mowing safety seriously because the injuries can, indeed, be very serious.”

To avoid becoming a statistic, follow these guidelines:

Don’t mow a wet lawn. Losing control from slipping on rain-soaked grass is the leading cause of foot injuries caused by power mowers.
Wear heavy shoes or work boots — no sneakers or sandals.
Never pull a running mower backward.
Keep the clip bag attached during operation to prevent projectile injuries.
Use a mower with a release mechanism that automatically shuts it off when hands let go.
Always keep children away during mowing.
If an accident occurs, even a minor one, consult a foot and ankle surgeon right away.

Wear sunscreen
Many people skip their feet when applying sunscreen, but did you know that the skin on your feet is highly susceptible to melanoma? In fact, it’s the most diagnosed and fatal site of this form of skin cancer. Other types of skin cancer can also be found on the foot, including squamous cell and basal cell carcinoma. To keep your feet safe this summer:

Lather up with sunscreen from head to toe, literally.
Check your feet and toes regularly for abnormal looking moles or freckles, even under toenails and on your soles. Promptly schedule an appointment with your foot and ankle surgeon to have suspicious marks examined.
Schedule routine exams so your foot and ankle surgeon can track suspicious, changing marks. Early detection is key.

Limit flimsy footwear
While it’s nice to let feet breathe in flip-flops and they’re a great choice for locker rooms and pools to avoid fungus and athlete’s foot, they shouldn’t be your main footwear of choice all summer. Flip-flops lack arch support and stability, so wearing them too often can cause stress on the plantar fascia — the band of tissue extending from the heel to the base of the toes. This can result in plantar fasciitis, causing heel pain upon getting up in the morning and after inactivity. To avoid developing issues, which can take a long time to treat and subside, consider wearing structured sandals with proper shock absorption and arch support. If you can’t live without flip flops, wear them sparingly to keep your feet in good shape. And if you’ll be traveling, pack tennis shoes for sightseeing, hikes and other weight-bearing activities.

Be mindful of diabetes
People living with diabetes should never go barefoot, because their nervous system may not “feel” an injury and their circulatory system will struggle to heal breaks in the skin.

“Most patients living with diabetes know they shouldn’t walk barefoot but can be more inclined to disregard this precaution in summer. However third-degree burns on the soles of feet can occur in a matter of minutes,” says Dairman.

This summer, be smart. Take care of your feet so they take care of you. If you suffer a foot and ankle injury this summer, visit FootHealthFacts.org for valuable foot and ankle health information and to find a physician near you.

-StatePoint

Published May 22, 2024

Orlando Health expands in Pasco County

May 14, 2024 By Joe Potter

Orlando Health, which acquired Florida Medical Clinic (FMC) last August, continues to expand its presence in Pasco County.

Construction began earlier this year on a 300-bed hospital at 3000 Wiregrass Ranch Blvd., in Wesley Chapel, according to Orlando Health’s Media Relations Manager Sandra Bentil.

The facility, which is known as Orlando Health Wiregrass Ranch Hospital, is reportedly anticipated to be completed and ready to serve patients in early 2025.

The multistory hospital is going to be one of the anchors of the Wiregrass community that is being developed by J.D. Porter. It reportedly will be the largest hospital in Wesley Chapel when it is completed.

A wide range of health care services, including emergency and inpatient care, are going to be offered at the hospital.

Physicians from FMC, which was rebranded as Florida Medical Clinic Orlando Health on May 1, will be among the professionals providing health care services at the new hospital.

Orlando Health also will build a freestanding emergency room at the intersection of State Road 54 and Henley Road in Lutz.

The plan to construct the 10,865-square-foot facility was announced last December by Matt Taylor, senior vice president of Asset Strategy for Orlando Health.

A groundbreaking hasn’t occurred yet at that site, Bentil said.

The ER will have 10 exam rooms, an imaging suite, lab and ambulance bay, according to Taylor.

The property for the Lutz ER was purchased from LIV Development.

That company is currently involved with the construction of Livano Sunlake, a 234-unit luxury multifamily and mixed-use development also located in Lutz, Taylor said.

The decision to build the ER in Lutz was driven by the tremendous population growth that Pasco County has experienced in the last decade, and also by the desire to provide a convenient location to meet patients’ needs for emergency care, Taylor said.

Pasco County’s population in 2022 was 608,794, a nearly 31% increase from the 465,516 who lived there in 2010 according to USAFacts.org. For comparison, the population of the United States grew 7.7% and Florida’s population grew 18% during that period.

“The demand for convenient access to a wider range of choices in health care services has been increasing and continues to grow in this area. Orlando Health is pleased to expand its presence to serve this community and address their health care needs,” Taylor said.

A freestanding ER is simply an emergency facility that’s not physically attached to a hospital, according to Orlando Health’s Media Relations Department. The purpose of a freestanding ER is to provide the same level of care and services as are available at traditional hospital-based emergency rooms, to be staffed by board-certified emergency medicine doctors and nurses who are certified in advanced cardiac life support and pediatric advanced life support.

The Lutz ER will be the seventh one operated by Orlando Health. The other six are located in Leesburg, Clermont, Kissimmee, Lake Mary, Orlando and Davenport.

At last report, the not-for-profit health care organization has $9.6 billion of assets under management that serves the southeastern United States and Puerto Rico.

More information about Orlando Health can be found at OrlandoHealth.com.

Published May 15, 2024

Living large in Lutz

May 14, 2024 By Randall Grantham

It ain’t me, it ain’t me

I ain’t no millionaire’s son, no, no

It ain’t me, it ain’t me

I ain’t no fortunate one.

-”Fortunate Son,” by Creedence Clearwater Revival

That girl could spot the lip of a 7 Up bottle peeking out from the sand in the orange grove at 100 feet. While riding by on a bicycle.

Cheryl and I were next-door neighbors since birth and best childhood friends growing up and that’s how she and I made money to go to the State Fair and ride rides and eat fair food — combing the groves and pastures that are now subdivisions and shopping centers collecting pop bottles for deposit returns.

At first the deposit was 2 cents for regular sized bottles and maybe a nickel for the larger ones. We felt rich when the price went up to 3 cents. That doesn’t seem like much now, but remember, this was in the sixties. Gas was 25 cents a gallon.

By the time they went up to 5 and 15 cents for the bottles, the Fair prices had also kept pace and we started getting our first lessons in reality and inflation. We needed a new gig.

Now mind you, collecting pop bottles was not our only entrepreneurial endeavor. We used to spend the summers on the lake swimming and fishing. Every year the old cypress fishing boat my parents had purchased from a fish camp on Lake Rosalie had to be bailed out and pulled out from beneath the rising waters as the summer rainy season helped the lake claim her for its own.

We were free-range kids. Our parents basically set us outside every day with instructions to be home for dinner. We would paddle that old boat all around Lake Hobbs catching bream, shellcracker and bluegill in the dredge holes and around the cypress knees.

They were so abundant that we decided we could make some money doing a fried fish dinner for the neighbors. After catching and cleaning a freezer full of the little buggers, we prepared tickets to sell for the big event.

In those days there was no Xerox machine, much less a copy and paste function on the old Royal upright typewriter my Mom had gotten from the welfare office that she worked at before my birth. I had to type and space and do dashes between and X’s down the middle of each sheet of tickets. (I think I did two sheets.) Then we canvassed the neighborhood and raked in the big bucks.

Each dinner was priced at 35 cents and we served fried fish, baked beans and, I think, grits. We provided the fish but the fixins and side dishes were compliments of our parents’ pantry. We each cleared a couple of bucks but it probably cost our parents that much or more in groceries.

35 cents must have been a magic number for us because in spring time, one of our parents would ride us out to Plant City during the strawberry U-Pick season and we would come home with several flats of berries. After setting up a little stand on the side of U.S. 41 in front of my Mom’s real estate office under the big old oak tree just north of Carson Drive, we sold those berries for 35 cents a pint.

While we didn’t grow rich, we did grow older, and as we progressed from elementary school to junior high (we didn’t have middle school), our friends and interests diverged, expanded and matured.

I moved onto mowing lawns and selling forbidden gum and candies at school for pocket money while my parents kept me busy with chores in the pasture, garden and yard.

We were next-door neighbors and had been best friends throughout our formative years, but even as we still lived right next to each other, we did grow apart.

But those early years taught us both the value of a dollar, or maybe a nickel, and those lessons stuck with us both. Fiscal responsibility and the willingness to work for your money was ingrained in all of us growing up in that manner.

Perhaps I am a fortunate son.

Published May 15, 2024

Progress made toward development of large employment center

May 14, 2024 By Joe Potter

The development of a large employment center north of State Road 52 and west of Interstate 75 was approved by the Pasco County Board of County Commissioners during its May 7 meeting in Dade City, with the rezoning of approximately 785 acres where the site is located.

An economic development agreement was approved to provide a Public Infrastructure ad valorem rebate for infrastructure installed for the development, not to exceed $29,269,623, as adjusted for inflation.

Both requests were made by MU Landco Liquidating Company & SF Landco Liquidating Company LLC, which owns the property.

The zoning was changed from A-C Agricultural District, R-1MH Single Family/Mobile Home District, and C-2 General Commercial District to MPUD Master Planned Unit Development District.

This will allow the development of 190,000 square feet of Retail/Commercial; 3,000,000 square feet of Light Industrial; 500,000 square feet of Office; a 250-room Hotel; 2,327 residential dwelling units and associated infrastructure.

The Hines Group, based in Texas, will oversee development of the project. Hines also developed the Asturia subdivision for luxury homes in Odessa.

The infrastructure rebate will be for road systems and public utility transmission lines for both the on-site and off-site areas of the employment center as shown in the agreement.

None of the roughly $29 million will be paid until infrastructure work has been completed, according to the agreement.

Some of the major roadway improvements within the project will consist of a north-south extension of Old Pasco Road and “Roadway ‘AD,’” which will be the east-west vision collector road internal to the project.

“This area is a very important employment and tax generating area and this is one of the most important components of that development,” said David Engel, Pasco County’s director of planning and economic growth.

It is anticipated that 2,770 jobs will be created when construction of the employment center has been completed.

In other business on May 7, commissioners:

Awarded a bid not to exceed $7,937,909 to The Diaz/Fritz Group Inc., d/b/a Diaz Fritz Group General Contractors, for work on the Starkey Ranch District Park Phase 2B-2G – to provide fields, a concession stand, a parking area, and other improvements for the Starkey Ranch District Park located off Lake Blanche Avenue in Odessa. This award will create six new ball fields with sidewalks and multi-use paths to extend around the existing stormwater pond area, parking and a concession stand to support sports activities at the park.
Approved a zoning change requested by Blanton Creek Development Corporation for Timber Ridge Master Planned Unit Development (MPUD) from R-3 Medium Density Residential District to an MPUD Master Planned Unit Development. This change will allow a maximum of 190 single-family detached units on approximately 48.42 acres located on the east side of Pasco County. Access to the proposed subdivision will be via 14th Street. The applicant was also granted its request to be able to use an emergency access connection to Catalina Drive because this road is not built to county standards. This will avoid impacting existing neighbors in the residential subdivision to the north.
Agreed to the recording of a plat with a performance guarantee for Clinton Land Investments LP – Clinton Townhomes for 158 residential lots on 21.61 acres on the north side of Clinton Avenue approximately 0.38 miles west of U.S. 301 in east central Pasco County. The county received a Surety Bond in the amount of $5,071,115 to cover the cost of necessary infrastructure improvements.
Agreed to the recording of a plat with performance guarantees for LNR3 AIV LLC – Connerton Village 3 Phase 2A for 144 residential lots on 77.612 acres on the east side of Connerton Boulevard, approximately 2.41 miles east of U.S. 41/Land O’ Lakes Boulevard in west central Pasco County. The county received Surety Bonds in the amounts of $3,259,872.38 and $40,794.30 to cover the cost of necessary infrastructure improvements.
Agreed to the recording of a plat with a performance guarantee for Lennar Homes, LLC – Wiregrass Ranch M21 Plat for 42 residential lots on 3.44 acres on the northwest side of Silent Gardens Cove, about a half mile east of the Suncoast Parkway. The county received a Surety Bond in the amount of $1,836,727.79 to cover the cost of necessary infrastructure improvements.
Approved Pasco County Parks, Recreation, and Natural Resources Department to coordinate with the Pasco County Property Appraiser’s Office and the Woody Williams Foundation to designate Veterans Memorial Park, 14333 Hicks Road, Hudson, and Wesley Chapel District Park, 727 Boyette Road, Wesley Chapel, as locations for Gold Star Families Memorial Monuments to be installed.

Published May 15, 2024