The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

Local News

How to recycle without curbside pickup

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Pasco County wants to remind residents that it does not pick up trash and recycling, but it does have eight licensed trash haulers that do pick up trash and recycling and take it to the county facilities.

(Stock Photo)

For those who do not have curbside recycling pickup, the county recommends using one of these drop-off locations:

  • East Pasco Recycling Center, 9626 Handcart Road, in Dade City. Hours are Monday through Saturday from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Additional materials are accepted. Call 352-521-0500 for more information.
  • Anclote Gulf Park, 2305 Baillies Bluff Road, in Holiday. Hours: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Wednesday through Saturday.
  • Senior Services Center, 6801 Wisteria Loop, in Land O’ Lakes. Hours: 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.
  • West Pasco Recycling Center, 14606 Hays Road, in Spring Hill. Hours: 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Saturday. Additional materials are accepted. For a complete list of accepted items, visit PascoCountyFl.net/183/Household-Hazardous-Waste. Call 727-857-2780 for more information.

There are items that Pasco County Solid Waste and Recycling will not accept and these include: Styrofoam, glass, plastic bags/wraps, milk/juice cartons, and bottle caps, coffee pods, straws and other items that are smaller than a fist.

Fun fact: Aluminum can be recycled infinitely without degrading. It is possible for a recycled aluminum can to go through the entire recycling process and be back onto a store shelf in as little as 90 days.

Call Pasco County Solid Waste and Recycling 727-856-4539, email , or visit its Facebook page, for additional questions or concerns.

Published February 07, 2024

Academy at the Lakes builds toward its long-term vision

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Academy at the Lakes is fulfilling a master plan it envisioned more than a decade ago.

Shovels in hand, school officials, students and their family members recently broke ground on an 18,000-square-foot building that signals the start of the academy’s long-planned expansion.

The two-story building will house classrooms with leading-edge technology. It will have innovation hubs for science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) and will have an emphasis on the arts.

The Academy at the Lakes Wildcats’ mascot puts a paw to the shovel and digs in for the groundbreaking of a new education building at the private, independent school, which flanks both sides of Collier Parkway, in Land O’ Lakes. (Kathy Steele)

Community spaces, including a black box theater, will showcase performances and encourage collaborative projects to engage students, teachers and staff.

The campus redesign also includes a plaza for community gatherings. Other features include decorative fencing and new parking areas.

The project is expected to be completed by the end of this year, at an estimated cost of more than $7 million.

Significant progress has been made on raising the money needed to cover the project’s costs and additional community events are planned to continue those fundraising efforts.

“We’re breaking ground on a project that will transform the educational experience of thousands of students over the lifetime of the brick-and-mortars we will soon see rising on this very spot,” Mark Heller, head of school, said during the recent celebration.

Academy at the Lakes, at 2331 Collier Parkway, is a private, independent school with campuses on both sides of the road.

The recent groundbreaking marks the beginning of a significant expansion that is planned during the next five to seven years.

The ceremony to celebrate the beginning of the new education building also was the opening act for an afternoon of upbeat, school spirit. 

Students, faculty and staff enjoyed Friday Night Fanfare, the academy’s annual winter homecoming.

This rendering depicts Academy at the Lake’s planned 18,000-square-foot education building, which includes a black box theater, a maker space, an audio/video study, a computer lab, an office and conference spaces. The expansion also includes a plaza for community gatherings, and attractive fencing. (Courtesy of Academy at the Lakes)

Middle school and high school students played a series of basketball games inside the school’s gymnasium. Meanwhile, lines formed outside for food trucks, games, and face-painting at the academy’s McCormick Campus.

Blue and white frosted cupcakes, popcorn and school T-shirts were available.

Kinjal Patel enrolled her students in Academy at the Lakes, and later became one of the school’s first-grade teachers.

“We are one huge family,” Patel said. “Everyone looks after each other.”

She believes the school’s expansion will “solidify” that community strength.

Next phase includes athletic fields
The new education building on the McCormick Campus marks the first phase of construction.

In the next phase, new athletic fields will be added as part of the long-awaited goal of creating an East Campus on 47 acres acquired from the MacManus family in 2013.

Development beyond the athletic fields at the East Campus will be determined by the academy’s future needs.

The fields will support a range of sports including soccer, football, baseball, softball, tennis, and track and field.

Cupcakes with blue and white frosting, and popcorn, were refreshments at a groundbreaking ceremony for a new education building at Academy at the Lakes. The school band entertained the crowd. (Kathy Steele)

The school’s FORWARD! expansion vision will evolve over the next few years as the McCormick campus expands and the East Campus is developed.

“Academy at the Lakes is one of the strongest independent schools in the state of Florida,” said John Faith, chair of the Board of Trustees, and one of the speakers at the ceremony.

“We are ready to take the next step into our bright future,” the board chair said.

Growing enrollment is a major reason for the expansion, Heller said.

“We are bursting at the seams,” he said.

The school attracts students from all over, including Land O’ Lakes, Wesley Chapel, Lutz, Zephyrhills, Trinity, and other Tampa Bay communities.

As Pasco County has grown, so has Academy at the Lakes, Heller said. He also noted the county’s new residents include employees of the hospitals and health care centers that are popping up across Pasco.

“We have so many medical people who are in our community,” Heller said. “We want Pasco to be a great place not just to live and work but to go to school. We have a really strong independent school that is competitive with anything in Hillsborough (County), and a great school culture. We’re working to make our facilities match that great program.”

Lines formed outside food trucks for Friday Family Fanfare, a winter ‘homecoming’ event that coincided with a groundbreaking ceremony for a long-awaited building expansion at Academy at the Lakes. (Kathy Steele)

A history spanning more than three decades
Academy at the Lakes opened in Land O’ Lakes 31 years ago with 32 students. Enrollment for prekindergarten at age 3 through high school has increased year by year, with current enrollment topping 500. The school anticipates that more than 600 students will be learning at academy within the next two years, Heller said.

The school’s early childhood and high school classes are at capacity, said Sue Gunther, director of admissions.

The new building will have four large classrooms, she said. Their uses will be determined based on student needs when the new facility opens.

She enthusiastically described the technology “shed” for STEM projects, and the black box theater. A balcony in the new building will overlook the lobby, and provide a gallery for student art. The school also will gain meeting spaces and workspaces for teachers, which now are in short supply, Gunther added.

Heller said the plaza will be central to giving the school a “signature visual Image.”

Lou MacManus, daughter of Lutz pioneers Cameron and Elizabeth Riegler MacManus, was among the audience members who attended the festivities.

The MacManus property will be central to the school’s future, and a legacy for MacManus’ parents.

“They’ve consistently done things that are very forward-thinking and visionary,” MacManus said, of the school. “We’re thrilled. We grew up here, so it’s wonderful to see this develop.”

Published January 31, 2024

Pasco County ‘all in’ in battle against state’s Live Local Act

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Pasco County is pulling out the stops in its fight against the state’s Live Local Act, which elected leaders say could have dire fiscal consequences for the county.

Board members and the executive director of the Pasco Economic Development Council Inc., rang alarm bells about the economic impacts the new law could have, during the county board’s Jan. 23 meeting.

The Live Local Act aims to increase workforce housing across the state by allowing the conversion of land zoned for commercial, industrial or mixed uses into multifamily developments — provided the project serves people who meet income criteria.

The law also preempts local government from blocking the developments and it allows a tax exemption for newly constructed or substantially rehabilitated developments that meet criteria for setting aside units for households earning 120% of Area Median Income (AMI).

Pasco County invested roughly $65 million to pay for an interchange at Overpass Road and Interstate 75. The project is intended to ease traffic and to stimulate economic development. The Pasco County Commission contends the state’s Live Local Act could thwart local efforts to generate jobs. (File)

The idea of the law is to make local housing available for a community’s workers.

In Pasco County’s case, however, elected leaders say the law undermines the county’s persistent attempts to bring more jobs to a county that has long played a bedroom community role for nearby jobs-rich counties. Seven out of 10 members of Pasco’s workforce commute elsewhere for their jobs.

The county board has been focused on efforts to bring jobs closer to home for its residents through its policy decisions that protect industrial and commercial lands from being converted to residential uses.

It also has worked closely with the Pasco Economic Development Council (Pasco EDC) on a program that seeks to identify sites and get them ready for future industrial development.

The county and Pasco EDC also work together to offer economic incentives to attract companies in targeted industries to locate in Pasco.

Consequences of law could be far-reaching
Pasco officials said they’re glad that Senate President Kathleen Passidomo, sponsor of the bill, has agreed to an amendment that would remove industrial land from being eligible for conversion.

But that doesn’t go far enough, they said.

Bill Cronin, president and CEO of Pasco EDC, said he’s not sure the Live Local Act will provide housing that’s affordable to workers.

“Honestly, I don’t think the way it is structured right now actually helps anybody, if they’re eligible at 120% of AMI,” Cronin said. “That is not affordable housing.”

“It is 100% (apartment rental) market rate and not only is it market rate, it’s high market rate. It’s not helping people it was intended to help,” he said.

Commission Chairman Ron Oakley agreed: “You know, you’d think Live Local is for affordable housing and it’s not at all affordable.”

Commissioner Kathryn Starkey also noted that Live Local doesn’t benefit local developers, but instead benefits institutional investors.

Cronin agreed: “There is not really local developers that are doing multifamily development, they’re all out-of-state. So, their allegiance to this area and their understanding, I would question, because they don’t have the same skin in the game as we do.”

Commissioner Seth Weightman highlighted another aspect of the new law that he finds troubling.

“There’s another clause in there where existing Class A (apartments) can apply and be reclassified as Live Local.”

There are two existing apartment developments that are seeking the Live Local designation.

Starkey said she and Commissioner Jack Mariano met with Senate President Passidomo.

Pasco officials are deeply concerned about the potential conversion of existing apartments to tax-exempt status, she said.

“We didn’t find one other county or city who knew that it was a possibility that existing apartments and future apartments can come off their tax rolls,” Starkey said.

Starkey added that she asked if a cap could be imposed on the number of developments that could come off the tax rolls and was told that a cap would be illegal.

The fiscal impact could be enormous, county leaders said.

David Goldstein, Pasco’s chief assistant county attorney, said “in theory, if these apartment complexes continue to qualify, they could be off our tax rolls for the next 35 years.”

The county did a calculation just for the two apartment complexes that have applied to convert to Live Local, and that turned out to be about $38 million in lost tax revenues, Goldstein said, adding that could just be the tip of the iceberg, if other apartment complexes seek the exemption.

Oakley said the county’s other taxpayers would bear the brunt of those lost revenues.

“Somebody has to make up for all of those services, and that’s the rest of our citizens who are going to be charged extra to pay for services in those areas where they’re not collecting ad valorem (property taxes),” Oakley said.

Goldstein said other taxing bodies, such as the school board, would also feel the impacts.

If law doesn’t change, county prepared to sue
Commissioner Mariano said he hopes lawmakers are paying attention to the potential ramifications.

If the law isn’t changed, the county board already has authorized its legal team to file a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the Live Local Act.

But Mariano said that may not go far enough. The county may need to impose a moratorium to ensure adequate protection for its citizens, he said.

Goldstein told Mariano that he’d prefer not to use a moratorium, but to use legal action and other county development tools, first.

“I can’t promise you a (legal) victory, but I do feel pretty good about some of our arguments,” Goldstein said.

“One of them is that we don’t think these rents are a charitable purpose.

“The whole way this law was orchestrated, the whole reason that the Legislature found it to be tax-exempt was under the theory that this was a charitable (cause).

“This is the first time we can find that the Legislature has given a tax break to a for-profit corporation under the theory that it’s charity, but in reality, in Pasco County, it’s not charity in my opinion.

“These are just market-rate rents. In fact, the two apartment complexes that came in first didn’t even reduce their rents, at all. These are the same rents they were charging prior to Live Local. The same rents they are charging now.

“So, they’re basically getting a tax exemption for doing virtually nothing,” Goldstein said. 

He also noted there’s the possibility that Property Appraiser Mike Wells would read the county’s complaint and that could influence how he handles requested exemptions.

“So, that’s the first step, if we don’t get the law changed, go ahead and file against those two companies. We hope they go away, or if they don’t go away, we hope that Mike Wells reads our complaint and says, ‘I’m not issuing these exemptions. These may be unconstitutional, these exemptions, so maybe I should not be issuing them.

“I don’t know what Mike Wells will do when he gets them,” Goldstein said.

Published January 31, 2024

Memorial service planned for Sgt. David Dixon, Zephyrhills officer for 15 years

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Sgt. David Dixon, who served on the Zephyrhills Police Department for 15 years, has succumbed to his battle with cancer. (Courtesy of City of Zephyrhills)

Memorial services have been set for Sgt. David Dixon, who served the residents of Zephyrhills for 15 years.

The visitation will be from 10 a.m. to noon on Feb. 1, followed by the funeral at noon, at the Plant City Church of God, 2103 Mud Lake Road, in Plant City.

The public is welcome to attend.

The City of Zephyrhills and the Zephyrhills Police Department expressed “great sadness” at Dixon’s passing, when announcing the news last week.

“Sgt. Dixon succumbed to his fight with cancer. He will be missed!,” a city news release said.

Dixon began his law enforcement career with the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, where he served for four years before joining the Zephyrhills Police Department. He served as a patrol officer, school resources officer, field training officer and patrol sergeant.

Published January 31, 2024

Paving project on Bruce B. Downs expected to cause minor delays

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Work began last week on a pavement rehabilitation project on Bruce B. Downs Boulevard, from State Road 56 to County Line Road, in Wesley Chapel.

The work is being done in both directions and is expected to be finished within 30 days of the project’s state date, which was Jan. 21, depending on weather conditions. 

The project entails resurfacing the entire roadway and adding new pavement markings, according to a Pasco County news release.

Drivers should be prepared for minor delays, according to the county.

The work hours are from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m., Sunday through Thursday.

Drivers should expect single-lane closures, with message boards directing traffic.

Asphalt Paving Systems is the contractor for this Pasco County Public Works project.

Published January 31, 2024

New office aims to improve Pasco’s ability to ‘bounce back from anything’

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Pasco County now has an office focused on identifying vulnerabilities and creating collaborative efforts to address them.

The office intends to aggressively pursue state, regional and federal funding opportunities to address needed improvements.

That’s the gist of the mission of the county’s new Office of Strategy and Sustainability. The Pasco County Commission approved the creation of the office during its Jan. 23 meeting.

Marc Bellas has been named Pasco County’s chief resilience and sustainability officer. Bellas will lead the county’s new effort to prepare to avoid disruptions and to bounce back from them when they occur. (Courtesy of Pasco County)

It will be led by Marc Bellas, the county’s former director of performance management, whose new title is chief resilience and sustainability officer.

He told commissioners: “Based on what our neighbors to the south are doing and have been doing, we’re a little bit behind the curve on this.

“There’s already millions of dollars — lots of projects going on — to create resilience and sustainability in our neighbors to the south.

“It’s time for us to get on board.”

Bellas detailed the types of acute shocks the county has faced, or could be facing:

*Severe weather: “It’s not getting better. It’s getting worse. The storms are getting stronger. We all know that. We see the science behind it. We’re not immune to wildfires here in Pasco County. We’ve had them in the past, not recently, but you know how bad that gets.”

*Pandemics: “Was anybody ready for that one? That caught us all flat-footed.”

*Geological subsidence: “Do you know what that is? That’s the politically correct word for sinkholes.”

*Active threats: “You see it all of the time in the news. It isn’t something that’s necessarily going to get better. It could get worse.”

There are other issues that have long-term impacts, Bellas said.

Those include:

*Rapid growth: “We’ve seen that the growth scenario that we’re having right now has created a lot of issues for us, not the least of which is funding and trying to keep up with the needs of infrastructure.

*Economic downturn: “That’s just a reality. It’s going to happen.”

*Increased costs: “So many times we’ve had to increase the cost of our projects because of increasing costs and supply chain issues.”

*Global warming, sea level rise: “All of the science points to it. We’ve actually seen models of what Pasco County is going to look like in 2050, based on sea level rise.”

*Unfunded mandates: “We see that more and more. Live Local, didn’t see that one coming.”

Bellas said the county needs to ask itself: “Are we ready for these things, as an organization?”

The Tampa Bay area has been spared from much of the devastation caused by hurricanes hitting Florida. But flooding, such as this from Hurricane Irma, can often happen in places far away from the coast because of the state’s many low-lying areas. (File)

Pasco must be ready to address these types of challenges not only during the next year, but over the course of five years, 10 years and 15 years, Bellas said.

The Office of Strategy and Sustainability “will, in fact, focus on those things that we need to do as a county to prepare for and be able to respond to, and bounce back from, anything that happens to us over time,” Bellas said.

“As Pasco County, it’s our time to do this,” he said. “If we don’t do this now, we’ll get caught flat-footed again.”

The effort must be focused and will require resources, which include people, time, energy, effort and money, Bellas said.

He will lead a team of experts that have been pulled from various county departments.

The team includes an expert on resilience and sustainability; an expert on the federal side of grants and funding; a long-range planner who is managing the county’s vulnerability assessment; and, a strategic planner.

Bellas’ position and that of his assistant make up the other two members of the team.

Funding granted by the county board will go to fill vacancies created in other departments caused by shifting staff, Bellas said. Two of those positions are being funded now and the third will be part of next year’s budget.

Identifying vulnerabilities
“Part of what we want to do immediately is identify any gaps there are in Pasco County, around resilience and sustainability. The big piece that gets us there is the vulnerability assessment that will be done late spring,” Bellas said. “Very quickly we’re going to understand the shape the county is in.

High hurricane winds caused obvious damage to this pier. It doesn’t take hurricane-strength winds, however, to create significant damage and power outages. (File)

“These are the things that we’re going to target as a group to get fixed up as soon as we can and draw as much money as we can down, to begin to address projects around that,” he said.

The team will be educating others about the issues. It also will reach out to the county’s constitutional officers and to the cities. And, it will be involved in regional and statewide efforts.

“There’s a lot of moving parts to this that are going to bring a lot of attention and focus to what we need to do to get us into good shape,” Bellas said.

There are already activities and actions going on around the county that address resilience and sustainability, he said.

“We have a lot of smart people here who know what they need to do, to set their business on the right path. We have a 24-page report of all of the things that are happening, those actions and activities that are happening already across the county,” he said.

Collaborating to strengthen responses
His team will verify the actions that have been taken and see if there are ways to help, Bellas said.

“We’ve already seen a few projects where two different departments are really trying to achieve the same thing, but they’re doing it independently. We can help with the collaboration on that,” Bellas added.

“We will also identify new projects.

“The vulnerability assessment will give us a good idea of what we have to focus on,” he said.

He’s confident the county will be able to qualify for grant money to help attack the work that’s necessary.

“We are aggressively going to pursue regional, state and federal funding. The money is out there.

“You have to have a plan. You have to have a purpose. You have to be able to show the funders, we know what we’re doing, we’re going to do this project. Here is what the outcome is going to be,” Bellas said.

Published January 31, 2024

Upcoming festival features beauty, seafood and entertainment

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The ninth annual SunWest Crab & Shrimp Festival, sponsored by Florida’s Sports Coast, will feature a wide array of seafood dishes, live entertainment and activities designed to appeal to people of all ages.

The festival will be at SunWest Park, at 17362 Old Dixie Highway, in Hudson, on Feb. 23, from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.; on Feb 24, from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; and on Feb. 25, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

If you like to shop, eat or be entertained, you will have plenty of options at the ninth annual SunWest Crab & Shrimp Festival at SunWest Park, in February. (Courtesy of Florida Penguin Productions)

Entry tickets are $15 per adult at the gate, or $10 when pre-ordered online, while supplies last. Kids under 18 get in for free. Food and beverages are not included with entry ticket.

Here’s a glimpse of what the festival will offer:

Seafood Extravaganza: A feast for the senses with a diverse menu offered from food trucks and by mobile chefs from across Florida. Offerings will include classic shrimp boil, crab cakes, fresh battered fish and chips, lobster rolls, stone crab claws and more.

Entertainers help keep things lively at the SunWest Crab & Shrimp Festival. This year’s event is set for Feb. 23 through Feb. 25 at SunWest Park in Hudson.

Live Entertainment Schedule:
Feb. 23: FuseBox & Titans of Rock – Journey/Bon Jovi Tribute Show
Feb. 24: Smoking Guns, Draw 4, Barefoot Bob, Crossfire Creek
Feb. 25: Phoenix 5 & Southbound 75

Family Friendly Activities: Bring the whole family for a day of fun with the Kid’s Zone featuring bounce houses, slides, games, and activities. Play All Day Wristbands are $10.  

Vendor Market: A diverse marketplace featuring local artisans, craftsmen and businesses. Support a local community of artists and crafters and discover unique treasures, handmade goods, and one-of-a-kind finds.

Scenic Venue: The festival takes place at the stunning SunWest Park in Hudson, providing a picturesque backdrop for a day of festivities.

Community Fundraiser: The SunWest Crab & Shrimp Festival has raised over $70,000 for local charities; this year the event benefits the Stano Foundation and Celebrate Birthdays, two local Pasco County nonprofit organizations.  

Ticket Information:
Tickets for the ninth Annual SunWest Crab & Shrimp Festival are available for purchase on its official Eventbrite Ticketing Page, including $5 off while early bird supplies last. Early bird discounts are still available, so be sure to secure a spot soon. 

Event Ticket Link:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/9th-annual-sunwest-crab-shrimp-festival-tickets-769835216857

Florida Penguin Productions is the event organizer.  It hosts community events across the Tampa Bay area including food and drink competitions, concerts, holiday festivals, and community shopping markets happening every week. Learn more at FloridaPenguinProductions.com.

Published January 31, 2024

County board wants to know more about constitutional officers’ needs

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As the Pasco County Commission considers its budget for fiscal year 2024-2025, it wants to hear more about the needs of its constitutional officers, who are Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco, Pasco County Clerk & Comptroller Nikki Alvarez-Sowles, Pasco Tax Collector Mike Fasano and Pasco Property Appraiser Mike Wells.

Pasco County Commissioner Kathryn Starkey asked county staff to invite the constitutional officers to share their needs during the county’s budget talks.

“I just want to be sure our constitutional partners are involved,” Starkey told County Administrator Mike Carballa and Amielee Farrell, the county’s new budget director, during a board workshop on Jan. 16.

Carballa said county staff typically brings the constitutional officers’ budget to board members.

Starkey: “Can we not engage with them before they bring us their budgets?”

Farrell responded: “Can you, yes. My office will encourage it and recommend it, but we will need support from you all.

“Do you want that to be at a workshop? Do you want that to be a regular item?” she asked.

Pasco County Commission Chairman Ron Oakley said the county board needs more information. ”Last year, we didn’t hear anything,” he said.

Starkey added: “I want to hear their vision for what they need, so we have a short-term goal. We have a long-term goal.”

Starkey said she regularly meets with the sheriff and he told her that no one has sat down with them to find out what they need, in terms of buildings.

She said she’s aware that the tax collector is planning a building.

She wants to know the big picture.

“I’d like to hear what their capital needs are, long-term, so we can plan them into ours. It’s our responsibility to fulfill their capital needs,” she said.

Board members left it up to Carballa and his team to arrange for an opportunity for the board to have a discussion with constitutional officers during the budget process.

Published January 31, 2024

Be prepared to savor some Southern Charm, and kumquats, too

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Downtown Dade City soon will be transformed into a marketplace and center of activity for the 27th annual Kumquat Festival.

The event celebrates all things kumquat.

Thousands of visitors head to Dade City each year to enjoy some old-fashioned Southern Charm at the annual Kumquat Festival. (File)

The festival draws its name from a tiny, sweet and tangy citrus fruit.

The annual gathering began nearly three decades ago, when Phyllis Smith, Roxanne Barthle and Carlene Ellberg were trying to find a way to inject new life into downtown Dade City.

They decided to have an event to celebrate the kumquat because the Kumquat Growers, based in Dade City, are the nation’s largest producers of the fruit, sometimes described as “the little gold gems of the citrus family.”

The festival began small, on the lawn of the historic Pasco County Courthouse.

All sorts of products featuring kumquats will be available at the 27th annual Kumquat Festival in downtown Dade City on Jan. 27 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Over the years, the event spread through the city’s historic downtown core, and it routinely attracts thousands of visitors from the Tampa Bay area and beyond.

Besides giving people a chance to sample the distinctive flavor of kumquats, the festival also offers them a chance to experience Dade City’s hospitality, at a family friendly event.

This year’s event is being presented by AdventHealth Dade City, the City of Dade City, and dozens of other valued sponsors, according to Vicki Wiggins, CEO of the Greater Dade City Chamber of Commerce.

About 20,000 are expected to attend, including residents from the Tampa Bay area and surrounding counties, winter residents, tourists and “day-trippers,” according to Wiggins.

The event presents opportunities for fun, shopping, eating and entertainment.

Admission is free; parking is available in the downtown area.

The event will feature art displays, a “Health and Wellness” section, a children’s activity area, a classic car show, a quilt show, vendors selling food and unique craft items, kumquat items in myriad varieties and, of course, kumquat beer and wine.

Kumquat facts
Kumquats have been called the ‘little gold gems’ of the citrus family. They are believed to be native to China and have a very distinctive taste. Kumquats, like grapes, can be eaten whole.
The peel is the sweetest part and can be eaten separately. The pulp, which contains seeds and juice, is sour. Together, the peel and pulp taste sweet and sour. The seeds contain pectin, which can be removed by boiling for use in jams and jellies.

Source: The Kumquat Growers Association

27th annual Kumquat Festival
When: Jan. 27, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Where: Downtown Dade City
Cost: Free admission and free parking
Info: Visit DadeCityChamber.org.

Published January 24, 20234

Appellate court issues split decision in clerk’s office lawsuit

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An appellate court has issued a split decision in a legal action filed by Pasco County Clerk & Comptroller Nikki Alvarez-Sowles against Pasco County, involving a funding dispute. (File)

Pasco County Clerk & Comptroller Nikki Alvarez-Sowles has prevailed in one portion of her legal challenge against Pasco County, while Pasco County has prevailed in another part of her lawsuit.

Alvarez-Sowles’ office filed the lawsuit in late 2021 seeking clarity regarding statutory funding obligations after the county resisted fully funding the services and expenses of the multiagency criminal justice information system and the operating expenses for the West Pasco Judicial Center, the county’s second full-service courthouse, which is in New Port Richey.  

A trial judge ruled against the clerk’s office on both issues in February 2023, and Alvarez-Sowles appealed that decision.

In a ruling issued Jan. 17, the Florida Second District Court of Appeal ruled the county is responsible for fully and immediately funding the multiagency criminal justice information system.

The appellate court also ruled that the county did not have a responsibility to provide Clerk’s Office funding for the operating expenses of the West Pasco Judicial Center.

The clerk’s office announced the ruling in a news release and shared a copy of the court’s decision.

“Filing a lawsuit against Pasco County was never our first choice,” Alvarez-Sowles said, in the release.” This case of first impression involved evaluating complex legislative history and significant funding issues. I thank the appellate court, as well as the trial court judge, and all involved for considering and clarifying these complex and important issues.”

In the same news release, Alvarez-Sowles said she looks forward to working with the Pasco County Commission to resolve the remaining issues involving this litigation.

Published January 24, 2024