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Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

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Justin Docherty

Pasco municipal elections set for June 30

June 2, 2020 By Kevin Weiss

Municipal elections for the cities of Dade City and San Antonio have been rescheduled to June 30, per an executive order from Gov. Ron DeSantis.

The local elections were originally supposed to be held April 14, but were delayed due to COVID-19.

The announcement of the rescheduled elections came in a press release from the Pasco County Supervisor of Elections Office.

Pasco County Supervisor of Elections Brian Corley officially made the request on behalf of the municipalities for a rescheduled election back on April 27. The governor’s office finally granted the request on May 15, when Executive Order 20-124 was issued.

In Dade City, six candidates are running for three open seats on the Dade City Commission — for Groups 3, 4 and 5.

In San Antonio, five candidates are vying to fill three open seats on the San Antonio City Commission.

There will not be a municipal election for the city of Zephyrhills because there is no longer a contested race. A city mayoral race was initially set between incumbent Gene Whitfield and Justin Docherty, but Docherty has since dropped out of the race after failing to properly qualify for the local election. Meanwhile, Seat 2 councilman Alan Knight has retained his seat after running unopposed.

Municipal elections are for voters residing within the city limits only.

Sample ballots are available at PascoVotes.gov, and election results will be posted on the website when they become available.

Voting by mail is an option for municipal residents. Request for a vote-by-mail ballot by calling (800) 851-8754, or in writing to P.O. Box 300, Dade City FL 33526. Written requests must include your date of birth and signature. Vote-by-mail ballots are due back in the elections’ office by 7 p.m., election day.

All voters going to the polls for municipal elections should bring photo and signature identification, or they will be required to vote a provisional ballot. Voters also are encouraged to update their voter registration record with any changes prior to election day by calling (800) 851-8754.

For more information, visit PascoVotes.gov, or call (800) 851-8754.

Published June 03, 2020

Filed Under: Local News, Zephyrhills/East Pasco News Tagged With: Alan Knight, Brian Corley, COVID-19, Dade City, Dade City Commission, Gene Whitfield, Justin Docherty, municipal elections, Pasco County Supervisor of Elections, Ron DeSantis, San Antonio, San Antonio City Commission

Zephyrhills employees taking coronavirus precautions

April 21, 2020 By Kevin Weiss

Work inside Zephyrhills City Hall proceeds, but additional safety precautions have been instituted among city staffers, in response to threats posed by the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

Most all city departments and employees have begun working in split shifts, or A-B shifts, to create more separation among each other, Zephyrhills City Manager Billy Poe explained during an April 13 virtual city council meeting.

Poe said city employees have begun a “day on, day off” schedule model — working Monday, Wednesday, and Friday one particular week, then Tuesday and Thursday the following week.

The scheduling change, which affects more than 100 city employees, is expected to continue “for the foreseeable future,” Poe said.

The change won’t really impact the city’s police and fire departments and dispatchers because they already follow a split-shift schedule, Poe said.

The city manager explained the reasoning to cut daily work crews in half, particularly for areas such as the city’s maintenance yard: “We wanted to split those crews basically in half, so that God forbid somebody comes down with it (COVID-19), they don’t infect the entire department, they only potentially affect only half the department, so that we can continue to operate.”

Meantime, most department heads are still working full shifts, Poe said, “because they’re able to be in their office and keep the separation,” though large staff meetings are being held via virtual conference call.

Some city employees have been able to work remotely, accessing desktops and answering phone calls from home. The city’s IT department is trying to issue more laptops and the necessary software for more employees to do so, Poe said.

Other safety measures have been taken, too.

Inside the confines of City Hall, staffers have relocated desks further from one another and set up glass partitions.

Each employee has been provided N95 masks, gloves and their own refillable bottle of hand sanitizer. The fire department, meanwhile, has been issued retrofit respirator masks, gowns and other personal protective equipment, some of which also has been ordered for the city’s police, utility and public works departments.

Aside from scheduling and social distancing changes, various city projects and regular day-to-day operations press forward.

Construction is ongoing at the Sarah Vande Berg Tennis & Wellbeing Center, along with road resurfacing work on Sixth Avenue and 12th Street, for instance.

Other routine maintenance projects, however, are taking “a little bit longer” because of the split shifts, Poe said.

Meanwhile, the city is receiving building constructions plans and issuing permits, and collecting in-person utility payments, though residents are encouraged to pay online or use the drobox as much as possible to limit contact.

“Zephyrhills is still open for business,” the city manager said. “Obviously, we’re trying to take all the precautions we can, to create the separation and safety of all our employees and citizens, but we’re trying to keep as much normalcy as we possibly can.”

Alan Knight (Courtesy of City of Zephyrhills)

No municipal election for Zephyrhills
Municipal elections in Pasco County have been delayed indefinitely, but in Zephyrhills a local election isn’t needed after all.

A city mayoral race was initially set between incumbent Gene Whitfield and Justin Docherty, but Docherty has since dropped out of the race after failing to properly qualify for the local election. The announcement was made during an April 13 regular city council meeting.

Gene Whitfield

Whitfield has held the mayor chair since 2014, when Danny Burgess resigned to run as the area’s state representative in Tallahassee. Whitfield has owned Whitfield Funeral Home in Zephyrhills the past 25 years. He also is former director of The Greater Zephyrhills Chamber of Commerce.

The Zephyrhills mayor serves mainly an ambassador’s role, being a presence at many public events, ribbon cuttings and so on. As far as citywide matters, the mayor doesn’t run council meetings, cannot make motions and cannot vote on matters before the council, but does have the ability to veto city ordinances.

Meanwhile, Seat 2 councilman Alan Knight retains his seat after running unopposed. Knight is a retired educator who’s worked mainly in Pasco County Schools as a teacher, coach and administrator. He was first elected to the seat in 2014.

Published April 22, 2020

Filed Under: Local News, Zephyrhills/East Pasco News Tagged With: Alan Knight, Billy Poe, coronavirus disease-2019, COVID-19, Danny Burgess, Gene Whitfield, Justin Docherty, Sarah Vande Berg Tennis & Wellbeing Center, The Greater Zephyrhills Chamber of Commerce, Whitfield Funeral Home, Zephyrhills City Hall

Pasco seeks to delay municipal elections

April 7, 2020 By Kevin Weiss

UPDATE: Postponed indefinitely per Executive Oder 20-97 from Gov. Ron DeSantis. Elections will be rescheduled “as soon as practicable.”

In the wake of coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19), Pasco County Supervisor of Elections Brian Corley is seeking to delay the April 14 municipal elections Dade City, Zephyrhills and San Antonio.

To that end, Corley has requested Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to move back the local county elections to the Aug. 18 state primary election date.

Corley told The Laker/Lutz News he’s had ongoing discussions on the matter with intermediaries Secretary of State Laurel M. Lee, State Division of Elections Director Maria Matthews, and incoming Senate president Wilton Simpson.

However, no decision was made by The Laker/Lutz News Monday press deadline.

Corley cited the “health and safety” of voters and poll workers in wanting reschedule the municipal elections.

The elections supervisor said it doesn’t make sense “having the public come to an election day polling place, to their own possible health peril, when our average age is not exactly, really, really young.” He also said “asking members of the public to come out and vote” runs contrary to the governor’s stay-at-home executive order.

City managers of the three local municipalities have concurred delaying the municipal election, Corley said. Holding those elections concurrently with the primary election poses no additional financial costs to those cities, he said.

The county elections office is mandated to hold the April 14 election, until it hears otherwise from the governor’s office, Corley said.

Here is a closer look at each election:

Dade City
Six candidates are running for three open seats on the Dade City Commission — for Groups 3, 4 and 5.

In Group 3, two-term incumbent Jim Shive is being challenged by Matthew Wilson. Shive is a retired government employee. Wilson is a data entry clerk for the United Parcel Service.

Groups 4 and 5 seats will see fresh faces, as Nicole Deese Newlon and Eunice Penix are not seeking re-election. Newlon served one four-year term after she won in 2016, while Penix has held her seat since 1993.

Vying for Newlon’s Group 4 seat are Ann Cosentino and Knute Nathe.

Cosentino owns a communications/branding consulting firm. Nathe is an attorney with McCLain Alfonso P.A.

Christopher King and Normita Woodard are facing off for Penix’s Group 5 seat. King is the founder of The Gentleman’s Course Inc., a local youth mentorship charity. Woodard is a secretary at Lacoochee Elementary School.

The Dade City municipal election will take place at First Baptist Church Dade City, 37511 Church Ave., in Dade City. Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Zephyrhills
In this election cycle, the City of Zephyrhills will have a mayoral race, as incumbent Gene Whitfield faces off against Justin Docherty.

Whitfield has held the mayor chair since 2014 when Danny Burgess resigned to run as the area’s state representative in Tallahassee.

The Zephyrhills mayor serves mainly an ambassador’s role, being a presence at many public events, ribbon cuttings and so on. As far as citywide matters, the mayor doesn’t run council meetings, cannot make motions and cannot vote on matters before the council, but does have the ability to veto city ordinances.

On the Zephyrhills City Council, Seat 2 incumbent Alan Knight is running unopposed.

Knight is a retired educator who’s worked mainly in Pasco County Schools as a teacher, coach and administrator. He was first elected to the seat in 2014.

The Zephyrhills municipal general election will be at the Alice Hall Community Center, 38116 Fifth Ave., in Zephyrhills. Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

San Antonio
Five candidates are vying to fill three open seats on the San Antonio City Commission.

Running are incumbents Elayne Bassinger and Sarah Schrader, along with Joseph Couture, John Vogel and Dacia Wadsworth Mitchell.

Unlike the head-to-head matchups of other municipalities, the top three overall vote-getters earn commission seats. San Antonio commissioners serve two-year terms.

For more voting information, contact the Pasco County Supervisor of Elections office at (800) 851-8754 or (352) 521-4302, or visit PascoVotes.gov.

Updated April 09, 2020

Filed Under: Local News, Zephyrhills/East Pasco News Tagged With: Alan Knight, Ann Cosentino, Brian Corley, Christopher King, City of Zephyrhills, Dacia Wadsworth Mitchell, Dade City Commission, Danny Burgess, Elayne Bassinger, Eunice Penix, Gene Whitfield, Jim Shive, John Vogel, Joseph Couture, Justin Docherty, Knute Nathe, Laurel M. Lee, Maria Matthews, Matthew Wilson, McClain Alfonso, Nicole Deese Newlon, Normita Woodard, Pasco County Supervisor of Elections, Ron DeSantis, San Antonio City Commission, Sarah Schrader, Wilton Simpson, Zephyrhills City Council

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01/19/2021 – Best of crafts

The Pasco County Library Cooperative will present a “Best of Craft Tuesdays: Playlist” on Jan. 19 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Check out a video at Facebook.com/hughembrylibrary or Facebook.com/newriverlibrary to learn about some of the craft programs that are worth revisiting from the past year. For information, call 352-567-3576, or email Danielle Lee at . … [Read More...] about 01/19/2021 – Best of crafts

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Learn to make a folded paper mouse bookmark on Jan. 20. Participants will use the art of origami to make the bookmark. Watch the instructional slide show, all day, on the South Holiday Library Facebook page. … [Read More...] about 01/20/2021 – Mouse bookmark

01/21/2021 – Gasparilla History

The Hillsborough County Public Library Cooperative will host a virtual session entitled “The History of Gasparilla” on Jan. 21 at 6:30 p.m., for teens and adults. Those that tune in can learn the legend of Jose Gaspar, intertwined with facts, fallacies and fantasy. The program will be presented by Carl Zielonka in partnership with the Tampa Bay History Center. Registration is through the calendar feature at HCPLC.org. … [Read More...] about 01/21/2021 – Gasparilla History

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