The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Lutz since 1964 and Pasco since 1981.
Proud to be independently owned.

Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

Medical Arts Court

Zephyrhills adopts $60 million budget

By

The Zephyrhills City Council has approved a budget of nearly $60.5 million for the 2020-2021 fiscal year.

The annual spending plan is based on a millage rate of 6.35 million, which is the same rate as the city has had for the last several years.

The tax rate will generate $5,054,921 in ad valorem taxes, based on a citywide property valuation of $837,847,970. The city’s valuation was $774,173,659 last year and generated $4,695,056 in ad valorem revenues.

No one offered public comment during the budget’s second and final public hearing.

Councilman Charles Proctor commended city staffers for organizing a balanced budget — without raising taxes — amid the COVID-19 pandemic. He characterized that accomplishment as “a big deal.”

The councilman went on: “That’s why I’m so proud to live in Florida. We live in a state where it’s in our constitution that we have to have a balanced budget. I believe that should be nationwide, personally, but it’s not.

“We live within our means, and that’s the whole idea of having this balanced budget,” Proctor said.

In another city matter, staffers are reviewing an amended financial agreement from Pasco County on the multimillion County Road 54 enhancement project, which calls for a signalized intersection, turn lanes and a multi-use path along a 1.31 mile stretch, from east of U.S. 301 to 23rd Street. The proposed agreement will be brought in front of city council “very soon,” City Manager Billy Poe said.

Construction on the $2.3 million U.S 301/Pretty Pond Road signalized intersection project is slated to begin Oct. 12 and has an eight month completion timeline. The project calls for the relocation of an existing signalized intersection from the shopping plaza entrance to Pretty Pond Road, a signalized intersection at Medical Arts Court, and all other required roadway improvements. “We’ll see some dirt being churned very soon,” Poe said.

Published October 07, 2020

Issues arise over contract for Zephyrhills project

By

Construction on the much-anticipated U.S. 301/Pretty Pond Road intersection project in Zephyrhills is in jeopardy of being delayed.

At issue is a contract the city approved for the project, which is considered to be an important improvement to spur commercial development in Zephyrhills.

The city chose BRW Contracting Inc., a Land O’ Lakes company that isn’t on the Florida Department of Transportation’s pre-qualified vendor list.

Florida statute requires contractors to be prequalified with FDOT in order to bid for the performance of road, bridge or public transportation construction contracts greater than $250,000.

Zephyrhills City Manager Billy Poe (File)

The intersection project is being funded via a $2.3 million appropriation included in this year’s state budget.

The Zephyrhills City Council last month unanimously awarded the project bid and construction agreement to BRW Contracting, in the amount of $2,161,884.40.

The pre-qualification dilemma was brought up by Zephyrhills City Manager Billy Poe during an Aug. 10 council meeting. He characterized the issue as “a little bit of a hiccup.”

Poe told council members he’s heard conflicting reports from state officials on whether or not the requirement can be exempted for this particular project. He is awaiting final word from state transportation officials.

Further exacerbating the issue, BRW Contracting has indicated it’s not interested in going through the pre-qualification application process at this point, Poe said.

One possible solution could have been to fast-track that process if the contractor had agreed, the city manager said.

If FDOT doesn’t waive the pre-qualification requirement, the city likely will need to re-bid the project.

Besides delaying the project’s start date, Poe said there’s “a pretty good chance” that the new bids would come in higher. He estimated the difference could be as much as $500,000 to $1 million more.

“I don’t know the science behind that (cost) increase, but we know if we go out to bid, it’s not going to be cheaper,” Poe told council members.

Council president Charlie Proctor echoed that point: “My major concern is that it’s going to cost us a lot more money if we have to go out to bid. There’s just no doubt about it.”

The scope of project calls for the relocation of an existing signalized intersection from the shopping plaza entrance to Pretty Pond Road, a signalized intersection at Medical Arts Court, and all other required roadway improvements.

The addition of signalized intersections at these locations is designed to improve the mobility and serve as an economic driver for the northeast and northwest corners of Pretty Pond.

The area is expected to be home to a Chick-fil-A, Aldi, and a national hotel chain, among other businesses.

Construction was anticipated to get underway sometime before Sept. 1, with completion targeted for spring 2021.

Meantime, Poe has reached out to the offices of state representatives Randy Maggard and Wilton Simpson, as well as FDOT District 7 secretary David Gwynn, for additional guidance and other available options on the matter.

With that, he’s informing state leaders that BRW Contracting is a company the city has worked with previously and has confidence in. The contractor helped build out Simons Road, among other projects.

Should the city be forced to bid the project out again, Zephyrhills City Attorney Matt Maggard said canceling its contract with BRW Contracting shouldn’t present a legality issue.

But, he added:  “We really don’t want that to happen.”

Published August 19, 2020

Lawmaker talks state budget cuts, COVID-19

By

State Rep. Randy Maggard made a special appearance at a Zephyrhills City Council meeting last month — updating constituents on issues that included state budget cuts, the COVID-19 pandemic, return-to-school plans and more.

During his talk, Maggard, who represents District 38 in the Florida House of Representatives, bluntly said East Pasco was fortunate to secure state funding for two projects.

Randy Maggard represents District 38 in the State House of Representatives. He spoke on a number of issues, during a special appearance last month at a Zephyrhills City Council meeting. (Courtesy of Florida House of Representatives)

Those projects survived, while other projects fell by the wayside as a result of $1 billion in budget cuts, achieved through line-item vetoes by Gov. Ron DeSantis.

The governor made those cuts because state revenues were lower than expected, due to the economic impacts of COVID-19.

The approved $92.2 billion budget, however, does include about $5.5 million for the Lacoochee industrial area right of way improvements and about $2.3 million for intersection improvements at U.S. 301/Pretty Pond and Medical Arts Court.

“We’re just happy to get what we did,” Maggard said. “At the end of the day, we felt we fared well compared to most (other districts).”

Other budget wins in Maggard’s book included the $500 million to increase teacher salaries across the state and the approval of the most comprehensive water bill in Florida history. That water bill includes: $322 million for Everglades Restoration; $50 million for springs restoration; $160 million for targeted water quality improvements; $40 million for alternative water supply; and, $25 million to combat harmful algal blooms and red tide.

Maggard said he hopes the state doesn’t need to undergo yet another round of budget cuts due to COVID-19, hurricane season or some other setback. Luckily, state reserves could help withstand some expected shortfalls, he said.

Maggard said the Legislature’s foresight to build up a reserve in the past has come in handy now.

He added: “What we’re praying is that we don’t have a bad hurricane season. Just having another knockout punch would not be good for our economy, and that’s what we’re concerned about, at the time.”

On the COVID-19 front, Maggard acknowledged the pandemic “just seems to be dragging on,” but noted a sliver of a silver lining.

The positivity rates for COVID-19 through Florida have hovered in the 10% range to 12% range, while experiencing marked decreases is some instances.

Maggard said Florida made headlines across the country when it recorded nearly 15,300 new coronavirus cases on July 12. That set a national record for any one-day period.

What media outlets failed to mention, Maggard said, is about 142,900 people were tested — representing a positivity rate of about 10.7%.

A few days before that, the state had reported 11,343 positive COVID-19 cases among 93,500 tests — correlating with a higher positivity rate of 12.1%, he said.

“It was a big number that dropped, but we’re testing more,” Maggard said, regarding the July 12 report.

“If you look at just the pure numbers, you would think, ‘Wow, this thing is spreading worse, and we’re in trouble,’” he said.

But, when “you look at it percentage-wise,” he said, “it’s not growing like the numbers sometimes show.”

And, that, he said, represents “a little bit of good news.”

The freshman lawmaker added the “largest spread” of the coronavirus comes from Florida bars and small breweries, so temporarily closing down those institutions was “just something that had to be done,” he said.

He also acknowledged the economic impact the decision had.

“It is affecting small business, and we understand that,” he said.

Maggard also emphasized  the importance of mask wearing and social distancing: “If you talk to your doctor, they will tell you. If we can just keep that practice, we can get over this hurdle, we really can just get it to stop. I think we can get out of this mess, and then we just need to pray for a shot like we do for the flu, then I’ll think a lot of this will just go away.”

On the much-debated topic of return-to-school plans, Maggard assured state leaders are studying “the smartest way” to handle an ever-changing situation, adding decisions are “based on science and numbers, and not emotion.”

However, he added there’s been “overwhelming” support to reopen brick-and-mortar school campuses for the 2020-2021 school year, particularly among Florida high schoolers.

“It’s funny, the majority of high school students we’ve reached out to are like, ‘Yeah, we want to go back to school,’” Maggard said. “Maybe staying at home with parents is not as fun as it used to be at the time; high school students are definitely for it.”

He also addressed one of the more well-documented issues that surfaced early in the wake of COVID-19: the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity’s difficulty in managing the massive volume of unemployment benefit claims.

Many of those problems have been resolved, Maggard said.

“There’s some people out there we’re still dealing with, but overall that number’s dropping, which has been good for us,” he said.

Published August 05, 2020

Intersection improvement gains state funding

By

The Zephyrhills City Council is proceeding with plans for an intersection project at U.S. 301, Pretty Pond Road and the Townview shopping center.

Construction is anticipated to begin later this year for a traffic signal intersection project at U.S. 301, Pretty Pond Road and Townview shopping center. The project received a $2.3 million state appropriation. (Courtesy of City of Zephyrhills)

Council members unanimously awarded the bid for the project and approved a construction agreement with BRW Contracting Inc., a Land O’ Lakes company.

The project garnered interest from several construction companies, but BRW submitted the only bid, in the amount of $2,161,884.40.

The project is being funded via a $2.3 million appropriation included in this year’s state budget.

It calls for the relocation of an existing signalized intersection from the shopping plaza entrance to Pretty Pond Road, a signalized intersection at Medical Arts Court, and all other required roadway improvements.

The addition of signalized intersections at these locations is designed to improve the mobility and serve as an economic driver for the northeast and northwest corners of Pretty Pond. The area is expected to be home to a Chick-fil-A, Aldi, and national hotel chain, among other businesses.

Construction is anticipated to get underway sometime before Sept. 1, with completion targeted sometime in spring 2021.

Under the agreement, BRW Contracting has 240 days, or eight months, to complete the project upon commencement of construction.

Published July 22, 2020

State budget takes billion-dollar hit from COVID-19

By

Florida’s final $92.2 billion budget reflects a billion dollars in projects and programs vetoed by Gov. Ron DeSantis.

The governor blamed the economic impacts of COVID-19 for forcing the budget cuts — which included numerous initiatives in Pasco County.

“As the budget was coming due, we started to see the economic effects of the coronavirus pandemic, which has changed the trajectory of the nation’s economy and obviously the economy here in Florida. And has, of course, affected the budget balances,” DeSantis explained in a televised news conference when he signed the budget on June 29.

“As we were looking at the budget, my goal was to try to safeguard the historic achievements that we were able to do, while also realizing historic savings, so that we could put Florida on a more solid fiscal foundation,” the governor said.

The budget “provides significant support for education, the environment, infrastructure, child welfare and more,” he said.

He also noted that, in light of Florida’s population growth, per capita spending has declined, as compared to the previous year’s budget.

“Everyone understands that circumstances have changed,” DeSantis said. Still, he added, “I don’t think we necessarily forecast the economy simply stopping for a time.”

The budget puts a high priority on teacher salaries.

“We wanted to take Florida from the bottom half of the country in average minimum salary to the top five. It was not an easy fight, there were a lot of folks who didn’t want to do that.

“We were able to get $500 million to increase the average minimum salary in the state of Florida for K-12 teachers, as well as including money for salary increases for teachers who are more seasoned, and other eligible personnel.

“We are now in the top five for average minimum salary. I think this is really a historic achievement,” DeSantis said.

Also, “we do have the highest funding ever for K-12 (kindergarten through 12th grade) schools, with an increase of $137 per student,” he said.

The state’s college and universities also received increases, and the state continued its commitment to restoring the Everglades and state waterways, and improving water quality, the governor said.

The budget also fully funds the Florida Department of Transportation’s $9.2 billion work program, which DeSantis said is necessary, as the state continues to grow.

There’s also $8.7 million in new funding to support the Office of Public and Professional Guardianship to help ensure the legal rights of older Floridians are protected, and eliminate abuse, neglect and exploitation of the elderly population, he said.

Plus, the budget also includes more than $138 million in state and federal funding to address the opioid epidemic, and $8 million to continue providing community-based behavioral health services.

Still, the governor vetoed pages and pages of projects and programs.

“These were not easy decisions,” DeSantis said.

“These were difficult circumstances. I want people to know, particularly those in the Legislature, that there were obviously things that I vetoed that I think there could be good policy. There are specific projects in there, that under normal circumstances, I would have supported.”

Locally, initiatives such as a stand-alone senior center in Dade City, a landscaping beautification project along U.S. 41 in Land O’ Lakes and an archive center at Florida Pioneer Museum will have to wait or find another funding source.

But, not all was lost.

Pasco County Commission Chairman Mike Moore said he’s gratified that hard work by Pasco’s legislative delegation resulted in getting many projects into the original budget.

He’s also pleased that some county initiatives gained funding.

“I am thankful the Governor did approve two Pasco projects worth just under $8 million dollars for needed infrastructure improvements,” Moore said, via email.

Those projects are the Lacoochee industrial area right-of-way improvements for approximately $5.5 million, and the U.S. 301/Pretty Pond and Medical Arts Court Intersection Improvements estimated at $2.3 million.

Moore also noted that in comparison with some other areas in the state, Pasco County fared well. The commission chairman also said the lack of state funding won’t kill all of the projects that were vetoed.

“At the moment, Pasco County staff is still reviewing options for the vetoed projects; we do expect some will move forward although they may be delayed from original timelines. As an example, the Quail Hollow stormwater improvement project has already pursued alternative grant funding from FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) we are awaiting final word on,” Moore said.

Veto list
Here are some of the projects or programs within and near The Laker/Lutz News coverage area that were included in Gov. Ron DeSantis’ veto list:

  • Saint Leo University, Robotics Bachelor’s Degree and Micro-credential program: $1.25 million
  • Pepin Academies Foundation, $1.5 million
  • Metropolitan Ministries Miracles for Pasco, $250,000
  • Pasco County Handcart Road Water and Wastewater, $5.75 million
  • CARES One Stop Senior Center in Dade City, $750,0000
  • Pasco County Quail Hollow Boulevard, South, $850,000
  • Land O’ Lakes U.S. 41 landscape rehabilitation, $850,000
  • Sarah Vande Berg Tennis & Wellness Center, Zephyrhills: $1 million
  • FIRST Economic Development Incubator, Land O’ Lakes: $750,000
  • Pioneer Florida Museum Association Inc. Archives Center Pasco: $100,000

State budget highlights
Gov. Ron DeSantis gave a news conference when he unveiled the state’s final $92.2 billion budget. Here is a look at some budget highlights he mentioned:

  • $500 million to increase teacher salaries
  • $137 increase in spending, per student in K-12
  • $25 million increase in mental health programs for schools
  • $22.8 million increase for Florida colleges, bringing total to $1.3 billion in state operating funds
  • $44.4 million increase for Florida’s universities, bringing total to $2.7 billion
  • $322 million for Everglades Restoration; $50 million for springs restoration; $160 million for targeted water quality improvements; $40 million for alternative water supply; $25 million to combat harmful algal blooms and red tide
  • $2.3 million to implement the first statewide threat assessment strategy in the country
  • $17.3 million to begin transitioning correctional officers from a 12-hour shift to an 8.5-hour shift
  • $15 million to fund prevention programs for at-risk youth

Published July 15, 2020