The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

Local News

Land O’ Lakes High to get more parking spaces

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Land O’ Lakes High School is undergoing a massive renovation project that is essentially giving the high school a new look and expanding its capacity by more than 400 students.

The Pasco County School Board voted last week to approve $1.2 million in changes to the project.

Providing 60 additional parking spaces was among a list of items that Betsy Kuhn, assistant superintendent for support services, presented to the board for approval.

“Parking has become a serious issue at Land O’ Lakes High School,” Kuhn said, and more parking will be needed as the school expands.

Pasco County School Board member Colleen Beaudoin said the additional parking is needed.

“I get lots of calls about parking at Land O’ Lakes High School,” Beaudoin said.

Other items included in the change order are:

  • Remove and replace existing flammable storage building and resurface an adjacent roadway to improve access for emergency vehicles
  • Update interior finishes such as paint, flooring, lighting, wall base and acoustical panels in the Music and Exceptional Student Education Rooms, to bring those areas in line with the balance of the remodel
  • Remove and replace two air handling units and heaters for the gymnasium, including modification of electrical, as required, and provide new controls connected with the central control system
  • Provide new metal exterior doors, frames and hardware for the gym.

Even though these items were not part of the original scope of the project, they can be completed within the project’s original construction budget, Kuhn said.

Published August 1, 2018

Senator’s charity comes out on top

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The Pasco County Tax Collector’s Office recently featured Lauren’s Kids as its charity of choice, and raised $12,346.48 for the organization.

State Sen. Lauren Book, fifth from left, accepts a hefty check for Lauren’s Kids from monies raised through the Pasco County Tax Collector’s offices. From left: Pasco County Tax Collector Mike Fasano; Becky Bennett, director of development Pasco Kids First; Wendi Wininger and Judy Rosier, Pasco tax collector’s office; State Sen. Lauren Book; Zoraya Melo and Linda McNally (Dade City manager), Pasco tax collector’s office; Michelle Vancuren, director of operations Pasco County Tax Collector; Miranda Hager, trauma counselor Pasco Kids First; and Chris Peynado, Pasco tax collector’s office. (Courtesy of Pasco County Tax Collector)

Lauren’s Kids, created in 2007 by State Sen. Lauren Book, is a statewide organization that works daily to prevent childhood sexual abuse through education and awareness.

Book, herself, is a victim of childhood sexual abuse at the hands of a trusted caregiver. She has taken her own experiences and turned them into an opportunity to help children find hope and healing.

The five branches of the Pasco County Tax Collector’s Office promoted the Lauren’s Kids specialty license plate, and accepted cash donations during the month-long campaign. Customers also could check-off the voluntary charitable donation box through renewals.

The senator said, in a release, “Thanks to the support of the Pasco County Tax Collector’s Office, we are able to prevent abuse, protect childhood, and help survivors heal. Nothing is more important than keeping Florida’s innocent children safe, and we thank our partners in Pasco for helping to shine light in dark places.”

For more information regarding Lauren’s Kids, visit LaurensKids.org.

For details about charitable promotions sponsored by the Pasco tax collector’s office, call Greg Giordano at (727) 847-8179, or visit PascoTaxes.com.

Published August 1, 2018

Work to get started on makeover of Zephyrhills High School

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A major overhaul is planned at Zephyrhills High School, and the Pasco County School Board approved a contract last week to get started on the project.

The board approved a contract not-to-exceed $396,846 with Creative Contractors to complete the early site package for the project.

“We will be bringing a full presentation in the fall on the entire project,” said Betsy Kuhn, assistant superintendent for support services. “This is just what gets us started.”

The construction phase will be split into two contracts: One for the renovation work and one for the addition.

The first phase will involve building a new classroom building, Mike Gude, director of construction services and code compliance, told the The Laker/Lutz News in a previous interview.

When the new building is completed, students can be shifted into that building and another phase of the project can begin, Gude said.

When the project is finished, the high school’s capacity is expected to increase by about 500 students.

Published August 1, 2018

Wilton Simpson reflects on Parkland in Dade City visit

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More than five months removed from being one of the deadliest school shootings in U.S. history, the massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland is still a considerable talking point for legislators statewide.

At least that — and the state’s ensuing school safety actions — was at the forefront of discussion in State Sen. Wilton Simpson’s recent stop in Dade City.

Speaking before a standing-room-only crowd at The Greater Dade City Chamber of Commerce July monthly breakfast meeting, the Florida Senate majority leader talked extensively about the Valentine’s Day shooting, where a lone gunman killed 17 students and staff members, and injured 17 others.

State Sen. Wilton Simpson was the featured guest speaker at a Greater Dade City Chamber of Commerce July 17 breakfast meeting at Florida Hospital Dade City. (Courtesy of Richard K. Riley)

In response to multiple questions from the audience, the state senator outlined several “failures” that may have prompted the school shooting — which have been reviewed and investigated through the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Commission.

Simpson blasted the Broward County school district’s diversion program called PROMISE, which offers alternatives to arrests for some misdemeanors.

That initiative, he said, “did not use law enforcement appropriately to deal with children with bad behavior and bad activities.”

As an example, Simpson noted the accused gunman and former student, Nikolas Cruz, was visited by police “around 30 to 40 times” over the course of several years prior to the Feb. 14 Parkland shooting massacre.

“You had a child who was clearly mentally deranged in a school system that was causing major problems — they didn’t trust him to bring a backpack to that school — and we allowed him, as a society, to stay in that school. We allowed that. We put everybody at risk because of this one person’s rights to be in that school. We gotta rethink that, probably,” said Simpson, who represents Hernando and Citrus counties, and parts of Pasco County.

Simpson bluntly called out Broward school leaders and local law enforcement for not appropriately vetting all tips related to the alleged gunman’s continually disturbing behavior.

“The sheriff should’ve been fired, the superintendent of schools should be fired, (and) those school board members probably will be replaced in this election,” Simpson said.

He added: “When you look at our responsibility as adults in society, we failed, on so many levels, the Parkland kids.”

Simpson also set the blame on a lack of parental responsibility in the case, and other similar instances that have occurred nationwide: “(Many) parents don’t do anything anymore, don’t raise their kids. Kids get home, they get on a video game; they’re on a video game all day — and that’s what’s raising our kids,” he said.

Simpson also discussed the state’s response efforts in the aftermath of the Parkland shooting.

He, along with incoming Senate President Bill Galvano, visited the Parkland school the day after the massacre.

Simpson told the audience: “We saw the destruction — a very tragic incident. We had to work through that issue and make sure that doesn’t happen again, right?”

Out of it came the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Act, which enacts several measures, including requiring all Florida school districts to provide one or more safe-school officers at each school facility beginning in the 2018-2019 school year.

In addition to permitting a school guardian program, the $400 million spending package allocates nearly $100 million apiece for mental health assistance, and improving and hardening the physical security of school buildings.

The legislation also tightened gun laws.

The new minimum age to purchase a firearm is 21, up from 18, with a few exceptions. A three-day waiting period is now required for most gun purchases. And, it’s now illegal to sell or possess “bump stocks,” which allow semiautomatic rifles to fire faster.

Simpson defended the legislation on the whole: “I think what we did was come out with something that I think will be long-lasting. Not perfect, but substantially good public policy to protect our kids and our school system, so we’re very proud of that.

“We were really working 20 hours a day on this stuff. We had folks coming from all over the state — families of the victims, sheriffs all over the state, counselors from all over the state. We were working day and night, putting those together and vetting those things.”

Also in response to the Parkland school massacre, Simpson noted the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) has added a group of staffers whose sole job is to take and investigate complaints about possible suspicious or troubling behavior in schools, via a mobile app unit.

“A student now can go right into the system at FDLE and say, ‘This kid has got serious problems and is threatening gun violence or something in our schools,’” Simpson said.

The state lawmaker also touched on Florida’s economy during his speaking engagement.

He mentioned a handful of funding projects the Florida Legislature has tackled the last several years related to improving public education and transportation infrastructure, and also deepwater seaports and waterways — all of which he believes puts the state in an enviable position, long-term.

“Florida’s trajectory is much better than, I believe, the rest of the country, because of that economic investment that we’re making in our future,” he said.

Simpson also highlighted the state’s AAA bond rating, pointing out the state has paid off about $7 billion in debt over the last six years, while also cutting nearly that same figure in taxes during that period.

Published July 25, 2018

Shoppers can stretch their dollars during sales tax holiday

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Shoppers who want a tax break can take advantage of the 2018 Back-to-School Tax Holiday, which runs Aug. 3 through Aug. 5.

During the tax holiday, no sales tax or local option tax — also known as a discretionary sales surtax — will be collected on:

  • Clothing, footwear and certain accessories selling for $60 or less per item
  • Certain school supplies, selling for $15 or less per item

Nationally, total back-to-school spending, including kindergarten through college, is expected to reach $82.8 billion, slightly less than last year’s $83.6 billion. That’s according to a survey released by the National Retail Federation, and Prosper Insights and Analytics.

The survey shows that those with young people heading to college, as well as college and graduate students themselves, plan to spend $942.17 each, down from last year’s $969.88. The total of $55.3 billion is an all-time high in the history of the survey, up from last year’s record of $54.1 billion.

Families with children in elementary school through high school plan to spend an average of $684.79, compared to last year’s total of $687.22, for a total of $27.5 billion. That’s the third-highest total in the history of the survey, following the peak of $30.3 billion in 2012 and $29.5 billion last year.

The survey also broke down the type of expected expenditures. Back-to-school shoppers expect to spend:

  • $236.90 on clothing
  • $187.10 on electronics, such as computers, calculators or phones
  • $138.66 on shoes
  • $122.13 on supplies such as notebooks, pencils, backpacks and lunchboxes

A news release from the National Retail Federation said the biggest change being seen this year related to expenditures for electronics, which have decreased slightly.

“Items like laptops, tablets and smartphones are now an everyday part of household life and aren’t necessarily a purchase parents save for the start of the school year, resulting in a slight decrease in spending in that category,” Mark Mathews, vice president of research for the National Retail Federation, said in a release.

During Florida’s tax-holiday, it’s important to remember that the exemption is based on the sales price of each item, not the total sale amount. So, it’s possible to buy three $59 dresses at the same time and still get the exemption, because each item meets the requirement of having a selling price of $60 or less.

Another thing that’s good to know is that there is no limit on how many tax-exempt items can be purchased during the sales tax holiday.

Back-to-school supplies and clothing items are tax exempt Aug. 3 through Aug. 5
Clothing is defined as: “any article of wearing apparel, including all footwear (except skis, swim fins, rollerblades and skates) intended to be worn on or about the human body. Clothing does not include watches, watchband, jewelry, umbrellas or handkerchiefs.”

The items must sell for $60 or less to be exempt.

“The exemption does not apply to sales of clothing, wallets or bags in a theme park, entertainment complex, public lodging establishment or airport.”

School supplies are defined as: “pens, pencils, erasers, crayons, notebooks, notebook filler paper, legal pads, binders, lunchboxes, construction paper, markers, folders, poster board, composition books, poster paper, scissors, cellophane tape, glue, paste, rulers, computer disks, protractors, compasses and calculators.”

The school supplies must sell for $15 or less to be exempt.

Published July 25, 2018

Local horsewoman wins with You Bet Your Roses

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Nancy Massey Perkins made a decision on Mother’s Day two years ago that it was time to buy a horse.

“I bought her sight unseen, except for the video I watched on the Internet,” said Perkins, the daughter of two Zephyrhills’ pioneer families. “I thought she was cute and moved really good.”

Her instincts were right about the 2-year-old mare.

You Bet Your Roses, at age 4, is now a two-time reserve world champion after an impressive showing at the 53rd annual Pinto World Championship in Oklahoma, in June.

Nancy Massey Perkins skillfully guided You Bet Your Roses, aka Sierra, through an obstacle course at the Pinto World Championship in Oklahoma. (Courtesy of Nancy Massey Perkins)

The world championship is one of the largest gatherings of Pinto horses, miniatures and ponies. Riders and horses come from around the world, including Sweden and Canada.

Competitive categories include Western, English, driving, pleasure, halter, roping, and special events and trials.

Perkins, at age 66, is one of the oldest amateur competitors in her age 50-and-older class.

However, You Bet Your Roses – also known by the barn name Sierra – is an up-and-coming youngster in the horse world.

With little more than a year of training by Perkins, Sierra showed her mettle in the show ring. She shone in a competition against horses with more experience.

“She competed with world champions and former world champions,” Perkins said.

You Bet Your Roses and Perkins earned a reserve world champion, or runner-up, in the walk/trot trail class, among 26 competitors. They finished just shy of first place.

Perkins and You Bet Your Roses also won a reserve world championship in a halter competition among 3- and 4-year old horses; a third place in English showmanship; and 10th in another halter competition.

Perkins’ favorite is the trail class, where the rider and horse navigate an obstacle course with precision, control and timing.

It is much more involved and complicated than showmanship, said her husband, Donald “Dusty” Perkins.

“She is very capable of coming out with a win,” he said. “Nancy knows how to get them to be sharp. It’s her personality with the horse.”

Perkins said she banked on training and Sierra’s willingness to listen to her.

“It had to be a team approach,” Perkins said. “Sierra trusted me, and that to me was the highlight of my whole trip, really that my horse came through, and she listened.”

From their first meeting, Perkins knew she had a special horse.

Nancy Massey Perkins and You Bet Your Roses won two reserve championships at the Pinto World Championship in Oklahoma. They brought home other awards, too.

“She’s laid back, highly intelligent and really sweet,” she said. “She loves people.”

Her first two years were spent in Oklahoma on the Osage Indian Reservation.

When Sierra arrived, Perkins contacted owners of Red Hawk Ranch in Wimauma to do a Native American blessing.

“I felt the need to do that, since she grew up on an Indian reservation,” Perkins said. “I felt the need to honor the culture.”

Perkins is no novice in the horse arena.

She has a trophy case filled with ribbons, belts and accolades from more than 40 years of international horse shows aboard the quarter horses she has raised and trained.

She was honored as “amateur supreme champion” by the American Quarter Horse Association, with her horse, League Magnum Force. He went by the barn name of Bubba.

You Bet Your Roses, aka Sierra, is registered with the American Paint Horse Association and the American Pinto Horse Association.

She has the color pattern of a tobiano pinto horse, with white across her withers and hip.

Her sire is Gentlemen Send Roses, who is fourth on the American Paint Horse Association’s Performance Sire list for 2017. Her dam is a full-blooded quarter horse.

“She’s the spitting image of her daddy,” said Perkins.

Perkins’ father, Boyd “Bud” Massey, bought Perkins her first horse at age 11.

She knew pretty quickly she wanted to show horses.

So, at age 16, Bud Massey, gave her a choice of a used car or a horse. She took the horse.

But, she didn’t get her first choice of an Appaloosa.

Instead, her father bought a registered quarter horse.

She has been a passionate, and award-winning, horsewoman since.

Perkins traces her roots back to Pasco County’s pioneer days.

Bud Massey cut hair at his Zephyrhills’ barbershop for more than 52 years. It was the longest continuously operated barbershop in Pasco.

Massey Road is named for the family.

Before marrying Perkins’ father, her mother — Hazel Richburg — grew up on Handcart Road in Zephyrhills.

“They were actively involved as my cheering crew all my life,” the horsewoman said.

Perkins worked as a teacher for 35 years in Pasco County schools. She is still a substitute teacher to pay for her “hobby.”

She is unusual in being both an owner and a trainer. Most owners hire trainers, and in some cases, might not see their horse except at horse shows.

Perkins is strictly hands-on.

Horses learn by your body language, she said.

Her years teaching students also taught Perkins something about patience.

“Nothing is learned under harsh treatment,” she said. “You’ve got to adapt to every class. It taught me patience. You can’t push things. You have to wait for (Sierra’s) ‘ah, ha moment.’”

She credits trainers, such as Kim Beilein, with encouraging her, and in advising her about what’s right and wrong with her performances.

“I’ve forged some great relationships with trainers who have really helped me out,” Perkins said.

Published July 25, 2018

Lake Park: It’s a go-to place for fun

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The common lament — ‘there’s nothing to do,’ could not be farther from the truth at Lake Park, a one-stop shop for solitary getaways and fun family activities at 17302 N. Dale Mabry Highway in Lutz.

Fourteen-year-old Dalton Gerbase, No. 9, of Odessa, is leading 14-year-old Evan Hall, No. 111, of Hudson. Trailing in third place is Thomas Flint, age 13, from Palm Harbor, as they race for the finish line at the Tampa BMX Raceway. (Randy Underhill)

For $2 per car, visitors to the 589-acre park will find themselves surrounded by recreational options.

There are pavilions and grills for those wanting to picnic, plus nearby playgrounds for the kids.

There are five lakes, as well as a boat ramp, canoe rentals and kayaking.

There also are places to fish, to watch birds and to go horseback riding.

For people who enjoy fitness activities, there’s a 2-mile path for walkers, joggers, runners and bicyclists.

And, for those who prefer a bit of solitude, there are plenty of spots where you can sit back and relax.

Marsha Johnson, left, and Andrew Johnson, both of Ruskin, fish for brim (bluegill) at one the five lakes at Lake Park. The park also offers a boat and kayak launch, and canoe rentals.

Lake Park also boasts some unique features, too, including the Tampa BMX Raceway, the Gasparilla Bowmen Archery Club and the Hurricane R/C club.

The Tampa BMX Raceway track was established in 1974 and revamped in 1989. It is operated by volunteers and through donations. Competitive racing starts on Fridays at 8 p.m., and on Sundays at 4 p.m.

The track hosts local competitions and larger BMX-sanctioned events. BMX Raceway is open to the public, except when there is an event.

The Hurricane R/C club track, not far from the BMX Raceway, is a dirt track laid out with jumps and tight curves. The challenging terrain requires the radio-control operators to stay focused in order to keep the cars upright and moving. This track also is open to the public, except during events.

David Humphrey gives his 11-year-old son, Meric, some instructions on arrow placement, as Meric prepares for target practice on a Sunday morning at the Lake Park archery range. The father-son duo is from Land O’ Lakes.

The Gasparilla Bowmen Archery Club operates on a range that is tucked away in the woods for safety reasons. Those using the range must follow a trail to the secluded area, where they will find an array of paper targets attached to bales of hay. The targets are stationed at varying distances.

The club holds competitive shooting, along with raffles, and different archery-related events. Gasparilla Bowmen Archery Club, a well-established organization, is widely known throughout Tampa Bay.

So, whether you’re looking for a place to have fun with your family or friends, or merely wanting to enjoy some solitary time, chances are you’ll find what you need at Lake Park.

The park is open during the spring and summer from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., and during the fall and winter from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

By Randy Underhill

Published July 25, 2018

What a difference a decade can make in real estate

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Even the most casual of observers can easily see that housing demand and residential real estate values have rebounded in recent years in Hillsborough and Pasco counties.

There are new subdivisions popping up all over.

But, to put a finer point on what’s happening, Craig Nowicke, a real estate broker with RE/MAX, based in Carrollwood, dropped by the Rotary Club of Lutz to talk about the Hillsborough real estate market in the past decade.

Craig Nowicke, a real estate broker based in Carrollwood, gave members of the Rotary Club of Lutz an overview of changing real estate market conditions in Hillsborough County over the last decade. (B.C. Manion)

Nowicke and his wife, Linda, are licensed Realtors, with Nowicke specializing in both commercial and residential properties, and his wife focusing on residential properties, including the luxury market.

He provided a “snapshot” of the Hillsborough market between 2008 and 2018.

That marks the period from when the market “absolutely crashed” to today, “where we’re essentially back where we were,” Nowicke told those gathered at the Heritage Harbor Golf & Country Club.

From 2007 to 2008, a year that Nowicke said Hillsborough’s housing market was “driving off the cliff,” the market volume dropped by 24 percent, he said. The total dollar value of single-family residential homes that were sold that year dropped from $3.1 billion to $2.4 billion,” he said.

At the same time, the median sold price decreased by 19 percent, from $220,000 to $178,500.

There were 10,471 units sold in 2008, Nowicke said. And, at that time, there was 24 months’ worth of supply in the inventory.

He explained: “That means there was two years’ worth of houses to meet demand. If no new house came on, it would take two years to sell everything in those market conditions at that time.”

In 2008-2009, the market volume bottomed out at $2.3 billion in sales, he said. Median prices continued going down, reaching $132,000.

“Units (sold), though, started to recover because price has gone down,” Nowicke noted.

In 2011-2012, the market volume increased by 27 percent, going from $2.5 billion to $3.2 billion, he said.

“We hit the bottom, in January of 2011, in price,” he noted.

Unit sales continued to rise, increasing from 16,600 to 18,432. Meanwhile, inventory dropped to 13.5 months, in January 2011.

Fast-forwarding to 2017, the total market volume was $6.8 billion — an 11.7 percent increase from the year before. The median price was $216,600. And, there were 26,000 units sold — which is more than 2 ½ more (units sold) than bottom.

Now, the market’s inventory is well below a balanced market, Nowicke said.

There was 2.7 months of inventory in May, the most recent statistic available, he said.

“That is really, really low inventory,” he said.

Experts today consider 5.5 months of inventory to be a balanced market, Nowicke said.

A sellers’ market
The amount of inventory available dictates the difference between a sellers’ market, a buyers’ market and a balanced market.

“The sellers’ market means that the sellers have all of the leverage. There’s no inventory to sell, which is where we are now. Sellers have all of the leverage. There’s more buyers than there are sellers,” he said.

“It’s going to drive prices up. The sellers can demand more, or, for example, if they need to do some repairs, they can just refuse to do them because they don’t care. They’ll just wait for the next buyer.
“The buyers’ market, remember back to the 24-month supply? The buyers had all of the leverage,” he said.

So, buyers get lower prices and more concessions, he added.

“You don’t want to give me a good deal on this house? I’ll just go buy the next one because there’s plenty of houses to buy.

“The balanced market means there’s approximately an even number of the people who want to buy and sell,” Nowicke said.

The real estate expert also talked about the difference between distressed sales and traditional sales.

Distressed sales include homes that are in foreclosure and homes that are being sold short of how much is owed on them, he said. A traditional sale is a home that went on the market that wasn’t a short sale or a foreclosure.

“It was just an everyday sale,” he said.

“In 2011, 40 percent of our market was traditional sales; 60 percent was distressed,” he said.

Since then, the market has improved enormously, and the only homes that can be found at a discount tend to be those which need substantial repairs.

Conditions in the housing market were different when it heated up before, he said.

“This is my general impression, not necessarily data that I researched, but we had a whole lot of new inventory come on line. Lots of builders building new developments. And, then we had unbelievably lax lending policies.

“So, I think if you could fog a mirror, you could not only buy the house, but you also could get a second and a third line on it. You might have $400,000 worth of financing on a $300,000 house that was probably worth $200,000 on its best day,” he said.

Now, he said, “you drive around here and you see all of the construction. They’re building new product all of the time, and it is selling.

“I just helped somebody buy up in Spring Hill, and there’s 30 houses coming up out of the ground next to the one that she just bought.

“It’s crazy.

“I get nervous about this. How long can this go on?

“I don’t know how long it can go on. The pendulum always swings, so there will be a day when it will be a buyers’ market again.

“I don’t know when, but it isn’t right now,” Nowicke said.

Published July 25, 2018

Land acquisition begins for road project

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The Pasco County Commission has given the go-ahead for land acquisition in preparation for a project to extend Clinton Avenue and realign State Road 52.

Planning for the major project began nearly 14 years ago, with a route study. Since then, there have been additional studies and public meetings, but no construction schedule.

In March, residents attended an open house to study maps and learn about the updates to a 2005 Curley Road Route Study, and review other road projects in northeast Pasco County. (File)

But, it wasn’t until July 10 that commissioners approved the project and authorized the acquisition of 69 parcels through eminent domain.

Construction is expected to begin in 2019.

The project will widen State Road 52 from two lanes to four lanes, from east of Uradco Place to east of Fort King Road, at the intersection with Clinton Avenue.

State Road 52 also will shift westward. And, a roundabout is planned at the intersection with Mirada Boulevard, an internal road for the master-planned community of Mirada.

Sufficient right of way will be acquired to accommodate a future six-lane road. The project is about 7 miles long.

The parcels are needed for right of way, as permanent and temporary easements, and to construct stormwater ponds for drainage.

To initiate eminent domain, county commissioners approved a resolution that shows a public purpose for the project.

According to county documents, the roadwork “will enhance mobility, improve traffic operations, and provide safety for motorists, bicyclists and pedestrians.”

Various studies have focused on interconnecting segments of the proposed project.

In March, county officials invited residents to an open house to learn information on the Prospect Road/Happy Hill Road Route Study.

A similar open house was held in 2017, as part of efforts to update the Curley Road Route Study that originally was done in 2005.

Published July 25, 2018

Connerton, county and school board agree to land swap

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Pasco County, the school district of Pasco County and Pasco Investment Land LLC have agreed to a land swap in connection with a county district park in Connerton.

Pasco County owns approximately 119.7 gross acres that have been deeded for a district park in Connerton, a master-planned community in Land O’ Lakes.

The school board owns approximately 22.3 acres that is slated for a future school site, and Pasco Investment Land LLC, also referred to in the agreement as Connerton, owns the adjacent land.

Under the exchange, Pasco County has agreed to convey about 6.6 acres of upland acreage to the school board.

The county also agreed to convey about 46.8 upland acres to Connerton.

The school board has agreed to convey about 6.6 acres of upland acres to Connerton.

And, Connerton has agreed to convey approximately 53.6 upland acres to Pasco County.

The agreement also calls for Pasco County to establish a parks and recreation impact fee credit for all parkland to be retained and exchanged within 30 days of the closing.

The county also agreed to provide for a north-south drive aisle, to the east and parallel to Flourish Drive that allows for vehicular access from the future Connerton Boulevard to the northern boundary of the park site.

The land swap aims to facilitate the development of an elementary school, a middle school and a district park.

There are no immediate plans for the schools or the park, according to school district and county parks officials.

However, the school district and county do plan to share use of the park facilities once they are built.

The development of the district park “is all tied to funding,” said Keith Wiley, director of Pasco County’s Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources department.

Published July 25, 2018