The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Lutz since 1964 and Pasco since 1981.
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Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

Henry Wilson Jr.

MPO keeps elevated road on county transportation plan

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A group that spent months successfully fighting a privately built elevated toll road through the heart of Pasco County got a bit of a setback last week. But its members seem to be OK with it … for now.

Jason Amerson, second from left, will fight any elevated road planned to run near his home off State Road 54 in Land O’ Lakes, but won’t challenge the county’s current long-range transportation plan as long as elevated roads don’t come up as a viable option. He was one of the leaders of a local protest group, Pasco Fiasco, that included, from left, Patrick Knight, Brian Narcum and Kristine Narcum. (File Photo)
Jason Amerson, second from left, will fight any elevated road planned to run near his home off State Road 54 in Land O’ Lakes, but won’t challenge the county’s current long-range transportation plan as long as elevated roads don’t come up as a viable option. He was one of the leaders of a local protest group, Pasco Fiasco, that included, from left, Patrick Knight, Brian Narcum and Kristine Narcum. (File Photo)

Pasco County’s 2040 Long-Range Transportation Plan is on its way to both federal and state authorities, highlighting the county’s plan for roads, transit and sidewalks over the next 25 years. And among the various needs the county’s Metropolitan Planning Organization included in that transportation plan are elevated roads along the State Road 54/56 corridor.

“We knew the (transportation plan) would still contain the elevated toll road,” said Jason Amerson, a Land O’ Lakes resident who was one of the key players in the elevated toll road protest group, Pasco Fiasco. “It’s not something we are worried about unless they start actively discussing it again at MPO meetings.”

Pasco Fiasco came together last year after some homeowners who live just off State Road 54 learned about a proposal by a private company, International Infrastructure Partners LLC, to build a 33-mile elevated toll road, stretching from U.S. 301 in Zephyrhills to U.S. 19 in New Port Richey. The company had said initially it would fund the estimated $2.2 billion project on its own, but then lost its negotiating power with the Florida Department of Transportation after it requested the state help finance it.

That killed the private project, but an elevated road option remained in the county’s transportation plan. While then Pasco County commissioner Henry Wilson Jr., vowed to help Pasco Fiasco and others against an elevated road down State Road 54 remove such projects from the plan, Wilson was defeated in an open primary election last October by Mike Wells Jr.

“It’s not a simple task getting it removed,” Amerson said. “Probably even a harder task now that Wilson is gone.”

The elevated road remains an option for the county between 2020 and 2040 along the State Road 54/56 corridor as an “alternative improvement.” That could include “premium transit improvements” like toll lanes, overpasses like those used on U.S. 19 in Pinellas County, and elevated lanes.

The elevated road stayed in the plan, but the MPO did make more than 30 other changes to the documents after two months of public hearings. The MPO conducted a 30-day comment period through Nov. 23, as well as public workshops throughout November. It concluded with a public hearing on Dec. 11 where the new transportation plan was adopted unanimously.

Many adjustments to the plan were minor, like name changes of some roads at Bexley Ranch near the Suncoast Parkway, and Mitchell Boulevard near the Little Road area.

But there also were some larger changes as well. They included:

  • Moving up the six-lane expansion of State Road 52 from Interstate 75 to Pasco Road from 2040 to 2019.
  • Delaying another 10 years to 2040 projects like Livingston Avenue from State Road 54 to Collier Parkway, Eiland Boulevard from Handcart to Dean Dairy roads, Curley Road from Wells Road to Clinton Avenue, and Lake Patience Road from Sunlake Boulevard to U.S. 41.
  • Keeping the State Road 56 expansion from Meadow Pointe to U.S. 301 two lanes instead of four by 2019, but possibly expanding it to four lanes by 2030.

That last proposal angered city leaders in Zephyrhills, who wanted four lanes leading into one of its key commercial areas, the Zephyrhills Municipal Airport. Lawmakers like new state representative and former Zephyrhills mayor Danny Burgess said they would work with the city to try and restore funding for a four-lane segment.

The MPO also made a number of changes to Tower Road, which runs primarily east to west in Pasco, just north of State Road 54. They include developer-funded improvements like a two-lane stretch from Bexley Ranch to Ballantrae Boulevard, and an expansion to a two-lane road from U.S. 41 to Ehren Cutoff by 2040, paid for by the county.

The Federal Highway Administration, the Federal Transit Administration, and the Florida Department of Transportation will now review the plan, and work with the county to help implement it.

To read the complete plan, visit Mobility2040Pasco.com.

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Schrader elected chair of county commission

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Ted Schrader is back in a familiar seat with the Pasco County Commission after being elected chair of the county’s governing body.

Schrader, based in District 1 covering large parts of the eastern side of the county, was chair of the commission in the 2012-13 session, and then stepped aside this past year for fellow commissioner Jack Mariano. The chair position typically rotates among the commissioners, leading meetings and representing the board as a whole to the public.

Henry Wilson Jr. was in line to become the next chair, but lost his re-election bid to Mike Wells Jr. during an open primary in August. That had opened the door to a possible chairmanship by Kathryn Starkey. However, she immediately nominated Schrader for the job Tuesday morning in Dade City, and her motion won a unanimous approval.

Starkey was elected the vice chair, officially making her a top contender for the position next year.

The commission also swore in its two new members, Wells and Mike Moore. Wells will take over District 4 previously served by Wilson, while Moore will represent District 2, which Pat Mulieri served for 20 years.

Moore, Wells sworn into commission seats Tuesday

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The Pasco County Commission will welcome two new commissioners to its dais Tuesday, and at the same time decide whether Jack Mariano will get another term as commission chair, or if someone new will be selected.

Mike Moore and Mike Wells Jr., will be officially sworn into office today during the commission’s regular meeting in Dade City. Moore won the Nov. 4 election against Erika Remsberg to replace the retiring Pat Mulieri in District 2. Wells, on the other hand, defeated District 4 incumbent Henry Wilson Jr., during an open Republican primary last August to win a spot on the same commission his father once served.

Both will officially assume their duties soon after the opening gavel falls at 10 a.m., immediately followed by the commission’s election of officers. Wilson was the vice chair of the commission, and had been the presumptive next-in-line for the commission chairmanship. However, with his election defeat and two new commissioners coming on board, it’s most likely either Mariano will serve another year as chair, or those duties could shift to Kathryn Starkey.

Ted Schrader, the other returning commissioner from last year, was the chair beginning in the 2012 session, and it’s a job that historically rotated among the commissioners.

Mariano’s chairmanship has drawn some controversy from other commissioners this past year, beginning in his first week when he drafted a letter to Gov. Rick Scott, asking him to intervene in environmental problems facing a westside park through the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Commissioners like Schrader and Starkey said the letter was not cleared through the rest of the board, despite representing what Mariano claimed was its position, and could create more problems for SunWest Park through federal regulators in the future.

Mariano took more heat on SunWest earlier this year when Schrader and Mulieri walked out of a meeting after spending two hours listening to public comment on SunWest. They accused Mariano of packing the speakers to help change the commission’s mind on how much they would fund the project. Commissioners had earlier voted to spend less than Mariano had requested on the project.

The meeting begins at 10 a.m. at the Historic Pasco County Courthouse, 37918 Meridian Ave., in Dade City.

Politicians talk local, but don’t spend local

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Ever wonder how much $324,000 can buy?

It could supply ribs and sides for 25 families at Hungry Harry’s Family Bar-B-Que for an entire year.

It could feed a complete Thanksgiving dinner from Publix to nearly every person living in Wesley Chapel and Land O’ Lakes.

Denny Esber got some local political work for Pasco County Commission candidates like Henry Wilson Jr., and Mike Moore, but said he could feel the pinch of hundreds of thousands of dollars leaving the county. (Michael Hinman/Staff Photo)
Denny Esber got some local political work for Pasco County Commission candidates like Henry Wilson Jr., and Mike Moore, but said he could feel the pinch of hundreds of thousands of dollars leaving the county. (Michael Hinman/Staff Photo)

It could hire 15 people for an entire year at $10 an hour, with enough money left over to add a part-timer at the same rate.

In three local political races that ended Nov. 4, six candidates spent $324,000 — to people and businesses outside of Pasco County. In fact, of the more than $455,000 these Pasco County Commission and state House candidates spent since Nov. 1, 2013, only 29 percent of it stayed local.

Beverly Ledbetter, who ran as a Democrat for Florida House District 38, had the worst local campaign spending, with less than 10 percent remaining in Pasco County. However, when it came to total dollars, new Pasco County commissioner Mike Moore sent the most money outside the county — nearly $109,000, or 66 percent of his expenditures.

“Our campaign bought local services when available, such as some printing supplies and materials,” Ledbetter told The Laker/Lutz News in an email. “I used a local Dade City printer for some work, and a local company for the T-shirts. Unfortunately, East Pasco — including Wesley Chapel — does not have any commercial mailing operation that I was aware of, and that comprises the bulk of my out-of-district purchases.”

Since the end of the primary, Ledbetter spent just $1,800 of the more than $28,000 she received locally, according to an analysis of campaign finance records by The Laker/Lutz News. She paid nearly $15,600 to Sonic Print in Tampa in the last reporting period alone, for what were described as mailers. Another $440 went to a company called Parkway Strategies in Tallahassee for what the campaign said was “strategic communications.”

Although his local spending was much better than Ledbetter’s, Danny Burgess — who eventually would win the House seat — was still behind all four county commission candidates tracked. He spent more than $35,000 locally, but sent $96,000 away.

Not having services available locally shows the need for such services to be developed, Ledbetter said. But there are still many services available locally which candidates looked outside of Pasco for, especially printing. And companies like Point to Point Printing in Land O’ Lakes feel it when money isn’t spent here.

“There are plenty of people here,” said Point to Point’s owner Denny Esber. He saw about $10,000 worth of work this election cycle from candidates like Moore and former county commissioner Henry Wilson Jr. But there was still more he and other business owners missed out on.

“With jobs like this, the money comes back and then I can re-spend that money in this community,” Esber said. “It just keeps going and going and going and going.”

A lot of money leaves the county for advertising and consulting. In the last two weeks of his campaign, Burgess spent $61,500. However, just $4,000 of that — less than 7 percent — stayed local. Instead, nearly $57,000 was paid to a pair of Jensen Beach companies for advertising.

In all, Burgess spent $81,500 with that company, or 63 percent of his total expenditures. That’s enough alone to create four full-time jobs at $10 an hour.

Ledbetter on the other hand spent $22,209 with Sonic Print, or 69 percent of her total expenditures, sending all that money to Tampa’s Carrollwood area.

But the commission races weren’t much different. Moore only kept 34 percent of his spending local, but his opponent — Erika Remsberg — didn’t do much better at 39 percent. Since the end of February, both candidates sent $115,000 out of the county, some $30,000 more than what they wanted taxpayers to pay them each year in salary as a commissioner.

“First, I was disappointed my local spending amount was so low,” Remsberg said in an email. “Must be because the Tarpon union printer I used was just over the border. Secondly, I think reporting the amounts donated is more important than the percentages. Given the vast difference in amounts donated to our contributions, I think percentages do not paint the picture as well as the dollar amount does.”

Twice in October, Moore spent more than $20,000, but less than 6 percent remained local. Instead, he spent $37,323 with Majority Strategies in Ponte Vedra for advertising, and nearly $3,000 with Allegra Marketing in Tampa for printing.

Even food preparation was not something Moore could find locally, spending $2,224 for food at a fundraiser supplied by Catering by the Family in Tampa.

Moore did not respond to a request for comment.

Published November 12, 2014

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Burgess heads to Tallahassee, Moore wins commission race

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Mike Moore raised a lot of money in his quest to become a member of the Pasco County Commission, but even he knew with Pasco’s history of upsets in commission races, there never was a guarantee.

Yet, Moore’s fundraising and campaign both paid off, as he won the last open seat on the commission, and will keep retiring Pat Mulieri’s seat in Republican hands.

With 97 percent of precincts reporting in Pasco just after 8:30 p.m., Moore had a 59-41 lead — or more than 26,600 votes — separating him from Democratic challenger Erika Remsberg. Moore will now join Mike Wells Jr. as new members of the commission, after Wells ousted Henry Wilson Jr. in the open primary last August.

Moore earned endorsements from various government and civic leaders, but could not pick them up from media outlets that offered them, or even the outgoing Mulieri, who chose to cross party lines and endorse Remsberg instead.

The state House seat representing the eastern and central parts of Pasco also stays in Republican hands after former Zephyrhills mayor Danny Burgess defeated retired teacher Beverly Ledbetter 60-40. That race was to decide who would replace House Speaker Will Weatherford, who is stepping down because of term limits.

Like Moore, Burgess also dominated in fundraising, raising more than $160,000, compared to $38,600 from Ledbetter. However, both candidates took a little heat in the days leading up to the election for not spending more of those dollars within their district. Burgess also took some hits for accepting money from Duke Energy, which has received negative attention in the last few months over charging customers for two nuclear power plants that no longer exist.

The tight race for governor proved to be especially tight in Pasco. Although Charlie Crist maintained a slim lead through early votes and absentees, Rick Scott flipped that with Election Day voting, and ended up winning Pasco by a very small, 47-45 advantage. That was the difference of 2,300 votes.

Adrian Wyllie, the Libertarian in the race, garnered 7 percent of the votes.

Pasco County’s elections supervisor Brian Corley said there were still some long lines waiting at precincts even after 7 p.m. when polls were supposed to close, including at Rasmussen College on State Road 54 and Sunlake Boulevard.

If the rest of the state follows Pasco’s leads, then the only state constitutional amendment expected to pass is Amendment 1, which would allow Florida to enhance its conservation land holdings. The medical marijuana amendment did get 58 percent support in Pasco, but it needs 60 percent to pass.

Mulieri endorses new replacement, crosses party lines

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No one could ever accuse Pat Mulieri of simply following the herd.

Two months ago, she took a stand in the Republican primary, endorsing underdog Bob Robertson from a group of candidates looking to replace her on the Pasco County Commission.

Pat Mulieri
Pat Mulieri

Robertson lost the primary, so that left the door open for Mulieri to choose yet another underdog — one that is not even a Republican.

Although she stopped short of giving her official endorsement, Mulieri has at least thrown her support behind the Democrat in the county commission District 2 race: Erika Remsberg. It also marked the second time Mulieri chose not to go with the race’s frontrunner — at least financially — Republican Mike Moore.

“I met with Erika,” Mulieri told The Laker/Lutz News. “She is bright, knowledgeable and caring. We have quite a bit in common,” including being from New York, and earning master’s degrees from New York-based schools.

Mulieri also liked the fact Remsberg is a teacher, who works as a liaison to homeless children.

“The next years, there will be many exciting changes in Pasco,” Mulieri said. “The new commissioners have to be ready to do the job. She will respond to citizens and work to solve problems. I believe she will keep learning. She may not have all the answers, but will work to resolve issues.”

Remsberg said she was humbled by Mulieri’s backing.

“Pat has told me she is supporting me, and that she and (husband) Jimmy are both voting for me,” Remsberg said. “I spent a couple hours with her at (Pasco County Animal Services) talking about the county, talking about the commission, and county goals.”

Remsberg has received help from another former commissioner as well. Michael Cox is actually the last Democrat to serve on the board until Henry Wilson Jr. ousted him in 2010. Wilson lost his seat in August in an open primary against another Republican, Mike Wells Jr.

While she won’t name names, Remsberg said others from across the aisle are boosting her as well.

“I am getting more support from Republican voters,” she said. “I believe that my bipartisan message is resonating with people from both parties.”

Moore, who out-spent Remsberg more than 19-to-1 in the campaign, said Thursday in a statement that he is honored to receive the support of many government and community leaders, listing nearly 20 of them. They included Pasco County sheriff Chris Nocco, state Sen. Wilton Simpson — who also has made sizable contributions to Moore’s campaign — and groups like the Pasco County Professional Firefighters Local 4420, and West Central Florida Police Benevolent Association.

The differences between Democrat and Republican did not faze Mulieri in deciding to support Remsberg, the retiring commissioner said.

“We may have some philosophical differences, but she will be the people’s commissioner, and that is needed,” Mulieri said. “Someone to listen, find answers, and realize that commissioners work for the citizens. They are our boss.”

This story was updated 10/16/2014, at 6:10 p.m., to include comment from Mike Moore.

Moore raises $34K in two weeks, but is it too much?

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A huge $22,500 haul from developers and real estate professionals over the last two weeks has given Pasco County Commission candidate Mike Moore his best fundraising week of the campaign, raising a whopping $34,250.

It easily dwarfed the $600 his Democratic opponent Erika Remsberg raised during the same period, bringing Moore’s total for the campaign over $166,000.

However, more than 65 percent of that total came from individuals and companies involved in real estate, development and related industries — something that made Moore a target during his primary campaign from opponents who said they refused to take any money from companies who might be looking for a vote on the commission.

Moore also has paid out more than $123,000 — outspending Remsberg 19-to-1.

Since Remsberg entered the race in February, Moore has received $65,203 — or 57 percent — of his funds from donors inside Pasco County, including 62 percent locally since the primary. However, he’s only spent 34 percent of that money inside the county he wants to represent, and just 10 percent since the primary. Since the end of August, Moore has spent a little less than $2,400 in Pasco out of more than $23,000 in total expenditures.

More than 77 percent of the money Remsberg raised has come from Pasco County since she entered the race, but also has struggled to keep those funds inside the county, spending 59 percent of it outside of the county. Her numbers have improved a little bit since the primary, now spending 43 percent — or a little more than $650 — to Pasco businesses.

Moore has raised the most money since Ronald Oakley’s failed attempt to unseat Ted Schrader in the 2012 commissioner race brought in just under $243,000. He’s closing in on John Nicolette, who collected $170,500 to battle Schrader in 2008, and passed Michael Cox, who raised $162,600 against Henry Wilson Jr. in 2010.

However, despite all that money raised, Moore may not necessarily want to be included in that elite club: Oakley, Nicolette and Cox all lost to candidates who raised less than they did. Schrader had two of those wins, but Wilson’s in 2010 was significant, because he had raised just $8,700 — just 5 percent of Cox’s total.

Remsberg so far has raised just 5 percent of Moore’s total.

Voters will make the final decision between the two on Nov. 4, with the winner set to replace the retiring Pat Mulieri.

Partisan politics infest county commission race

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It’s been four years since a Democrat has served on the Pasco County Commission, but Erika Remsberg hopes to change that with just one election in November.

However, she has a formidable opponent in the form of Republican Mike Moore, who not only has out-fundraised her 19-to-1, but seems to be the shoo-in to replace the retiring Pat Mulieri in District 2.

Mike Moore
Mike Moore

However, as the commission’s last Democrat, Mike Cox, learned in 2010 — dollars don’t necessarily equate to votes. Despite a nearly 20-to-1 fundraising advantage, he lost his seat to then newcomer Henry Wilson Jr.

Moore doesn’t want history to repeat itself, so it’s probably no surprise he spent a recent campaign speech distancing himself from Remsberg … by calling her the “L” word.

“We have a person running against me now that is a self-proclaimed liberal,” Moore said. “Typically, I don’t talk about my opponents as we had a very positive campaign in the primary, and we’ll continue to do that. But we are running against a liberal, something she has mentioned in the newspapers and in her talks. That is what we’re up against.”

To be fair to Moore, he was speaking in front of the Conservative Club of East Pasco, so such discourse would likely be welcomed in front of the audience. But what exactly Moore meant by “liberal” he didn’t get into.

Instead, Moore asked the political group during a recent meeting in Zephyrhills to help his campaign by going door-to-door and waving campaign signs.

In an email after the speech, Remsberg found the fact that she was even mentioned at all by a presumed frontrunner to be encouraging.

“Maybe I am getting somewhere if the stones are being thrown,” she said. “I am not interested in divisive politics. Not at all. I am interested in people, their rights, their ability to stay in their homes, retain their property, and as much of their money as possible.”

Erika Remsberg
Erika Remsberg

Although as a Democrat, Remsberg doesn’t deny the “liberal” label, she said her campaign is attracting the attention and support of some voters from across the aisle.

“I am finding more Republicans open to my ideas because they are Pasco resident-friendly ideas,” she said. They are “not politically driven ideas, not ideas motivated by outside interests, but ideas focused on helping our current residents.

“Residents in our county are being asked to pay more for the sake of growth, (and) I am concerned about this.”

Remsberg even included what she said was a dictionary definition of “liberal,” which was defined as “open to new behavior or opinions, and willing to discard traditional values.”

“Yes, I agree I am open to new ideas, seek to broaden my scope of knowledge, and acknowledge different interpretations and perspectives,” she added.

Moore later told The Laker/Lutz News that he didn’t want to get caught up in a label war.

“Our campaign has focused on the issues important to our community, including creating new jobs and new opportunities here in Pasco County,” he said, in a statement. “We’ve run a positive campaign, focusing on the issues which impact all of us, and the solutions which unite us. I am optimistic as each day we continue meeting with voters across our community, sharing our positive message, and working together to bring about a brighter future for Pasco County.”

But Remsberg wasn’t necessarily ready to accept that. She said it’s this kind of politics that have created some of the issues that have prevented good ideas from moving forward in the county.

“The commission should be nonpartisan, because the social issues that divide the (parties) are generally not a factor at the county level,” she said. “We need less divisiveness and more consensus building.”

Voters will decide between Moore and Remsberg in the Nov. 4 elections.

Published October 1, 2014

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Last-minute agreement makes long-awaited gas tax reality

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If Congress is any indication, it’s rare to see Democrats and Republicans agreeing on very much, if anything, these days.

But when it comes to increasing the Pasco County tax on gas sales, local leaders from both parties agreed: They didn’t want it.

The talk of a gas tax did not stop Land O’ Lakes resident Ron Cain from filling up his SUV at the 7-Eleven gas pumps on State Road 54 and U.S. 41. Motorists are slated for a smooth ride as the tax money generated will be used to build new Pasco County roads. (Fred Bellett/Photo)
The talk of a gas tax did not stop Land O’ Lakes resident Ron Cain from filling up his SUV at the 7-Eleven gas pumps on State Road 54 and U.S. 41. Motorists are slated for a smooth ride as the tax money generated will be used to build new Pasco County roads.
(Fred Bellett/Photo)

Yet, it would be an agreement of a different sort that won the day last week, when Pasco County commissioners finally found that fourth vote to approve a 5-cent increase in gas taxes, which is expected to raise an additional $8 million annually to help fund road construction. And it came in the form of outgoing commissioner Henry Wilson Jr.

“We’re all in a lose-lose situation, primarily me,” Wilson shared with fellow commissioners during a meeting Sept. 9. “If I say yes to the gas tax after I said no every single time before, I will be labeled as a flip-flopper. If I say no to it today, I’m ostracized by the people who are trying to build here.”

Wilson had joined with Commissioner Jack Mariano last year to block an increase in the gas tax, which requires four of five commissioners to approve. Both Democrats and Republicans lauded the two at least week’s meeting for holding their ground against the increase.

“The Pasco Democratic party opposes the passage of raising the gas tax at this time,” said Lynn Linderman, chair of the Pasco Democratic Party. “Wages in Pasco are declining, workers are having less money, not more. You are asking the people who live here and have no mass transit in the Tampa Bay area to pay more taxes to go to work.”

Wanda Stevens, who represented the Conservative Party of East Pasco at the meeting, didn’t let that go unnoticed.

“I am agreeing with our Democratic folks back here, so please don’t let this get in the news,” she joked.

Commissioner Kathryn Starkey, however, said that while the commission is completely filled with Republicans, not addressing the road infrastructure needs of the county was actually against her opinion of conservative principles.

“It is difficult for us, because none of us want to be known as a Republican who raised the gas tax,” Starkey said. “I believe it’s much more conservative to have the funds to repair the road, then to not have the guts to raise this money, and then we have to replace the road. Because that cost is exponentially more than repairing the road.”

Starkey supported the full 5-cent additional tax, and was backed by many in the business community who stepped up to speak last week. That included representatives from various companies, as well as the Tampa Bay Builders Association, the real estate trade group NAIOP, John Hagen from the Pasco County Economic Development Council, and local housing developers like Stew Gibbons from the Connerton community in Land O’ Lakes.

“You’ll see that Pasco is really out of sync with being competitive with the other counties in the region,” Gibbons said. “This creates a change in momentum for quality builders from being in Pasco County, as opposed to being in Manatee County. And I know some good quality builders that are focusing more on Manatee County than Pasco County.”

Commissioners for months have talked about the need to add $8 million to the budget, but the debate was on how to collect it. The two schools of thought were either through expansion of the local option gas tax, or raising property taxes — or a combination of the two.

Wilson, however, had pushed for using the state-collected real-estate transfer fee, which could provide Pasco with $18 million every year it would have to split with the school district. The problem, however, was that state lawmakers haven’t earmarked that money for Pasco, and it would take their vote — plus the governor’s signature — to make that happen.

“Nobody picked up the bill because it did not have three commissioners saying to move forward on it,” Wilson said.

Commissioner Ted Schrader had earlier appealed to Wilson to change his mind on the vote, and to capitalize on what was a unique opportunity for a departing commissioner. Wilson had been defeated in an open primary election last month, and will be replaced by political newcomer Mike Wells Jr. in November.

Not giving up on his plan to use state funds instead of county dollars to pay for new roads, Wilson offered a compromise — put in language to switch the county to real estate transfer fees if they ever become available, and he’d support a gas tax in the meantime.

David Goldstein, the chief assistant county attorney, told commissioners he could add language to the gas tax ordinance that would allow such a tax to end if real estate transfer funds were to become available, and were approved by both state lawmakers and county commissioners.

Wilson then joined commissioners Starkey, Schrader and Pat Mulieri to pass the 5-cent gas tax, with Mariano remaining opposed.

“When a gas supplier has a gas tax, they pass that cost onto the people buying the gas,” said Mariano, disputing some claims from county officials that some or all of the tax may be absorbed by gas stations, and not passed on to customers. “It’s basic economics, that cost is passed on.”

If the new gas tax is passed on to drivers, their costs could increase by $37.50 per year, county officials said. Small business owners would likely feel a $250 impact each year.

Published September 17, 2014

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Pasco commissioners approve 5-cent gas tax

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Major road projects in Pasco County have funding once again after outgoing commissioner Henry Wilson Jr., negotiated a hard no vote against a 5-cent gas tax increase to a yes.

Pasco County commissioners needed four out of five to approve the additional tax, which would raise $8 million annually for road projects that would’ve otherwise been delayed. Wilson, who voted against the tax last year with Commissioner Jack Mariano, decided to make the change after a personal appeal by Commissioner Ted Schrader, and an agreement to end the tax if state lawmakers present a new revenue source.

“We’re all in a lose-lose situation, primarily me,” Wilson said during Tuesday’s afternoon meeting in Dade City. “If I say yes to the gas tax after I said no every single time before, I will be labeled as a flip-flopper. If I say no to it today, I’m ostracized by the people who are trying to build here.”

Wilson, however, says he makes decisions based on the future of his two children. Schrader says he does the same thing, but feels that passing the tax on to property owners through a millage increase would put too much burden on residents, and not share the cost of building new roads by all the people who use them.

“Unfortunately, my children could not find adequate employment in Pasco County, and they are working in other places,” Schrader said. “I would suspect that you would elect for your children to have those opportunities to have good high-paying jobs in this immediate market area, and that is one thing that maybe you would contemplate.”

Wilson offered a compromise based on his work in Tallahassee to release some of the state-collected real-estate transfer fee. During the election, Wilson had pushed for that money to be made available to counties like Pasco so that it could be applied to roads.

By many estimates, Pasco County could receive $18 million each year from those fees if it were released by the Legislature, which would then be split with the school board. Still, the $9 million would be more than the $8 million a 5-cent gas tax would raise.

David Goldstein, one of the attorneys representing Pasco, said that he could add language to the gas tax ordinance that would allow such a tax to end if those funds became available to the county, and was approved by both state lawmakers and county commissioners. Wilson said the proposal stalled in Tallahassee during the last session because the majority of commissioners didn’t express support for the effort.

With the change, Wilson joined Schrader, Pat Mulieri and Kathryn Starkey to support the 5-cent gas tax. That means the commissioners will no longer explore raising property taxes to fund roads this year.

Mariano continued his opposition to the tax, saying there were other options the county could consider, and that this would have too much of a negative impact on business.

For more details on the discussion and the decision, pick up the Sept. 17 edition of The Laker/Lutz News.