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Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

Local News

County clears way for 350 apartments

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The Pasco County Commission has approved a rezoning to allow an apartment development of up to 350 units at the southwest corner of State Road 52 and Old Pasco Road.

The 23.1-acre site currently is occupied by pastureland, some residences and some outbuildings. It abuts the Mango Hills master-planned unit development district, which has been approved for a maximum of 415 single-family detached and single-family attached townhomes.

Properties to the north and the northeast, adjacent to State Road 52, are zoned for general commercial, light industrial and retail, office and residential land uses.

In recommending approval of the request, county planners said the proposed apartments are a logical transition from general commercial and industrial uses.

The request also received a recommendation for approval from the Pasco County Planning Commission.

In addition to approving the rezoning, the county board also granted a variance regarding the number of parking spaces required for the project.

The property is next to where Pasco County will be building the Orange Belt Trail, and the project is planning to construct a bicycle and pedestrian access to that recreational trail.

During the planning board’s public hearing, Attorney Barbara Wilhite, who represented the applicant, said the maximum allowable density, under the county’s comprehensive plan, would be 24 units per acre. But the proposed project calls for a maximum of 15 units per acre.

Wilhite said the proposed apartments would have access to a portion of Old Pasco Road that has four lanes.

She also noted that the proposed apartments are close to the State Road 52/Interstate 75 interchange, and nearby properties are planned for industrial development.

The access to the project is from Old Pasco Road, Wilhite told the county board, during its Aug. 24 public hearing on the request.

Commissioner Kathryn Starkey noted the planned access to the Orange Belt Trail.

She told Wilhite that her client should consider using a small piece of land near the trail to create a business that would serve trail users.

Starkey said the county wants to create opportunities for entrepreneurship along its recreational trails, such as a coffee shop, or an ice cream shop or somewhere “that would be a fun place to go, if you’re using the trail.”

She encouraged Wilhite: “Be thinking creatively about a retail or a small commercial experience, next to that trail.”

Wilhite said there is property nearby that could be used for that purpose.

Starkey responded: “It could be on your property, too. One of the things that we’ve (Starkey and county staff) talked about doing is what’s called an overlay district, all along the trail. You see it done in other places, where you have it zoned that, if you want to do something.

“We would put the uses in. Ice cream shop, coffee shop, lemonade stand, whatever, if you’re within 20, 50, 100 feet of the trail — whatever — the right determination is, you can do it.

“It’s just a great benefit and a really cool thing to have along the perimeters of the trail. Especially that trail.

“I hear from people all of the time that we don’t have enough amenities on our trails.

“Once you leave the Starkey Market and Longleaf, you go all of the way to Hernando County before you can buy a drink or an ice cream or anything along our trail.

“I just want to really encourage some little entrepreneurship along the trails,” Starkey said.

Published September 01, 2021

Pace of growth quickens in Zephyrhills

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Burgeoning residential and commercial growth has been a prime theme of late, within the City of Zephyrhills.

Thousands of new homes are on the books, and there’s an influx of new businesses, too.

The city now claims a Chick-fil-A, Chipotle, Starbucks, and Wawa, too.

The surging growth is keeping the city’s building department busy.

Longtime building official Bill Burgess shared just how busy they’ve been — during an Aug. 9 Zephyrhills City Council meeting,

The department issued 1,765 permits, from Oct. 1 through July 30, according to Burgess’ report.

The Zephyrhills Building Department issued 1,765 permits from Oct. 1 through July 30. The department also handled 6,226 site inspections during that time frame. (File)

General residential building accounted for the bulk of the work — with 788 permits issued for miscellaneous home upgrades like screen rooms, roofs, sheds, air conditioning changeouts and solar panel installations. That represents 44% of total permits issued.

“We’re getting solar permits left and right,” Burgess said.

There’s also been significant demand for new residential building construction — with 407 permits issued for single-family dwellings and multi-family units. That represents 23% of the total permits issued.

Residential additions and alterations accounted for 162 permits, representing 9.2% of the total;  electric service replacement, 159 permits, for 9% of the total; general commercial building, 104 permits, for 5.9% of the total; and, new fire systems, 77 permits, representing 4.4% of the total.

The department also issued 20 new commercial building permits. However, he was quick to point out that those permits don’t necessarily mean that many brand-new buildings are coming aboard.

Some of those permits, he explained, are for signage and other ancillary items.

The building department handled 6,227 site inspections during the October to July timeline, which equates to roughly 35 inspections each business day, Burgess said.

Given the level of activity, the department’s seven staffers — who handle permitting, inspections, code enforcement and other duties — have had their hands full, Burgess said.

“We’ve been busy,” Burgess told council members, noting it has been good for the city and the city’s finances.

“It has been a good year,” he said. “I think it’ll help the budget.”

Times certainly have changed, noted Burgess, who has worked for the city since 1990.

He recalled, with a chuckle, how he used to know just about every person who came into the building department for a permit, inspections and other matters.

“That’s not the case anymore,” he said.

Still, the department tries to maintain its “hometown” feel, he said.

“As we get bigger, it gets a little harder,” Burgess said.

In the discussion with council members, Burgess acknowledged the need for succession planning and boosting departmental staffing in the near future — perhaps in fiscal year 2022-23.

“If things continue the way they are, I will be coming to you all to talk about staff,” Burgess told the council.

“We were comfortable this year, I think this coming fiscal year we’ll be OK…so I think we’re in good shape and we can handle it for another one,” Burgess said.

Councilman Lance Smith, however, noted the cyclical nature of the real estate market and cautioned that the city’s growth may slow in coming years.

Burgess agreed that outcome is possible, but he posited the East Pasco community’s nearby distance to Tampa likely will equate to measured growth for a while.

“I think we’re going to be in a good place for several years, just my feeling, just because of our proximity to Tampa and everybody pushing out,” he said.

Councilwoman Jodi Wilkeson queried Burgess about the department’s ongoing code enforcement efforts and legal resolutions.

The building official said the coronavirus pandemic “put a damper” on the time frames of trials and arraignments to settle outstanding issues. This included about a six-month lull in such court system meetings, he said.

Though activity picked up in recent months with the courts, Burgess said, questions remain if measures again will begin to slow down amid the surge of COVID-19 cases due to the Delta variant.

“Who knows with this new variant if they’ll make a change again,” Burgess said.

After Burgess’ presentation, Councilmen Alan Knight and Charles Proctor commended the building department’s overall level of professionalism and proactiveness in dealing with the public at large.

City Manager Billy Poe echoed those sentiments, sharing a positive testimonial from the owner-operator of the new Chick-fil-A on Gall Boulevard, which celebrated its grand opening late last month.

Poe relayed how the Chick-fil-A manager “had nothing but praise for the building department and how well the building department worked with them.”

Poe also mentioned Chick-fil-A officials being satisfied with the efficiency of the city’s site plan review and permitting process, compared to locations in other municipalities: “They said, that if they were building anywhere else, (the grand opening) would’ve been two weeks to a month later, because the hassles, I guess, they get from other municipalities, so I thought that was good to hear and needed to be passed along.”

Published September 01, 2021

Mask ruling has no immediate impact in Pasco schools

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Leon County Circuit Judge John Cooper has deemed unconstitutional the state’s order to ban local school districts from imposing mandatory facemasks.

Cooper explained his decision in a two-hour announcement from the bench on Aug. 27.

Cooper ruled that school districts can impose mandatory mask mandates, and if challenged, must be granted due process to demonstrate their mask requirement is reasonable.

Taryn Fenske, communications director for Gov. Ron DeSantis, issued this reaction to the ruling: “It’s not surprising that Judge Cooper would rule against parent’s rights and their ability to make the best educational and medical decisions for their family, but instead rule in favor of elected politicians.

“This ruling was made with incoherent justifications, not based in science and facts – frankly not even remotely focused on the merits of the case presented. We are used to the Leon County Circuit Court not following the law and getting reversed on appeal, which is exactly what happened last year in the school reopening case. We will continue to defend the law and parent’s rights in Florida, and will immediately appeal the ruling to the First District Court of Appeals, where we are confident we will prevail on the merits of the case.”

Locally, Judge Cooper’s ruling will have no immediate impact in the Hillsborough or Pasco public school districts.

Hillsborough already has adopted a temporary facemask mandate in its schools which remains in effect through Sept. 17.

The Hillsborough board took that action, despite the governor’s executive order, and subsequent actions taken by the Florida Board of Education and the Florida Department of Education.

DeSantis has stood firm in his position that parents — not local school boards — have the authority to determine whether a student wears a mask in school.

Hillsborough school board members took emergency action to impose a temporary mandatory mask order, with a medical opt-out provision.

In doing so, they joined a number of school districts that defied that order and faced potential financial sanctions.

Cooper enjoined the state from imposing those penalties.

Shortly after Cooper’s ruling, Pasco County Schools issued this statement: “We are aware that Leon County Circuit Judge John C. Cooper has determined that Governor DeSantis’ order banning mask mandates is unconstitutional. At this time the ruling has no impact on Pasco County Schools’ mask-optional policy.

“The Governor’s order remains in effect until the final order is submitted. At that time, the Governor is expected to appeal the decision.

“To summarize: Today’s ruling has no immediate impact on Pasco County Schools. Masks remain optional for students and staff.”

So far this school year, Pasco County Schools has had a combined total of 2,481 student and staff cases, as of the evening of Aug. 27.

As of the same date, that figure stood at a combined total of 5,500 for students and staff in Hillsborough County Schools.

In other pandemic news, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted full approval on Aug. 23 of the Pfizer vaccine for those age 16 and older. The vaccine has emergency use authorization for those age 12 and older.

Experts have said the FDA’s approval could encourage people with vaccine hesitancy to go ahead and get vaccinated.

The pronouncement also could prompt more employers to require employees to get vaccinated.

Tampa Mayor Jane Castor has announced that city employees have until Sept. 30 to become vaccinated. Those who do not will need to wear an N95 mask and show weekly results from a COVID test.

Pasco County has decided to use a different approach. It is offering $500 in premium pay to every employee who becomes fully vaccinated by Nov. 1.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention continues to recommend that everyone age 12 and older get vaccinated to lessen the chance of becoming infected. While people may become infected, medical experts and scientists have said they are at much lesser risk of hospitalization or death.

Meanwhile, the COVID-19 transmission rate remains high in Florida. Experts attribute that to the infectious delta variant of the disease, which they say is highly contagious.

In the week between Aug. 20 to Aug. 26, Florida recorded 151,749 new COVID-19 cases, with a positivity rate of 16.8%, according to the Florida Department of Health’s website.

Pasco County had 4,433 new cases, with a positivity rate of 21.2%.

Hillsborough County had 11,800 new cases, with a positivity rate of 18.9%.

AdventHealth West Florida Division continues to see an increase in COVID-19 cases at its facilities across West Florida and continues to experience a peak of COVID-19 patients, according to an Aug. 27 news release. To date, more than 600 COVID-positive patients are currently hospitalized in the West Florida Division’s 10 hospitals.

AdventHealth Carrollwood, AdventHealth Dade City, AdventHealth North Pinellas, AdventHealth Sebring, AdventHealth Zephyrhills have paused all non-time sensitive and non-emergent procedures.

The hospital chain also has limited visitors at numerous locations, including these in and near The Laker/Lutz coverage area: Dade City, Wesley Chapel, Zephyrhills, Tampa and Carrollwood. Specifics are available by visiting each hospital’s website.

In other COVID-19 related news, Hillsborough County has issued a news release to inform its water customers that they may notice a temporary change in the taste and odor of their drinking water.

Tampa Bay Water temporarily changed its water treatment process beginning Aug. 26 at its Lithia Hydrogen Sulfide Removal Facility, due to a lack of liquid oxygen deliveries to the facility.

Water provided to Hillsborough County Public Utilities customers will continue to meet all local, state, and federal regulations for drinking water, the news release said.

While consumers may notice a change in taste and odor, the treatment change will not alter the quality of the drinking water, according to the news release.

There is a delivery driver shortage caused by the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic and the need for available supplies to be diverted to local hospitals, the release explained.

“In addition, Tampa Bay Water is adjusting the regional blend of water sources to accommodate the change in available deliveries of liquid oxygen in the taste and odor,” the release said.

COVID Statistics: Week of Aug. 20 to Aug. 26

Florida
New cases: 151,749
Positivity: 16.8%

Pasco County
New cases: 4,433
Positivity rate: 21.2%

Hillsborough County
New cases: 11,800
Positivity rate: 18.9%

School cases
Cumulative cases, 2021-2022 school year*

Pasco County  Schools
2,350 student cases; 491 staff cases

Hillsborough County
4,563 student cases; 947 staff cases

*As of the evening of Aug. 27

Published September 01, 2021

Pasco’s opioid task force will help shape funding priorities

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The Pasco County Commission has determined what the makeup will be for the county’s opioid task force.

The appointed board will serve to advise commissioners, regarding expenditures of funds the county will receive from a settlement involving national prescription opiate litigation.

Forming the advisory body is a necessary component for the county to qualify for a portion of the settlement proceeds.

The group will develop an abatement plan that identifies strategies currently being utilized to respond to the opioid epidemic, and will present the plan to the county board by Dec. 1.

The membership of that board will include:

  • The Pasco County Fire Rescue fire chief or designee
  • The Pasco County superintendent of schools or designee
  • The Pasco County sheriff, or his/her designee
  • The Pasco assistant county administrator for public services, or designee
  • A representative from New Port Richey and Zephyrhills, who will alternate
  • The director of the Florida Department of Health Pasco County, or designee
  • A person with subject matter expertise in public health or addiction, who is employed by a provider of opioid-related services in Pasco County, who is nominated to the task force by the county administrator and approved by the county board
  • The chief judge of the Sixth Judicial Circuit or designee
  • A representative from Pasco Alliance for Substance Addiction Prevention (Pasco ASAP), or its designee
  • A person with subject matter expertise in public health or addiction, who is retired, who is nominated to the task force by the county administrator and appointed by the county board

The biggest point of contention was whether or not a member of the county board should serve on the task force.

Commissioner Christina Fitzpatrick advocated for having a commissioner on the task force and that she would like to serve in that capacity.

Commissioner Mike Moore was adamantly opposed, saying the task force should be made up of professionals in the field.

“I don’t think any commissioner should be on it. We need to leave it to the doctors, the nurses, the licensed mental health counselors, the psychiatrists, the psychologists, somebody from the sheriff’s office because they have somebody that’s dedicated to this issue, probably somebody from fire rescue, as well, that treats this on a regular basis, that deals with this on a regular basis. Let them bring this back to us, then we’ll make the decisions from there,” Moore said.

But Fitzpatrick said: “I would like to be on that board. I have been involved with ASAP and substance-exposed newborns since 2012.”

Moore, however, prevailed when he made a successful motion to ensure no board members were named to a seat on the advisory board.

Initially, the county’s assistant county administrator for public services, or designee, will chair the task force. After that, the task force will select its own chair. Seven members of the task force must be in attendance, for the group to have a quorum.

Published September 01, 2021

Pasco and Hernando work out joint funding for road improvement

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Pasco and Hernando counties have approved an interlocal agreement relating to improvements on County Line Road and the intersection of Waterfall Drive/Winding Oaks Boulevard.

The total estimated cost of the project is $645,198.00.

The intersection improvements are programmed and funded for construction in Pasco County’s fiscal year 2021 capital improvements program, according to materials in the Pasco County Commission’s Aug. 24 agenda materials.

“Since these improvements also benefited Hernando County, they shared the cost of preparing the design plans, which were completed by Coastal Design Consultants Inc., and will be sharing in the cost of construction of the project,” the agenda materials say.

“The scope of work for the project will include the construction and construction engineering inspection for a new traffic signal on County Line Road and Waterfall Drive/Winding Oaks Boulevard, signal interconnection conduit and fiber along County Line Road from East Road/Cobblestone Road to the Waterfall Drive/Winding Oaks Boulevard intersection, street lighting along County Line Road within the project limits and a new right-turn lane on Waterfall Drive at County Line Road (CR 578).

“The request for this new right-turn lane on Waterfall Drive at County Line Road is being made by Hernando County and will be fully funded by them, the agenda materials say.

The project costs will be split 50/50 between Pasco and Hernando, except for the cost of the right-turn lane being paid for by Hernando.

Hernando will pay Pasco its share of the costs at the commencement of the work.

The Hernando County Commission had already approved the interlocal agreement, subject to approval by the Pasco County Commission.

Published September 01, 2021

Browning named best FACTE superintendent in Florida

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Pasco County Schools Superintendent Kurt Browning has been awarded the top honor among Florida superintendents in the arena of career and technical education.

The award — long delayed because COVID-19 and shipping complications — was delivered to Browning during the Pasco County School Board’s Aug. 17 meeting.

Pasco County Schools Superintendent Kurt Browning

Rob Aguis, director of Fred K. Marchman Technical College, bestowed the award to Browning, on behalf of Marsan Carr, executive director of the Florida Association for Career and Technical Education, known as FACTE.

Aguis told board members that Browning originally was set to receive the award during FACTE’s summer 2020 conference. But that was delayed because of COVID-19.

The conference was held in the fall, but that happened virtually, Aguis said.

Initially, when the trophy was shipped, it arrived in pieces. Then, it was sent listing the wrong county.

But the third time was the charm, and Aguis was finally able to hand it off to Browning.

In doing so, he cited letters of support for Browning, written by Colleen Beaudoin, a school board member and Vanessa Hilton, chief academic officer for the district.

They said, “Mr. Browning’s vision includes providing opportunities for every student to earn industry certification, in addition to providing multiple ways to earn college credit.”

They also noted that under Browning’s leadership, Fred K. Marchman Technical Education Center underwent a $15 million transformation to became Fred K. Marchman Technical College.

Another high point of Browning’s leadership was the conversion of Ridgewood High School into Wendell Krinn Technical High School, a choice school for students who want to earn industry certification, college credits, and be ready to work.

The district also has broken ground on Kirkland Ranch Academy of Innovation will deliver highly advanced career and technical education programs, to give students a head start on rewarding careers.

In essence, according to Beaudoin and Hilton, Browning, “desires his district to provide a world-class education that ensures each student is a full-option graduate,” with the freedom to choose any path for the future.

In accepting the honor, Browning observed: “Oftentimes, the leader of the district gets recognized for the great work of the district. I will tell you, that it has very little to do with the superintendent of the district, but of the people that make this district what it is today.”

He then went on to reiterate his commitment as the district’s leader.

“I am fiercely dedicated to making sure that each one of our students is prepared for college, or career and life,” he said. “It doesn’t happen by accident. You have to be intentional and you have to be deliberate when you do that.”

He concluded his remarks by expressing enthusiasm for the district’s career, technical and education programs.

“Great days are ahead for us in CTE,” Browning said.

Published September 01, 2021

More changes are coming to Central Pasco

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The Pasco County Commission has cleared the way for more changes to come to the central part of Pasco County.

The county board voted on Aug. 24 to approve changes to a master plan unit development (MPUD) on the west side of U.S. 41, between Roaches Run and Causeway Boulevard. The changes allow a maximum 275,000 commercial retail square feet and create a land use equivalency matrix, to expand the types of uses.

Those additional uses are office, medical office, health care-related, light industry distribution, multifamily residential, single-family attached residential, senior retirement/assisted living/aggregate home and public institutional uses.

The request was filed by Hagman Groves Inc., and RS Roach LLC, who were represented by attorney Barbara Wilhite.

The county board also approved a request to change the name from Causeway Center Commercial MPUD to Causeway MPUD, to better reflect the potential uses.

The commercial retail square footage shall be a minimum of 100,000 square feet.

Residential uses will only be allowed on the parcels abutting U.S. 41, if they are part of a vertically mixed-use integrated building.

Commissioners also approved a variance to reduce the number of required parking spaces in the development. And, they granted a deviation from the county’s standard platting procedure, for this specific project.

Brad Tippin, the county’s manager for development review, explained what the county is trying to accomplish with the platting deviation.

“One of the things that we’re doing — the development services branch and public infrastructure branch — are working together to try to reduce the overall timelines to market for some of these types of projects. So, one of the things that we’ve included in here is a deviation from our standard platting process,” Tippin said.

“We only are doing this in this particular project and we can only do it upon your approval of this particular set of conditions that would actually allow us to do that. We’re going to give it a trial run, see how it works,” Tippin said.

He added: “Some other jurisdictions are doing something similar.”

The county hopes this approach will help shorten its timelines, Tippin said.

Wilhite, representing the applicants, told commissioners: “I think we’ll come up with something that will bring this project to market quicker.”

In other action, the county board:

  • Approved a request by Pulte Homes to rezone the southwest corner of Lake Patience Road and Perdew Drive to allow 240 single-family detached homes on approximately 80 acres.

Attorney Clark Hobby, representing the applicants, noted the density “is roughly one-half of the density that would otherwise be permitted on the site.”

He added: “Every property that’s adjacent to the site, running for approximately six miles, have MPUDs or large-scale developments to the west.”

In other action, the board:

  • Established the Connerton East Community Development District, east of Land O’ Lakes Boulevard, West of Ehren Cutoff, and South of State Road 52. The district covers 1,274.6 acres.
  • Approved a text amendment to the county’s comprehensive plan to allow a broader array of uses to be considered on the Paw Materials property, on the north side of State Road 52, about one-quarter mile west of Land O’ Lakes Boulevard. The policy previously contained the word “support” when referring to commercial and retail entitlements. Removing the word “support” expands the list of potential uses.

Published September 01, 2021

Zephyrhills to receive over $8 million in COVID-19 relief funds

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The City of Zephyrhills will receive about $8.24 million in federal grant funds — direct monetary relief related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The funding is part of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), signed into law in March by President Joe Biden to speed up recovery from economic and health impacts due to the pandemic.

The $8 million-plus figure is based on the city’s resident population.

Zephyrhills is considered a non-entitlement city, so it will receive its ARPA allocation from the state’s Florida Division of Emergency Management rather than the federal government directly, according to a staff report from Zephyrhills City Manager Billy Poe.

All available information suggests there will be two allocations — one year apart — with the first allocation anticipated sometime after Oct. 1 of this year, Poe said.

Funds will be disbursed to the city within 30 days of the state receiving the funds from the federal government. They are to be used to cover expenses incurred by the city before Dec. 31, 2024.

The funding can be used to respond to the following:

  • Public health and economic impacts
  • Premium pay for essential workers
  • Revenue loss
  • Investments in infrastructure

Poe further explained how the relief funding could be deployed down the line, while addressing the Zephyrhills City Council during an Aug. 23 regular meeting.

“It’s pretty clear you can spend it on water or wastewater and broadband infrastructure,” he said. “There’s also an argument that you can spend it on parks and open areas; I just haven’t figured out exactly how they’ve made that argument, and so we’re looking at that, as well.”

Additional meetings will be scheduled to discuss and approve the allocation of funds to the appropriate projects, Poe said.

The city council unanimously approved the ARPA coronavirus local fiscal recovery fund agreement, and authorized the city manager to electronically sign the necessary documents.

Published September 01, 2021

Zephyrhills sets legislative priorities

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The City of Zephyrhills has solidified three legislative projects to present to the Pasco County legislative delegation at its annual meeting.

The session is set for Sept. 1 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., at Zephyrhills City Hall, 5335 Eighth St.

The public, and representatives of various interest groups and local governments are invited to present their requests to the delegation before the 2022 Legislative Session begins.

The City of Zephyrhills is seeking a $5 million state appropriation for myriad improvements to Zephyr Park, 38116 Fifth Ave. Shown here is a draft concept from a park master plan. (Courtesy of City of Zephyrhills)

With that, the Zephyrhills City Council unanimously approved a staff recommendation to seek funding for the following multimillion dollar projects, during an Aug. 23 regular meeting:

  • Sewer main extension/water main extension — Kossik Road and Fort King Road ($3.48 million)
  • Zephyrhills Municipal Airport — taxiway, two box hangers, fixed-base operator/terminal ($5.33 million)
  • Zephyr Park improvements ($5 million)

The next step was for representatives from the city to ask state Rep. Randy Maggard and state Sen. Danny Burgess to sponsor the projects on its behalf, during the delegation meeting.

Here’s a closer look at the priority projects, which also were outlined in a report prepared by Zephyrhills City Manager Billy Poe.

Sewer main extension/water main extension — Kossik Road and Fort King Road
This $3.48 million project calls for connecting sewer lines along Kossik Road from U.S. 301 to Fort King Road, then from Fort King Road north to Phelps Road and south to Simons Road.

It also includes a water main along Kossik Road, from Greenslope Drive to Fort King Road.

The sewer main portion will allow for the decommissioning of existing septic tanks along the route and will accommodate proposed development.

The water main portion will create a loop in the system, allowing for redundancy by being able to service the area from different directions.

The comprehensive project, Poe said, “will help to create a loop for the water system and install a sewer main that’ll open up our system, kind of in the northwest corner of our city.”

Zephyrhills Municipal Airport — taxiway, two box hangers, fixed-base operator/terminal
This Zephyrhills Municipal Airport improvement project is three-pronged, with each portion combining to total $5.33 million, if funded in its entirety.

The first piece calls for two box hangers on the southern infield — totaling slightly over $1.9 million — to house larger aircraft and boost economic development opportunities in coordination with the extension of Runway 1-19.

The housing of aircraft at the airport also will help to increase turbine operations, therefore beneficial for future FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) funding, officials say.

The second portion — totaling $725,000 — would be the construction of the parallel taxiway, from Runway 5-23 north to Taxiway Bravo to allow aircraft housed in the proposed hangers to access both runways 5-23 and 1-19.

The project’s third component is to construct a new fixed-base operator terminal — costing $2.7 million — to offer better service to pilots that fly in and out of the airport.

Poe said the airport project can be split into separate parts, but advised the entire package be submitted to the delegation, “and then let the state say, ‘Hey, we would only like to fund half of that, or a portion of it.’”

The airport is located at 39450 South Ave.

Zephyr Park improvements
For the past several years, the city has conjured up various ideas on how to spruce up the 34-acre Zephyr Park, at 38116 Fifth Ave.

It presently features Alice Hall Community Hall, lighted tennis courts, handball, fishing, picnic pavilions, barbecue grills, horseshoe pits, playground equipment and a lakeside trail.

But the Zephyrhills Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) envisions the community park to be much more — a place within walking distance to the city’s downtown core, intersecting recreation, fun and art.

Redeveloping the space into a blended urban natural park would provide a connection from downtown to the west of the CRA district, officials say, while promoting the economic development of surrounding neighborhoods and expansion of the downtown area.

The city organized a community open house back in May 2016 to gather input on what enhancements residents would like to see at Zephyr Park. A Zephyr Park master plan also was completed shortly afterwards, by project consultant Kimley-Horn and Burkhardt Construction Inc.

A draft concept shows an event lawn, family fun zone, wedding lawn, dog park, history garden, splash pad, fitness zone, bandshell, and pedestrian bridges, boardwalks and terraces surrounding Lake Zephyr, among other frills.

Should Zephyr Park gain state funding — is requesting $5 million— Poe acknowledged that staff will revisit and likely refine some of the park’s drafted redevelopment plans “because it has been several years,” since those talks took place.

The city manager put it like this: “We’ll look at it, talk about it, tweak it, because, you know, maybe the interest of the community has changed from the time when we originally did the plans, so we’ll look at all that.”

Published September 01, 2021

Pasco identifies spending plan for ‘American Rescue’ dollars

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The Pasco County Commission has approved a plan for how the county will spend $107.6 million in federal money intended to help local governments respond to impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic.

County Administrator Dan Biles presented proposed projects and initiatives that would be supported by the funds, which the county board approved at its Aug. 24 meeting.

The plan also must be approved by federal authorities.

The county is proposing that about $98 million of the money be spent on these projects:

  • Acquisition of the Lindrick Utility system. Using the federal money will enable the county to acquire the system with a zero rate increase for county ratepayers as a whole, Biles said.
  • Wesley Chapel Library: This will build the next library that is needed in the county’s master plan, on land it already owns, in the fastest-growing area of the county, Biles said.
  • Jail construction: Will pay for changes to the design to address the issue of infectious diseases, not just COVID-19, but infectious diseases, as a whole, Biles said. This expense is in addition to the money that has been set aside from the general obligation bond, which was approved by county voters.
  • A super park at the Villages of Pasadena Hills. This is the highest priority on the county’s parks master plan, now that Starkey Ranch District Park is effectively done, Biles said. This will provide a significant source of money for the project.
  • A park project in Magnolia Valley.
  • Funding for dredging work.

The county also identified $5.5 million in expenditures for:

  • COVID-19 mitigation/prevention
  • Treatment and medical services

And, under the category for public safety and county operations, it includes an estimated $4 million in spending for:

  • Premium pay for county workers
  • County facility maintenance/upgrades
  • Cyber security upgrades
  • Technology improvements

Biles said the list totaling $98 million has some built-in room for price changes due to market conditions.

At the suggestion of Commissioner Kathryn Starkey, and the consensus of other board members, the county added another category to its list. The money will be earmarked to support economic development efforts in the U.S. 19 corridor.

Biles told commissioners that the county spent a lot of time in webinars, on telephone calls and researching how jurisdictions around the nation and state were using the American Rescue Plan Act funds.

“Ultimately, we focused, really, on the revenue recovery piece,” he said.

Based on the model that the county used, it will be getting less revenue than it lost. However, Biles added, “ultimately, there are fewer reporting requirements based on that.”

Treasury wants to know what the county plans to spend the money on, but reporting requirements are different.

The money will be disbursed in two payments, one in fiscal year 2021 and the other in fiscal year 2022. It must be spent, with a few exceptions, by Dec. 31, 2022, Biles said.

He also noted that changes can, and most likely will, be made to the plan as time goes on.

Published September 01, 2021