The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

Local News

Grand opening festivities offered countless fun options

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Kids competed at Hula-Hooping, checked out the new gymnasium, played some outdoor hockey and had a chance to enjoy other activities, at the grand opening celebration of the Wesley Chapel District Park Recreation Center, at 7727 Boyette Road.

Seven-year-old Reagan Peal, of Land O’ Lakes, concentrates on keeping her Hula-Hoop spinning during one of many games and events at the grand opening of the new facility. She was with her 10-year-old sister, Kendal, and her mom, Samantha. (Fred Bellet)

The atmosphere was festive — from the archway of balloons that greeting those arriving at the rec center, to the free cupcakes doled out to those wanting one.

The celebration also included inflatables, games, music, ball hockey clinics and food trucks.

Children had a chance to play and adults could find out about the various programs that will be offered in the new center.

The new 17,800-square-foot gymnasium and activity rooms have been added to the 144-acre park, making it the largest indoor/outdoor county park in Pasco County.

Many classes will be offered there, including ballet and jazz, boxing, chair yoga and cheerleading, according to the district park’s Facebook page.

Youth ball hockey players honed their skills in a rink outside the new recreational center.

According to previously published reports in The Laker/Lutz News, Pasco County Commissioner Mike Moore has long advocated for an indoor recreation center to be built at the district park.

He knows how hot it gets at the park: He coached flag football, baseball and soccer there for years, when his three children were younger.

This is a look at the exterior of the new Wesley Chapel District Park Recreation Center, at 7727 Boyette Road. Grand opening festivities drew hundreds. This was one of those times when the cliché, ‘and a good time was had by all’ appeared to ring true.

As designed, the center can accommodate basketball, volleyball, pickleball, summer day camp, toddler activities and community events.

The new facility features a gymnasium with a regulation-size basketball court that can be converted into two smaller courts, two volleyball courts or four pickleball courts.

There are restrooms and showers, too.

Multipurpose areas will accommodate a range of activities for groups, such as the Rotary Club, community associations, Boy Scouts, and Girl Scouts.

The district park already is packed with outdoor sports activities, including several athletic fields for youth and adults, a lighted soccer field, basketball and tennis courts, and picnic tables and grills for barbecues.

It also is home to the county’s only universal playground — designed specifically to enable all children — regardless of their physical capabilities — to be able to enjoy time at the park.

Note: Those wishing to participate in the district park’s programs must purchase a yearly membership for $10 per person, which applies to everyone over age 13. All memberships must be purchased at the district park’s front desk. Membership sales began on Oct. 4. For more information, call 813-345-3145.

Published October 06, 2021

Eight-year-old Saraya Mercado, of Wesley Chapel, takes a shot during the ball hockey clinic.
Five-year-old Eliel Leibovici munches on a cupcake at the grand opening of the Wesley Chapel District Park Recreation Center. The child was there with mom, Cynthia Leibovici, and grandmother, Lila Manzana, both of Wesley Chapel.
An inflatable dinosaur looms in the background, as Phyllis Olsen, of Tampa uses an umbrella to shield herself from the hot morning sun. She was waiting for her granddaughter, 9-year-old Claire Olsen, who will be taking part in the youth soccer program at the park.
What’s a party without balloons? Stephanie Salimbene, of Wesley Chapel, enters under an archway of balloons in the new recreation center, pushing her 2-year-old son, Lorenzo, in the stroller and holding her 3-year-old son Andrew’s hand. Salimbene said they are frequent visitors to the park.
The writing literally was on the wall, as visitors to the new recreational facility search informational leaflets to find out about the diverse programing offered at the center.
Wideline Joseph of Zephyrhills decorates cupcakes with sprinkles. Sponsor Hope Services made it possible for cupcakes to be offered to each visitor at the new recreation center building.
University of South Florida National Champion cheerleaders Bri Wilson, left and Jason Brooks, right, of Tampa, show off their championship rings. They will be among the instructors for cheerleading classes, which begin Oct. 6.
While a little too young to join cheerleading classes, 1-year-old Jaylen Jean-Francoise, of Wesley Chapel, will have a lot of fun watching his 9-year-old sister, Aaliyah, right take cheerleading classes at the new recreation center. Their 6-year-old brother, Justin, was checking out other classes offered, along with their mom, Brandi Jean-Francoise, of Wesley Chapel.

 

Libraries plan more outreach, programs and events

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The 2021-2024 Strategic Plan for Pasco County’s library system calls for more outreach, more programs and cultural events, to enhance the system’s services and to attract new users.

The Pasco County Commission approved the system’s 2021-2024 Strategic Plan during the county board’s Sept. 15 meeting.

The Pasco County Library Cooperative, also known as Pasco County Libraries, must create a new strategic plan every three years, and that plan must be approved by the county board, in order for the system to qualify for state aid for public libraries.

Candice Kyle, of Dade City, helps Kaizer, her 4-year-old son, to build a tower out of blocks. The mother and son were bonding during the playtime portion of the Preschool Storytime program, in January 2020 at the Hugh Embry Branch Library, before the pandemic. The library is now closed for renovations. (File)

Nancy Fredericks, a library administrator, told commissioners that the new plan was developed by the county’s library team, along with the help of Leon Donovan, a consultant, to obtain community feedback through planning sessions, focus groups and stakeholder meetings. The effort included two surveys, too.

Besides telling the board about efforts to develop the plan, Fredericks shared a video that outlined the key points.

The board’s agenda materials also spelled out the primary elements of the strategic plan.

In essence, it identifies three major focus areas: Community, Culture and Education. It also contains goals, and strategies to achieve those goals.

Priority area: Community
In this focus area, the library system plans to increase outreach opportunities for community members and for organizations to become involved with the library.

It has identified activities to help achieve those goals.

For instance, it plans to establish Pop-Up library services to expand access to resources and services. It also is planning to provide 20 hours of service per month beginning in the first quarter of 2022.

It will promote library resources at a minimum of 20 meetings per year for community groups, civic organizations, nonprofits, and government agencies.

And, it plans to coordinate with the Friends of the Library on an annual campaign to help increase membership and raise funds.

Priority area: Education
In this area, the library system has identified the goal of providing access to a collection of print, non-print, and electronic resources that support the diverse needs and interests of Pasco County residents.

Rebecca Jackson, of Lutz, enjoys helping her children, 7-year-old Joel, left, and 3-year-old Hope, as they create their paint-by-string artwork during an event held shortly before pandemic restrictions kicked in, in 2020. The activity occurred at the Land O’ Lakes Branch Library on Collier Parkway, in Land O’ Lakes, which is now closed for renovations.

It also aims to provide resources and programming to support lifelong learning, and skill and knowledge development across multiple literacies.

To help achieve those goals, it plans to partner with the Early Learning Coalition of Pasco and Hernando Counties to provide four programs per year.

It also plans to develop an Adult Literacy/ESL training program, and to train 15 volunteers per year to teach basic literacy and ESL to Pasco County citizens.

Also, it will offer two digital literacy activities per quarter to increase skill development in finding, evaluating, creating and communicating information on digital platforms.

Plus, it intends to create a Library of Things to circulate nontraditional materials, with a focus on items that support makerspace activities. It aims to add three new items per year to the Library of Things.

Other activities include:

  • Selecting 15 new items per year to be added to the Adaptive Toy Collection
  • Providing at least one staff training session per quarter focused on skill development, which relates to content creation
  • Offering two programs per quarter that educate the public on how to produce professional content for various media platforms

Priority area: Culture
The library system intends to foster culture within Pasco County by offering a wide range of programs at its branch libraries and outreach locations. The programming and activities will support self-expression, innovation, and community-based well-being.

Activities will include:

  • Deploying the Mobile Makerspace three times per quarter, to provide hands-on learning experiences
  • Collaborating with local performers, artists, and experts, to expand cultural experiences and learning opportunities
  • Offering 20 cultural programs or events per year at any location in the county
  • Offering two programs per quarter that showcase cultural content created in association with the Pasco County Library Cooperative
  • Supporting the development of a cultural affairs advisory council in Pasco County by hosting at least four meetings per year and serving as a liaison/coordinator for the council

In addition to programming efforts, the library system also is in the midst of updating and upgrading its facilities.

The massive makeovers are being supported by a bond issue approved by voters.

The cooperative library system includes these branch libraries: Hugh Embry, New River, Land O’ Lakes, Starkey Ranch TLC, Centennial Park, South Holiday, Regency Park and Hudson. It also includes the Zephyrhills Public Library.

Published October 06, 2021

He tended to practical, and spiritual, needs

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Edward Grady Maggard Jr., better known by his nickname, Sonny, had a hand in the practical side of life for decades for countless customers at his appliance store in Dade City.

But he also was involved in helping others develop their spiritual life, once serving as a Sunday School director and growing the program from about 100 participants to more than 1,200.

His Sept. 23 memorial service, filled to capacity, was held in the chapel at Hodges Family Funeral Home and Cremation Center, on U.S. 301, just down the road from Sonny’s Discount Appliances Inc., a business Maggard founded well over a half-century ago.

The store has been a community fixture for people needing dishwashers, refrigerators, washing machines, stoves, or other household appliances.

Maggard worked alongside his sons, Dale and Randy, and still came to the store long after his sons took over the day-to-day operations.

On the company’s website, the family attributes the appliance store’s longevity to this belief: “If you take care of the customer, the customer will take care of you!”

The Maggards experienced that firsthand when a fire destroyed the business on Nov. 28, 2001.

Dozens of firefighters tried to put out the blaze but were impeded by insufficient water supplies, according to news accounts at the time. Investigators said the fire began in some cardboard boxes in the back of the store, but did not determine the cause.

The 16,000-square-foot, one-story store, the warehouse and the buildings’ contents were destroyed.

But no one was hurt and no jobs were lost.

And, thanks to the business’ suppliers, and the community it had served for so long, Sonny’s started back up with a fledgling operation less than 24 hours after the fire, according to published reports.

In the midst of it all, Maggard told a reporter that he wanted to thank the more than 500 people — including competitors —  who had stopped by or called his home since the fire to express sympathies or to offer help.

Three years later, the store reopened on the same spot where the former store had been destroyed.

Throughout his life, faith was important to Maggard, the funeral home’s obituary says. He was a lifelong follower of Jesus, and devoted a lot of time and service to his church. He dearly loved his family and enjoyed spending as much time as he could with them.

The write-up also describes him as “a true southern gentleman, who never met a stranger.”

Besides faith, family and business, Maggard had other interests.

He was a dedicated cattleman, outdoorsman and lifelong, respected member of the National Wild Turkey Federation, his obituary says.

He was involved in the Second Amendment Club and supported gun safety lessons for youths. He was treasurer on the volunteer board of the CARES Zephyrhills Senior Center, according to news reports.

Turkey hunting was one of his greatest passions.

It was so important that he started the Gulf Coast Limbhangers National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF) chapter in Pasco County in 1994, according to a post on the NWTF’s website. The chapter now bears Maggard’s name.

In recognition of his love for the pursuit, his hunting jacket was on proud display at the front of the chapel, during his funeral service.

Mark and Cornie Maffett, of Dade City, wrote about Maggard’s enthusiasm for hunting, on Maggard’s memorial page on the funeral home’s website.

“So many times over the decades he welcomed us into the store where not only purchases were transacted but hunting stories swapped.

“At times he was so proud to show a specimen waiting for taxidermy and the stories that went with it. Other times we exchanged (stories about) beloved turkey hunts.”

A former employee, Jim Miller, of Jacksonville, also shared his appreciation for the family on Maggard’s memorial page.

“I worked at Sonny’s in the ’90s. Sonny will always have a special spot in my heart along with Randy and Dale,” Miller wrote.

Kevin and Kim Eldridge wrote, in part, “A life well lived for his Savior and his family…what a wonderful legacy.”

Messages of sympathy were shared on the page, from people living as near as Dade City to as far away as Australia.

Maggard was born on Sept. 26, 1934, in Wise, Virginia. He was 86 when he died on Sept. 16, at his Dade City home.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Lorene, who died on Jan. 3, 2020  — shortly before the couple would have marked their 65th anniversary, according to her obituary. They met when they were 16, her obituary added.

Maggard is survived by his son Dale, and Dale’s wife, Ann; and, his son Randy, and Randy’s wife, Colleen. He also is survived by six grandchildren, 10 great-grandchildren and another great-grandchild that is on the way.

Published October 06, 2021

Pasco County approves new mobility fee schedule

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Pasco County has adopted a new mobility fee rate schedule — with fees increasing in some categories, and decreasing or staying the same in others.

The proposed fee schedule calls for a sizable fee increase in the retail category.

It also proposes the addition of two new categories — one that provides a discount for locally owned small businesses and another that establishes a rate for accessory dwelling units.

Northbound traffic on Land O’ Lakes Boulevard, also known as U.S. 41, stacks up and waits for the traffic light to turn green. (File)

Mobility fees are used to help pay for the impacts that new development has on people’s ability to get around — including drivers, walkers, cyclists and transit riders.

The new rate schedule, approved by the Pasco County Commission at its Sept. 28 meeting, was recommended by the county’s staff and was based on a study completed by Bill Oliver, a consultant. Oliver is a registered professional engineer, who has conducted a number of mobility fee studies for the county including this one.

The proposed changes also received a recommendation for approval from the Pasco County Planning Commission, at its July 22 meeting.

“The costs of implementing your mobility system have increased over recent years,” Oliver said, at the planning board meeting.

At the same meeting, Oliver said that costs for implementing improvements to the county’s mobility system have increased in recent years and are expected to continue to do so.

The Florida Department of Transportation has estimated that costs will increase by 3% a year over the next five years or so, he said.

To keep pace with those increases, Oliver said the county needed to increase its fees.

The update:

  • Continues to encourage office, industrial and lodging, and redevelopment and infill development in the West Market Area by charging zero mobility impact fees in those categories/areas
  • Increases most retail fees by 50% over 4 years, divided equally by year, due to cost increases and partial or full subsidy removal
  • Increases rates for apartments by 6% annually, for a total of 24% over four years due to cost increases and full subsidy removal
  • Creates a new category for locally owned small businesses, with a 50% discount in standard fees
  • Continues to charge full rates for mini-warehousing and mining
  • Increases other fees by approximately 3% annually, or about 13% over four years, to address cost increases
  • Creates a reduced rate for accessory dwellings, sometimes known as mother-in-law residences

Accessory dwelling units are defined as an ancillary or secondary living unit, not to exceed 900 square feet, that has a separate kitchen, bathroom and sleeping area, either within the same structure or on the same lot, as the primary dwelling.

Oliver also told the planning board that the schedule changes reflect the changes made in state law during the last session of the Florida Legislature.

The new law establishes that impact fee increases must be limited to every four years, with a maximum of a 50% increase in individual rates.

A 50% increase must be implemented over four years in four equal installments, Oliver added.

Pasco began charging transportation impact fees in 1985.

It later shifted to mobility fees and decided to provide mobility fee incentives to encourage growth in specific categories.

The discount for locally owned small business is based on a concern they could not absorb the increased retail fees, Oliver told the planning board. That change was included after individual conversations he had with members of the county board, he told planning commissioners.

For purposes of the fee schedule, locally owned small businesses are defined as businesses that are not chain operations, that have 25 or fewer employees and that are 51%-owned by people whose permanent household is in Pasco, Hillsborough, Hernando, Pinellas, Sumter or Polk counties

All other fees, such as single-family residential, institutional fees, recreational fees, and other land use categories, will be indexed over the next four years at about an increase of 3.13% per year, Oliver said.

The changes take effect on Jan. 1, 2022.

Published October 06, 2021

Groups sending mailings to Pasco voters

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Pasco County Supervisor of Elections Brian Corley has announced that The Voter Participation Center (VPC) and the Center for Voter Information (CIV) were expected to begin sending voter registration application mailings to Pasco County voters last week.

In a news release, Corley said that in the past these mailings have confused and angered Pasco voters who received them for family members who are deceased, persons no longer residing or whom never resided in their household or the state of Florida, and even for their pets and underage children.

The mailings also often arouse suspicion from already-registered voters who believe their registration has in some way been compromised, according to Corley’s release.

“After many years of lobbying by myself and my fellow supervisors, the legislature passed a bill, which was signed by Governor DeSantis that allowed Florida to join the multi-state compact known as the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC),” Corley said, in the release.

“This allow us to compare the voter rolls with many other states to ensure the integrity of our voter rolls. Also, it allows the State of Florida to identify Eligible But Unregistered (EBU) persons, and last September over 2.2 million Floridians were notified with information on how to register to vote. This historic initiative makes the VPC/CVI mailings even less necessary.”

Corley continued: “Unfortunately, our experience has been that VPC & CVI tactics further erode voter confidence at a time when the security of our elections is in the forefront.”

Corley went to explain that the organizations sending out the mailing are in no way affiliated with his office.

He also assured Pasco voters that there are reliable tools in place for Pasco citizens to register to vote, update their voter registration, and to check their voter registration status.

To register to vote or update your voter registration address using the online voter registration form at https://registertovoteflorida.gov/en/Registration/Index.

To check your voter registration status, go to https://registration.elections.myflorida.com/CheckVoterStatus

Or, call 800-851-8754 for assistance.

For grievances regarding the mailing, contact the VPC, using the information provided on the mailing, the news release advises.

Published October 06, 2021

Pasco County renews landscaping agreement

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The Pasco County Commission has approved a one-year renewal of a landscaping agreement with NDL LLC, doing business as Natural Designs Landscaping, for ongoing landscape maintenance services.

The agreement, which was approved as part of the county board’s consent agenda, is for $7,239,588 for fiscal year 2022, bringing the new cumulative total to $28,801,521 for a four-year period ending Sept. 30, 2022.

The board’s consent agenda consists of items that receive no board or public comment and are approved with a single vote.

The board approved a one-year renewal period, which expires on Sept. 30, 2022. The current agreement allows up to one more additional year.

The estimated amount of work required by each department is:

  • Facilities Management: $495,000
  • Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources: $125,970
  • Public Works: $5.5 million
  • Utilities Operations and Maintenance: $893,000
  • Pasco County Public Transportation: $6,468
  • Libraries: $122,000
  • Fire Rescue: $97,120

Published October 06, 2021

Pasco County is breaking growth records

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Pasco County’s growth has been so rapid that its staff can’t keep up with it — prompting the county to budget for additional positions to address the increasing development.

The county plans to add 10 staff members to its planning and development department, two positions in code enforcement and 14 positions in building construction services during the next fiscal year.

This is an apartment development off State Road 54, in Land O’ Lakes, that was under construction last year. It’s just one sign of a flourishing building market in Pasco County. (File)

“The county is experiencing unprecedented growth at this time. And, a lot of that growth impacts our branch, directly,” Sally Sherman, assistant county administrator for development services said, during a presentation at the Pasco County Commission’s Sept. 15 meeting.

“As we strive to meet the demands of the customers for which we serve, we are also looking to — ‘How are we doing, and can we do it better?’— all of the time.

Along those lines, the branch’s staff put together a survey to gauge its performance, and to identify its strengths and weaknesses.

“The survey went out to over 6,000 customers and those individuals who have literally had interactions with the branch.

It received 644 responses, and of those 517 came from individuals who’d had interactions with the branch within the past year.

“This is the first-ever survey that has been conducted to try and gauge where we are as a branch and the services,” Sherman said.

“What we see this is — an opportunity to set a benchmark, as to where we are, and as we continue to make improvements, how we’re doing. This is anticipated to be conducted annually,” Sherman added.

All of the new people moving into Pasco County are generating a demand for retail and restaurant uses.

“The survey captured percentage ratings of various processes that our department offers.

“It rated everything from very satisfied to not satisfied.

Satisfaction ratings, out of a possible 100%:

  • Planning and development department: 64%
  • Building Construction Services: 72%
  • Code Enforcement: 67%
  • Office of Economic Growth: 73%

Those taking the survey also were able to submit comments, which yielded additional information for the department, Sherman said. She added: “We’re going to be looking at those in detail and following up with individuals.

Volume is up in everything, from calls coming into the department, to site plans under review, to proactive code enforcement actions, to permits being pulled, Sherman said.

The county has 422 active site plan reviews currently under consideration, she said.

“With our site plan review process, we have pre-application meetings for those. And, right now, those are slated out to January with the number of requests we are receiving for reviews.”

Sherman also addressed the volume being handled by the building construction services department.

“New single-family home permits, as you know, have taken off in Pasco County.

“In 2020, there were 5,741 new homes issued,” she said, adding at that time it was taking nearly 23 days to process a new single-family residential permit.

So much residential growth happened in the Bexley subdivision, off of State Road 54, in Central Pasco, that an additional classroom wing was needed at the elementary school soon after the school opened.

Over the last eight months, the department has issued 6,317 new single-family home permits, processing them in an average of 8.5 days.

“This is due in part to a great team, working extremely hard, looking for innovative ways to improve service,” Sherman said.

In working with the Tampa Bay Builders Association, the county was aiming for a 10-day turn-around for single-family permits, Sherman said.

“As you can see, we have met that goal and we’ve exceeded that goal. I’m hoping with the changes that we are continuing to make that we will continue to exceed that goal.”

In the arena of commercial permitting, the county is currently embarking on a major effort to streamline its processes, Sherman said.

“We have a team that’s very innovative and ready to seek change to make things better for our customers,” she said.

The county’s inspectors also have been very busy, Sherman said.

“Over the last eight months of this year, they have conducted over 202,000 inspections,” she said.

Ultimately, the county’s new development is expected to result in a $2 billion expansion to the county’s tax roll, Sherman said.

Continually seeking ways to improve
Sherman thanked her staff for its dedication and hard work.

“I see them in the mornings, when I walk in at 6:30, going into the office to start work. They’re not going in early to leave early, but are going in early to meet customer needs.

Santander is one of the businesses that has taken advantage of Pasco County’s economic development efforts, which entices employers to provide good jobs.

“We see them on the weekends, coming into work, to meet the needs of our customers.

“They are extremely, extremely dedicated team members.

“And, as we continue to serve the community, in keeping with our strategic plan to create a better community, a better future for all of those involved, we want to continue to do that with integrity, respect, service innovation and service excellence.”

Commissioner Jack Mariano praised Sherman for demonstrating her initiative in conducting a survey about the branch’s work.

“You’ve got a baseline to work with now,” Mariano said.

Commissioner Kathryn Starkey zeroed in on the amount of time it takes to get a pre-application meeting.

“What can we do in the short term to shorten that time. I think we’re up to four months to get a pre-app meeting. Is there anything we can do to help that?”

Sherman said efforts are being made to improve that part of the county’s process.

Starkey followed up: “Is it more planners that we need?”

“We are getting more planners,” Sherman said. “But we are taking a look at how we can streamline the process. We’re looking at it in detail right now.”

Nectarios Pittos, director of planning and development, told Starkey:  “It’s a logistical issue, not just with the planning and development department, but also with all of the other departments that participate in the process with us.

“So, yes, you could add, theoretically, more planners to address the pre-application, but you’d also have to double up the other positions in the departments that participate in the process, just to get more than eight or nine pre-apps that we can do per week.”

Commission Chairman Ron Oakley told Sherman: “I appreciate everything you are doing Sally, you’ve made the department stronger and better, and moving forward.

“We want to do it the right way, but we want to continue to streamline, and get it faster and quicker through the system.

“If we were not having so many projects, it would be different, but we’ve got them piled up,” Oakley said.

Published September 29, 2021

Florida changes COVID student quarantine protocols

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Florida parents now have the power to decide whether a healthy child should be taken out of school because of exposure to COVID-19.

Gov. Ron DeSantis, State Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo and Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran joined together on Sept. 22, to announce that the Florida Department of Health issued a new rule, empowering families to make that decision.

The new emergency rule, which became effective on Sept. 22, prevents the unnecessary exclusion of healthy students from in-person schooling; safeguards the rights of parents and legal guardians and their children; provides health protocols for symptomatic or COVID-19-positive students; and provides opportunities for parents and legal guardians to choose which protocols to implement when their student has had direct contact with someone who tests positive for COVID-19, according to a news release posted on the governor’s web page.

“Parents have the right to have their healthy kids in school,” DeSantis said, in the release.

“In-person education is important for students’ well-being, their educational advancement, and their social development. The idea that schools are somehow a big problem when it comes to the spread of the virus has been refuted yet again. Not only is the forced quarantining of healthy children disruptive to a student’s education, but many folks in Florida are not able to work from home. With this rule, we are following a symptom-based approach to quarantining students in Florida.”

The state’s new surgeon general added: “The governor and I share a similar vision of weighing the costs and benefits of public health policies – and our new rule today is an example of that,” Ladapo said, in the release.

“We must make sure that we are doing what is right for parents and for students. There’s not a single high-quality study that shows that any child has ever benefited from forced quarantining policies, but we have seen demonstrable and considerable harm to children. It’s important to respect the rights of parents.”

Corcoran also commented: “What we did over the past year was nothing less than amazing – we gave parents in our state the option to send their children to school for face-to-face instruction with more students, over a longer time than any state in the nation – but we did see massive quarantining,” said Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran, father of six kids who missed over 100 days of school last year due to quarantines.

“If you take the number of kids that had to quarantine, and added up the days they missed in school, in the education arena, we would call that a chronic absenteeism pandemic. Now we have the data telling us that factually 98% of those children who quarantined never became symptomatic. That’s why the previous policy didn’t make any sense. This is a brilliant change, and I’m so thankful for this new common-sense rule.”

On another COVID-19-related issue, DeSantis announced that Florida has secured 3,000 doses of monoclonal antibody treatments directly from GlaxoSmithKline, after the Biden Administration cut the supply.

“We should be doing everything we can to get patients monoclonal antibody treatments, not cutting allocations of treatment like the Biden Administration has done,” DeSantis said, in a release on his web page.

Florida has been aggressive in making this treatment available.

Meanwhile, on the issue of Pfizer booster shots, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that these groups of people receive Pfizer booster shots, six months after their initial series of shots:

  • People 65 years and older, and residents in long-term care settings
  • People aged 50 to 64 years with underlying medical conditions
  • People aged 18 to 49 years with underlying medical conditions, based on individual benefits and risks
  • People aged 18 to 64 years who are at increased risk of COVID-19 exposure and transmission because of occupational or institutional setting

According to the CDC, many people now eligible to receive a booster shot received their initial vaccine early in the vaccination program and will benefit from additional protection.

“With the Delta variant’s dominance as the circulating strain and cases of COVID-19 increasing significantly across the United States, a booster shot will help strengthen protection against severe disease in those populations who are at high risk for exposure to COVID-19 or the complications from severe disease,” according to information on the CDC’s website.

The CDC also will evaluate available data in the coming weeks to make additional recommendations for other populations or people who got the Moderna or Johnson & Johnson vaccines, the website says.

COVID Numbers

Pasco County Schools*
Student cases: 5,317
Employee cases: 900

Hillsborough County Schools*
Student cases: 9,145
Employee cases: 1,520

*Cumulative for school year, as of Sept. 24

Sources: Pasco County Schools and Hillsborough County Schools

Pasco County*
Cases: 1,851
Positivity rate: 13.8%

Hillsborough County*
Cases: 3,841
Positivity rate: 9.7%

*Week of Sept. 17 to Sept. 23

Source: Florida Department of Health

Published September 29, 2021

Dade City approves new pay scale for employees

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The City of Dade City is set to ring in fiscal year 2021-2022 with a slew of new positions and increased employee wages.

The updated employee pay plan incorporates the greater of the following: 3% cost of living, new minimum pay rate and new minimum pay adjusted for years of service (1.5% per year of service greater than one year) in an attempt to help with wage compression issues.

The pay plan has 19 salary steps, ranging from part-time crossing guard, which has a salary range of $23,400 to $35,100, all the way up to police chief, which has a range of $80,931.06 to $121,396.59.

Dade City Manager Leslie Porter (File)

The pay plan also includes funding for 14 new positions, within the proposed budget, including the following:

  • Four police officers
  • A deputy city clerk
  • An executive assistant to the city manager/public relations specialist
  • A groundskeeper
  • A utility service worker
  • An engineering inspector
  • A utilities electrician
  • An assistant code enforcement officer
  • Three wastewater treatment plant operator trainees

Other notable changes include bumping up paygrade levels for the city’s utility billing supervisor to be commensurate with other assistant crew leaders; upping the executive assistant to the city’s police chief to the same grade as executive assistant to the city manager/public relations specialist; and, adding paygrade classification levels for fiscal assistants based on experience and duties.

The new plan will increase personnel costs, and benefits, by an estimated $626,446 compared to the current year’s budget, according to Dade City Manager Leslie Porter.

Dade City Commissioners approved the pay scale plan on a 5-0 vote during the commission’s Sept. 13 meeting. The plan is effective Oct. 1.

Porter had outlined the city’s need to add staff and to budget additional money for payroll during a commission workshop last month.

She explained that more employees are needed to help manage the rapid growth and development planned throughout the municipality.

About 6,500 new rooftops and several commercial properties have been approved to be built over the next two decades.

Porter and Human Resources Director Patty Coram conducted an in-house salary study using pay information from seven comparable local governments, including Zephyrhills, New Port Richey and Pasco County.

The City of Dade City has adopted a new pay scale to address salary compression issues and to bring on more staffers.

The pay plan will make the city more competitive when it comes to attracting applicants, hiring candidates and retaining quality personnel, officials say.

Moreover, officials say beginning to raise wages now will make for an easier transition to Florida’s $15 per hour mandatory minimum wage, which takes effect in 2026.

Mayor Camille Hernandez voiced support for the justification of the comprehensive pay plan. She said it rewards long-term employees and will attract more qualified job-seekers, to ensure the municipality is fully and adequately staffed across all departments.

“I do hope and pray with these new positions that we are adding, that we’re stepping it up a notch,” Hernandez said, addressing her comments to the city manager. “You’ve asked for things, we’re giving it.”

The mayor also emphasized that expectations are high for city administration and supervisors on down to entry-level employees.

“As we raise the bar and we provide this system, we expect certain things. The expectations are pretty high now,” Hernandez said.

Commissioner Normita Woodard agreed that with more resources in place, there’s a greater responsibility and scrutiny in terms of serving residents and following through on outlined citywide goals and initiatives.

Woodard put it like this: “I just want to make sure that I do say it in this forum that the money matches the work efforts, and that the supervisors are going to be doing what they need to do to make sure that it is accountable.”

The city’s last classification and compensation study was conducted in 2015, according to a city commission agenda memo.

The city adopted a proposed pay plan then, but was not in a financial position at that time to address compression issues included in that plan, the memo states.

In lieu of that, the city had been providing 3% salary increases each year, in an attempt to keep up with cost of living and rising wage environment, the memo reads.

In other business, commissioners approved the Rolling Hills residential planning development annexation, comprehensive plan and zoning amendment, on a 3-2 vote.

The development is approved to build up to 700 homes on slightly more than 151 acres, located west of Opportunity Way, south of State Road 52, and north of Roberts Road.

Commissioners Scott Black, Knute Nathe and Hernandez voted in favor, while Woodard and Jim Shive, who is mayor pro tem, voted against.

Published September 29, 2021

Pasco adopts new water, stormwater rates

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Pasco County Utilities customers will see a change on their monthly water, wastewater and reclaimed water bills beginning Oct. 1, according to a Pasco County news release.

The average residential customer who uses 6,000 gallons of water will see an increase on their bill from $79 up to $81.30, an increase of $2.30.

Residential reclaimed water customers also will see small increases in the reclaimed water base charge and the Back-Flow Prevention Device fee, along with a new tiered rate for reclaimed water use in excess of 10,000 gallons, according to the release.

The base change for reclaimed water will be $11, which includes the first 10,000 gallons. There will be an additional charge of $1.10 for every additional 1,000 gallons.

The Flow Prevention Device fee will be $5.99.

A full list of the new rates, fees and charges effective 10/1/21 is available at MyPasco.net/4723/Rates-FY22.

Visit PascoCountyUtilities.com for more information about Pasco County Utilities services.

Published September 29, 2021