The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Lutz since 1964 and Pasco since 1981.
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Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

Starkey Wilderness Park

Impacts of pandemic being felt across Pasco

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As the death toll rises and the economic meltdown continues — communities and businesses across the country grapple with impacts of the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

Pasco County’s priorities have been to protect the health and well-being of its residents and to get the economy back on track, as quickly as possible when the pandemic passes, said Pasco County Commission Chairman Mike Moore, in an email.

Pasco County Commission Chairman Mike Moore said the county has been focusing its energies on keeping residents safe during the coronavirus disease-2019 pandemic. It also is putting a high priority on getting the economy on track, once the pandemic passes. (File)

The county’s emergency management center has been working around the clock, and the county is in constant contact with local hospitals, and state and federal agencies, Moore said.

The county also has continued to order sample and test kits, as well as personal protection equipment for first responders and health care professionals, he added.

The county also has been proactive in identifying and securing locations for hospital overflow, should it be needed, Moore said, noting it has 38 standby locations.

And, Moore noted that he recently took part in a virtual town hall with representatives of the Pasco Economic Development Council Inc., and the Florida SBDC, to provide information to businesses about resources where they can seek  help, as many struggle to survive.

Another town hall is planned April 30 at 2:30 p.m., to focus on the unique challenges being experienced by the special needs community. (This will be a Zoom conference, with audio availability. Details to come). Experts will share their knowledge of best practices.

Moore also noted that although some functions of government are closed to the public, others continue to function to provide services — such as public transportation and virtual inspections.

Library buildings are closed, but online services are being offered.

The pandemic has hurt the county’s economy, and thereby county revenues. It is now reevaluating several projects, Moore said, but he did not provide specifics.

He did say “our tourism department is taking a beating right now” because it relies on tourist development taxes to fund it.

Moore also thanked residents, noting the vast majority are staying home unless they need essentials, such as food or medicine, or need to go to essential places of work.

“I suggest wearing a face covering while at the store to protect others, as well as yourself,” he said.

Pasco County Commission Kathryn Starkey is encouraging residents and businesses to do what they can to help others during the pandemic.

During a recent ZOOM virtual meeting of WOW TOO, Pasco County Commissioner Kathryn Starkey also talked about the local impacts of COVID-19.

“I think we’re very fortunate in Pasco County that we don’t have the high densities that you’re seeing in South Florida and some of the counties to the south of us. Our percentage of positives is much lower, and I think people in Pasco County are doing a great job of social distancing,” Starkey told the women’s networking group, which is part of the North Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce.

“We tried to keep business open, as usual, in Pasco County,” she said.

“We were in the midst of transitioning some of our permitting to online; some of that won’t be done until the end of the month, unfortunately. A little bit of business, as far as development business, has come to a halt.”

Virtual inspections, however, are ongoing, she said.

“As far as our budget, we know that it’s taken a hit. Our sales tax has taken a hit,” she said. “We’re reanalyzing what our budget is going to look like for next year.

“We’ve got a little bit of a freeze on, as far as hiring,” she said, noting that the county wants to be sure that it is as efficient as possible.

“We hesitated at doing the Stay at Home, Safer at Home, because the Pasco County numbers were pretty darn good, and people were being, I think, mostly respectful of the 6-foot distance, and not congregating in big numbers,” Starkey said.

“We wanted our businesses to be able to stay in business as long as possible.

“We know that this is hurting a lot of people,” she said.

But, even with the governor’s Stay at Home order, there are some things that are open, Starkey noted.

For instance, people can use Starkey Wilderness Park. “You can walk and hike in the park,” she said, but you can’t drive there — you’ll need to find a place to park nearby.

There are also U-Pick farms open, where people can pick blueberries or peaches.

Starkey is encouraging county residents and businesses to do what they can to support local restaurants.

She puts out a daily newsletter to keep people posted on new developments regarding COVID-19. To sign up for the newsletter, email your request to .

Published April 22, 2020

Pasco spends $22 million on environmental lands

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The Pasco County Commission has unanimously approved a $22 million purchase to secure ecological corridor sites and land for a future park in Central Pasco.

The purchase is the largest in the history of the county’s Environmental Lands Acquisition and Management Program (ELAMP) — which began in 2005, said Keith Wiley, the county’s director of parks, recreation and natural resources.

It took more than 1,000 hours and two years of negotiations to hammer out the agreement, Wiley said.

Commissioners Jack Mariano and Ron Oakley lauded the acquisition.

Commissioner Mike Wells praised the staff for their efforts to secure it. “It’s a great concept. The park is going to be phenomenal,” Wells said.

Before commissioners approved the purchase, Dr. Rene Brown, natural resources manager for the county, provided an overview.

The acquisition includes 843.50 acres at the southeastern corner of the Suncoast Parkway and State Road 52 in Land O’ Lakes, within the Project Arthur Master Planned Unit Development.

It includes land within two ecological corridors: the North Pasco to Crossbar Corridor, and the North Pasco to Connerton Corridor.

The acquisition includes a substantial portion of the remaining acreage not already protected in the North Pasco to Connerton Corridor.

It also includes about 647 acres in the Five Mile Creek Corridor, which is all of the acreage of that corridor that is located in Project Arthur, Brown said. That includes everything in the corridor from Starkey Wilderness Park to the railroad tracks, she added.

There’s also 147 acres for a new park, which will be mostly passive in nature because of its proximity to the two ecological corridors, but there will be some active components, she said.

The land is being purchased from Len-Angeline LLC, and the James and Mabel Family Partnership LLLP, et al, according to agenda backup materials.

It is being acquired under the county’s ecological corridor ordinance, which aims:
• To preserve a continuous network of wildlife habitat between existing public lands

  • To protect and conserve native vegetative communities, endangered and threatened species
  • To protect natural functions of wildlife habitats and invaluable ecosystems

Len-Angeline, and James and Mabel Family Partnership LLLP, et al. (Bexley) — elected compensation instead of density transfer.

This acquisition will protect the floodplain of the Pithlachascotee River, particularly the forested wetlands along the river channel, Brown said.

It also includes measures to sustain the mature forested communities along the Pithlachascotee River and the adjacent flatwoods, she said.

It protects the floodplain of Five Mile Creek, particularly the forested wetlands along the flow-way. And, it includes measures to sustain the native communities along Five Mile Creek and the adjacent flatwoods; and measures to sustain forested upland communities adjacent to this linkage.

This purchase builds on significant conservation efforts over the past 14 years to protect the ecological corridors, according to county staff.

The agreement also calls for Len-Angeline to contribute 40 acres of upland park land along with 40 acres within the Ecological Corridors to satisfy the 80-acre park level of service requirement.

The deal also stipulates that within five years of closing, Len-Angeline will collaborate with the county on park design and will spend $3 million to develop a portion of the park site.

There will be a trail connection to Five Mile Creek Corridor.

The agreement also includes extended possession provisions for both the Bexleys and Len-Angeline to facilitate continued cattle grazing.

No leasing fee will be charged to either entity until after December 2020.

It also allows for possible extended possession through Dec. 31, 2025 with a leasing charge dependent on: 1) whether Len-Angeline or another developer purchases the remaining area of the Bexley property, and 2) the finalization of Sunlake Boulevard and Ridge Road for access to the development.

Two appraisals were completed on the land. The applicants’ appraisal valued the ecological corridors at about $26.9 million, while the county’s appraisal put it at slightly under $17 million.

Published December 04, 2019

Construction begins to link recreational trails

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Pasco County’s engineering services had an event on Oct. 30 to celebrate the construction of the new Starkey Gap Bicycle and Pedestrian Trail that will link the Starkey and Suncoast Trails in Pasco County to the Pinellas Trail.

Construction of the new multi-use 2.4 mile-trail is expected to be completed in the summer of 2019.

Some cyclists were among those gathered to celebrate the beginning of construction of the Starkey Gap Bicycle and Pedestrian Trail. (Courtesy of Pasco County)

Once the segment is finished, it will provide connectivity to a trail that’s now more than 100 miles and continues to grow.

Construction of the Starkey Gap Trail is being funded and managed by the Florida Department of Transportation. After the trail is built, Pasco County will assume management of the trail.

This section of the trail is the last link of the Coast to Coast Connector Trail to be built in Pasco County. Once the Coast to Coast Connector Trail is completed, the network will stretch approximately 250 miles  — from St. Petersburg to Titusville.

Pasco County Commissioner Kathryn Starkey, who has played an instrumental role in addressing the need for recreational trails in Pasco, and across Florida, commented on the importance of this and other trail projects during an interview with The Laker/Lutz News.

“Before there ever was a Coast-to-Coast, we had this wonderful trail through Starkey Wilderness Park, which is a real jewel and it connects to the Suncoast Trail, which takes you all of the way up to Citrus County.

“The experiences on both trails are different, but they’re very special to serious cyclists.

Pasco County Commissioner Kathryn Starkey has a keen interest in linking Florida’s recreational trails together. She spoke during a recent event to celebrate the beginning of construction for the Starkey Gap Bicycle and Pedestrian Trail that will link the Starkey and Suncoast Trails in Pasco County to the Pinellas Trail.

“And then, you have the Pinellas Trail, which is a real economic driver for communities along that trail. It’s world famous.

“And, it just made so much sense to connect the two,” Starkey said.

She noted that she served on Florida’s Greenways and Trails Council, under governors Jeb Bush, Charlie Crist and Rick Scott.

While serving on that council during Bush’s administration, she said she learned about trails all over the state, and it just made sense to link those trails.

She was involved in linking the Starkey Trail to the Suncoast Trail, which provided a 100-mile trail, she said.

After that, she got started on working on the Starkey Gap link.

The Starkey Gap project will build a new 2.4-mile long multi-use trail from the Pasco/Pinellas County line to the southern end of the Starkey Trail, north of State Road 54 in Pasco County.

The trail will follow the Duke Energy right of way to State Road 54, west along SR 54 to Starkey Boulevard and then north to Starkey Trail.

The construction cost for the project is estimated at $2,615,000, according to a Florida Department of Transportation fact sheet. The work will be done by D.A.B. Constructors Inc., the fact sheet says.

Published November 7, 2018