The Laker/Lutz News

Department of Environmental Protection

Pasco lifts ceiling on commercial hauling rates

By

Commercial haulers now can operate in a free market in Pasco County — meaning competition among private businesses will establish the charges.

The Pasco County Commission voted on Oct. 26 to remove the ceiling on the rates. The action brings Pasco into alliance with the approach used by other counties around the state, according to county staffers.

The change does not affect residential hauling rates.

At the same meeting, the county board approved increasing charges associated with water and wastewater connection fees — previously referred to as impact fees.

The board also established new fire line and fire hydrant rates. The increased rates take effect on Jan. 3. For a complete breakdown of the new charges, visit Pasco County Utilities, on the county’s website, PascoCountyFl.net.

In other action, the county board:

• Accepted a check for nearly $2.9 million, in “excess fees” from Paco County Tax Collector Mike Fasano. The tax collector’s office is funded entirely by fees and commissions, with no direct ad valorem dollars. When the office’s total revenues exceed expenses, the “excess fees” are returned to the county board and other taxing authorities on a pro-rata basis at the end of the fiscal year.

• Approved a change to the comprehensive plan on 37.58 acres, east of Old Pasco Road and north of Overpass Road, to allow for commercial development. The board also approved a companion rezoning, allowing a commercial planned development of use to 315,000 square feet of commercial at that site.

• Authorized to shortlist and negotiate agreements for a Tower Road route siting and pond siting analysis for an area that begins east of Sunlake Boulevard to east of U.S. 41. The shortlisted firms are: American Consulting Engineers of Florida, LLC (American); Kissinger, Campo & Associates, Corp. (KCA); NV5, Inc. (NV5); Baslee Engineering Solutions, Inc. (Baslee); and George F. Young, Inc. (George F. Young). The county board authorized negotiations with the top firm, and if an agreement can’t be reached, authorized staff to negotiate with the remaining firms, in the county’s ranked order.

• Authorized to shortlist and negotiate agreements for a Tower Road route study and pond siting analysis for an area from the terminus of Rangeland Boulevard to east of Sunlake Boulevard. The shortlisted firms are Kissinger, Campo & Associates, Corp.; WGI, Inc.; American Consulting Engineers of Florida, LLC; NV5, Inc.; Baslee Engineering Solutions, Inc.; and, George F. Young, Inc. The county board authorized staff to negotiate with Kissinger, Campo & Associates, and if an agreement can’t be reached, to negotiate with the remaining firms, in the county’s ranked order.

• Approved an agreement to accept a $6.5 million grant, through the state Department of Environmental Protection, to provide water and wastewater infrastructure improvements to stimulate economic growth in the currently underdeveloped area of Pasadena Hills. The county will construct a water and wastewater distribution system including a piping system and appurtenances, a lift station, restoration, project management, and all work necessary to complete the project as outlined in the grant work plan. The grant begins upon execution of the agreement and expires on March 31, 2024. No county match is required and this is a cost-reimbursement agreement.

• Approved a change order involving additional work and a time extension of 129 days for the installation of a drain field at Starkey Ranch District Park. The amount of the contract with R.L. Burns Inc., will increase by $455,234.37, bringing the not-to-exceed total to $3,994,628.37. The new completion date is March 14, 2022.

• Authorized to shortlist and negotiate agreements with firms to complete an Orange Belt Trail route study, design and permitting. The firms are: Atkins North America, Inc.; HDR Engineering, Inc.; Rummel, Klepper & Kahl, LLP; Burgess & Niple, Inc.; NV5, Inc.; Baslee Engineering Solutions, Inc.; and Sand County Studios, LLC. If an agreement cannot be reached with Atkins, the board authorized negotiations with remaining firms, according to the county’s ranked order.

• Approved a change to the county’s comprehensive plan to allow commercial development to be considered on 9.24 acres south of State Road 54 and River Glen Boulevard. The land previously was planned for residential development. The proposed change received a unanimous recommendation for approval from the Pasco County Planning Commission on Aug. 26. A change in the land use designation is the first step necessary to change the potential use on the land. A rezoning is required, too, before commercial development could occur.

• Authorized the reappointment of Steven Hickman to the board of the Pasco County Housing Finance Authority and appointed two new members, Jeffrey Sklet, deputy director for the Pasco County Housing Authority, and Stacy Ferreira, vice president of BB&T.

• Adopted a resolution honoring the Friends of the Pasco County Library System, a not-for-profit organization the helps the library through volunteering, fundraising and advocacy.

Published November 17, 2021

Request for Lutz 7-Eleven is delayed

By

The Hillsborough County Commission voted 4-3 to remand a rezoning request for a gas station and carwash off U.S. 41, north of Sunset Lane, in Lutz.

Commissioners Ken Hagan, Kimberly Overman, Mariella Smith and Chairwoman Pat Kemp voted to remand the request and Commissioners Harry Cohen, Gwen Myers and Stacy White dissented.

Those who voted to send the case back to the zoning hearing master for further review specifically said they want the county’s Department of Environmental Protection to take a closer look at whether a septic system will be capable of  handling the discharge from a proposed carwash.

They voiced concerns about potential problems because the area has lakes, private wells and sensitive wetlands.

Commissioner Smith said the hearing can explore other issues, too.

“I would not have it limited,” she said, noting that citizens are free to discuss other topics, such as light pollution and compatibility, she added.

During the Hillsborough board’s Oct. 12 public hearing, Smith said the county also needs to take a closer look at its rezoning process.

Under current procedures, no testimony can be presented to commissioners during a rezoning hearing unless it was part of the record before the zoning hearing master.

The zoning hearing master recommends approval or denial on zoning cases, but the county board has the final word.

The request, by RKM and 7-Eleven, drew both support and opposition at the county board’s hearing and also at the zoning hearing master hearing on Aug. 16.

Attorney Cami Corbett, representing the applicants at both hearings, described the proposed gas station as a modern building, designed specifically to fit within the character of Lutz.

She said it is within the node that’s specifically designated for neighborhood commercial development within the Lutz Community Plan.

Natalie Davis, of 17880 N. U.S. 41, in Lutz, spoke in favor of the request at both hearings.

She noted that Lutz typically has wanted to slow development — but even so, a significant amount of new projects have popped up along U.S. 41.

Those developments have included a Publix, a Dunkin’ Donuts, restaurants, McDonald’s, a self-storage unit, a Walgreens, a bank, and professional office parks, as well as new neighborhoods.

Davis favors growth along U.S. 41, which she noted is a six-lane road, and questioned why a gas station should be excluded.

“I am here to represent the next generation of Lutz,” she said.

Gus Weekley, who owns the property up for rezoning, along with his brother, said the family has deep roots in Lutz.

The proposed site of the gas station is land that was owned by his grandmother and where she sold fruit raised on the land to those traveling by on the only major road into Tampa.

“We believe that Lutz is a special community,” he said, adding the 7-Eleven will be a good fit.

Sam Calco, president of the Lutz Citizens Coalition, spoke against the request.

He noted an error in the hearing master’s record and said that was sufficient to merit a remand.

County staff, however, said that the hearing officer’s recommendation was based on accurate information, despite the error in the report.

Jay Muffly, a longtime community activist, was direct: “I oppose this rezoning because it is not compatible with the Lutz community. Period.”

He also expressed concerns about potential negative impacts from light pollution.

Both Kemp and Overman voiced concerns about allowing a car wash to operate on a septic system.

The idea of dropping the carwash from the application was raised, but the applicant indicated no interest in taking that approach.

The project would hook onto public water and sewer, but it is not available, Corbett said.

Questions also were raised about whether the proposed development meets the county’s locational criteria.

That standard says the project should be within 900 feet of the intersection of U.S. 41 and Sunset Lane. But a portion of the proposed project is 960 feet away from that intersection, according to testimony provided during the county board’s discussion.

Commissioner Hagan initially said he wasn’t sure the board had legal grounds to deny the rezoning.

Ultimately, though, he went along with three of his colleagues when they called for a remand to pursue additional information.

The next hearing has been set for Nov. 15 at 6 p.m.

In-person and remote hybrid Zoning Hearing Master meetings are held at Robert W. Saunders Sr. Public Library, in the Ada T. Payne Community Room, at 1505 N. Nebraska Ave., in downtown Tampa.

Published October 20, 2021

Massive sinkhole swallows two homes

By

Recovery efforts expected to take months

Efforts are beginning in a recovery process to address impacts from a massive sinkhole that swallowed two homes in the Lake Padgett community of Land O’ Lakes.

Kevin Guthrie, Pasco County’s assistant county administrator for public safety, said authorities received a 911 call at 7:21 a.m., on July 14, reporting a depression forming under a boat.

A depression indicating the presence of this sinkhole was initially reported to Pasco County authorities around 7:21 a.m., on July 14. It grew quickly, swallowing two homes and the roadway in front of it before going dormant that evening. (Courtesy of Pasco County)

First responders from Pasco County Fire Rescue were on scene by 7:36 a.m., according to county officials.

“Very quickly, it (the sinkhole) started expanding toward the house, and then the house started falling in,” Guthrie said, estimated that happened within 30 to 40 minutes of them being on scene.

First responders rescued two dogs from one home and quickly evacuated other nearby homes, he said.

When Guthrie arrived, shortly after 9 a.m., the sinkhole was at the edge of the driveway of one of the destroyed homes.

“Within 45 minutes, the entire roadway was in,” he said.

In addition to the two homes — at 21825 Ocean Pines Drive and 21835 Ocean Pines Drive — that were destroyed, the county tagged nine other homes as being unsafe to enter.

Despite the extensive property damage, however, no one was injured.

The neighborhood was cordoned off on July 14 to keep people safe and keep curiosity seekers out.

Besides a heavy presence of public safety officials, scores of media outlets swarmed the neighborhood on July 14. News trucks straddled the normally quiet residential streets, and drones and helicopters buzzed overhead.

The story made the national news, received extensive coverage on local television stations and captured air time on NPR, too.

Pasco County Commissioner Kathryn Starkey visited the site on July 17, to see the devastation firsthand and to announce a relief effort established to help those affected.

“Seeing it on TV is very different from seeing it live,” Starkey said, of the sinkhole’s damage.

“This is just devastating for our community. I’m just very thankful we had no loss of life,” she added.

The commissioner also offered this reassurance: “I wanted our residents and our citizens to know that the Pasco County Commission is here for them.”

Kevin Guthrie, Pasco County’s assistant county administrator, addresses the media at one of several briefings regarding the giant sinkhole that opened up in Land O’ Lakes. (B.C. Manion)

United Way of Pasco has partnered with the county to help the people who have been affected by the sinkhole, said Alice Delgardo, CEO of the organization.

A sinkhole relief fund has been set up by United Way of Pasco, and another one is being established by SunTrust Bank, Delgardo said.

Anyone wishing to contribute can be assured that those accounts are legitimate and will provide help to those affected, Guthrie said.

Immediately after the news conference with Starkey, water quality sampling began.

Water at the nine homes that were evacuated will be tested, as well as another 11 homes in the neighborhood, Guthrie said. Results were expected by the afternoon of July 18 (after The Laker/Lutz News went to press).

No other action by the county was expected on July 17.

“We are still in that 48-hour waiting period that the Department of Environmental Protection has asked us to do.

“The Department of Environmental Protection will be back today (July 17) to do another water level assessment to make sure that things are not growing,” Guthrie said.

Before it went dormant, the sinkhole grew to 225 feet in diameter and 50 feet deep, Guthrie said.

“I don’t recall any sinkhole of this size (in Pasco County), nor one that had water in it,” Starkey said.

“I believe this is the largest one in the state of Florida in recent history,” Guthrie said.

Guthrie is unsure when the residents who were evacuated will be able to return home.

“Engineers are telling us that it’s not safe, as we move that heavy equipment in and out of here, with the sinkhole. We don’t know exactly where that safe edge is at.

“We’re going to be working with building engineers, with civil engineers … We are going to do everything in our power to get those people back in their homes as soon as we possibly can,” he said.

Guthrie also wanted to assure area residents: “We’re going to communicate with them every step of the way. We’re going to walk this road, hand-in-hand. We’re going to keep them informed. Do not fear, we are not going to turn our back on you. We are not going to let you down. We are going to be with you, every step of the way.

“The full strength of the Board of County Commission, the Pasco Sheriff’s Office, The United Way and Red Cross, Salvation Army and our community is all standing here with them, and we’re going to work it together,” Guthrie said.

Sinkhole relief efforts
Need help?
Citizens who need help can reach out to the American Red Cross, The Salvation Army of Pasco County, Pasco County Human Services or United Way of Pasco County.

Want to help?
Those wanting to help can visit UnitedWayPasco.org and click on the sinkhole relief banner; text sinkhole41444 or check with SunTrust Bank, which also is setting up a relief fund account.

What’s next?

  • Pasco Emergency Management has moved from a response phase to a recovery phase, which is expected to take months to repair the sinkhole.
  • Pasco County is now treating this as a hazardous materials incident because of septic tank issues and building debris. The county began testing water quality of the nine evacuated homes on July 17 and planned to test it on 11 other homes in the neighborhood as well.

Additional residents wishing to have their water tested for E. coli ($7 fee) or other possible contaminants (additional fees apply) may do so through the Pasco County Environmental Lab. Go to PascoCountyFl.net/index.aspx?NID=1476.

  • County officials will meet with homeowners and insurance companies to start discussing mitigation
  • Residents who were evacuated will be allowed back into their homes as quickly as possible, but the county will be consulting with experts to be sure it is safe for them to return.

Published July 19, 2017

Pasco supports fracking moratorium

By

Pasco County commissioners approved a resolution seeking a state legislative moratorium on hydraulic fracking, and a study commission to review the pros and cons of the controversial method of drilling for oil and natural gas.

According to the resolution, public hearings also should be held, and the study commission should include representatives from the Florida Association of Counties, environmental groups, concerned citizens, and the oil and gas industries.

But, it took some heavy editing to reach a consensus at the commissioners’ meeting on Nov. 17.

Pat Carver, environmental chairwoman of the Dade City Garden Club, at the podium, asked Pasco County commissioners to support a statewide ban on hydraulic fracking. (Photos courtesy of Richard K. Riley)
Pat Carver, environmental chairwoman of the Dade City Garden Club, at the podium, asked Pasco County commissioners to support a statewide ban on hydraulic fracking.
(Photos courtesy of Richard K. Riley)

Commissioners deleted several passages on scientific data that troubled Pasco Chairwoman Kathryn Starkey.

“I would like to get two sides of the scientific data,” she said. “I’ve only had one.”

However, she added, “I think we all want a moratorium.”

Pasco County Commissioner Mike Moore also has mixed feelings on the issue. But, he said, “I think there does need to be a study.”

During fracking, chemically treated high-pressure water is pumped into a drilled pipeline to break apart rock formations to extract oil or natural gas.

Supporters say fracking is a safer extraction method than mining for coal, and provides a cleaner source of fuel. Opponents say fracking leads to water contamination, and increases the risks of sinkholes and earthquakes.

Garden club members had hoped for a more forceful resolution from Pasco’s commissioners, but said they were glad the commissioners brought attention to the issue.

The club members are concerned about State and House bills expected to be voted on during the 2016 legislative session that begins in January.

Pasco County commissioners deliberate over the wording of a resolution on a moratorium for hydraulic fracking.
Pasco County commissioners deliberate over the wording of a resolution on a moratorium for hydraulic fracking.

The bills place control of fracking with the state, leaving local governments with no “opt out” clause.

Such a clause is among the requests in the county’s approved resolution. But, when Starkey inquired if the state legislature could deny home rule, Pasco County Attorney Jeffrey Steinsnyder said, “Yes. They’re the state legislature.”

The bills also require a $1 million study of the risks and hazards of fracking by the state’s Department of Environmental Protection. The study would be due by June 30, 2017. The DEP then could adopt rules for issuing permits for fracking.

“There is no moratorium,” said Pat Carver, environmental chairwoman of the garden club, referring to the proposed state legislation.

The bills aim to write the rules to approve fracking, said Peggy Woods, a garden club member. “Once the horse is out the barn, there’s nothing else we can do,” she said.

Published November 25, 2015

Garden club seeks moratorium on fracking

By

The Dade City Garden Club is pushing for a resolution that urges state lawmakers to enact a statewide ban on hydraulic fracking.

Pasco County commissioners will vote on the matter, likely on Nov. 17, but the resolution to ban fracking also will include a request for a study commission to look at the pros and cons of the controversial practice.

Pasco County Commissioner Jack Mariano is the resolution’s sponsor.

During fracking, chemically treated, high-pressure water is pumped into a drilled pipeline to break apart rock formations to extract oil or natural gas.

An opt-out clause is recommended in the resolution to give counties the right to ban fracking even if there’s no statewide ban.

“We do want to have some local control,” Mariano said.

Jack Mariano
Commissioner Jack Mariano

In October, a similar resolution was pulled from the commissioners’ agenda. It was tweaked in the interim with the addition of more specific language regarding sinkholes, the chemicals used in fracking, water quality, and the addition of the study commission.

State legislators are expected to take up the issue during the 2016 session, which begins in January. A bill already is winding its way through subcommittees in Tallahassee.

The bill designates the state’s Department of Environmental Protection as the agency that would investigate and issue permits for fracking.

“That’s the scary part,” said Mariano.

Under the proposed bill, permits may be issued for construction of fracking structures a mile or more from the Gulf of Mexico, Atlantic Ocean, bays, estuaries, or fresh water lakes, streams and rivers. And the state environmental protection agency must be satisfied of adequate protection of natural resources in the event of an accident or blowout.

Supporters of fracking say natural gas is a cleaner source of fuel than coal, and extraction through fracking has fewer safety issues. Opponents say the practice is environmentally harmful, leading to water contamination, public health threats and sinkholes.

The Dade City Garden Club earlier this year went on record against fracking, mirroring a decision by the Florida Federation of Garden Clubs Inc., made in January.

“Water quality has long been a concern of garden clubs, said Pat Carver, environmental chairwoman of the garden club, and also water and wetlands District 8 chairwoman.

She cites studies that have shown about 20 percent of the wastewater in fracking migrates underground, and can pollute wells and aquifers.

A bill last year for an outright ban on fracking didn’t make it out of committee, Carver said.

“We hope to see the bill again come up and be heard,” she said.

Carver said Pasco commissioners were shown a video on fracking prior to the anticipated vote on the initial resolution, which was later pulled.

Pasco County Commissioner Kathryn Starkey said she needed more information.

“My issue is, I’ve heard from one side. I’ve not heard from the other side,” she said. “I’d want to be more educated before I did something.”

The issue is catching the attention of county residents, also.

“I continue to get calls and letters from concerned constituents about fracking,” said Pasco County Commission Chairman Ted Schrader, who serves as chairman of Tampa Bay Water. The regional nonprofit supplies Tampa Bay area municipalities with drinking water.

He noted that the water board recently approved a similar resolution.

“I don’t see what the harm would be in having a resolution,” Schrader said.

Published November 11, 2015