The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

Local News

Mixed-use project proposed on State Road 54

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The Pasco County Planning Commission has recommended approval of a request that would set the stage for a mixed-use project including a medical office, commercial uses, apartments and a veterinary office, at State Road 54 and Henley Road.

The site is about 1 mile west of U.S. 41, in Land O’ Lakes.

The applicant first is asking for a text amendment to the county’s land use plan. Then, the applicants plans to seek a rezoning for a master-planned unit development, to allow the proposed uses.

The request for the entitlement change ran into resistance at the planning board’s Feb. 17 meeting because David Goldstein, chief assistant county attorney, asked  why an analysis had not been presented regarding the impacts of the proposed shift on the site’s job-generating capacity.

In February, Goldstein told the planning staff: “It’s clearly an exchange of employment-generating uses for apartments, and if staff wants to recommend approval of that, I’m not saying you can’t, but there should be some analysis.”

At the planning board’s March 4 meeting, Goldstein said the subsequent analysis shows that more jobs would be generated from the proposed project than from the previous entitlements, so he would not object to the request on that basis.

During the applicant’s presentation, the owner of the property urged the planning board to allow the change in entitlements. He said his original vision of using the property for an assisted living facility could not be fulfilled because research indicated that there was not sufficient demand for that type of use and he was unable to finance the project.

So, instead of realizing that goal, he said he has been paying taxes on the land for years and it has become a financial burden to his family.

With the planning board’s recommendation for approval, the issue now goes to the Pasco County Commission, which has final jurisdiction on land use and zoning cases.

In other action, the planning board:

  • Recommended approval of a change to the county’s land use plan that would allow consideration of light industrial uses on 21 acres now designated for residential uses. The site is west of Old Lakeland Highway, north of Townsend Road, about three-quarters of a mile east of U.S. 98.

The property currently has a single-family dwelling unit and a barn. The site also is within the boundaries of the Old Lakeland Highway Study Area, in which property owners in the vicinity shared their vision of the area, according to information contained in the planning board’s agenda materials. Light industrial uses are  compatible on the subject property because of its location adjacent to major thorough fares such as the CSX rail line, U.S. 98 and U.S. 301, according to the planning analysis in the agenda packet. Also, the Pasco County Commission approved a land use plan amendment in April 2021, changing the designation on a 5-acre lot south of the subject property from residential to light industrial.

  • Recommended approval of a request for a master-planned unit development known as Amavi Village, at 31725 State Road 52. The 27.75-acre site is on the north side of State Road 52, approximately 2 miles east of Interstate 75.

The rezoning would change the allowed uses on the land from an agricultural residential zoning to a master-planned unit development, allowing 220 multifamily units and 74,813 square feet of retail and office.

Published March 09, 2022

Prayers for Ukraine featured at Ash Wednesday service

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Pope Francis designated this Ash Wednesday as a day of prayer and fasting for peace in Ukraine, which Saint Leo University observed through a 5 p.m. Mass dedicated to praying for peace in Ukraine.

Students assisted with the Mass at St. Leo Abbey Church, which concluded with lighting candles and praying the “Peace Prayer of St. Francis.”

University Ministry student-leaders; Father Randall Meissen, university chaplain; and Father Anthony Ujagbo, graduate assistant, distributed blessed ashes outside of the Saint Jude Chapel clock tower at University Campus from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., on March 2, according to a university news release.

Father Anthony Ujagbo makes the sign of the cross on the forehead of Vice President of Student Affairs Jen Shaw. The priest was part of a team distributing ashes on Ash Wednesday, which was March 2, at Saint Leo University. (Courtesy of Isaac Jeter/Saint Leo University)

Bargain hunters find deals, and help woman’s club’s efforts

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The rush to shop came early. The thrill of finding a hidden treasure among used items knew no alarm clock.

GFWC Lutz-Land O’ Lakes Woman’s Club member Barbara Booth packs up some purchased items during the group’s community flea market that was held over the weekend in front of the Lutz Branch Library. (Mike Camunas)

“I was like,” GFWC Lutz-Land O’ Lakes Woman’s Club chairwoman Kay Taylor exclaimed, “‘It’s not like its Black Friday!’”

While it was a Friday, Taylor and her fellow GFWC members were a little surprised to see such an initial rush at the start of their annual flea market the group held over the weekend in front of the Lutz Branch Library. However, that feeling turned to happiness with the turnout from the local communities who visited the booths set up to sell their used items.

“All of our ladies brought in their stuff (to sell), and we only had one drop-off from a church this year,” Taylor said. “It was just amazing how the community stepped up and helped us.”

Shopper Kelly Larochelle, of Lutz, does some shopping with her son, Landon, during the GFWC Lutz-Land O’ Lakes Woman’s Club flea market the group held over the weekend in front of the Lutz Branch Library.

Like any other event or organization, COVID affected the GFWC club. Not only did membership decline to under 100 people, but Taylor said the group was unable to hold the flea market for some time. The group also had to move from its usual location — from the Old Lutz School building, where the booths could be in the classrooms — and then hold it outside with (luckily) favorable weather.

“The county only allows 10 people in a building at a time,” Taylor said, “so this allowed us to have a big open-air event and welcome all the people who were eager to get out here.”

GFWC members, donning their iconic green shirts, set up booths that were selling all kinds of items from clothes to jewelry to furniture to homewares — and slightly used items that made it look like an antique-store tent town.

Taylor estimates the GFWC, which was founded in 1960, will raise somewhere between $5,000 to $10,000.

The flea market is one of two major fundraisers the group hosts annually, the other being the arts and crafts fair around Christmas. The funds raised during those two events not only go to supporting the other philanthropic endeavors the GFWC club takes on, but also toward the scholarships they award to local high school students in Lutz and Land O’ Lakes.

“We’ll go to the homeless shelters and the nursing homes and help out Meals on Wheels,” Taylor said. “We have the laundromat program where we put books in the laundromats in needy areas. We help out with domestic violence organizations and we’re really big into recycling, as well, so as part of the largest women’s volunteer organization, we’re just trying to do our part.”

Published March 09, 2022

GFWC Lutz-Land O’ Lakes Woman’s Club member Beth Nevel-Rader hands over plates with a smile during the group’s community flea market that was held over the weekend in front of the Lutz Branch Library.
GFWC Lutz-Land O’ Lakes Woman’s Club members Marsha Gibson, left, and Renate Mast, go through some items during the group’s community flea market that was held over the weekend in front of the Lutz Branch Library.

Do you have a hidden meter box? PCU says clean it up!

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Pasco County Utilities (PCU) wants to alert residents of the dangers of having a hidden meter box in their yard.

Potable and reclaimed water emergencies can be disastrous when a meter box is hidden from view, according to a PCU newsletter.

The Meter Reading Team of PCU uses Automatic Meter Reading (AMR) technology, which enables the team to gather data regarding usage, while driving past a meter.

(Courtesy of Pasco County)

If a meter box is covered by landscaping, debris or structures, the AMR signal may be blocked.

Data that is not transferred using AMR requires additional time and cost associated with taking a physical read.

Clearly visible meters make it possible for team members to act quickly, especially if a resident is not home.

PCU offers these tips to remember:

  • Check your meter area for visibility.
  • Clear a path to the meter that is free of obstructions and overgrown plants.
  • Keep pets secured for everyone’s safety.

Access to the meter box on the resident’s property is required at all times by law.

The utility company will replace a meter box or meter box lid for free, if it is broken.

This service is available year-round by placing a request through the Utilities Customer Service Center at bit.ly/MeterBoxRepair.

To learn more about usage data, meter reading, and providing access while securing your property, visit bit.ly/myPCUmeter.

Published March 09, 2022

Anglers can try their luck at plenty of spots in Pasco

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Fishing — like many recreational pursuits — requires its own special gear.

Want to catch a fish?

You’ll need a rod and reel, a net, a bait bucket.

Anglers catch tarpon, grouper, sharks, snook, redfish and other fish in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Pasco County. (Courtesy of Experience Florida’s Sports Coast)

It takes guts, too —  to hook a slimy worm, or a prickly pinfish, or to risk a $20 lure.

Then, you’ll need to head out to your playing field: The Gulf of Mexico, a river or a lake.

Mostly, though, you need luck.

Being lucky while fishing is what makes it so addicting.

You can fish alone, or with friends.

You can fish while listening to a football game, or while bird-watching.

You can fish for your dinner.

You can catch and release, and you can tell lies.

You can fish just because it’s fun.

I once saw a man wearing dress pants, and an oxford cloth shirt and tie — out fly fishing in a creek, in the middle of the day in Durango, Colorado.

I remember thinking, “I want to live in a place where I can fish on my lunch hour.”

Pasco County offers that.

It borders the Gulf of Mexico. It has rivers and lakes, and there are lots of boat ramps and piers.

Boaters have it made.

But if you don’t have a boat, you rent one from a marina, or borrow a kayak, or hire a fishing guide, or fish off a pier.

If you’re ready to cast a few lines, here are some fishing spots that are worth checking out.

The pier in Anclote Gulf Park in Holiday is 500 feet long and a favorite among anglers. (Courtesy of Pasco County)

Anclote Gulf Park
Anclote Gulf Park has a 500-foot pier open free 24 hours daily and a boat ramp offering easy access to the Gulf. The 23-acre park itself is open daily, dawn to dusk, and has a playground, dog park, trails, picnic tables and restrooms. It’s at 2305 Baillies Bluff Road in Holiday.

Tarpon, goliath grouper, sharks, red snappers, snook, trout, redfish and scallops are all in Gulf waters. The 10-day bay scallop season starts the third Friday in July.

Anclote River Park
Anclote River Park, down the street at 1119 Baillies Bluff Road, also has a boat ramp, docks and fishing access to Anclote flats for inshore fishing for trout, Spanish mackerel, snook and redfish. The 30-acre park is free and open dawn to dusk.

Eagle Point Park
Eagle Point Park is another popular place to fish. It’s at 4499 Straub Memorial Drive in New Port Richey, bordering the Gulf. It has three fishing piers, a kayak launch and picnic shelters, trails and a playground. It’s open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., daily, except Thursdays, when it opens at 9 a.m.

Along the Pithlachascotee River
There are several places along the Pithlachascotee River, or “Cotee,” as locals call it, where anglers like to cast their lines. Here are two:

  • Port Richey Waterfront Park
    Port Richey Waterfront Park, at 8119 Old Post Road, has a kayak launch and a 200-foot fishing pier over the Cotee. The park is open from 6:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., and has a pavilion, playground, restrooms and a dog park.
  • The Sims Park Boat Ramp
    The Sims Park Boat Ramp into the Cotee is at 5443 Main Street in New Port Richey near downtown. It’s free and open 24 hours daily. Sims Park also has a small lake, a riverfront walk, picnic shelters and restrooms.

Withlacoochee River Park
Withlacoochee River Park, at 12449 Withlacoochee Blvd., in Dade City, has a kayak dock into the Withlacoochee River, where anglers catch largemouth bass, speckled perch, bream, chain pickerel, catfish and bluegill. Park hours are daily, 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., and admission is free.

Fishing spots at Pasco County parks
Pasco County is lake country and plenty of parks have lakes.

Here are just a few:

  • Moon Lake Park
    Children catch lots of fish off Middle Lake Park’s pier in Dade City. (Courtesy of Pasco County)

    Moon Lake Park, at 8985 Lake Drive, in New Port Richey, has a boat launch, popular with folks fishing for whopper largemouth bass. The launch is limited to small-powered-engine boats and kayaks, but that’s all you need to fish on this large lake. The park, open daily from dawn to dusk, also has a small beach, picnic tables, a playground, basketball court and picturesque trees.

  • Crews Lake Wilderness Park
    Crews Lake Wilderness Park, at 16739 Crews Lake Drive, in Spring Hill, has a fishing pier children especially like. But the lake tends to be clogged with weeds in areas, so it is not popular among serious boating anglers, says park supervisor David Jay. Jay says the lake is good for kayakers, though, and for boaters with engines that are 10-horsepower or less. The lake at 200-plus acres is one of the largest natural lakes in Pasco County, and has largemouth bass, crappies, catfish, gar and bream.
  • Middle Lake Park
    Middle Lake Park, at 18620 Townsend House Road, in Dade City, has a fishing pier over a 200-acre lake, a kayak launch and a boat ramp for boats 16 feet or smaller. The park, free and open daily from dawn to dusk, also has a picnic area.

For more advice, PascoCountyFL.net lists boat ramps and kayak launches in the county. Another site, SaltChef.com, also lists Pasco County boat ramps, fishing piers and parks.

By Karen Haymon Long

Published March 02, 2022

Welcoming Mike Camunas to The Laker/Lutz News news team

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Mike Camunas, a native of Tampa, has joined The Laker/Lutz News news team.

He  has lived in Pasco County for nearly 40 years and during that time, he has seen the area transform from a place of sparse houses and orange groves into a bustling and thriving community.

While there aren’t many places he hasn’t visited within the area, he’s always on the lookout for something new to see or someone new to meet.

He began journalism on whim. He knew he wanted to write, but wasn’t sure how to achieve that, without his words turning into ramblings in a notebook.

Still, he took a shot.

He approached the Pasco section of The Tampa Tribune, seeking a chance to write.

He scored an assignment to do a community sports feature.

He quickly realized, however, from rewrites in those early days, that he needed more experience.

Undaunted, he plugged away — seeking out potential stories, pitching them and accepting every assignment that came his way.

Those efforts paid off.

He became a go-to freelance reporter for the Tribune in 2004, and funny enough, his first assignment was to cover a high school boys soccer game for his alma mater: Wesley Chapel High.

That story led to other assignments.

About a year later, he was recruited to cover the University of South Florida athletics as a freelancer for The St. Petersburg Times, now known as The Tampa Bay Times.

While doing that, he also was the sports editor for the USF Oracle, the university’s student newspaper,

He received a degree from USF in 2007, with a major in Mass Communications Journalism and a minor in Creative Writing.

Next, the Times hired him to be its community sports editor in Pasco and Hernando counties. In that role, he covered  everything from recreation, to youth sports, to even the local golf scene.

He made the switch back to the Tampa Tribune in 2010, becoming the Pasco Tribune sports coordinator for six years. The job involved building five sports pages a week.

At the same time, he was a correspondent for The Associated Press, covering national sporting events and professional sports teams, including the 2008 World Series here in Tampa Bay.

His other writing and reporting experiences have included completing assignments for several local magazines and in nearly every major newspaper throughout Florida.

Editor’s note: We’re happy to welcome Mike Camunas to his new role as a staff writer for our newspaper. We are confident that his experience and enthusiasm will result in interesting, important and fun stories for our readers. If you’d like to welcome Mike or reach out to him with story ideas, email him at .

Published March 02, 2022

Event honors flags, vets

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A fire burned at Oakside Cemetery — its flames stoked with respect and honor.

Its tinder: an American Flag.

The Zephyrhills High JROTC retired dozens of flags by burning them, in a ceremony that included an Honor Guard and Saber Arch, and an atmosphere filled with reverence.

The Zephyrhills High JROTC color guard presents the flags during the squad’s Project Patriotism at Oakside Cemetery, 5301 First St., in Zephyrhills. (Mike Camunas)

The flag ceremony was part of Project Patriotism. The 35 cadets taking part also cleaned hundreds of headstones marking the final resting spots of veterans buried in the cemetery.

The service and learning project is held each year to teach the cadets organizational skills, to foster community outreach, and to help them understand the benefits of volunteerism.

After the ceremony, Cadet Command Sgt. Maj. James Laferriere said:

“For us all being in high school, I thought everything went really well. With JROTC, we have a whole lesson on how to properly fold and handle flags, as well as properly retire flags.

“This (project) allows us to practice those methods and allows us to actively participate in our community,” said Laferriere, who is one of the few seniors in the squad.

The JROTC started Project Patriotism six years ago and it has evolved every year.

Zephyrhills High JROTC senior, Cadet Command Sgt. Major James Laferriere, stands at attention, with fellow cadets at Project Patriotism, in Oakside Cemetery.

Last year, the squad cleaned the grave markers for the first time.

Over the years, the ceremony has grown and more flags have been retired.

There are five units in this JROTC squad — Alpha, Beta, Charlie, Delta and Echo — and each is assigned a different duty.

Some go out into the community to seek donations of flags to be retired.

Others meet with officials from the City of Zephyrhills seeking money to support the event.

This year, the city donated about $600 that was spent on cleaning supplies, meals and transportation.

“The city really came through for us,” said retired First Sgt. Jimmy McAuley, who leads the JROTC.

His daughter, Sgt. First Class Jasmine McAuley, is a sophomore at Zephyrhills High.

“The community knows about it, but the cadets go out and go to homes to ask for flags, and then come up with the ceremony and go to the city, so everyone has a job to do and they did a great job,” the JROTC leader said.

“It’s a humbling experience,” Laferriere added, “but we’re honored to do it.”

Zephyrhills High JROTC sophomore, Sgt. Andrew Fraley, scrubs the gravestone of a veteran who was laid to rest at Oakside Cemetery. Fraley’s efforts were part of his squad’s Project Patriotism.

The ceremony commenced with the Honor Guard walking through a Saber Arch and the reciting of the Pledge of Allegiance.

After that, several cadets, some in dress uniforms and others in fatigues, lined up and placed a retired flag into the fire.

Following that, several young cadets removed the top of their fatigues and fanned out into the cemetery, searching for the grave markers of veterans.

When they found one, they’d salute the veteran and then get down on their hands and needs with buckets of soapy water and brushes to clean away grime from the headstones.

“The ceremony, to me,” said Capt. Aiden Macumber, who led the ceremony, “is a way to honor those who have served.

“It means a lot, to me, because I had a lot of family members who were in the military. This is an annual tradition for our battalion, and I’m very honored to be in charge of this event.”

The act of cleaning the gravestones, he said, demonstrates that the cadets still care about the veterans, no matter how long they have been buried in the cemetery.

“We’re coming in here to make sure the (headstones) still look good, and it’s a great honor, in my opinion, because it’s how we say, ‘Hey, we still remember you, we’ll still take care of you and, of course, thank you’,” he said.

Published March 02, 2022

Brace for higher costs, Pasco school board member says

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Pasco County Schools should prepare to pay more for insurance, as it prepares its plans for the next budget year, said Allen Altman, a school board member who serves on the board’s insurance committee.

He recently attended a meeting of a statewide insurance trust that represents 400 public entities, including Pasco County Schools.

The news at that meeting about upcoming insurance costs wasn’t good, Altman said.

“The property market in Florida right now —  to say it is in chaos, is an understatement.

“Many, many carriers are shut down completely or are bleeding so much money they’re leaving the state,” Altman told his colleagues during the Pasco County School Board’s Feb. 15 meeting.

“On the commercial side, which is what we are, the rate indications from the re-insurers so far, are running from 20% to 35% (higher),” he said.

Pasco expects to face rate increases in the 10% to 15% range, he said.

He told the board the reason Pasco is expected to face lower cost increases is because it has excellent data regarding its buildings and values.

He said he was told that out of all of the entities represented in the group, Pasco County Schools has the best data.

Still, the district will face increases and it needs to plan for that, he said.

It also will pay more because it is adding coverage for millions of dollars of new facilities that were finished in the past year, Altman said.

Another issue that is expected to result in higher costs involves a proposed change in state legislation, the board member said.

Under current law, under the auspices of sovereign immunity, government entities are liable for a maximum of $200,000 on a claim, unless a claims bill goes to the Legislature and gets approved, Altman said.

But a proposed change by the Florida Senate would increase that limit to $300,000 and a proposed change by the Florida House of Representatives would bump the limit to $1 million, Altman said.

At the moment, it looks like the Senate is accepting the House version, he added.

The proposed increase could be a “significant hit on a budget,” Altman said, especially since the school district has a large number of employees who operate vehicles.

Another issue demanding heightened awareness involves cybersecurity, Altman said. Government agencies are increasingly being targeted and some have fallen victim to successful Ransomware attacks.

While Altman raised issues about increasing costs, Don Peace, president of the United School Employees of Pasco, again urged the board to stand with the union to support a ballot initiative aimed at increasing funding to improve wages.

“We are now, the only district in an eight- or nine-district region without a significant secondary source of income for salaries and personnel.

“Again, I am asking this board to take a stand. Investigate the possibility of a referendum for the sake of the students.

“We cannot continue to be the lowest paid district in our region,” Peace said.

Board Chairwoman Cynthia Armstrong said efforts are being made to make state lawmakers aware of the impact their policies have on general funds, which are the source of pay raises for employees.

School board member Megan Harding wants district leadership to do more.

“I’ve said this before, but I’m going to have to say it again: We need to do better,” Harding said.

Exit interviews indicate that 24% of those leaving the district are doing so because of pay and benefits, she said.

“Burnout is very real, and our teachers and staff need to see action as to how much we appreciate them,” Harding added.

“I am sure there tools in our toolbox that we are not using, and I want to use every tool that we have to get our teacher and staff pay up to be competitive in our region.

“Other districts around us are making it work. Other districts around us are asking their community for help,” Harding said.

Published March 02, 2022

This German POW’s art made an indelible impression

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The April 14, 1944 headline on the front page of The Dade City Banner read, “Nazi War Prisoners Arrive in Dade City.”

The story described a camp designed and built by U.S. Army engineers for 250 German prisoners of war and 60 military police.

These POWS were veteran members of Erwin Rommel’s famed “Afrika Korps”— a name Adolf Hitler personally chose for his expeditionary force heading into North Africa in February of 1941.

The hand-painted mural by German prisoner of war Heinz Friedmann remains visible 77 years after it was created. The mural is in the Florida offices of the Indianapolis-based Superior ROW Services, which is located at the Dade City Business Center. (Courtesy of J.W. Hunnicutt/Paul Prine)

As Germany’s most effective tank commander, Rommel was called “The Desert Fox.” He was the field marshal for Hitler’s Operation Sonnenblume (Sunflower).

Until the defeat of the Afrika Korps in May of 1943, Rommel had fought military campaigns for Nazi Germany in Libya, Egypt, Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia.

But the loss of an estimated 378,000 German and Italian soldiers, who became POWs, ended Hitler’s quest to conquer the deserts of Africa.

The POWs were shipped to 500 camps in the United States and were spread throughout 45 states.

Florida received 10,000 POWs that were scattered among 22 camps, including Branch Camp No. 7, in Dade City.

The grounds of the former POW camp now are occupied by Naomi Jones Pyracantha Park, along Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.

During the two years the German POWs lived in Dade City, they picked fruit and built a warehouse at Pasco Packing Association.

It was not uncommon during this time for the German POWS in Dade City to receive food or clothing as equal as the U.S. servicemen who guarded them.

At the same time, German POWs in Russia were routinely slaughtered, according to historical accounts.

“Most of the prisoners are young and groups of them last evening were singing. They would no doubt be singing ‘God Bless America,’ as they seemed rather content to be here,” a Banner report said.

The good treatment inspired POW Heinz Friedmann, who was a professional artist, to create a large, aerial-view mural of the citrus plant buildings, water tower and surrounding orange groves on the walls of the executive office of the president of the Pasco Packing Association, L.C. “Mark” Edwards Jr.

Charles Arnade, a former professor of Government and International Affairs at the University of South Florida, wrote an account in 2003, which helps create a fuller picture of Friedmann.

Arnade, who is now deceased, wrote that Friedmann “also drew a huge orange on the company’s water tower. Mr. Friedmann also sketched local citizens’ portraits, of which two have survived in personal possessions.”

Not forgotten by the plant’s director, Friedmann later received shoes from Pasco Packing for his bride-to-be, as shortages lingered with many things in postwar Germany.

The artist also was brought back to Dade City in 1986 to take part in the citrus plant’s 50th anniversary.

Martha Knapp, a retired schoolteacher and past president of the Pasco County Historical Society, also did research involving the German POWs in Dade City.

Files at USF, from Knapp’s donated collections, include information gleaned from interviews of seven surviving Germany POWS gathered in Stuttgart in late 1997.

Plans for them to reunite in 1998 did not come to fruition.

Published March 02, 2022

Overpass Road has reopened

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Overpass Road reopened last week to vehicular traffic, between Old Pasco and Boyette roads.

One lane is open in each direction, according to a Pasco County news release.

No pedestrian or bicycle traffic is allowed and there is no access to Interstate 75, from Overpass Road.

Additional lanes on Overpass Road and the ramps to and from I-75 are projected to open later this year or early 2023, the news release says.

There also will be traffic signals at Old Pasco Road, the two intersections at the I-75 ramps, and Boyette Road.

Construction continues to build sidewalks for future safe pedestrian use.

The area is posted at 30 mph for worker and public safety. Motorists also must be prepared to stop at Old Pasco and Boyette roads.

Overpass Road had been closed since February 2021 to remove the existing bridge and build replacement bridges in conjunction with the new interchange construction, the release adds.

At the time of the closure, according to a report in The Laker/Lutz News, officials from the Florida Department of Transportation, said the closure was expected to last a year, which is essentially what happened.

Although the road has reopened, work on the design-build project continues.

The new interstate interchange being built at I-75 at Overpass Road, is about 3.5 miles south of State Road 52. The new diamond interchange will include a flyover ramp for westbound Overpass Road access onto southbound I-75.

Overpass Road is being widened to four lanes between I-75 and Old Pasco Road and to six lanes between I-75 and Boyette Road.

Completion of the approximately $64 million project is scheduled for summer 2023.

Published March 02, 2022