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Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

Local News

Review finds reporting issues with Florida prisons over use of force incidents

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(The Center Square) — An audit of the Florida Department of Corrections (DOC) has uncovered several issues related to the use of force, untimely reporting times and information technology access controls.

The Florida Auditor General (AG) reviewed incident reporting, maintenance requests, Correctional Officer timekeeping records and the state-operated Institutions Inmate Welfare Trust Fund with the DOC.

(Florida Department of Corrections/Facebook)

Department records between July 2021 and February 2023 showed 354,184 incidents, including 14,265 incidents involving the use of force against an inmate, spread across 50 state-operated correctional facilities.

According to department procedures, all incident report forms must be reviewed and include an initial deposition by a shift supervisor or department head. The security chief must then review all incident reports and pass them to the warden for final review.

One hundred and one incident reports were reviewed by auditors, filed between 2021 and 2023 at 13 different state correctional institutions. Three incident forms were completed by correction officers between two and six days after the incident. While the shift supervisor reviewed reports in a timely manner, the chief of security did not review the incidents until between five and 14 days after it happened.

Another incident’s report review by the shift supervisor was delayed due to a staff mix-up, which caused at least a three-day delay in moving the incident through the review process.

All incidents involving the use of force must be reported by all officers who were involved or witnessed the event, detailing the incident and the circumstances that led to the use of force. Two incident reports were filed up to 18 days after the incident happened and another six reports were not filed for an average of 20 days after.

It was further found three incidents were not given to the warden until up to 33 days after the incident had first been reported.

Sometimes, work orders and maintenance requests did not include cost or labor hours to complete needed repairs. Over 40 maintenance requests were disproved between July 2021 and February 2023, nine of which had no reason included for their denial.

The AG recommended strengthening policies and procedures, ensuring any incidents are reported in a timely manner, ensuring disapproved work requests include a reason for the disapproval and improving the department’s information technology control access, which had delays in removing ex-employees from the system.

Published July 24, 2024

Decision delayed on invasive species ordinance

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Pasco County Planning Commission members recently agreed to continue until Aug. 8 a decision on a proposed ordinance addressing invasive species vegetation.

The proposed ordinance was presented to the Planning Commission during its July 11 meeting with a recommendation that they approve sending it to the Pasco County Board of County Commissioners (BCC). The BCC has final authority on adopting the proposed ordinance, as the Planning Commission only acts in an advisory capacity regarding such matters.

Cogon grass is one of the invasive plants Pasco County is seeking to limit. (Marek Piwnicki/Pexels)

The intent of the proposed ordinance is to amend different parts of Pasco County’s Land Development Code (LDC) to establish an Invasive Species Management Program. Information regarding the proposed amendments is based upon input from the County’s Public Works, Natural Resources, Parks and Recreation, Development Review Division, Building Construction Services and the Zoning Department.

A few members of the Planning Commission expressed concerns about different portions of the proposed ordinance. 

“We already have a law on the books to prohibit the establishment of invasive species,” longtime Planning Commission member Jon Moody said. He was referring to a part of Section 905 of the county’s LDC that already addresses mitigating invasive species of vegetation. 

“How do we enforce it?” Moody asked regarding the existing regulation. He also asked who was going to enforce regulations in the proposed ordinance if it is adopted.

“There’s no guidelines on how to actually pursue enforcement of what the LDC says about prohibiting the establishment of invasive plant species,” responded Keith L. Wiley, director of the County’s Parks, Recreation, & Natural Resources department.

Wiley also said it hadn’t yet been determined how enforcement would occur if the proposed ordinance is adopted.

Planning Commission member Jamie Girardi said he was concerned that the management plan with all of its reporting requirements would place a tremendous burden on the development community, Homeowners Associations, Community Development Districts and county staff.

Planning Commission Chairman Charles Grey agreed, saying “To me, this is just overkill.”

Chief Assistant County Attorney David Goldstein made some suggestions on changes that could be made to existing portions of the LDC regarding invasive species.

Moody moved that the decision on the proposed ordinance be continued for 30 days. When he made the motion, Moody said he would like for there to be adequate time for the LDC to be revised per the Planning Commission’s discussion and brought back so members would have something they could all find consensus on.

Grey seconded the motion and it was unanimously approved.

In other business on July 11, Planning Commission members:

  • Recommended the BCC approve a zoning amendment requested by S A Development Partners LLC for a change in zoning from a C-2 General Commercial District and C-3 Commercial/Light Manufacturing District to a C-3 Commercial/Light Manufacturing District for approximately 5.557 acres of property located in central Pasco County. The property is adjacent to the Funded County Road 52 Trail (AKA State Road 52 Trail), approximately one-half mile west of Mirada Boulevard. 

There is currently a warehouse on the property, and the applicant proposes to develop the property with a hotel and a sit-down restaurant. 

  • Recommended the BCC approve a zoning amendment requested by Dave Mitchells Holding Company/Mitchell Clinton Rezoning for a change in zoning from an R-1MH Single-Family/Mobile Home District and C-2 General Commercial District to a C-2 General Commercial District for approximately 2.18 acres of property located in east central Pasco County. The property is on the northeast corner of Circle B Road and Clinton Avenue. 

Plans have been approved for a 15,200-square–foot commercial warehouse to be built on the property. It also has an approved Commercial Building Permit for a 15,200-square–foot commercial building shell for future tenants.

The applicant wants the whole parcel to be in the same zoning district.

  • Recommended the BCC approve a Development Agreement with Depue East MPUD (Master Planned Unit Development) – Pulte Home Company, LLC. to design, permit and construct improvements to Watergrass Parkway and Wells Road in exchange for Transportation Development Fee (TDF) credits. The site is located south of Wells Road on approximately 931 acres within Villages L and M in the Villages of Pasadena Hills (VOPH). 

On May 9, 2023, the Pasco County BCC approved the Depue East MPUD in the VOPH to allow 2,300 residential dwelling units and 20,000 square feet of commercial uses on approximately 931 acres.

Numerous specific requirements to qualify for the VOPH TDC credits are outlined in the lengthy agreement that the BCC will consider approving at a future meeting. 

Pasco County neighborhoods brighter, thanks to cleanup

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Some West Pasco neighborhoods are a whole lot brighter thanks to Pasco County’s Code Compliance, Solid Waste and Public Works teams that joined forces to remove 208 tons of residential garbage and debris, according to a news release.

“Thank you to our Pasco County team members and community members for helping make these cleanups so successful,” said Commissioner Jack Mariano, in the release. “This is a great example of how working together makes our community a better place.”

(Kenny Eliason/Unsplash)

Debris collected, by the numbers:

Commission District 3 — 38.8 tons
Commission District 4 – 132.4 tons
Commission District 5 – 36.8 tons

“Our annual cleanups make a big difference in the county we call home,” added Commissioner Kathryn Starkey. “It’s great to see what Pasco can accomplish in working toward a safer, cleaner environment.”

To report trash or debris in your neighborhood, residents can use one of four options:

To learn more about Code Compliance efforts, visit MyPas.co/CodeCompliance.

Published July 24, 2024

Accessibility of health care services can be a struggle in Florida, says report

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(The Center Square) — A new report says many people in Florida don’t receive needed health care because they lack easy access to adequate services.

Florida TaxWatch recently released its report, Social Determinants of Health: Health Care Access and Quality. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, social determinants of health are environmental factors that can impact individuals’ health outcomes.

The University of Florida Health’s The Villages Hospital in The Villages. (UF Health The Villages Hospital/Facebook)

These include health care access and quality; education access and quality; social and community context; neighborhood and built environment; and economic stability.

According to the report, these factors can majorly impact a person’s health, well-being and quality of life. The report notes that 80% of a person’s health is determined by social factors, while the remaining 20% results from receiving medical care.

In Florida, many people lack access to health care services, with the biggest barrier being the cost. In a 2019 survey of 1,200 Floridians, 55% had experienced health care cost burdens, while 78% worried they would not be able to afford health care in the future.

The report states Florida ranked 41st in 2021 for overall health care and access, which was attributed to the growing number of uninsured adults, rising insurance costs and policies that make health care less accessible. The report further notes that Florida has consistently ranked in the bottom 10 states for uninsured citizens.

Florida currently has a physician shortage and the report notes this plays a role in access to quality health care. With Florida’s population growing, especially in rural areas, the number of physicians in the Sunshine State is insufficient. By 2030, an additional 22,000 physicians are needed to bridge the gap.

The report notes that as of 2023, only 40% of Florida’s population has employer-sponsored health insurance, while the rate of uninsured Floridians was 11.2% in 2022 — higher than the national average of 8%. Also, in 2022, Florida ranked 46th in the nation for the uninsured population.

Compounding this are the 979,000 people who have been disenrolled from Medicaid, 460,000 of whom are children. Furthermore, access depends on where the person lives. In rural areas, there are roughly 1.3 physicians for every 1,000 people available in the U.S., while urban areas have around 3.1 physicians for every 1,000 people.

Published July 24, 2024

Children enjoy reading to therapy dogs

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Nearly a dozen children of various ages recently gathered at the New River Branch Library to spend some time reading to therapy dogs. The event is featured once a month at the library in Wesley Chapel.

Nancy Horbert is the program manager for the Tampa-based nonprofit organization Highland Canine Connect (HCC), which brings therapy dogs to the library.

A young child pets Uggy, a therapy dog, on July 13, while Uggy’s owner Nancy Horbert sits nearby. (Joe Potter)

The two dogs at the July 13 event were Daisy, a female Labrador, and Uggy, a male standard parti poodle.

Both of the dogs have each received several months of extensive training so they respond in a very docile manner when interacting with children at Read to Therapy Dogs events, Horbert said.

Several of the children spent the first 15 or 20 minutes lovingly petting both of the dogs that were relaxed while sitting or laying on the carpeted floor of the room in which the event was held.

Books of various reading levels were available in the room and children could also bring reading materials from elsewhere in the library if they wanted to.

Shawnda Weaver assisted Horbert at the event while Weaver’s son, Jonathan, was a volunteer.

HCC opened in Harmony, North Carolina, in 2019 and the local branch of HCC opened in Tampa in May 2022.

Horbert’s daughter, Brittany Mojica, attended Highland Canine Training School for Dogs and was offered the position of their Florida dog trainer after she graduated.  

“Over the years I have gotten to know the owners Erin and Jason Purgason, so when I wanted to start a nonprofit therapy dog program here in the Tampa area, I met with them to see if I could start a branch of Highland Canine Connect,” Horbert said. “They agreed to let me start a branch here after filing all the needed paperwork to be a registered nonprofit here in Florida. My daughter donates her training services to evaluate potential team members and donates Canine Good Citizen training to approved candidates. In the future, as I raise money, my goal is to provide a fully trained therapy dog locally.”

A press release from the organization’s team in North Carolina states: “Highland Canine Connect has been proud to have a positive impact on the lives of many individuals. From our flagship service dog and police dog donation programs, protecting our planet through the training of a conservation detection dog and community outreach such as our School Reading Program, we have established a number of programs which truly make a difference.”

The creation of the Tampa branch of HCC was considered to be “an exciting development,” team members said.

Horbert’s job is to secure locations in the local area for therapy dogs to visit. “These include venues such as libraries, schools, therapist’s offices, and events which are geared toward the special needs community,” Horbert said.

Anyone interested in joining the HCC program can contact Horbert at .

Published July 24, 2024

Audits find financial issues with some Florida charter schools

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(The Center Square) — The Florida Auditor General’s office has released two reports that detail significant issues and financial trends in the Sunshine State’s charter schools, charter technical career centers and district school boards.

There are 720 charter schools and charter technical career centers operating in Florida, with the majority in Miami-Dade and Broward counties. State law requires these schools to be annually audited by an independent certified public accountant.

(Jeswin Thomas/Unsplash)

In the audit, 713 charter school audit reports and records regarding financial trends for fiscal 2022-2023 were reviewed.

This review found 94 issues in 64 of the 713 reports, with 24 issues considered material weaknesses in internal controls over financial reporting requirements. In comparison, 13 issues were deemed noncompliance findings, required by law to be reported by government auditing standards.

Of the 13 charter schools identified as having at least one noncompliance finding, three had incurred expenses in excess of their respective budgets, two failed to comply with requirements, and one had a fund balance deficit.

In total, 61 issues or 65% of the 94 issues reported in 39 reports were considered significant deficiencies by auditors. Prevalent topics classified as being required by accounting standards to be reported included budget administration, deficit fund balances, improper maintenance of accounting records, and financial control deficiencies.

Ten charter schools were noted as having inadequate controls over budget administration, increasing the risk of inappropriate use of financial resources. Nine were found to have deficit fund balances, seven needed to properly maintain accounting records and five had purchasing or disbursement control deficiencies.

The report notes many of the issues found were repeat findings from previous years not yet resolved.

To measure financial trends, auditors used ratios of the charter schools’ total assigned and unassigned fund balances, or unrestricted net assets to total revenues of general funds or other unrestricted funds.

In FY 2023, which ended June 30, 263 charter schools had ratios above average, 395 had a below-average ratio but had positive or zero balances, while 55 had ratios with deficit balances. In 2022, 51 charter schools reported a deficit. Two audit reports included statements from accountants questioning whether the schools could continue operations.

In a separate report that reviewed 20 district school boards, four needed to timely submit audit reports, with one being submitted 52 to 497 days after receiving the report from their respective accountants.

Published July 24, 2024

Review: ‘Despicable Me 4’ is more annoying than fun

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How many minions does it take to screw on a lightbulb? The same amount of minions it takes to screw audiences out of 13 bucks at the theater. There are countless yellow henchmen in “Despicable Me 4,” but their imbecile slapstick is more wearisome than wonderful, and you may start to feel worn down by the amount of childishness on display.

(Universal Pictures)

Ideally, this franchise is supposed to deliver laughs out of villains acting benign, which in this case means having a heart of gold and being terrible at heists. But while the concept of mad geniuses having the brains of elementary school students is somewhat clever, there are so many mindless vignettes that we end up feeling more exhausted than entertained. 

The film, directed by “Despicable Me” regular Chris Renaud, picks up almost a decade after the last one left off and there’s been a new addition to the franchise. Gru (Steve Carrell) now has a baby boy, Gru Jr., who has more than just his dad’s crooked nose, slicked-back hair and harsh-sounding accent. He’s got his dad’s penchant for chaos. You thought changing diapers was hard — this baby treats every day like it’s April Fool’s Day.  

Gru’s got his hands full, alright, but he enjoys his life of suburban mundanity, doing the dishes, cleaning up diapers, keeping the wife in a chipper mood. You know, dad stuff. But then his arch nemesis, Maxime (Will Ferrell), escapes from a high-security prison and his entire routine is thwarted. He takes his family out of their comfortable habitat to a remote location, where they can avoid Maxime’s revenge plot, which involves a ploy to steal Gru’s new baby. 

Of course, all of this is just an excuse to let Gru’s minions run wild, bouncing off walls and exploding off vending machines while they speak in mumbled gibberish, which is what fans are really paying to see. They should honestly just call this franchise “The Minions,” since the wide-eyed, banana-hued, Tic-Tac-shaped villains have earned this franchise nearly $5 billion in revenues, not the family misunderstandings of Gru. There’s an admirable “Looney Tunes” quality to these characters — a scene where some of them are turned into Mega Minions is hilariously bonkers — but their hijinks might be better suited for television than a feature-length film.

The endless stream of minion antics does have its moments, but at 90 minutes of crammed, cacophonous silliness, there just aren’t enough jokes to warrant the onslaught of misfires. Yes, this movie is going to entertain young children. Yes, it’s going to make bank at the box office. And yes, it’s going to sell more toys than Toys “R” Us. Does that make it a good film? You tell me.

Published July 24, 2024

Florida bases could receive more than $1B in new defense spending bill

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(The Center Square) — Florida military bases could receive more than a billion dollars for construction projects if the new 2025 defense budget becomes law.

The National Defense Authorization Act passed the U.S. House of Representatives on June 13. Before it becomes law, it must pass the Senate and receive President Joe Biden’s signature.

Key West Naval Air Station, which hosts the U.S. Army Special Forces Underwater Operations School on Trumbo Point, would receive a total of $457 million from the Army’s construction budget. The station would receive another $90 million for a new Joint Inter-Agency Task Force-South command and control facility.

(Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Nicholas V. Huynh/U.S. Navy)

Navy military construction and land acquisition includes a $221.06 million appropriation for the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The Space Force has been allocated $11.4 million for Cape Canaveral to expand construction, water mains and acquire land, while $81 million has been allocated to the base for an engineering test facility.

Another $69.4 million has been allocated for the Marine Corps Support Facility on Blount Island near Jacksonville. The project includes a lighterage and a small craft facility. A further $10.1 million would go toward a command communications center and infrastructure upgrades.

Naval Air Station Jacksonville would receive $35.7 million for an F-35 aircraft engine repair facility and $6.8 million for a child development center.

The bill also allocates $98.5 million for the Whiting Field advanced helicopter training system hangar for the new TH-73 Thrasher training helicopter.

The bill also states that there are certain projects that were authorized in 2020 that have been extended into the 2025 fiscal year budget, which includes a deployment center, flight line dining and a new exchange at the Tyndall Air Force Base. This project has been allocated $43 million.

Another $14 million was allocated to Hurlburt Field, a U.S. Air Force military installation located in Okaloosa County that hosts the Air Force Special Operations Command’s headquarters and the 1st Special Operations Wing.

Jacksonville International Airport has $26.2 million for the Air National Guard for land acquisition and construction projects, including F-35 consolidated weapons training. The 125th Fighter Wing of the Florida Air National Guard will convert from the aging F-15C Eagle to the new F-35s later this year.

The bill further lays out plans to repair Naval Air Station Pensacola. It states that the Secretary of the Navy should develop and implement a plan for the repair or replacement of facilities the secretary deems damaged by Hurricane Sally in 2020.

The Secretary of the Navy is also responsible for producing cost estimates for the project, which includes a new hangar and other infrastructure repairs, as well as any future plans for demolition projects necessary to support military construction.

Published July 24, 2024

Data: Florida’s electricity rates are competitive with neighboring states

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(The Center Square) — Data from the Florida Public Service Commission (PSC) and the federal government show the state’s electricity rates remain competitive with other states.

Florida Power & Light Co. (FPL), the largest electricity supplier in the Sunshine State with over 12 million accounts statewide, has the lowest rates of all of Florida’s providers. FPL charges an average of $121.19 per month for 1,000 kilowatt hours of use.

Second is the former Gulf Power, now part of FPL, which charges $135.39 per month for 1,000 kWh.

(Roger W, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

Tampa Electric is in the middle of the pack. Its residential customers in Hillsborough, Polk, Pinellas and Pasco Counties have an average monthly bill of $136.44 for 1,000 kWh.

Duke Energy Florida has almost 2 million customers statewide and charges an average of $157.47 per month for residential customers using 1,000 kWh. The Florida Public Utilities Company is the most expensive provider, charging an average of $165.98 for 1,000 kWh.

Some customers could possibly see an increase, however, as Duke Energy Florida and the Tampa Electric Company have filed petitions with the PSC to raise their respective base rates from January 1, 2025. The PSC will make a decision at a final hearing in August.

According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, Florida’s residential rates for residential customers dropped from 15.75 cents per kWh in April 2023 to 14.65 cents per kWh in April 2024.

Florida’s rates remain competitive compared to neighboring states. Georgia’s residential customer per-kWh pricing rose from 13.30 cents in April 2023 to 14.10 cents per kWh. Alabama residential customers had a rate of 14.49 cents per kWh in April 2023, rising to 15.85 cents per kWh in April 2024.

Mississippi’s residential customers also had a price increase between April 2023 and April 2024, climbing from 14.08 cents per kWh to 14.64 cents per kWh.

Some of the highest electricity rates in the U.S. as of April 2024 are in the Northeast and Pacific. Massachusetts utilities charge 29.50 cents per kWh, while Connecticut charges 29.58 cents per kWh. California has a rate of 34.26 cents per kWh and Hawaii has the highest rate of all, charging 45.19 cents per kWh.

Published July 24, 2024

Report: Campaign spending in Florida could top $464M

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(The Center Square) — Despite no longer being a battleground state, a new report projects spending in Florida will top $464 million for this year’s campaign, one of the largest increases over previous predictions.

According to the latest Political Projections Report by AdImpact, Florida has one of the largest projected increases in political spending, almost $69 million. But unlike Maryland, Montana and Ohio, Florida is not considered a state in contention.

The report notes that the increase in the Sunshine State is due to abortion and marijuana initiatives appearing on the ballot on Nov. 5. Florida was fourth behind Maryland with an almost $100 million increase in predicting spending. Montana’s projection has increased by $85 million, and Ohio has increased by $78 million.

(Photo by Marc Serota/Getty Images)

Since September 2023, the report points out there have been significant shifts in the political spending landscape, which resulted in substantial updates to state-level spending projections.

California is projected to spend over $1.1 billion on political campaigns, outpacing all other states by a large margin. Arizona is predicted to spend $803 million, followed closely by Pennsylvania with $800 million.

According to the report, the presidential primary was “one of the most significant unknowns,” largely due to the large number of Republican candidates including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. It was anticipated that spending would carry through until a nominee was announced. However, the primary was less competitive and less expensive than was initially anticipated.

By March 12, when former President Trump became the presumptive nominee, Republicans had only spent $300 million. In total, just over $500 million was spent on political advertisements targeting the presidential primary date.

In Florida, $103 million was spent on the presidential primary, ranking 10th out of all 50 states. The largest spending came from battleground states, like Pennsylvania, with $360 million in spending during the presidential primary, tops nationally. Arizona came in second with $299 million, while Georgia came in third with $244 million.

The report notes swing states are most likely to decide the 2024 election. It is expected there will be a 17% increase in spending over the 2020 election, with $2.1 billion projected to be spent.

Published July 24, 2024