Insurance commissioner resigns
Florida Insurance Commissioner Kevin McCarty has announced his resignation, effective May 2. McCarty, who was the state’s first appointed insurance commissioner, has had the post for 12 years.
McCarty plans to pursue other job opportunities, according to a news release from Florida Office of Insurance Regulation.
He was appointed by Gov. Jeb Bush in 2003 and served under three governors. According to media reports, he survived efforts last year by Gov. Rick Scott and some legislators to oust him from office. However, McCarty said he was not forced to resign.
Scott’s spokeswoman, Jackie Schutz, issued a statement thanking McCarty for his service and wishing him the best of luck in his next endeavors.
Pasco County Tax Collector Mike Fasano said Florida consumers are losing one of their greatest advocates.
“Commissioner McCarty not only stood up for the consumer, he had an incredible grasp of the complexity of insurance in all its forms,” Fasano said in a news release. “His voice of warning or support could change the tide for a piece of legislation. He truly was an individual who, even though powerful, behaved at all times like a gentleman. He is a class act whose shoes will surely be hard to fill.”
Scott and his cabinet will appoint McCarty’s successor.
New Starkey Ranch builder
Pulte Homes will open three model homes in the master-planned community of Starkey Ranch in early 2017, according to a news release from Larry Vershel Communications.
Starkey Ranch is located on State Road 54 at Heart Pine Avenue, four miles west of the Suncoast Parkway.
Pulte Homes will offer 13 one and two-story home designs ranging from about 1,900 square feet to 4,200 square feet, with two and three-car garages. The builder’s 165 home sites are in the Homestead Park neighborhood, which offers wetland and woodland views. Prices aren’t currently available.
Starkey Ranch currently offers two dog parks, a playground, picnic pavilions and a recreation lawn. In 2016, a community pool and splash pad, and the first baseball and multi-sports fields in the 90-acre district park will have grand openings. Future plans include a kindergarten through eighth grade public school, a 20-mile multi-use trail system, a shared use gymnasium and tennis courts, a public library, and a community theater.
For information, call (877) 752-0173, email , or visit Pulte.com/starkeyranch.
Alcohol license
BJ’s Restaurant and Brewhouse is ready for its beer, wine and liquor license.
The California-based restaurant plans to build its eatery and brewery near the entrance to Tampa Premium Outlets, at the intersection of Grand Cypress Drive and Creek Grass Way.
Tampa Premium Outlets, Inc., filed for the alcoholic beverage license on behalf of BJ’s. The Pasco County Planning Commission will consider approval of the application on Jan. 13 in Dade City.
No construction start date is announced
A conceptual site plan submitted to the county shows a 7,500-square-foot restaurant, with an entrance off Creek Grass Way.
The restaurant’s menu offers BJ’s signature deep-dish pizza, as well as salads, pastas, steaks, baby back ribs and a kid’s menu.
According to BJ’s website, the restaurant began in California in 1978, and added a line of handcrafted beers in the mid-1990s.
Business loan seminar
Pasco-Hernando State College Chapter of SCORE will have a free seminar on “How to Apply for a Business Loan” on Jan. 13 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., at the Hugh Embry Branch Library, 14215 Fourth St., in Dade City.
The seminar will cover start-ups, mature businesses and purchasing businesses. The discussion also will include sources of loans from $5,000 to $5 million.
For information, call (727) 842-4638, or visit PascoHernandoScore.org.
Chamber luncheon
The North Tampa Chamber of Commerce will host a luncheon on Jan. 14, with check-in at 11 a.m., at Brunchies Breakfast, Brunch, Lunch and Catering at 14366 N. Dale Mabry Highway in Tampa. Networking is until 11:30 a.m., when lunch will be served from a select menu.
The guest speaker will be journalist and author Kristen Hare, who wrote “100 Things to do in Tampa Bay Before You Die.”
For information and to RSVP, call the chamber at (813) 961-2420, email , or visit NorthTampaChamber.com.
Using the Internet in business
Pasco-Hernando State College Chapter of SCORE will offer a free seminar on “Using the Internet in Your Business” on Jan. 14 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., at the New River Branch Library, 34043 State Road 54 in Zephyrhills.
The seminar will cover how a website can enhance your business. Those attending the session will be walked through an eight-step process of key activities that can help almost any business quickly leverage technology.
For information, call (727) 842-4638, or visit PascoHernandoScore.org.
Hispanic business leaders luncheon
The Hispanic Business Leaders Luncheon will be on Jan. 19 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., at the Land O’ Lakes Community Center, at 5401 Land O’ Lakes Blvd., in Land O’ Lakes. The event is sponsored by the Hispanic Business Leaders of the Central Pasco Chamber of Commerce.
Guest speakers will share personal experiences and law enforcement’s perspective on human trafficking.
The cost is $20 for chamber members and $25 for non-members, but only $18 if prepaid.
For information, contact John Jay Anglada, of Finest DeeJays, at (813) 298-3232.
