The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

Local News

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

Putt-putt golf course opens at the Grove

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Though it took a little while longer than expected, the Grove at Wesley Chapel now has a new attraction to play through.

Grove Mini Golf, 6201 Wesley Grove Blvd., is the newest attraction to come to the Grove at Wesley Chapel and features a traditional, 18-hole putt-putt course with a tropical feel and is family friendly. (Mike Camunas)

Grove Mini Golf finally opened its doors on April 15, with a soft opening for the 18-hole mini golf course located near the B&B Theatres Wesley Chapel.

Opening on the heels of PopStroke — the two 18-hole putting and entertainment attraction co-owned by Tiger Woods now in Lutz — Grove Mini Golf is a family owned and family friendly amenity.

The golfing attraction’s completion was delayed by supply chain and permitting issues, among other things, according to Ryan Mortti, its owner.

However, it opened to light crowds over its first weekend and during the Chalk Art Festival and Market on April 16.

While PopStroke and Grove Mini Golf aren’t too far from each other, the courses are quite different.

Grove Mini Golf is a more traditional course, but with a tropical feel of volcanoes, lots of fountains and waterfalls, sea creature statues and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)-compliant bridges and paths. Each hole also has LED strips that light up each hole with different programming.

Grove Mini Golf also is available for parties and fundraising and corporate events, and has a small snack bar at the front desk.

Prices per golfer start at $16.99 for adults and $13.99 for children under age 10, military and seniors over age 60. There also is an unlimited play option for $24.99.

The attraction is located at 6201 Wesley Grove Blvd. 

For more information, call 813-815-7888, or visit GroveMiniGolf.com.

Published April 26, 2023

Splash Pad, new park coming to Dade City

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A ceremonial groundbreaking marked the beginning of a new project aimed at giving Dade City children a new place to play, as well as more park space in the city’s downtown. (Mike Camunas)

Dade City officials, staff members and even kids from local elementary schools took part in a ceremonial groundbreaking on April 10, kicking off the construction of a family-friendly splash pad and park.

The new amenities are coming to downtown Dade City, next to the beginning of the Hardy Trail, near the town’s visitor center at 37800 Church Ave.

The new park also will include some new trails, restrooms and an amphitheater.

The project will be built by Borregard Construction.

The 2,500-square-foot splash pad will include an Aqua Dumping Bucket, Aqua Water Castle, aqua features such as jellyfish, a crab and butterfly, and even an Aqua Kumquat Tree, as a nod to the city’s fruit — which is celebrated in an annual festival. 

The $1.2 million project has been allocated through American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding. The splash pad cost is estimated at $800,000. The adjoining restroom and mechanical room is estimated at $557,720.16.

The splash pad is expected to be done in the latter part of January next year.

Published April 26, 2023

Pasco County breaks ground for new fire station

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This sign proclaims the latest Fire Rescue project being paid for through general obligation bonds approved by Pasco voters. (Courtesy of Pasco Fire Rescue)

Pasco County Fire Rescue broke ground on April 6, on a new fire station coming to Zephyrhills. 

County officials and representatives were on hand for the late morning ceremony. Station No. 18 will be located at Chancey Road and Yonkers Boulevard, just across the street from the Samuel Pasco Recreation Complex.

The state-of-the-art, four-bay fire station is designed with firefighter health, safety and wellness in mind, and includes hot, warm and cold zones designed to help reduce firefighter cancer rates by allowing firefighters to clean carcinogens off their bodies before entering the fire station’s living quarters. 

The station also will include larger bays to accommodate specialty apparatus, a built-in 16-member training classroom to support multi-station training, a flex room to house additional firefighters during a significant emergency, and advanced station alerting to improve firefighter health and wellness.

The groundbreaking marks the fifth new station to be paid for by the G.O. (general obligation) bond approved by Pasco voters to pay for fire rescue improvements.

Published April 26, 2023

Ukulele Brand’s in Land O’ Lakes reopens

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A local staple is back.

Ukulele Brand’s, the long-standing, lakeside restaurant and bar at 4805 Land O’ Lakes Blvd., reopened on April 18, after a nearly three-month closure.

The restaurant, which has been serving loyal patrons for 25 years, welcomed back crowds and live music while returning back to full service and its regular hours.

Ukulele Brand’s, the long-standing, lakeside restaurant and bar at 4805 Land O’ Lakes Blvd., reopened on April 18 after a nearly three-month closure for repairs needed after an SUV and food truck plowed into an exterior wall and damaged the kitchen. The restaurant, which has been serving loyal patrons for 25 years, repaired the wall and welcomed back crowds, even after other local businesses and the Rotary Club of Land O’ Lakes organized a support-the-staff fundraiser on Feb. 18, raising more than $20,000 for the 42 employees while they were unable to work. (Mike Camunas)

The popular dining spot sustained extensive damages on the night of Jan. 25, when an SUV and food truck plowed into an exterior wall, leaving a large hole, knocking into kitchen equipment and essentially forcing the business to shut down.

The incident required the restaurant to turn off the power, which resulted in food spoiling. It also needed to shutter its doors, while repairs were made.

“How no one died — I don’t know. No clue,” Ukuleke’s manager Jennifer Fischer told The Laker/Lutz News in February. “Our dishwasher flew 10 to 15 feet into my kitchen area, where there were staff members — it was horrible. When I watched the video, my heart was in my throat, and I don’t know how it wasn’t worse.”

Fischer said it was around 8 p.m., when the accident occurred. At the time, the dining room was filled with patrons and staff was busy in the kitchen.

Repairs took three months.

Now, it’s hard to see that it ever suffered damage.

The kitchen is fully restored. There’s no evidence of the hole in the exterior wall, and that wall has been repainted its teal color. The restaurant’s signature mural remains.

During the closure, the community demonstrated an outpouring of support during a Feb. 18 support-the-staff fundraiser organized by local businesses and the Rotary Club of Land O’ Lakes.

The more than $20,000 raised went to help the temporarily unemployed 42 employees of Ukulele Brand’s.

“It’s amazing that (the locals and regulars) are looking out for us, that Ukulele’s  means something to them,” said MacKenzie Dadroga, a long-time bartender and server told The Laker/Lutz News during that February fundraiser. “We’re still here and people are still supporting us, because it’s not about the place — it’s about the people. They care about us.”

Ukulele Brand’s
Where: 4805 Land O’ Lakes Blvd., Land O’ Lakes
When: Open Tuesday thru Sunday from 11 a.m until 11 p.m.
Details: Casual “Old Florida” lakeside full-service restaurant and bar, with both indoor and outdoor seating and live music year-round.
Info: Visit UkuleleBrands.com or the restaurant’s Facebook page.

Published April 26, 2023

Planning board rejects setback variance on a split vote

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What’s a few feet, give or take?

In the case of a new house in East Padgett Estates — the difference of a few feet is proving to be a costly mistake.

The house, at 4537 Victoria Road, in Land O’ Lakes, was built with improper setbacks.

The violation of county regulations has sparked neighborhood disputes, led to lengthy public hearings and caused a substantial loss of money for the builder.

The fate of this house in East Padgett Estates remains uncertain. The Pasco County Planning Commission denied a request for a variance that would have allowed it to be occupied. The builder now has the option to appeal the decision to the Pasco County Commission. (Mike Camunas)

The Pasco County Planning Commission voted 4-3 on April 6 to reject SoHo Builder’s request for a variance to the side yard and front yard setback requirements.

If the request had been granted, the county could have issued a certificate of occupancy. Since the variance was denied, the house can’t be occupied.

The applicant now has the option to appeal the planning board’s decision to the Pasco County Commission.

The zoning district where the house is located requires a 10-foot minimum side yard setback on each side and a 25-foot minimum front yard setback.

But the house is 73-feet wide on a 90-foot-wide lot, meaning that it fails to meet the side yard setbacks by a total of 3 feet.

The structure also was built with a 20-foot front yard setback, instead of the required 25 feet.

Patrick Plummer, a representative for the builder, appeared before the planning board twice, seeking a variance.

The board denied it in January and did so again on April 6.

Plummer acknowledged that he erred during the process, but he also pointed out mistakes made by the county.

Plummer said once the setback error was discovered, a new site plan and set of building plans was submitted — for a 70-foot-wide house.

But county officials said there’s no evidence in the county’s records that the new plans were submitted.

Still, the county shares in the blame, according to Scott Carley, chief field inspector for Pasco County’s building construction services.

He said the county uses a system that allows different departments to see the same plans simultaneously.

In this case, zoning flagged the setback issue, but that didn’t prevent electrical, mechanical, plumbing and building from proceeding, Carley said.

“Forty percent is on us,” Carley said, noting this case has been a learning experience for the county.

Plummer asked the planning board to grant the variance.

“This was a bona fide error. We did not intentionally build a larger house. We did not try to circumvent anything,” he said.

But a former president of the area’s homeowner’s association said the buyer should have known the long-established required setbacks for the house.

Planning board member Jaime Girardi said he understands that the builder isn’t the only one at fault, however, he added: “You built something out there that’s drastically different from the rest of the neighborhood.”

Girardi also raised concerns about drainage issues and the insufficient landscaping plan.

County planning staff recommended denial of the request, saying that substantial evidence had not been submitted to justify a variance.

The planning board was divided.

While noting the builder should have spotted the error and stopped the building process to avoid having a completed house that failed to meet requirements, they also acknowledged that errors within the county’s process contributed to the problem.

Planning board member Jon Moody made a motion to support staff in its recommendation for denial and was joined by board members Peter Hanzel and Chris Poole.

Board Chairman Charles Grey and board members Derek Pontlitz and Girardi voted against Moody’s motion.

That left a 3-3 vote, requiring board member Chris Williams to break the tie.

Williams voted in favor of the staff’s recommendation to reject the variance.

In casting that vote, Williams said it was a tough call, but added: “It’s a big mistake. It’s going to be there a long time.”

Williams, planning director of Pasco County Schools, normally only votes on planning requests that involve school district issues. However, he’s also the designated tie-breaker, in the rare events that the planning board is evenly divided.

Published April 26, 2023

Bus driver shortage persists in Pasco County Schools

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The Pasco County School Board has adopted school starting and ending times for the 2023-2024 school year, and despite tweaking and tightening bus routes, the district still has some schools beginning after 10 a.m.

While adopting the schedule for next school year, school board members said they realize that some of the starting and ending times pose difficulties for families.

It boils down to not having enough bus drivers to allow the school district to have more routes, which would reduce the amount of time it takes for buses to make their rounds — and thus be available for another run.

Pasco County Schools — like other school districts across the nation — continues to struggle to fill its bus driver openings. That shortage affects the starting and ending times for schools. (Mike Camunas)

School board member Colleen Beaudoin told her colleagues and district staff: “I heard from a number of concerned parents about the bell times.”

She said she received the greatest number of concerns relating to Wiregrass Elementary, but said she also heard from families in New River and Seven Oaks.

The approved 2023-2024 start times for those schools are: Wiregrass Elementary, 9:40 a.m.; New River Elementary, 10:10 a.m.; and, Seven Oaks Elementary, 9:40 a.m.

“I know this is due mostly to the bus driver shortage,” Beaudoin said. But she added: “I feel for the families. I know this is extremely disruptive. It’s challenging for families. I want to acknowledge that.”

Betsy Kuhn, the school district’s assistant superintendent for support services, said many of the bell time changes being made this year are within either 10 minutes or 20 minutes, and many of those are being welcomed.

Still, she wishes the district did not have any 10:10 a.m. start times.

The schedule has been set up with the goal of getting students to school on time.

“If we lose a bunch of drivers, we could be in a very different position,” Kuhn said.

The school district has 319 routes and currently has openings for 45 bus drivers and 60 relief drivers. It also has schools of varying sizes and different programs.

Plus, it has six bus compounds and four bell tiers. 

All of that adds up to a complicated scheduling system.

Beaudoin noted that trying to change the bell times for one school has a domino effect on other schools, so there are no easy solutions.

School board member Cynthia Armstrong said she’d received lots of emails from parents at Starkey Ranch K-8. The approved start time there for 2023-2024 is 8:10 a.m.

Armstrong said she thinks part of the issue is the lack of consistent bell times from year to year.

But Pasco County Schools Superintendent Kurt Browning responded: “I wouldn’t get too wed to consistency anytime soon. We’re growing so fast, we’re adding a school a year.”

“As long as it grows, we’re going to have challenges with transportation,” Browning said.

Published April 26, 2023