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Hernando County

New interchange will ease congestion

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Construction crews could be turning dirt within months on a new interchange at Interstate 75 and Overpass Road.

A contractor is expected to be selected by August, and completion is expected about 2 ½ years after construction begins.

The junction frequently is identified as a “gateway” into Pasco County, and a potential catalyst for new development in a largely rural area already experiencing a burst of growth.

The new I-75/Overpass Road interchange is expected to significantly reduce the volume of vehicles per day here and at two other interchanges. (Courtesy of Pasco County)

“It has a regional impact for Pasco,” said Bill Cronin, president and chief executive officer of the Pasco Economic Development Council. “Another exit opens into the county where we have potential for residential and commercial growth. That is another big gateway for Pasco County from the north but from the east, too.”

On a more local scale, the new interchange is expected to ease traffic congestion, bring more connectivity to northeast Pasco cities, and give the county another evacuation route for hurricanes and other emergencies.

“The benefit to the county is just tremendous,” said Margaret Smith, Pasco’s director of engineering services. “We’re giving residential and commercial users a whole other entrance. It takes the volume of traffic off the two busiest interchanges.”

Margaret Smith

Situated about halfway between I-75 interchanges with County Road 54 and State Road 52, traffic engineers estimate a reduction of about 13,000 vehicles per day at each interchange.

It also opens up an east/west route that aids current development in the area, including the futuristic Connected City and its Crystal Lagoon, as well as the Villages of Pasadena Hills.

Once the contractor is selected, final design details will be completed. Conceptually, though, the interchange is expected to be a modified diamond exchange with a flyover.

Pasco County is paying for the project, except for $15 million provided by the Florida Legislature. The final price tag has not yet been determined.

In this rendering, cars are eastbound as they approach the I-75/Overpass Road interchange.

The Florida Department of Transportation is partnering as managers of the project — which includes vetting the construction bids.

It’s significant that Pasco will get a new interchange along one of the major state highways in the country, Cronin said.

Interstate 75 begins in the south at Miami Lakes, Florida and passes through five states before it ends at Sault St. Marie, Michigan, on the Canadian border.

While roadwork and new development, along State Road 54, State Road 52 and the Suncoast Parkway, are highly visible, the I-75 interchange’s potential can be overlooked, Cronin said.

But, its role in attracting developers for commercial, residential and industrial projects will be significant, he added.

The new I-75/Overpass Road interchange will feature a flyover.

“You’ve got pretty good sites for industrial growth,” he said.

And, projects, such as distribution centers, built on speculation, will attract new economic development, he said.

“As soon as you announce that, 10 are in there,” Cronin said. “Space is needed so badly.”

Even Connected City, with its residential and unique Crystal Lagoon, includes industrial in its overall master plan, Cronin said.

Development in the area off the Overpass interchange is well-suited for distribution and office centers “where staff will be driving to work,” Cronin said.

That is in contrast to Suncoast Parkway development, which has “more value for people flying in and out of airports,” he added.

One beneficiary of the new interchange is a former county-owned spray field just south of Overpass Road at the interchange.

Bill Cronin, CEO and president of Pasco Economic Development Council Inc. (File)

Pasco County commissioners approved a land sale in December 2019, and an incentive package, to aid Atlanta-based Rooker Company in developing the 99-acre site as an industrial park.

In phase one, Rooker plans to build a 400,000-square-foot distribution center that is expected to bring hundreds of jobs to Pasco.

“We hope they’ll duplicate this over and over, and over again,” Cronin said.

Amid the new development, the Pasco Rural Protection Overlay District stands as a protection for rural lands and landscapes. Its borders generally are Bellamy Brothers Boulevard, the Green Swamp, State Road 52 and the Hernando County line.

Job creation and growth matters, said Cronin, but development decisions must be made with care.

“Once you use it, you can’t get it back,” he said. “There are a lot of things up there we don’t want to touch.”

In coming years, future and ongoing projects will create more east/west connections that will weave a network of new roadways. They include the Overpass interchange, but also extending State Road 56, widening and realigning State Road 52, and a realignment of U.S. 301 and U.S. 98, with connections to I-75 to the west, and Interstate 4 to the east.

“It’s coming together really well,” Cronin said. “The county has really championed this effort.”

The following highlights features of the new I-75/Overpass Road interchange:

  • Overpass Road from Old Pasco Road to I-75 will be four lanes with bike lanes, a sidewalk on the south side of Overpass, and multi-use trail on the north side of Overpass.
  • Overpass Road bridge will be four lanes with an eastbound to northbound turn-lane. The bridge will include bike lanes, a sidewalk and multi-use paths.
  • Overpass Road from I-75 to Boyette Road will be six lanes with two auxiliary lanes, bike lanes, a sidewalk, multi-use path, turn lane improvements at Overpass and Boyette, and a traffic signal.
  • A traffic signal will be installed at Old Pasco Road and Overpass.
  • Blair Drive access to Overpass will be closed, but a new two-lane road constructed from Blair to Old Pasco, south of Overpass.
  • Current McKendree Road access at Overpass will be relocated to alternate location on Boyette, north of Overpass.
  • Current secondary entry into Wesley Chapel District Park will be closed, with park entrance reconfigured for multi-modes of transportation, including for pedestrians and bicyclists.
  • Overpass between Old Pasco and Boyette will be closed for up to one year during interchange construction.

Published June 17, 2020

More programs, initiatives, on tap at PHSC, provost says

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Pasco-Hernando State College — which recently has been recognized as one of the top schools in the nation for its return on educational investment — continues to add new programs and initiatives.

That was the message that Dr. Stan Giannet, the college’s provost, delivered to a crowd at a recent Greater Zephyrhills Chamber of Commerce breakfast at the Golden Corral.

Pasco-Hernando State College provost Dr. Stan Giannet was the featured guest speaker at the Greater Zephyrhills Chamber of Commerce July 5 monthly breakfast meeting at Golden Corral. He discussed some of the new programs and initiatives the state college has in the works.
(Kevin Weiss)

The state college received notification from the Department of Education last month that it was one of the top schools for affordability in bachelor’s degree programs.

And, earlier this year, WalletHub, a national economic magazine, ranked PHSC among the top three community colleges in the nation for return on educational investment, out of more than 800 candidate schools. The WalletHub study took into account student learning outcomes plus the cost.

“We’re a major state power in higher education,” said Giannet, who has been at PHSC for more than 27 years.

Giannet, also PHSC’s vice president of academic affairs, said the college has “exceeded every metric” from employability, to test score passage rates in workforce programs — suggesting over 95 percent of PHSC students who graduate with associate of science degrees or receive technical certificates find employment in their chosen career field.

“There’s nothing worse for a college to do than to have a degree program where students invest money, invest time, get out in the workforce and (find) they’re not employable in the industry or the career of their choice. We don’t have that,” he said.

The state college provides training for more than 30 careers in business, health, industry and technology, and public service through new bachelor’s degree, Associate in Science degree and certificate programs.

And, while he’s proud of the institution’s growth and achievements over time, the college has much more on tap, Giannet said.

The state college has more than 15,000 students and 500 faculty and staff members across its five full-service campuses in Brooksville, Dade City, New Port Richey, Spring Hill and Wesley Chapel.

Giannet told the crowd: “We have a lot of things in the pipeline.”

The state college is building a $15.5 million performing arts instructional center, expected to be complete by Aug. 2020.

The facility will be built on a 5.5-acre tract of land donated by Pasco County Schools on the campus of Cypress Creek Middle High School, off Old Pasco Road in Wesley Chapel.

Expanding its program and degree offerings
The state college plans to develop an Associate’s of Science degree in digital design and graphic multi-media technologies, and, Associate’s of Arts degrees in dance, music, and theatre. Several accompanying technical certificate programs also will be offered through the arts center.

The arts center will be shared with Pasco County Schools, and will be a venue for various community events.

“It’s going to be fantastic,” Giannet said.

The college also is working on other degree offerings, he said.

Pasco-Hernando State College boasts 5,000-plus students and 500 faculty members and staffers across five full-service campuses in Brooksville, Dade City, New Port Richey, Spring Hill and Wesley Chapel. (File)

The college offers two four-year degree programs currently, and is working to identify a third, Giannet said. The current four-year degrees, introduced in 2014, are for a bachelor of science in nursing and a bachelor of applied science in supervision and management. The college also is working with the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office to develop an A.S. degree in crime scene technology and forensics.

That program will likely be offered at the Dade City campus, with clinical training opportunities at the Adam Kennedy Forensics Field “body farm” on the grounds of the Pasco Sheriff’s detention facility in Land O’ Lakes.

The college also is gearing up for several contract and corporate workforce training programs that are set to come online.

Among them are a 911 training program for the Hernando Sheriff’s Office; a child protection services leadership program for the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office; a medical scribe exclusive online training program; and, a childhood education certification program for the Pasco and Hernando school districts.

Elsewhere, PHSC is expanding its welding technology program to the west side of the county.

The welding program has been offered on the Dade City campus.

Now, Giannet said night classes will be available Marchman Technical College in New Port Richey, thanks to a developmental partnership between the college and Pasco County Schools.

That expansion is much needed due to an increased demand for certified welders and lack of programming the county’s west side, the provost said.

“We have a huge waiting list for welding on this (east) side of the county,” Giannet said. Our welders, when they graduate from our college, they’re snatched up by the industry. “It’s a win-win situation for our community,” he added.

Giannet also talked about the college’s new aviation program, which debuted last year.

The college offers four aviation-related associate degree programs — professional pilot technology, aviation administration, aviation maintenance administration, and unmanned vehicle systems.

Several PHSC students have already become certified pilots — including a female pilot in what is “a traditionally male-dominated industry,” Giannet noted.

He expects the program to skyrocket in the coming years.

“Aviation is going to be the hottest industry in the nation, with the impending shortage and retirement of all these aviation professionals…so we’re really excited for that program,” the provost said.

The college is next looking to create more aviation partnership, with facilities such as the Zephyrhills Municipal Airport.

It already has an existing partnership with American Aviation Flight Academy, at the Brooksville-Tampa Bay Regional Airport, he said.

Published July 11, 2018

 

 

Lexus of Wesley Chapel brings new dealership to Pasco

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A new dealer will tap into the luxury automobile market in Pasco County with its new showroom under construction near Wiregrass Ranch.

Lexus of Wesley Chapel is being built on about 8 acres, next to Wesley Chapel Toyota, at 5300 Eagleston Blvd., south of State Road 54 and west of Bruce B. Downs Boulevard.

Owners of Williams Automotive Group competed against nearly 130 dealers nationwide who sought to win the coveted Lexus dealership.

Construction is underway on Lexus of Wesley Chapel. The luxury car dealership is expected to open by the end of 2017.
(Courtesy of Lexus of Wesley Chapel)

The new Lexus showroom is expected to open by the end of 2017 and employ about 100 people. Williams Automotive Group is the parent company for Wesley Chapel Toyota, Wesley Chapel Honda and Tampa Honda.

Lexus of Wesley Chapel will be the second to sell luxury, high-end vehicles in Pasco County.

In 2015, AutoNation opened Pasco County’s first Mercedes Benz dealership at the corner of State Road 56 and Interstate 75, also in Wesley Chapel. It is within the orbit of Tampa Premium Outlets, Cypress Creek Town Center and Florida Hospital Center Ice.

For Lexus fans, the nearest dealership is more than 20 miles away in Tampa.

A study and review of the area’s demographics found Wesley Chapel to be “a perfect fit for the luxury car buyer,” according to an email statement from John Williams, co-owner of Williams Automotive Group.

The market for Lexus of Wesley Chapel covers not only Pasco but northern Hillsborough County, Hernando County and beyond, Williams said in the email.

According to 2015 census data, the annual median income in Wesley Chapel is about $75,000. By comparison, the Pasco overall median income is about $45,000.

Average household income is even higher at more than $85,000 in Wesley Chapel, and $60,000 in Pasco.

With the ongoing growth in the county, Williams said the market can handle even more luxury dealerships in future.

The main Lexus showroom will be a two-story building with about 58,000 square feet. There also will be a double-tunnel car wash of about 3,800 square feet, and a covered outdoor pavilion of about 1,900 square feet.

The dealership will have nearly 500 parking spaces.

A 10-acre adjacent site has room for more than 600 additional parking spaces, and a future collision center. Williams said construction on the collision center probably will begin in 2018.

The indoor showroom will feature 12 Lexus vehicles while another 10 vehicles can be displayed outdoors. There will be 30 service bays, including eight detail bays, with room for expansion.

In addition, there will be several customer lounges, quiet rooms, business offices, a children’s play area, technology center, and an upscale cafe with coffee and cappuccino.

Published February 22, 2017

Protecting Northeast Pasco’s rural nature

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More than a decade ago, Pasco County adopted a future land use goal of preserving the character of what is dubbed its “northeast rural area.” Bellamy Brothers Boulevard, the Green Swamp, State Road 52 and the Hernando County line define the area’s borders.

Pasco County commissioners are considering a rural protection ordinance to preserve the rural character of northeast Pasco including homes on large land lots. (Photos courtesy of Richard K. Riley)
Pasco County commissioners are considering a rural protection ordinance to preserve the rural character of northeast Pasco including homes on large land lots.
(Photos courtesy of Richard K. Riley)

While there’s a goal on the books, there’s currently no ordinance that puts regulations in place to accomplish it.

But, that is about to change.

On July 12, Pasco County commissioners had a public hearing on a rural protection ordinance that, if approved, would create an overlay district and govern residential development involving three houses, or more.

The proposed ordinance also sets lighting standards and prohibits mining or development activities that would lop off the tops of hillsides or destroy vistas.

A separate ordinance would deal with commercially zoned properties and the county’s designated areas for employment centers, which are generally found along U.S. 301.

Richard Riley, who lives in the community of Trilby, gave a power point presentation during the public comment portion of the meeting.

Matthew Armstrong, executive planner, and Justyna Buszewski, planner II, of the Pasco County Planning Division, explain some of the conditions proposed in the rural protection ordinance.
Matthew Armstrong, executive planner, and Justyna Buszewski, planner II, of the Pasco County Planning Division, explain some of the conditions proposed in the rural protection ordinance.

“Everything up here is photogenic,” said Riley, a freelance photographer who has done work for various publications, including The Laker/Lutz News.

“It’s wonderful to be here,” Riley added.

Though the ordinance isn’t perfect, Riley said, “We’re supportive of most of the parts of the ordinance. We’re trying our best to get something on the books.”

Pasco County Commissioner Ted Schrader said the ordinance was in “pretty good shape,” but he expressed concerns about regulations on landscaping.

Specifically, he challenged trees as allowable buffers along scenic corridors, potentially blocking out the vistas the ordinance is meant to protect.

If the intent is to protect vistas, Schrader said, “That doesn’t accomplish that.”

County planners said they were trying to give developers and landowners options on buffering, but would look at tweaking the ordinance.

The final public hearing is scheduled for Aug. 19 at 1:30 p.m., at the historic Pasco County Courthouse at 37918 Meridian Ave., in Dade City.

Published July 20, 2016

Resident crusades for safety wall on I-75

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Construction dust, giant cranes and truck traffic are an everyday inconvenience near Tampa Bay Golf & Country Club.

Road crews are busy expanding the interchange at Interstate 75 and State Road 52 from County Road 54 to Hernando County.

The three-year project is slated for completion in 2017, and is meant to improve traffic flow by widening I-75 from four lanes to six lanes, with three lanes in each direction.

State Road 52 also will be widened to six lanes. There will be frontage roads north and south of State Road 52, west of I-75. Sidewalks and bicycle lanes also will be installed.

John Hart points out a chipped window at his home in Tampa Bay Golf & Country Club. He believes that vibrations coming from truck traffic on Interstate 75 cause damage to both his home and his neighbors’ homes. (Kathy Steele/Staff Photos)
John Hart points out a chipped window at his home in Tampa Bay Golf & Country Club. He believes that vibrations coming from truck traffic on Interstate 75 cause damage to both his home and his neighbors’ homes.
(Kathy Steele/Staff Photos)

But, what John Hart sees and hears from his backyard in Tampa Golf & Country Club he perceives as trouble.

He’s worried about a steady flow of cars and 18-wheelers delivering nonstop noise and rattling the foundation of his home.

And, in a worst-case scenario, he’s concerned about an overturned semitrailer crashing into his backyard.

The retired Rhode Island cop has been on a three-year crusade on behalf of his community to improve conditions.

“We’re looking for a safety wall,” Hart said. “I want to see the wall out there. I want to see people protected.”

State highway officials maintain that a study completed prior to construction did not justify a wall based on noise levels. And the road design, they say, meets national safety standards.

The entrance into the age 55 and older community is off State Road 52, within a few yards of the highway ramps.

Hart wants the sound and safety barrier installed along the approximately two-mile outer boundary of his neighborhood paralleling I-75. Currently, a row of pine trees and a vinyl fence are the only defenses against noise, or worse, an out-of-control vehicle, just 300 feet or so from a row of homes backing up to the interstate.

Hart has repeatedly raised his concerns with the Florida Department of Transportation.

He isn’t a man who gives up, even though Hart acknowledges that some by now — even within his community — probably wish he would concede it’s a lost cause.

Hart points to a recent accident as evidence that a safety wall is needed.

On Dec. 11, north of the interchange project, a dump truck in the southbound lane of I-75 blew a tire. A chain reaction accident occurred, involving another dump truck, a van, a semitrailer and a pickup truck.

Roadwork on the interchange at Interstate 75 and State Road 52 will be completed in 2017. This is one of several projects statewide to improve traffic flow on the highway.
Roadwork on the interchange at Interstate 75 and State Road 52 will be completed in 2017. This is one of several projects statewide to improve traffic flow on the highway.

The driver with the blown tire died and another person suffered serious injuries, according to media reports.

The van ended up on the outside shoulder of the highway.

Hart worries that someday a semitrailer could roll across the road into his backyard. “It would take out this house,” he said.

State department of transportation spokesman John McShaffrey said the state agency can’t design roads for unexpected tire blowouts. But, he added, “We don’t compromise (safety).”

Construction projects aimed at improvements for the community can be a tough sell sometimes, he added.

“One thing to keep in mind is that improvements are needed for the greater good and the motoring public,” McShaffrey said. “We have to look at the greater good.”

In this instance, Tampa Bay Golf & Country Club was in early stages of development when the project was designed, with 10 or fewer homes built.

“The interstate was here first,” McShaffrey said, adding that homebuyers knew they would be living next to I-75.

The community could pay for a wall privately, if that is what residents want, McShaffrey said.

The project’s goal is to make driving safer by adding more lanes, and improving access on and off ramps. It is one of a series of interchange projects statewide along I-75.

“These are capacity projects,” said McShaffrey.

On average, about 50,000 vehicles per day travel on I-75, south of State Road 52, according to state transportation data from 2014.

Estimates for 2020 peg traffic along this segment an average of 56,000 a day.

The project has been on the state road department’s radar for more than a decade. It has met with hurdles along the way, including a lawsuit filed by Hillcrest Properties against Pasco County in 2010. A settlement eventually resolved issues related to a right of way purchase, and cleared the way for construction.

Hart has a file of material he has collected over nearly three years of protests by himself and, at times, hundreds of area residents who attended a public hearing in 2012.

His letters, emails and phone calls seeking relief have gone to U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, Gov. Rick Scott, State Reps. Will Weatherford, John Legg and Danny Burgess. He has reached out to Pasco County Commissioner Ted Schrader, and former State Rep. Jim Norman.

Hart disputes the road department’s sound study.

“We did our own soundings,” he said.

The results showed noise levels in some areas reached 94 decibels, Hart said.

According to data from Purdue University, that equates to a jet taking off, a jackhammer, power mower or motorcycle within 25 feet.

Hart paid thousands of dollars to install double-pane windows that muffle some noises. He also said he repaired a crack in his kitchen ceiling which he attributes to heavy truck traffic.

He also noted a crack in the outer wall of his neighbor’s house, and a chipped window and similar crack on his house’s exterior.

“Every now and then, you can feel vibrations when a truck goes by,” Hart said.

He has hosted tours of Tampa Golf & Country Club for representatives of area lawmakers. He got sympathy but, so far, Hart said nothing has happened.

And, he won’t give up.

“I know what the danger is out there,” he said.

Published January 6, 2016

Pasco officials push for trail loop

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A decision is months away.

But much is at stake for whichever county secures the favor of the Florida Department of Transportation in choosing a 20-mile route for the Coast to Coast (C2C) Connector Trail.

State highway officials anticipate completing a feasibility study in June 2016 on a northern route through Hernando and Sumter County or a southern route through Pasco and Sumter County.

Dade City resident and professional cyclist Josh Thornton spoke in support of a Pasco recreational trail, and a proposal to build a loop from two separate trails. (Photos courtesy of Richard Riley)
Dade City resident and professional cyclist Josh Thornton spoke in support of a Pasco recreational trail, and a proposal to build a loop from two separate trails.
(Photos courtesy of Richard Riley)

Sumter County is the only sure winner in the construction of a major segment of the planned 275-mile trail that will link the state’s east and west coasts.

Florida DOT representatives from District 5 presented a slide show on the study and the routes during a Sept. 10 board member of the Pasco Metropolitan Planning Organization.

About 35 people attended the meeting including area residents, elected officials and FDOT representatives from District 7 and District 5.

For Pasco MPO members, it was a chance to make the case for the southern route, but also to push for construction of a loop that would be created by building both routes.

Except as a future project, however, FDOT officials didn’t encourage hope for the loop.

“That can be a suggestion. It’s something you need to work on with Sumter County and what their visions are on the Coast to Coast Connector (Trail),” said Lee Royal, government liaison for FDOT in District 7. “That would be a decision through the planning process.”

Pasco MPO Chairman Lance Smith said a loop is the type of trail ride that bicyclists enjoy, and this one would provide a round trip of nearly 45 miles. “You look for a loop more than an up and back (ride),” said Smith, who also serves on Zephyrhills City Council.

The northern route begins in Hernando, then heads southeast through Sumter, linking the cities of Center Hill and Webster before connecting with the Withlacoochee State Trail.

The southern route jogs through northeast Pasco, parallels State Road 50, and moves into the Withlacoochee Forest on its way to trails end in eastern Sumter.

John Moors, executive director of the Greater Dade City Chamber of Commerce, speaks in support of a recreational trail through Pasco County as others line up behind him at the Pasco Metropolitan Planning Organization’s board meeting.
John Moors, executive director of the Greater Dade City Chamber of Commerce, speaks in support of a recreational trail through Pasco County as others line up behind him at the Pasco Metropolitan Planning Organization’s board meeting.

“That’s a real life line for us to have the southern route,” said Dade City Mayor Camille Hernandez. She serves on the Pasco MPO.

Dade City and northeast Pasco are draws for hundreds of bicyclists who come weekly to enjoy the challenges of the area’s rolling hills.

“Our area is a mecca for cyclists,” said Josh Thornton. He is a former professional cyclist who lives in Dade City. “This is a big thing to have cyclists come to the area and support local businesses.”

He supports the southern route but he added, “It’s a great idea to have a loop.”

Pasco officials anticipate the construction of several trails that will link Pasco and Pinellas County, and eventually hook up with Suncoast Trail and Hernando. Work is underway on U.S. 301 on a multi-use trail that in future will link with the Hardy Trail, in Dade City.

The trail system and the bicycling community are part of Dade City’s identity, Hernandez said.

“We’re really working very, very hard to connect what we have here,” she said.

But the town of Webster is just as convinced that the trail can be its economic lifeline. Mayor Kelly Williams attended the meeting to make her city’s case.

She secured a grant for Webster to pay for an analysis of the economic impact of the trail on Webster’s local economy.

Portions of the analysis included studies of trails built in other areas, including Winter Garden in Orange County. The Orange County Trail study relied on data provided by the East Central Florida Regional Planning Council.

The report noted that the southern route would produce nearly 33,000 annual user trips compared to nearly 29,000 on the northern route. However, more economic opportunities would be available, and more money generated along the northern route, according to the study.

The analysis focused on a 75-mile radius of Webster, which the study found would be a significant destination point for people following the Scenic Sumter Heritage Byway.

Local trail users on the southern route would spend about $9 per person while northern route users would spend more than $13. Annual spending on both routes would exceed $300,000 but the northern route would come out ahead by about $80,000, the study found.

The spending opportunities included restaurants, food and beverages, rental fees, guide maps/books and lodging.

Webster would see between $393,000 and nearly $500,000 pumped into the local economy, according to the study.

“It would be an unbelievable economic boon to Webster, having the trail go through there,” said Williams. “I will continue to fight for my city as I know you will for yours.”

One Webster resident, Thomas Parsons, told Pasco MPO members he doesn’t support either route. The best option, he said, would be for the trail to follow State Road 50 where the state already has rights of way.

The northern route crosses his driveway, Parsons said. And though he is not a hunter, Parsons said, people who use dogs to aid their hunting worry about lack of access to their hunting areas. “I think this is another attack on their rights,” he said.

Several Pasco MPO members took FDOT to task for what they saw as a snub to Pasco in the kick-off meeting for the feasibility study. About 120 people attended the meeting near Webster but MPO members said prior notification was insufficient.

Not surprisingly, most who attended were from Sumter and they favored the northern route, said Pasco County Chairman Ted Schrader.

In addition, members were upset that FDOT had no plans to schedule upcoming meetings in Pasco.

Royal said as many as 8,500 mailings were sent to people within 300 feet of the proposed corridors. Local governments also were notified, she said.

But Pasco County Commissioner Mike Wells said he only recalls receiving an update after the meeting.

Two additional workshops will be scheduled in 2016. By the end of the meeting, FDOT officials agreed to hold one workshop in Pasco.

Published September 16, 2015

Pasco wants a say in path of recreational trail

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The Florida Department of Transportation is studying the proposed path for the South Sumter Connector Trail, a segment needed to close a gap in the planned 275-mile Coast-to-Coast (C2C) Connector Trail.

Two routes are being considered for the connector, but just one passes through Pasco County. Most of both possible routes is in Sumter County, but the stakes are high for communities in Pasco, Sumter and Hernando counties that envision opportunities for recreation, tourism and economic development.

Kathryn Starkey
Kathryn Starkey

The completed trail will pass through nine counties and link nearly 20 trails across the state from Pinellas County to Brevard County.

The issue is slated for discussion on Sept. 10, at the 10 a.m. meeting of the Pasco Metropolitan Planning Organization’s monthly board meeting. The session will be at the Historic Pasco County Courthouse in Dade City.

The agenda will focus on gathering public input for a southern route that begins along abandoned rail beds in northeast Pasco, parallels State Road 50, and crosses through the Withlacoochee State Forest. It ends in eastern Sumter.

“The trail is going to be marketed internationally to a very active group of travelers,” said Pasco County Commissioner Kathryn Starkey.

“I think it’s going to be a really good tourism draw for our county,” added Starkey, who also serves on the MPO board.

At one time, the expectation was for the trail route to come through Pasco, but since then, a second northern option was added, Starkey said.

The proposed northern route begins in western Hernando County, and then moves southeast to Sumter along former railroad right-of-way. It would link the towns of Webster and Center Hill, and connect with the Withlacoochee State Trail.

At the Sept. 2 meeting of the MPO’s Citizens Advisory Committee, James Edwards, transportation manager for the Pasco MPO, said, “Let’s move to the next stage. How do we have an impact on the decision?”

The state roads department has no announced public meetings in Pasco on the trail routes and study.

The kick-off meeting for the 18-month feasibility study was on May 7 in the town of Webster. The study is slated to conclude in June 2016.

According to FDOT records of the meeting, nearly 125 people attended, but fewer than 3 percent were from Pasco.

While there was support for the route into Pasco, FDOT records show some hunters objected to the southern route, which they said would disrupt or halt hunting season in the area.

“This (Sept. 10 MPO meeting) is effectively going to wind up being our public meeting,” Edwards said. “The study is still ongoing. Information is coming forward on both these alignments.”

Starkey has sent a letter in support of Pasco’s selection, and has spoken with FDOT officials.

If the route through Pasco isn’t selected, the commissioner said she would continue to pursue completion of a trail that would go through Dade City.

The northeastern area of the county, which is noted for its hilly landscapes, is a popular bicycle destination for many bicycle clubs, said Allen Howell, a bicycle and pedestrian planner with the MPO.

“Pasco County and its citizens are making a big effort to become the bicycle capital of the state,” Starkey said. “It’s important for economic prosperity.”

Published September 9, 2015

Homeless veterans given chance at Stand Down event

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Pasco County Stand Down is set for Oct. 24-26 at Veterans Memorial Park in Hudson.

The grassroots, community-based intervention program helps the nation’s estimated 67,000 homeless veterans manage life on the streets. The national program began in San Diego in 1988, and has since spread to include more than 200 similar events nationwide.

The local Stand Down supports homeless and at-risk veterans in Pasco, Hillsborough, Pinellas and Hernando counties. It provides a broad range of highly needed services, including food, clothing, medical and dental care, benefits advice, personal care, haircuts, entertainment, and mental health services.

It is sponsored by several local public and private organizations, including Saint Leo University, which will provide a select group of current and former Saint Leo master of social work students, along with faculty, to help the veterans out. The social work program is part of an institution service learning project that provided needed counseling for veterans while at the same time train newer social work clinicians in advanced, research-based counseling methods.

More than 125 veterans who are expected to attend will be offered free, confidential and supportive counseling services — the first time that such services are being offered at the event.

For more information on the event, which takes place at 14333 Hicks Road in Hudson, visit PascoStandDown.org.

 

Missing Zephyrhills plane found six months later

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Authorities believe they have solved a mystery that had baffled authorities for months.

Theodore Weiss fires up his homebuilt Sonex plane not long before he disappeared from the Marion County Airport. Authorities believe they found a crash site with his plane markings and the remains of a man not far from the airport. (Courtesy of the Florida Sonex Association)
Theodore Weiss fires up his homebuilt Sonex plane not long before he disappeared from the Marion County Airport. Authorities believe they found a crash site with his plane debris and the remains of what is believed to be the pilot not far from the airport. (Courtesy of the Florida Sonex Association)

A hiker reportedly found the wreckage of a plane of a Zephyrhills pilot that has been missing since last April. A plane said to be the Sonex homebuilt airplane flown by Theodore Weiss was located at the Pruitt Trailhead in Dunellon, according to the Ocala Star-Banner. Skeletal remains have been found at the site, but authorities have yet to determine if they belong to Weiss.

The debris was white with a green stripe, and had the tail number “N229P,” which matches the description of Weiss’ plane, the newspaper said. That’s just a short distance from the Marion County Airport, where Weiss was last seen during the Florida Sonex Association’s Spring Sonex Fest.

Weiss departed the airport alone April 5, and was supposed to arrive in Zephyrhills a couple hours later. However, he never arrived. Officials as well as friends, family and members of the Florida Wing of the Civil Air Patrol began a massive search, trying to locate the plane in the heavy woods in both Marion and Hernando counties.

The plane was a fixed-wing, single-engine plane with two seats, according to aviation tracking site FlightAware. Weiss purchased it in February 2012, and it was originally owned by a Georgia man in 2006. It changed hands a couple times before Weiss bought it.

Sonex planes are self-build kit planes manufactured out of Oshkosh, Wisconsin. The planes themselves have a range between 400 and 550 miles, depending on the engine used, according to the Sonex Aircraft website. They can fly between 16,000 and 23,000 feet.

Officials from both the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration were expected to arrive on the site Monday.

Saint Leo opens BB&T Center for Innovation & Technology

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Saint Leo University has opened the BB&T Center for Innovation & Technology at the Donald R. Tapia School of Business.

The center was made possible by a donation from BB&T Bank, and encompasses the fourth floor of the business school building. The highlights include a cybersecurity laboratory, which supports the teaching of the university’s new master’s degree in the field, as well as a collaboration zone, where business students work on real-world projects for area companies and nonprofits.

Kenneth Coppedge, West Florida regional president for BB&T, heads a nine-county region stretching from Hernando to Collier counties, and noted in a release that if he “were a young person, this is the area of opportunity that I would want to be a part of.”

The cybersecurity program now offered on the main campus will be offered online in the near future.

Saint Leo is a regionally accredited, liberal arts-based institution located in St. Leo. It was chartered in 1889 by Catholic Benedictine monks, and over the past 125 years, has provided education to people of all faiths.

The school has 16,000 undergraduate and graduate students at both the main campus in Pasco County, as well as 40 teaching locations in seven states.