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Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

Zephyrhills/East Pasco News

Community development grants on the way?

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Talks are underway in Zephyrhills to offer a greater variety of business grants within the city’s CRA (Community Redevelopment Agency) district.

At last month’s CRA board meeting, Zephyrhills CRA director Gail Hamilton pushed for a wider range of incentives to help encourage new business investment in the 500-plus acre district.

The district encompasses the center spine of the city, generally between Hercules Park to C Avenue, and from Zephyr Park to 17th Street. Within those boundaries are the following historic neighborhood districts: Hercules, Historic Jeffries, Historic Abbott, Moore’s Estate, Zephyr Lake, Oakside, and Plaza.

The Zephyrhills CRA district is roughly 500 acres, from Hercules Park to C Avenue, and from Zephyr Park to 17th Street. (Courtesy of City of Zephyrhills)

Hamilton referenced a 2019 market report from consultant GAI Community Solutions, which indicates that vacancy rates are down in the CRA district, but property values are dropping because older retail/office buildings are not being improved or rehabilitated.

Interestingly, however, Hamilton said rental rates in the district have increased because “there’s a short supply of those buildings that are habitable, that are in the right location, where somebody wants to be.”

The market report shows the majority of rentable office properties within the district were built prior to 1980, and the majority of retail properties built prior to 1990. Further, since 2011, no new office properties and just one new retail property have been built within the district.

The report showed the limited inventory will weigh on district activity in the face of a growing local economy, Hamilton told CRA board members.

“We need to address that we haven’t built any new buildings and what we have is old,” the CRA director said.

“We still have building stock that nobody wants to rent because of the issues with the building or where it’s located or how it’s chopped up, and so we might want to take a very focused look at some of those buildings and try to work with the property owners,” she suggested.

The city currently offers grants related to building exteriors, including a matching façade rehabilitation grant program of up to $2,500.

But, Hamilton thinks the program should be expanded to allows some grants related to interior projects, such as plumbing or electric improvements.

“I can do signage, I can help them with a window or door, but the grants don’t allow for anything in the interior of the building, so that’s something we may want to talk about,” she said.

Hamilton also suggested creating some type of kitchen remodeling grant, particularly for high-quality kitchen fire suppression systems that could be used for subsequent tenants, if needed.

The Zephyrhills CRA (Community Redevelopment Agency) area is a dependent special district in which any future increases in property values are set aside in a trust fund to support economic development and redevelopment projects, within the designated district.

She put it like this: “If that restaurant goes out (of business), you still have a restaurant and that investment the CRA makes putting the money in the building, because the building will always be there.”

The CRA director added she’s seen high demand from retailers and restaurateurs looking to lease newer or updated building spaces, even as small as 1,000 square feet, in the downtown area.

“Not a day goes by that somebody doesn’t call the CRA office asking about space — and, I don’t have it,” she said.

The Zephyrhills CRA includes about 300 business, with the largest concentration of employment within retail trade, health care services, and accommodation and food services.

The district’s largest employer is AdventHealth Zephyrhills (1,100 employees), followed by Florida Medical Clinic (850), Nestle/Zephyrhills Bottled Water (325), City of Zephyrhills (180) and Morrow Steel (90).

Another issue, Hamilton said, is the limited supply of affordable housing for middle-income workers, close to their jobs.

Hamilton said she’s had ongoing discussions with AdventHealth Zephyrhills CEO Amanda Maggard about the issue, talking about creating some type of joint residential grants “so that that workforce group from the hospital has an opportunity to live and work here in the CRA district.”

The city offers a $5,000 residential ownership incentive grant to homebuyers who purchase a home in the CRA district, and maintain residency for five years. The CRA awarded five such grants last fiscal year, Hamilton said.

Published November 13, 2019

Improvements continue on State Road 54 in East Pasco

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A project to widen a stretch of State Road 54 in East Pasco, and to improve the road’s intersection with Eiland Boulevard and Morris Bridge Road, is making progress.

The improvement calls for two left-turn lanes on State Road 54 onto Eiland Boulevard and two through lanes heading east.

A right-turn lane, also heading eastbound, will be incorporated on the state road, turning onto Morris Bridge Road.

State Road 54 is being widened, and intersection improvements are being made at the road’s intersection with Eiland Boulevard and Morris Bridge Road. The improvements aim to ease the flow of traffic on the busy road. (Brian Fernandes)

Heading west, State Road 54 will have one left-turn lane going onto Morris Bridge Road, a right-turn lane onto Eiland Boulevard, and two through lanes.

Also, at the intersection, a bicycle lane will run along the state road’s north and south ends, respectively.

In addition, a shared-use path will be implemented on the south end, with a sidewalk running along the north end.

Eiland Boulevard turns into Morris Bridge Road once is passes the intersection  with State Road 54, and heads south.

Motorists heading north on Morris Bridge Road will have two left-turn lanes onto State Road 54.

There also will be two through lanes, including one that can be used to go straight or turn right.

Eiland Boulevard heading south will have the same setup, except that it will have a right-turn lane in addition to two through lanes.

There will be a shared-use path on the west side of Eiland Boulevard and Morris Bridge Road, and a sidewalk on the east side.

There haven’t been any lane closures yet, but in the future this could occur for three to four weeks, according to Brendan Fitterer of Pasco County.

This comes as efforts continue to widen State Road 54 in Wesley Chapel and Zephyrhills.

The 4.5-mile widening begins east of Curley Road and ends east of Morris Bridge Road. It involves widening the road from two lanes to four lanes, with a divided median.

The project is being done in phases, with the lanes at the north end — heading west — being completed first. Then the lanes on the south end — heading east — will be done, and then the divided median.

When the two westbound lanes have been paved and striped, opposing traffic will occupy these lanes, while the eastbound lanes are built, said David Botello of the Florida Department of Transportation.

This will occur over the span of six months, he said. Ninety-five percent of the utility pipe installation has been completed.

Botello added that: “We have over half of the new drainage installed and are working on constructing the new westbound lanes on the north side of the corridor, while traffic is temporarily shifted to the south in several locations throughout the project.”

The project also incorporates a sidewalk on the north side of the road and a multi-purpose trail on the south side.

Lane closures have occurred, but future closures have not been announced yet.

The intersection with Eiland Boulevard/Morris Bridge Road is a $3.8 million-project and is expected to be completed in June 2021.

The state road’s widening is a $42.5 million-project, with completion set for mid-2021.

Published November 13, 2019

Rattlesnake Festival makes gains despite ‘Nestor’

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The Rattlesnake Festival had its biggest year since The Thomas Promise Foundation took over, despite the appearance of Tropical Storm Nestor, event organizers say.

“We’ll be able to provide 100,000 lunches as a result of this years’ Rattlesnake Festival,” Joe Simmons, executive director for The Thomas Promise Foundation, said in a news release.

“That’s more than the last two years. Imagine what we could do if the storm hadn’t come through,” Simmons added.

David and Howard Bellamy performed for a sold-out crowd on Oct. 18 at the Rattlesnake Festival. It was their first performance at the event since 1968. (Courtesy of The Thomas Promise Foundation)

According to long-held tradition, The Rattlesnake Festival was held on the third weekend of October, which this year fell on Oct. 19 and Oct. 20.

Having the festival that weekend was decided in 1967, based on research by a weatherman that historically that weekend had the best weather.

Indeed, over the years the festival has enjoyed dry weather most of the time, according to the release.

But, not this year.

Tropical Storm Nestor crossed the Florida Panhandle and sent waves of heavy rain and tornado warnings on down the West Coast, the release reports.

Still, the weekend got off to a great start, with a successful Bellamy Brothers concert on Oct. 18, despite threatening weather. The band played to a sold-out crowd in the Dan Cannon Auditorium at the Pasco County Fairgrounds.

It was the internationally known musicians’ first time back to the festival since 1968 when they performed their first musical gig with their father at the festival in San Antonio City Park, which hosted the event for a half-century before moving to the fairgrounds.

“We so appreciate the Bellamy Brothers coming to the Rattlesnake Festival this year,” Simmons said, in the release. “It was the success of their concert that offset the bad day we had on Saturday and enabled us to have our best year so far.”

Rattlesnake Run organizers had to cancel the 5-mile and 1-mile runs because of a tornado watch that was in effect at the time the race was set to begin.

The rain-or-shine festival opened on time Oct. 19 but, because of heavy rains, some vendors and entertainment groups did not set up that day.

Weather began to clear at about noon and some festival-goers turned out, but organizers realized that Nestor had put a damper on their event.

“We were hoping to exceed the 10,000 mark on visitors,” Simmons said. “I believe that if the weather had been as nice on Saturday as it was on Sunday, we may have done so.”

By the evening of Oct. 19, the rain had stopped and “Rattlesnake Festival After Dark,” an event planned with adults in mind featuring local bands, was well-attended for a first-time event.

The following day, the even opened with sunshine, and the event went well.

“The weather is the weather, that’s true everywhere, but sometimes it seems especially true in Florida,” Simmons said.

“This is our third year running the festival and our second year at the Pasco County Fairgrounds. We’re already on the schedule for next year, which is Oct. 17 and 18, by the way. We planned a great festival and we’re glad that we were still able to have a better year than last year because it’s all about raising money to buy food to feed hungry kids.”

The Thomas Promise Foundation is a 501(C)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to providing weekend meals to food-insecure students in Pasco County Schools when breakfast and lunch programs are not operating. For more information visit TheThomasPromise.org.

Published November 06, 2019

Loving hands lift up men in need

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When Gustavo Cabrera arrived at the Loving Hands Ministries campus in Dade City, he had no idea about the kind of impact it would have on his life.

His path to the ministry began while he was in Miami.

He had taken up with bad company there and was implicated in a robbery.

The staff and residents of the Loving Hands Ministries, in Dade City, stand in front of a portrait of the organization’s founders, Wendell and Nancy Wilson. The ministry also has another location in Palmetto. (Brian Fernandes)

After the incident, he began a spiritual quest to get his life in order and came across a pamphlet about Loving Hands Ministries – a program that relies on the study of Scripture, to help men get their lives back on track.

After his two-year stay on the Dade City campus, he went on to graduate from Southeastern University and is now a minister helping to build churches.

Loving Hands Ministries has two campuses. One is in Dade City and the other is in Palmetto.

Marshall Walker is program director for the Dade City campus.

He, too, went through the ministry’s two-year program.

“The reason it’s become successful for me — and I believe for all the men — is that it’s a spiritual regeneration,” Walker said.

The program requires the men to spend several hours each day studying the Bible.

Walker described himself as a struggling drug addict when he moved onto the Dade City campus.

Building a relationship with Jesus and getting away from worldly distractions changed him, Walker said.

“Sin is fun for a season, but then after a while, it’s not fun anymore,” Walker said.

Loving Hands Ministries was founded in the 1980s by Pastor Wendell Wilson and his wife, Nancy, who wanted to help men like Cabrera and Walker.

Pastor Wilson had led a number of different churches throughout Florida, but after ministering to men on the street and in jails, he felt compelled to do more, said Kim Dodson, his daughter and current president of the organization.

In 1982, the Wilsons opened their Bradenton home to men who were struggling with addiction or other issues — and encouraged them to redirect their lives.

The Wilsons opened the first campus of Loving Hands Ministries in 1984 in Bradenton. That ministry later relocated to Palmetto.

The Dade City campus opened in 1992. It now has five buildings for living quarters, a dining area, a gym and a food storage area. There’s also a recreational facility and a basketball court.

And, the foundation has been laid there for a new chapel. It will provide the men more room for their spiritual work.

Men come to the ministry in different ways.

Some are court-ordered; others join voluntarily.

Some travel from different parts of Florida. Others, from different states.

Some learn about the program when they’re in the hospital, or in jail, or at a church.

The two-year program keeps the men productive — with cooking, daily chores and several hours of Bible study daily.

Through such responsibilities, the men can discover their gifts, Dodson said.

She put it like this: “We teach these men that their life matters and they’re created by God for his purposes, and to be used daily to serve someone else.”

During the second year of the program, the men begin to learn how to minister to each other on campus.

They also visit churches to share their testimonies — hoping to reach others who can benefit from the ministry.

Occasionally, they get away, too, for deep sea fishing, to watch the Tampa Bay Rays, or to enjoy other outings.

Those who graduate from the program, like Walker, have the chance to build careers at their respective campuses.

Some have gone on to higher education. Some are now businessmen, or ministers.

Loving Hands Ministries relies on individual, community and church donations, and occasional fundraisers, such as yard sales, golf tournaments and banquets.

In fact, it is planning to celebrate its 35th anniversary with a banquet on Nov. 21, at the First Church of the Nazarene in Zephyrhills. David West, of Making a Difference Inc., will be the keynote speaker.

Dodson noted: “All these years we’ve never charged a man or their family.”

As her late father used to say: “You can’t put a price on a life.”

Even though her parents have passed away, Dodson wants to continue their vision, with plans to branch out to South Florida.

“Overall, we’re just so blessed with the success rate,” Dodson remarked.

“In the end, it’s the change that takes place in a man’s heart that really changes him,” she said.

To find out more about the organization, or the banquet, visit LovingHands.net or call Marshall Walker at (352) 523-1399.

Loving Hands Ministries banquet
When: Nov. 21 at 6:30 p.m.
Where: First Church of the Nazarene, 6155 12th St., Zephyrhills
Cost: Free admission, suggested minimum donation of $200 for a party of eight
Details: The organization is celebrating its 35th anniversary, with a fundraiser to support its work.
Info: To RSVP and donate online, visit LovingHands.net, or call Marshall Walker at (352) 523-1399.

Published October 30, 2019

Dade City has location for downtown splash park

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The Dade City Commission has approved a land purchase that may finally bring a splash park/bike hub to the city’s downtown area.

The city has targeted a 2.23-acre parcel that borders the Hardy Trail on Eighth Street. The property, at 3772 Church St., is owned by local businessman Otto Weitzenkorn.

This is a preliminary concept plan for a splash park/bike hub in downtown Dade City. The recreation project calls for a multi-use water splash pad, bike-share shelter, amphitheater, ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act)-accessible playground, open space, and concession area and other amenities. (Courtesy of City of Dade City)

The real estate’s 2018 appraised value is $1.168 million, but city officials say the Weitzenkorn family is willing to sell it to the city for $800,000.

At their Oct. 22 meeting, commissioners voted 4-1 to proceed with the purchase. Commissioner Nicole Deese Newlon dissented.

The city has until the end of the year to close the transaction per terms of the presale agreement, according to City Attorney Thomas Thanas. An onsite inspection, suitability study and new appraisal will be needed, too, he said.

City leaders have discussed building a splash park/bike hub for the past few years.

Finding an ideal location had been another matter, until the Weitzenkorn family approached the city in August.

A preliminary concept plan for the recreation project calls for a multi-use water splash pad, bike-share shelter, amphitheater, ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act)-accessible playground, open space, and concession area and other amenities.

Dade City Manager Leslie Porter indicated during the meeting the city plans to use reserve funds and Penny for Pasco revenues for the land acquisition, then apply for a series of Community Development Blocks Grants (CDBG) to fund park amenities. Pasco County Tourist Development also has allocated $250,000 for the recreational project.

Porter said the splash park project “has a lot of possibilities to take Dade City to the next level.”

Commissioners concurred the initiative can help revitalize the downtown business district while offering another recreational outlet for local youth, residents and visitors.

Commissioner Jim Shive said “it’s time to start thinking outside the box, bringing some things here to make things lively for the downtown and help pick up things.”

Commissioner Scott Black called the project “a good investment.”

Black added: “I think it’s something that future generations will appreciate the foresight that we had in doing this. It will be a really nice complementary to our downtown area, and I think that’s going to be a great thing.”

Mayor Camille Hernandez likewise supported the project as a community asset and possible tourism draw.

Hernandez said the project falls in line with the city’s ethos of building a healthy and age-friendly community.

“This is huge for Dade City in so many ways,” she said. “This will definitely help us to promote our business district, to help our CRA (Community Redevelopment Agency) and to do all those things that we need to do.

“I believe this is another thing that will help to bring people here for our festivals, for our downtown, our community markets and all those other events,” the mayor said.

In casting the sole negative vote, Newlon said she’s a proponent of a splash park, but she expressed several reservations about the discussed property and project in general.

Newlon said she was “very concerned” the city would be tapping into reserves to pay for the Weitzenkorn property. She also pointed out the parcel contains a house with asbestos, which the city would be responsible for removing — therefore increasing the project cost.

She estimated the splash park/bike hub project could cost more than $2.5 million to $3 million, and added “that’s probably a conservative number.”

“I’m a little concerned about where that money’s coming from at this point, and it makes me uncomfortable to rely on the prospect of grant monies, when we really don’t know,” she said.

The city commissioner also said she thinks the new park location might take away from nearby Price Park, which is about a block away on Magnolia Avenue and recently has undergone upgrades.

“I’m concerned that we’ve put a lot of money into Price Park, and that park is almost going to be kind of an afterthought,” she said.

Plus, she took issue with the preliminary rendering, which shows a smaller, scaled-down splash pad overshadowed by other amenities and features.

“It feels like to me, we’ve lost the point of this exercise, which was the splash park. The design to me lacks that appeal, beyond the pricing issue,” she said.

Published October 30, 2019

Mayor delivers ‘State of Dade City’ address

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A newly passed budget and some corresponding reorganization in city hall was a forefront topic for Dade City Mayor Camille Hernandez in her annual “State of the City” address at The Greater Dade City Chamber of Commerce October breakfast meeting, at AdventHealth Dade City.

Dade City Commissioners last month passed a $19.3 million budget by 4-1 vote.

The 2019-2020 budget is based upon a 7.14 millage rate and represents a 17% increase ($2.8 million) from last fiscal year ($16.4 million).

Dade City Mayor Camille Hernandez covered a lot of talking points during her ‘State of the City’ address. (Kevin Weiss)

The budget covers 83 full-time staffers, including several newly funded positions — community and economic development director, associate planner, GIS analyst, another building inspector, and others.

Addressing a roomful of chamber members, Hernandez said this year’s budgetary process “was one of the most difficult for me, as a city commissioner, as a mayor.”

“It was tough, guys,” Hernandez said. “We’re heading in the right direction, but we had to make some tough choices for not only the city and the services, but also position us in a great place to move forward and to all of those people that are coming in, all those transportation (issues), all those businesses, to be able to accomplish that.

“It wasn’t unanimous, but I think the majority of the commission agreed that we had to prepare ourselves for challenges and opportunities moving forward, and how are we going to make Dade City the best it can be.”

With that, the mayor noted the city last year received 658 building permits for private construction and now has over 4,000 residential unit entitlements (either under construction or review).

That underscores the necessity, she said, for the city to create a new community and economic development department that encompasses community redevelopment, current and long-range planning, online permitting and customer service, and building and safety services.

“We have a bunch of homes that are on the books, and they’re going to start to be built sometime next year,” the mayor said. “There’s a lot of work being done by staff, so this is the reason we needed to reorganize, we needed to make those tough decisions to hire some staff to get those folks help, to continue to move us forward.”

In addition to the budget as a whole, Hernandez offered updates on various capital improvements projects.

She noted that paving has begun on the second phase of the Hardy Trail northern extension, from Church Avenue to Lock Street, and is expected to be complete around next spring. The extension is part of a larger trail network planned for the U.S. 301 corridor extending from south of Zephyrhills to north of Dade City. It ultimately will extend to the Withlacoochee State Trail trailhead.

“We’re really excited about that,” Hernandez said. “We’ll be getting into some healthy initiatives, hopefully working with the banks and hospitals, and other organizations.”

Hernandez also mentioned improvements are “finally” underway to the city’s downtown stormwater management system, which is slated to be finished by sometime next summer.

Hernandez quipped: “For those that have businesses in town, for those of you that love your shoes like me, you won’t have to take them off anymore and go into 6 inches of water on any stormy afternoon.”

Other forthcoming projects include Tank Hill water facility renovations (finalizing request for proposal documents) and Dade Oaks stormwater improvements (finalizing funding and bid documents); the city also has allocated $200,000 toward paving or repaving city maintained roads. “There’s a lot of dirt moving around. I always say that’s progress, and I kind of like having the dirt picked out,” Hernandez said.

The city’s demographic profile was another one of the mayor’s talking points.

Hernandez said of the city’s 7,240 residents, the median age is 35.5 years old, with a growing number of first-time householders, newer marriages and families.

The average household size is 2.51, median household income is about $40,000 and median home value is about $145,000.

That in mind, the mayor stressed the need for the municipality to “maintain youthful interests in style and fun, with lots of things to do.”

She noted several community events — namely the Dade City Heritage & Cultural Museum’s Masquerade Ball, Monarch Butterfly Festival, Scarecrow Festival and Dade City Symphony — all happened within a weekend of each other.

“We are a fun place with fun things happening, and we are going to continue to do that as we move forward,” Hernandez said. “We’re not a town that’s going to roll up.”

Elsewhere, the mayor made it a point to commend the Dade City Police Department’s ongoing efforts to boost its community outreach and advocacy programs, especially with local youth.

Some of the agency’s regular initiatives include Shop with a Cop, Cop-sicle Days, Back to School Bash, Explorer Scouts, Special Olympics, and Habitat for Humanity, among others.

Hernandez put it like this: “It’s not only about having these guys show up and protecting them or leading someone off in handcuffs, but it’s showing them that they are an integral part of our community. They are human, they go home to a family, and you couldn’t imagine the change in some of these children when they realize, ‘Hey, these aren’t bad guys, these are actually good guys that are here to help me.’”

She added: “You don’t know how wonderful of a group of guys we have in our community.”

Published October 23, 2019

This year’s Rattlesnake Festival is one for the books

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This year’s Rattlesnake Festival started off with a bang.

That is because Darby’s own musical siblings, The Bellamy Brothers, kicked off the 53rd annual festival off with a very special, Oct. 18 evening concert, marking the first time the musicians played the festival in decades.

Darby’s own, Howard Bellamy, left, and his brother, David, take the stage on Oct. 18 to kick off the Rattlesnake Festival weekend. They played their first gig at the Rattlesnake Festival in 1968, and this concert marked the first time in decades that the brothers performed at the festival. (Christine Holtzman)

Hundreds packed the Dan Cannon Auditorium at the Pasco County Fairgrounds to hear Howard Bellamy and his brother, David, perform some of their biggest hits including, “Redneck Girl,” “If I Said You Had A Beautiful Body,” and, of course, their signature song, “Let Your Love Flow.”  They also mixed in some tracks off of their newest album, “Over the Moon,” released earlier this year.

The brothers got their first taste in performing in front of an audience at the 1968 festival, then known as the ‘Rattlesnake Roundup,’ when they performed on stage, for free, with their father.

This year, the sold-out concert raised money for the festival’s host, The Thomas Promise Foundation.

After the concert, the regular festival days were Oct. 19 and Oct. 20 at the Pasco County Fairgrounds, 36722 State Road 52 in Dade City.

Over the course of the weekend, thousands flocked to the site to enjoy a wide array of activities, wildlife shows, exhibits, bounce houses and other attractions.

There were carnival rides and games, and the chance to hold a real, live alligator.

After watching a presentation given by the nonprofit organization, The Rattlesnake Conservancy, onlookers rush over for a chance to pet ‘Stripe,’ a female canebrake rattlesnake. Handler Chase Pirtle is holding the snake.

Vendors were there selling handmade crafts, and businesses were there touting their products and services.

Hungry festival-goers also had plenty of choices at the food court area, including corn dogs, soft pretzels, gyros, pizza, funnel cakes and fresh lemonade.

Of course, the weekend wouldn’t be complete without watching the traditional Eddie Herrmann Wooden Gopher Tortoise Races, geared toward kids, 12 and under.

The races, which use mechanical wooden gopher tortoises, were held throughout each day, for age groups 7 and under, and 8 through 12.

First-, second- and third-place winners from each race earned a ribbon, and the first-place winners were eligible to compete for a trophy in the championship games.

The races were named after Eddie Herrmann, one of the festival’s founders, who passed away hours after the close of the first day of the 51st festival in 2017.

Published October 23, 2019

Perry Haley, of Wesley Chapel, dips his wife, Christi, while dancing to a song at the Bellamy Brothers concert. Originally from Texas, the Haleys said that dancing is a way of life in the Lone Star State.
Inside the Croc Encounters attraction, 10-year-old Kinnley Reeves, of Lutz, pets ‘Smiley,’ a 3-foot gator, held by zoo keeper Lou Coticchio, of Largo. The Croc Encounters group had several alligators, turtles and snakes in their exhibit, and for a small fee, people could hand feed several large tortoises or even hold a live alligator.
Four-year-old Harleigh Sexton, of Dade City, takes aim at shooting some tin cans, with a little help from her mother’s boyfriend, Jesse Larkin. The two were playing the Wild West Cork Gun Game. LeBaron Concessions worker Richard Landers is looking on.
Jim Smalley, of Dade City, holds his hat over his heart, during the singing of the Star-Spangled Banner, before the start of the Bellamy Brothers concert. Smalley is a retired staff sergeant from the U.S. Army.

 

Zephyrhills economic summit highlights industrial hub

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It may now be famous for its crystal clear water and skydiving but, someday, the City of Zephyrhills also wants to be known for its industrial offerings and high-wage jobs.

The third annual Zephyrhills Economic Summit, held earlier this month, focused on the need to maximize both the use of the Zephyrhills Municipal Airport and the development potential of adjacent industrial property.

The event, at Zephyrhills City Hall, was presented by the Zephyrhills Economic Development Coalition (ZEDC) in partnership with the City of Zephyrhills and Greater Zephyrhills Chamber of Commerce.

The third annual Zephyrhills Economic Summit focused on the importance of developing an industrial corridor and cultivating high-wage jobs. Shown here speaking is Zephyrhills planning director Todd Vande Berg. (Kevin Weiss)

City officials are developing a 20-year master plan known as the Zephyrhills Industrial Corridor Plan.

The proposed industrial development hub encompasses approximately 9.76 square miles (6,248 acres) of land in the southeast portion of the city, around the Chancey Road corridor and municipal airport.

Roughly a third of the property is within city limits and the remainder in unincorporated Pasco County — representing the largest aggregation of industrial lands in the county.

Within that area is 442 divisible acres of what’s known as the Zephyrhills Airport Industrial Park, a build-ready site equipped with water, sewer and electric utilities, and accessible to natural gas.

While the corridor is still in preliminary stages, it ultimately will set the city up for long-term growth and economic sustainability, said Zephyrhills planning director Todd Vande Berg.

Possible targeted industries could include aerospace, aviation and defense; advanced manufacturing; light manufacturing; electronics and technology; logistics and distribution; life sciences and medical technology; telecom/data hosting centers; research and development; showroom; refrigeration/cold storage and other uses.

Vande Berg explained a built-out industrial corridor will yield more revenues for the city and create a better jobs-to-housing balance. He also noted industrial manufacturing uses less services — police, fire, water, sewer— compared to, say, residential or commercial land use.

All that, he said, will ultimately “raise the bar in quality of life” for Zephyrhills residents, allowing funds to be steered toward downtown redevelopment, recreational amenities and other community uses.

“We want to be economically diverse. We don’t just want to have family residential, we want to have a mix of uses,” Vande Berg said.

“If we bring in industrial, we’re going to be more fiscally solvent, and that ties in with being resilient. If we have the industrial there, we feel like we’re in a better position with the city.”

The city planner expressed confidence the corridor’s utility offerings and centralized proximity to Orlando, Lakeland and Tampa makes it an attractive spot for companies looking to relocate or set up shop.

“We’ve got a great location we feel like,” he said. “We have such an asset out there in the southeast quadrant of the city.”

The entire planning area is generally bound by Melrose Avenue to the north, the CSX Transportation railroad and U.S. 301 to the west, Pattie Road to the south, and Barry Road and the Upper Hillsborough Wildlife Management Area to the east.

Two CSX mainline railroads traverse the area and it is accessible to Port Tampa Bay and the CSX Central Florida Intermodal Logistics Center.

The local airport also is undergoing a $5.9 million runway extension and roadway improvements to accommodate larger commercial aircraft, and encourage aviation and industrial development.

Moving forward, Vande Berg said ongoing collaboration is vital between the city, county and state officials to have a coordinated plan on zoning and land use, and “to continue to improve transportation accessibility to this industrial corridor.”

He mentioned a more near-term priority is working with the Florida Department of Transportation to extend State Road 56 east of U.S. 301 to connect to Chancey Road. “Transportation’s huge, like anywhere,” he said.

Aside from transportation and infrastructure boosts to draw companies in, other speakers said the city needs more workforce development programs to develop skilled labor employees and then keep them in the area.

It’s already something holding back existing industrial businesses in the city, said Dr. Randy Stovall, president of the Zephyrhills chamber.

“They can’t find those people they want to hire,” Stovall said. “They want to hire them, but there’s not enough of them, so that is a challenge. We’ve had that (issue) for some time.”

Tom Ryan, economic development manager for Pasco Economic Development Council Inc.,  said having training programs and a baseline of skilled labor in place is “a huge component” for luring large companies to a particular area.

“We’ve got to have (workforce) inventory,” Ryan said. “We’ve got to have a plan to tell those companies, ‘Look, we want your jobs here, and we have a plan to help you bring those jobs here.’”

Pasco County Commission Chairman Ron Oakley pointed out that Zephyrhills and the East Pasco area are working to position the area to do just that.

Pasco County Schools plans to build a technical high school by 2022 near the intersection of Curley Road and Kiefer Road in Wesley Chapel that will hold nearly 900 students.

Meanwhile, Withlacoochee River Electric Cooperative (WREC) plans to construct a 4,000-square-foot facility for AmSkills to teach manufacturing jobs.

Also, local business owner Kevin Bahr of Bahr’s Propane Gas & A/C is starting a teaching school to train propane service and HVAC technicians.

“The county is working very hard for jobs,” Oakley said. “Our county’s growing. We need jobs, and we need to teach them (the necessary skills).”

Elsewhere during the summit, State Rep. Randy Maggard commended Zephyrhills “for thinking ahead of schedule” in regards to its future and planned industrial hub.

Maggard, a Republican representing District 38, specifically applauded city leaders for this year putting a $2 million septic to sewer project at the top of their state appropriations request list.

The project includes decommissioning existing septic tanks to a residential subdivision and homes along Sixth Avenue and Armstrong Street, with potential for sewer expansion to additional properties in the future.

The project aims to prevent springs from dying because of nitrates from septic tanks.

“At the end of the day, if we don’t have water, none of this matters,” Maggard said. “We can talk about infrastructure, we can talk about a lot of things, but if we can’t provide water, it doesn’t matter at all.”

The elected official also gave this piece of advice for the city going forward: “You need to tell us where you want to go, and we need to help you get there in the long-term planning, funding, whatever it takes for us to be able to do that.”

Other summit speakers included Mohsen Mohammadi, chief operations officer for American Infrastructure Development; David Gwynn, District 7 secretary for the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT); and Danielle Ruiz, economic development manager for Duke Energy.

Published October 23, 2019

Five-acre lots approved on Northeast Pasco tract

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The Pasco County Commission has approved a rezoning to allow homes to be built on 5-acre lots on a 211-acre tract at the northwest corner of Trilby Road and Dowling Lake Road.

The previous zoning required a minimum residential lot size of 10 acres.

No one spoke against the request during the commission’s Oct. 7 public hearing, where the request was approved unanimously.

The Pasco County Planning Commission and county planners had recommended approval for the request.

But, it had encountered opposition by area residents during a planning commission meeting, which sparked so much discussion, it was continued to another planning commission meeting before a vote was taken.

Neighbors expressed concerns about protecting the lake and preserving the area’s tranquil nature. They also cited the potential for safety hazards on Trilby Road, as a result of additional traffic.

However, no one appeared at the Pasco County Commission’s public hearing on the request to make those arguments.

The area’s development pattern includes lots ranging from 3 acres to 10 acres, Denise Hernandez, county zoning administrator told commissioners.

She also noted that the conditions limit lakefront development to eight lots, and prohibit a community dock, community boat launch or community beach.

Attorney Clarke Hobby represented the applicant, Massey Partners Limited. He was there to answer any questions the commissioners might have, but none were asked.

Published October 16, 2019

Dade City Christmas parade seeks applicants

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Dade City’s 2019 Christmas Parade is just around the corner, and those who want to be a part of it are invited to apply.

The parade will be in downtown Dade City on Dec. 6 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., where spectators can enjoy decorated floats, bands or walking units.

Those wanting to take part in Dade City’s 2019 Christmas Parade can entertain spectators, along with Santa Claus himself. Applicants need to register by Nov. 11 at 5 p.m., at the latest. (Courtesy of The Greater Dade City Chamber of Commerce)

“It’s very much a community event run by wonderful volunteers,” said John Moors, executive director of The Greater Dade City Chamber of Commerce. The chamber will once again host the parade, which also will be sponsored by AdventHealth Dade City.

Those wanting to take part in the parade must register online.

Registration is nonrefundable, and is set at $40 for individuals and businesses.

Nonprofit organizations can register for $25 with photo proof uploaded in the application process.

Deadline for applications is Nov. 11 at 5 p.m. Applications can be obtained at DadeCItyChristmasParade.com.

For additional information, contact the chamber at (352) 567-3769 or online at DadeCityChamber.org.

Dade City 2019 Christmas Parade registration
When: Deadline for applications is Nov. 11 at 5 p.m.
Cost: $40 for individuals and businesses; $25 for nonprofit organizations with photo proof uploaded on application
Details: Those wanting to participate in the upcoming parade can still apply online.
Info: For parade applications, visit DadeCityChristmasParade.com. For additional information, contact The Greater Dade City Chamber of Commerce at (352) 567-3769 or online at DadeCityChamber.org.

Published October 16, 2019