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Pinellas County

Advocates address legislators to reduce veteran homelessness

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Local agency officials recently addressed an array of issues facing homeless veterans, before members of the Economic Opportunity Subcommittee of the U.S. House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, at a session in New Port Richey.

U.S. Rep. Mike Levin, chairman of the subcommittee, and U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis, ranking member of the committee, listened to suggestions on reducing veteran homelessness from a group panel, to relay back to the U.S. Congress.

Levin, a Democrat, represents California’s 49th congressional district, and Bilirakis, a Republican, represents Florida’s 12th congressional district.

Mary White was one of several panelists urging an expansion of services for homeless veterans, during a Sept. 16 meeting of the Economic Opportunity Subcommittee of the U.S. House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs. The meeting was at the West Pasco Government Center in New Port Richey. (Brian Fernandes)

Panelists were Joe Battle, director of the James A. Haley Veterans’ Hospital; Danny Burgess, executive director of the Florida Department of Veterans Affairs;

David Lambert, chairman of the Pasco County Housing Authority; Michael Raposa, CEO of St. Vincent DePaul Cares; Brian Anderson, CEO and founder of Veterans Alternative; and Mary White, a former homeless veteran.

“Today we’re here to examine and highlight programs and benefits to help combat veteran homelessness,” Bilirakis said, in his opening statement. “There’s been a significant amount of progress made nationwide in reducing homelessness among veterans, but we still have much more work to do.”

Burgess noted that Florida’s VA department implemented the Forward March initiative throughout the state earlier this year. This program teams state agencies with various grassroots organizations to find ways to deal with the crisis.

The executive director told the congressmen that strategies need to be in place to integrate servicemen and servicewomen back into civilian life.

Burgess also advised that the government should make the first initiative, approaching veterans with beneficial opportunities, as opposed to them seeking it out themselves.

“We have about an estimated 2,543 homeless veterans in Florida that we know about,” he said, adding that five counties have already been successful in ending this issue.

Burgess suggested that other regions of the nation could follow their example by having more community-based organizations invested in veterans’ welfare, while working alongside state government.

“As of 2018, Point-in-Time count reveals Pasco (County) and Pinellas County are leading in several homeless statistics, including veteran homelessness,” said Anderson, the Veterans Alternative CEO. “We lack the number of beds needed, and unfortunately cannot build and fund fast enough to keep up with the demand.”

Like Burgess, he emphasized the importance of community involvement backed by government support – especially as it relates to mental health.

More resources should be allocated to wellness programs in addressing the psycho-social needs of veterans, Anderson said.

“Homelessness is not the root cause – rather is a byproduct of several contributing factors, including mental health, medical and economic hardship,” he said.

Levin noted that earlier this year, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill that would provide grants in helping states collaborate with veteran organizations to address psychiatric needs for those coming out of service.

The pivotal role of HUD-VASH vouchers
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development-VA Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) voucher program, also was a topic of discussion.

The federal government issues the vouchers to provide suitable housing for low-income people, the elderly and even veterans.

Bilirakis asked Battle: “What is the one message or need that I need to take back to Washington (D.C.) with me, that would make your job easier, or would reduce homelessness among veterans?”

Battle’s response: “How can we adjust HUD vouchers to be able to accommodate for rising rents in different areas.”

The VA hospital director stated that the program has been key in putting veterans into homes, and has seen its benefits.

“At (James A.) Haley, we have 1,060 HUD-VASH vouchers available for use and currently 119 veterans are permanently housed using these vouchers,” Battle explained.

However, as the cost of living continues to escalate, this has been a challenge, he noted.

In addition, Pasco County doesn’t have a sufficient number of homes to put these vouchers toward, said Lambert, chairman of the Pasco County Housing Authority.

The authority recently purchased property to build a 78-unit veterans housing community. But this, too, was a dilemma for the housing authority because various banks refused to lend the necessary funds.

Addressing the congressmen, Lambert said: “We respectfully request the federal government create regulations to do what you have already done in the housing arena – to allow banks to fund our projects.”

A first-hand account
White was one panelist who could attest to the importance of the voucher system.

“The program that probably helped me the most would be HUD-VASH and the housing voucher,” she said. “Without that, I would probably be couch-surfing with my son.”

As a U.S. Army veteran, White found herself as a single mother with an infant, when she became homeless.

With the HUD-VASH voucher, she was able to get herself and her child into an apartment, and various organizations donated furniture and food, she recalled.

White was able to go back to school with the help of the GI Bill, and the VA Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment program.

She also was granted a voucher to offset costs for child care while working and in school.

She currently holds a master’s degree and works for the Department of Economic Opportunity.

At the hearing, she took the time to address the transportation barriers that prevent veterans from sustaining a job, as well as their need for proper dental care.

St. Vincent DePaul Cares also was instrumental in helping White get proper housing.

“Since 2012, St. Vincent DePaul Cares has been a leader in many of the areas toward the end of veteran homelessness – including the counties of Pasco, Pinellas, Hillsborough and Polk,” said Raposa, the organization’s CEO.

Since the institution began, it has shortened the time it takes for veterans to transition from the street into a home — from 180 days initially to 60 days now, Raposa said.

He implored the congressmen to help expand Florida’s affordable-housing trust fund. Under the Sadowski Coalition, various organizations have pressed lawmakers in putting housing trust funds toward the state’s housing programs.

Raposa noted: “2019 was the first time in many years that we saw the governor’s office and the Senate on the same page to release a historic portion of that money, but the House did not support it. We desperately need your help with that.”

The Sept. 16 hearing was held at the West Pasco Government Center.

Published September 25, 2019

 

 

 

 

 

Fort De Soto Park: A recreation destination

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The Tampa Bay area has all sorts of places to escape and feel like you’re on vacation without having to drive very far or fly off somewhere.

A fisherman in Mullet Key Bayou in Fort De Soto Park is so intent on his task he doesn’t seem to know that two kayakers are sliding past him. (Karen Haymon Long)

And, when you get company from afar, there’s always someplace wonderful like Fort De Soto Park to take them. Here, all in one place, are a world-class beach, views of both the Gulf of Mexico and Tampa Bay, two fishing piers, boat launches, a historic fort, a ferry ride to Egmont Key, nature trails, kayak rentals, picnic shelters and the chance to see dolphins, manatees and more than 300 species of birds.

If you like to camp, the park – Pinellas County’s largest, with 1,136 acres – offers 238 camp sites for tents, pop-ups and RVs.

When my niece, Katie, visited recently from Georgia, we spent the day at the park soaking up sun, touring the fort and its museum, and strolling on Gulf Pier, where we saw five dolphins leaping from green, choppy water.

I had promised she’d see dolphins around the pier, attracted by thousands of tiny bait fish that always seem to be around.

A British rapid-fire rifle, built in 1890, once protected Egmont Key when it was home to Fort Dade and was later moved to Fort De Soto so more people could see it. The fort within Fort De Soto Park is open to the public.

And, there they were, cruising close to the pier and arching out of the water in pairs – perfect for a picture she sent to her mom.

All sorts of fishermen – from regulars with their wheeled carts overflowing with fishing gear to sunburned tourists – try their luck on the 1,000-foot-long pier, so it’s a good place to people watch.

A friendly fisherman, obviously a regular, helped us spot dolphins, while a younger man, who looked like a spring-breaker, hung his rod over the railing, trying hard to catch bait fish clustered under the pier. A cheering section – probably his family – rooted him on.

We saw all sorts of birds that day – seagulls soaring over the pier, pelicans in the bayou fronting the campgrounds, great blue herons and snowy egrets keeping watch at the beaches and curlews, which we call “chickens,” pecking around the camping and picnic grounds.

At the campground, we watched a man fishing in Mullet Key Bayou, water up to his thighs, oblivious to kayakers slipping silently behind him. Many sites line the bayou, with open views of water. We liked the fact that tents – which we prefer – and smaller pop-ups have their own area, separate from spots that allow RVs, which are known to run noisy generators, even at night.

Campers with dogs have yet another area – far from campers who prefer to travel without pets. The opposite was true at Jonathan Dickinson State Park on the east coast when we visited recently. Giant RVs overshadowed tiny tents and lots of campers had dogs in the campground we saw.

The Gulf Pier in Fort De Soto Park in Pinellas County is a great place to fish, and to see dolphins and freighters heading out into the Gulf of Mexico. In the background is Egmont Key and its lighthouse. A ferry from the park goes out to Egmont Key.

Fort De Soto’s campsites also offer lots more shade: most are nestled among trees that provide a natural barrier between sites. Bathhouses – some recently updated – were clean on our visit. A camp store sells everything from food to camping supplies and Florida souvenirs.

And, it’s a bargain to camp there at right around $40 a night for tent or RV.

A walking, biking trail leads to the boat launch area, with 11 floating docks, where we saw kayakers heading out for a ride. The trail also goes to the beach, and to the Gulf and Bay piers, the fort, picnic areas and shelters, and to a concession/snack bar/souvenir shop next to the fort.

After checking it out, we decided to eat there, since it would have taken too much time away from the park to drive to eat lunch somewhere else. We were happily surprised to find that the food was very good – fresh and cooked right there by a short-order cook. And, the price was good, under $10, for an excellent Caesar salad with grilled chicken. We ate at picnic tables just outside the concession with mostly British tourists on holiday.

It was an easy stroll to the fort, built in the late 1800s to protect the Tampa Bay area during the Spanish-American War. We walked around the remaining fortifications and studied the two British rapid-fire rifles built in 1890 that once protected Egmont Key, when it was home to Fort Dade and later moved to Fort De Soto so more people could see them.

Many campsites at Fort DeSoto Park face Mullet Key Bayou, making them perfect for launching kayaks. Some campers head out just before sunset to watch the sun go down and the sky light up.

And, we checked out the last four 12-inch M 1890-MI mortars remaining in North America. The only others are in the Philippines. Surprisingly, very little signage – or historical information – is available at the fort. But, we later discovered a free history museum that offers all sorts of information about the fort in a building next to the Gulf Pier’s parking lot.

A park brochure online at PinellasCounty.org (select Fort De Soto Park) also features a historic walking tour of the fort with pictures and lots of good information.

It’s best to go the museum, or check out the brochure, before visiting the fort. We wish we had.

The park’s beach is among the best in the country, with powdery white sand, and on weekdays there are large areas with few people.

Fort De Soto Park – Pinellas County’s largest park – boasts one of America’s best beaches. It’s not even overcrowded on some weekdays.

The beach deserves its accolades. Stephen Leatherman, known as Dr. Beach, crowned Fort De Soto’s beach as No. 1 in the nation in 2008 and as one of America’s best in 2005. (He never picks the same beach for the top spot more than once). And, Trip Advisor, the popular online travel site, picked it as the nation’s top beach in 2009.

Two designated swim centers – East Beach and North Beach – have plenty of parking, picnic shelters, restrooms, showers and playgrounds. A dog beach area is between the Gulf and Bay piers.

On the beach, a warm breeze blew softly and white billowy clouds danced across a clear blue sky. Sea oats sprung from the sand and kids played under royal blue beach umbrellas. It was a picture postcard day in Florida.

We had one more nice surprise before heading home. We drove south along the beach, past the giant American flag near the park entrance station, and at the end of the road saw kite-boarders soaring above the water, their colorful kites against the sky with the Sunshine Skyway Bridge looming behind them.

It was windy, the perfect day to fly. And, their pleasure was ours.

TIPS FOR THE TRIP
How to get there: Fort De Soto Park is at 3500 Pinellas Bayway South in Tierra Verde. From St. Petersburg, take I-275 south, then exit 17 onto Pinellas Bayway/FL 682 west. After 3 miles, turn left onto Pinellas Bayway (FL 679). Go 6.6 miles to the park. Park entrance is $5.

For information on the park, maps, camping and picnic shelter reservations, see PinellasCounty.org/parks, and choose Fort De Soto Park. For reservations for the ferry to Egmont Key, call (727) 398-6577.

Where to eat: We liked the concession snack shop next to the fort in the park. On another visit, we enjoyed lunch close to the park at the Island Grille & Raw Bar, 210 Madonna Blvd., Tierra Verde. It has good seafood, friendly service and a signature marlin mounted over the entrance.

See IslandRawBar.com.

Fun fact: The park stretches over five keys: Mullet Key, St. Jean Key, St. Christopher Key, Madelaine Key and Bonne Fortune Key.

By Karen Haymon Long

Published June 21, 2017

Commuters could get a faster ride

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Pasco County commuters understand the frustration of gridlock, as they head to and from work every day.

Florida Department of Transportation officials believe the proposed construction of a project known as the Tampa Bay Express could make life easier for motorists traveling from St. Petersburg in Pinellas County to Wesley Chapel in Pasco County.

Nearly 50 miles of new toll lanes would be built adjacent to existing non-toll lanes along Interstate 275 and Interstate 4, in a project that state highway officials have pegged at initial costs of $3 billion, but said it could get as high as $6 billion.

If the project is approved, construction would be five or more years away.

The toll fees would vary depending on traffic volume —  with more expensive tolls applying at rush hour. SunPass would be the only accepted method of payment. The system will not allow billing by license plate.

The potential is there, too, for a rapid bus transit service that would operate within the toll lane system, but not pay tolls. A 44-foot “multimodal envelope” is included in the design. Park and ride stations would be built. including one in Wesley Chapel.

The project is stirring an intense struggle between those who support the TBX as a regional approach to easing traffic congestion and those who characterize the TBX as a boondoggle that will destroy historic Tampa neighborhoods, and do little for mass transit.

TBX-FDOT_system_map
The proposed Tampa Bay Express would add toll lanes to existing non-toll lanes along Interstate 275 and Interstate 4, creating a managed toll system linking Wesley Chapel in Pasco County to St. Petersburg in Pinellas County. (Courtesy of Florida Department of Transportation)

A coalition, including the Tampa Bay Partnership, now has The Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce as a partner. The chamber’s board of directors approved a resolution on April 21 in support of TBX “as an essential foundation to pursue a variety of forward-thinking transit options” in the Tampa Bay area.

The day before the chamber’s vote, state transportation officials made a presentation to about 20 people who attended a public meeting on the TBX, sponsored by the chamber.

Kirk Bogen, the transportation department’s environmental manager engineer, said the Wesley Chapel presentation was the first one in the “outskirts” of the TBX project area.

“We’re putting out feelers, accepting invitations,” he said.

Hope Allen, president of the Wesley Chapel chamber, said the coalition’s goal is to inform people of what’s going on and “to make sure it’s the right fit for our commuters.”

The TBX and gridlock relief are key to the area’s future development, she said. Without the project, she added, “Wesley Chapel doesn’t look quite as appealing. We’re here to help you get this moving along.”

The toll express lanes also have strong support from Mayor Bob Buckhorn.

But, the project faces resistance within Tampa’s historic neighborhoods, including Tampa Heights, Ybor City and Seminole Heights. Community activists and a newly formed Sunshine Citizens coalition are working hard to block the TBX.

They have held a series of protest marches through neighborhoods that could lose about 100 businesses and homes to the road project. Among area businesses that could be torn down are Café Hey, the Oceanic Market and La Segunda Central Bakery, which has operated in Ybor City for more than 100 years. A public housing complex, Mobley Park apartments, also could be torn down.

Many in the neighborhoods remember past urban renewal projects that divided and devastated communities.

A crucial vote on the matter will take place on June 22 at 6 p.m., at the Hillsborough Metropolitan Planning Organization in the Hillsborough County Commission Chamber, at 601 E. Kennedy Blvd., in Tampa.

Members of that board approved the project in 2015 as part of their Transportation Improvement Plan, but opponents are hoping to sway some members to vote against it now.

There is critical need for the project and for toll revenues that can “help maintain the roads into the future,” Bogen said. Otherwise, he said, “Your system basically will continue to fail.”

On any day during rush hour, Pasco residents chug south on I-275 at speeds well under highway limits.

“I spend so much time stuck on freeways or Bearss Avenue or downtown, I don’t know where the time goes,” said Tom Ryan.

Ryan is economic development manager for the Pasco Economic Development Council, but said he was speaking as a private citizen.

Greg Vinas, B2B sales manager in Wesley Chapel, said he also would like to see light rail as an option, but the TBX is needed to reduce congestion and create connections.

“It will make the community that much smaller,” he said.

With improved transportation, one trend he hopes to see is reverse commuting with Tampa area residents coming to Pasco for jobs, as the area attracts new businesses.

“I know people now (from Tampa) who won’t come up here,” Vinas said.

To find out more about the proposed TBX project, visit TampaBayExpress.com. To learn more about the opposition, visit StopTBX.com.

Published April 27, 2016

Pasco wants a say in path of recreational trail

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The Florida Department of Transportation is studying the proposed path for the South Sumter Connector Trail, a segment needed to close a gap in the planned 275-mile Coast-to-Coast (C2C) Connector Trail.

Two routes are being considered for the connector, but just one passes through Pasco County. Most of both possible routes is in Sumter County, but the stakes are high for communities in Pasco, Sumter and Hernando counties that envision opportunities for recreation, tourism and economic development.

Kathryn Starkey
Kathryn Starkey

The completed trail will pass through nine counties and link nearly 20 trails across the state from Pinellas County to Brevard County.

The issue is slated for discussion on Sept. 10, at the 10 a.m. meeting of the Pasco Metropolitan Planning Organization’s monthly board meeting. The session will be at the Historic Pasco County Courthouse in Dade City.

The agenda will focus on gathering public input for a southern route that begins along abandoned rail beds in northeast Pasco, parallels State Road 50, and crosses through the Withlacoochee State Forest. It ends in eastern Sumter.

“The trail is going to be marketed internationally to a very active group of travelers,” said Pasco County Commissioner Kathryn Starkey.

“I think it’s going to be a really good tourism draw for our county,” added Starkey, who also serves on the MPO board.

At one time, the expectation was for the trail route to come through Pasco, but since then, a second northern option was added, Starkey said.

The proposed northern route begins in western Hernando County, and then moves southeast to Sumter along former railroad right-of-way. It would link the towns of Webster and Center Hill, and connect with the Withlacoochee State Trail.

At the Sept. 2 meeting of the MPO’s Citizens Advisory Committee, James Edwards, transportation manager for the Pasco MPO, said, “Let’s move to the next stage. How do we have an impact on the decision?”

The state roads department has no announced public meetings in Pasco on the trail routes and study.

The kick-off meeting for the 18-month feasibility study was on May 7 in the town of Webster. The study is slated to conclude in June 2016.

According to FDOT records of the meeting, nearly 125 people attended, but fewer than 3 percent were from Pasco.

While there was support for the route into Pasco, FDOT records show some hunters objected to the southern route, which they said would disrupt or halt hunting season in the area.

“This (Sept. 10 MPO meeting) is effectively going to wind up being our public meeting,” Edwards said. “The study is still ongoing. Information is coming forward on both these alignments.”

Starkey has sent a letter in support of Pasco’s selection, and has spoken with FDOT officials.

If the route through Pasco isn’t selected, the commissioner said she would continue to pursue completion of a trail that would go through Dade City.

The northeastern area of the county, which is noted for its hilly landscapes, is a popular bicycle destination for many bicycle clubs, said Allen Howell, a bicycle and pedestrian planner with the MPO.

“Pasco County and its citizens are making a big effort to become the bicycle capital of the state,” Starkey said. “It’s important for economic prosperity.”

Published September 9, 2015

Pasco and Hillsborough counties are partners in growth

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The explosion of new development in Pasco and Hillsborough counties is good news for governments that count on robust tax revenues to balance budgets. But, the rooftop subdivisions and shopping malls sprouting along busy highways that link these two prospering counties bring new challenges that likely will require a regional approach to solve.

Transportation, including public transit, is among the most critical issues.

“Everything is connected, but all roads – no pun intended – lead back to transportation,” said Hillsborough County Administrator Mike Merrill.

The recession temporarily slammed the brakes on new investments. But with marketplace confidence in the driver’s seat again, developers are accelerating their pace to build thousands of new homes, malls, hotels and restaurants.

In Pasco County, much of the activity is centered on State Road 54, the east-west corridor on the county’s southern border. The heaviest activity on State Road 54 so far is at its interchanges at Interstate 75 and the Suncoast Parkway.

Another Pasco hot spot is U.S. 19, the north-south corridor on the county’s western side.

Both State Road 54 and U.S. 19 are expected to have expanding development and concentrations of new residents, according to Pasco County Administrator Michele Baker.

Future growth plans, driven by incentives, will set the path for where future development – commercial and residential – should go, she said. But she added: “You cannot build your way out of traffic congestion.”

During the past two decades, Pasco has seen cow pastures and citrus groves vanish as land is plowed over for subdivisions and shopping centers. Rush hours are a daily ritual — a commuter conga line of motorists leaving and returning to the county’s bedroom communities.

Density plays a role in deciding which transportation projects should get priority.

“You need a certain amount of congestion before you see people on the bus,” Baker said.

Baker and Merrill shared their insights on the future of their counties and of the Tampa Bay region with about 50 people who attended the monthly meeting of the Tampa Bay Builders Association on Feb. 26.

Much of Pasco’s growth emerged from development along U.S. 19 in Pinellas County and from I-75 and U.S. 301 in Hillsborough County, Baker said.

“People moved up here for quality of life and housing, but we orient ourselves to the counties to the south,” Baker said.

Slightly less than 50 percent of Pasco residents of employment age commute daily to Hillsborough and Pinellas counties.

“We’re trying to make that less every day,” Baker said.

The transportation network linking Hillsborough, Pinellas and Pasco isn’t simply about commuters, however. Goods and services must move along the same network, Baker said.

“We do have to work to try to solve the problem,” she said.

Hillsborough is dealing with its own growth explosion.

It is courting opportunities to attract corporate headquarters, it is watching downtown Tampa’s revitalization, pondering a new site for the Tampa Bay Rays, and delivering expanded services and infrastructure to new residents.

In the next 20 years Hillsborough is expected to add about 600,000 residents, Merrill said.

“Along with (Pinellas County Administrator Mark Woodward) we are working much more closely than I’ve ever seen, since 1988, because we are dependent on each other,” Merrill said.

Improved communications and collaborations are good for all counties, Baker agreed.

“Our futures do grow together,” she said.

The challenge is to develop regional strategies without overlooking each individual county’s needs, Baker said.

As businesses look to expand and don’t have room in Hillsborough and Pinellas, they will look elsewhere, Baker said.

But she posed this question: “Rather than let them leap frog from the Tampa Bay region, how do we work to keep them here…without cherry picking from each other?”

The two counties take different approaches to revenue resources.

About 70 percent of Hillsborough’s tax revenues flow from property taxes, while Pasco gets about 35 percent of its money from property taxes. The majority of Pasco’s revenues are filled in with sales and gas taxes, and the renewed Penny for Pasco program.

Baker said Pasco historically has taken a “pay as you go” approach with developers paying higher impact fees than Hillsborough to cover the costs of infrastructure, such as roads and sewers, to support new growth.

But Baker also pointed out that Pasco County has the lowest permitting fees in the region.

Hillsborough needs greater diversity in its revenue sources, Merrill said.

“The struggle in Hillsborough County is how to go forward. It’s not easy to make that shift overnight,” Merrill said.

Pasco County has been focused on changing what Baker described as a “culture of no.”

Along those lines, county officials have taken steps to eliminate and streamline business regulations and to promote a more customer friendly attitude among county employees, Baker said.

“We are not all the way there, but we are picking up steam and making good headway,” Baker said.

Published March 11, 2015

MPO keeps elevated toll road on long-range county plan

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Pasco County’s 2040 Long-Range Transportation Plan is on its way to both federal and state authorities, highlighting the county’s plan for roads, transit and sidewalks over the next 25 years. And one transportation feature that made the cut? Elevation roads along the State Road 54/56 corridor.

A group of residents successfully fought a proposed private elevated toll road that would’ve stretched from Zephyrhills to New Port Richey earlier this year, but once they stopped that project, they vowed to remove any mention of elevated roads from the transportation plan. Yet, among the more than 30 changes made to the plan after two months of public hearings, none of them included deleting references to an elevated road.

In fact, it remains an option for the county between 2020 and 2040 along the State Road 54/56 corridor as an “alternative improvement.” That could include “premium transit improvements” like toll lanes, overpasses like those used on U.S. 19 in Pinellas County, and elevated lanes, like was proposed by International Infrastructure Partners LLC in 2013 that could’ve cost upward of $2.2 billion or more.

Pasco’s Metropolitan Planning Organization conducted a 30-day comment period through Nov. 23, as well as public workshops throughout November. It concluded with a public hearing on Dec. 11 where the new transportation plan was adopted unanimously.

Many of the changes to the plan were minor, like name changes of some roads at Bexley Ranch near the Suncoast Parkway, and Mitchell Boulevard near the Little Road area. But there also were some larger changes as well, including:

• Moving up the six-lane expansion of State Road 52 from Interstate 75 to Pasco Road from 2040 to 2019.

• Keeping the State Road 56 expansion from Meadow Pointe to U.S. 301 two lanes instead of four by 2019, but possibly expanding it to four lanes by 2030. Zephyrhills city officials are working with state lawmakers to get that timetable moved up.

• Delaying another 10 years to 2040 projects like Livingston Avenue from State Road 54 to Collier Parkway, Eiland Boulevard from Handcart to Dean Dairy roads; Curley Road from Wells Road to Clinton Avenue, and Lake Patience Road from Sunlake Boulevard to U.S. 41.

The MPO also made a number of changes to Tower Road, which runs primarily east to west in Pasco County just north of State Road 54. They include developer-funded improvements like a two-lane stretch from Bexley Ranch to Ballantrae Boulevard, and an expansion to a two-lane road from U.S. 41 to Ehren Cutoff by 2040, paid for by the county.

The Federal Highway Administration, the Federal Transit Administration and the Florida Department of Transportation will now review the plan, and work with the county to help implement it.

To read the complete plan, visit Mobility2040Pasco.com.

In Print: Something funny happening at Beef’s?

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Football and hockey might be the first thing that comes to people’s minds when they think of Beef O’Brady’s. But comedy? That might be something new.

Yet, the Beef’s at 7040 Land O’ Lakes Blvd., is welcoming comedians to the sports-themed restaurant once a month. And coming up Nov. 21 is a teacher-turned-jokester from Pinellas County, Mike Rivera.

Rivera’s comedy fits with Beef O’Brady’s desire to put on a show that is adult-oriented, but not vulgar. (Michael Murillo/Staff Photo)
Rivera’s comedy fits with Beef O’Brady’s desire to put on a show that is adult-oriented, but not vulgar. (Michael Murillo/Staff Photo)

“There’s nobody else who has a comedy show in the area,” Beef’s general manager Mike Connor told reporter Michael Murillo. “We just thought this was something different.”

The show begins at 9 p.m., to allow a more adult audience to enjoy Rivera’s humor. But if anyone is expecting to hear material that would make many people blush, it’s not part of what Connor is trying to do at Beef’s.

“Dropping the f-bomb every other word is not funny,” Connor added.

Get all the details about how Beef O’Brady’s is turning to comedy in this week’s print edition of The Laker/Lutz News, available on newsstands and driveways right now, or for free in our online e-edition by clicking here.

Getting to Beef’s might be a little easier for residents living in the Silver Lakes community after learning a developer wanting to build more than 100 homes near the shores of Curve Lake is changing that community’s main entrance.

Southern Crafted Homes had originally looked to use the small and quite rural Fletch Road as the main entrance to Pristine Lakes, forcing residents there to travel through a small community to Barcellona Road to finally get to Land O’ Lakes Boulevard. This was not a popular idea by residents who lived along those roads, including Bobbi Smith, who had pushed for developers to acquire enough land to move the entrance to Ehren Cutoff.

That wish appears to be granted, with developers proposing to do just that.

“All we wanted was for the traffic to go a different way,” Smith told reporter Michael Hinman. “That’s the answer to everybody’s concern.”

Yet, Smith might not be ready to take a breath quite yet. Pristine Lakes wants to still use Fletch Road as an emergency entrance. What does she think of that? Find out in this week’s print edition of The Laker, available right now. Or read it right here online for free in our e-edition by clicking here.

Wiregrass Ranch High School students might be looking at a bit of a longer day soon. School officials need to deal with some overcrowding issues on campus, and one way to do that is through a 10-period school day.

“While that seems to be the most feasible and logical solution right now, we have stayed open to other possibilities,” school principal Robyn White told reporter B.C. Manion. “We have looked at every suggestion that anybody has given. So far, we haven’t come up with anything better.”

Wiregrass Ranch was built for an enrollment of 1,633, but currently has 2,333 students in the hallways and in 30 portable classrooms. It is expected to have as many as 2,500 students by the time next fall rolls around.

How would the 10-period day work? Find out in this week’s Wesley Chapel print edition of The Laker. Or read it online right now in our free e-edition by clicking here.

And finally, photojournalist Fred Bellet has some great pictures to share from the U.S. Marine Corps birthday celebration at Harbor Terrace Restaurant at Heritage Harbor Golf and Country Club. See it online by clicking here.

All of these stories and more can be found in this week’s The Laker/Lutz News, available in newsstands throughout east and central Pasco County as well as northern Hillsborough County. Find out what has your community talking this week by getting your local news straight from the only source you need.

If The Laker/Lutz News is not coming to your door, call us to see where you can get your copy at (813) 909-2800, or read our free e-edition by clicking here.

Election Day is here! And so is everything you need to know

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Today is Election Day where Florida will elect a governor, an attorney general, a chief financial officer and an agriculture commissioner among others. Locally, however, voters will have to decide on representatives in Tallahassee, as well as who will represent their interests on the county commission.

In last week’s print edition of The Laker/Lutz News, we offered an election primer, which you can read by clicking here. But do you want to know more?

Here is a collection of stories related to the various candidates and government leaders The Laker/Lutz News has published over the past year, both in print, and online. We’ve covered all the races extensively, and provided some government news at the same time, which helped earn us the state’s best local government reporting coverage this past year by the Florida Press Association.

Did we miss a story? Feel free to search the site using our internal engine using key words that most interest you, and chances are, we’ve covered it.

Be sure to keep reading our site tonight as we provide up-to-the-minute coverage of the election, before we break it all down in the Nov. 12 print editions of The Laker/Lutz News.

GOVERNOR’S RACE

Scott wants closer look of Ebola threat (10/26)
Although one nurse already under quarantine feels the measures are too restrictive in other parts of the country, Gov. Rick Scott has issued an executive order that could go as far as putting people under quarantine he feels is at high risk for Ebola.

Beverly Ledbetter with Charlie Crist
Beverly Ledbetter with Charlie Crist

Crist has slim lead in Saint Leo poll (10/23)
With a less than two weeks until voters have to make a final decision on who they should send to (or keep in) Tallahassee, a new poll from the Saint Leo University Polling Institute shows Democrat Charlie Crist with a slight lead over incumbent Republican Rick Scott.

Crist campaign gets Pasco County boost (10/16)
Mike Fasano has made no secret his dislike for Gov. Rick Scott. But now he’s taking that opposition to television. The Charlie Crist gubernatorial campaign has released a new commercial featuring the Pasco County tax collector and former state legislator, taking a shot at Scott while publicly endorsing Crist, who Fasano calls “a good man.”

Browning parts from Scott, stands by Common Core Standards (10/2)
Pasco Schools Superintendent Kurt Browning is standing by the Common Core State Standards, despite a recent decision by Gov. Rick Scott to put the kibosh on the state’s participation in a consortia developing assessments for those standards.

Lopez-Cantera holds no punches against Crist (10/2)
Carlos Lopez-Cantera is Florida’s second-in-command behind Gov. Rick Scott, but there are still pockets of the state he has only heard about.

Gov. Rick Scott taking part in groundbreaking in Lutz.
Gov. Rick Scott taking part in groundbreaking in Lutz.

Fact Check: Lt. Gov. Carlos Lopez-Cantera’s campaign visit to Zephyrhills (9/30)
Lt. Gov. Carlos Lopez-Cantera made a campaign stop on behalf of Gov. Rick Scott in Zephyrhills Sept. 22, speaking in front of the Conservative Club of East Pasco.

Local projects spared from Scott’s veto pen (6/2)
Gov. Rick Scott left nearly $69 million of this year’s state budget on the cutting room floor, but various projects throughout Pasco and Hillsborough counties were given a reprieve.

CABINET RACES

Pasco’s free lunches take to the road (7/3)
It’s hard to imagine getting through most days without that noontime break for lunch. That packed sandwich, frozen entrée, or maybe even a quick trip to a local eatery, is something many people take for granted each day. But for 36,000 students in the Pasco County school district, that trip to the cafeteria may be the only nutritious meal they have all day, paid for through federal tax dollars.

Private businesses don’t have to open records to public (6/19)
While government typically hires its own people to perform various functions, there are many times when officials contract with private companies to get that work done. But does that mean the records of those businesses are now public record, like they are for the government? The answer is no, Attorney General Pam Bondi has decided.

Bondi saves Fasano’s prescription drug program with $2M pledge (5/5)
Every year since Gov. Rick Scott took office, Mike Fasano says he’s had to fight to keep the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program alive.

CONGRESSIONAL RACES

Local congressmen support president’s ISIL plan (9/18)
In a rare move, the U.S. Congress supported an initiative by President Obama Wednesday, voting to authorize limited military action against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, or more commonly known as ISIL. Despite the U.S. House approving the measure 221-192, the area’s two local Republican congressmen are still saying they’re not happy with how Obama is handling the conflict in Syria and Iraq.

Local congressional districts should remain unchanged (8/7)
Florida lawmakers are back in Tallahassee for a special session this week after a judge in Leon County declared the boundaries for two Congressional districts were unconstitutional.

Cusp of history: Pasco leads way to amend Constitution (1/15)
It’s nearly impossible to get Democrats and Republicans in Congress to agree on anything these days, but a state senator from Pasco County might have a way to bring them together — even if it’s to campaign against his plan.

STATE LEGISLATURE RACES

Buy local? Not state House political candidates (11/2)
They have both championed jobs and money to flow into their district in Pasco County, but are two politicians seeking a place in Tallahassee practicing what they’re preaching?

Burgess: There’s no place like home … rule (10/23)
Danny Burgess was nervous as he straightened his tie and tried to review in his head everything he was going to say. It was his first debate in his race for a seat on the Zephyrhills City Council, and he had an uphill battle to convince older voters that electing an 18-year-old to represent them was the right way to go.

Burgess won’t defend Duke Energy, despite donation (10/9)
A state regulatory agency ordered the company to refund $54 million to customers last week, yet many Duke Energy customers remain unhappy about being charged for $3.2 billion in failed nuclear power plant projects. And one candidate for the Florida House is feeling the heat.

From teacher to candidate, Ledbetter just can’t say no (7/31)
Where there’s a will, there’s a way. And when there’s a need, there’s Beverly Ledbetter. The retired educator has made Dade City her home since the days of Richard Nixon, inspiring thousands of students at Pasco Junior High School and later Pasco High School for more than three decades. Along the way, Ledbetter found herself in the most unexpected jobs, whether it be coaching the school’s soccer team, or helping educators through her work with the teachers’ union.

Express route to downtown Tampa in jeopardy, HART says (7/24)
The number of people who depend on HART’s Route 51X connecting Pasco County to downtown Tampa is dwindling. And so is the organization’s money. So it’s probably no surprise to some of the remaining riders that officials with Hillsborough Area Regional Transit want to make some significant changes to the route, possibly removing the express route altogether. But at the very least, adding some local stops to finally bring such mass transit service to the New Tampa area.

Danny Burgess and Beverly Ledbetter at a recent candidate forum.
Danny Burgess and Beverly Ledbetter at a recent candidate forum.

Legg, lawmakers build path to collegiate high schools (6/26)
High schools have come a long way in preparing students for schools, with Florida especially hanging its hat on dual enrollment opportunities that allow many juniors and seniors to earn college credit before receiving their high school diploma.

Paperwork snafu costs Diaz chance for Tallahassee (6/20)
Danny Burgess no longer has to worry about a primary battle in his quest to succeed Will Weatherford in House District 38.

PHSC project one of Florida TaxWatch’s ‘turkeys’ (5/27)
Will Pasco-Hernando State College get that performing arts center it has been hoping for? Not if the governor is paying attention to political activist group Florida TaxWatch.

Winners and losers from tough Tallahassee session (5/23)
Amphibians like frogs and toads can create thousands of tadpoles each season, but only a few actually survive to become adults just like their parents. That could be the perfect way to describe how lawmaking works in Tallahassee. Hundreds of bills are introduced during each session of the Florida Legislature, but very few survive.

Danish pushing Scott to sign child welfare law (5/6)
State Rep. Mark Danish, D-Tampa, is urging Gov. Rick Scott to sign a bill into law he says will help strengthen the speed and quality of child abuse and neglect investigations in the state. Danish is pushing S.B. 1666, which includes parts of a House bill he introduced this year, and other child welfare initiatives. The bill quickly made it way through both chambers, receiving no dissenting votes in either the House or the Senate.

Future of Pasco lives and dies with municipal airports (4/17)
The expansion of State Road 56 into Zephyrhills could be key to a major economic boom for Pasco County, and two candidates seeking to replace state Rep. Will Weatherford, R-Wesley Chapel, in Tallahassee agree state-level leadership must be in place to make sure it happens.

Burgess invites Tampa mayor to rediscover Wesley Chapel (4/11)
Danny Burgess has just a few more days as mayor of Zephyrhills before he goes full-time into a state House campaign. But before he goes, he has a message for Tampa mayor Bob Buckhorn: Wesley Chapel is no longer a “bedroom community.”

Lawmakers propose a little help at the gas pump (3/20)
There are more than 9,000 gas stations in Florida, but only 350 of them offer any type of help for someone who might not be able to pump their gas on their own. Two lawmakers, however, are looking to change that — and are using Hillsborough County as a model.

Eastern Time, Central Time … Florida Time? (1/30)
Spring forward. Fall back. Using the seasons as a guide, Americans have used those expressions to figure out when they should set their clocks back an hour, or forward an hour, to switch between standard time and daylight saving time.

Burgess eyes Tallahassee, but path may not be easy (12/11)
Although there always was a chance he could run for re-election, Danny Burgess knew he had just a short time as mayor of Zephyrhills when he was elected unopposed earlier this year. He will step down from that office in April with an eye on a much bigger prize: replacing Will Weatherford as the area’s state representative in Tallahassee.

PASCO COUNTY COMMISSION RACE

Moore, Remsberg spending money outside Pasco (11/3)
Bringing money into the county is something politician after politician has brought to campaigns and local government for years, and the Pasco County Commission race between Mike Moore and Erika Remsberg has been no different.

Left Behind: Bus services screeches to a halt on Monday (10/16)
Monday was Columbus Day, a holiday with federal status, but one that’s not recognized by many employers, including state and even Pasco County officials. Yet, many offices in the county were closed, including Pasco County Public Transportation, while the employees from those departments attended a daylong retreat and appreciation day.

Mulieri endorses new replacement, crosses party lines (10/16)
No one could ever accuse Pat Mulieri of simply following the herd. Two months ago, she took a stand in the Republican primary, endorsing underdog Bob Robertson from a group of candidates looking to replace her on the Pasco County Commission.

Mike Moore waving signs in Land O' Lakes.
Mike Moore waving signs in Land O’ Lakes.

Moore raises $34K in two weeks, but is it too much? (10/10)
A huge $22,500 haul from developers and real estate professionals over the last two weeks has given Pasco County Commission candidate Mike Moore his best fundraising week of the campaign, raising a whopping $34,250.

Both want jobs, but disagree on how to get them (10/9)
One of the biggest challenges facing the Pasco County Commission in recent years is how to create more jobs here, and not force nearly half the population to travel elsewhere to find work. It’s likely a problem that won’t be fixed over the next four years, but that hasn’t stopped the two candidates looking for a seat on the commission to share their ideas on how it might happen. They are just quite different.

Partisan politics infest county commission race (10/2)
It’s been four years since a Democrat has served on the Pasco County Commission, but Erika Remsberg hopes to change that with just one election in November. However, she has a formidable opponent in the form of Republican Mike Moore, who not only has out-fundraised her 19-to-1, but seems to be the shoo-in to replace the retiring Pat Mulieri in District 2.

Littlefield joins forces with Moore in commission race (9/25)
They may have been foes during the primary, but former state Rep. Ken Littlefield has taken sides in the November election, joining the campaign of Republican candidate Mike Moore in his efforts to replace the retiring Pat Mulieri on the Pasco County Commission.

Moore tops $100,000, makes district race most expensive (8/22)
With just days before voters will choose just one of three candidates to represent the Republican ticket in the Pasco County Commission District 2 race, Mike Moore will clearly take the fundraising title after a final push this week put him over $100,000.

Moore brings big voice to Pasco, but is ready to listen too (8/21)
Money talks, especially in a political campaign. And with nearly $100,000 at his disposal throughout his primary campaign, Mike Moore has had a pretty loud voice.

Let them go? (8/7)
It pretty much started when John Gallagher was caught in heavy traffic on Interstate 75. The morning rush is exactly that, the morning rush. But Gallagher, then the Pasco County administrator, realized that these were primarily people who lived in his county, but were heading south to work jobs in Hillsborough and even Pinellas counties.

Erika Remsberg
Erika Remsberg

Remsberg ready to give commission a much-needed intervention (7/31)
The first step in finding out who will replace Pat Mulieri on the Pasco County Commission begins at the Aug. 26 primary. There voters will choose between three politically focused men — Ken Littlefield, Mike Moore and Bob Robertson — to represent Republicans in the November election.

Commission candidate among those appointed to planning council (4/1)
Michael Moore is one of six appointments announced Monday by Gov. Rick Scott to the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council. Moore, who is seeking Pat Mulieri’s seat on the Pasco County Commission, is the owner of VR Business Sales/Mergers & Acquisitions of Wesley Chapel. He was appointed for a term that began Monday, and would end in October 2015.

GOP commission candidates debate policy for the first time (3/13)
He served eight years in the Florida House, a few weeks on the state’s Public Service Commission, and some additional time working in Gov. Charlie Crist’s administration. So why would Ken Littlefield, who is approaching his 70th birthday, want to try once again to replace Pat Mulieri on the Pasco County Commission?

OTHER ELECTION NEWS

Pasco, Hillsborough offers free rides to polls (11/3)
Want to vote, but not sure how to get there? Well, whether you live in Pasco County or Hillsborough, a chance to cast a ballot is just a free bus ride away.

Pasco gets 25 percent head start into Nov. 4 (11/2)
Early voting in various places around Pasco County ended Saturday, and although there’s still room to receive more mail-in ballots on Monday, county elections supervisor Brian Corley has to be happy with the turnout so far.

Political mailer pits neighbor versus neighbor (10/30)
A political mailer sharing the voting habits of neighbors might not be a new trick for the 2014 elections, but it’s one that has some residents questioning how much of their personal information should be made public.

Strong early voter turnout so far in Pasco (10/30)
Brian Corley likes what he’s seeing for the 2014 election so far. As of 4 p.m. Thursday, more than 21 percent of registered voters in Pasco County have dropped a ballot in the voting box, and there’s still two full days of early voting left.

Inaccurate campaign fliers confusing voters (9/29)
Thousands of voters in Pasco County and across the state opened their mailboxes this weekend to find a flier from the Gov. Rick Scott campaign telling them their absentee ballots should have arrived. Yet, there were no absentee ballots waiting for them.

Voters speak their mind on the primary election (8/26)
Despite the best efforts of election officials to get people out to the polls for the Aug. 26 primary, turnout — at least in Pasco County — is likely to be below 15 percent.

Campaign Crunch: Politicians reveal where their dollars are coming from (8/14)
Erika Remsberg has not raised a lot of money for her bid to replace Pat Mulieri on the Pasco County Commission — and she never expects to.

Voters are mad, and it could affect turnout this November (7/3)
There’s one question Susan MacManus gets more than any other as we head into a contentious election season. And despite her long and impressive credentials as a political scientist, even she can’t answer it.

Homeless veterans given chance at Stand Down event

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Pasco County Stand Down is set for Oct. 24-26 at Veterans Memorial Park in Hudson.

The grassroots, community-based intervention program helps the nation’s estimated 67,000 homeless veterans manage life on the streets. The national program began in San Diego in 1988, and has since spread to include more than 200 similar events nationwide.

The local Stand Down supports homeless and at-risk veterans in Pasco, Hillsborough, Pinellas and Hernando counties. It provides a broad range of highly needed services, including food, clothing, medical and dental care, benefits advice, personal care, haircuts, entertainment, and mental health services.

It is sponsored by several local public and private organizations, including Saint Leo University, which will provide a select group of current and former Saint Leo master of social work students, along with faculty, to help the veterans out. The social work program is part of an institution service learning project that provided needed counseling for veterans while at the same time train newer social work clinicians in advanced, research-based counseling methods.

More than 125 veterans who are expected to attend will be offered free, confidential and supportive counseling services — the first time that such services are being offered at the event.

For more information on the event, which takes place at 14333 Hicks Road in Hudson, visit PascoStandDown.org.

 

Pasco launches sports tourism survey

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Pasco County residents waiting for that chance to have a voice in tourism can do it now through a new survey offered by The Sports Facilities Advisory.

The survey is designed to help the advisory group develop a set of recommendations to the development of a sports tourism industry in the county. The goal will be to bring youth, amateur sports tournaments and events to the county by expanding the Office of Tourism’s structure and ability to attract and host events, according to a release. The study will assess the opportunities, challenges and steps necessary to enter into the rapidly expanding and competitive industry.

Pasco has been inspired by the success of sports tourism programming in Hillsborough and Pinellas counties, and believe there is enough that Pasco could share in it as well. Last year, Pinellas generated more than 110,000 room nights from such tourism, while Hillsborough has a long history of hosting successful sports tourism events — ranging from Florida Youth Soccer Association tournaments to the 2012 United Youth Football League National Championships.

“Pasco County is on the verge of tremendous growth, and we want to position ourselves to bring competitive sports to our region,” said Ed Caum, Pasco’s tourism manager, in a release. “Having dedicated sports facilities for tournaments in Pasco County, and working toward more collaborative efforts with our potential partners in Hillsborough and Pinellas will assist with our goal to make our region a recognized sports destination for sports tourism.”

The online survey will gauge perceived needs and support. The survey requests information related to sports participation, current use of existing sports facilities, and the potential use of future sports facilities. The survey also provides those taking it the option to request Pasco not develop a sports tourism program.

The survey will be available through Oct. 9, and can be accessed by clicking here.