Local News

AmbuBus helps streamline emergency response

July 20, 2021 By Special to The Laker/Lutz News

With a fresh coat of paint, a new logo and an interior revamp, an old Hillsborough County school bus has been converted into a new AmbuBus, according to a Hillsborough County newsletter.

The vehicle was funded solely through donations and grants from the Hillsborough County School District, and the Tampa Bay Health and Medical Preparedness Coalition.

The interior of the bus has been outfitted with supplies, cots and stretchers. It can carry 12 to 20 patients and paramedics at a time, and will be used for large-scale emergencies, such as hurricanes.

The bus will be equipped with all of the necessary medical equipment that is included in regular ambulances and will be used to free up other vehicles that are needed to respond to different locations.

Published July 21, 2021

Pasco health grant will help with return of students to school

July 20, 2021 By Special to The Laker/Lutz News

The health department in Pasco County recently received a $12 million grant from the Florida Department of Health, that is intended to help with the return of students to school, according to Ray Gadd, deputy superintendent of Pasco County Schools.

“This is a very broad grant,” Gadd said, during a school board meeting last month. “It’s allowing us to purchase canopies, picnic tables and various supplies that will help us kind of separate kids during lunches and cafeteria time, to help mitigate the impact of COVID in the new school year.

The grant will support more health professionals, nurses and other personnel — allowing district nurses to focus on their nursing duties, which involve screenings and of other activities with students, Gadd said.

“Also, as part of this grant that we have with the department of health, we’ll be continuing to offer testing services to kids and staff, although the department of health will be running those testing programs.

“They’ll be doing it with a mobile bus on the east and the west side of the county. We’ll still have this location here, in the center of the county, but the department of health will be running it, as opposed to the school system.

“In addition, we are offering vaccinations through Health Heroes, and this is strictly voluntary,” Gadd said. That program provides free vaccinations for youths age 12 and older.

Published July 21, 2021

Will planning board appointments become more political?

July 13, 2021 By B.C. Manion

Pasco County commissioners want a greater say, individually, regarding appointments to the Pasco County Planning Commission.

The issue arose at the county board’s July 6 meeting, when commissioners were set to approve two-year reappointments of planning commissioners Charles Grey, Christopher Poole, Roberto Saez and Don Anderson.

The item had been placed on the board’s consent agenda — meaning no discussion was expected and it would be approved as part of a bundle of agenda items.

But Commissioner Mike Moore pulled the item to express his desire to consider such appointments individually in the future — instead of voting on them collectively.

Commissioner Kathryn Starkey, however, pushed for a bigger change.

She wants to discard the process that’s been used recently to choose the planning board.

Instead of soliciting applications and then voting on appointments as a collective county board, she called for individual commissioners to choose a planning board member to represent their district.

“I prefer to appoint someone to that (planning board),” Starkey said.

Jack Mariano supported the move.

“Commissioner Starkey, I agree 100%. I don’t have a single person from District 5 and there’s not a single person from District 1, either.”

Moore said he had no problems with what Starkey and Mariano were suggesting.

It’s similar to the process that commissioners used in the past to select members of the planning commission.

County Attorney Jeffrey Steinsnyder told the board that changing the selection process would require an amendment to the land development code.

Steinsnyder added: “I’ll also remind you that the reason you moved to board appointments versus commission appointments was to move forward the way most other jurisdictions do it.”

Having the entire county board select planning commissioners reduces potential for “political appointments,” Steinsnyder said.

“It is probably your most important board,” Steinsnyder said.

“That’s why I feel that the west side should be represented,” Starkey said. “They don’t have to live in a commission district. I may not find anyone who qualifies in my district,” she said. “But at least I want someone on the (planning) board who understands my district.”

Commission Chairman Ron Oakley said he doesn’t have a problem with the current planning commission.

“I think the planning commission has been operating very well. I don’t have any feeling of not being represented on that planning commission board. They’re all our citizens,” Oakley said.

However, Oakley joined in with the rest of the commission when they approved a motion by Starkey to extend the terms of Grey, Poole, Saez and Anderson for six months.

That will allow time for new commission district lines to be drawn through redistricting.

After that, commissioners agreed they would appoint one planning commissioner each, with the full board choosing an at-large member. The school board seat on the planning board would not be affected by the change.

Planning board members who already have been reappointed to longer terms would need to be addressed separately, Moore noted.

The issue was bought up at the Pasco County Planning Commission’s meeting on July 8, by Denise Hernandez, the county’s zoning administrator.

She informed the planning board about the county board’s action.

David Goldstein, the chief assistant county attorney, said the possibility remains that the planning board’s composition could remain the same — since commissioners have the option of appointing someone who lives outside of their district.

Future vacancies, he said, will be filled by individual board members, except for the at-large seat, which will be selected by the entire board. The school board seat will not be affected.

Because the change requires an amendment to the county’s land development code and because it would not take effect until redistricting is done, it might not occur within six months, Goldstein said.

“My understanding is that there’s an issue with the census data. It’s not out yet. The redistricting has to be based on the census data.

“It may not occur in six months. It may roll into the next year. I suspect what will happen is that we may need to be going back to the board saying, ‘We need to extend another six months, or something to that effect,” Goldstein said.

Currently, there are no representatives on the planning commission from Oakley, Starkey or Mariano’s districts.

“There are three planning commission members from Christina Fitzpatrick’s district and three members from Commissioner Moore’s district,” Hernandez said.

The planning commission is a volunteer board, which provides recommendations on comprehensive land use, zoning, and land development code changes, as well as conditional use requests and operational permits. It is the final decision-making body for special exception applications.

Planning Commission Chairman Grey quipped that zoning administrator Hernandez was behind the planned change.

To which Goldstein responded: “It was not the recommendation by staff or the county attorney’s office.”

Planning board member Anderson asked: “Does that (the new process) make it more of a political appointment?”

Goldstein responded: “Yes, that was one of the reasons the county attorney’s office originally recommended that it be the decision of the entire board, so the entire board could pick the best fit from an expertise perspective, more so, versus, say, they happen to live in the district, perspective.”

Serving on the planning commission requires a certain amount of expertise in real estate, planning, development and so on, Goldstein said.

“I think the county attorney’s office, and probably the planning staff as well, thought the appointment should be based on knowledge and expertise, rather than where you live,” Goldstein said.

Published July 14, 2021

Diverging Diamond is delayed

July 13, 2021 By B.C. Manion

Work on the diverging diamond project at State Road 56 and Interstate 75 in Wesley Chapel has been halted, and the project is not expected to be completed until after the holidays.

That news was announced by Pasco County Commissioner Mike Moore during the Pasco County Commission’s July 6 meeting.

Moore told his colleagues that the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) had found the company doing the work — D.A.B. Constructors — in default.

Kris Carson, department spokeswoman for FDOT’s District 7 office, explained the series of events in an email.

This is an aerial of a diverging diamond project. Work has stopped on a diverging diamond project that is being done in Wesley Chapel, which is expected to ease traffic at State Road 56 and Interstate 75, once the work is finished. An estimated completion date on the project has not been determined. (File)

She said that in November 2020, FDOT “issued a Notice of Intent to Default (NOI) to the contractor due to concerns they were not proceeding at the pace required to meet the contractual completion date.”

In its response, D.A.B. Constructors “included a recovery schedule showing a project completion date of October 2021,” Carson wrote.

Based on that schedule, FDOT “established interim milestone dates that the contractor would need to meet in order to avoid being defaulted,” Carson’s email continues.

“One of the milestones was set for June 28, 2021, and the contractor did not meet this milestone.

“On June 25, 2021, D.A.B. notified the Department (FDOT) they were demobilizing from the project. As a result of missing the milestone, the Department (FDOT) defaulted D.A.B. on July 1, 2021,” Carson’s email says.

She also noted that “at the time of the default, D.A.B.’s schedule submitted to the Department (FDOT) showed a final completion date of Jan. 6, 2022, and the interchange would be in its final configuration in early November 2021. However, interim milestones on the projects critical path were not met to achieve that schedule. D.A.B. demobilized on June 25, 2021, which would further delay the project.”

Carson goes on to say that FDOT “will work with the surety company who is required to provide a replacement contractor to complete the project. At this time, FDOT is unsure how long it will take the surety to procure the replacement contractor but will work diligently to move the process as quickly as possible.”

During the July 6 county board meeting, Moore told his colleagues that motorists driving through the area likely would have noticed the work stoppage at that location.

“The company swore up and down they would get this done. They would meet the milestones. The timelines. They were moving along nicely, in the beginning, unfortunately, they slowed down again,” Moore said.

Despite the delay, Moore reiterated his support for the diverging diamond.

“It’s such a great project. It’s going to have huge benefits,” Moore said.

Still, the county commissioner expressed frustration.

“It’s unfortunate. It really is. Because who pays the price? It’s our citizens — that’s their taxes and they expect these projects to be done in a timely manner,” Moore said.

In her email, Carson said FDOT is “empathetic to impacts any project delays may cause to motorists, residents, and businesses and will make adjustments to traffic signals and any traffic control devices to help accommodate extra traffic volume” that’s typical during the holiday season.

She said D.A.B. is the prime contractor on two other projects in Pasco County: State Road 54, from Curley Road to Morris Bridge Road; and State Road 52, from the Suncoast Parkway to U.S. 41.

“The default does not apply to these state road projects,” Carson wrote.

Published July 14, 2021

Searching for answers about Eddie Lewis

July 13, 2021 By Doug Sanders

The word “Ehren,” of German origin, means “to honor.”

And, an example of doing just that can be found at the Mt. Carmel Cemetery, in the once-thriving community of Ehren, off Ehren Cutoff in Land O’ Lakes.

For more than 114 years, a small grave in this 1-acre cemetery, has been marked by the name “Eddie” at the top of a small tombstone.

Karen Matthews, of Land O’ Lakes, and Patricia Puckett, of Dade City, clean the grave marker of Eddie Lewis, buried at the Mt. Carmel Cemetery in 1906. This burial ground is one of four historic African American cemeteries that still exist in Pasco County. (Courtesy of Doug Sanders)

This is the final resting place for Eddie Lewis, who died on Nov. 8, 1906, at the age of 14.

He was buried there, at a time of segregated homes, churches, schools and cemeteries.

“Eddie’s was the only marked grave with a headstone and mount when I first stopped to see the cemetery,” says Karen Matthews, of Land O’ Lakes, who lives six miles away.

“It’s obvious his parents put all their love and money in honoring their dead son, and I was overcome with wonder and curiosity about his short life,” she said.

Eddie Lewis was born on March 17, 1892, according to the grave marker.

Public records about Eddie Lewis’ life and death are elusive.

There was no hospital in Ehren at that time, and no medical records are available.

No death certificate is available, either.

Florida didn’t begin requiring death certificates until the 1920s, according to Jeff Cannon, the former director of the Pasco County Historic Preservation Society.

While not much is known about Eddie Lewis’ life, insights about the community of Ehren can be gleaned from historic records, accounts of local historians and from newspaper reports.

For instance, the Orange Belt Railroad arrived in 1888.

The local post office was established on Jan. 17, 1890, to serve 300 people, according to an application to the postmaster general in Washington D.C.

Elizabeth Riegler MacManus and Susan A. MacManus, authors of “Citrus, Sawmills, Critters & Crackers,” described the working conditions in the community more than a century ago.

White workers cut wood to feed the wood-burning trains, while Black laborers cut railroad ties to maintain and expand the railroad tracks, the historians wrote.

During the 1900s, Blacks in Ehren worked at a turpentine still built southeast of the Ehren Pine Company, collecting resin from trees, in heavy barrels.

The only other source of real income was agriculture where local farmers produced crops of watermelons, cantaloupes, onions, tomatoes, cane syrup and peanuts.

Historian Cannon described the devastation caused by a fire on March 28, 1920 that burned the Ehren Pine Company to the ground.

“Within a few minutes, the sawmill was ablaze along with a large boarding house and two homes,” Cannon wrote in 2011. Total losses were reported at $125,000, according to his research.

The Dade City Banner reported on April 2, 1920: “With the sawmill gone there is little left of Ehren, and its future depends largely upon whether Mr. Mueller and his associates rebuild or not.”

Historian Cannon observed: “Although research has revealed a great deal of information about the sawmill town, there still remains that which we do not know.”

It’s not even known precisely when Mt. Carmel Cemetery was founded.

Approximately 40 graves were found in the cemetery in September 2006, by SDII Global, which conducted a ground-penetrating radar survey of the cemetery.

Seven of those were marked with traditional headstones, but the others had wooden markers, which had rotted away.

“The earliest marked grave is the infant daughter of T. & M. Horton, dated Dec. 23, 1903,” according to Cannon.

The genesis of this column was a 2020 request from Matthews, who asked for help in tracking down more information about Eddie Lewis.

On June 20, 2009, the cemetery was officially designated a historic site by the county’s historic preservation committee.

Although little could be learned about him, some online searches helped to provide more details about his family.

The online source FindAGrave.com identifies Robert Milton Lewis and Jane Lloyd Lewis, as Eddie’s parents.

Additionally, handwritten records from the 1900 census (Pasco Ehren District #0129) reveal that Eddie had three brothers: Robert, born in 1890; Montine, born 1895; and Abraham, born in in 1900. He also had a sister, Ida, born in 1887.

Other information about Eddie’s family was found in additional census records and Ancestry.com.

Those records say that Eddie’s father was born in 1866 in Mississippi and his mother was born in 1871 in Florida.

His parents, according to the records, were married in 1886.

Records indicated that both parents could read and write, and Eddie’s father worked in a “log yard sawmill.”

Records from the 1910 census reveal that the Lewis family moved to Clearwater, and that Eddie’s father was the owner of a blacksmith shop.

Those records also indicate that Eddie had another brother, John, who was born in 1904, but that his sister, Ida, had apparently died because her name was not listed in the census.

Eddie’s parents are not buried at Mt. Carmel Cemetery, according to obituaries found on Newspapers.com.

His father died in Clearwater at the age of 89 on July 5, 1956. His mother died in Pinellas County in 1945 at the age of 74.

Although the ground survey did not identify any names at the Mt. Carmel Cemetery, at least four interments are listed by PeopleLegacy.com:

Minnie Blocker (1876 to 1954)
Lonnie G. Bowen (born 1875)
Lydia Gibbs (1867-1936)
W.G. Gibbs (Died 1935)

Any Information about others buried at the cemetery remains a mystery — at least for now.

Published July 14, 2021

Penny for Pasco funds to help pay for road widening

July 13, 2021 By B.C. Manion

The Pasco County Commission has approved spending $3.2 million in Penny for Pasco funds to help pay for widening a portion of Old Pasco Road.

The expenditure is considered to be a fair share contribution, associated with an economic development project at the Overpass Business Park property at 7012 Old Paso Road and 7526 Old Pasco Road.

The county’s engineering services department requested the county’s Office of Economic Growth to provide the $3.2 million toward the road’s construction costs, according to the Pasco County Commission’s July 6 agenda packet.

The concept plan for the business park consists of four buildings totaling 860,000 square feet. The project is expected to generate 1,500 full-time jobs.

The agreement says Old Pasco Road must be widened to four lanes, from the southern point of the property going north to the intersection of Old Pasco Road and Overpass Road, before the first certificate of occupancy will be issued on the property.

The first industrial building on the property is expected to be completed by the end of September in 2022.

In other action, commissioners:

Approved a task order in the amount of $584,100 with Bandes Construction Company Inc., to provide construction services for the interior renovation to the Commissioner Suite on the first floor of the West Pasco Government Center.

The existing suite is outdated and doesn’t meet the functional needs of the three commissioners who have offices there and their support staff, agenda materials say. The renovation involves a 3,257 square-foot area, including one large conference room, two small conference rooms, two restrooms, three commissioner offices, six administrative assistant offices, a breakroom, reception area, copy area and storage.

Approved an increase of $171,000 with TNT Environmental LLC for expenditures relating to the countywide slum and blight demolition program. The increase will result in a new not-to-exceed amount of $466,625 for fiscal year 2021 and a cumulative total not-to-exceed amount of $1,195,500 for the three-year contract term.

The additional money is needed to allow a task force to prioritize an additional 20 to 30 structures for demolition in fiscal year 2021.

Approved a development agreement with Taylor Morrison of Florida Inc., regarding the design, permitting and construction of a turn lane on the west side of Morris Bridge Road, at the intersection of State Road 56, in exchange for mobility fee credits.

The county’s transportation planners have determined that this improvement is not a site-access related improvement, and is an existing deficiency unrelated to the master-planned unit development, which makes it eligible for mobility fee credits.

County planners and the County Attorney’s Office have vetted the agreement, according to agenda materials.

Approved a funding agreement between the county and Habitat for Humanity of East & Central Pasco County Inc., to allow the county to expend grant funds as approved under the Fiscal Year 2020 HOME Investment Partnerships Program. The agreement allows $400,000 for the construction of 10 affordable for- purchase homes located in the Cove neighborhood on Main Avenue and 17th Street in Dade City.

The term of this Agreement begins on the last day signed by the county and continues through Sept. 30, 2022. Payment of the allocated sum is to be made as reimbursement to Habitat for Humanity of East & Central Pasco County.

• Approved a change to the county’s land use plan to allow 11 more single-family homes in the Orange State Grove, north of County Line Road, west of Livingston Road, in Lutz. The change increased the designation from three dwellings per acre to nine dwellings per acre, on approximately 2.32 developable acres. The existing Orange State master-planned development permitted 206 residential units, but the additional homes required a change in the land use designation to support the increased density.

Published July 14, 2021

Zephyrhills welcomes new Main Street director

July 13, 2021 By Kevin Weiss

Faith Wilson is off to a quick start — as the new director and events coordinator for Main Street Zephyrhills Inc.

In about a month’s time, the 32-year-old has helped relaunch the organization’s website, created a community interview series, increased social media engagement across various platforms, and streamlined membership and sponsorship packages.

She’s also planning the organization’s 17th annual Music & Motorcycles event, set for Sept.11, from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Main Street Zephyrhills is a 501c3 nonprofit that generally facilitates new business, and organizes large events and parades within the historic downtown district — particularly along Fifth Avenue.

Faith Wilson (Courtesy of Main Street Zephyrhills Inc.)

Events include Music & Motorcycles, Halloween Howl and Zephyrhills Christmas Parade, among others.

Wilson was introduced during a Zephyrhills Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) meeting June 28 at Zephyrhills City Hall.

She is a Lithia native, who lives in Lakeland with her husband and two children.

She graduated from Newsome High School, and studied liberal arts and architecture at Hillsborough Community College and the University of South Florida, respectively.

She officially began working for Main Street Zephyrhills on June 1, with a salary of $38,456.

Her role — as the organization’s only city-funded position — consists of serving as an advocate and liaison for the downtown district with initiatives to bring economic growth and community connections. The role involves working closely with the Zephyrhills CRA and other groups.

The organization relies on donations, memberships and partner organizations to help fund projects such as public artwork, family friendly events and activities.

Wilson’s background is in retail management, having been an assistant store manager and corporate leadership team member at Stein Mart. She also served on the advisory board for USO (United Service Organizations) Tampa Bay.

Wilson assumed the Main Street position vacated by Paxton McCullough, who held the role from June 2020 to May 2021. Before that, the role was held by Anna Stutzriem, who resigned in March 2020 after more than two years on the post.

Wilson shared her vision for Main Street Zephyrhills and the city’s historic downtown, a subject broached by CRA Commissioner Lance Smith during the meeting.

“I see opportunity overall,” Wilson responded. She cited the potential for events, particularly markets because they draw the community out — something that was hampered by COVID-19.

“When people get out in the community and they shop local, they see their local friends, they see their neighbors out there, it really brings that bond and sense of community back together, and hopefully from that, (people) become inspired to continue to come downtown and support their local businesses,” Wilson said.

Building momentum for Zephyrhills historic downtown, particularly around Fifth Avenue, is a primary objective of Main Street Zephyrhills Inc.

Describing herself as personable, as well as a person of action, Wilson said “I want the community to feel like they know me and that they can talk to me at any time.”

She has been keeping busy with Main Street functions.

Initial tasks included being a part of the well-attended Seventh Street Mural ceremony back in late May.

The vibrant mural, titled ‘Ocea,’ is located on the south-facing wall of 5210 Seventh St.

The outdoor event gave residents a chance to mingle with the mural’s artists, partake in refreshment, take pictures and spend time together in downtown.

“That was quite a success,” Wilson said. “It was positively received, and it was a nice community event, especially post-COVID, for everyone to get out and see what we’re doing in the Main Street sector.”

Wilson also has updated the organization’s social media platforms, ensuring presence on Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, TikTok, SnapChat and Instagram.

“I’m keeping up with all of that,” Wilson said. She also is “trying to cater to all age groups of the Zephyrhills community and let them know what Main Street is doing,” she said.

Wilson has been doing a livestream interview series, in which she dialogues with various Main Street members and business owners “to let the community get to know the people behind these organizations, so I think that’s going to be very helpful with connecting the community.”

The most recent interview piece featured Habitat for Humanity ReStores representatives, which can be found archived on YouTube.

Wilson’s “big project” has been the relaunch of a new Main Street Zephyrhills website, MainStreetZephyrhills.org.

She shared details of the website on the council chambers’ projection screen, during the meeting.

The fresh site includes several new user-friendly features and accessibility tools, such as shortcuts to information about dining, shopping, events, activities and service experiences throughout town.

There’s a detailed downtown Zephyrhills business directory, providing information including address, phone number and links to their respective websites.

Other highlights include a city events calendar and listing of upcoming Main Street projects and attractions.

There’s also a business entrepreneur resources toolkit that lists available vacant properties for lease, as well as how-to information about licenses, permits, loans, utilities, community connection opportunities and more.

The website is ADA-compliant, with accessibility tools to alter contrasts and text sizes, too.

Wilson worked closely on the project with The Social Connection — a Land O’ Lakes based marketing agency specializing in website development, social media and graphic/digital marketing, particularly for start-up companies and small businesses.

The website undertaking involved “many, many hours,” Wilson acknowledged.

Main Street Zephyrhills Inc., is a 501c3 nonprofit that generally facilitates new business and organizes large events in the city’s historic downtown district.

CRA Director Gail Hamilton, who serves as Main Street’s ex-oficio, attested: “She’s providing content and she’s having to pull teeth from everybody to get the content to put on there,” also noting that Wilson often has been tackling details, late into the evening.

Hamilton commended Wilson’s efforts.

“She hit the ground running with this (position),” said Hamilton, “so we are very excited about the future.”

Other city leaders came away impressed with Wilson’s presentation and overall work, over the short time frame.

“I think she’s doing a great job, and I think we’re going to see Main Street grow and begin to flourish,” said Zephyrhills City Manager Billy Poe.

CRA Commissioners also happily observed Main Street’s complete roster of volunteer board members — something that’s been a challenge for the organization in the past.

In fact, Poe pointed out the local Main Street chapter was “very close” to shuttering about a year ago, because there weren’t enough board members per state requirements for a period of time.

Besides Wilson and Hamilton, other key Main Street figures now include president Linda Kerns, vice president Devin Alexander, board members Antwon Gildon, Christin Bennett, Sarrah Vesselov and Grant Posner, treasurers Martin Harm and Keith Wolfe, and Councilwoman Jodi Wilkeson.

“We’ve got a great mix of residents who live in the downtown neighborhoods who work and have businesses in the downtown area that are really committed to this,” Hamilton said.

Published July 14, 2021

Mask mandate dropped in Pasco, Hillsborough public schools

July 13, 2021 By B.C. Manion

Students returning to public schools in Pasco and Hillsborough counties will not be required to wear masks.

Pasco County Schools Superintendent Kurt Browning took a moment at the school board’s July 6 meeting to reiterate the Pasco district’s position.

“I’ve been getting a number of emails from folks, across the district, that I guess are still concerned that I’m going to have staff and students in masks.

“I am not going to have students in masks, come the beginning of the school year.

“I think it’s been patently clear by this district that masks would be optional starting in August.

“I think it’s even more clear with the remarks made by our governor that there would be no masks in school. So, they’ve removed that decision from local school districts,” Browning said.

“So, I just want to make it abundantly clear that we will not have masks required in Pasco schools.

“We will, however, continue to monitor COVID and COVID data, with the Delta variant that’s out there,” Browning added.

Hillsborough County public schools also has announced that it would drop the mask mandate.

Gov. Ron DeSantis told the Florida Board of Education at its June 10 meeting that most of the state’s school districts had already decided that “kids should be able to go to school normally, they should not be forced to wear masks.

“I think that that’s important that we do that statewide,” he said.

However, guidance from the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, updated on July 9, for COVID-19 prevention in K-12 schools says: “Masks should be worn indoors by all individuals (age 2 and older) who are not fully vaccinated.”

The guidance continues: “Consistent and correct mask use by people who are not fully vaccinated is especially important indoors and in crowded settings, when physical distancing cannot be maintained.”

The CDC “recommends schools maintain at least 3 feet of physical distance between students within classrooms, combined with indoor mask wearing by people who are not fully vaccinated, to reduce transmission risk. When it is not possible to maintain a physical distance of at least 3 feet, such as when schools cannot fully reopen while maintaining these distances, it is especially important to layer multiple other prevention strategies, such as indoor masking.”

Published July 14, 2021

Clash continues over Pasco clerk’s budget

July 13, 2021 By B.C. Manion

Pasco County Clerk & Comptroller Nikki Alvarez-Sowles is continuing to push for a big budget increase, despite resistance by county administration.

During the Pasco County Commission’s consideration of next fiscal year’s property tax rate, the clerk sought permission to address the budget.

Commission Chairman Ron Oakley allowed her to speak, but shortly after she began, Commissioner Mike Moore interjected: “We cannot have these conversations. This is the board, actually debating the budget.

Pasco County Clerk & Comptroller Nikki Sowles is continuing her bid to get increased funding for her office in fiscal year 2021-2022. (File)

“If we’re going to allow all constitutionals to debate their budget request, we have to bring all of them in here and have that,” Moore said.

The clerk said that anyone from the public is free to speak during the public comment portion of the meeting, but Moore said it wasn’t appropriate for remarks to be part of the board’s deliberations.

So, the clerk said she would wait until the miscellaneous business portion of the meeting during which she’s allowed to bring issues to the board.

At that point in the meeting, Alvarez-Sowles told board members she had met with County Administrator Dan Biles.

During that meeting, she said Biles acknowledged “that the commission has a legal obligation to fund IT and that they are funding it at 40%” of her IT request.

“I just wanted to state that funding it at 40% of the request is inadequate to meet the needs of my office and the requirements of the law,” Alvarez-Sowles said. “I would like to have the full funding of IT for fiscal year 2022.”

Alvarez had spelled out her request in an April 30 letter to Commission Chairman Ron Oakley and the Pasco County Commission.

In that letter, she told commissioners that her budget request was for $13,284,195, resulting in $8,992,936 in additional funding.

At the July 6 county board meeting, Alvarez-Sowles said: “I recognize that my request is more than the county administration would like, however, it is based specifically on the commission’s legal funding obligations and the reasonable needs of my office.

Her April 30 letter also noted: “Since 2010, Pasco’s population increased by 19% and the county increased staffing by 39% to provide additional services. In that same time frame, the clerk’s office cut 11 % of its positions due to funding shortages.”

At the board meeting, she reiterated those issues and told commissioners, “the funding situation in my office is just unsustainable.”

Alvarez-Sowles also noted that the emphasis during the board’s June 8 meeting was on property tax revenue, but said there also are other unrestricted revenues that go into the general revenue account, such as sales tax and state revenue sharing.

She said the county board “is responsible for determining and setting its funding priorities” and she told the board that the clerk’s office should be among its highest priorities, along the same lines as public safety — the sheriff’s office and firefighters.

County Attorney Jeffrey Steinsnyder weighed in on the issue.

“Mr. Chairman, there appears to be a fundamental dispute between the administrator and the clerk with regard to whether or not what the clerk is asking for, is in fact, a local requirement.

“It boils down to — for large scale — whether or not the West Pasco Judicial Center is a local requirement.

“The clerk’s position is that it is. The county’s position is that it’s not,” Steinsnyder said.

Published July 14, 2021

Local firm steps up for students

July 13, 2021 By Mary Rathman

Christian Social Service (CSS) is a nonprofit organization that supports the Pasco County area, with most of the requested help made by families and single mothers.

From left: DAVRON employees Eric Maddox and David Coreen; Jacquie Petet, Christian Social Services executive director; and, DAVRON employees Leah Stevens, Blake Coen and Matthew Noble. (Courtesy of Lacy McElfresh)

The CSS thrift store and food pantry, at 5514 Land O’ Lakes Blvd., is filled with donations from local churches and private contributors.

DAVRON, a Land O’ Lakes-based executive search and outplacement firm, reached out to Jacquie Petet, executive director of CSS, to see how the company could help, according to a news release.

Petet expressed the most urgent need was for school supplies and backpacks because students will return to in-person learning for the 2021-2022 school year, and CSS was expecting to help hundreds of families. The nonprofit provides each student with a backpack, school supplies, and $20 toward its thrift store for back-to-school clothing.

In answer to Petet’s request, DAVRON hosted a School Supply Drive. With the help of the community and The Laker/Lutz News readers, DAVRON was able to donate 80 brand new backpacks and a multitude of school supply items to CSS.

These local businesses, as well as other private donors, stepped up to the plate, as well: Hungry Harry’s, Aroma Joe’s, Sweet Frog, The Flying Squirrel, Land O’ Lakes Family Fitness and Station House BBQ.

In addition, DAVRON employees contributed $1,550 to the nonprofit, which they raised at their own Charity Challenge Fishing Tournament.

Christian Social Services currently is accepting donations on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., and can be reached at 813-995-0088.

Published July 14, 2021