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

Pasco County Commission

Pasco County budget expected to surpass $1.5 billion

By

The Pasco County Commission gave first-round approval of a budget exceeding $1.5 billion for the 2020-2021 fiscal year.

The action came during the first public hearing on the budget, held at 5:15 p.m. on Sept. 8. The final public hearing on the budget will be on Sept. 21. The new budget takes effect Oct. 1.

No one spoke during the public comment portion of the public hearing, and the board passed the budget unanimously without comment — following a presentation by County Budget Director Robert Goehig.

Board members and county officials had discussed budget issues at length during previous budget workshops.

This year’s revenues were less than previously expected because of negative economic impacts due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

As a result, the county was unable to pursue most of its proposed business initiatives for the coming year.

The budget includes a 3% raise for county employees.

It also allocates increased spending for the county’s library system — including costs associated with opening a new library at Starkey Ranch.

There’s also more spending in the parks and recreation budget — related to the county gradually assuming management of the Starkey Ranch District Park.

Earlier in the meeting, board members authorized the issuance of $44 million in the second allocation for the general obligation bonds for fire/rescue projects.

Goehig told board members the funds will be used to build three new fire stations, to knock down and renovate three existing fire stations, and to design a centralized fire training center.

On another issue, Commissioner Kathryn Starkey asked county staff to take a closer look at the proposed placement of a community garden planned for the area where a school, library and theater are being built through a collaborative partnership in Starkey Ranch.

“I’m a little concerned that where that community garden is going now, it’s not going to be accessible by anyone who wants to go and participate in a community garden,” Starkey said.

“To me, that is a long way to go with all of your tools and equipment, to garden. I think it will end up just being the school garden and will not be a community garden. I personally, am not so happy with that location,” she said.

Starkey: “I would like to talk to them (project partners) about having it closer to the library, facilities, restrooms.

“I want to be a good partner (with the school district). I think they want to be a good partner. I actually don’t think that’s a good site at all,” Starkey said.

She would like to see what can be done about finding an area that’s more accessible.

“There’s going to be a lot of seniors that would like to be in the garden. Where are the restrooms?” Starkey asked.

Commissioner Mike Wells also briefed commissioners on progress that has been made through a partnership between the county and CareerSource on a Workforce Redevelopment Program.

The goal was about 150 jobs, for $1.5 million, Wells said. CareerSource exceeded that goal, with 163 jobs. The partnership also led to 56 part-time jobs, the commissioner noted.

“What I thought was really exciting, out of those 163 — 87 were homeless in Pasco,” Wells said.

“That gives us a return-on-investment of more than $6.5 million,” he added.

The county is going to contract with CareerSource for the next four years, Wells said. “They have done an unbelievable job with our team, to put people back to work.”

Commission Chairman Mike Moore also updated the board about activities at Wiregrass Ranch Sports Campus, which recently opened.

He reported that “43 out of 52 weekends are already booked with sports at that facility.”

Local programming has begun, too, Moore said.

“They have basketball leagues, they have indoor soccer leagues, they have cheerleading going on, volleyball going on. All of that is already going on, for our local residents. It’s already a huge success — obviously a huge asset for the county,” Moore said.

County Administrator Dan Biles also informed the board that there will be an item on the Sept. 21 agenda to discuss Pasco County’s COVID-19 response and where it needs to go from here.

Published September 16, 2020

Pasco eyeing Sunday morning alcohol sales

By

Pasco County is looking at lifting its ban on the Sunday morning sales of alcoholic beverages.

Currently, packaged alcoholic beverages cannot be sold before 11 a.m., on Sundays in unincorporated areas of the county.

But, Pasco County Commissioner Kathryn Starkey thinks the time has arrived for the county to change that.

Pasco County Commissioner Kathryn Starkey thinks the time has come to allow alcohol sales in unincorporated parts of the county on Sunday mornings. (File)

“A lot of counties in the state and around the country have kind of moved away from this old-fashioned law,” Starkey said.

Starkey said constituents have told her they’d like to get rid of the restriction.

She said she herself has witnessed people milling around in the grocery store, waiting to purchase the alcohol they want to take with them — when they’re heading out to go boating, or scalloping or to another activity.

She also thinks the rule should change, so that people who are doing their grocery shopping on Sunday mornings can pick up the alcohol they wish to purchase.

“In Pasco County, you cannot buy any kind of alcohol on Sunday before 11 (a.m.),” Starkey said.

She raised the issued at the Pasco County Commission’s Sept. 8 meeting, suggesting the board request a change to the county’s ordinance.

No one objected, so Starkey suggested County Attorney Jeffrey Steinsnyder come back to the board, to allow earlier alcohol sales on Sundays.

Steinsnyder responded: “If the idea is that you want to treat Sunday the same way you are treating the rest of the week days, that’s what I would do. So, your alcohol sales for every day of the week, would also apply to Sunday. Sunday wouldn’t have special hours.”

Starkey said: “That would be my recommendation.”

The county attorney said the request would be put on the list of board requests, and the proposed change will come back as an introduction to the ordinance, to be sure the board is happy with it, before a public hearing is advertised.

Currently, packaged alcohol beverages may be sold between 11 a.m. and 2 a.m., on Sunday and from 7 a.m. to 2 a.m., on the other days of the week.

Published September 16, 2020

Discussion continues on Pasco BMX park

By

A BMX and bicycle park may not happen anytime soon in Pasco County, but officials appear to be interested in seeing what can be done to bring the idea to life.

The Pasco County Commission heard a briefing on the concept at its Sept. 8 meeting.

Delaney Morrison, president of the nonprofit Ride Local Inc., outlined the vision for a new large-scale BMX (bicycle motocross) park, that she said would complement existing BMX parks in the region, would expand the area’s recreational offerings and would help to attract more tourists to Pasco County.

Shown here are riders at Tampa BMX in Lutz. A nonprofit organization called Ride Local Inc., is trying to bring a covered BMX track and other amenities to Pasco County. (File)

The idea is to partner with the county to construct a BMX track and bike park on a 23-acre tract situated of the intersection of State Road 54 and Gunn Highway in the Odessa/Trinity area. The land is presently owned by Pasco County Utilities.

Under the proposal, about 3 acres would be used for a BMX dirt race course made of various jumps and rollers.

That would mark the first stage of a larger, surrounding bike park that would include a pump track, skate park, mountain bike obstacle course, casual bike path and other features.

The proposal calls for having an open air, covered track.

“We think that this is super important here in Florida, given the heat and the rain that we have,” Delaney said.  “We really think that that roof will set us apart from just having another BMX track.”

She also noted there would be opportunities for recreational leagues and a beginner’s program for newcomers to the off-road racing sport. And, the facility would host large-scale competitive events sanctioned by USA BMX.

The open space also could be used for drone races, truck rallies, and Boy Scouts of America and All-Pro Dad meet-ups, among other activities, Morrison said.

Over the past year or so, Morrison and her team have had ongoing discussions with Pasco County Commissioner Kathryn Starkey and Keith Wiley, the county’s director of parks, recreation and natural resources.

“They came to me because of my background with cycling and biking,” said Starkey, who helped to Delaney’s group find the proposed site.

It’s an excellent location, Delaney noted, because it’s along the booming State Road 54 corridor, sits along the Tower Road extension and near a future high school, whose adjacent lot could be used for overflow parking for large events.

She also noted that it’s in the middle of some huge community developments, such as Asturia and Starkey Ranch, and others being built in the area.

Plus, she said, the location also pairs well with Tampa BMX and Oldsmar BMX, which is under construction — to attract regional and national tournaments.

Commissioners appear open to the idea, but money is the biggest hurdle.

Pasco County Commission Chairman Mike Moore, who also chairs the Tourist Development Council, said during a recent TDC meeting that the county might be able to support some type of land use or lease deal, but is not in the position to fund additional capital projects.

Moore reiterated the funding issue during the board’s Sept. 8 meeting. He said doesn’t want to give the group false hope.

But, Starkey said Delaney’s briefing was for information only, at this point.

She plans to work with Delaney’s group to explore various funding sources, including possible funding from the legislature and support from private sponsors.

Delaney said the Ride Local Inc., is looking into creative ideas, such as leveraging a corporate naming sponsorship or partnering with an electric company to install solar panels on the proposed covered roof to help offset costs.

Keith Wiley, the county’s director of parks, recreation and natural resources, said a bike park/BMX was listed as one of the highest unmet needs during workshops held to develop the county’s most recent master parks plan.

However, Wiley noted, that type of amenity was not included in the master plan and, thus, no money has been planned for that type of project.

Wiley said he likes the concept of a bike park, with a BMX track, a playground and open spaces because that would address diverse user groups.

Delaney noted BMX’s broad appeal.

“The biggest thing about BMX is that this is a family sport,” Delaney added.

“This is one of the few sports that you can do alongside your children, not just sitting on the sidelines watching them, or waiting for practice to be over.”

Adam Thomas, the county’s tourism director, said the proposed facility could help round out the county’s sports offerings.

“The TDC (Tourism Development Council) board is in full support of this. I am in full support of this,” Thomas told county commissioners.

“This is a great opportunity, for not only our citizens, but to really diversify our product as a Sports Coast, and as our destination of sports events. The economic impact is strong. The visitation is strong. You have a great partner here with Delaney. I think this is a great opportunity for us to move forward, but funding — obviously, everything comes down to funding.”

Published September 16, 2020

New recycling facility proposed for State Road 52

By

The Pasco County Planning Commission has recommended approval of a rezoning to allow the construction of an industrial material sorting facility and commercial uses on a 65.71-acre site, in Central Pasco County.

Specifically, the rezoning would allow recycling operations in a 500,000-square-foot industrial sorting facility and 150,000 square feet of commercial uses on the site.

The new facility would be located on the north side of State Road 52, about 2,400 feet west of U.S. 41, according to Pasco County documents.

The current zoning on the land is agriculture, general commercial and light industrial. The new zoning would be for a master-planned unit development.

The request received a recommendation for approval by county planners and was on the Planning Commission’s consent agenda.

No one spoke against the request during the Aug. 27 public hearing, and planning commissioners unanimously recommended approval of the request to the Pasco County Commission.

RBR Properties West Florida LLC is the applicant for the rezoning to allow the project known as Paw Materials, according to county documents.

Most of the property is currently unimproved, with the exception of some existing structures and a pole barns, from a closed saw mill, abutting State Road 52.

The Planning Commission’s recommendation for approval is contingent upon 53 conditions, which include specific hours of operation; regulate noise, spell out types of recycling activities and other uses that are allowed; and specify buffering, fencing and other requirements.

The applicant also must meet requirements of environmental agencies, and must abide by conditions related to traffic circulation, turn-lanes and other improvements.

In the office development portion of the rezoning, the maximum building height shall be 75 feet, and the maximum lot coverage will be 75%, according to the conditions.

The request next will be considered by the Pasco County Commission, which makes final zoning and land use decisions.

Published September 09, 2020

New Dunkin’ coming to Land O’ Lakes

By

The Pasco County Commission has approved a rezoning that will allow for a new convenience store, with gas pumps and a Dunkin’, near Ehren Cutoff, in Land O’ Lakes.

The 2.38-acre site is on the southeast corner of the intersection of Land O’ Lakes Boulevard and Ehren cutoff.

The rezoning involved joining two parcels together, one zoned for commercial and the other for rural residential.

Denise Hernandez, county zoning administrator, said the request would not introduce a new gas station onto the property — but replace one that’s already there.

The site plan also calls for a Dunkin’, she said.

County Commission Chairman Mike Moore noted that the new plan is essentially an upgrade from current conditions.

“So, it could use a little makeover and it’s getting a makeover, thankfully,” Moore said, noting that the Dunkin’ (previously known as Dunkin’ Donuts) will be an amenity in the area.

Commissioner Ron Oakley agreed with Moore’s assessment: “That’s what it says on the site plan — they’re redoing that to enhance it. It needs that in that area.”

Moore added: “It kind of goes in line with what we’re trying to do, to try to clean up (U.S.) 41.”

One resident, Rob Park, who lives on Ehren Cutoff, objected to the rezoning.

He questioned a discrepancy between two transportation studies done in the area.

A county staffer said it’s not unusual for two different transportation studies to have different data.

In other action, commissioners:

  • Approved a request for a conditional use to allow the sale of alcoholic beverages: beer, wine, liquor; package sales and on-premises consumption, anywhere within the common areas of The Shops at Wiregrass, in conjunction with the operation of a shopping center.
  • Heard an update from Moore regarding tourism prospects. Moore told board members that the county will be getting a volleyball tournament, a golf tournament, a fishing tournament and a basketball tournament. Some tournaments are coming from out-of-state, but others are shifting from other parts of Florida.

Published September 02, 2020

Pasco trending down on COVID-19 cases

By

Pasco County Administrator Dan Biles gave the Pasco County Commission a brief update on the status of COVID-19 in the county, during the board’s Aug. 19 meeting.

Pasco County Administrator Dan Biles recently briefed the Pasco County Commission on the latest information relating to COVID-19 cases in the county. (File)

Biles passed along information he had just received from Mike Napier, director of Pasco County’s office of the Florida Department of Health.

The county administrator said Pasco reported 39 cases of COVID-19 and three deaths on Aug. 18.

“Our seven-day running average is about 50 (new cases a day), right now,” Biles said. He also noted the county’s positivity rate was under 5% for two days in a row.

“The positivity rate is going down. That means that people are distancing; where they can’t distance, they’re wearing masks or other protective gear to help minimize the transmission of the disease, one to the other,” Biles said.

“We’re trending down. That’s positive. We’re still not to where we were in April/May. It’s going to take a while,” Bile said.

However, the administrator added: “Once we go to in-person school, starting Monday (Aug. 24), assuming that still happens, odds are that’s going to creep back up for a little while, until it settles back down.”

That, Biles noted, is “just the nature of gathering people in groups again.

“Ultimately, where we would like to be is in the mid- to low-20s, on a new cases per day basis. That’s probably sustainable, long-term, because I think this is going to be with us for a while.

“Today, we’re in the low-50s. Cut that in half. Get through the school start and see what happens with that,” Biles said.

He said the declining cases are a good sign, he said.

“What it is showing, from a county perspective, is that the residents and people here are taking it seriously. They are maintaining distancing, in general, and where they can’t, they’re wearing masks or shields — or whatever they’re doing,” Biles said.

“This isn’t going to go away. I think we’re still at least six months out from a vaccine. So, we’re going to still have to continue watching it,” Biles said.

But, there is one silver lining, the county administrator said: “The same things that prevent and inhibit transmission of this are the same things that prevent and inhibit the transmission of flu and cold, and all of the other nasty things that happen in the winter.”

The upcoming flu season should have a reduced number of cases, Biles said.

Published August 26, 2020

Voter turnout higher in 2020 Primary Election

By

Voter turnout for the 2020 Primary Election was higher than it was in the 2016 Primary, in both  Pasco and Hillsborough counties.

In Pasco, 21.03% of registered voters cast ballots in the 2020 primary, compared to 18.64% in the 2016 primary.

In Hillsborough, the number of registered voters participating was 25.38%, compared to 19.1% in the 2016 primary.

Voters made their choices in some key races in Pasco and Hillsborough counties.

In a universal primary in the race for Pasco County Commission District 4, Christina Fitzpatrick won the election, with 32.6% of the vote, compared to the second-highest vote-getter, Gary Bradford, who received 31.52%.

Alison Crumbley won another term on the Pasco County School Board. Candidates Gabriel Papadopoulos and Catie Mansfield fell short of their bid for county commission and county judge, respectively (B.C. Manion)

Jeff Miller and Gabriel “Gabe” Papadopoulos also ran in the four-way race to fill the vacancy that was created when Mike Wells decided to seek the post of county property appraiser, which Wells secured.

All voters were eligible to vote in the universal primary for the District 4 seat because the winner faced no opposition in the general election.

In the Republican primary race for superintendent of Pasco County Schools, incumbent Kurt Browning captured more than 64% of the vote, defeating David LaRoche. He will face Cynthia Thompson No Party Affiliation in the Nov. 3 general election.

In the nonpartisan Pasco County School Board District 4 race, Alison Crumbley won reelection with more than 65% of the vote, defeating challenger Joshua Stringfellow.

In Hillsborough County, four school board seats were up for grabs and all four are heading to run-offs in the Nov. 3 general election.

In District 1, Nadia Combs was the top vote-getter, receiving 44.56% of the vote, and she will face incumbent Steve Cona, who received 33.30%.

District 3 drew five candidates. Mitch Thrower led the pack, with 25.15% of the vote, while Jessica Vaughn came in second, with 24.49%.

Four candidates competed in District 5, with Henry “Shake” Washington receiving 44.45% of the vote compared to incumbent Tammy Shamburger, who drew 23.70% of votes cast in that race.

A quartet of candidates sought the District 7 seat, with Sally Harris emerging with a slight edge over Lynn Gray. Harris hauled in 28.40% of the vote, while Gray received 27.85%.

Rain fell steadily, at least for a while, on 2020 Primary Election Day in Pasco and Hillsborough counties. Here are some of the political signs near an intersection in Lutz.

In the Republican primary race for Hillsborough County Sheriff, incumbent Chad Chronister received 62.39% of the vote, defeating challenger Charles Boswell. Chronister will face Democrat Gary Pruitt and Ron McMullen No Party Affiliation in the general election.

In the Democrat primary race for Hillsborough County Tax Collector, Nancy Millan received 61.07% of the vote, defeating April Griffin. Millan will face Republican TK Mathew in the general election.

In the Republican primary race for Hillsborough County Commission District 1, Scott Levinson received 55.61%of the vote, defeating Tony Morejon.

Levinson will face Democrat Harry Cohen, who received 54.24% of the primary vote, defeating Jen McDonald.

In the Democrat primary for Hillsborough County Commission District 3, five candidates competed to fill the seat being vacated by term-limited Les Miller. Gwen Myers was the top vote-getter with 26.52%, edging out Thomas Scott, who received 25.68%. Myers will face Republican Maura Cruz Lane in the general election.

In a universal primary, Hillsborough County voters selected Cindy Stuart as the county’s next Clerk of the Circuit Court. Stuart received 53.44% of the vote, defeating Kevin Beckner.

Election officials took care to make polling places safe. They asked voters to wear masks and maintain a social distance from other voters, to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Pasco County Supervisor of Elections Brian Corley said “vote by mail was way up from the 2016 primary, while early voting in person was down considerably.”

Election day operations went smoothly, he added.

“I’m so blessed to have an amazing team and dedicated poll workers who pulled off a sense of election normalcy during a pandemic,” Corley said.

Pasco County
Registered voters: 378,157
Ballots cast: 79,538
Voter turnout: 21.03%

Source: Pasco County Supervisor of Elections

Hillsborough County
Registered voters: 897,689
Ballots cast: 227,843
Voter turnout: 25.38%

Published August 26, 2020

Women celebrate 100 years of voting

By

In 1920 Harry T. Burn, a 24-year-old delegate in the Tennessee General Assembly, heeded his mother’s admonishment in a letter to be “a good boy” and vote for women’s suffrage.

Burn did as he was told, and Tennessee — by the margin of one vote — became the 36th state to ratify the 19th amendment to the United States Constitution.

Congress officially certified the 19th amendment on Aug. 26, 1920, a date now celebrated annually as Women’s Equality Day.

To honor the 100th anniversary of women’s right to vote, the Pioneer Florida Museum & Village is hosting a Smithsonian poster exhibit, “Votes for Women: A Portrait of Persistence!”

College women, often members of sororities, picketed in front of the White House from January 1917 until the 19th amendment was ratified. (Courtesy of Stephanie Black, Pioneer Florida Museum (From the Smithsonian poster exhibit, ‘Votes for Women: A Portrait of Persistence!’)

The exhibit runs through Nov. 3 — the date for the 2020 presidential election.

“We’re excited to have this here,” Stephanie Black, the museum’s executive director, said regarding the exhibit. “It’s very interesting and very diverse.”

The posters highlight more than seven decades of struggle to earn women a place in America’s political life. But, it also reveals the racism that separated white and black suffragists who worked toward the same goal. In the end, black women, including activists Mary Church Terrell and Ida B. Wells, were marginalized and the 19th amendment won only white women the right to vote.

Black women and black men in the South waited another 45 years for the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Native American women won legal citizenship and the right to vote in 1924. But they, like black men and women, suffered racist attacks that denied their access to the ballot box.

Even with its limitations, the 19th amendment shook up the political and cultural world of America.

“You’ve got to start somewhere,” said political scientist Susan MacManus. “It shows that a lot of things in the political world take time because the work takes a while.”

Today, women are filing to run for political offices in local, state and national races in numbers never seen before. MacManus counts 178 Florida women seeking office in 2020 – a record for the state.

Pollsters are focused intently on the women’s vote and its impact on dozens of races across the country, including the presidential contest.

Ida B. Wells was an investigative journalist and suffragist.

But now, as in 1920, MacManus said people make a mistake in thinking women vote as a bloc.

All women didn’t support the 19th amendment. Anti-suffrage clubs did their own protesting.

Women today also hold diverse opinions on everything.

“That’s never been truer than in politics,” MacManus said.

For some suffragists, the 19th amendment came too late.

Susan B. Anthony, who wrote the ‘Anthony amendment’ for women’s right to vote, didn’t live to see it approved. She cast an illegal ballot in New York in 1872. She was arrested, but refused to pay the $100 fine.

Women voted in the first presidential election in 1920 ushering Republican Warren G. Harding into the White House. Records suggest women represented about 36% of the electorate. It’s likely some women asked their husbands for voting advice.

Slowly over the years, women began running for office, at first mostly in local elections. They became role models for women who came behind them.

Many black women can trace their modern political activism to college sororities who organized for suffrage as well as the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s, MacManus said.

Black women students from Howard University and Delta Sigma Theta were among those who marched in Washington D.C., in 1913. White organizers feared offending Southern lawmakers and told black women to march in the rear of the parade.

But, Wells boldly caught up with the white Illinois delegation and walked with them, refusing to be ignored and segregated.

Sororities set up picket lines outside the White House during Woodrow Wilson’s presidency. “Some stayed until the bitter end,” said MacManus.

Wilson eventually threw his support to the suffragists.

MacManus said Kamala Harris comes from that tradition as a Howard University graduate and a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha. Harris made history last week by becoming the first woman of color running on a major political party’s ticket as vice president.

In Florida, black women have role models, including Carrie Meek, Frederica Wilson and Val Demings.

“More women are getting into politics and lot of that is driven by more women than men — by far — going to college,” MacManus said. “This is especially true with minority women.”

The #MeToo movement also has had an impact, the political scientist said.

By 1980, a voting gender gap emerged as more women than men voted in each of the last nine presidential elections.

In 1913, women held a Suffrage Pageant. Actor Hedwig Reicher is in the foreground.

A record number of 100 women held seats in the U.S. House of Representatives, in 2018. About 90 are Democrats. But, a growing number of Republican women also are seeking elected office.

According to the Rutgers Center for American Women and Politics, about 200 Republican women are running for House seats in 2020, an increase from 133 candidates in 2018.

“We’re raising our numbers,” said Sandy Graves, who won in the Aug. 18 Primary Election in the race for Republican State Committee Chairwoman for Pasco County. “We’re working very hard to try and encourage women to get in there.”

Graves is a lifelong Republican and especially honored to win an election in a year that celebrates women’s right to vote.

The amendment “was a hard-fought battle,” she said. “It is a testament to our country.”

She noted that Florida didn’t ratify the amendment until 1969, when Claude Kirk was the first Republican governor since Reconstruction.

The Pasco County Commission had planned to recognize the 100th anniversary, as well as the month of March as women’s history month, but that was delayed due to COVID-19 concerns.

Several women in past and current leadership roles will be honored when the recognition takes place, including former County Administrator Michele Baker, former Clerk and Comptroller Paula O’Neil, County Commissioner Kathryn Starkey and Assistant County Administrator Cathy Pearson.

Cheryl Pollock said the event will be scheduled once the county commission is again able to meet in person.

Pollock is the first black woman to serve as chair of the county’s Commission on the Status of Women. She joined the commission about three years ago.

“While there are limited women of color in leadership roles in our county, the county itself is slowly growing in diversity based on census reports,” Pollock said, via email.

She also said the Commission on the Status of Women is dedicated to “strive to understand disparate issues of women in our community and work toward solutions.”

A poster exhibit from the Smithsonian, “Votes for Women: A Portrait of Persistence!”
Where: Pioneer Florida Museum & Village, 15602 Pioneer Museum Road, Dade City
When: Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., now through Nov. 3
Cost: $10 general admission adults; $8 for seniors; $5 for students; free for children under age 5; group rates available
Info: (352) 567-0262 or PioneerFloridaMuseum.org.

Timeline for Women’s Suffrage
1848: Seneca Falls, New York convention; “Declaration of Sentiments” issued
1850: First National Woman’s Convention
1866: Suffragists sent petition to Congress requesting women’s right to vote
1872: Susan B. Anthony arrested in New York for voting illegally. Fined $100, but never pays
1878: Susan B. Anthony wrote the “Anthony amendment”
1890s: National Association of Colored Women founded by Mary Church Terrell
1909: National Suffrage Party founded
1910: Suffrage parades begin
1913: Congressional Union for Women’s Suffrage founded by Alice Paul and Lucy Burns; Alpha Suffrage Club of Chicago founded by journalist Ida B. Wells
1913: More than 10,000 women march for suffrage in Washington D.C.; Ida B. Wells defiantly marches with Illinois delegation, refusing to be segregated
1917: College women begin picketing White House
1917: Anthony Amendment reintroduced in Senate & House
1919: Congress approved the 19th Amendment; sent it to states
1920: League of Women Voters founded
1920: 19th Amendment ratified by 36th state (Tennessee)

Published August 26, 2020

Pasco seeks to forbid pet stores from selling cats and dogs

By

Pasco County is seeking to stop the sale of dogs, cats, puppies and kittens from retail pet stores.

The Pasco County Commission, during its Aug. 4 meeting, heard the introduction of an amendment to a county ordinance — that would enact the new restriction.

Commissioners are scheduled to hold a public hearing on the proposal at their Sept. 8 meeting, at the Historic Pasco County Courthouse, 37918 Meridian Ave., in downtown Dade City.

Mike Shumate, the county’s director of animal services, told commissioners the proposed change aims “to restrict the retail sale of dogs and cats, puppies and kittens, from pet stores — especially those intentionally selling from large, commercial breeders, out-of-state breeders, puppy mills, primarily.”

Shumate said the proposed ordinance change is consistent with his department’s mission to protect people and pets, within the community.

The new restriction is needed, Shumate said, because a significant number of puppies and kittens sold at pet stores come from out-of-state large-scale breeding facilities where the health and welfare of animals is not provided adequately.

Shumate said: “There’s documented abuses — endemic of the puppy and kitten mills — including overbreeding, inbreeding, minimal to nonexistent veterinary care, lack of nutritious food, water and shelter, lack of socialization, adequate space and exercise.

“The inhuman conditions of puppy mills and kitten mills often lead to health and behavioral issues,” he added.

And, that becomes a problem for future pet owners, the animal services director said.

“Consumers are often unaware of these issues when purchasing their animals from pet stores,” Shumate said.

Pet owners do have some recourse because there’s state law that puts restrictions and requirements on those importing animals from out-of-state, Shumate said. That regulation is often referred to as Florida’s pet-limit law, he said.

However, Shumate noted: “Many of these health and behavioral issues may develop later — once they’re outside the scope of the protection of the Florida statute —  to impose financial hardship and emotional costs on consumers.”

Prohibiting the retail sale of kittens and puppies likely will result in decreased demand for pets that were bred in puppy and kitten mills, the animal services director said.

It also likely will lead to an increased demand for pets from the animal shelter, from rescue operations and from local, registered breeders, he said.

“Most pet stores operate profitably with a business model focused on the sale of pet services and supplies, and not on the sale of dogs and cats,” Shumate said.

“A lot of your big box pet stores — such as Petco, PetSmart, Pet Supermarket, Pet Supplies Plus — throughout our county operate very profitable businesses, and they do not offer for sale dogs, cats, puppies and kittens,” he added.

Instead, they partner with animal shelters and rescue groups to adopt animals out, Shumate said.

The ordinance promotes collaboration between animal shelters, rescue organizations and pet stores to showcase adoptable, homeless pets at pet stores.

The amendment does not affect a consumer’s ability to obtain a pet, Shumate told commissioners.

“I’m sure if you are looking for any breed of dog, you can find it very quickly, here in Pasco County, or surrounding counties, or certainly within our own state,” Shumate said.

“We have no want for animals coming into our shelter every day, so we know that the population is still high,” he said.

“We have cats galore, in the county, that we’re desperately working on to get sterilized as quickly as possible with some of our programs and funding, and some of our partners and grants from Petco and PetSmart Charities, and things like that,” he added.

Animal services does its best to avoid euthanizing animals. Currently, it has a 93% save rate, Shumate said, crediting his staff and the shelter’s partners for that achievement.

Reducing the number of pets brought into the county from puppy or kitten mills should result in fewer pets being brought to the shelter — thus increasing the shelter’s available space to keep pets alive, while they are awaiting permanent homes, he added.

By adopting the amended ordinance, the county will join about 50 municipalities and eight other counties in Florida that already have passed similar ordinances, Shumate said.

The ordinance does allow an  exemption for current registered pet stores in the county.

That exemption is being permitted because there is just one existing pet store and the county has the ability to inspect it and respond to complaints, if any arise, Shumate said.

Published August 19, 2020

Pasco voters to weigh in on key races

By

The Primary 2020 ballot is not long in Pasco County, but there are some key races in the election set for Aug. 18.

Some voters will make their way to the polls to cast their ballots on Election Day, but many will have already voted, or mailed in their ballots.

It remains unclear how concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic will affect voter turnout, but election supervisors in both Hillsborough and Pasco counties have reported efforts to ensure the safety of both poll workers and voters.

Such measures include social distancing and ongoing cleaning. As a result, lines at the polls could be longer, the supervisors in both counties have said.

In Pasco County, all voters will be able to cast ballots in the universal primary contest for the Pasco County Commission District 4 race.

The candidates are competing to fill the seat that was vacated by Mike Wells, who ran for County Property Appraiser and was elected.

In universal primary contests all voters can participate, because all of the candidates in the race are from the same party, and there is no opposition in the general election.

Those vying for the Pasco County Commission District 4 seat are Gary Bradford, Christina “Fitzy” Fitzpatrick, Jeff Miller and Gabriel “Gabe” Papadopoulos.

In another race, Republican voters will choose whether they want Kurt S. Browning or David LaRoche to represent the party in the Nov. 3 general election.

Meanwhile, voters will have a choice between Alison Crumbley or Joshua Stringfellow, in the nonpartisan race for the District 4 seat on the Pasco County School Board.

The polls will be open on Aug. 18 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Some seats have already been settled in Pasco County.

Pasco County Tax Collector Mike Fasano, Clerk & Comptroller Nikki Alvarez-Sowles and Sheriff Chris Nocco each will serve another four years — since no opponents came forward to challenge them by the qualifying deadline in the 2020 election.

Supervisor of Elections Brian Corley also will serve another four years, as his opponent withdrew. And, Wells has been elected to Pasco County Property Appraiser, since his opponent Gary Joiner did not qualify.

Pasco County Commissioner Ron Oakley will serve another term in District 1, because opponent Christopher King withdrew. And, Pasco School Board District 2 incumbent Colleen Beaudoin has won another term because her opponent Adrienne G. Wilson withdrew.

A number of other races will be decided in the Nov. 3 general election, including the District 3 and District 5 seats on the Pasco County Commission.

Other races on the ballot will determine who will represent Florida’s 12th congressional district and who will represent District 36, District 37 and District 38, in the Florida House. A special election also will be held to choose a new representative in the Florida Senate, District 20.

To find out early voting locations or for other election information, visit PascoVotes.gov.

Pasco Active Registered Voters*
Republican: 151,859
Democratic: 115,807
No Party: 106,532
Minor Party: 5,723

Total: 379,921

*As of 08/09/2020
Source: Pasco County Supervisor of Elections

Published August 12, 2020