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Steve Spina

Zephyrhills councilwoman bullish on town’s outlook

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Zephyrhills City councilwoman Jodi Wilkeson has closely observed the evolution of the small-town East Pasco community over the past three decades.

The elected official and longtime resident is pleased, overall, with the current situation in the municipality — amid a period of rampant growth, development, infrastructure enhancements and other changes.

Some of the city’s major tackling points of late include:

  • The addition of thousands of new homes throughout city limits
  • Multimillion dollar expansions to the city’s wastewater treatment plant, municipal airport and municipal tennis center
  • Myriad roadwork projects, such as U.S. 301/Pretty Pond Road signalized intersection and paving of Simons Road
  • Work to revitalize the historic downtown district

This imminent progress can be traced to comprehensive plans solidified some 20 years ago, Wilkeson said during an East Pasco Networking Group meeting last month at IHOP in Dade City.

Zephyrhills City councilwoman Jodi Wilkeson (File)

Wilkeson, who is the founder and president of an architecture and interior design firm in Tampa, credits the city’s “history of success” to “a series of elected leaders who’ve helped move Zephyrhills forward.”

“All of this is possible,” she added, “because we had a plan.”

Unopposed in this year’s municipal election, Wilkeson is set to embark on her fourth term — in total — of serving on the City Council. She was elected to a three-year term in April 2018 and previously served from 2008 to 2014. She also serves as board president of the Zephyrhills Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA).

Wilkeson’s gateway into local volunteerism public service began as a concerned Zephyrhills citizen about 20 years ago when she responded to a mail-in survey regarding city utilities and services, then writing a detailed note to city administration and leadership.

Wilkeson joked that the conscientious letter was “a fatal error,” as she was asked to meet with then longtime city manager Steve Spina and planning director Todd Vande Berg to gain the resident’s perspective on municipal operations and other happenings in the city. “The moment I wrote that note, they said, ‘Oh, she’s smart and she knows what we’re doing, we need to get her in here,” Wilkeson recalled during the March 9 breakfast meeting.

She subsequently was urged to serve on the citizen-led Zephyrhills Planning Commission beginning in 2002, given her expertise as an interior architect, and ability to decipher building plans and drawings.

Later, she served on the Zephyrhills Historic Preservation Board, from 2004 to 2008. She also was a volunteer board member for Main Street Zephyrhills Inc. — organizing parades, events promoting local CRA district businesses and otherwise helping preserve the city’s unique charm.

She was acknowledged for her contributions by the Greater Zephyrhills Chamber of Commerce who named her “Volunteer of the Year” in 2007.

While serving on the city’s planning commission, Wilkeson discovered Zephyrhills and surrounding Pasco County previously had been — as described — “giving away the farm.” In other words, the area had been receiving less than favorable or beneficial returns on utilities, properties, land deals and so on.

Since then, however, the town has undergone a more proactive shift.

She credits the city’s planners and public works team.

“We really raised the bar in terms of fees and accessibility, and that’s why these developers continue to want to come to our city, because they can get in front of somebody that knows what they’re talking about, and now we don’t give away the farm anymore, and it’s transforming the way our community looks. There are no more metal buildings on (U.S.) 301, (and) we have invested millions of dollars in our downtown district, and the Main Street and CRA,” she said.

As CRA board president, Wilkeson told the breakfast crowd about some of the enhancements to the city’s historic CRA district —  which is a  special taxing district that spans roughly 500 acres through the center spine of Zephyrhills.

In that district, future revenues from increased property values are set aside in a trust fund to support economic development and redevelopment projects within the designated CRA area.

Wilkeson detailed how these funds have been allocated toward business and residential façade grants, landscaping beautification, and maintaining the historical architecture of the area via special light fixtures, wayfinding signage and so on.

One program involves providing $5,000 grants to encourage the purchase of a single-family home within the CRA District. The idea is to spur purchases within distressed neighborhoods and to improve the owner-occupancy rate within the district. It also is meant to encourage a neighborhood friendly walkable community.

This initiative and other changes, Wilkeson said, have spurred Tampa Bay area families “who want to be able to roll their kids down in a stroller and watch a parade through downtown Main Street,” to purchase homes within the city’s CRA district. “These are people who are coming in from Tampa and St. Pete and saying, ‘We love the charm of your little community’ and they buy houses in the historic district,” she said.

Previously, Wilkeson said, “we were not reinvesting in this community and we had these older homes that were rentals, and they were a crime problem and a code enforcement problem.”

Wilkeson also expressed confidence in the city’s direction under the leadership of Zephyrhills City Manager Billy Poe.

Poe was named Zephyrhills assistant city manager in November 2018, then stepped up to replace the retiring Spina come July 2019.

Poe, born and raised in Zephyrhills, began his career as an intern with city administration, then spent several years working as an assistant city planner. Poe went on to land a city manager role with Dade City in 2008, a position he held for over a decade.

Wilkeson was part of the committee that ultimately selected Poe as Spina’s successor a couple years ago.

“Billy was a natural choice,” Wilkeson said. “He knew the city. He had 11 years (of) experience in Dade City as a city manager. It was a great launching pad for him to come to the city. He had a transition period with Steve Spina that helped him get everything up to speed and take over, and it’s been a nearly seamless transition.”

Published April 14, 2021

Dade City to finalize city manager contract

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The City of Dade City is nearing a contract agreement with its newly named city manager and current finance director Leslie Porter.

Details of the latest drafted employment contract were shared and amended during an April 23 regular city commission meeting.

Leslie Porter (File)

The latest draft calls for a base salary of $98,906.00 payable in monthly installments in the same manner as other city employees are paid.

The base salary would be automatically amended to include any salary adjustments that are provided or required by the city’s compensation policies to other city employees, such as cost of living adjustments.

Additionally, the agreement calls for the city manager to receive standard benefits provided to other city employees, including holiday leave, health insurance, dental insurance, vision insurance, term life insurance, FMLA (Family and Medical Leave Act) leave, short- and long-term disability, and transfer of earned benefits to named beneficiaries in the event of death.

The contract also includes provisions for sick leave, retirement contributions and expenses provided for a cellphone and professional development services.

A final version of the employment agreement is expected to be approved at the next commission meeting on May 14.

Porter would be on a probationary period during her first 90 days of employment as city manager, per the contract.

Porter, who lives in Tampa, will not be required to maintain a residence in Dade City while serving as city manager. She also will be permitted to continue operating her tax service and real estate businesses.

In the event Porter is terminated without cause within the first 180 days of employment as city manager, the city would pay eight weeks’ salary and any accrued benefits. Severance pay maximizes out at 20 weeks’ salary and any accrued benefits if Porter is terminated after two years of employment, according to the draft contract.

In the event of voluntary resignation, Porter would be entitled to accrued vacation leave and sick leave (capped at 480 hours) if employed for longer than 10 years. She would also be paid through the last workday and is required to give at least 60 days’ notice prior to resignation.

Elsewhere, regular performance reviews and evaluations have been worked into the contract agreement.

City commissioners would conduct structured quarterly reviews with Porter during her first year as city manager, then proceed to annual evaluations every year after that; pay raises or salary increases may be tied to the results of those reviews and evaluations.

In early April, the commission voted to extend an offer and enter contract negotiations with Porter to become its next city manager.

Porter has been acting as the interim city manager since February, while also maintaining duties as the city’s finance director, a position she’s held since 2014.

Porter assumed the city manager vacancy created by Billy Poe, who left the post after nearly 12 years. Poe is now the deputy city manager in the City of Zephyrhills and is expected to move up to city manager once longtime city manager Steve Spina retires later on this year.

Before coming to Dade City, Porter spent nearly a decade working as town treasurer for the Town of Chesapeake Beach in Maryland. She holds a bachelor’s degree from George Mason University and a master’s degree from George Washington University.

The decision to offer Porter the city manager job came during a special meeting on April 3, when commissioners reviewed and ranked top candidates for the city manager position; Porter was one of the nine applicants who applied by the March 15 deadline.

It marked the second call for applications after the city was unable to come to a contract agreement with Tallahassee-based real estate associate Christopher Edwards, its top candidate for the city manager position back in February.

Published May 01, 2019

Dade City extends ban on cannabis dispensaries

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Dade City is again pressing pause on allowing any medical marijuana treatment centers within city limits.

The Dade City Commission on March 28 voted to extend its moratorium relating to the operation of cannabis dispensing organizations and the issuance of business tax licenses for such facilities.

The Dade City Commission extended its moratorium, or temporary ban, on medical marijuana treatment centers, during a March 28 meeting. The city has had a moratorium in effect since 2016. (File)

The moratorium, temporary in nature, is in effect for the next six months, with a retroactive date of March 23.

The action marks the fourth time commissioners have passed a six-month extension of the moratorium, which was initially enacted in 2016, to study the potential impacts of such facilities on the municipality.

The original moratorium followed the November 2016 amendment of Florida’s Constitution to allow “the dispensing and use of marijuana for medical purposes by persons with debilitating diseases.”

City leaders, meanwhile, are still considering ways to regulate cannabis dispensaries, as opposed to instituting a permanent or outright ban.

Commissioners in January directed city staff to draft an ordinance that would have allowed for medical marijuana in all zoning districts where the city allows pharmacies, except in the city’s Community Redevelopment Area, generally encompassing the downtown corridor, and within 500 feet from any public or private elementary, middle and high school.

However, the Dade City Planning Board recommended denial of the drafted ordinance, due in part to concerns about its limiting pharmacies or drugstores in the downtown area, in making them legal nonconforming use.

The planning board then made a recommendation to the local planning agency and commission to extend the moratorium on the sale of medical marijuana, with a time frame to be determined by the commission; a public hearing and first reading of the extension was passed unanimously by the commission back on March 12.

Dade City Mayor Camille Hernandez said the commission will look to again address the medical marijuana dispensary issue and try to come up with a long-term solution sometime following Florida’s 2019 legislative session, which wraps up May 3.

Despite the moratorium, the mayor said she remains in favor of some type of ordinance that would permit medical marijuana dispensaries within city limits.

“I still feel very strongly,” Hernandez said. “I still think it serves a purpose and helps a lot of people.”

Former Dade City Manager Billy Poe received a plaque of appreciation for his nearly 11 years of public service to the municipality. Poe left the city manager post in February, accepting a similar position with the City of Zephyrhills. (Kevin Weiss)

The mayor also pointed to Florida voters’ clear support of Amendment 2 in 2016, in which 71 percent of the electorate voted in favor of medical marijuana treatment centers.

Said Hernandez, “I do think that the voters did express their opinion, and if we can put it together so it doesn’t adversely affect Dade City, then we need to do that, absolutely.”

In other action, commissioners presented a plaque of appreciation to Billy Poe, who served as city manager in Dade City for nearly 11 years.

Poe officially left the post in February to accept a similar position with the City of Zephyrhills as its deputy city manager. He is expected to transition to the city’s top leadership position once longtime Zephyrhills City Manager Steve Spina retires sometime this summer.

During the award presentation, Poe thanked the commission “for the opportunity to work with wonderful citizens and staff,” and specifically mentioned commissioners Scott Black and Eunice Penix “for taking a chance on me a way long time ago.”

Poe also expressed gratitude to city staffers he worked alongside during his tenure as city manager.

“Obviously, I could not have done and been able to be in Dade City for as long as I was without a great staff, and I truly appreciate it,” he said.

Meantime, the city is still searching for Poe’s replacement after it was unable to come to a contract agreement with its top candidate for the city manager position earlier this year.

Commissioners will have a special meeting April 3 at 4 p.m., to review and rank its second pool of candidates for the position.

The deadline to apply for the city manager vacancy ended March 15. The city received nine applications.

Published April 03, 2019

Search reopens for city manager

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The search for a new city manager in Dade City will continue — after city commissioners were unable to come to an agreement with its top candidate for the position.

Contract talks broke down the past several weeks between the commission and Christopher Edwards, a real estate associate in Tallahassee and former deputy director of the Tallahassee-Leon County Office of Economy Vitality.

The Dade City Commission has reopened its search for a new city manager, after contract talks broke down between its top interviewed candidate. Applications for the position will be accepted through March 15. (Kevin Weiss)

Edwards declined the city’s base salary final offer of $85,000 on Feb. 8. In his final counter-offer, Edwards had sought a base salary of $94,500.

Both parties remained at odds over other stipulations, including severance pay, terms of resignation and accrued vacation leave, protocols for accrued leave, and pay increases related to the completion of a master’s degree.

With that, the commission voted on Feb. 12 to advertise for the position again.

The application requests Florida local government experience among its requirements, and notes that a master’s degree is preferred.

Applications will be accepted through March 15 at 5 p.m.

Commissioners began the search process for a new city manager in late November, to replace outgoing Dade City Manager Billy Poe, who served in that role for nearly 11 years.

Poe accepted a position with the City of Zephyrhills to become its deputy city manager, at an annual salary of $105,000. He will transition to the city’s top leadership position once Zephyrhills City Manager Steve Spina retires sometime this summer.

Poe’s contract with Dade City expired on Feb. 7. He exited the city making $99,500 per year.

Dade City finance director Leslie Porter has since been appointed to serve as Dade City manager, until a new hire is made.

The decision to reopen the job search for city manager was preceded by some debate.

Commissioner Jim Shive made a motion to enter negotiations with the commission’s second-ranked candidate, Melanie Romagnoli, a program administrator for the Pasco County Office of Economic Growth.

The motion died for lack of a second.

Shive cited Romagnoli’s experience in local government, planning, construction and economic development, as reasons she is qualified to take over the Dade City manager position.

According to the Pasco County government website, Romagnoli is responsible for the implementation of Pasco’s Economic Development Plan and the administration of the Jobs and Economic Opportunities Trust Fund (Penny for Pasco).

Additionally, Romagnoli spent more than 20 years working in planning, community development, real estate, and economic development organizations in the public, private and nonprofit sectors, prior to her role with the county.

Shive said the commission would “be foolish” to not consider Romagnoli for a subsequent interview to then enter contract negotiations.

“I would challenge anybody to pick up her resume and say that she’s not qualified to do the work of city manager,” Shive said.

He added, “Let me tell you, this city has been stagnant with growth all around us. We need somebody that can take us to the next level. I believe she is that person. …I think she is well-rounded. I don’t think that we can afford to pass the opportunity up, without taking a look, in fairness.”

Dade City Mayor Camille Hernandez concurred proceeding with Romagnoli “would be in the city’s best interest,” provided a contract agreement could be reached.

Said Hernandez, “I think she’s got a wealth of information, wealth of contacts, and I do believe that she can now bring us to the next level, but if she’s not interested, then I would reopen it.”

Other commissioners, however, disagreed.

Commissioner Scott Black acknowledged Romagnoli “does a great job with what she does.” He also said he has “a lot of respect for her.”

However, he said: “I’m looking for somebody that has the breadth of knowledge and the breadth of experience to be able to come in and hit the ground running, and that’s my concern here…”

Black noted that whoever the city hires shouldn’t be on a learning curve in the position. Instead, he suggested they should already have experience with issues such as storm water and wastewater treatment, developing a comprehensive plan and so on.

Said Black, “I feel like, it looks like if we’re going to be paying close to the salary that we were paying our previous city manager, I would want someone that has a firm knowledge of all of the things that come with being a city manager.”

Black also expressed concern the original pool drew only 12 applicants and only two had prior city management experience.

He blamed the time frame for the opening job posting —  Dec. 3 through Dec. 21— for the perceived lack of qualified candidates in the first round.

Commissioner Nicole Deese Newlon echoed similar concerns.

She noted that neither Edwards nor Romagnoli were ranked among her top three choices for the position after the commission interviewed seven candidates back on Jan. 18.

“I would like more applicants,” Newlon said. “…I mean, I just want someone to wow me, to come in ready to work, have the ability and strengths that we need, and, I just don’t feel that way about the (current) candidates.”

Following the commission’s decision, the mayor described the search for a new city manager “a bit exhausting,” but added, “it is no need for panic mode.”

“I think we are in good hands between the commission and staff here, and I think we will move forward…and do the very best that we can,” Hernandez said.

Published February 20, 2019

Tennis center plans are progressing

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The approved renderings for the exterior design of the Sarah Vande Berg Tennis Center include brick elements and flat awnings that blend the features of some of the City of Zephyrhills’ newer buildings, such as the library and City Hall, and the city’s older downtown historic buildings.

Shown here is the front exterior rendering of the Sarah Vande Berg Tennis Center that was approved by the Zephyrhills City Council. A final architectural design for the project will be presented at a later date. (Courtesy of City of Zephyrhills)

The Zephyrhills City Council came to a consensus on the design for the much-awaited facility during the council’s Nov. 26 meeting.

The exterior also is accented with signage, a large-picture window and glass fixtures, based on the rendering.

The rear view includes a memorial statue of Sarah Vande Berg — named after the former Zephyrhills High School district champion who died in an automobile accident at the age of 21 in October 2015.

Before being presented to the City Council, multiple tennis center designs were reviewed by the Zephyrhills Parks and Recreation Board, and a committee made up of City Manager Steve Spina, Planning Director Todd Vande Berg, Public Works director Shane LeBlanc, Councilwoman Jodi Wilkeson and professional tennis instructor Pascal Collard, who will manage the tennis center.

The council has gone back and forth since September on various renderings to best match the municipal architecture of the city.

A final design and floor plan now will be completed by the project’s architectural firm, Fleishman-Garcia Architects.

The process of selecting a design wasn’t easy, Wilkeson said, but she believes the city now has “a very clear direction for the architect.”

The rear exterior rendering.

The tennis center project, expected to cost about $3.5 million, will be located on about 5 acres of donated land at The District at Abbott’s Square, a new real estate development situated north of Dean Dairy Road and west of Simons Road.

The tennis center will be 7,000 square feet to 8,000 square feet. Plans call for it to include a fitness/wellness center and cryotherapy room, a pro shop, a restaurant, conference and multipurpose rooms, a kid’s club and playground, a common area, office spaces and other features.

Next to the indoor center, there will be 11 full-size outdoor courts — a mix of clay and hard surfaces — built to U.S Tennis Association (USTA) professional standards.

At some point, there’s also a possibility of phasing in a covered/indoor tennis court building that would have four full-size courts.

Discussions about the entire project began in 2016.

Planning Director Todd Vande Berg said there’s not yet a set date for breaking ground, but noted the city ideally would like to begin construction sometime in the first quarter of 2019.

He explained the tennis facility could be finished by late 2019 or early 2020 “if we get started when we think.”

In other action:

  • The City Council unanimously approved a contract for incoming assistant city manager Billy Poe. Per its terms, Poe, 42, will earn a $105,000 annual base salary and will be enrolled in the city’s health insurance policy. Poe, who’s served as Dade City manager for the past 11 years, will begin his new role on or before Feb. 7, 2019. He is expected to replace Zephyrhills City Manager Steve Spina once he retires sometime next year. Poe was offered the assistant city manager position during a special city council meeting on Nov. 7.
  • The City Council passed the city’s 2018-2018 fiscal year budget of more than $59.4 million, based on a millage rate at 6.35.

Published December 5, 2018

Zephyrhills meetings may go ‘live’

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Residents and others may soon be able to listen and watch the City of Zephyrhills’ public meetings online.

The idea has been floated to city leaders by video production company IntellisMedia, a division of WUSF Public Media.

Under its initial proposal, IntellisMedia would agree to live-stream and record designated city meetings (city council, planning commission, airport commission and so on) from the City Council chambers for a fee of $750 per meeting ; the city would have to agree to live-stream and record a minimum of three meetings per month, costing about $2,250. The company would provide all labor and equipment necessary to process the live-stream and recordings.

Live-streamed, and audio and video recorded meetings would be available on the city’s official website, as well as other platforms, such as Facebook and YouTube. Recorded meetings may also air on Pasco County’s government-access television channel, which IntellisMedia also manages.

Zephyrhills City Manager Steve Spina told the City Council he will consult with city staff to look into other live-streaming options and proposals before making a final decision.

“I think it’s a good idea, and I think some of our staff are pretty excited about the idea of live-streaming our meetings and kind of getting up with times,” Spina said, “but this was the first and only proposal we had, so it might be worthwhile to look at it a little more.”

Some other Pasco municipalities, including Port Richey and New Port Richey, stream and record their meetings through their official city websites and YouTube.

“I know a lot of other municipalities and counties do have those things available for people to watch and tune into,” Spina said.

“I think it’s something of interest,” Spina added.

Zephyrhills City Council president Lance Smith said, “It’s something we need to look into, for sure.”

Published December 5, 2018

Foundation offers tennis lessons to Pasco youths

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Construction has yet to begin on the Sarah Vande Berg Memorial Tennis Center in Zephyrhills — but that hasn’t stopped the community from working to serve up more tennis opportunities to its underserved population.

Well before the new $3.5 million, 11-court facility opens off of Simons Road, dozens of underprivileged youth in east Pasco will get opportunities to learn the game through a new nonprofit —  the Sarah Vande Berg Tennis Foundation.

Pascal Collard, center left, and Nick Bollettieri, right, stand at the net with some of the Nick Bollettieri and Sarah Vande Berg Tennis Clinic’s participants. (Fred Bellet)

The foundation is headed up by professional tennis instructor Pascal Collard, who will also manage the daily operations of the new tennis center bearing the same name.

Its overall purpose is to instill character, leadership and academics to children, through the game of tennis.

The foundation’s first major fundraiser was on Oct 5, at Arbor Green in New Tampa.

About 60 participants and another 40 volunteers turned out for a tennis clinic and gala headlined by International Tennis Hall of Fame coach Nick Bollettieri.

Bollettieri, 87, is renowned for grooming 10 world No. 1 players, including Andre Agassi, Monica Seles, Maria Sharapova and Dade City’s Jim Courier, among many others.

The legendary coach also is known for founding the IMG Academy in Bradenton — formerly the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy — which opened in 1978 as the world’s first full-time tennis boarding school.

The gala helped raise more than $10,000, which will be used to purchase tennis rackets and subsidize tennis camps for youth, who will begin learning the sport on the courts at Zephyr Park and will transition to the city’s new state-of-the-art facility expected to open in late 2019.

“This is going to help a lot of kids — kids that have probably never seen a tennis ball,” said Collard, a former tennis director at Saddlebrook Tennis Academy in Wesley Chapel from 2003 to 2006.

His training includes working with several widely known tennis pros, including Younes El Aynaoui and Martin Verkerk, both of whom coincidentally ranked as high as No. 14 in the ATP Tour rankings back in 2003.

It’s not Collard’s first outreach program.

While he was tennis director at The Merion Cricket Club — a private club in Haverford, Pennsylvania — Collard created a similar foundation called Down the Line and Beyond.

The Philadelphia-based nonprofit, which has grown to serve more than 1,600 underprivileged youths from 7 through 17, facilitates positive character and education development through tennis lessons.

Some of those youths have earned collegiate tennis scholarships.

“None of them would’ve played tennis — none— without the foundation. We are going to do the same thing over here (in Zephyrhills),” Collard said.

The Sarah Vande Berg Tennis Foundation will begin its program with 25 kids to 50 kids, and hopes to grow it from there, Collard said. “We have to touch one life at a time.”

In preparation for the start of the tennis clinic, instructor Vincent Suillerot, 24, of Paris, France makes sure a sufficient number of tennis balls were on hand for each of the courts.

The foundation — and tennis center— is named after the former Zephyrhills High School district champion who became a scholarship player on the University of South Carolina Upstate women’s tennis team. Vande Berg, the daughter of the Zephyrhills planning director Todd Vande Berg, died in an automobile accident at the age of 21 in October 2015.

And, it’s all drawn the support of Bollettieri, a longtime friend of Collard’s.

Bollettieri, who lives in Sarasota, plans to visit Zephyrhills every six weeks to eight weeks to pitch in with foundation clinics and other events.

Instead of his well-documented coaching achievements, Bollettieri said he wants to be remembered for helping children, particularly those from inner cities and of lower socio-economic status.

He, along with fellow tennis Hall of Famer Arthur Ashe, started the Ashe-Bollettieri Cities Tennis program in the late 1980s, which introduced thousands of youth to the sport and helped hundreds achieve athletic or academic scholarships.

Of the Sarah Vande Berg Tennis Foundation, Bollettieri said: “First of all, when you do things for charity, there’s no greater reward than helping out for a great cause. Pascal’s going to give an opportunity for a lot of boys and girls to make it in life.”

Tennis center to be draw for Zephyrhills
The tennis legend, too, is impressed with the design plans of the forthcoming Sarah Vande Berg Memorial Tennis Center.

“I think a lot of thought has gone into it,” Bollettieri said. “The big thing is, someday, if they could get a few indoor courts, whether it’s open on the sides or, if they can have at least a covered area, that would help tremendously.”

Renderings of the facility show 11 full-sized outdoor courts — a mix of clay and hard surfaces — built to U.S Tennis Association (USTA) professional standards.

Additionally, an 8,000-square-foot tennis center is expected to include a fitness/wellness center and cryotherapy room, a pro shop, a restaurant, conference and multipurpose rooms, a kid’s club and playground, a common area, office spaces and other features.

At some point, there’s also a possibility of phasing in a covered/indoor tennis court building that would have four full-size courts.

Though its architectural design plans are not yet final, the tennis center is expected to be complete “in about a year,” Steve Spina, who is city manager for Zephyrhills, said during the foundation fundraiser.

Preparing to check-in at the registration table, Lisa Strickland of New Tampa was among the 60 or so who participated in the Nick Bollettieri and Sarah Vande Berg Tennis Clinic at the Arbor Greene Community Center. Vande Berg was a former Zephyrhills High School district champion who became a scholarship player on the University of South Carolina Upstate women’s tennis team. Vande Berg, the daughter of the Zephyrhills planning director Todd Vande Berg, died in an automobile accident at the age of 21 in October 2015.

Along with city dollars, funding assistance for the project is coming from the state, recreation impact fees, USTA grants and Penny for Pasco, among other sources.

Besides its public recreational use, the facility will also be used to draw an assortment of regional and national tournaments to East Pasco.

“I think it brings us to a whole new level,” Spina said. “It’s just a facility like we’ve never seen, to really make us a player, nationally.

“I think it’s huge for the community,” added Collard. “It’s going to be a great impact in terms of visibility and awareness of Zephyrhills, and put them on the map.”

Vande Berg remembered on, off the court
Meantime, Todd Vande Berg is appreciative of having his late daughter’s name memorialized through the tennis foundation and the facility.

“If I lived in Tampa, I’m not sure this happens,” he said, “but to have a small, interlocked community like we have, that know the people and care for the people and support each other,  it’s pretty unique and special.”

Aside from her achievements on the court, Sarah Vande Berg was known for her friendliness and outgoing personality, her father said.

“She was super competitive on the court,” Todd Vande Berg said, “but the complete opposite off the court. Sarah loved people. She was super social. She befriended all the athletes, and not just the tennis athletes.”

Sarah, too, was known for her work with children with special needs.

“Sarah had a special place in her heart towards special needs kids,” her father said. “They just seemed to gravitate to her.”

Published October 24, 2018

Local governments share forum

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Pasco County has shared interests with city governments, but it’s a rare occasion for county and city officials to meet in a joint public forum.

But, that’s exactly what happened on June 26 when staff members and elected officials from Pasco County, the town of St. Leo, San Antonio, Zephyrhills and Dade City sat down at Saint Leo University to discuss topics of mutual interest, and such meetings could become an annual or semi-annual event.

“We need to do more things together,” Pasco County Commission Chairman Mike Wells Jr., said.

Officials from Pasco County, the town of St. Leo, San Antonio, Dade City and Zephyrhills held a joint forum at Saint Leo University to discuss topics of mutual interest. (Kathy Steele)

Most of the talk centered on roads, traffic and redevelopment.

Each of the city and town representatives highlighted accomplishments and issues of concern.

Traffic and road projects topped the list, including one traffic crossroad, known as “calamity corner.”

The intersection is where State Road 52, headed toward St. Leo, takes a turn to the right. But, motorists at that juncture also are navigating along Pompanic Street and College Avenue.

They are guided by signs to stop or yield, and a string of three red caution lights that motorists can find confusing.

“There are a lot of accidents, near accidents, and complaints,” said Eric Stallworth, who serves on the San Antonio City Commission.

Former Pasco County Commissioner Ted Schrader spoke a few months ago at a Pasco County Commission meeting about the intersection and urged county commissioners to find a fix for it.

One idea was for a roundabout.

That appealed to Pasco County Commissioner Kathryn Starkey, who said the topic could be brought up at the August Pasco County Metropolitan Planning Organization.

Discussion also focused on current and ongoing road projects, including widening and realigning State Road 52.

An additional extension of State Road 56 is being sought, too.

Currently, State Road 56 is being extended from Meadow Pointe Boulevard in Wiregrass Ranch to U.S. 301 in Zephyrhills.

Zephyrhills’ officials are seeking additional state funding for a study on linking State Road 56 to State Road 39.

City and county benefit from greater roadway connectivity, said Todd Vande Berg, Zephyrhills’ planning director.

With roads and existing rail lines, Vande Berg said, “We think there’s an opportunity to have an inland port at the (Zephyrhills) Municipal Airport.”

Zephyrhills and Dade City representatives also provided brief views on projects paid with revenues from their Community Redevelopment Areas, or CRAs.

Zephyrhills has used funds for items, including Hercules Park, street lighting and three neighborhood cleanups that removed 900 tons of debris.

“It has made a difference,” said Gail Hamilton, the city’s CRA director.

Future plans include Zephyr Park improvements.

Dade City (which has two CRAs) used its CRA funds, along with Florida Department of Transportation money, to extend Hardy Trail. The trail is envisioned as part of a network of area trails.

The CRA also provides matching grants as incentives to redevelop Dade City’s historic downtown.

The projects brought praise but also criticism of CRAs in general from Pasco County Commissioner Mike Moore.

“It’s no secret. I’m not a big huge fan of CRAs,” he said. But, he added, “I do appreciate both cities doing it properly, and not including the entire city in a CRA.”

Moore and other county commissioners have been critical of CRAs in Port Richey and New Port Richey, which are drawn to include all properties within city limits.

State law has since been amended to be more restrictive, with a CRA being no more than 80 percent of a municipality.

CRAs are special taxing districts that generate property taxes for reinvestment in community projects to end blight within those districts. Once a property tax baseline is established, future property tax revenues are available to the CRA. Those revenues, then, aren’t available to the county’s general funds.

Moore said it doesn’t make sense for areas with expensive homes to be in a CRA. “Obviously, we know an entire city isn’t blighted,” he said. “That’s not too kosher.”

He anticipates the Florida legislature eliminating new CRAs after complaints about mismanagement statewide.

Zephyrhills City Manager Steve Spina disagreed.

“I’m not sure they’re going away,” he said.

If they do, Spina said the city would lose the incentives it can now offer to spark redevelopment. “We have a much more vibrant downtown now,” he added, because of the city’s CRA.

It’s the “bad apples” that are misusing CRAs that are the problem, said Starkey.

“I’m OK with it, if we add accountability and transparency,” she said. “I think the language in the (Florida) statute was poorly written.”

Published July 4, 2018

Pasco projects win big in 2019 state budget

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Gov. Rick Scott signed off on an $88.7 billion state budget for fiscal year 2019, and had a light touch with his veto pen.

He cut about $64 million in contrast to the $410 million that was axed from the previous year’s $82.4 billion budget.

Gov. Rick Scott

Pasco County got most of the items on its wish list, including $15 million for the Overpass Road interchange at Interstate 75, and $4.3 million for the Thomas Varnadoe Forensic Center for Research and Education located at the Land O’ Lakes Detention Center.

The city of Zephyrhills also will receive $1 million for the proposed Sarah Vande Berg Tennis Center, $5.9 million for upgrades at the municipal airport, and $750,000 for a road study.

“They are a great boost to us in improving our area,” said Zephyrhills City Manager Steve Spina. “It’s very helpful. We’re just really pleased.”

Overall, Pasco County did much better in 2019 than 2018. Several projects that were cut previously made it safely through the budget process this year.

The new budget becomes effective July 1.

The redesigned Overpass Road interchange is a high priority for Pasco as part of an evolving road network to handle growth along the Connected City corridor. The 7,800 acres within the corridor’s district includes new developments, such as Epperson and Mirada. But, more residential and commercial projects are expected to bring new residents, and a more urbanized landscape to northeastern Pasco.

A monument sign was unveiled on May 12, 2017 at a dedication ceremony for the Adam Kennedy Forensics Field. The ‘body farm’ is part of a project to build a forensics research and training center next to Pasco County’s jail. Gov. Rick Scott vetoed a funding request for the project last year, but approved it this year. (File)

The forensic center is a joint venture with Pasco County, the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office, Pasco-Hernando State College and the University of South Florida’s Institute for Forensics and Applied Science.

Construction on the multi-building campus is expected to begin in late summer or early fall, according to Chase Daniels, assistant executive director at the sheriff’s office.

Research already is underway at the Adam Kennedy Forensic Field, also known as a body farm.

The city of Zephyrhills will receive funds for several projects, including the planned regional tennis center. A management company for the facility is in place.

The approximately $3.4 million project is in planning stages. The city’s city council was expected to approve a contract for the design at its meeting on March 26.

The funds for the airport will help pay for extending the runway, building an internal road and expanding hangar capacity.

A planning and engineering study will look at extending State Road 56 to U.S. 301, State Road 39 and Chancey Road.

“That would make it kind of a bypass,” said Spina.

The biggest loss in the governor’s veto items is the $4.7 million requested for the Morningside Drive extension in Dade City. Scott cut the funds, citing in a budget letter that the project didn’t go through proper evaluation protocol.

This rendering of the Zephyrhills Tennis Center shows 10 courts (eight clay, two hard surface), three mini-courts and one exhibition court. The tennis center is also expected to feature a pro shop, a multifunctional community room, and two office spaces. A second level, if added, will contain an observation deck, players lounge and concessions. (File)

It was one of a handful of road projects rejected for the same reason.

Officials with Bayfront Health Dade City are eager to see the extension built. Funding hasn’t been available through Dade City’s budget, so state funding was sought.

The project would link U.S. 301 to King Fort Road, where the hospital is located. Hospital officials have said the extension would improve access to the hospital’s campus.

State Rep. Danny Burgess said funding would be requested again for fiscal year 2020.

“It is a critical game-changer for the Dade City community,” said Burgess in a text message to The Laker/Lutz News.

Other Pasco County projects included in the 2019 budget are:

  • $1 million for a planning and engineering study for the U.S. 301/U.S. 98/Clinton Avenue intersection realignment.

The goal is to improve east-west traffic from I-75 to the west and Interstate 4 to the south.

  • $250,000 for the Veteran’s Alternative which aids veterans with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Traumatic Brain Injury
  • $50,000 for AmSkills, a program that aids high school students, adults, and veterans seeking manufacturing jobs

Published March 28, 2018

Zephyrhills Police undergoes restructuring

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The Zephyrhills Police Department is shaking up its command staff — a measure it hopes will improve efficiency and communications throughout the law enforcement agency.

The department is adding an operations lieutenant and an administrative lieutenant, while eliminating a captain’s position and a detective sergeant’s position — roles that have been vacant for months.

The lieutenants’ positions already have been advertised internally and will be filled from the current group of sergeants. The starting salary for both is $53,584.  The starting salary for the eliminated captain and detective sergeant positions were $57,975 and $47, 696, respectively.

The new positions are expected to be filled by the end of the year or in early 2018, Zephyrhills Police Chief Derek Brewer said.

The Zephyrhills City Council approved the staffing proposal last month.

In a memo to the council and City Manager Steve Spina, Brewer said it offers a number of benefits, including, “better span of control, improved unity of command, opportunities for employee advancement and potential cost savings.”

The department’s command staff in the past has been budgeted for a chief, two captains and five sergeants, as well as 25 sworn officers.

One of those captain’s position has been vacant since June, however. The detective sergeant’s position also has remained vacant since the promotion of Capt. Reggie Roberts, at around the same time.

Because of that, Roberts has been the liaison for the agency’s operations and administrative divisions, without the benefit of another captain or detective sergeant to reduce the burden.

Adding two lieutenants — to report to Roberts — will “level out” supervision for both divisions and improve agency directives, the police chief explained.

“By placing some lieutenants in between the sergeant and the captain, it allows for information to flow a little better, and also for the captain not to be stretched so thin,” Brewer said.

Once in place, the operations lieutenant will directly oversee three departments: uniform patrol, criminal divisions and special operations — which encompass reserve, honor guard, bike patrol.

The administrative lieutenant, meanwhile, will oversee communications and administrative support and services, ranging from property and evidence management, record keeping, accreditation and training, fleet maintenance and so on.

Brewer, a 15-year veteran of the department and a former lieutenant, said the idea to reshuffle the command staff arose while he was serving as interim chief from June to September.

He was officially sworn-in as the city’s police chief in October, replacing former chief David Shears, who retired in May.

Brewer pointed out many similar-sized agencies, such as the New Port Richey Police Department, “adopt that model of more layers in-between.”

It gives the command structure “a more linear approach,” he said.

“One thing I’ve kind of noticed with the chief and the two captains over the years is that span of control is still pretty wide, so I kind of felt like this was the best way to approach the span of control, as well as just making sure things move more fluid,” the chief added.

The shuffling may also reduce agency overtime costs.

Besides assisting with administrative duties, the lieutenants would also support patrol functions by filling gaps in supervision should unforeseen needs arise from shift supervisors, such as sick time. Instead of calling in another supervisor for coverage, a lieutenant could cover the open shift to eliminate the need to call in a sergeant or officer in charge on the opposite side of the schedule.

Brewer explained, “A lot of times when sergeants accumulate overtime, we don’t have that ability to adjust their schedule, but having lieutenants may allow us to fill those gaps, so as they accumulate the overtime, we can kind of adjust their schedule and save in overtime.”

In 2014, independent consultant William Liquori, from the Florida Police Chiefs Association (FPCA), recommended reinstituting lieutenants within Zephyrhills Police.

In his report, Liquori, a 44-year law enforcement veteran from Altamonte Springs and past president of the statewide association, said communication was a major concern among all employees, and that command staff needed to address the issue.

Brewer said that report further “reinforced the need to bring (lieutenants) back.”

By hiring lieutenants from within, Brewer said it allows for additional opportunities for promotion and internal movement for the department’s employees.

“We thought that it would create better morale; that was another thing we had looked at,” Brewer said.

Published December 20, 2017