The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

Local News

New school projects coming, using Penny for Pasco tax proceeds

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Pasco County Schools is planning two elementary school renovation projects and two athletic facility renovation projects using proceeds from Penny for Pasco, a sales tax approved by voters.

Betsy Kuhn, assistant superintendent for support services, told the Pasco County School Board recently that the district has prioritized renovation of West Zephyrhills Elementary School and Cypress Elementary School, as two of the newest projects to use Penny for Pasco proceeds.

Pasco County Schools plans to use a portion of the Penny for Pasco proceeds to build new schools, including one in the Bexley area, off State Road 54. (File)

The district also has selected Pasco and Land O’ Lakes high schools for its first athletic renovation projects, Kuhn told the school board, during its April 18 meeting.

The Pasco High project also includes a classroom wing and the renovation and expansion of the school’s kitchen and cafeteria.

The elementary school projects will be in design during the coming school year and then construction will begin after that, Kuhn said.

West Zephyrhills Elementary School was originally built in 1958. Cypress Elementary School was built in 1973.

Penny for Pasco is a 1-cent government infrastructure sales tax initially adopted in March 2004, and was in effect from Jan. 1, 2005 through Dec. 31, 2014.

Voters then extended it for 10 years, with that renewal going from Jan. 1, 2015 through Dec. 31, 2024.

In the November 2022 general election, Pasco voters overwhelmingly voted to extend the tax, this time for 15 years, beginning Jan. 1, 2025 and running through Dec. 31, 2039. 

The extension was approved by 64.7% of the voters. It is expected to yield about $1.9 billion in revenues, which will be split between the school district, the county and the county’s municipalities. The school district and county each would receive 45% and the municipalities would share the remaining 10%.

Before the tax was adopted, the school district identified a number of new schools that will be supported by the 15-year extension of the tax. The district also uses state funds and impact fees to help pay for new school construction.

Some of the new schools expected to use Penny proceeds include:

  • A new elementary school near the Bexley development, off State Road 54, in Land O’ Lakes
  • A K-8 school in the State Road 52 corridor, in an area known as the Central Pasco Employment Village, also in Land O’ Lakes
  • A K-8 school, in the State Road 54 corridor, near Ballantrae
  • A K-8, or whatever is needed, in the Villages of Pasadena Hills, between Wesley Chapel and Dade City

But those are just some of the projects the school district expects to support with Penny funding.

It also is planning school expansions and upgraded athletic facilities, and it expects to add computers in schools, enhance the district’s computer network, fortify the safety on its campuses, improve safety at driver pickup locations at schools, and address other needs.

Published May 03, 2023

Zephyrhills, St. Leo town officials sworn in

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The City of Zephyrhills has some new elected leaders, but they are familiar faces.

Melonie Bahr Monson, former CEO of the Greater Zephyrhills Chamber of Commerce, is sworn in on April 24, as the City of Zephyrhills’ 21st mayor. (Courtesy of Kevin Weiss)

Former city manager Steve Spina and former CEO of the Chamber of Commerce Melonie Bahr Monson were sworn in at the Zephyrhills City Council’s April 24 meeting.

Spina was elected to Seat 2 on the council and Monson was elected as the city’s 21st mayor.

Spina, who retired from city manager in 2019, replaces incumbent Alan Knight, who had just completed his first term on city council. Monson replaces former mayor Gene Whitfield, who stepped down after three terms.

Spina received 60% of the votes over Knight, while Monson got 59% of the votes over fellow candidates Nick Deford and Martin Harm.

Also, Zephyrhills approved city charter amendments that affect these new candidates. Referendum 2 and 4 changed city council office and mayor terms, respectively, from three to four years, both passing with more than 60% of the votes.

Nearby, in the town of St. Leo, Commissioner Vincent D’Ambrosio was sworn in, representing Seat 2 on the commission. He also is the town’s mayor.

He ran unopposed in the April 11 municipal elections.

St. Leo Town Commissioner Curtis Dwyer kept Seat 4 on the commission, also running unopposed.

Both were sworn in during the April 24 St. Leo town meeting.

Also, in San Antonio, Mark Anderson, the town’s mayor, kept his position as commissioner, as he ran unopposed. Kevin Damic joins the town commission, also running unopposed and replacing Maximilian D’Water, who opted to step down after his term.

In other local government news, Dade City Commissioner Knute Nathe resigned from his Group 4 position to serve as a Pasco County Judge on April 13. The city is now accepting applications to fill the vacancy by May 13, however, a special election will be held within 60 days after the vacancy if the city fails to fill the vacancy.

Published May 03, 2023

Steve Spina, a former Zephyrhills city manager, is sworn in at the City Council meeting on April 24. He was elected to Seat 2 on the council. (Courtesy of Kevin Weiss)
Town Commissioner Vincent D’Ambrosio, who is also St. Leo’s mayor, left, and fellow commissioner Curtis Dwyer were both sworn in to their Seat 2 and 4 positions, respectively, at a town meeting on April 24. (Courtesy of Andrea Calvert)

Target store is coming to the Grove at Wesley Chapel

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Target is planning to open a store at the Grove at Wesley Chapel, according to a news release.

The planned 148,500-square-foot building will be built on a currently vacant 16-acre lot near some big box retailers.

(Mike Camunas)

The location is just south of Cost Plus World Market, at the southeast corner of the intersection of Oakley Boulevard and Pink Flamingo Lane.

In addition to Target, the Grove, at 6105 Wesley Grove Blvd., will become home to nearly 10,000 apartment dwellings within the next two years, says the news release from the Grove.

In addition to these new projects, the 250-acre property features numerous national tenants, including Best Buy, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Michaels, Old Navy, PetSmart, Planet Fitness, TJ Maxx and Ulta.

The property also boasts a container park made of shipping containers that offer different cuisines from all over the world and boutique retail shops — all run by small business owners.

“With all the families moving into Wesley Chapel, it just makes sense to bring in a Target,” Mark Gold, partner in Mishorim Gold, said in the release.

Mishorim Gold purchased the Grove for $64 million in September 2019.

Gold invested millions more into the renovation of the property. 

“Target is a household name and the perfect retail partner for our bustling community,” he added in the release.

Grove Mini Golf recently opened, and other future businesses coming include a Starbucks, Woodie’s Wash Shack and a national car rental chain.

Two housing developments also are taking shape around the property: 300 multifamily units just north of the B&B movie theater are under construction, and 418 units in a development called Grove West are under construction across Oakley Boulevard.

Published May 03, 2023

Pasco sets new rules for Build-To-Rent homes

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Companies that want to establish Build-To-Rent communities that resemble traditional single-family communities will have to follow the traditional single-family development rules, under a policy adopted by the Pasco County Commission.

The action came during the county board’s April 18 meeting.

It addresses a concern raised months ago by Pasco County Commissioner Seth Weightman, who wants to ensure the quality control of such developments.

Before the board took its action, Sally Sherman, assistant county administrator for planning and development services, provided an overview of the emerging trend of Build-To-Rent housing products.

The product typically has been referred to as “build-to-rent” (BTR), B2R homes, “build-for-rent” (BFR) homes, or “single-family for rent” (SFR), according to the county board’s backup agenda materials.

Within this new form of multifamily housing, there is a range of housing types, such as “deconstructed” or “horizontal” apartments/cottage rental, townhouses/quadplexes, and single-family detached on unplatted lots.

The unplatted build-to-rent communities, often referred to as horizontal apartments, are typically owned, designed, constructed and managed in the same way as a traditional apartment community – one-, two- and three-bedroom units, one common lot, single owner in perpetuity, common parking with drive aisles, minimal attached garages, no driveways, and apartment-style amenities, the agenda materials say.

The platted build-to-rent communities typically resemble a single-family neighborhood design with three-, four- and five-bedroom homes, streets, attached/detached garages, driveways, limited amenities, and the ability to sell off individual lots in the future.

The board’s recent action pertains only to the traditional style single-family detached lots, with driveways and garages. It will address other elements of Build-To-Rent development later.

The new policy applies to any new Build-To-Rent proposal for single-family detached that the board has not yet considered.

The policy requires that houses within the development are individually platted.

That will enable them to be sold off individually, if a future need or desire to do that arises.

The homes will need to have driveways and attached garages to accommodate parking needs. They also must comply with the county’s architectural design and monotony controls for single-family neighborhoods.

Ongoing enforcement also will be required through a homeowner association or a property maintenance group, to prevent the communities from falling into disrepair.

Plus, the projects must be designed with a connectivity plan to provide a variety of ways to get into and out of the neighborhood.

While noting that the policy doesn’t address the entire issue of Build-To-Rent, Weightman said it’s a good start.

The board is expected to consider additional policies in the future that address the other categories of Build-To-Rent developments.

A board discussion also is expected in the future regarding development issues relating to houses proposed for lots that are 40 feet or 50 feet wide.

Published May 03, 2023

Simons Road extension project complete

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Simons Road in Zephyrhills completed its two-phase expansion project and now connects Eiland Boulevard to Fort King Road. (Mike Camunas)

Motorists in Zephyrhills now have an additional way to get to State Road 54, State Road 56, and Interstate 275 thanks to the recent completion of Simons Road, according to a news release from the City of Zephyrhills.

Simons Road is a 1.32-mile stretch paved continuously from Eiland Boulevard to Fort King Road. The project, funded through impact fees, was completed in two phases.

BRW Contracting Inc., completed both phases of the project.

The first phase, completed in February 2020, involved paving Simons from Eiland Boulevard to the northern boundary of The Links of Silver Oaks.

The second phase of the project encompasses a new 700-foot road section, box culverts, gravity walls, sidewalks and turn lanes from Simons to Fort King Road.

Published May 03, 2023

Tampa unveils strategy to plant 30,000 trees

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The city of Tampa has set the goal of planting 30,000 new trees by the year 2030, according to a city news release.

Tampa Mayor Jane Castor has launched an initiative aimed at planting 30,000 trees by the year 2030. The city is seeking help from residents, neighborhood groups and area businesses to help make the tree-planting campaign a success. (File)

“I am enlisting everyone — city government, individuals, businesses, neighborhood groups — for this crucial mission, because Tampa’s tree canopy needs help,” Tampa Mayor Jane Castor, said in the release. “We need to act quickly and decisively to replenish our invaluable urban forest, which has decreased over the past decade.”

The multi-part plan involves “the planting of trees on both private property and in public spaces,” Castor said.

The announcement comes as a new, thorough assessment of Tampa’s citywide tree canopy coverage dropped by 2.3% percent since 2016, the release says.

The report providing information about the size, composition, health and distribution of Tampa’s trees found canopy coverage of 30% of the city’s total land area, its lowest point in 26 years, the release adds.

Tampa has been a nationally recognized Tree City for 41 years.

Its tree ordinance requires an assessment of the tree canopy and urban forest every five years, with today’s results reflecting data collected in 2021, according to the release.

In its announcement, the city detailed Mayor Castor’s tree initiative, which includes these elements:

  • Expanding the city’s Tree-mendous Tampa program to allow people to receive up to five free trees (up from two)
  • Improving use of the city’s tree trust funds and working with the Tampa City Council to increase resources used to maintain the existing tree canopy
  • Enlisting frontline workers in stormwater, mobility, water and other city departments to identify key opportunities for trees and to make planting trees a higher priority
  • Continuing the Mayor’s Tree Giveaway, providing residents with 1,000 free trees annually
  • Aggressively enforce existing laws and maximize fines for illegal tree destruction where appropriate
  • Launching a new voucher program to encourage and help people buy trees from local nurseries
  • Supporting quarterly neighborhood-based tree planting projects
  • Implementing a Neighborhood Tree Stewardship program to educate residents on tree care and the urban forest 

The mayor said the 30,000 new trees will be a mix of shade, native and specialty trees. She also noted that maintaining and keeping healthy the existing canopy is as important as planting new trees.

For more information, visit the City of Tampa’s website at Tampa.gov/trees.

Published May 03, 2023

Pasco County names new county engineer

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The Pasco County Commission has confirmed the appointment of Nick Uhren to serve as the county’s director of engineering services.

His annual salary was set at $160,000 and his starting date will be May 30.

He is a registered professional engineer, with experience in both the public and private sector, according to information in the county board’s April 18 agenda packet.

He holds a bachelor of science and master of science degree in civil engineering from the University of Kentucky, and has been a licensed professional engineer in Florida for 20 years.

He previously served as executive director of the Palm Beach Transportation Planning Agency and as a senior engineer for Palm Beach County.

Uhren is filling the vacancy created by the departure of Margaret Smith, who recently retired.

Published May 03, 2023

Divided school board approves cell tower easement

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A cell tower near Starkey Ranch K-8 is a step closer to reality, following a 3-2 vote by the Pasco County School Board to approve an easement needed to grant access to the tower.

The vote came after numerous speakers urged the school board to reject the request, from Pasco County, for the easement.

Pasco County has negotiated a cell tower ground lease agreement with Vertex to place a cell tower on shared-use property on the south side of the Starkey Ranch District Park’s football and soccer field. 

A cell tower near Starkey Ranch K-8 in Odessa is a step closer to reality, following a 3-2 vote on April 18 by the Pasco County School Board to approve an easement needed to grant access to the tower. (Mike Camunas)

The school district and county have a joint-use agreement involving Starkey Ranch K-8, the library and the county park.

News about the potential cell tower, however, unleashed a torrent of protests, with opponents turning out at the school board’s April 4 and April 18 meetings to voice their objections. 

Many of the speakers wore red — symbolizing their call for the school board to stop the cell tower easement from moving forward.

Speaker after speaker raised questions about placing a cell tower so close to a school.

They asked the board to reject the request, or at the very least delay it so they could hear directly from experts in the field.

They cited research linking the radio-frequency emissions from cell towers to an array of health issues and they noted there are no studies that guarantee the towers are safe.

Pasco County School Board member Al Hernandez voted against allowing an easement to a proposed cell tower near Starkey Ranch K-8. He’s concerned about the potential for negative long-term health effects. (File)

Opponents said evidence shows that children are especially vulnerable to harmful health impacts. They also noted that other countries and other localities have stricter rules on the placement of cell towers.

Ultimately, opponents said, placing the cell tower so close to a school is not a risk that is worth taking.

Like the opponents, school board member Al Hernandez said the proposed cell tower near a school is problematic.

He told his colleagues: “I cannot in good conscience put our community in a potential health risk.”

School board member Alison Crumbley agreed: “I can’t feel comfortable if I don’t know, 100%, that it’s safe. With the technology that has come along in the last few years, we just don’t know. It’s stronger, more powerful.”

But School Board Chairwoman Megan Harding and board colleagues Colleen Beaudon and Cynthia Armstrong expressed different concerns.

Harding said she’d done extensive research into the issue and had listened to people both for and against the cell tower.

She also visited Starkey Ranch K-8, and walked around inside the school and outdoors. She discovered there were many areas on the campus where the cell service was weak.

Pasco County School Board Chairwoman Megan Harding voted in favor of allowing an easement for a proposed cell tower near Starkey Ranch K-8. She said she understands the concerns raised by opponents to the request, but also believes there’s a need for good cell service, in the event of potential emergencies. (File)

She also drove around the neighborhood, and while driving through had a call she was on drop twice. She also learned that she had missed some text messages, while on campus.

She said she didn’t want to downplay the concerns raised by opponents, but said there’s also an issue of campus security.

Beaudoin raised that concern during the April 5 meeting.

Armstrong noted that she also heard from people on both sides of the issue.

She said being able to effectively communicate is crucial. “We’ve had serious medical emergencies,” she said. 

Or, there might be a case of someone suspicious being seen hopping over a fence at a school, she added.

“To me, that’s a threat that we have every single day,” Armstrong said.

Both Crumbley and Hernandez said additional efforts could be made to find an alternative location for the cell tower, that is farther away from children.

Hernandez said the issue has never been about money. The amount of payment for the leasing agreement is miniscule, compared to the district’s overall budget, he said.

It’s a debate about safety — about the potential threat caused in the short-term, or in the long-term, he said.

Pasco Schools Superintendent Kurt Browning made his recommendation crystal clear.

“I understand the concerns of our parents with something that may or may not ever happen.

“You can find research that supports cancer-causing radiation. You can find research that debunks all of those issues about cancer-causing radiation.

“What you can’t debunk, and I hesitate saying this, but as a superintendent I have a moral imperative, and that is to keep our kids safe from   — what I know we stand a greater risk of happening, and that is — active threats on campus,” Browning said.

The school board’s vote followed Browning’s remarks.

The crowd of opponents was clearly dissatisfied as they left the board’s chambers, with someone in that crowd promising the board: “We’re not done. We’re not going anywhere. We’ll be back. We’re going to fight you.”

Published April 26, 2023

Library system advisory board to rule on book appeals

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During public comment portions at Pasco County Commission and Pasco School Board meetings in recent months, speakers have urged the elected leaders to remove materials they deem to be too sexually explicit to be appropriate for children. The county board has adopted a new process for challenges made to library materials. (File)

The Pasco County Commission has shifted authority to the county’s Library System Advisory Board to rule on appeals relating to requests involving reconsideration of library materials.

The board voted unanimously to expand the advisory board’s authority during its April 18 meeting.

In the past, the Library System Advisory Board has served in an advisory capacity only, with the Pasco County Commission having the final word.

In recent months, speakers have turned out to Pasco County Commission and the Pasco County School Board meetings to criticize books available in Pasco County libraries, urging the boards to protect children from materials they described as sexually explicit and inappropriate, especially for children.

They called upon the board to take a harder look at the materials that children can access.

The county has a process that allows the public to request reconsideration of library materials.

The county board’s April 18 action now gives the library advisory board the county’s final word on appeals regarding such reconsiderations.

Under the new ordinance, anyone wishing to challenge the library advisory board’s decision would need to take their appeal to court, not to the county board.

The library advisory board’s new authority becomes effective upon filing of the ordinance with the Department of State, which was expected within 10 days of its April 18 adoption.

Published April 26, 2023

Boy scouts sell mulch for fundraising

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Troop 339, based out of Lutz, has been organizing a mulch fundraiser since 2019 and selling the bags to local homes in Land O’ Lakes and surrounding areas.

What started out with just five homes has grown to nearly 50 homes, averaging 15 to 25 bags per house, with one house even needing nearly 100 bags.

Troop 339 delivered and spread mulch in The Groves community in Land O’ Lakes. (Courtesy of Gilberto Brooks)

The troop sells mulch by the bag, based on what the homeowner needs, and on a designated day, the troop delivers and spreads all the mulch in one day.

Besides individual homes, the troop also sold and spread mulch in common areas in a single community with about 3,000 bags of pine bark nuggets. In addition to the pine bark, the troop offers premium shredded hardwood mulch in varying colors.

Proceeds of the fundraiser go to the Scouts’ annual dues, equipment refresh and camping fees, such as when the troop used the monies raised during the fundraiser to camp at the Florida Caverns State Park in Marianna in the Panhandle in the last weekend in March.

The fundraiser is held twice a year: March and September.

This March, Troop 339 delivered and spread mulch in The Groves community in Land O’ Lakes, as well as took mulch to Asbel Creek and Estates, Connerton, Wilderness Lakes Preserves, Tierra Del Sol, Lake Padgett Estates, Lake Talia, Willow Bend, Indian Lakes and a home in Cheval in Lutz.

Common areas of an entire community can be done any time of the year.

For more information on the troop and its mulch fundraisers, contact the troop’s leadership at , or visit http://www.troop339.net.

Published April 26, 2023