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Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

Jack Mariano

Elected leaders take oath of office

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Swearing-in ceremonies were held earlier this month, for elected leaders.

Pasco County Commission members Jack Mariano, Ron Oakley and Kathryn Starkey, who were reelected to new terms, and Christina Fitzpatrick, newly elected to the board, each took the oath of office.

Mariano’s swearing-in ceremony was in the board’s New Port Richey chamber, while the other commissioners were sworn-in at the board’s Dade City chambers.

The Pasco County Commission is expected to have its organizational meeting, where the chairman is selected on Dec. 9, after The Laker/Lutz News press deadline.

At Pasco County Schools’ district headquarters in Land O’ Lakes, reelected Pasco County Superintendent of Schools Kurt Browning took the oath of office, as did reelected board members Colleen Beaudoin and Alison Crumley.

Meanwhile, in Hillsborough County, newly elected Hillsborough County Commissioners Harry Cohen and Gwen Myers, and reelected Commissioner Pat Kemp, each took the oath of office.

And, on the Hillsborough County School Board newly elected members Nadia Combs, Jessica Vaughn and Henry “Shake” Washington were sworn-in, as was Lynn Gray, who was reelected.

Published December 09, 2020

Pasco commissioners delay hiring decision

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The Pasco County Commission wants the county to advertise a top administrative position before deciding who should get the job.

Commissioners made that decision during their Nov. 17 meeting, when they were asked to confirm the selection of Gary Joiner to be the director of administration in the county’s building and construction services department.

The job pays $125,000.

Sally Sherman, assistant county administrator for development services, spoke in glowing terms of Joiner’s qualifications and “fit” for the job. He has 30 years of professional experience, including as Pasco’s county property appraiser. He initially filed for reelection, but failed to qualify in the race for the seat that was won by Mike Wells Jr., who just left the county board.

County Commissioner Kathryn Starkey, however, wasn’t so sure that Joiner is the right choice for the job.

“I have a little reservation with this selection, just from my own personal interaction when I found something that wasn’t correct, in his world of property appraising,” Starkey said.

She said she brought the issue to Joiner’s attention repeatedly and it wasn’t corrected.

“It took me talking to Dr. (Marc) Bellas (performance management director) about it, to get it fixed, and it cost this county tens of thousands of dollars.

“The inaction, of fixing the problem, does not sit well with me,” Starkey said.

She suggested: “I think we maybe need to keep looking.”

Commissioner Ron Oakley was willing to support Joiner’s hiring, noting that he trusted County Administrator Dan Biles’ selection. But, Oakley’s motion to confirm the appointment died, for a lack of a second.

Newly elected Commissioner Christina Fitzpatrick asked if the position was advertised.

Biles said it was not.

Commissioner Mike Moore observed: “Typically, on a director-level position, from my memory, unless it’s an internal promotion, they are always publicized. I don’t remember one time, when we did not publicize an opening, unless it was an internal promotion.”

Biles responded: “In general, we would.”

In this case, however, he and Sherman believed that Joiner “specifically had the skills and experience necessary to do the job.”

Biles also noted that Joiner “was already effectively a Pasco County employee, as the property appraiser.

“It just made sense to just go directly to him, and not go through the process, when I already knew who I thought we needed to hire,” Biles said.

The county administrator continued: “Anytime you go through that (hiring) process, you put other people through time and effort to get through that. If you already know who you think you want to hire, it probably makes sense to go straight to the end result.”

Fitzpatrick asked if the board could put off the decision until its Dec. 8 meeting, to provide the time to advertise to be sure that the county had the best person for the job.

Moore told Fitzpatrick that the decision could be delayed.

Biles told Fitzpatrick that he would prefer not to do that.

“The board obviously can direct us to what the board wants us to do. I will go back to the hiring and firing of the county employees is an operational decision. We bring the directors and above to board for confirmation,” Biles said.

But, Commissioner Jack Mariano said, he, too, supported advertising the job.

“I think we’re best serving the people of Pasco by looking at everybody out there. Let’s go look at the talent that’s out there, and who wants this job, and find out what’s best for the position,” Mariano said.

Starkey again expressed her dissatisfaction with Joiner’s response in her previous interaction.

“It wasn’t my role to fix it. I brought it to the attention of someone in a leadership position that should have fixed it. I brought it to his attention multiple times, and it never got fixed on their end. That, to me, is a lack of leadership. I think you need leadership in that position,” Starkey said.

Sherman assured Starkey if an issue arose, it would be addressed.

But, Fitzpatrick made a motion to delay the issue until the board’s next meeting, with the position to be advertised to ensure the best candidate is selected. Starkey seconded the motion, which passed on a 5-0 vote.

Moore noted the board’s action does not take Joiner out of the running for the job.

Published November 25, 2020

Pasco commissioners reject process used to select lobbyist

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The Pasco County Commission has rejected the process used by county staff to recommend an outside lobbyist.

Instead, commissioners want to hear a 10-minute presentation from each of the three firms vying for the work, before making their selection.

The proposed contract calls for a maximum of $60,000 a year for the services, with the option of up to three one-year renewals. County Administrator Dan Biles would be designated to authorize the optional annual extensions.

Initially, Corcoran and Associates, doing business as Corcoran Partners; Shawn Foster LLC, doing business as Sunrise Consulting Group; and Shumaker Advisers Florida LLC, responded to the request for qualifications to compete for the work.

A four-member committee met and evaluated all of the proposals, they scored the Corcoran Partners’ proposal as the highest. The committee, which ranked the proposals, was made up of Biles, Cathy Pearson, Paula Baracaldo and Ralph Lair.

But, Commissioner Kathryn Starkey raised objections to the process.

“So, I’m not happy with the way this was done,” Starkey said. “When we picked our last lobbyist, we had presentations and the board selected the lobbyist. I’m not comfortable with the way that this went down.”

Starkey made a motion to delay the selection until the board’s Dec. 8 meeting, during which the three firms each will be invited to make a 10-minute presentation, followed by the board’s selection.

Commissioner Christina Fitzpatrick seconded Starkey’s motion.

Commissioner Jack Mariano asked Starkey if she was OK with the lobbyist missing a couple of weeks while lawmakers are in Tallahassee.

Starkey responded: “I know time is of the essence, but I think this is — did you hear the presentations? Was there a presentation? I don’t know. But, I think it’s not staff’s lobbyist. I think we’re the policymakers. I think it’s more appropriate that we hear the presentation. So, I’m disappointed that the process that was set in place last time was changed. I think we should have been asked about the process.

“Dec. 8, we listen and we pick, and we get them to work right away,” Starkey said.

Commissioner Ron Oakley said he thinks there may have been a miscommunication between the board and the staff.

“I think they actually did a process based on us giving direction to reach out to lobbyists for this. Maybe we were not as clear as we should have been and said we wanted presentations. I don’t remember us talking about this,” Oakley said.

Erik Breitenbach, assistant county administrator for internal services, said the county staff followed the standard request for qualifications process.

He said the committee did not receive any presentations from the firms, but rather discussed and ranked the submittals.

Starkey has been pushing hard for the county to have outside lobbyists to represent the county both at the state and national levels. She said having someone to represent the county’s interests will create more opportunities to obtain state or federal funding or grants.

Board members approved Starkey’s motion to delay choosing a lobbyist until the Dec. 8 meeting, voting 5-0.

Published November 25, 2020

Familiar faces win reelection in Pasco County

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Voters across The Laker/Lutz News coverage area demonstrated their enthusiasm in Election 2020 — casting their ballots through Vote By Mail or in person at early voting sites or in their precincts on Election Day.

Pasco County reported a turnout of 77.8% of its 389,317 registered voters, with a total of 303,214 ballots cast, according to unofficial voting results.

Hillsborough County reported a turnout of 76.45% of the county’s 934,346 registered voters, casting a total of 714,286 ballots.

These are unofficial tallies for both counties. The final result must include overseas ballots, provisional ballots and ballots that had signature issues that were cured — before they are certified, which is when they become official.

Valerie Cooper took advantage of early voting at the New River Branch Library in Wesley Chapel. She reported that operations were running smoothly and she was pleased to be able to vote on a day that was convenient. (B.C. Manion)

Visits by The Laker/Lutz News to polling locations during Early Voting and on Election Day revealed smooth operations at numerous sites across the newspaper’s coverage area in Lutz, Land O’ Lakes, Wesley Chapel and Zephyrhills.

Incumbents fared better in Pasco County than they did in Hillsborough County.

Pasco County voters gave Kurt Browning four more years as superintendent of Pasco County Schools. They also reelected Kathryn Starkey in District 1 and Jack Mariano in District 5, on the Pasco County Commission.

In Hillsborough County, voters reelected Lynn Gray for four more years in the District 7 seat on the Hillsborough County School Board, and elected Jessica Vaughn for the District 3 seat.

Voters rejected Tammy Shamburger’s bid for reelection in District 5, selecting Henry “Shake” Washington instead. They also turned down incumbent Steve Cona’s bid for reelection in District 1, choosing challenger Nadia Combs instead.

Other big decisions in Hillsborough, included the reelection of Sheriff Chad Chronister and Property Appraiser Bob “Coach” Henriquez.

Hillsborough voters also selected Nancy C. Millan as the county’s next tax collector.

Voters chose Harry Cohen in the District 1 race for Hillsborough County Commission; Gwen Myers for District 3, on the board; and Pat Kemp in District 6.

Incumbent Andrew Warren won another term in the race for State Attorney in the 13th Judicial Court.

In state legislative races, voters chose Danny Burgess to fill the vacancy in Senate District 20.

Amber Mariano won her re-election bid in House District 36, as did Ardian Zika in House District 37, and Randy Maggard in House District 38.

Workers for the Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections conduct post-election activities in the supervisor’s warehouse. (Courtesy of Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections)

Statewide, voters narrowly supported an amendment to the Florida Constitution that will gradually raise the state’s minimum wage to $15 an hour.

They overwhelmingly favored an amendment allowing a property tax discount for spouses of deceased veterans who had suffered permanent, combat-related injuries.

They approved an amendment that gives people more time to transfer their accrued benefits of the Homestead Property taxes to another property, and they supported a requirement that all voters in Florida must be citizens.

But, they rejected proposed amendments that would have allowed all voters to vote for primary elections for state legislators, governor and cabinet, and they turned down a proposed amendment to require voters to approve proposed constitutional amendments twice before they could take effect.

Constitutional amendments require approval by 60% of the voters

In federal races, voters approved the reelection of U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis for another term in Florida’s 12th congressional district.

In the presidential contest, Pasco County voters supported Donald J. Trump, with 59.38% of the vote, compared to 39.32% for Joe Biden.

Hillsborough County voters favored Biden, who received 52.69% of the vote, compared to 45.87% for Trump.

National news outlets have projected Joe Biden and Kamala Harris as the next president and vice president of the United States.

As of Nov. 9, President Donald J. Trump had not conceded, according to national news reports, and he intended to pursue court challenges.

The Associated Press reported that the Biden ticket received nearly 75.7 million votes; while Trump’s ticket secured nearly 71.1 million.

Biden’s ticket received the most-ever votes for a president, while Trump’s ticket received the second-highest, according to national news reports.

ELECTION RESULTS
National
President*
Joseph R. Biden: 75.7 million; 290 electoral votes
Donald J. Trump: 71.1 million; 214 electoral votes
* Results reported by the Associated Press; President Donald J. Trump had not conceded as of Nov. 9, according to national reports, and is challenging the results.

Pasco County
Pasco Superintendent of Schools
Kurt S. Browning: 64.54%
Cynthia Thompson: 35.46%

Pasco County Commission, District 1
Kathryn Starkey: 61.30%
Jessica Stempien: 38.70%

Pasco County Commission, District 5
Jack Mariano: 58.83%
Brandi Geoit: 34.46%
Victor Rodriguez: 6.71%

State Rep. District 36
Amber Mariano: 63.38%
Daniel Endonino: 36.62%

State Rep. District 37
Ardian Zika: 62.83%
Tammy Garcia: 37.17%

State Rep. District 38
Randy Maggard: 58.71%
Brian Staver: 41.29%

Hillsborough County results
Hillsborough County Sheriff
Chad Chronister: 54.83%
Gary Pruitt: 35.85%
Ron McMullen: 9.32%

Property Appraiser
D.C. Goutoufas: 43.50%
Bob “Coach” Henriquez: 56.50%

Tax Collector
TK Mathew: 45.22%
Nancy C. Millan: 54.78%

Hillsborough County Commission, District 1
Scott Levinson: 49.27%
Harry Cohen: 50.73%

Hillsborough County Commission, District 3
Maura Cruz Lanz,  27.66%
Gwen Myers, 72.34%

Hillsborough County Commission, District 6
Sandra L. Murman, 47.38%
Patricia “Pat” Kemp, 52.62%

Hillsborough County School Board, District 1
Nadia Combs: 63.91%
Steve Cona: 36.09%

Hillsborough County School Board, District 3
Mitch Thrower, 38.87%
Jessica Vaughn: 61.13%

Hillsborough County School Board, District 5
Tammy Shamburger, 44.64%
Henry “Shake” Washington: 55.36%

Hillsborough County School Board, District 7
Lynn Gray: 53.73%
Sally Harris: 46.27%

State Attorney, 13th Judicial Circuit
Mike Perotti: 46.64%
Andrew Warren: 53.36%

National, state results
President, vice president
Votes were still being counted in some states on Nov. 9, in the presidential election.
Hillsborough County: Donald J. Trump: 45.87%; Joseph R. Biden: 52.69%
Pasco County: Donald J. Trump, 59.38%: Joseph R. Biden, 39.32%

U.S. Congress, District 12
Multi-county results: Gus Michael Bilirakis: 62.89%; Kimberly Walker: 37.11%
Hillsborough results: Gus Michael Bilirakis: 63.48%; Kimberly Walker: 36.52
Pasco results: Gus Michael Bilirakis: 63.49%; Kimberly Walker: 36.51%

U.S. Senate District 20
Multi-county results: Danny Burgess: 54.84%; Kathy Lewis, 45.16%
Hillsborough County: Danny Burgess: 47.91%; Kathy Lewis: 52.09%
Pasco County: Danny Burgess: 59.21%; Kathy Lewis: 40.79%

State Rep. District 36
Amber Mariano: 63.38%
Daniel Endonino: 36.62%

State Rep. District 37
Ardian Zika: 62.83%
Tammy Garcia: 37.17%

State Rep. District 38
Randy Maggard: 58.71%
Brian Staver: 41.29%

Constitutional amendments (60% approval required to pass)
Amendment 1: Citizen requirement to vote in Florida
Statewide: Yes: 79.3%; No: 20.7%
Pasco: Yes: 84.86%; No: 15.14%
Hillsborough: Yes: 77.02%; No: 22.98%

Amendment 2: Raising Florida’s minimum wage
Statewide: Yes: 60.8%; No: 29.2%
Pasco: Yes: 55.79%; No: 44.21%
Hillsborough: Yes: 60.03%; No: 39.97%

Amendment 3: All voters vote in primary elections for state legislature, governor and cabinet
Statewide: Yes: 57.01%; No: 42.99%
Pasco: Yes, 60.59%; 39.41%
Hillsborough: Yes, 57.63%; No, 42.37%

Amendment 4: Voter approval of constitutional amendments
Statewide: Yes: 47.53%; No: 52.47%
Pasco: Yes: 50.76%; No: 49.24%
Hillsborough: Yes: 48.71%; No: 51.29%

Amendment 5: Limitation on Homestead Property Taxes, increased portability to transfer accrued benefit portability period
Statewide: Yes: 74.49%; No: 25.51%
Pasco: Yes: 76.48%; No: 23.52%
Hillsborough: Yes: 75.59%; No: 24.41%

Amendment 6: Ad valorem discount for spouses of certain deceased veterans who had permanent, combat related injury
Statewide: Yes: 89.7%; No: 10.27%
Pasco: Yes: 90.32%; No: 9.68%
Hillsborough: Yes: 88.17%; No: 11.83%

Sources: The Florida Division of Elections, Pasco County Supervisor of Elections and Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections.

Published November 11, 2020

Turning eyesores into assets?

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Imagine if that rat-infested dilapidated house down the street — the one that’s littered with trash and mattresses — could instead become the future site for a Habitat for Humanity house.

Or, maybe the property could be transformed into a neighborhood park, or be used for some other community amenity.

That’s the kind of big-picture thinking that surfaced on Oct. 20, as the Pasco County Commission discussed  problems associated with blighted properties.

Commissioner Kathryn Starkey called attention to the issue by sharing an email she’d received with her colleagues.

“This property has been vacant for over a year,” Starkey read from an email. “There was a massive fire there. There was a car that caught on fire, too, in the garage. Everything is charred and burned, terribly.”

The email went on to describe ”chunks of burned debris” that were “just hanging and dangling.”

It continued: “There are rats running everywhere. There are little children playing nearby.”

Starkey wasn’t happy.

“This is a health issue here. This is just not acceptable to me,” said Starkey, noting she’s received many emails similar to that one.

Besides raising concerns about safety, the constituent complained about being unable to get a clear answer from the county regarding the status of the site.

Code enforcement told her the case had been closed; what the caller didn’t know, though, is that it had been referred to the department that handles demolition of properties meeting the criteria for removal.

Starkey asked Kristi Sims, senior assistant county attorney, to give the board a briefing on how the process works.

Sims told board members that an internal shift had been made, regarding demolition of blighted properties.

Sims said the county’s made significant progress — with more than 130 buildings being taken down last year.

“Almost 40% of those were taken down by the owners, not at county expense,” Sims said.

But, she added, there’s a backlog of 200 cases that have built up through the years.

“To make a long story short, we’ve known we’re running behind. We’re behind the eight ball. The eight ball keeps getting bigger. We’re chasing it, we’re chasing it,” Sims said.

The county has come up with a plan that it thinks will help to chip away at the backlog, Sims said. But, as it removes derelict properties, it needs to think about what happens next, Sims added.

“The more we take down, the more empty lots we’re going to have,” Sims said.

“The answer may be for us to assist in getting it into the hands of a nonprofit, like Habitat for Humanity, that will rebuild with a responsible owner and put it back on the tax rolls,” the attorney said.

Or, perhaps there’s a way to create some kind of community asset, she said.

“Community Development has hired a program coordinator who is studying the various options we have for these properties,” Sims said.

Commissioner Jack Mariano wants to find creative ways to turn community eyesores into neighborhood assets.

“There are empty lots sitting there that are not doing the taxpayers any good, aren’t doing the neighbors any good. So, I would love for us to go explore working with the banks, working with nonprofits — maybe even put a special program together, working with a tax break or something to get a new home put in there,” Mariano said.

Starkey agreed: “I think we have to have a comprehensive plan.”

It doesn’t do any good, she said, to take down a house and then have the site become a dumping grounds, “where everyone puts their washing machine and their sofa and all that stuff.”

Another problem arises when people move onto the lots, pitch their tents and live there, Starkey said.

Sims told the board that research is being done to seek solutions to these issues.

Board members said they need more time to delve into the issues, so they agreed to bring the issue back as a board agenda item — during which staff, community nonprofits and others will have the chance to share ideas for how to turn an eyesore into an opportunity.

Published November 04, 2020

Diverging Diamond is behind schedule

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A road project that’s expected to reduce congestion at the Interstate 75 and State Road 56 is running behind schedule, and Pasco County commissioners aren’t happy.

Pasco County Commission Chairman Mike Moore raised the issue during the board’s Oct. 20 meeting — citing the apparent lack of workers on the project.

“I drive it daily. My wife drives it daily. My oldest daughter probably drives it three to four times a week,” he said.

Pasco County Commission Chairman Mike Moore is calling on state road officials to apply greater pressure to get the Diverging Diamond project back on track. (File)

“Yesterday, when I drove through there, I took a few photos. I saw one truck. I don’t know what he was doing, I’m not a contractor. And, I saw two guys standing on the side, down below.

“On a project of that magnitude, those are the only people I saw working on it Monday — a sunny Monday.

“That was about 1:15, 1:30 (in the afternoon), when I drove through there. Those were the only people working on that project when I drove by there.

“That’s insane.

“That’s ridiculous.

“That’s embarrassing,” Moore said.

“I know Commissioner (Kathryn) Starkey and I received a letter from a group of businesses over on the west side of the interchange, everywhere from the outlet mall to across the street to Sierra’s properties (Cypress Creek Town Center), too,” Moore said.

“It’s frustrating to all of our constituents here. It’s frustrating to the business owners,” he said.

It’s particularly irritating given the fact that the county worked with local state legislators to get the project moved, and now it’s behind schedule, Moore said.

“Now, we’re going into 2021. This was supposed to be done in the summer of ‘21, and be finished and completed. Unfortunately, they’re delayed.

“We have absolutely zero control, and when I say zero, we have zero control over these contractors for that project because that is a DOT project,” the commission chairman added.

Moore said he expressed the county’s displeasure to David Gwynn, secretary for District 7 of the Florida Department of Transportation.

Gwynn responded with an email outlining what’s happened so far in the project, and the DOT’s actions.

The project was started in early 2019 with an original schedule of 800 days, which would result in a finish date of April 2021, Gwynne’s email notes.

Commissioner Jack Mariano said the county needs to keep the pressure on, to get the state road project finished closer to its original completion date.

That schedule did not account for rain and holiday allowances or other factors outside the contractors control, the email adds.

To date, the contractor has been granted:

  • 99 days for weather
  • 34 days of holiday time
  • 30 days for unforeseen conditions

As a result, 163 days will be added to the contract, bringing the new end date to Aug. 26, 2021, the email notes.

“The department has discussed its concern with the contractor, DAB Constructors, as a result the contractor has gone to a 6-day work week to mitigate the schedule, and has agreed to focus their resources on completing existing work,” the email says.

The DOT also is looking for opportunities to move the job forward, the email notes, including:

  • Approving the use of alternate fill materials less sensitive to water, to accelerate work in low lying areas
  • Examining ways to combine traffic phases to shorten the overall duration of the project
  • Utilizing alternate road base options to accelerate new roadway construction
  • Examining ways to reconfigure walls on the project to shorten construction duration

Gwynn’s email says that “should the contractor not meet the contract end date, liquidated damages, of $9,837 a day, will be assessed for every day that the contractor is late in completing the project.”

The email goes on to say that the department sent a letter of concern to the contractor on March 23, and continues to review the contractor’s progress.

Finally, Gwynn said, “Please be assured that we are doing everything we can to hold the contractor accountable and accelerate the schedule where possible.”

Starkey said “I think DOT is doing as much as it can, to push it along,” but, she would like to see changes in the way contracts are awarded, to put a higher value on a company’s performance.

Moore said he’s happy to see what the DOT is doing, but isn’t satisfied with the results.

“The pressure needs to stay on,” Moore said.

“Basically, what needs to happen, is they need to hold their feet to the fire,” Moore said.

Commissioner Jack Mariano agreed: “Keep the pressure on.”

Published October 28, 2020

Send-off honors Pasco Commissioner Mike Wells

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Pasco County Commissioner Mike Wells Jr., concluded his last meeting with the county board, on Oct. 20 with a playful gesture.

He dropped the gavel.

The action — which essentially means, ‘My work is done here’ — provided a glimpse into the commissioner’s self-deprecating humor, and it came at the conclusion of a meeting where he received a standing ovation, and was lavished with praise for his six years of service on the county board.

Pasco County commissioners honored their colleague, Mike Wells, who is leaving the board to become Pasco County Property Appraiser. Shown here, from left: Commissioner Ron Oakley, Commission Chairman Mike Moore, Commissioner Mike Wells, Commissioner Jack Mariano and Commissioner Kathryn Starkey. Wells is holding a framed copy of a resolution honoring his service on the board. (Courtesy of Andy Taylor/Pasco County)

Commissioners paused from their formal agenda to honor some of Wells’ accomplishments since he won the District 4 seat in 2014 and subsequently won re-election.

He’s leaving the board to become the Pasco County Property Appraiser.

Wells has a long association with politics and government.

After all, he followed in the footsteps of his father, Mike Wells Sr., who served on the Pasco County Commission and then was Pasco County Property Appraiser.

Besides growing up in a household where public service was valued, Wells got involved in political campaigns when he was just 12 years old.

During his tenure on the Pasco County Commission, Wells has voted on myriad issues important to Pasco County residents, businesses, organizations and communities.

He advocated for the extension of Ridge Road — a project the county had pursued for decades that finally began construction at the beginning of this year.

He and his colleagues selected County Administrator Dan Biles to lead the county’s staff.

Wells also took the leading role in reviving scalloping in Pasco County, after a hiatus that had lasted nearly 25 years.

During county meetings and through work with community organizations, he has championed efforts to help the elderly, the disabled, the homeless, the unemployed, veterans and small businesses.

Wells also has called for high expectations of the county staff, as it relates to customer service.

At the same time, he demonstrated support of county staff, too.

During this year’s budget talks, the county administrator recommended a 2% raise for county staff, in keeping with the inflation rate.

Wells balked.

He pushed for a 3% raise — to match the percentage approved for state employees and staff of the county’s constitutional officers.

Wells’ firm stand on the issue found support among his colleagues, and ultimately, it won the day.

During the commissioner’s final board meeting, board members surprised him with a resolution outlining Wells’ public service.

They also offered words of praise.

“We campaigned together for a long time,” said Commission Chairman Mike Moore. “We were sworn together Nov. 18 of 2014. The first meeting, it was  a doozy of a meeting. Remember that?”

During that session, the board turned down a concept for a sports park on the land that is now occupied by the Wiregrass Ranch Sports Campus of Pasco County.

That first “no vote” ultimately resulted in a superior outcome, Moore said.

The commission chairman also noted that through the years, Wells has taken “numerous, numerous votes that are going to change this community for the better, and this county for the better, for a long, long time.

“You will be missed,” Moore said.

Commissioner Ron Oakley weighed in, too.

“I think we were all put here at the right time to move Pasco forward. You played a big part in doing that, and doing it the right way,” Oakley said.

Commissioner Kathryn Starkey added: “I appreciate your leadership here on the board. It’s been really fun working with you all of these years, and I look forward to working with you as property appraiser. I know you’re going to do a great job.”

Commissioner Jack Mariano put it this way: “Mike, I want to say, you’ve been a high-impact commissioner. I think when the two Mikes (Mike Wells and Mike Moore) came on board, they brought a great energy of getting things done.”

He said Wells has worked to help push stormwater projects forward. He also said Wells helped secure funding for Starkey Park and SunWest Park, and supported the county’s acquisition of private water systems, leading to lower rates for customers.

“It’s been a great pleasure working with you,” Mariano said. “I think people recognized that you would be a great property appraiser,” he added.

Pasco County Clerk & Comptroller Nikki Alvarez-Sowles, County Attorney Jeffrey Steinsnyder and County Administrator Biles also expressed their appreciation for Wells’ service on the board.

Published October 28, 2020

Local officials continue mask mandates, urge social distancing

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Elected leaders in Pasco and Hillsborough counties are still requiring masks to be worn indoors in their counties, as rates of COVID-19 remain concerning.

Mike Napier, health officer for the Florida Department of Health – Pasco County, updated the Pasco County Commission on current local conditions during an Oct. 20 meeting.

“I wish I had better news. Our goal, when we talked last time was, ‘Let’s see what the data looks like and maybe we can make revisions,” Napier said.

Concerns about the rate of positivity cases in Pasco and Hillsborough counties have promoted local elected leaders to keep mask mandates in place. (Courtesy of Centers for Disease Control & Prevention)

In his update, that came 30 days after his last appearance, Napier told board members:

“We have 10,294 positive cases, as of yesterday (Oct. 19). That’s a 3.5% increase over the last seven days. That’s 358 new cases, just this past week.

“The total population infected was just under 2%, and we have a less than 1% (.04) population that has died. That’s 229 cases.

“The other point that we talk about is the seven-day rolling average of cases. Last month, when I was here, we had increased from 29 cases per day, on average for seven days, up to 49. As of today, we’re looking at 53 cases per day. That represented an 8.1% increase from last month when I came and spoke with you.

“The other part that’s a little bit alarming is our 14-day rolling average. That’s the percent of positive cases that we get each day. It has climbed from 3.2% to 4.5%. That represents a 40% increase in the number of positive cases, percentage-wise.”

“As of today, we have 227 deaths.

The county is not seeing a huge increase, but it is trending in the wrong direction, Napier said.

The gold standard would be about 1 case per 100,000 — which means Pasco County would have 5.5 case per day, Napier said. “We’ve got a ways to get there.”

“We know that schools was one of the questions — what was going to be the impact of schools?

“I’ve got to give a shout-out to the school system. They’ve been great in working with the students and faculty and health department, in letting parents know as soon as we can about a positive case.

“I will tell you that the schools are not driving our case increases. They represent roughly 15% of our cases, which is what we had seen previously,” he said.

Students who have been exposed to someone positive must be isolated, which interrupts football practices and other things, as “life continues to go on,” he said.

“We understand that it’s disruptive, but we’re also trying to prevent the spread,” Napier said.

He said his staff is not finding spread within the schools themselves.

“Typically, what we’re finding is that a parent is sick and then the child is sick,” the health officer said.

“Our positivity rate is concerning. We were feeling pretty good when we were at 3%. We’re getting pretty close to 5% right now,” Napier said.

Commissioner Ron Oakley weighed in: “I think we should continue our masks,” he said, adding that he’d feel more comfortable doing away with the restriction when a vaccine becomes available.

Commissioner Kathryn Starkey agreed with keeping the mask mandate: “I say, ‘Stay the course, still.”

She said she’d traveled to other parts of the country where restrictions were more extensive.

In some places, people are wearing a mask if they are outside their own homes, she said, noting she’d see people outside riding bicycles or on trails, wearing masks.

She doesn’t think Pasco’s ordinance is excessive.

Commission Mike Wells addressed Napier: “I’m assuming you’re telling us that you recommend us continue with the mask.”

Napier responded: “I don’t think anybody here is saying that masks are fun to use. Nobody enjoys using them. We understand that. It’s just a matter of the times that we’re in and the need to be able to do something to be able to prevent the spread of the disease.”

The mandate is being recommended throughout the region.

He said he spoke with his counterparts in Hillsborough and Pinellas counties, and the consensus was to keep the mask ordinance in each county in place.

“If I was standing here and the numbers had declined since my last presentation and we were starting to make good progress, then, all right, that might be a little bit different conversation. Right now, with what our numbers are demonstrating, I couldn’t suggest that the data says we should change course,” Napier said.

Commissioner Jack Mariano said the county should “strongly recommend” rather than mandate masks, and he made a motion to that effect.

Wells told Mariano: “I do agree with you commissioner; I just don’t think there are three other votes.”

Commission Chairman Mike Moore said his colleagues should consult with local hospital CEOs, frontline medical workers and epidemiologists to help inform their decisions

Mariano’s motion failed, for lack of a second, keeping Pasco’s mandate in place.

Meanwhile, in Hillsborough County, commissioners extended the requirement for face coverings inside of local business, with certain exceptions, until Oct. 29, according to a news release.

The board approves its emergency orders for a maximum of seven days at a time. (See HCFLGov.net/facecoverings, for more detail).

Commissioners also approved spending $4.5 million in federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act funding for a project at Tampa General Hospital to repurpose an existing stand-alone structure into a dedicated COVID-19 unit.

The $8.2 million unit will contain 59 fully equipped ICU beds and up to 45 surge-readiness beds. Under a three-year contract with TGH, the unit also will serve as an alternate care site during declared states of emergency, the release said.

COVID19 statistics, as of noon on Oct. 26
Pasco County: Positive cases: 10,556 residents and 81 non-residents; deaths: 236
Pasco County Schools: Positive cases: students, 197; staff, 78
Hillsborough County: Positive cases: 46,813 residents and 267 non-residents; deaths: 759
Hillsborough County Schools: Positive cases: students, 465; staff, 372
Florida: Positive cases: 782,013 cumulative; deaths: 16,429 residents and 203 non-resident
United States: Positive cases: 8,553,827; deaths: 224,221
Worldwide: Positive cases: 42,745,212; deaths: 1,150,961

Sources: Florida Department of Health, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; World Health Organization.

Published October 28, 2020

Mom and Pops may get help with landscaping costs

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Pasco County commissioners recently directed the county’s staff to find a way to ease the burden of landscaping costs for small businesses, when they redevelop.

Commissioner Ron Oakley raised the issue, noting that a small Dade City restaurant wants to add a porch, but found itself facing expensive county landscaping requirements.

“They have no place for people to wait. It’s a small restaurant. If the restaurant is at full capacity, there’s no place for people to wait, so that’s part of why they were going to do like a porch, or something, out in front of it, so people would have a place to sit and wait to have breakfast or lunch,” Oakley said.

The commissioner added:  “It seems like the cost of upgrading their landscape is just very, very expensive, and makes it prohibitive.”

Oakley said he’s not advocating that the restaurant do nothing, but that the requirements be less extensive and thus less expensive.

“When you take into consideration — a Mom and Pop restaurant — if that landscaping is going to cost them $40,000 or $50,000, they’re forever trying to earn that money, just to stay open.

“So many of them are having a hard time, now, so we need to look at that,” Oakley said.  “Some of these businesses, right now, are closing down. They just can’t make it. It’s a shame.”

Commissioners Jack Mariano and Mike Wells said they’ve also noticed the problem.

“I agree with Commissioner Oakley,” Mariano said. “That (landscaping requirement) is causing a problem. I think it has really hurt redevelopment along (U.S.) 19.”

Mariano suggested using funds from the county’s tree mitigation fund to provide an incentive for landscape improvements.

Commissioner Kathryn Starkey concurred: “I like Commissioner Mariano’s idea of maybe helping them more. We don’t know the facts, here. I want to make sure that they know that right off the bat, there’s $10,000 that we can help them with their landscaping, Commissioner Oakley.

“But, let’s look to see if there’s some way we can help them more. We don’t want it to be a disincentive and not let these businesses expand,” Starkey said.

On the other hand, Starkey said she doesn’t want things to go back to the way they were when an entire site was covered with a building and parking, without landscaping.

County Administrator Dan Biles said “landscaping reimbursement out of the tree fund is capped at $10,000. We could look at increasing the cap. I think that cap has been there for a while. Inflation happens to landscaping, like everything else.”

Biles said he believes the fund now has more than $1 million.

“We could look at maybe bumping that cap up, to cover some more of these costs. Let’s take a look at that,” Biles said.

Commission Chairman Mike Moore said he’d like a more detailed discussion of what triggers the landscaping improvements and more information about landscaping reimbursements from the tree mitigation fund, when Biles bring the issue back to the board.

Wells said he can think of two projects in his district where exceptions were made and they received reimbursements exceeding the cap, with the board’s approval.

“I think if you’re not adding to the square footage, it shouldn’t necessarily trigger it. That’s why we matched these folks with the funding,” Wells said.

“It’s tough for these businesses, not only now, but for the last several years. We need to help them to expand, move, hire more people and so forth.”

Mariano also would like to see if the process could be set up for the landscaping companies to be paid directly by the county, instead of having the business owner pay the landscaper and then be reimbursed for their payment.

“A lot of them can’t float that,” he said.

“I think most of your landscaping companies would probably be comfortable to work that way,” Mariano added. “We’ve just got to be flexible.”

Biles said he will take a look at increasing the cap for reimbursements, and at streamlining the process to get approvals more quickly — and then will bring it back to the board.

Published October 07, 2020

Pasco plans to hire two lobbyists

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The Pasco County Commission has directed County Administrator Dan Biles to take steps necessary to prepare to hire two lobbyists to represent the county’s interests.

One lobbyist would pursue federal dollars, while the other would focus on funding opportunities at the state level.

Commissioner Kathryn Starkey raised the issue at the board’s Sept. 21 meeting.

She had mentioned the need for it in the past and brought it back again.

“Frankly, I think we’re shooting ourselves in the foot by not having an outside lobbyist,” Starkey said. “I’ve talked to commissioners in other counties and we might be the only county this size, I think we would be the only county this size, that doesn’t have at least one outside lobbyist. The other ones have multiple.”

She said it’s especially important “at a time when money is going to be even tighter in Tallahassee,” and added, “we need to be looking out for the best interest of our citizens.”

Hiring a lobbyist, she said, “is going to bring back dividends to the county.”

She thinks the county can do better than it did last year, in terms of obtaining state funding for local projects.

“I think Ralph (Lair, the county’s lobbyist) does a great job, but there is a difference between an internal lobbyist and an external lobbyist, and we are better served, if we have both,” Starkey said.

Commissioner Jack Mariano agreed. He thinks the county is in a good position to attract funding for projects in the coming year, but said the county needs to have a strong advocate in Tallahassee.

He recommended bringing Shawn Foster, from Sunrise Consulting Group, back to represent the county.

“I think we should bring him back on. If he only gets one thing for us, we’re way ahead of the game,” Mariano said.

It’s important to have someone working on the county’s behalf up in Tallahassee.

“You’ve got to be up there. You’ve got to be in their face. You’ve got to be pushing to get these things through,” Mariano said.

Commissioner Mike Wells agreed. “The school board has their internal person and their external person. They work great together as a team. And, in the past, Shawn (Foster) has worked great for us as a team.”

Starkey also noted that both Hillsborough and Pinellas counties received “$10s of millions” from Washington D.C., this year.

Starkey made a motion to hire a lobbyist.

Wells asked if the motion includes hiring a federal lobbyist, as well as a state lobbyist.

Starkey replied: “I would love that. We are really missing out. We never would have got that Ridge Road project without that (lobbyist) help. I agree that we should have a federal lobbyist help us with this whole coastal effort.”

But, Commission Chairman Mike Moore asked: “On the federal side, what was our return on investment. How many bills were passed on our behalf? How much funding did we receive from the group we had previously hired on, as federal lobbyists?”

Starkey countered: “We have to be smart about what we ask for, and we haven’t used our lobbyists right. ‘Cuz we haven’t had a project, besides our Ridge Road one, that we went up there and asked them for. Although I did ask for help in changing some of the labor laws, and we did get that.

“Even Martin County, the little Martin County over there, they have two lobbying firms in Washington. They bring back millions and millions of dollars. We have to be more savvy about what we’re asking for. I think there’s transportation money. I think there’s possibly this dredge money. We should look at what other counties have done and mimic that,” Starkey said.

“We have to have a plan. We have to have an ask and then we have to go work it. And, we can’t expect it in a year or two, but you have to build those relationships,” Starkey added.

Wells asked if Starkey wanted to use a solicitation procedure to fill the positions.

County Attorney Jeffrey Steinsnyder said that the county didn’t have the option to bypass that process.

Mariano asked if the board could extend Foster’s former contract.

“You can’t just go with Mr. Foster. It has to go out for bid,” Steinsnyder said, adding that Foster’s contract had long since expired and could not be resuscitated.

Commissioner Ron Oakley asked where the funding would come from, for the two positions.

County Administrator Dan Biles said: “I don’t know. This discussion is new to me.

“There’s not funding for either one in the budget. If the board wants to do that, we obviously will amend the budget to add money into the budget to do that, and then we will do the solicitation process for both contracts,” Biles said.

Moore said he thinks there is money available for the positions this year from funding that was returned to the county, that would cover the positions for this year — without dipping into reserves. But that would be for this year only.