The Laker/Lutz News

Eiland Boulevard

More residential and commercial growth coming to East Pasco

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Zephyrhills is hitting its stride as growth and development gain momentum along the traffic corridors of what is now Pasco County’s largest city.

The signs of new growth are everywhere along Zephyrhills’ major corridors including U.S. 301/Gall Boulevard, and State Road 56.

Construction is changing the city’s landscape.

Heavy equipment prepares land for the construction of a new Radiant Gas Station and other retail on the west side of Gall Boulevard, in Zephyrhills. (Fred Bellet)

New developments include The District at Abbott Square, a master-planned community behind the Sarah Vande Berg Tennis & Wellness Center, and Abbott Park, a residential community off Dean Dairy Road.

The Zephyrhills Municipal Airport is expanding and there’s new retail at Zephyr Commons shopping complex.

These signal the city’s increasing population.

It grew from more than 13,000 residents in 2010 to more than 17,000 residents in 2020, according to data from the 2020 U.S. Census.

In addition to Abbott Square and Abbott Park, Hidden River and the Links at Calusa Springs also are adding rooftops to Zephyrhills.

“The fact is that the need for housing is just exploding statewide. Tampa is running out of space,” said Todd Vande Berg, Zephyrhills’ planning director. “We were the next logical location.”

The view from the exit of Tropical Acres on Blue Lagoon Drive will soon change as ongoing construction site preparation will transform the east side of U.S. 301.

The widening of State Road 56 to four lanes opened Zephyrhills to more development, Vande Berg said.

He also noted that city officials have worked to ensure that residential projects were not “cookie-cutter.”

Abbott Square, as an example, will offer one-story villas, two-story townhouses, and will feature three different lot sizes.

“I think people appreciate that. Not all residential is on 40-foot-wide lots like every other development,” he said.

Preserving trees, installing sidewalks and adding trails are highlights of new residential development.

Zephyrhills is building on Pasco’s countywide efforts to attract tourism through an emphasis on sports facilities such as the Sarah Vande Berg Tennis Center.

In coming months, Vande Berg said the tennis center will add dormitories to accommodate increasing interest in tournaments and training opportunities.

The facility also is attracting new residential including the Abbott Square project. The Lennar Homes development, on Simons Road behind the tennis center, will build about 700 residential units of single-family houses, townhouses, and apartments.

West of Dade City on State Road 52, a new residential development, Abbey Glen, is under construction.

Abbott Park, off Kossik Road near Zephyr Commons, is a new residential community by Metro Places.

Summerstone is a new single-family and townhome development, off State Road 56, west of Morris Bridge Road. It is located in Wesley Chapel, just a short distance west of Zephyrhills.

Chipotle’s restaurant recently opened at Zephyr Commons. Planet Fitness had a recent ribbon-cutting. Chick-Fil-A opened, too, on an outparcel of the shopping center on the northeast corner with Pretty Pond Road.

More retail is anticipated. And plans for the site include about 400 residential units.

The Pretty Pond intersection is becoming a hub for Zephyrhills shoppers, who are adding Zephyr Commons to their destinations along with established plazas along Gall Boulevard (U.S. 301), including Merchants Square, Towne View Square Shopping Center, and North Town Center.

On the west side of Gall Boulevard, at Pretty Pond, the former site of Rainbow Court and Brightside Manor mobile home park, is being prepped for new commercial development. A sign planted at the site advertises a coming Radiant gas station and convenience store. A car wash also is anticipated at the site.

Zephyrhills’ downtown, on Fifth Avenue, is enjoying its own commercial revival.

The opening of Zephyrhills Brewing Company in 2016 set the stage for renewed interest in downtown, said Melonie Monson, president, and chief executive officer of The Greater Zephyrhills Chamber of Commerce.

“It has been an economic driver,” she said. “It’s brought traffic in on weekends.”

New shops opening within the past year include Vintage Chix, a boutique clothing store; A.O.K., a sports bar featuring axe throwing; and Your Turn, a board game café that serves coffee, sandwiches, pastries, and a choice of hundreds of board games to play.

A site preparation worker makes his way through a parcel of land on Gall Boulevard, just south of North Town Center on Gall Boulevard in Zephyrhills.

Tina & Joe’s Café opened recently in the historic Jeffries House, built in 1910 for Zephyrhills’s founder Captain A. B. Jeffries. The café serves salads, sandwiches, lobster rolls and desserts.

Also, Planet Jupiter, a hookah lounge, is “coming soon” to a storefront on Fifth Avenue.

“Our downtown is really growing,” said Monson.

On Gall Boulevard, near downtown, Jerry’s Crystal Bar reopened after being ravaged by fire in 2020.

Checkers on Gall and Culver’s on Eiland Boulevard are new additions to the quick service food options.

The chamber recently hosted a ribbon-cutting for Hoops Heaven, on Chancey Road along the city’s industrial corridor. The indoor training facility offers basketball training for youth in the Zephyrhills and Wesley Chapel area.

Hoops Heaven adds to both Zephyrhills’ and Pasco County’s goal of advocating for sports and ecotourism to build economic growth and bring jobs, Vande Berg said.

“Someone came from out of town and saw a need for youth basketball,” the planning director said.

By Kathy Steele

Published January 05, 2022

Hercules Park redevelopment plan raises questions

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As the redevelopment plan for Hercules Park in Zephyrhills presses forward, at least one resident stakeholder is raising “strong concerns” with its preliminary conceptual plan.

At issue is a portion of the plan that calls for a BMX (bicycle motocross) track, where mountain bike enthusiasts could traverse jumps and obstacles across a circuitous riding trail.

This is an initial conceptual sketch plan of the Hercules Park redevelopment. (File)

Dade City resident Kimberly Barker raised questions about how youths wanting to access the trail would be able to ride their bikes safely through the city’s congested roadways to get to the attraction.

Her remarks came during the public comment period of a Nov. 29 Zephyrhills City Council regular meeting at Zephyrhills City Hall.

An initial rough conceptual sketch plan shows a circuitous riding trail covering roughly 5.29 acres on the southwest corner of the property. There’s also a proposal to build a more traditional multi-use path that surrounds the perimeter of the mountain bike course to accommodate walkers, joggers and casual bike riders.

Barker — a real estate broker for VITIS Realty — pointed to the busy street traffic that surrounds the 12-acre park property, at the corner of County Road 54 and Gall Boulevard, next to Zephyrhills High and Woodland Elementary schools.

She observed the bustle is only going to grow, as high density residential development makes its way down Eiland Boulevard, as well as west and north of that area.

“Having an amenity there that draws bicyclists and pedestrian traffic, specifically, young pedestrian traffic, to cross what is one of the largest intersections in the city of Zephyrhills, is of great concern to me,” said Barker, a lifelong East Pasco resident and a graduate of Zephyrhills High School.

“I just wanted to speak tonight to voice that concern, and ask the city to maybe pump the brakes a little bit and let’s reevaluate what we’re doing with that property, and what’s going to add the greatest value to the community,” she said.

She also raised another concern — the transients and homeless people who are regularly on the park’s premises.

The speaker told council members she visited the site a couple weeks ago and documented the issue with photos on her cellphone.

“I’d like to see the city do something with that property that is maybe going to eliminate that problem right next to the elementary school, and I don’t know that the current plan is going to do that,” she said.

Meanwhile, Barker encouraged the city develop a citizens advisory committee to oversee the park development, as well as other projects and initiatives.

Council President Alan Knight thanked the speaker for her concerns and feedback.

Knight emphasized that “nothing has absolutely, totally been finalized” yet on the park’s forthcoming features and amenities, so additional citizen comments are welcome.

“Any input you would like to give, we would certainly appreciate it, but we are really finalizing it down, and just on the first couple of looks, it looks pretty nice, and I will think when it gets through, you will really like it,” he said.

Knight added the homeless population inhabiting the park is nothing new, estimating this has been an ongoing dilemma for some 30 years. “The transients and so forth have been a problem on that property,” he said. “It’s always been that way.”

This isn’t the first time reservations have been raised about a BMX track within the park property.

Zephyrhills Mayor Gene Whitfield raised objections to the amount of land being used for the BMX concept, during an Oct. 25 city council meeting.

“It just seems like a lot of the project is going to that, a lot of the land area. We could do multiple things in there, or a couple of things,” Whitfield said, at the time.

Addressing the issue during this latest November meeting, Zephyrhills City Manager Billy Poe said he’s had conversations with Zephyrhills Community Redevelopment Area (CRA) Director Gail Hamilton on significantly “shrinking” the BMX course layout.

“We’ve heard council loud and clear, and citizens have been pretty clear about it as well, so we’re taking a hard look at that,” Poe said. “There is a way to condense it down considerably, and so we’re looking at that, and that’ll be brought back through the whole process.”

In October, city council granted a contract for the park’s design and construction document services with engineering firm Kimley-Horn, in the amount of $292,985.

Published December 08, 2021

Pasco officials: Open Ridge Road extension ASAP

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Pasco County officials are pushing to open the Ridge Road extension to the Suncoast Parkway interchange, as soon as the road is ready.

But Pasco County Commissioner Jack Mariano said that Florida’s Turnpike Enterprise may want to delay the opening.

“They may not have the tolling equipment in place. They may hold back, opening the road,” Mariano told his colleagues, during the board’s Nov. 9 meeting.

“If they don’t have the toll stuff on the roads ready, I think you guys agree, we should just open the road. Let the people start traveling. It’s the people’s money that built it, one way or the other, anyway. Let’s get it going,” Mariano said.

Commissioner Mike Moore agreed, putting it this way: “We need to open this, in the first of December. If they want to continue with holding this up, I will be out there with an orange vest and a flag. And, I’m the last person they want to see on that road, directing traffic every day.”

County Administrator Dan Biles told the board there are efforts underway to persuade Florida’s Turnpike Enterprise to change its position.

“The road is on the verge of being ready for traffic. We expect sometime in the next 30 days, the road — to include the interchange at the Suncoast (Parkway) — to be ready for traffic,” Biles said.

That would extend Ridge Road from Moon Lake Road all of the way to the Suncoast Parkway interchange.

“The one thing holding up finishing it up is the tolling equipment on the north side of Ridge Road —not, on the south side, because there’s a gantry on the south between Ridge and (State Road) 54, that already exists, already tolls at $1.07 a passenger vehicle.

“That tolling equipment (on the north side) may not be in until sometime next spring,” Biles said.

“Right now, the tolling authority is saying, ‘Hey, we want to wait until that’s in, to open it.’”

But Biles said the county’s position is and has been: “No. The second we can put traffic on Ridge Road and the interchange, we need to put traffic on Ridge Road and the interchange.

“Once it’s ready, it should be opened,” Biles reiterated. “It’s an immediate traffic reliever.”

If discussions don’t resolve the issue, the board authorized Commission Chairman Ron Oakley to write a letter to the Turnpike Enterprise, and others that he and Biles identify, to try to get the road opened as soon as possible.

In a related note, Moore told his colleagues that he has requested Rep. Ardian Zika and State Sen. Ed Hooper to  file a state appropriation request for $14 million to support phase two of the Ridge Road extension over to U.S. 41.

Both legislators have agreed to seek the funding, Moore said, which would speed completion of that segment.

“Hopefully, we’ll be hearing some good news, during the (legislative) session,” Moore said.

In other area roadwork news, the construction company Cone & Graham is expected in coming weeks to begin doing the completion work on a widening project on State Road 54, from Curley Road to Morris Bridge Road, according to an update from the District Seven office of the Florida Department of Transportation.

The construction company also will be doing work for Pasco County, at Eiland Boulevard, according to the information from FDOT.

Construction work on the widening of State Road 54 was halted by the previous construction company and the surety company is responsible for bringing the work to completion through a conclusion contractor.

Published Nov. 24, 2021

Zephyrhills woman is showcased on the TODAY show

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When Shannon Brennan heard the promo for “Flip your Fall,” a new TODAY Show segment, she immediately knew who to nominate.

The show was looking to shine the spotlight on someone who goes out of their way for others, and Shannon knew that her co-worker Leondra Thomas-Robinson was perfect for that honor.

So, Shannon, who happened to be in Syracuse, New York, visiting her mother, immediately filled out a nomination on TODAY’s website.

And, the television show responded quickly, choosing Leondra, to be featured in the segment.

Behind the scenes, the TODAY team conspired with Shannon and her boss, Betsy Strickland, to pull off the surprise.

As Leondra was going about an apparently normal Sept. 16 morning at the Postal Authority in Zephyrhills, Betsy took a call in the back room.

From left: Shannon Brennan, Leondra Thomas-Robinson and Betsy Strickland all work at the Postal Authority in Zephyrhills. Shannon and Betsy pulled off a big surprise for Leondra, who was spotlighted for going the extra mile, during a segment of the TODAY show. (B.C. Manion)

Moments later, Betsy came out, holding her cellphone up in the air, while two voices were talking to Leondra.

Leondra didn’t have a clue what was going on.

It became clear soon enough.

“Leondra, it’s Hoda (Kotb) and Jenna (Bush).

“We’re from the TODAY show. We know you’re working usually during this hour, but we have a live television show that you’re on, right now,” Hoda said, asking Leondra if it was OK to record her.

“Here’s what happened,” Hoda continued. “Your boss and your co-worker, Shannon, nominated you for a Flip your Fall.

“Basically what this is, is we are honoring you because you are so nice. You are so kind to all of the people you meet. So, we thought, you know, maybe it’s a good time that someone said ‘Thank you’ and showed you appreciation.”

Jenna told Leondra that her co-workers said “you make coming to work a delight — that your positivity, your energy — makes everybody around you feel great.

Hoda: “First we just want to say ‘Thank you.’”

Then she asked Leondra: “How do you feel in this moment?”

Leondra responded: “I don’t even know,” tearing up with emotion.

Then, Jenna asked: “Betsy, do you have something?”

Betsy responded: “I do. I have flowers for you (Leondra) and I have some chocolates for you,” handing them to her. Leondra laughed with delight.

Then Hoda said, “Hey Leondra, we like flowers and we liked chocolates, but we do have one more thing for you.”

Then Jenna said: “You know what we have for you? The Terranea Resort is treating you and a guest to three nights, with airfare, in Ranchos Pallos Verde in Southern California. Luxury amenities. Sweeping views of the Pacific Ocean.”

Hoda added: “Leondra, it’s the vacation you have deserved for a long time.

“What do you think?”

Leondra answered:  “I’m overwhelmed. Thank you so much.”

It was a big moment for Leondra, and for Betsy and Shannon, too — because her friends were equally thrilled she had been chosen to be showcased.

All three are women of faith and all three believe that God had a hand in Leondra’s selection.

For her part, Shannon said if she hadn’t been visiting her mom, she wouldn’t have been watching the show and would not have nominated Leondra.

And, Leondra said she never would have been working at Postal Authority, in the first place, without divine intervention.

She explained that before she began working there she was employed at a bread store that closed down due to COVID.

A bread store customer asked her what she was going to do.

Leondra responded: “I’m going to trust in God. He’s always taken good care of me. He will continue.”

Long story short, the customer — who turned out to be Betsy’s acupuncturist — got involved and Leondra wound up going to work for Betsy.

That, Leondra said, was God.

The store, at 32789 Eiland Blvd., in Zephyrhills, doesn’t just ship packages. It has mailbox rentals, provides notary services, shreds documents, handles certified mail, completes fingerprinting and provides a variety of other services.

People arriving there are often in some sort of transition.

“We have two or three criers a week,” Shannon said. “We fax a lot of stuff, so there’s a lot of death certificates going out. We have a lot of Powers of Attorney that we notarize, and wills and end-of-life instructions, and a lot of times when we’re shipping, we’re shipping people’s valuables that they pack up from their parents’ house, who just passed away.

“They’re really at a crossroads.

“It’s hard for them, so it just can’t be business as usual. It’s not business as usual,” Shannon said.

Leondra tunes into those needs and responds, her co-workers said.

The store has lots of repeat customers, too.

Leondra remembers their names and faces, and details of their story, Shannon said.

“I think it’s a great avenue to minister to people,” Leondra said.

“They come in. They’re sending packages,” Leondra said. “But sometimes they just need a word of encouragement. Or, they need a smile. Or, they just need somebody to reassure them. ‘Yeah, you’re going through something right now, but it’s not the end of the world, and you’re not alone.

“I hear everything that people say, but I also hear what they don’t say,” said Leondra, who is taking her mother along for her resort vacation.

Published October 13, 2021

Zephyrhills draft budget shows big jump

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Zephyrhills City Manager Billy Poe (File)

The City of Zephyrhills anticipates a roughly 24.5% increase over this year’s budget.

The proposed budget for 2021-2022 draft is estimated at nearly $75.3 million.

That compares to this year’s budget of roughly $60.5 million.

The proposed budget also is significantly more than it was in the 2019-2020 and 2018-2019 fiscal years, which were approximately $66.3 million and $59.4 million, respectively.

The city’s proposed budget is based on a 6.35 millage rate, assessed on taxable value of aggregate property of just over $946.6 million within the city. At that rate, it is expected to generate about $5.7 million in ad valorem revenues, based on a 95% collection rate.

Within the proposed budget are anticipated leaps in the special revenue fund (estimated at slightly more than $13.1 million in the coming year, compared to about $7.2 million this year); the utility fund (estimated at nearly $22.8 million, up from slightly more than $16.4 million); and the utility impact fee fund (estimated at nearly $6.3 million, up from slightly more than $4.3 million), respectively.

Estimates for other funds are similar to previous years. Those include the general fund, at slightly more than $15.6 million; the Community Redevelopment Agency fund, at nearly $800,000; the impact fee fund at slightly more than $6.1 million; the airport fund, at slightly more than $8.4 million and the sanitation fund at nearly $2 million.

City Manager Billy Poe offered a comprehensive overview of the proposed budget to the Zephyrhills City Council, during its July 26 meeting.
Public hearings on the proposed property tax rate and budget are scheduled for Sept. 13 and Sept. 27, both at 6 p.m., at Zephyrhills City Hall, 5335 Eighth St., Zephyrhills.

Big-ticket projects abound
Poe during the meeting detailed some of the big-ticket items — including the multimillion expansion of the Sarah Vande Berg Tennis and Wellness Center, which comes in as the highest single-ticket item on the books. That project has a state appropriation of slightly less than $4.7 million.

Another 800-feet of roadwork to complete Simons Road Phase II has an estimated price tag of $2.3 million, which is included in the proposed city budget for fiscal year 2021-2022. The elevated cost surprised several members of the Zephyrhills City Council during a July 26 regular meeting. Shown here is the completion of Simons Road Phase. (Courtesy of City of Zephyrhills)

The municipality received the state funds to construct additional outdoor hard tennis courts, as well as a 30,000-square-foot indoor tennis facility with the capability for other sports and activities, such as soccer, ping pong, banquets and ceremonies.

The budget item drawing the greatest reaction from council members involves the Simons Road Phase II project, to finish roadwork linking Eiland Boulevard to Fort King Road.

The project carries a price tag of $2.3 million, causing some council members to question its cost.

The work — funded through transportation impact fees — calls for paving about 800 feet of roadway. That’s compared to Simons Road Phase I, which cost about $2.1 million, but required about 1.1 miles of roadwork.

Phase I was completed in February 2020, paving Simons Road from Eiland Boulevard to the northern boundary of The Links at Silver Oaks.

Phase II will continue from the Silver Oaks subdivision to Fort King Road, making a continuous link between Eiland Boulevard and Fort King Road, creating a north-south connector, providing residents on the north end of town another option to get onto Eiland Boulevard.

The cost of phase II drew consternation from the dais.

Councilman Lance Smith was quick to question the cost, as did Council President Alan Knight.

Knight characterized the estimated cost as “almost ridiculous.”

Poe said he, too, was surprised by the figure.

He explained the cost — an engineer’s estimate — is attributed to the road section traversing wetlands and low areas, requiring box culverts and retaining walls, among other add-ons.

Zephyrhills Public Works Director Shane LeBlanc added to Poe’s explanation for the sticker shock, observing economy of scale and current market trends also need to be taken into account.

Given the area’s drainage accommodations, the project’s scope is more involved “than just a road section,” LeBlanc explained.

LeBlanc went on: “The engineer’s estimate was $2.3 million, and I also had a contractor look at the engineer’s estimate, and the contractor said in this day and age, that price is pretty close, so we’re hoping when we go out to bid, it’ll be less than that, but we’ve got to make sure we have enough in the budget to cover that.

The City of Zephyrhills draft budget is $75.3 million budget for fiscal year 2021-2022. Public hearings on the proposed property tax rate and budget are scheduled for Sept. 13 and Sept. 27. (File)

“Historically, an engineer’s estimate is high, so that they cover themselves, and we were skeptical and had it looked at, and it’s checked out,” LeBlanc said.

One option would be to package the Simons Road Phase II project with several other citywide roadway projects to benefit from economy of scale with discounts on construction mobilization costs, Poe said.

“We might be able to get it a little cheaper, a little less expensive,” he reasoned.

Smith noted that allocating $2.3 million in the budget for the job might result in higher bids than it would, otherwise.

“We always understand, a lot of times, if you have $2.3 million in your budget, the bids are all around $2.3 million,” Smith said.

LeBlanc acknowledged that a project’s budgeted amount often is one of the first questions a contractor will ask.

But LeBlanc said if the city allotted too little for Simons Road Phase II, and all of the bids came in higher than the budget amount, the city would need to change the budgeted amount, anyway.

The public works director also noted that a 10% contingency is built into the scope.

Major utilities projects are on tap for the city, too.

This includes a $4 million allocated in the wastewater utilities fund for the Northside lift station and force main.

The project calls for a master lift station in the vicinity of 23rd Street and Otis Allen Road, then installing a force main at Otis Allen, County Road 35A and State Road 54, into another lift station in that area. Poe explained the project not only meets septic-to-sewer initiatives but also helps to serve the rapid development on the north end of town.

Other notable utilities projects include a pair of waterline extensions combining to total $3 million — and paid through loan by Florida’s State Revolving Fund (SRF).

One aims to create a waterline loop from Copeland Drive to State Road 39 and Tucker Road ($2 million).

The other calls for a waterline loop that includes Fort King Road from Simons Road to Phelps Road ($1 million).

The city’s proposed budget also includes $1 million in Penny for Pasco dollars for sidewalk improvements throughout town — a big-picture initiative to make the city more walkable for residents and visitors.

Poe put it like this: “I want to be able to create loops in our sidewalks and our trails, so as individuals want to go out and exercise, they have a loop and it’s not just an out and back, so we’re working on connectors, and also connecting our schools to our parks and our neighborhoods, so we’re hoping that $1 million will make a big dent in our needs for sidewalks.”

Meanwhile, another $1 million-plus in Penny for Pasco funds also will go toward park improvements, the bulk set for renovations to Hercules Park.

“We’ve been talking about Hercules Park, and the enhancements we want to make there,” Poe said, “so we feel that we can put $1 million towards that. We don’t believe that will complete the entire project, but that will get us going in the right direction and be able to do a large portion of that.”

While smaller in nature, Gateway and Jennifer Lane roadway projects also would be notable — as they represent the last dirt roads in city limits, Poe noted.
Those projects — funded through transportation impact fees — are estimated at $350,000 and $120,000, respectively.

Personnel matters
The city manager also addressed various personnel matters during the budget discussion portion of the meeting.

The proposed budget calls for several additional positions, including a human resources specialist, senior maintenance mechanic, equipment operator, police officers, water distribution officer, wastewater maintenance/inventory technician and senior utility billing service representative.

Determining how many new Zephyrhills police officers to hire remains an open budget question for Zephyrhills City Council. (File)

The need for additional police officers — and how many to hire — yielded debate among the council.

Poe relayed that Zephyrhills Police Chief Derek Brewer has requested hiring six more officers, to accommodate the city’s rapid residential growth.

That would meet the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) recommended standards of 2.4 full-time sworn officers per thousand residents, Poe explained.

However, the city manager himself told council he’d prefer hiring just two officers for this upcoming fiscal year, with a plan to bring on additional officers in coming years.

Hiring two more officers this fiscal year would roughly give the city 2.1 full-time sworn officers per thousand residents, he said.

The starting salary for a full-time sworn officer is $44,500 plus benefits — bringing a total cost to the city at about $70,000 per officer, per year, Poe noted.
Brewer did not speak at the meeting.

Councilman Charles Proctor, however, was vocal about considering the police chief’s request, or at least meeting somewhere in the middle.

“Personally, with the growth, I would like to see more (officers),” Proctor said.

“I mean, I’d like to try to get closer to the number that (Brewer’s) requesting. I know six is probably undoable, but if we could do four, I mean, with the growth, I am concerned that we’re going to need more.

“I would definitely like to see more than two (officers), but I know sometimes we can only do so much.”

Also on the personnel front, Poe said the budget encompasses a 3% pay increase for all employees — a total impact of $194,618 spread across the general fund, CRA fund, utility fund, airport fund and sanitation fund.

Another subject at hand is ensuring the city is in line with the minimum wage increasing to $15 per hour in September 2026. Anticipated savings from the merger of the city’s fire department with Pasco County may help methodically offset salary increases each year, Poe noted.

Elsewhere, the city manager mentioned several possible add-ons that are not yet included in the draft budget:

* $2 million Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) to purchase and install permanent generators for the city’s utilities department
• $100,000 to transform an inline hockey rink at Krusen Field into a short-sided turf soccer field
• $65,000 for place branding the city for marketing purposes

These items will likely be considered at another meeting or budget workshop. Meanwhile, Poe said he wants to schedule one-on-one meetings with each council member to gather additional input on budgetary needs and issues.

Published August 04, 2021

Pasco gains state funding for wide assortment of projects

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Initially, things were looking pretty bleak on the state fiscal front — before the last session of the Florida Legislature.

Pasco County Commissioner Kathryn Starkey recalled some previous remarks from the county’s state lobbyist, Shawn Foster, of Sunrise Consulting.

“Before session started, you were like: ‘This is going to be a really bad session. We’re going to be billions of dollars in the hole,’” Starkey said, during the Pasco County Commission’s June 22 meeting.

Foster said that was before the dollars that came in from the America Rescue Act.

Nearly 10% of the state’s $101.5 billion came from the federal government, Foster said.

“If it had not been for that $10 billion that we got from the federal government, there would be no good here. There would be no good,” Foster said.

Without the federal money, he added: “There would be none of these projects on here, none of these other big grants.”

Instead, “the state took $7 billion of the American Rescue Act and implemented it into this year and held off another $3 billion for the next budget,” Foster said.

Instead of being decimated, the statewide budget includes:

  • $1 billion for community substance abuse and mental health
  • $3.2 million for homeless program challenge grants
  • $500 million for the Resilient Florida Trust Fund and programs
  • $626 million for septic to sewer and stormwater improvements
  • $146.7 million for the State Housing Initiative Partnership program
  • $74 million for the Florida Job Growth Grant Fund, including $24 million from last year
  • $1.5 billion in the Emergency Rental Assistance Program

The county can apply directly for funding through the Septic to Sewer/Stormwater Improvement program, Foster said.

“That was our Sen. (Wilton) Simpson’s priority and has been for years. I think it started with an idea a few years ago; it was $50 million. So, to see it up to $626 (million) is amazing.”

The lobbyist also noted that the Emergency Rental Assistance Program is one in which constituents can make direct applications, through OurFlorida.com.

Three Pasco County projects also went through to the governor.

Those were:

  • $6.5 million for the Handcart Road water and wastewater improvements
  • $200,000 for the Ackerman Street drainage improvements
  • $3,818,208 for the Lindrick sewer and water quality

“The county as a whole, really did well,” said Ralph Lair, the county’s intergovernmental affairs officer.

Other county projects receiving funding were:

  • $3 million to extend the runway at Zephyrhills Municipal Airport
  • $4,665,000 for the Sarah Vande Berg Tennis & Wellness Center in Zephyrhills
  • $25 million for a Florida National Guard Armory in Zephyrhills
  • $1.25 million for a CARES One-Stop Senior Center in Dade City
  • $450,000 for AmSkills Workforce Training
  • $25 million for a Pasco-Hernando State College student success and community engagement center in Dade City
  • $34,738 for a Pasco Association of Challenged Kids Summer Camp
  • $5 million for Metropolitan Ministries to expand its campus in Pasco County
  • $700,000 for Bridging Freedom Program in Pasco County

While Commissioner Mike Moore expressed gratitude for this year’s appropriations, he said the county needs to focus on securing funding to address flooding issues in areas such as Quail Hollow and around Eiland Boulevard.

“That needs to be a big focus, going forward,” Moore said. “Those are very important. Those affect our citizens on a day-to-day basis,” he said.

Commissioner Kathryn Starkey said she’d like to follow the Pinellas County Commission’s example of meeting with their county legislative delegation and with their federal legislative delegation.

She wants Pasco to be more proactive in seeking state and federal funding to help address county needs.

Foster expressed optimism about the state’s revenue prospects for next year.

Committee meetings will begin in the fall, and the next session of the legislature is set to start Jan. 11 and end on March 11.

Published July 07, 2021

Zephyrhills runner competes in U.S. Olympic trials

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Evan Miller’s sprint for a spot on Team USA for the upcoming Tokyo Summer Olympics came up short — but it was still an experience most athletes can only ever dream about.

The Zephyrhills athlete on June 25 competed in the U.S. Olympic track and field trials at the legendary Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon.

Miller — a rising senior at University of South Carolina — clocked 21.04 seconds in the first round heat of the men’s 200-meter dash, finishing 23rd overall.

Zephyrhills native Evan Miller earned an invitation to the U.S. Olympic track and field trials in Eugene, Oregon, where he competed in the men’s 200-meter dash. Miller missed the cut for a spot on Team USA for the Tokyo Summer Olympics, but his track career is far from over. He next gears up for his senior season at the University of South Carolina, where he earned second-team NCAA All-American honors a few months ago. (Zephyrhills native Evan Miller earned an invitation to the U.S. Olympic track and field trials in Eugene, Oregon, where he competed in the men’s 200-meter dash. Miller missed the cut for a spot on Team USA for the Tokyo Summer Olympics, but his track career is far from over. He next gears up for his senior season at the University of South Carolina, where he earned second-team NCAA All-American honors a few months ago. (Courtesy of University of South Carolina athletics department)

He competed in the same heat against other widely known professional sprinters, including Terrance Laird and Jaron Flourney, among others.

The competition was televised live nationally on the NBC Sports Network.

Miller’s trials mark was a shade off his personal best of 20.50 seconds — which he recorded at the Weems Baskin Relays hosted on-campus at South Carolina in late March. He wound up earning second-team NCAA All-American honors during the season, too.

A last-minute heat and lane scheduling change at trials in Oregon arguably impacted his performance, in some form or another.

Miller originally was slated to compete in heat 2, lane 5, but event officials switched him to heat 3, lane 9 just hours before the race.

Here’s why it matters: The middle lanes (such as lane 5) are viewed as more advantageous in track, as it allows sprinters to visibly pace themselves against competitors in real time, Miller said, “to have someone to kind of push me toward where I’m trying to go, how fast I’m trying to run.”

But being positioned in outside lanes (such as lane 9) is more out on an island of sorts — unable to see if you’re going too fast or too slow against the competition. “You’re just out there, (so) you’ve just kind of got to run your own race,” Miller said.

Miller was one of about 30 sprinters nationwide who either qualified or accepted an invitation, and declared for the men’s 200-meter trials event.

From there, the top three men’s 200-meter finishers at trials earned spots on the U.S. Olympic team — Noah Lyles (first, 19.74 seconds), Kenny Bednarek (second, 19.78) and Erriyon Knighton (third, 19.84). (Knighton is a 17-year-old sensation from Tampa who attends Hillsborough High School and became the youngest track and field athlete to join Team USA since 1964.)

While disappointed with his own trials output overall, Miller relished the opportunity so very few earn — let alone coming off a 2020 track season hampered by the COVID-19 pandemic.

He had plenty of support at the momentous event, as both his parents and sister were in attendance, along with several coaches and teammates.

“All around, it was a really good experience,” Miller said. “It was kind of surreal that I was there with the top athletes in the country. It was just a really good feeling. I was kind of trying to take it all in, but I also couldn’t like believe it at the same time.”

Miller has since flown back to the Tampa Bay area, but may soon head back to Columbia, South Carolina, for the remainder of the summer to take on more in-person instruction from college coaches.

He’s already eyeing the next trials in advance of the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics. He plans to be a professional track athlete by then.

Miller appears on the video board ahead of the U.S. Olympic track and field trials at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon. (Courtesy of Erica Miller)

“I’ll definitely be there,” he said. “This isn’t going to be the last time.”

More immediate tasks, however, include the upcoming college indoor and outdoor track seasons, as well as the 2022 World Championships.

Goals are set on running in the low-20s in the 200, somewhere between 20.1 and 20 seconds flat for the time being.

Miller also is considering adding the 400-meter dash to his repertoire, with the aim of reducing his time in the 200, he said.

Focusing on nutrition will be key to moving forward, Miller said. He noted his calves cramped up a few days before the trials, showing perhaps a sign of dehydration.

Further fine-tuning sprint techniques — from starting block to transition and finish — also is on his mind, to yield improvements.

“There’s a lot of stuff I’ve got to work on,” he said, “so that’s why I’m confident that I’ll be able to drop my time, because there’s still a lot to be done.”

From Zephyrhills to Olympic hopes
Miller has generated buzz athletically since his days at Zephyrhills Christian Academy.

He was better known for his play on the football field, but he took track more seriously following a broken ankle while playing in a 7-on-7 tournament.

As a teenager he eventually linked up with AAU track and high school coach BB Roberts, who runs the Wesley Chapel-based Speed Starz Track Club, and lists NFL and MLB athletes as training clientele.

Roberts, a former track star in his own right at Wesley Chapel High School and Coffeyville (Kansas) Community College, worked to correct Miller’s sprinting form and technique, among other tips.

Miller proceeded to win the Class 1A crown 100-meter dash (10.75) at the 2018 FHSAA State Track & Field Championships, as a senior at Zephyrhills Christian. He also was a member of the program’s 4×100 relay team that won back-to-back state crowns in 2017 and 2018, respectively.

He would go on to qualify for AAU nationals, too.

Miller initially planned to compete in football and track at Warner University, a small NAIA school in Lake Wales.

Zephyrhills athlete Evan Miller readies for warm-ups at the U.S. Olympic track and field trials, held at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon. He finished 23rd in the men’s 200-meter dash, clocking 21.04. (Courtesy of Erica Miller)

That was until the more prestigious South Carolina track and field program came calling with an offer from longtime head coach Curtis Frye — who’s overseen over 60 NCAA champions, 121 SEC champions, 20 Academic All-Americans and more than 500 NCAA All-Americans across his 25-year career.

It’s all been a whirlwind for the hometown speedster, from small private school off Eiland Boulevard to joining a blue-blood SEC college program, to much-grander Olympics aspirations.

“I definitely wish I would’ve discovered track sooner, but I really didn’t expect to be able to do all these things,” said Miller.

“The switch from Warner to (South Carolina), that happened so fast, and then, once I got to (South Carolina), I knew, I wanted to be great at anything I do, not just track but anything in general, so I made it work.

“I’m glad I’ve made it to where I am, in such a short amount of time.”

Miller has grown to love the sport over time. It not only feeds his competitive nature, but also forges mental toughness, he said.

Said Miller, “I like to be the best, in anything that I do, but also I started to realize, it’s a very mental sport. You’ve got to be very mentally strong, and that just also helps me with life in general, being able to handle certain situations, having that mental strength to push through anything.

“It definitely helps me push through certain situations, but just everyday training, it just makes me mentally stronger.”

Published July 07, 2021

Growth is coming to Zephyrhills

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Activity is on the rise in the City of Zephyrhills — from multiple new housing developments, to myriad airport and roadway improvements, to the prospect of wholesale changes to its local 911 communication operations.

Zephyrhills City Manager Billy Poe offered a look at what’s happening in the city, during a speaking engagement at last month’s East Pasco Networking Group breakfast meeting at IHOP in Dade City.

Zephyrhills City Manager Billy Poe was the guest speaker at the East Pasco Networking Group’s March 9 breakfast meeting, at IHOP in Dade City. (Kevin Weiss)

The city’s residential development is booming, Poe said.

“You see it when you’re driving down the road, driving down (State Road) 56, everywhere you go, anywhere you go, you see the development happening,” he said, during the March 9 breakfast meeting.

There are nine housing developments totaling about 3,000 units on the books, Poe said. The housing styles include townhomes, single-family homes and apartments.

The additional housing is expected to bring an estimated 7,000 new residents to the municipality, when all is said and done, Poe said.

These developments are predominately situated beyond the Zephyr Commons Shopping Center and Walmart off Gall Boulevard, as well as around the Sarah Vande Berg Tennis & Wellness Center along Simons Road. The projects are in varying stages, from preliminary plans to homes under construction, Poe said.

“Zephyrhills will definitely be changing as we move through this, God willing the economy stays the way it’s going for us,” Poe said.

Airport gets a lift
Several enhancements are coming to the Zephyrhills Municipal Airport, which spans some 900 acres of land donated to the city after World War II.

Most notable is moving forward with the extension of Runway 1-19. It’s increasing to 6,200 feet, up from 4,700 feet.

The longer runway will accommodate larger corporate jets and will bolster industry in the surrounding airport vicinity. It also will provide support, in the long-term, for an industrial corridor, in the area of Chancey Road.

The Runway 1-19 project also calls for a Taxiway B extension, paved runway shoulders and construction of an access road.

The $6.5 million runway extension project, funded via state appropriations and Penny for Pasco, is expected to be completed in November. The city recently awarded a construction bid to Plant City-based C.W. Roberts Contracting for the work.

Poe detailed how instrumental State Sen. Wilton Simpson, R-Trilby was in securing funding, given that improved transportation via air travel is one of Florida’s long-range goals for its communities.

Poe put it this way: “Sen. Simpson helped push this project forward, because he saw the importance of having a longer runway and being able to bring in those corporate jets to Zephyrhills.”

Poe also emphasized that the move isn’t a preamble for the airport to eventually expand into  a cargo hub — something recently implemented at Lakeland’s Linder International Airport in partnership with Amazon.

“There’s been some rumblings that, ‘Hey we’re going to go try to look like Lakeland and try to get cargo jets and all that.’ That is not true. Our goal is to be the best general aviation airport around,” Poe said.

For that scenario to even be considered, Poe said, the airport would need to install a tower and an Airport Rescue and Firefighting Station (ARFF) to clear zones and angles, among other considerations. “A lot of things that would have to be done,” he said. “Now, if somebody wants to come in and pay for that, we can have a conversation, (but) the city is not doing that.”

Other boosts are planned for the airport, too.

This includes upgrading its fuel farm, which features a pair of 20,000-gallon tanks some 25 years old. Poe said the state is funding 80% of the fuel farm upgrade, while the city is on the hook for 20%. The bid for this project is expected to be awarded in May.

There’s also plans to rehabilitate Taxiway A — which runs along Runway 5-23 — due to asphalt pavement reaching the end of its useful life. The project is currently in the design phase with projected construction coming in November. Poe said the FAA will fund 90% of the $3.3 million project, with the FDOT (8%) and the city (2%) contributing the remaining sum. “We would not be able to do it without partnerships with DOT, FAA, the state, all of those different grant dollars,” he said.

Installing some more corporate hangars at the airport is another objective, among others Poe said.

Roadwork improvements en route
Aside from the airport, several roadwork projects also are in the pipeline for the burgeoning East Pasco municipality.

Among other roadway improvements, the city has entered the design phase for paving the remaining northern portion of Simons Road, from the Links of Silver Oaks subdivision to Fort King Road. It will create a continuous north-south connector linking Eiland Boulevard to Fort King Road. (Courtesy of City of Zephyrhills)

The city manager said activity is well underway on the U.S. 301/Pretty Pond Road intersection project, which calls for the relocation of an existing signalized intersection from the shopping plaza entrance to Pretty Pond Road, a signalized intersection at Medical Arts Court, and all other required roadway improvements. The addition of signalized intersections at these locations serves to improve the mobility of the northeast section of the city, and become an economic driver for the northeast and northwest corners of Pretty Pond to be developed into a national grocery store, national chain hotel, pet supply store and chain restaurants.

The $2.3 million project is fully funded through a state appropriation.

Meantime, the city has entered the design phase to pave the remaining northern portion of Simons Road, from the Links of Silver Oaks subdivision to Fort King Road, making a continuous north-south connector linking Eiland Boulevard to Fort King Road. Upon completion, residents living on the north end of town will have another option onto Eiland Boulevard, and otherwise helping eliminate congested traffic.

The city manager expects the Simons Road construction project to bid out around October, adding “hopefully by this time next year that road will be open.”

He explained the reason the city didn’t pave the entire road all at once was due to obstructing Duke Energy transmission poles. Now, the utilities company is in the process of relocating those poles at no cost to the city, Poe said, noting it would’ve cost the city around $2 million to move them at the time a couple years ago. “The city works very hard to get those grant dollars and tries to stretch the taxpayer dollars as far as we possibly can,” he said.

He added the city also is seeking grant funding, plus partnerships with the county and Lennar development to add a traffic signal at the Simons Road/Eiland Boulevard intersection, to alleviate traffic coming to and from the Sarah Vande Berg Tennis & Wellness Center, at 6585 Simons Road.

Elsewhere, the city plans to extend Dean Dairy Road from Pretty Pond Road north to Kossick Road. This action, Poe said would “help alleviate some of the traffic going up onto U.S. 301 and being able to access (Zephyr Commons) Publix and things from that back road.”

Poe otherwise detailed how the city spends roughly $400,000 per year repaving and rehabbing its local roadway network, using techniques like full-depth reclamation and micro seal to extend their useful life. The city’s streets department otherwise maintains roughly 66 miles of roadways throughout Zephyrhills, the city manager said.

Published April 07, 2021

Zephyrhills development yields roadway concerns

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The City of Zephyrhills is experiencing booming growth and development that includes thousands of new homes and myriad commercial projects — and that’s on top of a newfound tourism and visitor rush felt with the opening of the $4.9 million Sarah Vande Berg Tennis & Wellness Center, at 6585 Simons Road.

As the city begins to add new population and outsiders, concerns are increasing about the ability of the city’s road ways being able to sustain traffic arising from all the happenings in the small East Pasco town.

Those qualms were front and center at a Zephyrhills City Council meeting last month.

“We’re having tremendous growth right now, and I think it’s really hard to stay ahead of it, I really do, from a traffic management standpoint,” Councilman Lance Smith said.

Zephyrhills development yields roadway concerns. (Courtesy of City of Zephyrhills)

“We see it in (Pasco County). In the county we see the lag that’s happened, and my gosh, how long have they been working on (State Road) 54, adding additional lanes? I’m just concerned that we stay ahead of it,” the councilman said.

Smith directed attention to the Abbott Square development that will add some 700 units surrounding the new tennis center on Simons Road.

The roadway is already becoming a problem with motorists trying to make left-hand turns off the Simons Road/Eiland Boulevard intersection, without a traffic signal, he said.

He also observed “cars stacked up turning left” during a recent event at the tennis complex, therefore increasing the likelihood of accidents and wrecks.

“People get frustrated when they can’t make that left-hand turn, and they’re willing to take a chance when they do that,” Smith said.  “We need to do something.”

In response, Zephyrhills City Manager Billy Poe explained a signalized intersection improvement is tied into a developer’s agreement with the Abbott Square homebuilder, Lennar Corporation. Meanwhile, the city is looking to time up those signalized improvements and connect Simons Road into Fort King Road by the end of 2021, Poe said.

Smith credited city staff for “doing a really good job” with facilitating various development projects — along with getting some transportation projects in the pipeline, such as the busy U.S. 301/Pretty Pond Road and County Road 54/U.S. 301 intersections.

But he cautioned that those involved must think of any potential issues that might result before construction actually begins on a particular project: “Just put on your thinking cap when you’re looking at these developments, ‘How’s it going to impact the road network around it?’”

Smith brought up the example of consulting engineers not including a right-hand turn lane into the recent State Road 56/Morris Bridge Road project.

He said: “Let’s try and avoid (those mistakes). Somebody holler and say, ‘Hey, you forgot this.’ It’s a shame to open up a new road and have these goat trails on the side where people are coming up and making their own right-hand turn lane.”

Meanwhile, another Zephyrhills roadway issue brewing is the sustainability of Wire Road. Nearby construction is afoot on Abbott Park, a 500-plus unit development popping up on the site of the former Gore Dairy Supply property.

Councilman Alan Knight observed: “Wire Road’s taking a beating already and you know with the new people coming in, and we’re looking at 500 homes — whew, it’s going to be tough (to maintain).”

Poe explained that Wire Road is scheduled to be repaved at some point but has been pushed back due to Abbott Park’s construction. Also, Poe said city officials are having internal discussions to find some way to get a utility transmission pole relocated, so that Wire Road can be connected with Kossik Road. There’s also designed plans — but not yet budgeted —  for Dairy Road to be extended north to connect with Kossik Road, the city manager said.

Meanwhile, Knight and other council members called for additional funding and resources to move such transportation projects forward.

Knight, for one, made a vocal plea for more help from the Pasco County Commission: “There’s a lot of money coming from our county commissioners that are going other areas…and some of that money needs to come to us. I’ll be the first to be very vocal about it. I see where a lot is going to Wesley Chapel; I understand the growth. I understand a lots going, but Zephyrhills needs to get some of that money. We need to get some improvements. We’re growing at a rate that’s unreal.”

Council President Charles Proctor echoed those sentiments: “This city is growing so fast. We all lived here a long time and I believe we’re doing our best to stay ahead of it, but we definitely need to work with the state and with the county to stay ahead of it.”

Published January 13, 2021

Zephyrhills adapts to growth, economic shifts

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If 2020 demonstrated anything, it was the necessity for area communities to have economic resiliency — that is, the ability to prevent, withstand and quickly recover from shocks to its economic base, whether that’s in response to a pandemic, natural disaster or stock market volatility.

In Zephyrhills, it’s something city planning director Todd Vande Berg and other city officials are actively balancing and preparing for, as the East Pasco municipality experiences a wave of growth and development, as well as transportation and infrastructure improvements.

Zephyrhills Planning Director Todd Vande Berg outlined how the city is setting itself up for future economic windfall during the annual Zephyrhills Economic Summit. (Courtesy of Todd Vande Berg)

Vande Berg provided an in-depth look at the city’s ongoing efforts during the annual Zephyrhills Economic Summit that was held this fall.

One key moving forward, he said, is reevaluating, updating and incorporating some “best practices” into the city’s comprehensive plan and land development code.

This includes taking a harder look at density bonuses and floor area ratios, as well as stream-lining permitting processes and broadening permitted uses, he said.

Prioritizing municipal investments in transportation (multi-modal, pedestrian-oriented, public transit) and infrastructure (water, sewer, communication networks), and recreation is important, too, he said.

Ripe for industrial manufacturing
The city is banking on diversifying its local economy and bringing high-wage jobs to town via a regional industrial/manufacturing buildout.

Local leaders believe this can be achieved through leveraging approximately 9.76 square miles (6,248 acres) of land in the southeast portion of the city around the State Road 39/Chancey Road corridor and Zephyrhills Municipal Airport. There is 3,000 acres to 4,000 acres available for potential industrial development.

Roughly a third of the entire property is within city limits and the remainder in unincorporated Pasco County — representing the largest aggregation of industrial lands in the county.

Within the area is 442 divisible acres of what’s known as the Zephyrhills Airport Industrial Park, a build-ready site equipped with water, sewer and electric utilities, and accessible to natural gas.

As industrial space along the Interstate 4 corridor begins to fill up along Tampa, Lakeland and Orlando, Zephyrhills “might be a next logical location for industrial manufacturing to come to,” Vande Berg said.

He reasoned the city’s vast land offerings is ripe to someday be home to a mix of light and heavy industrial and commercial uses — such as building spaces large enough to house semi-trailer truck bays.

The City of Zephyrhills and other local partners are working to bring industrial manufacturing to several thousands of acres of aggregate vacant land in the southeast portion of the city situated around the Chancey Road/State Road 39 corridor and Zephyrhills Municipal Airport. (Courtesy of Pasco Economic Development Council)

The planning director explained it makes sense now more than ever to prepare for a long-range industrial plan, as Central Florida is following national trends of heavier investment in warehousing than retail construction.

The COVID-19 pandemic expedited this trend as more people and business are working and providing services remotely, in addition to the rise of Amazon and other e-commerce companies, Vande Berg said.

The city also enjoys north-south and east-west state and county road connections that support the long-term vision for industrial development, the planning director said. The city’s municipal airport, CSX main line rail access and close proximity to Port Tampa Bay and Central Florida markets are among its selling points.

“We’re pretty unique in that we have a pretty good roadway network being developed. That’s going to benefit the industrial corridor, to again make us very resilient, but we’ve got to continue to work on that,” he said.

The planning director acknowledged one challenge involves finding a way to widen the U.S. 301 corridor to four lanes from Fowler Avenue in Hillsborough County up through Zephyrhills. The roadway presently stretches four lanes from Port Tampa Bay to Fowler, but transitions to two lanes north through Pasco.

Vande Berg acknowledged that the Hillsborough Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) hasn’t been on board with widening the road further north.

To resolve the impasse, the Pasco MPO needs to gather and collaborate with Hillsborough, Vande Berg said, “and really emphasize the importance of getting that segment of road, four lanes.”

He continued: “That four-lane corridor, I think, will pay off huge dividends for manufacturing and just overall betterment of our transportation network.”

Aside from stated transportation improvements to supplement an industrial corridor, Vande Berg also emphasized the importance of having a mechanism that provides workforce training opportunities, as people look to transition to manufacturing jobs.

“I feel like we need to look at identifying, and supporting and incentivizing all those things to provide for more of a diverse workforce,” he said.

Some next steps in the measured industrial corridor planning process include meeting with large industrial property owners; coordinating additional stakeholder meetings; having more discussions with industrial brokers; making airport and railroad improvements; and, continuing with various citywide master plan updates, Vande Berg said.

Growth already ramping up in Zephyrhills
While efforts continue to shape a future industrial hub, plenty is already happening in Zephyrhills in the way of new development, particularly residential construction.

A slew of new housing communities set to come online — such as Abbott Square, 700-plus units surrounding the new Sarah Vande Berg Tennis & Wellness Center off Simons Road; and Abbott Park, 500-plus units tucked behind the Zephyr Commons Publix Shopping Center, off Gall Boulevard.

Other notable homesites include the Link at Calusa Springs, north of Silverado Golf & Country Club; the Oaks at Pasco, southeast of Silverado Golf & Country Club; and Skybird Properties, off Alston Road near the municipal airport.

Various roadway improvements are paving way for new commercial development, too.

Most notable is the $2.3 million state-funded U.S. 301/Pretty Pond Road intersection project, now under construction.

The project calls for new traffic signals on U.S. 301 at Pretty Pond and at Medical Arts Court/ Townview Avenue, along with other median and roadway improvements.

The 442-acre Zephyrhills Airport Industrial Park is a build-ready site equipped with water, sewer and electric utilities, and is accessible to natural gas. It’s adjacent to the city’s municipal airport and CSX railroad. (Courtesy of Pasco Economic Development Council)

The addition of signalized intersections at these locations is designed to make it easier to move about the area, and to be an economic driver for the northeast and northwest corners of Pretty Pond.

Once construction is complete, the area is poised to land Chick-fil-A and Chipotle chain restaurants, and other businesses.

Vande Berg joked he frequently gets asked about when Chick-fil-A is coming aboard — and said the popular franchise was waiting until the intersection project received the OK to move forward.

“I’m happy to share that they’re still on board,” the city official said.

He also mentioned enhancements coming to a 1.31-mile stretch on County Road 54, east of U.S. 301, east to 23rd Street.

The city is splitting the cost of the $6.5 million project with Pasco County, which will include the addition of intersection turn lanes; a traffic signal at 23rd Street; and multi-use paths and trails on the north and south sides of the road, among other improvements.

The project is addressing one of the city’s “bigger areas of need” to improve traffic capacity along a busy and sometimes dangerous roadway, Vande Berg said.

Elsewhere, the planning director highlighted a slew of other forthcoming projects and goals, further giving a look inside the booming activity in the city:

  • Mixed-use properties along the Zephyr Commons gateway
  • New Veterans Affairs outpatient clinic off Eiland Boulevard
  • Upgrades to Hercules Park, at U.S. 301 and County Road 54, adjacent to Zephyrhills High and Woodlands Elementary schools.
  • Implementation of form-based building codes from North Avenue to C Avenue, between Sixth Street and Seventh Street
  • Efforts to have more designated complete streets throughout the city, designed to enable safe access for all users, including pedestrians, bicyclists, motorists and transit riders of all ages and abilities. (This may include adding sidewalks, bike lanes ,or wide paved shoulders; special bus lanes; comfortable and accessible public transportation stops, frequent and safe crossing opportunities; median islands, accessible pedestrian signals; curb extensions; narrower travel lanes; roundabouts and so on.)

Published December 09, 2020