Local News

Flea market lures shoppers with its bargains

April 13, 2021 By Special to The Laker/Lutz News

The GFWC Lutz-Land O’ Lakes Woman’s Club offered a variety of good deals at its annual Spring Flea Market fundraiser, attracting a steady crowd of bargain-hunters to the sale, held at the Boy Scout Pack 12 property, at 205 Second Ave., S.E., in Lutz. The event raises money for scholarships, said Annette Bellinger, club president.

Marcey Rotz made the trip from New Port Richey to do a bit of shopping. (Fred Bellet)

An early crowd snatched up bargains, but there was still time to buy the large-faced clock at noon. Volunteer Dee Knerr, of North Tampa, was one of many Woman’s Club members on hand to help out.

Jim Whalen, of Lutz, found himself walking the ‘Walking Iris’ back to the car for his wife, Nadja Whalen, right, who found several plants at the flea market.

Karen Tyler, of Lutz, chats on her phone while browsing the shoe table.

(left) The Plant Lady, also known as Elaine Pittman, speaks with Debbie Cold of Lutz under the plant sale tent. Pittman was assisted by Sandi Giddens of Lutz. Various native plants were available.

Club volunteer Peggy Anders, of Land O’ Lakes, take a brief break from setting out items out for the GFWC Lutz-Land O’ Lakes Woman’s Club’s spring flea market.

Nail salon gets OK, despite neighbors’ objections

April 13, 2021 By B.C. Manion

The Pasco County Planning Commission has granted a special exception request by Amber Thomas to allow a nail salon, as a home-based business, on the north side of Carr Road, about 280 feet east of Arms Drive, in Zephyrhills.

Thomas told the county planning board that she’s a nail artist and had been doing nails as a hobby — after she had to let her salon go in August.

But, she said she was seeking permission for a home-based business because she’d been cited by the county and was informed if she wanted to keep doing nails, she’d need to create a business.

Thomas told the planning board that she does nail artistry, which involves creating designs using various materials. It typically takes about 2 hours for an appointment, she said.

County planners recommended approval of her request.

Neighbors, however, objected.

They said a commercial operation would change the dynamics of their neighborhood.

They complained that people coming to Thomas’ home have parked on the street, and that has created hazards for people pulling out of their driveways.

They said neighborhood kids play in the area and ride their bikes there, so any additional traffic could pose safety concerns.

They also raised a concern about the potential for the business to set a precedent for others to set up shop in the neighborhood.

Thomas said there have been cars near her home, but not because of her nail salon clientele.

“I’ve hosted Pampered Chef Parties for friends. I do barbecues. I have Christmas parties. I had people over — my son just got married. I feel like whenever there is anybody at my home, they’re taking it as customers. Like I don’t have a right to have anybody at my house, period,” Thomas said.

She told planning commissioners that she’s willing to limit her nail clients to one at a time, and a maximum of three per day.

She also said she will keep her driveway free, so no one will have to park on the street.

She said she is not trying to disrupt the neighborhood, and she wishes her neighbors had come to talk with her.

“This probably could have been handled differently,” Thomas said.

Planning Commissioner Jaime Girardi noted: “The approval does restrict one customer at a time. People have parties,” he said, and they visitors, too.

“There are times when you do exceed what you can fit just in your driveway,” Girardi said.

“I tend to agree with the applicant that she sometimes is targeted as having customers there when in fact, they’re not customers at all,” he said.

Girardi called for approving the request, with a restriction on hours of operation, a maximum of three customers per day and no on-street parking.

The motion passed, with Planning Commission Chairman Charles Grey and Planning Commissioner Peter Hanzel voting no.

Published April 14, 2021

Pause on multifamily moves step closer in Pasco

April 6, 2021 By B.C. Manion

The Pasco County Planning Commission is recommending approval of a six-month moratorium on new applications for multifamily development in a portion of the county.

Planning commissioners also think the land development code should be changed to limit the ability to receive a conditional use approval for multifamily uses on commercial land.

The planning board made both recommendations during its April 1 meeting. The Pasco County Commission is the final authority on both issues.

The area shaded in pink represents the area where a 180-day moratorium is being proposed on applications relating to new entitlements for multifamily developments. (Courtesy of Pasco County)

Planning commissioners said a pause on new applications for multifamily uses is needed to give staff time to collect data to determine whether there’s an oversaturation of multifamily within the temporary moratorium area.

Commissioner Mike Moore has repeatedly warned that too much multifamily is being allowed within District 2, which he represents.

A majority of board members voted in February to direct staff to prepare an ordinance to enact a six-month moratorium on new rezoning, conditional use or land use applications that would increase the potential for multifamily, in a specified area.

That specified area, which is contained in Moore’s District 2, is generally defined as between State Road 52, on the end; U.S. 41, on the west; State Road 54 on the south; and, Bruce B. Downs Boulevard, on the east, with the boundary zig-zagging between District 1, represented by Commission Chairman Ron Oakley, and District 2.

Not everybody is sold on the idea of enacting a temporary moratorium.

Eric Garduno, representing the Bay Area Apartment Association, said that while the proposed moratorium is temporary, its objective is “to discourage the growth of apartment communities in our county.”

That’s contrary to the county’s comprehensive land use plan, and would be a mistake, Garduno said.

“Apartment communities are a key ingredient to the future success of the county.

“Their development should be encouraged, not discouraged,” he said.

“The latest information I have regarding vacancy rates for apartment communities in Pasco County, is 6.1%, which is really, really low.

“There are just under 15,000 apartment units across the whole county. By comparison, Hillsborough County has 133,000. That is 11 people for every apartment in Hillsborough, and 36 people for every apartment in Pasco County.

“Nationally, 45% of rental households are in apartment communities, of five or more units.

“Only 25% of renters in Pasco County are in apartment communities.”

Garduno pointed to a market study provided to the county board in February.

That analysis, completed by Lesley Deutch, managing principal with John Burns Real Estate Consulting, projects a need for an additional 5,380 Class A apartments in Pasco County over the next five years.

Garduno told planning commissioners: “This demand is fueled by young professionals and empty-nesters, both of whom want amenities and services in and around their communities. He also noted: “Apartments are a key economic driver for the county. They, themselves are employers. This includes onsite teams, as well as a whole host of contractors who maintain and fix appliances and amenities throughout apartment communities,” Garduno added.

“More importantly, I think, for your consideration: They provide the rooftops for commercial investment. You need rooftops, to support retail. You need rooftops to attract major employers.

“Apartment communities get you those rooftops in a small footprint that furthers the comp plan — the comp plan objectives around reducing sprawl, reducing environmental impacts and maximizing the efficient use of infrastructure,” the apartment industry expert said.

Joel Tew, a private zoning and land use attorney, told planning commissioners instead of imposing a moratorium, the county should be encouraging more multifamily development.

“Here, at the peak of unprecedented housing demand, market demand, in this country — unprecedented housing inventory shortage in this country, unprecedented number of young professionals, and empty-nesters and retirees who are wanting apartments and the high-end lifestyle that the current product provides, it is simply a bad message to send to business,” Tew said.

“We should be providing incentives to get product there, to get affordable housing, to get apartment options for those that want to live in Pasco County,” Tew added.

“This whole concept is simply ill-designed to apply to one commission district, for purely political reasons that have nothing to with the comprehensive plan, that have nothing to do with market data, that have nothing to do with market demand,” Tew said.

Planning commissioners said they see the value of the pause, to collect more data.

Planning Commission Chairman Charles Grey put it this way: “They’re saying that this multifamily development is happening so rapidly, in order to make sure we have our arms around it and that we have the right regulations and support, we’re going to need for that, they need some time to review it and make sure they have the proper protocols in place.”

However, Grey and other planning commissioners said the data collection also should include information about vacancy rates — something the county board had not requested.

“I know from my perspective of being in that business, no developer goes in to develop an apartment project without knowing what the vacancy rates are. If the vacancy rates are 15(%) or 20%, he’s not going to build a new complex,” Grey said.

Planning Commissioner Chris Poole thinks the 180-day moratorium is needed, to ensure the county has the facts.

“We need to get it right. The data has got to be right. It’s incumbent on us to make sure we get it right for future generations,” Poole said.

Limiting multifamily on commercial land
While the moratorium is temporary and applies to only a portion of the county, a proposed change regarding conditional uses on commercial land would be a permanent change to the land development code and would apply countywide.

Planning commissioners resisted that proposal at a previous meeting, citing concerns about potential unintended consequences.

Planners brought a revised proposal to the planning board’s April 1 meeting.

That proposal would allow conditional uses to be considered for multifamily uses on general commercial land, if: the proposed multifamily meets the criteria for affordable housing; the multifamily would be part of a mixed-used development, including nonresidential uses; or the proposed multifamily development is located in the county’s West Market area.

Published April 07, 2021

Growth is coming to Zephyrhills

April 6, 2021 By Kevin Weiss

Activity is on the rise in the City of Zephyrhills — from multiple new housing developments, to myriad airport and roadway improvements, to the prospect of wholesale changes to its local 911 communication operations.

Zephyrhills City Manager Billy Poe offered a look at what’s happening in the city, during a speaking engagement at last month’s East Pasco Networking Group breakfast meeting at IHOP in Dade City.

Zephyrhills City Manager Billy Poe was the guest speaker at the East Pasco Networking Group’s March 9 breakfast meeting, at IHOP in Dade City. (Kevin Weiss)

The city’s residential development is booming, Poe said.

“You see it when you’re driving down the road, driving down (State Road) 56, everywhere you go, anywhere you go, you see the development happening,” he said, during the March 9 breakfast meeting.

There are nine housing developments totaling about 3,000 units on the books, Poe said. The housing styles include townhomes, single-family homes and apartments.

The additional housing is expected to bring an estimated 7,000 new residents to the municipality, when all is said and done, Poe said.

These developments are predominately situated beyond the Zephyr Commons Shopping Center and Walmart off Gall Boulevard, as well as around the Sarah Vande Berg Tennis & Wellness Center along Simons Road. The projects are in varying stages, from preliminary plans to homes under construction, Poe said.

“Zephyrhills will definitely be changing as we move through this, God willing the economy stays the way it’s going for us,” Poe said.

Airport gets a lift
Several enhancements are coming to the Zephyrhills Municipal Airport, which spans some 900 acres of land donated to the city after World War II.

Most notable is moving forward with the extension of Runway 1-19. It’s increasing to 6,200 feet, up from 4,700 feet.

The longer runway will accommodate larger corporate jets and will bolster industry in the surrounding airport vicinity. It also will provide support, in the long-term, for an industrial corridor, in the area of Chancey Road.

The Runway 1-19 project also calls for a Taxiway B extension, paved runway shoulders and construction of an access road.

The $6.5 million runway extension project, funded via state appropriations and Penny for Pasco, is expected to be completed in November. The city recently awarded a construction bid to Plant City-based C.W. Roberts Contracting for the work.

Poe detailed how instrumental State Sen. Wilton Simpson, R-Trilby was in securing funding, given that improved transportation via air travel is one of Florida’s long-range goals for its communities.

Poe put it this way: “Sen. Simpson helped push this project forward, because he saw the importance of having a longer runway and being able to bring in those corporate jets to Zephyrhills.”

Poe also emphasized that the move isn’t a preamble for the airport to eventually expand into a cargo hub — something recently implemented at Lakeland’s Linder International Airport in partnership with Amazon.

“There’s been some rumblings that, ‘Hey we’re going to go try to look like Lakeland and try to get cargo jets and all that.’ That is not true. Our goal is to be the best general aviation airport around,” Poe said.

For that scenario to even be considered, Poe said, the airport would need to install a tower and an Airport Rescue and Firefighting Station (ARFF) to clear zones and angles, among other considerations. “A lot of things that would have to be done,” he said. “Now, if somebody wants to come in and pay for that, we can have a conversation, (but) the city is not doing that.”

Other boosts are planned for the airport, too.

This includes upgrading its fuel farm, which features a pair of 20,000-gallon tanks some 25 years old. Poe said the state is funding 80% of the fuel farm upgrade, while the city is on the hook for 20%. The bid for this project is expected to be awarded in May.

There’s also plans to rehabilitate Taxiway A — which runs along Runway 5-23 — due to asphalt pavement reaching the end of its useful life. The project is currently in the design phase with projected construction coming in November. Poe said the FAA will fund 90% of the $3.3 million project, with the FDOT (8%) and the city (2%) contributing the remaining sum. “We would not be able to do it without partnerships with DOT, FAA, the state, all of those different grant dollars,” he said.

Installing some more corporate hangars at the airport is another objective, among others Poe said.

Roadwork improvements en route
Aside from the airport, several roadwork projects also are in the pipeline for the burgeoning East Pasco municipality.

Among other roadway improvements, the city has entered the design phase for paving the remaining northern portion of Simons Road, from the Links of Silver Oaks subdivision to Fort King Road. It will create a continuous north-south connector linking Eiland Boulevard to Fort King Road. (Courtesy of City of Zephyrhills)

The city manager said activity is well underway on the U.S. 301/Pretty Pond Road intersection project, which calls for the relocation of an existing signalized intersection from the shopping plaza entrance to Pretty Pond Road, a signalized intersection at Medical Arts Court, and all other required roadway improvements. The addition of signalized intersections at these locations serves to improve the mobility of the northeast section of the city, and become an economic driver for the northeast and northwest corners of Pretty Pond to be developed into a national grocery store, national chain hotel, pet supply store and chain restaurants.

The $2.3 million project is fully funded through a state appropriation.

Meantime, the city has entered the design phase to pave the remaining northern portion of Simons Road, from the Links of Silver Oaks subdivision to Fort King Road, making a continuous north-south connector linking Eiland Boulevard to Fort King Road. Upon completion, residents living on the north end of town will have another option onto Eiland Boulevard, and otherwise helping eliminate congested traffic.

The city manager expects the Simons Road construction project to bid out around October, adding “hopefully by this time next year that road will be open.”

He explained the reason the city didn’t pave the entire road all at once was due to obstructing Duke Energy transmission poles. Now, the utilities company is in the process of relocating those poles at no cost to the city, Poe said, noting it would’ve cost the city around $2 million to move them at the time a couple years ago. “The city works very hard to get those grant dollars and tries to stretch the taxpayer dollars as far as we possibly can,” he said.

He added the city also is seeking grant funding, plus partnerships with the county and Lennar development to add a traffic signal at the Simons Road/Eiland Boulevard intersection, to alleviate traffic coming to and from the Sarah Vande Berg Tennis & Wellness Center, at 6585 Simons Road.

Elsewhere, the city plans to extend Dean Dairy Road from Pretty Pond Road north to Kossick Road. This action, Poe said would “help alleviate some of the traffic going up onto U.S. 301 and being able to access (Zephyr Commons) Publix and things from that back road.”

Poe otherwise detailed how the city spends roughly $400,000 per year repaving and rehabbing its local roadway network, using techniques like full-depth reclamation and micro seal to extend their useful life. The city’s streets department otherwise maintains roughly 66 miles of roadways throughout Zephyrhills, the city manager said.

Published April 07, 2021

Pasco schools to drop mySchool Online option this fall

April 6, 2021 By B.C. Manion

Pasco County Schools Superintendent Kurt Browning has announced that the school district is dropping its mySchool Online option in the fall.

Browning explained the district’s decision in a video and the district issued a news release, as well, to explain the coming change.

“Based on recent positive trends, we expect that there will no longer be the need for (the) mySchool Online option next school year,” Browning said, in the video. “We expect the vast majority of students to be back in the classroom for in-person learning and for our employees to return to the classroom or office.”

The superintendent also shared the district’s rationale for its decision.

“First of all, the Florida Department of Education only authorized Florida school systems to offer mySchool Online-type options for the 2020-2021 school year,” he said.

“Current indications are that such programs will not be authorized by the state for the 2021-2022 school year. In addition, the number of positive COVID-19 cases, involving our students or staff, have decreased dramatically, since the high mark of January,” Browning said.

He added: “We continue to monitor the numbers closely, both in our schools and in the community, at large.

“Finally, we have been very aggressive in making the vaccine readily available to our staff,” he said.

Because of the district’s partnership with the county health department, it has been able to vaccinate thousands of its employees, the superintendent said.

Browning also noted that the number of students choosing the mySchool Online option has been steadily declining.

Initially, 60% of the district’s students chose the in-person, bricks-and-mortar option this school year. That figure has increased to 76%. Twenty-one percent of the district’s students are enrolled in the mySchool Online option; the other 3% attend Pasco eSchool, according to district statistics.

Browning also noted: “Despite our best efforts, our data show that many students who opted for mySchool Online are not succeeding academically and would benefit from a return to in-person learning.

“There’s also a growing body of evidence regarding the mental health benefits of attending school in person, with classmates.”

Browning also addressed the issue of masks.

“We’ve all been looking forward to the time when we can all get back to something close to normal. That raises a question about masks.

“I know we are all looking forward to doing away with the masks. Right now, I can’t say for sure whether masks will be required or optional, or some other status.

“We will provide clear guidance on masks, when we have a better idea of what is possible.

“At this time, we expect we’ll be able to get back to normal in the fall,” Browning said.

Published April 07, 2021

City manager recaps possible 911 dispatch merger

April 6, 2021 By Kevin Weiss

During a recent breakfast meeting with the East Pasco Networking Group, Zephyrhills City Manager Billy Poe briefed those gathered on the city’s current consideration of combining its 911 police communications system with the Pasco County Department of Emergency Services in New Port Richey.

The looming decision “has nothing to do with finances,” Poe said.

Instead, he said, it is “all about officer safety, citizen safety.”

The City of Zephyrhills is in talks to combine its 911 police communications system with Pasco County operations. (File)

The move would essentially create a centrally located communications center for all emergency personnel and shared CAD/RMS (computer-aided dispatch systems and records management systems), to eliminate 911 calls being answered by dispatches from the Zephyrhills Police Department (ZPD) and Pasco Sheriff’s Office — and the need to transfer wireless callers between agencies.

A full dispatch consolidation model would mirror what’s now in place at the Dade City Police Department, which joined Pasco’s 911 system in 2015.

Under this setup, the county handles all 911 calls, prioritizing calls by importance and dispatching the closest city or county units accordingly, on the same radio frequency. At the same time, Dade City police employees answer all non-emergency calls.

Poe was city manager of Dade City when the systems were combined.

He underscored the benefits of the shift. It has improved communication channels between agencies and has provided access to important records to individuals or suspects crossing jurisdictional boundaries between the city and the county.

For instance, it allows the agencies to have background on someone’s previous encounters with law enforcement entities, such as knowing if there’s a documented history of fighting or resisting arrest with personnel from the Zephyrhills and Dade City police departments, or the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office.

It also has proven to be beneficial in terms of law enforcement response, he said.

He cited an incident involving the report of a gun at a Dade City area McDonald’s. Seven nearby sheriff’s deputies and four on-duty Dade City police officers responded immediately to the scene without incident.

“I like to think it works well,” Poe surmised, regarding the merged communications system.

Meanwhile, the city manager dispelled any conjecture that a 911 system consolidation is a means to eventually disband Zephyrhills Police into sheriff’s office operations, similar to the merger that happened with the city’s fire department.

“There’s zero percent chance that the police department will merge with Pasco County,” said Poe.

The city manager said he has a great relationship with the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office, but noted they cannot offer the same level of service to residents of Zephyrhills as the local police department provides.

That’s because of the number and types of calls that the Sheriff’s Office must respond to, Poe explained.

“Consolidated dispatch, has nothing to do with the rest of the department. We are not looking to get rid of our police department. That is not the case at all. It is solely communications, and it is all about officer safety and citizen safety,” Poe said.

The Zephyrhills City Council, however, voted last September to consolidate its local fire department into Pasco County Fire Rescue — whereby the county assumed control of two stations on Sixth Avenue and Dean Dairy Road.

“That was not a fun thing to go through,” Poe said.

“I know council didn’t like it,” Poe said, referring to the decision to end the city’s independent fire department that had served the city for more than 100 years.

However, Poe said, in contracting out fire service responsibilities to Pasco County, both area stations now have an ambulance and increased staffing.

Response times were another consideration.

“It just made sense to have one responding agency, because they space it out, they know what they’re doing, they space them so they have minimal response times for each station, and so to be able to add two stations to the mix was huge for Pasco County…and I think the residents won,” Poe said.

The two former fire stations have been renamed, but the fire trucks retain some local flavor, with signage that indicates they are serving the City of Zephyrhills.

Poe said there also are plans to add another Pasco County Fire Rescue Station in Zephyrhills within the next few years, at the corner of Chancey Road and Yonkers Boulevard. When that comes online, Pasco County Fire Rescue Station 18 in Crystal Springs will be abandoned, he said.

That’s important because the city has never had three fire stations in the area, Poe said.

Published April 07, 2021

Pasco board approves nearly $200,000 for design work

April 6, 2021 By B.C. Manion

The Pasco County Commission has approved $198,500 for design and permitting work for site refurbishment of the East Pasco Transfer Station.

The task order will be accomplished by JMG Engineering Inc., according to agenda background materials for the county board’s March 23 meeting.

The East Pasco Transfer Station, at 9626 Handcart Road, in Dade City, was constructed in 1991 to support the transfer of municipal solid waste from the east side of the county to the county’s Waste-to-Energy Facility located at 14230 Hays Road, in Spring Hill.

The county began expanding the East Pasco Transfer Station in 2017, to increase the overall size of the facility to support the rapid volume of waste growth, driven by development, on the eastern side of Pasco County, the background materials say.

For instance, in fiscal year 2020, the transfer station processed more than 92,800 tons of garbage, up over 25% from the 74,000 tons it processed in fiscal year 2015.

The expanded transfer station enables the facility to handle the increase in tonnage, but the facility also needs to be refurbished, according to county documents.

The structure has experienced wear and deterioration through its many years of operation, and

its refurbishment must meet current codes and operational standards.

The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) requires that the proposed improvement design work be under the direction of a licensed professional engineer.

JMG will perform the design and permitting work necessary to allow the county to put out public bids to refurbish the facility.

Improvements to the site and facility will include:

Constructing a new access road that will reduce queuing of vehicles on Handcart Road, which services the transfer station
Modifying the stormwater system to support the proposed roadway changes and improve the overall site drainage
Designing drawings and specifications to replace the tipping floor pit and metal framing
Evaluating the facility roof and exterior walls
Designing drawings and specifications for repair and/or replacement, modification, and permitting of the facility’s leachate collection system
Evaluating the fire system and developing specifications needed to update the system to the current Florida Building Codes

The scope of work also includes obtaining all applicable permitting and handling any zoning modification that are required.

The refurbishment will allow additional area to handle waste and will provide space for recyclables collection, increasing the efficiency of the county’s collection of recyclables by allowing waste haulers to deliver recycling to the eastern side of the county.

JMG is expected to begin the task this winter and complete it within a year.

Construction is expected to begin in the Spring of 2022 and be completed in Winter 2023. Funds for the construction will be included in the 2022 budget year.

Published April 07, 2021

Leadership Pasco seeking applicants

April 6, 2021 By Special to The Laker/Lutz News

Leadership Pasco is accepting applications for the Class of 2022.

The organization is seeking emerging and existing community leaders who live or work in Pasco County, according to a news release.

Applications, which are due by May 15, can be found at LeadershipPasco.com.

Program participants are selected from a pool of applicants who are interested in learning more about the issues facing Pasco County.

Leadership Pasco plans to resume in-person events beginning in August.

“Choosing a select group of class members from so many outstanding leader applicants becomes more challenging every year. We’re excited to identify leaders with a desire to enhance their strategic and creative thinking, and position themselves and their company, for greater success.” Don Anderson, president, Leadership Pasco, said in the release.

Since 1991, Leadership Pasco has introduced business and community leaders to major facets of the Pasco County community through its intensive 10-month course.

Class members participate in full-day program sessions, tours, and conversations with community leaders to broaden their local understanding of the county’s changing needs.

Topics include criminal justice, health care, education, government, infrastructure, tourism, and business industries, the release says.

Each Leadership Pasco class organizes a class project that brings charitable people and resources together to address a particular social, educational, economic, environmental or cultural need in Pasco County, the release adds.

Applications will be reviewed by the Leadership Pasco Recruitment Committee in early-June and selected Class of 2021 members will be contacted by mid-June 2021.

Monthly program sessions begin with orientation in August 2021 and conclude with a graduation ceremony in May 2022.

For more information, call 727-534-4280 or visit LeadershipPasco.com.

Published April 07, 2021

Help is available for rent, utility payments

April 6, 2021 By Special to The Laker/Lutz News

Pasco County residents experiencing economic hardship because of COVID-19 now have an additional application option for people needing help.

The county is providing help through a program called H.E.A.R.T., which stands for Help with Emergency Assistance Relief for Tenants. The program is designed to provide financial assistance for people experiencing economic hardship due to COVID-19.

The county’s community development department is partnering with several local nonprofit agencies to help pay bills directly for Pasco County renters who meet the eligibility guidelines.

Eligible bills include:

Rent: Past, current and future
Utilities: Water and electric

To qualify for Pasco H.E.A.R.T. funding, you must be a U.S. citizen, or have legal status, and be a Pasco County resident, and you must meet the income guidelines of 80% or below of the Area Median Income and must have been economically impacted by COVID-19.

Households that earn less than 50% of the Area Median Income, as well as applicants who have been unemployed for 90 days or longer, will be prioritized.

To learn more about the qualifications for Pasco H.E.A.R.T funding and the agencies Pasco is partnering with, and to apply online, visit MyPasco.net.

You may contact one of the partner agencies directly, or submit your information online through bit.ly/PascoHEART.

Published April 07, 2021

Plenty of ways to get a kumquat fix at this festival

April 6, 2021 By Special to The Laker/Lutz News

If you love kumquats, the 24th annual Kumquat Festival in downtown Dade City, was like a little slice of heaven.

Various types of honey are reflected in Matt Smith’s sunglasses, at a booth operated by Brocks Bees, at the kumquat festival. Brocks Bees is based in Brooksville. (Fred Bellet)

Festival-goers could taste kumquat ice cream or kumquat pie.

They could pick up bags of the tiny, orange citrus fruit, sometimes called the “little gold gem of the citrus family.”

Festival-goers could stock up on kumquat marmalade, kumquat jelly, kumquat chutney, kumquat pepper jelly, kumquat marinade or kumquat vinaigrette.

They could get kumquat preserves.

They could buy kumquat barbecue sauce — sweet or spicy, or kumquat salsa, regular or hot.

And, who can forget the kumquat wine?

But, even those who aren’t particularly enamored with kumquats — there were plenty of other ways to enjoy the festival.

There was a quilt show, a car show, lots of vendor booths and a chance to be out and about — during an event that was delayed and scaled-back this year, to reduce potential risks from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Published April 07, 2021