Top Story

Dry conditions prompt declaration of a ‘Phase 1 Water Shortage’

November 21, 2023 By B.C. Manion

Lower-than-normal rainfall has led the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s governing board to declare a Modified Phase 1 Water Shortage.

The restrictions apply to all of Citrus, DeSoto, Hardee, Hernando, Hillsborough, Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, Sarasota and Sumter counties; portions of Charlotte, Highlands and Lake counties; the City of Dunnellon and The Villages in Marion County; and the portion of Gasparilla Island in Lee County from Nov. 21, 2023 through July 1, 2024.

The area within the Southwest Florida Water Management District has received lower than normal rainfall during its summer rainy season and currently has a 9.2-inch districtwide rainfall deficit compared to the average 12-month total, according to the Water Management District’s news release.

Water levels in the Water Management District’s water resources, such as aquifers, rivers and lakes, also are beginning to decline, the release says.

The Modified Phase I Water Shortage Order does not change allowable watering schedules for most counties, however it does prohibit “wasteful and unnecessary” water use and twice-per-week lawn watering schedules remain in effect except where stricter measures have been imposed by local governments.

Residents are asked to check their irrigation systems to ensure they are working properly. This means testing and repairing broken pipes and leaks, and fixing damaged or tilted sprinkler heads.

Residents should also check their irrigation timer to ensure the settings are correct and the rain sensor is working properly.

Also, beginning Dec. 1, Hillsborough, Pasco and Pinellas counties will be limited to once-per-week lawn watering. These additional restrictions are needed because Tampa Bay Water, which supplies water to most of the three-county area, was unable to completely refill the 15-billion-gallon C.W. Bill Young Regional Reservoir this summer due to the lower-than-normal rainfall.

Once-per-week lawn watering days and times are as follows, unless your city or county has a different schedule or stricter hours in effect (Citrus, Hernando and Sarasota counties, and the cities of Dunedin and Venice, have local ordinances that remain on one-day-per-week schedules):

If your address ends in:

0 or 1, water only on Monday
2 or 3, water only on Tuesday
4 or 5, water only on Wednesday
6 or 7: water only on Thursday
8, 9 and locations without a discernible address, water only on Friday

Also, unless your city or county already has stricter hours in effect, properties under 2 acres may only water before 8 a.m. or after 6 p.m.

For properties larger than 2 acres, unless your city or county already has stricter hours in effect, watering may only occur before 10 a.m. or after 4 p.m.

Low-volume watering of plants and shrubs, through micro-irrigation, soaker hoses and hand-watering is allowed any day and any time.

The order also requires local utilities to review and implement procedures for enforcing year-round water conservation measures and water shortage restrictions, including reporting enforcement activity to the Water Management District.

The water management district continues to work closely with Tampa Bay Water to ensure a sustainable water supply for the Tampa Bay region, the release says.

For more information, WaterMatters.org/Restrictions.

For tips on conserving water, visit WaterMatters.org/Water101.

Published November 22, 2023

Right of way concerns at U.S. 41/State Road 54

November 14, 2023 By B.C. Manion

The Pasco County Metropolitan Planning Organization has directed Pasco County’s real estate department to explore the possibility of making an advance right of way purchase of some land on the southwest side of the intersection of U.S. 41 and State Road 54.

The board took the action at its Nov. 9 meeting, after Pasco County Commissioner Seth Weightman raised concerns about the future availability of the site.

“Pasco has a potential Live Local project site coming in at (State Road) 54 and (U.S.) 41, potentially on the southwest side of the road,” Weightman said.

Pasco County’s real estate department is expected to explore the potential for advance right of way acquisition for some land on the southwest side of the U.S. 41 and State Road 54 intersection. The site is being considered for multifamily development under the state’s Live Local Act, and the county is exploring whether it can be acquired before that happens. The southwest corner is in the background of this shot. (Mike Camunas)

“If this goes through — if that happens, we have no control over this — how can we plan to find the solution for the 54/41 improvements that need to happen?

“So, we talk about our five-year long-range plan, within a matter of months, there could be a crucial piece of property that could be used to improve that intersection lost to multifamily development. Then what happens?” Weightman said.

Pasco Commission Chairman Jack Mariano asked David Goldstein, the county’s chief assistant county attorney, if the county could change the site’s designation to prevent a Live Local project.

Goldstein responded: “You could rezone it to office. Office is probably immune from Live Local, but you might be effectively downzoning the property. You would be doing it, maybe against the property owner’s consent. So, I don’t know if that would create a cause of action against the county.

“Because if it’s C2 now and we downzone it to office, then they argue that we’ve taken away their C2 rights.”

Live Local is a law the state Legislature adopted last year, intended to increase the supply of multifamily for renters meeting income eligibility requirements.

The only zoning designation Goldstein thinks might be safe from the state’s Live Local provision would be Professional Office 1 or Professional Office 2.

Weightman told Goldstein: “My greater concern is that it impacts a significant project that this board, that this county, is trying to figure out.”

Goldstein responded: If it appears the site will be needed for the improvement project, the county and Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) should be looking to see if funds are available for advance acquisition.

“When we were doing the widening of State Road 52, we did a lot of advance right of way acquisition before we ended up widening the road,” Goldstein said.

Weightman added: “Timing is of the essence here. If we think we’re going to need this, we need to start looking at it today. Because it’s game time.”

Goldstein noted that “the issue of whether they’re entitled to do Live Local or not may come up in the eminent domain process. You’re looking at what is the highest and best use of the property when you go through eminent domain. My position is that it should be acquired under its current zoning, which is C2 (commercial 2).”

Traffic routinely stacks up heading east and west on State Road 54 and heading north and south on U.S. 41, as motorists try to make their way through the busy U.S. 41/State Road 54 intersection. Improvements to the intersection can’t come soon enough for Pasco and Hillsborough commuters, and area residents who routinely use these major arteries through the county.

The chief assistant county attorney added that he doesn’t know if FDOT has begun doing advance right of way acquisition for the U.S. 41/State Road 54 improvement yet.

Justin Hall, with FDOT, said a feasibility study does show a need for the northern portion of the property and that also has been identified for a potential stormwater detention pond site.

But the FDOT doesn’t have the clearance yet to pursue eminent domain for the project, Hall said.

“We could approach them to see if they’re a willing seller. If the property owner is a willing seller, that’s a little bit of a different story,” Hall said

Goldstein suggested directing the county’s real estate department to find out if the property owner is a willing seller, and if so, the county and FDOT could look to see if they can come up with the necessary funds.

“We buy land all of the time for roads, as voluntary transactions. We did that for Overpass Road. We did that for (State Road) 52,” Goldstein said.

“If the property owner is probably trying to sell it for apartments, that means they probably don’t want it anymore for its current uses. So, it’s kind of on the market, I’m guessing.”

“Maybe there’s an opportunity for us to purchase it now — certainly before it becomes another use,” Goldstein said.

Weightman made a motion to direct Pasco County’s real estate department to explore acquisition of the site, which was seconded by Mariano and approved by the board.

A report on the issue is expected at the Pasco MPO’s board meeting in January. The Pasco MPO is Pasco’s lead transportation planning agency. Its board is made up of elected leaders from Pasco County, Dade City, Zephyrhills, New Port Richey and Port Richey.

Published November 15, 2023

Pasco wants to take another look at how Connected City is playing out

November 7, 2023 By B.C. Manion

The Connected City Corridor is a state-initiated pilot program adopted by the Florida Legislature in 2015, which spurred a special planning area in Pasco County — bounded by State Road 52, Overpass Road, Interstate 75 and Curley Road.

The county adopted the Connected City plan in 2017 — envisioning a place that would harness the power of high technology, generate jobs, offer myriad housing choices and create special gathering spaces.

Beyond being connected through technology, it also calls for connections through roads, trails and sidewalks — making it easy for people to get where they need to go — by walking, running, bicycling, riding on golf carts and in vehicles.

The Mirada Lagoon, 1 Mirada Blvd., San Antonio — the largest human-made lagoon in the country — opened to the public, and Mirada residents, in June. It has 15 acres of water and offers activities such as kayaking, paddleboarding, swimming, and obstacle course, water slides, a swim-up bar, lounging and beach play and playgrounds. (File)

Landowners opt into Connected City, which gives them more flexibility in their land uses, additional incentives to receive mobility fee credits, an expedited review process, and an exemption in transportation analysis.

The plan caps the number of single-family residential units that can be built and encourages higher densities near employment-generating areas in the plan.

Two of the largest developments approved and under development in Connected City so far are Epperson and Mirada, with other projects in various stages of approval or planning for the area.

The Pasco County Commission wants to take a closer look at how Connected City is playing out.

Commissioner Seth Weightman raised the issue during the county board’s Oct. 24 meeting.

Weightman said he understands that all of the single-family entitlements in Connected City are used up, leaving only multifamily options remaining.

“I think it’s time — and after talking to some of the stakeholders, I think it’s time we take a look at the overlay and understand how much property is left and what’s exactly the multifamily entitlements that are remaining and if they’re appropriate to be in those spaces where the land is left,” Weighman said.

The county board member said he wants to make sure there’s a balance and that there are products people will want. He wants to prevent an oversaturation of rental, he said.

Commissioner Kathryn Starkey responded: “Just because it’s multifamily doesn’t mean it has to be standard, Brandon-style apartments. Multifamily is brownstones, duplexes, quadruplexes. “They can be owned. Garden apartments, garden villas.

“There’s so much product that’s in multifamily, that in my opinion, we’re not seeing.

“And, better layouts, especially when you’re in an area that’s supposed to be a village concept, and walkable, and we’re getting big parking lots with three-story, four-story apartment complexes. And, that’s really old-style, and I just think we can do better.”

Mirada Lagoon features a waterpark playground and water slides for residents and daily visitors who come to play in the 15 acres of water at the Pasco County attraction.

But Brad Tippin, the county’s development review manager, told the board: “I was involved with Connected City from the beginning. The design is this, it’s not so much village-oriented, like Pasadena Hills is. This is a very specific design that is very high density along I-75. The intent is vertical. There is an urban core. So, multifamily units of a vertical nature are really necessary here, to achieve those densities and get that pattern.

Tippin added: “The urban core was supposed to be kind of like a mini-downtown style, with vertical — lots of different uses, and the business core stretching out.

“The lower-density piece is the piece over toward Curley Road, as you go out toward VOPH (Villages of Pasadena Hills), toward that more village-concept area.

“The second piece of that puzzle is that Connected City is its own special dependent district. It’s actually based on its own financial plan. And, that financial plan requires these types of units and this level of density to actually be able to achieve the different things it is obligated to pay for, in the financial plan.

“So, that’s one of the hurdles we would have to find a way to overcome to consider that.

“The most important consideration, I believe personally, is related to the financial plan and the way that it is set up. If we were to reduce this to allow more single-family units, we would reduce the density to such an extreme that it would be difficult to meet the financial plan obligations.”

Weightman countered: “I’m more worried about the quality of life and the quality of the product that’s there.

Mirada Lagoon joined its sister lagoon in the nearby Epperson community in Wesley Chapel, in June. Both communities are part of an area known as Connected City.

“We’re a good portion of the way through this. I think it would be wise that we take a look at the land that is left and understand the makeup of it, and what product is appropriate where, within this project, to ensure that the quality of this project doesn’t erode away, as we come across the finish line.

“I’ve heard from stakeholders in the private sector that probably think it would be a good idea to take a look at it. It can’t hurt. It’ll take time, but there’s some learning lessons that can come out of this exercise, and trust, but verify.”

Tippin suggested having a workshop.

“It has been a long time since Connected City came through. There are some new board members that might appreciate that, if we could go through it step-by-step and actually have a little bit more time to discuss it.”

Joel Tew, a private land use and zoning attorney, told the board that he worked with county staff and a consultant from the outset, when the plan was being formulated.

Tew said that he’s aware that some private developers have decided not to opt into Connected City because there were no single-family entitlements available and they didn’t think that multifamily was appropriate for the site they wanted to develop.

Tew said a workshop likely would be valuable for the board, if it can make time for it.

Before that workshop is scheduled, research will be done to provide a report on what has been entitled in Connected City, and where, and what entitlements are remaining.

More information about Connected City is available on the Pasco County website at PascoCountyFl.net.

Published November 08, 2023

Will Pasco impose a moratorium in wake of Live Local Act?

October 31, 2023 By B.C. Manion

The Pasco County Commission doesn’t want to impose a moratorium on multifamily development, but board members say that may be their only option if they can’t get relief from the state’s Live Local Act requirements.

The Florida Legislature adopted the Live Local Act last session, as a way of spurring more development of affordable housing.

The Live Local law makes it impossible for local governments to block the conversion of existing commercial, industrial and mixed-use sites to be developed for multifamily use, if the project meets requirements regarding the provision of affordable housing units for a specified period. The law also provides a tax break for such projects.

Pasco has been getting around the issue with new requests for commercial, mixed use and industrial zoning by asking applicants to submit voluntary deed restrictions that would prohibit those lands from being converted to residential development.

Pasco County Commissioner Seth Weightman vehemently opposes the conversion of the county’s prime commercial and industrial locations for multifamily development, under the state’s Live Local Act.

But the county has a multitude of sites that already are zoned for commercial and industrial use and developers are coming in, invoking the Live Local Act.

Pasco County board members have repeatedly raised concerns that the Live Local Act is undermining the county’s efforts to increase jobs so local residents won’t have to commute elsewhere for work.

The county has focused considerable effort in recent years — supporting efforts by the Pasco Economic Development Council — to get sites ready for development, and using incentive money to help attract industries to Pasco.

Pasco County Commissioner Seth Weightman brings up concerns about Live Local’s impacts at nearly every board meeting.

But he said learning about two new Live Local sites in the county have pushed him over the edge on the issue.

He talked about those sites during the board’s Oct. 24 meeting.

One site is at Curley Road and State Road 54, where 300-plus multifamily units are planned.

The site had been designated for commercial use.

“It’s completely inappropriate and I’m vehemently opposed to it,” Weightman said.

The second site is at Old Pasco Road and Overpass Road, along Interstate 75.

The site “potentially would have been a fantastic light industrial site, but we’re unfortunately not going to get there,” Weightman said.

“We plan a long time. We have good actors who want to put multifamily. We go through the process of proper planning and make investment.

“This Live Local group that comes in, they’re not community partners. It’s an abomination of what they’re (good actors) are trying to do.

“It’s killing our jobs. It’s killing Pasco County jobs.

“The Live Local bill is not healthy for our community, especially when you’re going after properties like we’ve just shown.”

Weightman said he and David Goldstein, Pasco’s chief assistant county attorney, got together with some stakeholders to ask: How can we figure this thing out, without hurting the people who are following the rules, playing by the rules?

“The news wasn’t good,” Weightman said. In essence, the county’s option would be to impose a moratorium on multifamily development.

The commissioner said the county doesn’t want to do that because it’s not fair to those who are playing by the rules.

“But we’re literally stuck in the corner, and there is one option open, which is an unhealthy option for us to combat this,” he said.

County has limited options
Goldstein said the only thing the county controls under the Live Local Act is land development regulations.

A moratorium could be imposed to give the county time to do the work necessary to pass an ordinance amending its land development regulations, Goldstein said.

Weightman reiterated his outrage: “We’re about to spend a pile of money, widening Old Pasco Road, finally, and in that plan to widen that road and just north of it — schools and everything else, that was planned to be a commercial hub or potential industrial hub, job-creating, right there on that brand new interchange. But instead, it’s potentially 33 acres of some sort of vertical multifamily, not mixed use.”

Goldstein also noted that Live Local developments are entitled to a tax exemption.

“We zoned this property for commercial office, light industrial and hotel before Live Local occurred. That’s what we thought would occur here,” Goldstein added.

Kathryn Starkey asked: “So, how many properties are at risk here? Do we need to go back and do something to those?”

Goldstein: “The only thing I think you could do that would be safe from Live Local might be PO1 and PO2 (Professional Office 1 and Professional Office 2) because Live Local only applies to commercial, industrial and mixed use.”

The county could change the zoning on those properties and let the owners know they can come back to seek their zoning, but would need to voluntarily deed restrict their property, Starkey said.

But County Attorney Jeffrey Steinsnyder said: “You are downzoning property. That’s what you are doing.”

Goldstein added: “To be honest with you, it’d be easier to defend a moratorium, than what you are talking about.”

Starkey asked: “How long can we have a moratorium for?”

Goldstein replied: “You can’t have a moratorium for more than a year. To be clear, the moratorium’s purpose would be to develop regulations that would be applicable to multifamily projects.”

Goldstein continued: “I don’t know if you want to exercise that quote, nuclear option, because it’s going to affect projects that are not Live Local projects.”

Weightman said he knows that a lot of investment has made its way through the process and he doesn’t want those projects to suffer. But he said a moratorium seems to be the county’s only option.

Starkey agreed that the site at Overpass and Old Pasco roads is a prime location.

“This is one of our most valuable corners in the county. I hope the legislators like what they did,” she said.

Starkey puts the blame on the law
“You really shouldn’t put it on the bad actors that are out there. They’re doing what the law allows. I’m sorry. That’s a bad law for us,” Starkey said.

Weightman added: “This is such an awesome opportunity in this 54, Old Pasco Road, Curley Road, to have really something great built — and to get eaten up by discounted residential is just horrible.”

Pasco County Commissioner Kathryn Starkey said the Live Local Act adopted by the Florida Legislature last year is a bad law for Pasco County.

Starkey agreed: “This is a great example to show off the unintended bad consequences. I am very curious to know if we have any other very important corners like this that are at jeopardy.”

Longtime land use and zoning attorney Barbara Wilhite urged the board to avoid imposing any type of moratorium.

“I’ve been doing this all of my life. The conversation about big M, moratorium, kept me up all night. It is a nuclear option, and I would ask you to explore all other options.

“It would just stop everybody.”

Commissioner Ron Oakley agreed with Wilhite’s point: “You’d hurt a lot of people,” he said.

Steinsnyder told the board: “You can do lesser things. We might be able to revitalize the old commercial node concept and create a moratorium on nodes on the major roadways for multifamily, if we’re trying to encourage other things in those corridors.

“You’d be able to describe it to finite property. It wouldn’t cover the entire county, but it would be those critical areas that you’re describing.”

The board expressed an interest in looking at that option.

County Administrator Mike Carballa said his staff could make that a priority, if that’s what the board wants.

“I don’t know what size of a task that is,” Carballa said.

Oakley responded: “We need to get started on it sooner than later.”

Starkey, like Weightman, expressed frustration.

“We paid for that Overpass interchange. We’re paying for the widening of Old Pasco Road. To have this kind of user come in, is just a kick in the gut,” she said.

The issue is expected to be discussed at a tri-county meeting of the county boards of Pasco, Hillsborough and Pinellas counties, and also during the upcoming legislative session.

Published November 01, 2023

Long-range plan should spell out costs for priorities, planning board says

October 24, 2023 By B.C. Manion

Pasco County and its consultant have held a series of public meetings around the county to help assess where the county is, where it wants to go and how to get there during its visioning process for its Pasco 2050 plan.

It turns out that participants have had a lot to say, and some of those thoughts were shared with the Pasco County Planning Commission at a meeting in September.

Hayat Mazili, the county’s project manager for the Pasco 2050 planning effort, and Nicholas Hill, a consultant from Inspire Placemaking Collective, covered many high points in a session with the Pasco County Planning Commission.

Priorities that have been identified include:

Stronger tree preservation regulations
Cultivating wildlife corridors
Protecting productive aquifer recharge areas
Increasing efforts to monitor and increase the county’s water supply system
Increasing transportation efficiency, by improving crossings over U.S. 19
Identifying opportunities to increase the interconnectedness of Pasco’s roadway systems
Fostering greater transit, sidewalk and trail connections

Hill also noted: “Whether or not they were in the rural area, or the urban area, we also heard tons of folks say, ‘Protect rural lands and character.’”

Participants offered ideas to achieve that, too.

Those include:

Limiting increases in maximum permitted densities within the rural areas
Maintaining the Northeast Rural Overlay
Working with agricultural property owners to develop incentives for placing portions of their property in conservation
Evaluating and refining standards for solar farming

“They also wanted a robust park system by 2050,” Hill said.

Their suggestions for making that happen include:

Identifying land acquisition opportunities for new parks
Requiring the provision of on-site parks and recreation facilities for new large-scale developments
Increasing the connectivity of multi-use trails
Expanding programming catered to the county’s most vulnerable populations.

Other suggested priorities include:

Working to eliminate regulatory barriers for redevelopment
Seeking to strategically reduce minimum living areas
Allowing additional housing types within select residential zoning categories
Working with developers to make sure our most vulnerable populations have housing

A desire for vibrant and walkable spaces was expressed, as well.

Planning participants recommended:

Working with developers to establish town centers
Permit limited commercial developments close to neighborhoods
Refining landscaping standards to match the character of the surrounding community

Planning process participants also shared scores of other priorities and strategies.

But, so far, the vision plan fails to identify costs for the various priorities.

Planning Commission Chairman Charles Grey noted: “Oftentimes, what the public wants doesn’t merge with what the public is willing to pay for.”

David Goldstein, chief assistant county attorney, asked the planners: “Is there a reason you didn’t ask the question, ‘Which of these would they be willing to spend taxpayer money on?’

“It seems like you’ve got a group of people over here saying, ‘We want all of these things,’ and to the chairman’s point, they all cost money. But unless you know which of these things they’re willing to put their money where their mouth is, I’m not sure how helpful it is.

“Are they willing to pay additional taxes to grow the park system?

“Are they willing to pay for transportation efficiency?

“Santa’s wish list can be 20 pages long, but there’s only so many things that Santa can afford.”

Planning board member Derek Pontlitz asked the planners: “Is there any reason why you couldn’t have a rough projection for costs for these things?

“One thing might be completely cost-prohibitive. Another thing might be pretty easy.”

Hill said there is an exercise that can be done that assigns values to different types of improvements and seeks public participation on setting priorities for expenditures.

Goldstein said it’s a good idea to plan for the costs: “Somebody needs to put a monetary reality check on our comp plan.”

Planning board member Jon Moody said the county needs to assess its resources, decide how it can better use them and then determine what infrastructure is needed to support them.

“We have to work with the resources that we have, not the resources we wish we had,” Moody said.

Planning board members noted that some desires that have been expressed are contradictory.

As planning board member Jaime Girardi said, “There’s a lot of competing interests. Someone will tell you that they want affordable housing, but they want big lots.”

Pontlitz noted: “A lot of the people who want to preserve the character are people that live here already, whereas the 40-foot lot buyers are people who are moving in from out of the area.”

It’s also important to recognize the natural growth of communities, Moody said.

Towns typically spring up around major routes of transportation, such as ports, rails, airports and highways, he said.

“Planning doesn’t happen just because we say, ‘This should be here because we said so.’ That’s not happening in the real world,” Moody said.

The planning board’s discussion was just one of many that are expected between now and the adoption of the 2050 plan.

The public will be invited to participate throughout the process, Mazili said.

“This is an ongoing conversation with the public,” Mazili said. “The comprehensive plan is for the community and by the community. We want them to be involved every step of the way.”

You can find out more about the process, planning efforts to date and to get involved by visiting Pasco2050.com.

Published October 25, 2023

Plenty of bones to pick on display

October 17, 2023 By Mike Camunas

Brian Clay knew if he built it, people would come. And, they have.

The 63-year-old truck driver spent 10 months creating a Halloween decoration display in the carport of his Dade City residence in The Pines community next to John S. Burks Memorial Park.

The Rolling Bones are on display, and playing music, at the impressive, and fully motorized, Halloween display that Dade City resident Brian Clay built by hand in the carport of his home in The Pines community. Clay, who has done this display for four years now, says he builds the display for the love of it and invites anyone to come out and see it, free of charge, in the evenings through Halloween. Clay added the display took 10 months to build and cost about $10,000. (Mike Camunas)

It is one of the most impressive, and ingenious, Halloween house displays around.

In fact, his display, which cost about $10,000 to build thanks to all the motorized skeletons — and parts — is so impressive, theme park prop departments were looking to acquire Clay’s builds and services.

“I think it’s one of a kind, where fantasy becomes reality,” Clay said. “You have to look at it with the eyes of a 10-year-old kid and with imagination.

“This will probably be my last year (doing it),” he added. “Now, I’m on too many groups and pages for Halloween and decorations and they want to buy my stuff, but I’m not interested.

“I could make a lot of money off it, but it’s just a hobby.”

Clay said the props department at Disney emailed him, but he turned them down, saying, “You start putting your hobbies into work, you lose interest, at least that’s how I feel.”

So, instead, Clay took his skills and spent any free time he had working on the 70 motors that make the skeletons move. He also routed 3 miles of wiring around his carport to complete the display, full with music and sound effects.

Dade City resident Brian Clay spent countless hours and invested his own money to build his expansive Halloween display in the carport of his home. He welcomes neighbors, residents and nearby locals to come see his motorized creations during the evenings, now through Halloween.

Clay began doing these displays about four years ago, starting with a large pirate ship inside Ace Hardware. He moved it to his home hoping to inspire others in his neighborhood to also decorate extensively for Halloween.

So far, he says, only one other home does any sort of decorations.

“I thought this would give the neighbors a kick in the butt (to also decorate), but I guess not since I’m the only one who does it of the 72 homes here,” Clay said. “People do love coming to see it, especially since I had like 700 people and gave out about 90 pounds of candy on Halloween (last year). The cops had to direct traffic on the road.”

Clay got the display up fully running Oct. 13 (also Friday the 13th) and welcomes any to come see it in the evenings.

“It’s best when it’s all lit up,” he said.

Clay’s Halloween display includes several sections of different businesses, all of them run by motorized skeletons. There’s a bank, a dentist, a bar, a casino, a doctor’s office and, of course, a band — The Rolling Bones — playing music.

Skeletons give out massages, somehow, in one of the several sections of Brian Clay’s Halloween display at his home in Dade City.

Additionally, at the front of the display, Clay built a skeleton fire department, with an actual water hose that will be dousing out real fire on another part of the display.

“Whenever I come up with all this, I just figure out a way to make it work and put it together,” Clay said. “That’s what I’ve always been doing.”

To see the display is free of charge — though Clay just asks for one thing.

“Come in with a smile, leave with a smile,” he said. “Just to have people come, for free, to come and have a smile on their face, that’s more than I can ask.

Brian Clay works on his Halloween display. He spent 10 months building it in the carport of his Dade City residence.

“It’s like the baseball film — ‘If you build it, they will come,’” Clay added. “(There) aren’t many kids in this neighborhood, but they come from all over Dade City and other neighborhoods to come see it, which is great.

“It’s really all for the kids. I don’t want to scare anyone or kids — I just want to make them laugh with this whole thing.”

Brian Clay’s Halloween House
Details: A no-cost Halloween display in Dade City resident Brian Clay’s carport in The Pines community. Clay says he built the skeleton-heavy display for the neighborhood and kids. All are welcome to come take a look.
When: Evenings through Halloween
Where: 36020 Serbia Spruce Drive, Dade City
Info: Visit Clay’s Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/278680211647750.

Published October 18, 2023

Dade City resident Brian Clay has several sections of skeletons in the Halloween display he created, with motorized skeletons that include music, all intended to the delight of neighbors and residents who come out to see the expansive display.

Scary skeletons on display at Brian Clay’s Dade City home are awaiting some medical attention.

There are several sections of skeletons in the Halloween display.

Riding the rail for Halloween frights, delights

October 10, 2023 By Mike Camunas

Board … if you’re brave enough.

Enter … if you dare.

The Halloween Spooky Train and Scary Trail, at the Grand Concourse Railroad in Shady Hills, offers frights and delights, in excess.

These passengers dared to board the Halloween Spooky Train at the Grand Concourse Railroad, 11919 Alric Pottberg Road, in Shady Hills. The 7.5″ scale train takes riders on a Halloween-themed 10-minute to 15-minute ride through the woods. Riders then walk through the quarter-mile Scary Trail, where volunteers put a friendly fright into the visitors who are brave enough to venture in. The train and trail will run Friday and Saturday evenings through Oct. 29. (Mike Camunas)

Still, it is a family friendly outing intended to delight people of all ages, and it happens as the sun sets and darkness takes over the woods.

It’s spooky fun, a wickedly good time and the perfect Halloween outing available on Fridays and Saturdays for the rest of October.

And, of course, it’s totally worth the trip.

On track for scares
First and foremost, people want to know is it really scary? And, as a family friendly outing, that is a legitimate question.

“We get a lot of parents who go, ‘Will my kids be scared?’” Spooky Train director Chris Ward said. “And when they do, the only thing I tell them is, ‘It’s your kid — so I don’t know! (laughs)

“We’ve got 5-year-olds who love it and then we have adults who are scared to death of it, so I can’t tell you — why not find out for yourself?”

The train ride takes about under 15 minutes while going through Halloween and scary movie-themed displays and a tunnel.

And, the scares? That’s in the eye of the beholder.

Volunteers of the Grand Concourse Railroad Spooky Train aren’t out to “get” anyone, like, say at Halloween Horror Nights or Howl-O-Scream at Universal Studios and Busch Gardens, respectively.

In fact, the ride is “spooky and not scary,” as it’s geared toward those that are easily startled, so there is less to scare you but plenty to see.

There is definitely plenty to see while riding the 7.5″ scale train through the woods. Children, and adults, of all ages can board the train and take a slow ride, just feet from displays of ghosts and ghouls, demons and witches, and much, much more.

The Halloween Spooky Train ride at the Grand Concourse Railroad in Shady Hills will take riders, if they dare, on a venture into the ‘scary’ woods aboard a 7.5″ scale train on Friday and Saturday evenings in October.

“We do try to keep the train spooky, not scary,” Ward added. “We have things to look at, so we don’t want people getting scared and falling off the train. Plus, we have lots of families — mostly families, but we do have some individuals and couples, but mostly families. We’re not trying to scare anyone on the train.

“Because the trail is meant to be scary.”

Who’s afraid of the dark?
Seriously, if you are, perhaps the Scary Trail is not meant for you.

Through an approximately quarter-mile walking trail through a maze in the woods, visitors will find volunteers dressed to scare and give you nightmares.

“They’re high school kids and a few ‘pro’ actors, who make their own costumes, and we even have volunteers who do make-up,” Ward said.

“We do this all for fun. It’s all volunteers, but we do have fun with it.”

All that “fun” will find daring thrill-seekers winding their way through section after section, many of them with themes such as zombies, possessed individuals and even those from pop culture.

Visitors may get a kick, and a jump scare, when they find themselves in Hawkins, the fictional town from the hit show “Stranger Things.”

The Scary Trail, a quarter-mile hike with frights around every corner, is available to those who are brave enough to explore it, at the Grand Concourse Railroad in Shady Hills. The attraction is open through October.

But those really getting a kick out of all it are the volunteers hiding around every corner, with some even being a family affair. A mother-daughter duo await timid children in a foggy graveyard, while a trio of friends enjoy themselves — maybe a little too much —as an “insane clown posse.”

“Scared or not,” Ward said, “people really enjoy the Trail.”

All aboard
In the end, it’s all in good, old-fashioned Halloween fun.

The Grand Concourse has hosted this Halloween event ever since it opened in 2018. It also has Christmas and Easter events.

The railroad is supported by “The Concourse Council” of Florida and is also a 501(c)3 nonprofit educational railroad. The railroad donates 50% of its yearly proceeds — and the money made from Spooky Train — to local charities, and the rest is reinvested for maintenance and new equipment.

“The concourse takes care of all that,” Ward said. “We just provide the fun.”

Riders of the Halloween Spooky Train, in Shady Hills, were wary about what was around the bend, in the final tunnel on the roughly 15-minute ride. The 7.5″ scale train makes its run through the woods and ‘scary’ Halloween decorations.

So come aboard the Spooky Train and hold on for a good time.

Enter the trail if you have the spine to do so.

Enjoy a ride, and walk, through the woods for some Halloween … fun.

Halloween Spooky Train and Scary Trail
Where: Grand Concourse Railroad, 11919 Alric Pottberg Road, in Shady Hills
When: Friday and Saturday evenings starting at 7 p.m., through and including Oct. 29
Cost: $8 for the train or trail separately, $15 for both
Details: Take a ride on the Spooky Train for 10 minutes to 15 minutes aboard a 7.5″ scale train through the woods and “scary” Halloween decorations. Scary Trail is an approximately quarter-mile walking trail through a maze in the woods where visitors will find volunteers dressed to scare and give you nightmares. Attractions are designated spooky and scary (but not too scary for those who are easily startled). Both attractions are for all ages, with kids under 2 getting in free. There are also food and vendor booths, Halloween displays and music.
For more information or to buy tickets, visit GrandConcourseRailroad.simpletix.com or GrandConcourseRailroad.com.

Published October 11, 2023

Little ones were tentative, but brave enough to make it through the quarter-mile Scary Trail at the Grand Concourse Railroad in Shady Hills.

Enter, if you dare, the Scary Trail, where volunteers are more than willing to scare and frighten those brave enough to enter.

From left, the ‘insane clown posse’ of Grayson Bowers, Billy Green and Ashton Blanton were more than willing to ‘volunteer’ to man the Scary Trail and frighten those brave enough to enter.

Gunner Saey cooks up some sausages and other food at the Grand Concourse Railroad in Shady Hills.

Visitors to the Halloween Spooky Train and Scary Trail at the Grand Concourse Railroad in Shady Hills can purchase food, drink and other goods while waiting to board or before venturing into the woods.

A tiny skeleton gives a wave as the Spooky Train heads out of the station at the Grand Concourse Railroad in Shady Hills.

Digital history collection aims to keep memories of Lutz alive

October 3, 2023 By B.C. Manion

Much of the history of the Lutz and Land O’ Lakes communities might have been lost to the ages, if it weren’t for the dogged pursuits of Elizabeth Riegler MacManus, who spent much of her life gathering photographs and documents, and recording interviews with old-timers from the area.

The families of Dr. Susan A. MacManus, right, and Dr. Lou MacManus, shown here, and their brother, Cameron, who died in a plane crash a few years ago, contributed to make possible a new digital history collection focusing on Lutz, Land O’ Lakes and nearby areas. Their mother, Elizabeth Riegler MacManus, played a pivotal role in helping to preserve the area’s history. (Mike Camunas)

During her lifetime, she amassed an enormous amount of material, leading her and her daughter, Susan A. MacManus, to collaborate on two local history books, “Citrus, Sawmills, Critters & Crackers: Life in Early Lutz and Central Pasco County” and the other “Going, Going … Almost Gone: Lutz-Land O’ Lakes Pioneers Share Their Precious Memories,” published after Elizabeth’s death.

Now, the new The Elizabeth Riegler MacManus Digital Collection of Lutz Pioneer History will preserve that local history for generations to come.

A special event was held on Sept. 20 at the Lutz Branch Library to celebrate the collection’s unveiling.

“For those of you who know the rich history of Lutz, you’ll appreciate the plethora of historic materials that tell the memorable story of this pioneer town and the area surrounding it, as seen through the eyes and experiences of the Riegler and MacManus families,” Jeffrey Huggins, master of ceremonies at the Sept. 20 unveiling, told the crowd.

“Thousands of photographs have been digitally scanned and are available at our library website, which is HCPLC.org, and you’ll be able to view those and generations to come will be able to view those beautiful photographs that we have of the area,” he said.

Speakers at the event were Dr. Susan A. MacManus and Dr. Gary Mormino.

Susan is a retired distinguished professor of political science from the University of South Florida (USF), and Mormino is a retired history professor.

Dr. Susan MacManus autographs one of the books she co-authored with her mother, during the digital collection dedication at Lutz Branch Library on Sept. 20.Dr. Susan MacManus autographs one of the books she co-authored with her mother, during the digital collection dedication at Lutz Branch Library on Sept. 20.

Susan began her remarks by cheerfully greeting the crowd with “good morning, crackers,” — eliciting laughter from a crowd who recognized the moniker assigned to native Floridians.

She thanked the audience for being there and noted that so many in the room had played a role in helping to preserve community history.

“The truth of the matter is that this collection would not have been anything without the contributions of you and your families over time,” Susan said, in a video that was recorded by students and a teacher from Academy at the Lakes. They recorded it, so those who were unable to attend the event could watch it.

“So many of you gave interviews, photos,” Susan told the crowd.

“I remember my mother telling me she would go to some of your homes and people would just give her a one-of-a-kind photo and trust her to take it out and get it back, at a time when those kinds of things were so rare.

“My mom’s love of history came from her parents’ histories,” Susan said.

Lutz residents Marsha Gibson, left, and Darryln Caudill smile as they look over a book co-authored by Susan A. MacManus and her mother, Eliizabeth Riegler MacManus.

“My grandfather, as many of you know, Mike Riegler, was the first permanent settler of what was called North Tampa. It was a settlement that ultimately became Lutz.

“I think what all of this did was generate in my mom an interest in talking to people and finding out where their families came from.”

That interest in people, and in history, led Elizabeth to record personal stories and collect artifacts.

Susan discovered the treasure trove that Elizabeth had amassed when she returned to Land O’ Lakes, to teach at USF.

Dr. Gary Mormino, left, a retired history professor at the University of South Florida, was one of the key speakers at the unveiling of a new digital library collection focused on the history of Lutz, Land O’ Lakes and nearby areas. Jeffrey Huggins, next to Mormino, was the event’s master of ceremonies.

While at her parents’ home she noticed a box overflowing with cassette tapes.

She asked: “Momma, what is that?”

“She said: ‘Oh, they’re just tapes. I’ve been taping the histories and experiences of old-timers.’”

“I said: ‘What are you going to do with those things?”

She said: “I think maybe someday, I’ll write something.”

That’s when Susan and her mother went to work on “Citrus, Sawmills, Critters & Crackers.” Then they did the sequel.

The digital collection includes old documents, photographs, maps and other materials.

“Some of my most precious memories were really through sorting through the thousands and thousands of photos Mama had piled up on the living room table,” Susan told the audience at the collection’s unveiling.

Dozens of Lutz residents, including Liana Fernandez-Fox, center, came out to hear Dr. Susan MacManus speak about a new digital collection focused on the history of Lutz and nearby areas.

She said her mother was interested in gathering materials, regardless of what it took to get them. In one case, a woman invited her to come to take a look at items that had been stored in a chicken coop.

Elizabeth went and found a gold mine of information that otherwise would have been lost, Susan said.

Mormino’s talk offered a perspective on how Lutz fits into the big picture of Florida.

“It’s absolutely in the center. You may think you’re on the fringes, but you’re not.

“The Florida dream used to be a really big deal.

“The idea was that there’s something special about a place where it’s 70 degrees in February.

“More importantly, it’s the possibility of a better life,” he said.

“If I could return in a time machine, the place I would go would be the Lutz Depot.

“Fresh fish coming over from Tarpon Springs, and vegetables and fruit being shipped out.

“That would have been a fascinating window on the time.

“Even the peeping of baby chicks,” he said.

A Lutz resident peruses one of the books co-authored by Elizabeth Riegler MacManus and Susan A. MacManus

Lutz offered a dream setting to pioneers — with its natural resources, setting and the availability of fresh water, Mormino said.

Then he talked specifically about Elizabeth and Susan.

“Consider the role of Elizabeth Riegler MacManus and her daughter — without these two people, we wouldn’t be here. You wouldn’t be reading histories.

“Individuals matter, today, more than ever, I think.

“We tend to discount the possibility of what one family, one person, can do.”

These artifacts reflect a miniscule fraction of the materials amassed by Elizabeth Riegler MacManus, which help preserve the history of the Lutz, Land O’ Lakes and nearby communities.

“Historians, in the future, first of all, will be very grateful to the MacManus family and their contributions,” Mormino said.

Huggins expressed the library’s appreciation for the contributions of the families of Susan MacManus, Lou MacManus and Cameron MacManus — who made the digital collection possible.

Susan expressed her gratitude to everyone who attended the event and to all of those who had a role in bringing the digital collection to life.

“I just wanted to say that on behalf of the three families, the three children, my sister Lou, my brother who passed away in a plane crash a few years ago, and me, we just want to tell you all, thank you for everything.”

She also paid tribute to Elizabeth.

“My mother’s life reflects the words she lived by. They’re familiar to many in this room who share the same philosophy of life: Faith, family and friends, and a motto to live with, which is treat your neighbor as yourself.”

Published October 04, 2023

Pasco County approves higher taxes for fire services

September 26, 2023 By B.C. Manion

The Pasco County Commission has approved a tax hike intended to reduce the county’s response time to fires and to improve the county’s ability to keep its firefighters from leaving for jobs with better pay in nearby counties.

Nobody got exactly what they wanted in the vote.

The current Fire Municipal Services Taxing Unit (MSTU) is 1.8 mills. The new rate will be 2.1225 mills.

Pasco County property owners will be paying higher taxes to improve pay for firefighters and to reduce response times for emergencies. (Mike Camunas)

One mill is equal to $1 of every $1,000 of taxable value.

At the first public hearing on the budget, County Administrator Mike Carballa recommended the Fire MSTU rate be increased from 1.8 mills to 2.3 mills.

He said the half-mill increase was based on a 10-year plan to keep the department solvent, improve pay for firefighters, provide manpower for new stations and cover costs for some additional initiatives.

Carballa’s initial recommendation encountered pushback from Commissioner Seth Weightman and resistance from the public.

At the first public hearing, Commission Chairman Jack Mariano recommended Carballa come back with an increase tied to a five-year plan for the department.

Carballa presented that plan at the second public hearing on Sept. 19, recommending a new millage rate of 2.159 mills for the Fire MSTU.

Weightman and the public again pushed back.

Weightman said he would not support a rate of more than 2.0 mills and made a motion to that effect. That motion died for a lack of a second.

Members of the public applauded Weightman for his efforts to hold the line on taxes and for being empathetic to their plight.

Speakers urged the board to raise impact fees — to force new growth to pay for its impacts.

They said the county needs to get help from other revenue sources.

They said the county — like its residents — should respond to inflation by tightening its belt.

While expressing support for firefighters, some residents reminded the county board that people are hurting and inflation is making it hard for them to pay their own bills.

They predicted rising costs will force longtime residents to move elsewhere.

While Weightman wanted to take what he called “a measured approach,” his colleagues on the board said that failing to achieve an adequate increase would merely push the problem down the road.

“By not facing this now, don’t think it’s going to be cheaper next year,” Commissioner Kathryn Starkey told Weightman. “It’s going to cost more next year.”

Mariano told Weightman: “We’re trying to cut down response times.”

Commissioner Ron Oakley also supported a larger increase.

Starkey attempted a compromise by calling for a reduction in the millage rate, from the current rate of 7.6076 mills to 7.57 mills.

The board approved that cut, on a 4-1 vote, with Weightman dissenting.

The board also directed Carballa to address the reduced revenues from the millage rate reduction through across-the-board cuts to the budget, including budgets of the constitutional officers, when legally possible. The constitutional officers are the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office, the Clerk & Comptroller’s Office, the Supervisor of Elections and the Tax Collector’s Office.

Initially, Weightman would not budge from a maximum millage of 2.0 for the Fire MSTU.

He told his colleagues: “I truly believe we need to hold the line for folks.”

He told fellow board members they had the power to help citizens now and should.

But after being unable to bring other board members around to his way of thinking, and after a number of failed votes, Weightman relented and joined his colleagues in approving Starkey’s motion for a 2.1225 millage rate for the Fire MSTU.

Carballa said the new rate is estimated to generate $13.9 million, and is expected to keep the fire department solvent for a solid four years.

Published September 27, 2023

‘Pet Detective’ on the case at PCAS

September 19, 2023 By Mike Camunas

Carey King-Agin is Pasco County’s Ace Ventura.

She doesn’t have large hair, colorful shirts or act like Jim Carrey, but she can bring a smile to a pet owner’s face.

She’s Pasco County Animal Services’ first-ever pet reunification specialist. Thanks to a $35,000 grant from Petco Love, King-Agin is able to scour, and post, on lost and found pet websites and social media pages looking for owners searching for lost pets, or asking the community to help locate pets’ families. These efforts are needed when a pet has not been microchipped or the contact information is outdated.

Pasco County Animal Services Pet Reunification Specialist Carey King-Agin plays with Cesar, an 8-year-old shepherd mix at PCAS’s shelter, 19640 Dogpatch Lane, Land O’ Lakes. King-Agin was recently brought on to specifically help reunite strays with their owners. (Mike Camunas)

PCAS took in more than 3,200 stray dogs and cats in 2022, so this is a position that’s not only warranted — it’s desired by the agency.

“We find that when someone finds a dog or cat on the street, 80% of that time they live near that area, but everyone’s thought is to bring it to the shelter, if they can’t house it or do the search themselves,” King-Agin said.

“We always scan first (for a microchip), and that’s the golden ticket to go home, but less than 25% of pets are microchipped. So now, we’re going to put in the leg work and get pets reunited with their families,” she added.

According to PCAS and King-Agin, the agency’s return-to-home rates are only 33% for dogs and 17% for cats. These numbers are the reason PCAS Assistant Director Spencer Conover reached out to the county to create the position, however, was turned down, as the county receives numerous requests from its varying entities.

However, a Petco Love grant allowed King-Agin to set up shop at the facility in Land O’ Lakes to do her diligent detective work.

“I go immediately to social media and there are a ton of groups out there, and things like NextDoor, Ring and multiple Facebook lost and found groups,” King-Agin said.

“I go to see if the dog or cat is listed on this page,” she continued. “If not, I keep digging. When they’re brought in and put in the system, we enter the crossroads they were found, so I then go to Google Maps and pull up that intersection and see what subdivisions and neighborhoods are nearby. Many have their own Facebook groups, so I see if they have something posted on their social media.

Carey King-Agin, the pet reunification specialist for Pasco County Animal Services, will scour lost and found pet websites and social media to help reunite strays brought into the shelter with worried owners who are searching for them. The reunification specialist position was made possible through a $35,000 grant from Petco Love. King-Agin will look to boost the 33% return-to-home rate for dogs and 17% rate for cats in the county.

“The truth is, one out of three pets go missing in their lifetime, so this is something I’m very passionate about — getting that pet back where they belong.”

King-Agin puts in the extra effort if the social media avenue is a dead end.

She contacts local vets and emails them pictures. She reaches out to well-known local dog sitters, as well as local dog groomers, knowing that a groomed dog is someone’s well-cared-for pet.

In just the short time King-Agin has been on lost-pet cases, she has returned home 10 pets as of Sept. 11. However, in just the second weekend of September alone, 13 more strays were brought in.

The PCAS also will use the new position to help educate the community about what to do if they happen to rescue a stray.

The first 48 hours are crucial in the reuniting process, whether a pet is brought to the shelter, or the finder tries to locate the owner, King-Agin said. She encourages the finder, when possible, to hold onto the pet, in case the owner is out looking for the pet or posting about the pet on social media.

“It’s like they lost a baby or child because it’s a family member,” Conover said. “Getting them home, that’s the most important part, and it’s amazing to see it and be able to provide that to Pasco County now.

“There are no packs of wild dogs running around the county, so all of these dogs belong to someone,” he added. “But to have someone dedicated to going the extra mile, dedicated to having someone get the dogs home, it’s part of the proactive work we want to be a part of.”

And as a four-time dog owner, King-Agin is passionate about her new position.

She knows how she would feel if one of her pets went missing.

“I have total OCD about their whereabouts all the time, so I know I would be a frantic mess if my pet went missing,” she said. “So to be able to do this, and reunite an owner with a pet with a family, it’s so rewarding. It can be amazing and emotional.

“I really do feel like a pet detective.”

Pasco County Animal Services
Where: 19640 Dogpatch Lane, Land O’ Lakes
When: Tuesday through Thursday, noon to 5:30 p.m.; Fridays and Saturdays, noon to 6:30 p.m.
For more information on services provided by PCAS, visit PascoCountyFl.net/175/Pets-and-Animals

Published September 20, 2023