The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

Local News

Staff shortages persist in public schools

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School is back in session for more than 300,000 public students in Pasco and Hillsborough counties, but both districts continue battling staffing shortages.

Pasco County had 355 openings for teachers and 55 openings for bus drivers as of last week, according to Steve Hegarty, public information officer for Pasco County Schools.

The number of instructional vacancies is even greater when positions beyond classroom teachers are considered, Hegarty said.

The same goes for shortages of bus drivers, he added, referring to 55 driver vacancies.

“We are also short relief drivers, and there are always “call outs,” which is to say that we have a person assigned to that route, but they called in sick or had a family emergency. So the 55 number simply tells you how many open positions we have,” Hegarty said.

Pasco County School’s Transportation Call Center is open. If you have questions, call between 6:30 a.m. and 10 a.m., or between 2 p.m. and 6 p.m., through Aug. 19.
The numbers are: 813-794-2500, 727-774-2500 or 352-524-2500. (Courtesy of Pasco County Schools)

Hillsborough County Schools also is reporting a significant number of open positions.

The district has 837 bus routes, said Erin Maloney, director of media and public relations. It has 664 drivers and 174 driver openings.

As Pasco heads into the 2022-2023 school year, the district has added a new high school — the Kirkland Ranch Academy of Innovation. The magnet school, located in Wesley Chapel, offers a broad range of instruction, including technical and rigorous academic programs.

Students attending the new school will be able to pursue certifications, standard diplomas, Advanced Placement and dual enrollment programs.

Also, Centennial Elementary School, in Dade City, has transformed into a STEAM magnet school beginning this school year.

In Hillsborough County, Maniscalco Elementary and Lutz K-8, both located in Lutz, ranked No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, in terms of the largest academic gains since 2019, Maloney said.

Both schools earned A grades.

As students headed back to school, motorists driving down local roads on Aug. 10 were reminded in some locations by flashing signs about the need to slow down, because school was back in session.

On U.S. 41, near Lutz K-8, signs emblazoned with a photo of Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister, urge drivers to show down.

Even in normal years, transportation always is challenging during the early days of a new school year.

On top of those typical challenges, Pasco and Hillsborough both are grappling with bus driver shortages. Plus, Pasco changed its policy this year — eliminating “courtesy busing” for sixth- through 12th-graders.

Savannah Hall’s first-grade class at Lacoochee Elementary School seem to be having a great first day of classes on Aug. 10.

That change has caused families to readjust, as they figure out how to get their children to school — and some parents, who recently appeared at a Pasco School Board meeting, questioned the method used to measure the distance between their home and their school.

They also told the board that the change is posing a hardship for them because it is not safe for their children to walk to school, but they aren’t able to drive them because they must be at work.

During the same board meeting, Don Peace, president of the United School Employees of Pasco (USEP) and school board members Colleen Beaudoin and Megan Harding urged Superintendent Kurt Browning to do whatever the district can do to lighten the load on employees.

Peace said he expected dialogue to continue on that topic.

“As we gear up for this new year, I hope that we can work together to see to it that we have a positive start to the year and that our employees can feel respected,” Peace said.

Beaudoin and Harding both cited the number of resignations and retirements, and said action is needed to stem the tide.

Beaudoin said the district needs to brainstorm to find ways to take things off the plates of teachers and administrators.

“We really have to lessen the burden on them, in as many ways as we can. They’re working with students every day. Please consider this in your planning,” she said.

Harding shared similar sentiments: “We must continue to look at the workload we are putting on our teachers and staff, and must continue to look for ways to support teachers and staff, around discipline.”

School board members in both Pasco and Hillsborough hope that a proposed referendum to raise property taxes in each county will help them to attract and retain quality staff.

Voters will decide the issue in each county during the Aug. 23 Primary Election.

In Pasco, opponents to the additional tax have spoken at public meetings, criticizing the timing of the vote, noting that primary elections typically attract fewer voters.

Critics also cite funding sources they believe are adequate to address district needs.

District officials, however, have detailed that much of the funding provided must be spent on specific programs.

To find out more about the ballot referendum in each county and about each district’s budget, visit Pasco.k12.fl.us and HillsboroughSchools.org.

Pasco County Schools
Size of district: 86 schools; approximately 84,650 students
Number of classroom teachers: 5,136
Staff shortages: 355 teacher vacancies; 55 bus driver openings

Hillsborough County Schools
Size of district: 250 schools; approximately 225,000 students
Number of teachers: 14,000
Number of bus drivers: 664
Staff shortages: There are approximately 670 instructional openings and 690 non-instructional openings

Published August 17, 2022

Hillsborough adopts rules to protect renters

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Hillsborough County has adopted new provisions aimed at protecting renters.

The new provisions, adopted by the Hillsborough County Commission, require residential landlords in unincorporated Hillsborough County to give at least 60 days’ notice for rent increases higher than 5% and must meet minimum notice requirements for terminating leases, according to a county news release.

Those provisions are included in the Tenants’ Bill of Rights ordinance, adopted by the Hillsborough county board earlier this month.

Provisions to the Tenant’s Bill of Right Ordinance expand the required notifications to include:

  • At least 30 days’ notice before termination of residential month-to-month leases
  • At least 60 days’ notice for the termination of all other residential leases
  • At least 60 days’ notice for residential rent increases of more than 5% for leases with a specific term

The ordinance changes took effect on Aug. 8.

Enforcement penalties for landlords begin on Oct. 1.

Violation of the ordinance is punishable by a $500 fine for a first offense and any subsequent offenses.

The Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners first approved the Tenant’s Bill of Rights Ordinance in March 2021, with its provisions going into effect July 1 of that year. The ordinance requires landlords to provide new tenants and those renewing their lease a copy of the Tenant’s Bill of Rights and Resources. Among other provisions, the ordinance bans discrimination based on lawful income, requires written notice of each late fee, and prohibits retaliation for tenants who report a health or safety violation or file a Fair Housing complaint.

Full details on Hillsborough County’s Tenant’s Bill of Rights Ordinance and how to report violations are available at HCFLGov.net/TenantRights.

Published August 17, 2022

Pasco rejects Feeding Tampa Bay’s request to help fund building

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The Pasco County Commission has decided that a quarter-million-dollar expenditure would be better spent on helping to feed the county’s food-insecure elderly than for helping to pay for a food storage facility in neighboring Hillsborough County.

Pasco board members previously discussed a $250,000 budget recommendation to help support the Feeding Tampa Bay project during a budget presentation. The proposed allocation would earmark $125,000 a year, for two years, to support the outside agency.

Commissioner Mike Moore raised objections to the proposal.

He balked at using Pasco County taxpayer funds for a capital project in another county.

Moore also warned colleagues that approving the request could trigger requests from a parade of organizations seeking support for projects outside of Pasco County.

No action was taken during the previous discussion, but the issue was part of the board’s Aug. 9 agenda.

Brian Hoben, the county’s director of community services, provided an overview of the county’s home-delivered meal program for food-insecure elderly.

Hoben said there are 411 people currently on the waitlist for that program.

The number fluctuates as new people qualify for the service and current clients die, move into a facility or move away from the county, Hoben said.

Each delivered meal costs $8.01, Hobel said.

Providing one meal a day for a year costs $2,916, Hoben said. To eliminate the current waiting list would cost $1,198,328, based on current costs. Those costs would be recurring, once the client joins the list.

Pasco County Tax Collector Mike Fasano attended the Aug. 9 meeting to inform the board that Feeding Tampa Bay had sold a building, on Ehren Cutoff, that initially was paid for with taxpayer funds.

Fasano, a former state lawmaker and a board member on Feeding Pasco’s Elderly, told the board that he helped secure funds to build the original food bank building on Ehren Cutoff.

That food bank later gave the building to another food bank, which then gave the building to Feeding Tampa Bay, Fasano said.

Then, Feeding Tampa Bay sold the building to a private company for $890,000, Fasano said.

“I’d love to know where that money went,” Fasano said.

“Just think of how many people we could have fed in Pasco County. How many seniors we could have taken off that waiting list,” Fasano said.

Pasco County Property Appraiser Mike Wells, a former county commissioner, also is on Feeding Pasco’s Elderly board. He told the county board that $125,000 for the next two years would feed 42 seniors who are on the waitlist for services.

Moore said he would not have objected to Feeding Tampa Bay’s request, if it had been for a specific number of meals that would be provided to Pasco residents.

But Moore added: “There’s no way in the world I’m ever going to say yes to a capital project in another county that’s going to provide services that aren’t going to benefit the citizens of Pasco County.”

Commissioner Ron Oakley agreed: “I shouldn’t be paying for their infrastructure in another county. I want to help the citizens in Pasco County. I will do everything I can to help our citizens before I send money to build a building in another county,” Oakley said.

Commissioner Jack Mariano said that when Feeding Tampa Bay was making the decision to sell the building on Ehren Cutoff, the county should have been notified.

“As far as I’m concerned at this point, we made a $890,000 donation. I think we’ve made our contribution,” Mariano said.

Instead of contributing the funds to Feeding Tampa Bay, Moore said they should be earmarked for Feeding Pasco’s Elderly efforts or the county’s senior services.

His colleagues agreed.

Published August 17, 2022

Dade City Museum unveils new website, logo

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The Dade City Heritage and Cultural Museum has unveiled its redesigned website and logo.

Dade City Heritage and Cultural Museum, at 14206 U.S. 98 Bypass in Dade City, is housed in the old Atlantic Coastline Train Depot, which was preserved and reopened as a tourist destination in 2008. (Mike Camunas)

The museum is dedicated to preserving history, offering education, and promoting public interest and awareness regarding Dade City.

Located at 14206 U.S. 98 Bypass, the museum is housed in a former Atlantic Coastline Train Depot. The depot has been preserved and was reopened as a tourist destination in 2008.

In July 1994, it became the first site in Pasco County to be placed on the National Register of Historic Places, as the tracks that run closest to the depot were the first to reach Dade City in 1887.

Through efforts from the city and local residents, the depot was transformed into the Dade City Heritage and Cultural Museum in 2018, where it now houses artifacts, photographs, documents and records of historic places and longtime residents of Dade City.

The museum consists of a main exhibition space, a model train room and a Community Archive and Reading Room. It is a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit.

The museum is open Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., and offers tours and periodical events, such as Monuments by Moonlight: a 90-minute walking tour through nearby Dade City Cemetery. The museum also is available for event rental.

Local screen printing and embroidery business, FloriCoastal Print in Dade City, designed the museum’s new logo.

For more information or to support the museum through donations, visit DadeCityHeritageMuseum.org.

Published August 17, 2022

Medical offices, apartments approved on State Road 54

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The Pasco County Commission has approved a rezoning for a mixed-use project on nearly 21 acres of vacant land at the southeast quadrant of State Road 54 and Henley Road, in Lutz.

The project calls for 45,000 square feet of medical office space, up to 280 apartments, 5,000 square feet of commercial incorporated vertically in the apartment development and 5,000 square feet of additional commercial.

The medical office building must be constructed on the frontage of State Road 54, with the apartment project located to the rear, according to the conditions for approval.

The project also allows a free-standing emergency facility.

A pet center is planned along the frontage of State Road 54, with a pet park behind it.

The site is about 1 mile west of U.S. 41.

The project has cleared approvals of both a land use change and a zoning change, and can now proceed. The county board voted 4-1 to approve the rezoning at its Aug. 9 meeting, with Commissioner Mike Moore voting against the project.

Moore has consistently opposed the conversion of land that can be used for job-creating uses to residential developments, instead.

He maintained that position in this case, despite testimony by S. Elise Batsel, an attorney representing Liv Development, the applicant. Batsel said that an economic analysis revealed that more jobs would be created under the proposed use than otherwise would have been generated.

Moore questioned the accuracy of the analysis.

He also reiterated concerns that changes that are being granted will result in a proliferation of multi-family developments along the State Road 54/State Road 56 corridor, which is contrary to the county’s quest to increase the availability of jobs in Pasco.

Published August 17, 2022

Pasco board approves apartment zoning in Lutz

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The Pasco County Commission has approved a rezoning on North Dale Mabry Highway, near the Pasco County line, in Lutz, for an apartment development next to an existing Target store.

The approved rezoning will allow up to 238 multi-family units to replace commercial entitlements on about 9 acres.

The rezoning also changes the name of the development from Dale Mabry Town Center to Arlington Dale Mabry master-planned development.

The site is on the southeast side of Dale Mabry Highway approximately one-half mile south of the Dale Mabry Highway/U.S. 41 intersection. It is adjacent to Hillsborough County to the south.

The existing site has a Target and a bank, but the remaining commercial portion had been undeveloped.

Attorney Clarke Hobby, representing the applicant, said it had remained undeveloped for about 17 years because there were restrictions in place prohibiting all sorts of commercial uses that may have developed — had those restrictions not been in place.

The land was zoned for commercial, but is designated on the county’s long-range land for up to six residential units per acre.

The site has remained undeveloped because there have been significant restrictions for the types of commercial allowed on the site, Hobby said.

Those restrictions prohibit gas stations, bars, liquor stores, hotels, secondhand stores, car dealerships, bowling alleys, movie theaters, vet offices, massage clinics, schools and technical schools, and there’s a severe limitation on restaurants.

That’s the reason the site has been vacant for so many years and has become a place where semi-trailer trucks park and people dump mattresses, wooden pallets, tires and other items, based on photographs that Hobby provided to the county board.

Taxes weren’t paid on the property for eight years; it was almost lost to a tax deed sale and the lender foreclosed on the site in 2015, Hobby said.

The county also brought a code enforcement lawsuit against the property, the attorney added.

“The only realistic use is multifamily,” Hobby said. “This fills in an area that needs some productive use.

“This is clearly a good, economically viable use and is going to be the first time the site has been in any type of productive use since at least 2005,” Hobby said.

The request had previously been brought to the board, but was put on hold for additional study after commissioners Jack Mariano and Mike Moore questioned the wisdom of swapping out commercial land — which can generate jobs — for more apartments.

But after Hobby told board members about the restrictions that had been imposed on commercial uses, Mariano said he had a better understanding of the situation.

Commission Chairwoman Kathryn Starkey said: “This is a great improvement over what we have going on, there.”

She said the satellite photograph shows 11 semi-trailer trucks that are likely illegally parked on the property.

No one from the public spoke for or against the request.

The board rezoned the property on a 5-0 vote.

Published August 17, 2022

Pasco High honors Gerald Newton

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Gerald Newton (File)

The Pasco County School Board has named the press box at W.F. Edwards Stadium after Gerald Newton, who was known as the “Voice of the Pirates.”

Pasco High School Principal Kari Kadlub and Athletic Director Dawn Wetherby submitted the request, which was approved during a July school board meeting.

In part, the letter of request notes that for 40 years, Newton “volunteered at Pasco High School—providing play-by-play coverage for the fans in the stands at football games and the voice of WDCF (local radio station).

“He loved coming to the games and helping create the electric atmosphere,” the letter adds.

“Additionally, he announced countless homecoming and senior nights.

“He wrote a local sports column in the Dade City Banner, Pasco News, and Dade City News from 1965 to 2012. He truly was the “VOICE” of the Pirates,” the letter says.

Newton worked for 40-plus years as a teacher, coach and athletic director.

Published August 17, 2022

Hillsborough seeks input on Cross Creek Park

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Hillsborough County is planning improvements at Cross Creek Park and is asking members of the public to share their thoughts on how to proceed.

Cross Creek Park currently has an outdoor basketball court, two kickball fields, picnic shelters, and a playground on 14 acres at 19025 Basset Creek Drive, in Tampa, according to a county news release.

Future improvements could include a recreation center with programming, splash pad, walking trails, and an updated playground, the release says.

The county is conducting a virtual engagement exercise, using the Hillsborough Engagement Hub to collect feedback from the public on plans for the park.

Comment for this project is open until Aug. 21.

To participate, visit HCFLGov.net/HCEngage.

Questions in English or Spanish about the virtual public engagement for the park plan may be directed to the Customer Service Center at 813-635-5400.

Published August 17, 2022

Town of St. Leo honors valued service

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The Town of St. Leo has bestowed a Proclamation of Appreciation to Mary Cabot and Luke D’Ambrosio for their time and service to the community.

The recognitions came during a Town Commission meeting in July.

Cabot was singled out for her litter pick-up efforts and her “years of service and positive impact” she has had on St. Leo, through her “exemplary efforts.” D’Ambrosio, who served as Town intern before joining the staff, was recognized for both for his contributions and for “the example he has set for future interns.”

The partnerships between the Town of St. Leo and the Pasco County Health Department received recognition, too.

Mary Cabot, right, stands with St. Leo Mayor Vincent D’Ambrosio, during a July meeting when she received a proclamation of appreciation for her community contributions. (Courtesy of Town of St. Leo)
St. Leo Town Clerk Andrea Calvert, right and Luke D’Ambrosio, proudly display the proclamation bestowed to D’Ambrosio, who served as a Town intern, before joining the staff. He was praised for setting an example for future interns.

 

Starkey and Mariano named to state board

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Kathryn Starkey (File)

Pasco County Commission Chairwoman Kathryn Starkey and Pasco County Commissioner Jack Mariano have been named to two-year terms on the board of the Florida Association of Counties (FAC), according to a county news release.

Jack Mariano

The election took place during the association’s annual conference in July.

“I’m thrilled to represent Pasco County on this important board,” Starkey said, in the release. “I look forward to working with leaders from around the state on policy issues that will help make Florida and Pasco County great places to live, work and play.”

“It’s an honor and a privilege to serve on a board comprised of dedicated, talented public servants from all over Florida,” Mariano said, in the release. “We plan to do great work as we represent our communities on multiple levels.”

Ginger Delegal, executive director for FAC, also offered some thoughts in the release.

She said that commissioners selected to serve on the executive board must be committed to representing local interests and be willing to speak up for their communities.

Both Starkey and Mariano “have demonstrated these qualities and been carefully selected by fellow commissioners to take on this position,” Delegal added.

FAC was founded in 1929 and represents the diverse interests of Florida’s counties, emphasizing the importance of protecting home rule – the concept that communities and their local leaders should make the decisions that affect their individual communities.

Published August 17, 2022