The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

Andrew Powell

Governor signed nine bills into law, but decisions await on a few others

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(The Center Square) — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed nine bills into law the week of June 3, while a few measures and the state’s budget still await his decision.

House Bill 1203 relates to the governance of homeowners’ associations and how community association managers manage those communities. These managers are also required to attend at least one member meeting or board meeting of the association and provide members with certain information, including contact numbers and hours of availability.

HB 1259 amends Florida statutes related to the Agency for Health Care Administration’s rules governing adult cardiovascular services provided in a hospital. The bill specifies that level one adult cardiovascular services include rotational or other atherectomy devices and electrophysiology.

HB 1363 prohibits counties and/or municipalities from contracting for camera systems used to detect traffic infractions with a government entity outside the state. Governmental entities are also prohibited from knowingly entering into or renewing a contract on or after July 1, 2025, with a contracting vendor owned in part or whole by a government in a foreign country of concern.

HB 7009 removes the scheduled repeal of exemption from public records requirements for petitions for voluntary and involuntary admission for mental health treatment, court orders, related records and personal identifying information regarding a person seeking mental health treatment and services. The bill would keep mental health records confidential and allow an exemption for certain entities and individuals.

HB 7085 establishes the Sickle Cell Disease Research and Treatment Grant Program within the Florida Department of Health. Funding will go toward projects that improve the quality and accessibility of health care for people with sickle cell disease.

Senate Bill 1350 relates to salvage motor vehicles, mobile homes and vessels, and defines the term “major component parts” for electric, hybrid and plug-in hybrid motor vehicles. Its purpose is to verify the sources of these parts during the rebuilt inspection process.

SB 1456 provides changes for Areas of Critical State Concern in the Florida Keys and the city of Key West.

SB 7054 revises Florida statutes, modernizing, streamlining and updating provisions and rules related to the administration of private activity bonds.

HB 385 provides requirements for parenting plans related to the exchange of a child during parent timesharing. Sheriffs are required to designate areas as neutral, safe exchange locations.

Published June 19, 2024

County officers outline budget needs for upcoming fiscal year

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Four of Pasco County’s constitutional officers made their budget needs known to the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) during a June 11 workshop in New Port Richey.

The offices of the Clerk & Comptroller, Sheriff, Supervisor of Elections and Property Appraiser made the requests for the upcoming fiscal year that begins on Oct. 1.

The budgets of these four offices will be adopted on Sept. 17. They will become effective on Oct. 1 and will fund county offices and services through Sept. 30, 2025.

(Romain Dancre/Unsplash)

Clerk & Comptroller Nikki Alvarez-Sowles is requesting $9,250,747, or an increase of 11% in her budget for fiscal year 2025 (FY25). The main increase of $688,396 is being requested for board services provided by her office. An additional $240,848 is needed for the highly sophisticated computer program, Criminal Justice Information System (CJIS), which enables people to search records maintained by the Clerk & Comptroller’s Office.

“These increases are the result of legislatively mandated employee retirement costs, increased information technology expenses, inflationary impact on goods and services, 5% merit pay raises and adding two new positions within the Board Records (1) and Treasury Management & Capital Assets (1) divisions,” Alvarez-Sowles wrote in her budget request.

“Also represented in this request is $1,024,069, representing the BOCC’s unpaid balance to reimburse the clerk & comptroller for the BOCC’s prior years multi-agency CJIS obligation. The county’s obligation was absorbed by the clerk & comptroller in the amounts of $671,465 (FY22) and $352,604 (FY23). This remaining balance is currently the subject of settlement negotiations related to the Florida Second District Court of Appeal’s recent appellate decision (Fla. 2d DCA Case No. 2D23-0305),” her budget request said.

Sheriff Chris Nocco is requesting $164,476,541 for the Pasco Sheriff’s Office (PSO) for FY25. That is an increase of 9% over the $150 million the PSO is receiving for FY24 that expires on Sept. 30. 

Most of the $14,476,541 increase Nocco is asking for is the $8.93 million that will be needed to cover the salaries and other costs of 40 new deputies he hopes to be able to hire in FY25. 

The county has been giving the PSO 40% of the new property taxes it receives due to its growth for the past few years and has been offered 10 new deputies each year. But Nocco told commissioners he needs to hire 40 additional deputies during FY25 because of the explosive growth Pasco County has been experiencing. 

Part of the remaining additional $5,546,541 Nocco is seeking is to cover salary increases for PSO’s employees, which are needed “to ensure our agency remains competitive with surrounding agencies,” Nocco’s budget request said. Money is also needed to pay for capital expenditures, including armored vehicles, which currently are not budgeted by the sheriff’s office.

Even if the 9% increase is approved, staffing of the PSO won’t be keeping up with the county’s growth, Nocco said, and should be a high priority to commissioners.

Supervisor of Elections Brian E. Corley is requesting $6,256,432 for his office for FY25. This is a decrease of $645,922, or 9.36% from the $6,902,354 that Corley’s office receives for FY24.

This decrease is possible, Corley said, because there is only one election during FY25 for which his office requires funding. That will be the general election on Nov. 5. 

The amount of money the Supervisor of Elections’ office requires varies from year to year depending upon the number of elections that it is responsible for overseeing, according to Corley. There was a Presidential Preference Primary on March 19, and there will also be a Primary Election on Aug. 20 for candidates running for offices including sheriff, superintendent of schools and county commissioners for Districts 1, 3, 4 and 5.

The cities and/or towns in Pasco County that will hold Municipal Elections in April of 2025 are each responsible for covering the costs of those elections, according to Corley.

Property Appraiser Mike Wells is requesting $7,761,214 for FY25. This is an increase of $501,370, or 6.9%, from the $7,259,844 his office is currently receiving. Part of the reasons for the requested increase is due to employee salary increases and two new employee hires, Brendan Fitterer told commissioners. He is the chief administrative officer for the Property Appraiser’s office and attended the workshop because Wells was unavailable.

It also was announced that the current budget for the Pasco County Tax Collector’s office is $13,459,190 — but the budget for FY25 needs to be determined later this year after information is received from Florida’s Department of Revenue.

Published June 19, 2024

Florida officials track effects of new laws on state revenues

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(The Center Square) — Florida officials have examined several bills signed into law by Gov. Ron DeSantis to determine how they’ll affect the state’s revenues. 

Officials analyzed several bills during a revenue estimating conference that are tied to House Bill 5001, the state’s fiscal 2024-2025 budget, and HB 5003, which is the measure that implements it.

(Florida Senate Majority Office/Facebook )

HB 1301 will authorize the Florida Department of Transportation to retain interest earnings on funds appropriated to implement the Moving Florida Forward Plan. The funds will be held in reserve; any interest earned on transferred funds must be used by the department to implement the plan. Analysts found that the change will have no impact on the General Revenue or State Trust funds.

HB 1285 will amend Florida statutes to allow Miami Dade College, Polk State College and Tallahassee Community College to charge an amount of $290 per credit hour for nonresident tuition and fees for distance learning. The institutions will be able to phase in this fee by degree program.

Analysts stated that if the three colleges immediately implemented the maximum fee, the total fiscal impact for FY 2024-25 would have been a loss of over $4.6 million. However, institutions plan on phasing in the program. If 5% of non-Florida residents participate, the total impact will be reduced by $234,897.18.

HB 7073 has a proposed change that specifies if a discretionary sales tax has been collected but not expended by a county, municipality, school board or other entity that those proceeds must be transferred to the Florida Department of Revenue within 60 days from the date of final adjudication. These funds must then be held in the Discretionary Sales Surtax Clearing House Trust Fund in reserve for appropriation.

Senate Bill 994 will change how school traffic zone violations are collected and disbursed. If a violation is enforced by a school bus infraction detection system, the $25 fine would go to the participating school district, rather than into the Emergency Medical Services Trust Fund of the Florida Department of Health. Analysts stated that the change will have an indeterminate impact on the state budget.

HB 1425 would eliminate the minimum-risk nonresidential commitment level for youth. Previously, the court would order a parent to pay a cost of care fee of $1 per day. The Department of Juvenile Justice stated that courts will likely order probation instead, also at $1 per day. Analysts anticipate no impact on the budget.

Published June 19, 2024

Kennedy on Florida presidential ballot as Reform Party candidate

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(The Center Square) – Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will appear on Florida ballots as the Reform Party candidate after the Florida Division of Elections recertified its party status on June 7.

“We’re thrilled to give Floridians an independent option this November,” said Reform Party of Florida Chairwoman Jenniffer Desatoff in a news release. “We’ve been eagerly waiting to collaborate with the Kennedy campaign here in Florida and make history together.”

The party’s national committee nominated Kennedy and his running mate Nicole Shanahan two weeks ago to be their candidates.

More importantly, the move allows the third-party candidate to raise more money.

Now that he has a party nomination, the party can raise an additional $41,300 from donors previously limited to $6,600 each.

Ross Perot supporters founded the party in 1996. The party said in the release it has spent $15 million on a ballot access operation to ensure Kennedy and Shanahan will appear on ballots in all 50 states plus the District of Columbia.

The ticket is officially on the ballot in nine states – Utah, Michigan, California, Delaware, Oklahoma, Hawaii, Texas, South Carolina and Florida — and has collected enough signatures for ballot access in nine other states.

Published June 19, 2024

Florida to host invasive python hunting competition in August

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(The Center Square) — Florida Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nunez announced on May 30 the Sunshine State again will welcome professionals and novices for the upcoming 2024 Florida Python Challenge.

Nunez said registration for the Florida Python Challenge is open. Participants must complete online training to participate in the 10-day competition planned for Aug. 9 through Aug. 19.

In 2023, over 1,000 participants from 35 different states participated in the challenge with more than $25,000 in prizes.

(Everglades NPS from Homestead, Florida, United States, Public domain)

“Back in 2019, Governor DeSantis prioritized making sure that the conservation of Florida’s natural resources was something that our administration was going to champion, and I would say that he has delivered,” Nunez said.

On DeSantis’ second day in office, Nunez said he called for $2.5 billion to be invested during his first term to protect Florida’s water resources and other unique ecosystems like the Everglades.

The Legislature has appropriated a further $3.5 billion to conservation efforts over the next four years, and Nunez added that this reaffirms DeSantis’ commitment to protecting Florida’s natural beauty.

“So we’re well on our way to not only meeting that goal but surpassing it,” Nunez said. “We’re investing $3.1 billion this term, bringing our total investment since 2019 to a record-breaking $6.5 billion for Everglades restoration and water quality improvement.” 

Part of the funding goes toward protecting Florida’s native animals, which are currently threatened by the Burmese python, an invasive species from Asia whose population is growing in the Everglades.

“The Burmese python, as many of you know, is an invasive species that has wreaked havoc on our Everglades ecosystem and is a threat to native wildlife,” Nunez said. “They prey upon native species, they compete with native wildlife for food and habitat, and they can also spread non-native diseases.”

Nunez said the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission is committed to working with partners to preserve natural resources and wants to continue this for years to come.

“For us, the Florida Everglades is a valuable ecosystem that we will always strive to protect and preserve,” Nunez said. “It contains an abundance of habitats and species and they are home to many of Florida’s landmark species such as the Florida panther, the alligator, wading birds and many other native species.”

For more information, visit https://flpythonchallenge.org/.

Published June 19, 2024

U.S. Navy sailor to compete in Warrior Games

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Navy Information Technician 2nd Class Ainesey “Iggy” Inguanzo (Courtesy of U.S. Navy)

Navy Information Technician 2nd Class Ainesey “Iggy” Inguanzo, of Spring Hill, will compete in the Department of Defense (DoD) Warrior Games Challenge, June 21 to June 30, at ESPN Wide World of Sports in Orlando, according to a news release. More than 250 seriously wounded, ill and injured service members and veterans will take part in the 10 days of competition that highlights “the exceptional physical skills and mental toughness” of its competitors, according to the release. Inguanzo, who suffered a serious foot injury, will compete in archery, indoor rowing, shooting, sitting volleyball and swimming. For more information, visit DoDWarriorGames.com.

Local tennis players to attend military academies, play in Olympics

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Two local high school seniors from the Saddlebook Preparatory tennis academy have received appointments to military academies, according to a news release. Ji Soo Oh will attend the US Naval Academy and Maya Michalski will attend the Air Force Academy, and both will play tennis for their respective academies.

Three additional players from Saddlebrook will compete in the Paris 2024 Summer Olympic Games — Gaby Dabrowski will represent Canada in women’s doubles, Luisa Stefani will represent Brazil in women’s doubles, and Hubi Hurkacz will represent Poland in men’s singles, according to the release.

Ji Soo Oh will attend the US Naval Academy (Courtesy of Saddelbrook Preparatory School)
Maya Michalski will attend the Air Force Academy.

Business Digest 06/19/2024

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Belmar Pharmacy ribbon-cutting (Courtesy of Pasco EDC)

Belmar Pharmacy opens
The Pasco Economic Development Council (Pasco EDC) has welcomed Belmar Pharmacy to Pasco County, according to a news release.

The company has invested $15 million in a 25,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art compounding facility within Asturia Corporate Center in Odessa, where it expects to add 150 new professional positions over the next three years.

Belmar is the largest national compounding pharmacy organization focused on hormone health and wellness, the release says.

NTBC Lunch and Learn
The North Tampa Bay Chamber (NTBC) will host a “Lunch N Learn” session on “Navigating Advertising Trends in Today’s Market,” presented by Jessica Petroski, on June 20 at 11:30 a.m., at the NTBC Suncoast Office, 16703 Early Riser Ave., Land O’ Lakes. Attendance costs $15 and seating is limited. For more information, visit NorthTampaBayChamber.com.

Women-n-Charge meeting
Women-n-Charge will meet on June 26, at Plantation Palms Golf Club, 23253 Plantation Palms Blvd., in Land O’ Lakes. Doors open for registration, early networking and vendor shopping at 11:15 a.m., followed by the meeting at noon. The cost for members is $21; guests are $25. Payment should be made by May 20. Register online at Women-n-Charge.com/meetings/. For more information and to RSVP (required), email .

NTBC Member Orientation
The North Tampa Bay Chamber (NTBC) also will host a new member orientation with chamber president/CEO Hope Kennedy, on June 26 at 9 a.m., at the NTBC Suncoast Office, 16703 Early Riser Ave., Land O’ Lakes. Attendance is free and registration is required. For more information, visit NorthTampaBayChamber.com.

City of Zephyrhills Career Fair
The City of Zephyrhills will host a Career Fair on June 28 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., at the Zephyrhills Public Library, 5347 Eighth St. Call 813-780-0064 for information.

SunLake High School bands seeks sponsors
The Bands of Sunlake High School, known as the “Soaring Sound,” are seeking sponsors for the 2024-2025 season, according to a news release. The Marching Band will be competing in the Bands of America in Orlando and Indoor Percussion and Winter Guard will compete in the WGI World Championships in Dayton, Ohio. There are four levels of sponsorship packages ranging from $250 to $1,000 offering various promotion opportunities. Interested businesses should contact Band Director Alan Bonko at .

Pasco County Farm Bureau visits Congress
Members of the Pasco County Farm Bureau visited with Florida’s Congressional delegation in Washington D.C., May 14 to May 16 to discuss various federal policies that affect farmers and ranchers, including priorities for the 2024 Farm Bill and agricultural labor reform, according to a news release.

The Pasco County Farm Bureau is headquartered in Dade City and serves over 3,000 member-families, the release says.

 

Sheriff Chris Nocco seeks 9% budget increase

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The Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) was recently told the Pasco Sheriff’s Office (PSO) needs to hire 40 new deputies because of the explosive population growth the county is experiencing, as was discussed during the June 4 BOCC meeting.

Sheriff Chris Nocco shared the staffing needs of his office during an April 16 workshop with commissioners and reiterated those needs, among others, in a budget request he submitted on April 25.

Sheriff Chris Nocco (Pasco Sheriff’s Office Facebook page)

The PSO needs a 9% increase in its budget for fiscal year 2024-2025 that begins on Oct. 1 and ends on Sept. 30, Nocco’s request said. The office currently receives $150 million and Nocco is requesting $165.5 million for the upcoming fiscal year.

And that 9% increase isn’t fully reflective of the full funding needs of the PSO, Nocco said in a memo to commissioners outlining some of the specific reasons behind his request.

The sheriff’s office currently receives 40% of the new property taxes the county receives because of the county’s growth. The office has been offered 10 new deputies a year in the past. 

Commissioners have approved 10,000 new residences since July 2023 — this is in addition to the number of new businesses and industries that have opened in Pasco County since then — leading to the projected need of 40 more deputies, according to Nocco’s request.

Pasco County’s Property Appraiser Mike Wells estimated last month that there will be a 12.8% increase in property taxes. The final figure won’t be known until the beginning of July.  

Nocco says that even if the 9% increase is approved, staffing of the sheriff’s office won’t be keeping up with the county’s growth. If they are able to hire 40 new deputies, it’s anticipated that it would cost $8.93 million during the first year due to the cost of training and equipment, and other miscellaneous costs.

Also included in the budget request are salary increases for all employees of the PSO “to ensure our agency remains competitive with surrounding agencies,” Nocco said, adding, “It is crucial we continue to attract quality applicants and retain our valuable members to provide the highest level of service to our community, so we do not return to the previous situation, which we had to address with members leaving for surrounding agencies.” 

His request also included funds for capital expenditures, including armored vehicles, which currently are not budgeted by the sheriff’s office.

The FY 2024-2025 budgets won’t be determined for county departments until later this year.

In other business at the BOCC meeting:

  • Commissioners continued a request for a zoning amendment made by Cherry Hills West MPUD Master Planned Unit Development – Veterans of Foreign Wars of US Major Francis E. Dade Post 4283 et al. 

It had been requested that the zoning of a 34.07-acre parcel on the east side of VFW Post Road, approximately 275 feet south of State Road 52, be changed from an A-R Agricultural Residential District to an MPUD Master Planned Unit Development District. The applicant wanted to be allowed to develop a maximum of 160 single-family detached dwelling units on the site near the Pasco County Fairgrounds.

District 2 Commissioner Seth Weightman, and Chairman and District 1 Commissioner Ron Oakley both expressed concerns about the zoning change being approved without assurances that water and sewer services would be available for the development. 

The applicant is currently seeking an agreement with Dade City to provide water and sewer services for the proposed project. 

Weightman recommended the requested density of the proposed project be reduced by 50% so only 80 single-family homes could be built there.

Attorney Shelley May Johnson, representing the applicant, said she was confident Dade City would have water and sewer services available when the site plan for the proposed project is approved. That procedure normally takes several months after the approval of the request for a zoning amendment.

“We don’t know when the city’s gonna have sewer available for its customers. They’re all on hold. There’s no timeline for anything coming anytime soon,” Oakley said.

  • Commissioners also agreed to allow plats to be recorded for three subdivisions that Len-Angeline LLC plans to develop on property in District 4; for two subdivisions that Thornwood Associates LLC, plans to develop in District 1; and for a subdivision that Brookfield Holdings LLC and EPG-Two Rivers LLC plan to develop in District 1.

Commissioners allowed all of the plats to be recorded after the applicants either posted Surety Bonds or Letters of Credit to cover the estimated cost of infrastructure improvements that haven’t yet been installed at the proposed developments.

  • A comprehensive plan amendment was also approved to allow a maximum of 18 single-family homes to be built on approximately 92.6 acres of real property located at 17001 Bellamy Brothers Boulevard, Dade City. Sandarben LLC / Tarapani Planning Strategies were the applicants for the amendment. The property is located in east Pasco.

Published June 12, 2024

DeSantis asks residents to buy hurricane supplies during sales tax holiday

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(The Center Square) — Gov. Ron DeSantis urged Florida residents to take advantage of the state’s sales tax holiday for hurricane supplies.

DeSantis announced during a recent news conference in Fort Myers that many items will be sales tax-free to help residents prepare for potential disastrous weather events. Hurricane season started on June 1 and runs through Nov. 1.

“We are gonna be prepared,” DeSantis said. “We have put a lot of emphasis in this state on recovery and response. I know when Ian came, millions and millions of people were restored to power across the state within a matter of 48 hours.”

(Oxana Melis/Unsplash)

DeSantis said that this was the fastest restoration after a major hurricane in American history and added that local and state responders worked hard to get supplies and get major lifelines like bridges up and running again.

“There’s certain things that your local government will need to prepare for and execute and then, of course, the state, we have a role and we try to lead,” DeSantis said. “We don’t typically depend on the federal government for anything because we figure that’s not a place you wanna be.”

DeSantis said that individual Floridians have a role to play in ensuring they are prepared and emphasized the importance of having a sound preparedness plan. DeSantis added that they now recommend that households have at least seven days of food, water and fuel.

“We’re not just saying do this; we’re actually helping people make this happen,” DeSantis said. “We are now in the midst — and this goes till June 14 — of our disaster tax preparedness holiday for sales tax.”

Sales tax-free items include portable generators, power banks, batteries, flashlights, pet items, toys, tarps, water, smoke detectors, fire extinguishers, carbon monoxide detectors and portable radios for less than $50.

DeSantis said that they have also added pet evacuation supplies to the disaster preparedness tax holiday. These include wet and dry cat and dog food, cat litter pans, water bowls, pet waste disposal bags, collars, muzzles, leashes and pet beds and carriers.

A second disaster preparedness sales tax holiday is slated to begin during the peak of hurricane season from Aug. 24 through Sept. 6 so residents can replenish supplies. DeSantis said it’s important for people to get what they need now.

Published June 12, 2024