The Laker/Lutz News

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Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

Old Pasco Road

Road work causes Quail Hollow detour

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A second portion of Quail Hollow Boulevard, at Old Pasco Road, will be closed for a week because of work being done to improve the road.

Motorists will need to reroute during construction work on Quail Hollow Boulevard. The detour route is shown in green. (Courtesy of Pasco County)

Pasco County sent out a news release about the closure, which is scheduled from Sept. 8 through Sept. 14.

The work is being done to improve the road’s safety and its capacity, according to the news release.

Northbound and southbound Old Pasco Road will remain open during this time and residents will have access to their homes via a detour along Sonny Drive (the detour on the map, marked in green).

The work will occur 24 hours a day, and electronic message boards will be stationed along Old Pasco Road to direct traffic.

The road is scheduled to reopen on Sept. 15, depending upon weather conditions.

Emergency vehicles will have access.

D.A.B. Constructors is the contractor for this Pasco County Engineering Services project.

If you have questions about the temporary closure, please contact Project Manager Larry Harris at (727) 834-3604 or by email at .

Published September 09, 2020

Cypress Creek Middle has ‘first’ First Day

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When school bells rang in a new school year in Pasco County on Aug. 24, the day had special meaning at Cypress Creek Middle School, 8845 Old Pasco Road in Wesley Chapel.

It wasn’t the first time middle school students had attended the Cypress Creek campus on the Old Pasco Road, but it was the first time they were heading to classes in a school built specifically for them.

Cypress Creek Middle School Principal Tim Light was eager to welcome students to the school he leads, on Old Pasco Road. Middle schoolers had been on the campus before, but this was the first First Day of School in a school built especially for them. (B.C. Manion)

Middle school students began attending classes at a shared campus for middle and high school students in 2017, because the district couldn’t afford to build both a high school and middle school — as it had originally intended.

Construction began on the $43.5 million middle school building in 2019, and now the middle schoolers have a place that’s their own.

The enthusiasm that typically accompanies a new school opening was muted this year, due to the global COVID-19 pandemic.

The school is following strict safety protocols.

They include:

  • Everyone on campus must wear a mask.
  • Parents drop off students at a specific place.
  • Students are directed to walk one-way down hallways, in the main classroom building.
  • Desks and chairs are spread out in classrooms.

Other safety steps include encouraging social distancing between people, placing some lunch tables outdoors to prevent cafeteria crowding, and turning off the water fountains — except to fill water bottles.

The district also kept parents off school campuses, because of concerns about COVID-19, and it kept media off, too, with the exception of allowing a special tour of Cypress Creek Middle on its opening day.

Deputy Superintendent Ray Gadd escorted representatives of The Laker/Lutz News and The Tampa Bay Times around the new school’s campus.

Principal Tim Light shared a few thoughts, as he stood in front of a giant painting of a coyote, the school’s mascot.

“I’m very excited,” Light said, noting he’d been planning for the school’s opening for months.

Unlike other middle schools in Pasco County Schools, this one boasts a black box theater, which will give students a chance to develop their imagination and creativity — and offer a venue for some community shows, when the pandemic lifts.

“Honestly, I never thought this day was going to get here,” Light said.

“I just want to see what the day is going to bring. Get these kids in here and get them going,” Light said.

Gadd was clearly delighted, as he showed off the district’s newest school.

“It’s really a beautiful school, the way it’s laid out,” the deputy superintendent said.

Cypress Creek Middle has the capacity of 1,600 students. Its opening reduces crowding at John Long Middle School. It also provides relief to Wiregrass Ranch High School — as Cypress Creek Middle students previously on campus shift over to the new middle school, creating more capacity at Cypress Creek High.

Beyond the normal features found at middle schools, this one has a black box theater and a suite of dance, chorus and orchestra rooms.

“It’s a space like no other in Pasco County,” said Peter Nason, the school’s theater teacher. “It is a jewel in the crown of this county, I think.

“It has space for the kids to be creative. For them to learn. For them to realize, really, what theater is, and it goes beyond the classroom,” Nason said.

Gadd is delighted by the opportunities the theater program will create.

“I first saw one of these, probably in a school 10 years ago. I’ve been dreaming about building one since then,” Gadd said.

“It’s an incredible space. It’s a dream space,” Nason told Gadd.

Gadd said: “I look forward to the first show.”

Nason responded: “I look forward to you seeing the first show.”

Two new public charter schools
Cypress Creek Middle was the only new traditional public school opened in Pasco County for the 2020-2021 school, but two new public charter schools also opened. Innovation Preparatory Academy opened for grades kindergarten through six, at 7800 Avery Scope Way in Wesley Chapel. Pinecrest Academy also opened for grades kindergarten through six, at 33347 State Road 54 in Wesley Chapel.

Published September 02, 2020

COVID-19 complicates school start

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Students in Pasco and Hillsborough counties are set to begin a new school year on Aug. 24, but not all of the students will be headed to campus.

In Pasco County, students have three options for learning — amidst the COVID-19 global pandemic.

Some students are expected to arrive at Pasco campuses on Aug. 24, while others opt for two versions of online learning. In the mySchool Online version, students are connected virtually to their assigned schools. With Pasco eSchool, they have more flexibility in the schedule and pace of learning.

In Hillsborough County, classes begin on Aug. 24, with all students beginning the school year through online learning only, until campuses open for students on Aug. 31. Like Pasco, Hillsborough is offering three learning options — face-to-face instruction and two virtual approaches.

Pasco and Hillsborough county students are set to return to school on Aug. 24, either in-person or virtually. (B.C. Manion)

Of course, there’s nearly a week before school begins, so it’s not inconceivable that these plans could change again.

As of press deadline for The Laker/Lutz News, there were two legal actions pending over whether school districts must comply with Florida Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran’s Emergency Order that requires a face-to-face learning option on public school campuses.

The school year is already starting later than initially planned, with both Hillsborough and Pasco starting on Aug. 24, rather than Aug. 10.

The Hillsborough County School Board then voted to begin the district’s school year with four weeks of online-only instruction.

That decision came after a panel of medical experts advised against reopening schools until the COVID-19 positivity rate declined to about 5%.

Corcoran, however, rebuffed Hillsborough’s temporary online-only plan.

Corcoran said Hillsborough’s new plan was inconsistent with the reopening plan the district previously had submitted to the state that had been approved.

Hillsborough Superintendent Addison Davis then took a trip to Tallahassee, to seek middle ground.

That didn’t work.

After Davis returned, the district announced that “state leaders rejected two different phased-in models our district proposed that would have delayed our brick-and-mortar opening while ensuring our most vulnerable student populations were served in a face-to-face capacity.”

So, Hillsborough’s school year will begin with one week of online, with brick-and-mortar campuses opening on Aug. 31, for students choosing that option.

Meanwhile, in Pasco County, the school district plans to follow its Aug. 24 opening plan.

However, the United School Employees of Pasco has filed a lawsuit, seeking return to online learning only, until the COVID numbers come down, per the guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Pasco County Schools Superintendent Kurt Browning and the Pasco School Board have stood behind the district’s reopening plan. Not following that plan, they have said, would jeopardize state funding.

The Florida Education Association’s motion for injunctive relief from Corcoran’s Emergency Order has been scheduled for mediation Aug. 18, and if necessary, for court hearings on Aug. 19 and Aug. 20.

The decisions being made at the state and school board levels have caused parents and teachers to make a variety of personal decisions.

Ben Langston, of Long Lake Ranch in Lutz, said he and his wife, Rene, decided to enroll their children, Connor and Avery, in a private school.

The Langstons had been planning to send the children to Oakstead Elementary, but switched those plans because of the uncertainty with what will happen with public schools.

They want Connor and Avery to have an in-school experience, rather than online, because they believe it offers a superior form of learning.

Cindy Smith, an art teacher at Land O’ Lakes High School, on the other hand, has made a different decision: She’s retiring after 31 years in Pasco County Schools.

“It was very difficult. It took me months to decide it,” said Smith, who taught Art 1 through Advanced Placement.

“I didn’t feel like it was wise to go to school and expose myself to the possibilities of COVID, at my age,” Smith said.

She doesn’t think that virtual teaching is effective for secondary art classes, although she said it would be a safer option until COVID-19 cases decline.

The teacher said she’ll miss teaching and her students.

“I’m sad about it. I’m sad for my friends. I’m sad for my students. How horrifying to think any one of them could die because of one person, or a few persons’ decisions,” Smith said.

She added: “I’m concerned that parents may not be taking this seriously enough.

“I don’t think they understand the hazards and the dangers and the concerns that we, as teachers, have. We love our students, we love our jobs, but to put us in a danger, death-threatening kind of situation is unreasonable,” Smith said.

Despite the focus on COVID-19, there also are other developments associated with beginning the 2020-2021 school year, and that includes the opening of Cypress Creek Middle School.

The new school, on Old Pasco Road, will serve students in grades six through eight.

Students who have been housed in a portion of Cypress Creek High School now will be moving to Cypress Creek Middle.

Other students previously assigned to John Long Middle, will join them, providing long-needed relief from crowding at John Long Middle.

Students from Wiregrass Ranch High also have been reassigned to Cypress Creek High, but the full effect of that boundary change won’t be immediately felt because the school district grandfathered the junior and senior class at Wiregrass Ranch.

Two new public charter schools also are opening this year, in Wesley Chapel — Pinecrest Academy Wesley Chapel in Avalon Park Wesley Chapel and Innovation Preparatory Academy in the Connected City area of Wesley Chapel.

Published August 19, 2020

Performing arts center takes the stage in Wesley Chapel

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Construction crews are down to the last details on the new Instructional Performing Arts Center (IPAC).

Some of those details, including sound locks to reduce noise inside the music studio, are awaiting shipments from California, New York and Michigan.

All of those states have been hit hard by COVID-19.

“COVID-19 is what has caused so much delay in production,” explained Kevin O’Farrell, provost at Pasco-Hernando State College. But, the performing arts center anticipates a grand opening in the fall, likely in September or October.

Meanwhile, certain areas of the center will open in phases.

The Instructional Performing Arts Center in Wesley Chapel will have its grand opening in early fall. (File)

A certificate of occupancy for administrative offices is expected in July or August, O’Farrell said.

The IPAC is the culmination of years of planning that brought together the state college and Pasco County’s school district in what O’Farrell characterizes as a unique educational partnership.

“There’s nothing like this,” the college official said.

Pasco County Schools donated the center’s site. The state college paid construction costs and will manage the center’s use.

The nearly 36,000-square-foot performing arts center is at 8657 Old Pasco Road, next to the campus of Cypress Creek High School, and the soon-to-open Cypress Creek Middle School.

The performing arts center has a 444-seat auditorium and stage, a large lobby, a general-purpose classroom, computer laboratories, a video production studio, faculty and staff offices, and a conference room.

State-of-the-art technology, with Apple and Microsoft products for computers, are intended to support first-class learning and performance opportunities.

“The technology there is going to be phenomenal,” said O’ Farrell. “We can envision some great performances there. We know this is such a big desire of our community.”

The state college anticipates hosting regional and national festivals, workshops and performances. Many will be open to the community, as well as students.

Pasco school officials designed the middle school – set to open in August – to complement IPAC. Among the middle school’s amenities is a 150-seat black box theater, which school officials anticipate could be a venue for local theater groups. The middle school also will offer dance, orchestra and chorus instruction.

The state college will offer four Associate of Arts degrees for students who plan to transfer to a four-year college for a Bachelor of Arts degree in dance, theater or music. Dual enrollment and community students also will participate in classes.

The center provides more than an arts curriculum, O’Farrell said.

There are programs for students interested in digital media and multimedia technology. The science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) curriculum can prepare students for many careers, including video engineer, lighting technician, and web designer and developer.

O’Farrell perhaps is most excited by the synergy created by a holistic design that brings the theater and faculty offices in proximity — for engaging and interactive learning experiences.

“You see the whole collaborative enterprise coming together before your very eyes,” he said. “I think we have a really bright future ahead of us.”

For information, visit PHSC.edu.

Published June 10, 2020

Commissioners act on rezoning requests

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Pasco County Commissioners approved a rezoning that will allow a 1.95-acre lot to be split, to allow two single-family homes — despite strenuous objections by neighbors.

The property is on the north side of Country Club Road, about 550 feet west of Old Pasco Road, in Wesley Chapel.

Attorney Barbara Wilhite, representing the applicant, told board members that her client merely wants to allow two dwellings, instead of one, on the property.

Her client has agreed to a deed restriction that would limit the use of the property to two dwellings and also would prohibit access through the property, to Sienna Cove, the development behind it.

Carl Stone, who lives on Country Club Road, asked the board to reject the request, noting that the subdivision’s zoning was set in 1986 by the County Commission.

He also noted that some of the lots didn’t comply with the area’s zoning at the time and were grandfathered in. And, he said a similar request was rejected by the board in 2005.

Other area residents raised concerns about drainage, and the potential precedent the rezoning could set.

Cynthia Lunghofer put it like this: “We want to make sure that there isn’t a precedent being set that could lead to larger parcels being broken up, and potential for townhome or multifamily development.

Neighbors also noted the character of the area, which they described as peaceful and beautiful, and urged commissioners to protect it.

County planners and the Pasco County Planning Commission recommended approval of the request.

And, despite neighbors’ objections, the county board approved the request, pending the filing of the deed restrictions regarding the maximum number of dwellings and prohibiting access through the site.

In other action, commissioners approved:

  • A rezoning to allow 415 single-family detached and/or attached townhome units on approximately 69.18 acres in the Mango Hills master-planned unit development southwest of the State Road 52 and Old Pasco Road intersection. The rezoning was approved on the board’s consent agenda, with no public comment from the audience.
  • A rezoning to allow boat and RV storage on a 4.9-acre site on the east side of Kittyhawk Drive, about 700 feet north of Freefall Avenue, near Zephyrhills. The rezoning was needed to bring the use into zoning compliance. The request was approved on consent, without public comment.

In other action, commissioners directed the county attorney to work with the Pasco County Commission on Human Trafficking to ensure a bathhouse ordinance is in place when the Super Bowl comes to Tampa in Feb. 7, 2021.

The ordinance would ban illegal massage parlors, which serve as fronts for prostitution and human trafficking, said Commissioner Ron Oakley, who raised the issue and asked for board members to approve, making the issue a priority for the county attorney’s office.

Finally, a request for a conditional use permit to allow a residential treatment center in Wesley Chapel has been dropped.

The request would have allowed a facility for up to 30 residents on Pomello Trace in Wesley Chapel.

The applicant, Jordanes Hippolite, wanted to create an elderly care center, on a site at 29436 Pomella Trace, that’s smaller than a half-acre.

Neighbors had objected strenuously and the Pasco County Planning Commission recommended denial.

Neighbors said the facility would threaten their way of life — in a community where residents frequently take walks with their pets, and their children ride bicycles up and down the street.

County planners had recommended approval with a number of conditions, but their recommendation became moot, when the applicant withdrew the request.

Published March 18, 2020

Under Construction 03/04/2020

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The Promenade of Lexington Oaks will feature a variety of retail shops. Construction for the Wesley Chapel site is scheduled for completion in July. (Courtesy of John Twomey/The Promenade)

Retail stores
The Promenade of Lexington Oaks is currently being built on Post Oaks Boulevard in Wesley Chapel. It consists of two buildings, holding a total of 12 suites. The larger structure will be 8,940 square feet, while the smaller one will be 6,000 square feet. Construction began in February and is expected to be complete in July.

 

This rendering gives an idea of how Wesley Chapel’s new Extra Space Storage facility will look once completed. Construction is scheduled to be completed by September. (Courtesy of George Murray/Extra Space Storage)

New storage facility
Wesley Chapel will be the home of a new Extra Space Storage depot, at 27545 Dayflower Blvd. The 116,000-square-foot building will have three floors, with an elevator. There will be built-in security cameras and air-conditioning, as well as units without air conditioning. There are plans to build a roundabout on Dayflower Boulevard, in front of the building, that will lead to Old Pasco Road. Construction for the storage facility is scheduled to be completed this September.

 

Sheriff’s complex
The Pasco County Sheriff’s Office is expanding its services with six new facilities on Lucy Dobies Court, in Land O’ Lakes. Several of the separate structures will include a training center, cyber building, forensic building and a depot to house a helicopter. The entire layout will be 64,300 square feet. No completion date has been given yet.

New gas station
A new Race Trac convenient store and gas station will be located at 29200 State Road 52 in San Antonio. The 5,411-square-foot building will be a hub for food and beverages. It is situated near the intersection of State Road 52 and Interstate 75. A completion date has not yet been determined.

Curious about something new that’s popping up in your community? Please send us the location — along with the address, if possible — and we’ll see what we can find out. Send your email to .

Cypress Creek schools get new names

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Pasco County School Board members have changed the name of the school on the campus at 8701 Old Pasco Road in Wesley Chapel to reflect the fact that two schools will be operating on the campus beginning this fall.

The school was named Cypress Creek Middle High when it opened in 2017, because it served both middle and high school students.

But, two separate schools will be operating on the campus this fall.

Cypress Creek Middle School will serve students in grades six through eight.

Cypress Creek High School will serve students in grades nine through 12.

The district had intended to have a separate middle school and high school on the campus, but when it couldn’t afford to do so, it used the buildings that were intended for the high school to house middle and high school students. The programs were separated, but operated out of the high school buildings.

The district used that approach so it could relieve crowding at both the middle and high school levels.

Now, new boundaries have been adopted to fill in the extra seats that will result when the middle school students shift out of the high school facilities into the new middle school.

Both the high school and middle school boundaries were changed because there will be added capacity at both levels.

Besides the new middle school, the campus also will house a new performing arts center, called the Instructional and Performing Arts Center, or IPAC for short. That is being built on land donated by Pasco County Schools to Pasco-Hernando State College.

The new center, also intended to open in the fall, will serve college and students from Pasco County schools, and will provide entertainment for the community.

Published January 22, 2020

Old Pasco Road restructure to enhance safety

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Construction is underway to reconstruct Old Pasco Road’s intersections with Quail Hollow Boulevard, Oakley Boulevard and Boom Boom Drive, in Wesley Chapel.

The improvements are in response to a route study that concluded upgrades are needed to improve safety and increase traffic capacity.

Old Pasco Road is undergoing reconfigurations at its intersections with Quail Hollow Boulevard, Oakley Boulevard and Boom Boom Drive. The construction aims to improve safety and reduce traffic congestion. (Brian Fernandes)

Pasco County Commission Chairman Mike Moore said he has heard concerns from motorists who travel on Old Pasco Road.

And Moore, whose District 2 includes the intersections in question, said he, too, has witnessed a need for improvements.

“Just driving that intersection myself, throughout the years, you could tell there was obviously a need,” he said. “There was safety issues – how it was configured.”

Moore also noted that this project will alleviate school traffic for buses heading to and from Cypress Creek Middle-High School.

The campus will have even more students in the fall, when the new middle school opens — creating additional capacity for both middle and high school students at the Old Pasco Road complex.

As part of the $3 million road construction project:

  • Two northbound left-turn lanes will be added on Old Pasco Road, leading onto Quail Hollow Boulevard
  • A northbound right-turn lane will be added on Old Pasco Road, leading onto Oakley Boulevard
  • Going south on Old Pasco Road, there will be a right-turn lane added, leading onto Quail Hollow Boulevard
  • The existing left-turn lane on southbound Old Pasco Road will be extended, leading onto Oakley Boulevard
  • Heading west on Oakley Boulevard, a right-turn lane will be added, leading onto Old Pasco Road
  • Heading west on Oakley Boulevard, its existing left-turn lane will be extended, leading onto Old Pasco Road
  • Old Pasco Road, heading north, will have an added left-turn lane, leading onto Boom Boom Drive
  • Old Pasco Road, heading south, will have an added right-turn lane, leading onto Boom Boom Drive
  • The traffic light at Old Pasco Road and Quail Hollow Boulevard will be reconstructed
  • The traffic light at Old Pasco Road and Oakley Boulevard will be reconstructed

“I know the citizens will be very happy,” Moore said. “The ones I’ve talked to are ecstatic that this is moving forward and coming to fruition.”

There are no expected lane closures or detours during construction.

The project is scheduled to be completed in Winter 2020.

Published January 15, 2020

Construction crews busy on area road projects

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Anyone who drives around Pasco County on a regular basis knows there aren’t many east-west roads that cut through the county’s vast expanse, and that it isn’t   a bit unusual to have to wait in traffic.

There are a number of projects, however, that are in the works, on the drawing board, or have been recently completed that are aimed at making life easier for Pasco motorists.

Of course, as more development arrives, more drivers use local roads — so complaints about “too much traffic” and “not enough roads” may persist, at least for the foreseeable future.

But, here is a look at some of what’s happening on the local transportation scene.

A diverging diamond interchange is under construction at the Interstate 75/State Road 56 interchange. The project, expected to wrap up by late 2021, aims to keep traffic flowing at the busy interchange.

Diverging Diamond Interchange
The diverging diamond interchange, currently in development, will reconfigure the current interchange at Interstate 75 and State Road 56 to improve traffic flow at a location that frequently is bottlenecked, especially during peak traffic periods. Work on the $33 million project began in January 2019 and is expected to be completed by late 2021. For more details, visit FDOTTampaBay.com/project/262/430573-1-52-01.

Ridge Road Extension
Construction is expected to begin in January on the Ridge Road Extension, a project that Pasco County has been seeking to build for two decades. The project will create a third east-west corridor in the county, extending existing Ridge Road from Moon Lake Road in New Port Richey to the Suncoast Parkway, initially, and then to U.S. 41 in Land O’ Lakes. The extension will give drivers who are heading east or west across Pasco a new option. Currently, motorists heading east and west use State Road 52 or State Road 54. It also will be another evacuation route in the event of an emergency.

However, environmentalists have expressed concern about the project. The extension will run through the Serenova Tract of Starkey Wilderness Preserve. Tim Martin, chair of the Sierra Club Florida Conservation, said this will harm the preserve’s wetlands and its animals.

Phase one of the project costs an estimated $90 million. Phase two has not been funded yet. Construction completion is scheduled for the 2025-2026 timeframe.

State Road 54 widening, Zephyrhills to Wesley Chapel
State Road 54 is being widened from two lanes to four lanes, with a divided median, between Wesley Chapel and Zephyrhills. The 4.5-mile stretch will run east of Curley Road to east of Morris Bridge Road. The $42.5-million development is expected to finish by the Summer of 2021.

Interstate 75/Overpass Road interchange
This project will create a new access point onto Interstate 75 at Overpass Road. The project includes widening Overpass Road — between Old Pasco Road and I-75 — from two lanes to four lanes. To the east, Overpass Road will be expanded to six lanes, between I-75 and Boyette Road. Off Overpass Road, Blair Drive will connect to Old Pasco Road, and Boyette Road will connect with McKendree Road. These connections with Overpass Road will create new access points between Wesley Chapel and Dade City.

A new State Road 52 corridor is expected to be built, branching off from the existing one. It will be another means of heading further east in Dade City.

New State Road 52 alignment
A new alignment of State Road 52 will provide a new way to travel east through Dade City. The new stretch of road will run south of the existing State Road 52. It will begin east of the Bayou Branch Canal and continue east to the intersection of Prospect Road and Clinton Avenue. Clinton Avenue will be widened to a four-lane road leading to Fort King Road. The existing State Road 52 also will be widened to four lanes between Uradco Place and the Bayou Branch Canal. At Bayou Branch Canal, the existing corridor will branch off into the new one.

Improvements completed in 2019 include:

Widening of State Road 52, from Bellamy Brothers to Old Pasco Road
A 1.5-mile stretch of State Road 52 has been widened from Bellamy Brothers Boulevard to Old Pasco Road. The road was widened from two lanes to four lanes, with a median. There also is a multi-use path on the north end of State Road 52 and a sidewalk on the south end. Construction on the $13.4 million project started in 2016.

State Road 56 extension
A new 6-mile extension of State Road 56 has created a new east-west corridor, between Meadow Pointe Boulevard in Wesley Chapel and U.S. 301 in Zephyrhills. The extension gives motorists an alternative to State Road 54, which also links the two communities. State Road 54 also is undergoing improvements. The State Road 56 extension is a four-lane road, divided by a median. It has a multi-purpose trail, a sidewalk and bicycle lanes. Traffic lights also were incorporated at Morris Bridge Road and U.S. 301.

The right turn and left turn lanes for eastbound traffic on State Road 54 onto U.S. 41 have been extended. The improvement aims to reduce traffic backups for motorists heading onto U.S. 41. (File)

State Road 54, turning lane improvements
The right-turn and left-turn lanes on State Road 54 have been lengthened to ease turning movements and reduce congestion. The $1.1-million project provides more room in the turning lane for motorists who are heading east on State Road 54 and intend to turn onto U.S. 41. The change reduces wait time for motorists turning north or south onto U.S. 41. Another improvement modified the median opening where State Road 54 intersects with Hunt Road. The change allows eastbound traffic on State Road 54 the option of turning onto Hunt Road or making a U-turn. It allows westbound traffic to turn off of Hunt Road, but motorists coming from that direction can no longer make U-turns.

Published January 08, 2020

Pasco County ‘hottest county around,’ commission chairman says

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When Pasco County Commission Chairman Mike Moore moved to the county in 2007, it was a different place.

When he arrived, the State Road 54/56 corridor — with it shopping malls, restaurants, car dealerships, hotels, residential subdivisions, medical offices, state college and industrial development — looked nothing like it does today.

The Shops at Wiregrass wasn’t even there yet, recalled Moore, who had made the move from nearby New Tampa for a larger home in Seven Oaks.

“They just built the JCPenney, without the mall. When I first moved here, we were still going to Hillsborough County and to New Tampa for a lot of things,” he said.

That was then.

“You think about how hot Pasco County is right now. We’re the hottest county around,” said Moore, now serving in his second term, and recently named county commission chairman.

Pasco County Commission Chairman Mike Moore is bullish on Pasco County. He sees bright prospects for 2020, and said the county’s pro-growth attitude is creating more opportunities for its residents. (File)

“Wesley Chapel has the highest income in the Tampa Bay region.

“New restaurants and businesses are coming every single day.

“I do so many ribbon cuttings my fingers are tired,” Moore said.

New businesses are bringing jobs to the county, and there’s even some Class A office space popping up.

“That’s what’s amazing, you look at the growth and opportunity that we have in this area now, compared to what we had when I first moved here in ’07.”

Now, he said, “I don’t need to leave Pasco County, unless I need to go to the airport.”

Statistics paint a favorable picture of the county.

The number of homeless is down; job growth is up. Tourism hit the million-visitor mark for the first time this year, and numerous companies have set up shop in Pasco, or have announced plans to do so.

Moore said a strong economic development team, a streamlined approval process and a pro-growth board have combined to create more interest in Pasco.

County staff and the private Pasco Economic Development Council, Inc., work together to recruit new businesses, he said.

“There are certain things that (Pasco) EDC can do — being a private entity,” Moore explained.

“A lot of companies don’t want to make it public beforehand. People have employees who might have to relocate. There are investors involved, if they are public companies.”

“The EDC can work behind the scenes.”

The county also has focused on reducing bureaucracy, Moore said.

“One of the things that we have encouraged — as a commission, as a whole — is to make it as easily navigable as possible, to come here and start from the ground up,” Moore said.

“Our economic development group needs to make sure that when they (prospects) come here and they’re ready to do business, that it’s a smooth process,” he added.

The economic development team’s job is to make the area enticing, but it goes beyond that Moore said. They also need to help the companies through the county’s process.

Public support for economic development has played an important role, Moore said, noting that a portion of the Penny for Pasco tax proceeds is earmarked for that purpose.

The county has a number of tools it uses to entice businesses: It waives mobility impact fees and permit fees. It rewards job creation. It supports work force training. It forgives loans. It uses tax and job creation incentives.

The commission’s Dec. 10 meeting — where two companies announced intentions to locate in Pasco — offered a glimpse of how such strategies are paying off.

Encompass Health Corporation, based in Birmingham, Alabama, announced plans to bring 179 jobs to Central Pasco. Rooker Properties, LLC, a company based in Atlanta, Georgia, unveiled plans for an industrial park on a site off Old Pasco Road, expected to generate hundreds of jobs.

Meanwhile, financial services company Raymond James — also receiving a number of incentives — is expected to break ground in 2020 for a campus expected to have hundreds of employees, in the Wiregrass Ranch area of Wesley Chapel.

“That will be significant for our area. We’ve all been waiting for it,” Moore said.

Aside from the economy, the county is making strides in efforts to improve its quality of life, Moore said.

Numerous road construction projects are in various stages of progress.

Most recently, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers issued a permit to extend Ridge Road, initially from Moon Lake Road in New Port Richey to the Suncoast Parkway, but ultimately it will extend to U.S. 41 in Land O’ Lakes.

The county has pushed for the east-west corridor for 20 years, and securing the permit marks a major milestone. As of last week, it remained unclear if opponents — who object to the project’s path through the Serenova Tract of the Starkey Wilderness Preserve — will wage a legal challenge.

Meanwhile, over in Wesley Chapel, construction continues on the diverging diamond, a project aimed at easing congestion at the Interstate 75/State Road 56 interchange.

And, in another significant development, the extension of State Road 56 between Wesley Chapel and Zephyrhills was wrapped up in July, creating a new east-west corridor between the two communities.

The county also has been making strides on civic projects, Moore noted.

Four voter-approved bond issues are supporting the construction of additional fire stations, the renovation of libraries, improvements at county parks and a jail expansion.

The county also recently announced a record-breaking $22 million acquisition of environmental lands, to preserve ecological corridors.

And, within recent months, the county opened its first barrier-free playground.

Moore championed the idea, after noticing there wasn’t a place where children with disabilities could play at Wesley Chapel District Park.

Keith Wiley, who oversees the county’s parks departments, got involved — and the Wesley Chapel Rotary Club, Lennar Foundation and AdventHealth Wesley Chapel stepped up to help pay for the project.

The barrier-free playground was a first for Pasco, but Moore expects that it won’t be the last.

Six things to watch in 2020

The Laker/Lutz News asked Pasco County Commission Chairman Mike Moore to identify the top things to watch in 2020. He provided these six, along with some observations:

  • Wiregrass Ranch Sports Complex: The 98,000-square-foot Wiregrass Ranch Sports Complex will open, creating a new destination for amateur and youth travel teams. It also will have programs during the week for local youths. The facility is expected to boost county tourism, as teams travel to Pasco from around the country and even internationally. The facility also will add to the local economy, as visitors stay at hotels, shop at stores, eat at restaurants, buy gas and so on.
  • Interstate 75-Overpass Road interchange: Work will begin on a design-build project to create a new interchange at Interstate 75 and Overpass Road, 3.5 miles south of State Road 52. The new diamond interchange will include a flyover ramp for westbound Overpass Road access to south I-75. To accommodate the new interchange, Overpass Road will be widened from two lanes to four lanes between I-75 and Old Pasco Road and to six lanes between I-75 and Boyette Road. Blair Drive will be realigned to connect with Old Pasco Road; and, McKendree Road will be realigned to connect with Boyette Road.
  • U.S. 41 Redevelopment: Redevelopment and revitalization along U.S. 41/Land O Lakes Boulevard is expected to occur, as U.S. 41 is widened, south of State Road 52 to alleviate backups at State Road 52/U.S. 41. There also will be increased efforts to improve the corridor’s appearance, through landscaping projects and redevelopment.
  • Job growth in Pasco County: The county is attracting more companies because of its policies that support growth and that is expected to continue. Quality of life improves when citizens can work closer to home, and new developments, such as Raymond James, which is expected to occur in early 2020, offers one example of increasing job opportunities in Pasco.
  • Improved quality of life through public projects: New looks for Centennial Park Library and New River Library will be unveiled in 2020, with modernized interiors and makerspaces. The county is also engaged in more than 30 projects in its parks, ranging from new roofs and gutters on buildings to updating playground equipment.
  • Ridge Road Extension: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers issued a permit to Pasco County on Dec. 20, to begin on Ridge Road Extension, initially to connect Ridge Road to the Suncoast Parkway. Plans also call for eventually extending the road to U.S. 41. The project will provide a new east-west corridor, giving motorists another travel option and providing another evacuation route during emergencies.

Editor’s note: These observations were edited for brevity.

Published January 01, 2020