The Laker/Lutz News

Florida Department of Transportation

Pasco MPO eyeing new method for prioritizing projects

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The board of the Pasco County Metropolitan Planning Organization — which is the county’s lead agency in transportation planning — is considering a new way to add and rank projects on its priority list.

Carl Mikyska, executive director of the Pasco MPO, discussed the proposed methodology with the MPO board at its Dec. 9 meeting. He asked them to take a closer look at the proposal, with the goal of voting on it at the board’s meeting in February.

One proposed change calls for establishing a separate priority list for bicycle and pedestrian improvements.

Another part of the method calls for using a numerical scoring system to rank the projects.

This approach assigns points to the proposed projects, which are summarized for a total project score. Projects can earn a maximum score of 100, except for up to 10 in additional bonus points — based on how long a project has been on the priority list.

Under the updated methodology, proposed bicycle and pedestrian projects will be ranked based on the total number of points they receive in the following categories: safety and security; mobility and connectivity; economic development; project readiness and project longevity.

Road improvements will be ranked upon the total of points they receive in these categories: safety and security; mobility and connectivity; freight movement and economic development; project readiness and project longevity.

The staff wants to use this method to rank the MPO’s 2022 List of Project Priorities, Mikyska said.

He explained that a separate priority list was created for bicycle and pedestrian improvements because the previous methodology put nonmotorized projects at a disadvantage.

“We recognize the need to have two very similar methodologies but one that focused on our nonmotorized projects because of their attribute of being significantly different from roadways,” he said.

On both lists, safety and security represent a large number of points.

Pasco County Commissioner Jack Mariano said he would like the scoring methodology to include points for projects that involve shared funding through partnerships.

There are instances when a project is of greater value to the county because it is receiving joint funding from another source, such as a neighboring county or federal government, he said. So, the county can accomplish a greater value, using less money, he said.

Zephyrhills City Councilman Lance Smith agreed: “I think that makes sense.”

Pasco County Commissioner Ron Oakley said it’s important for projects to get on the list, so they can be eligible for funding.

“They need to be on the list, to be funded at the right time,” he said, citing two roundabouts planned in the Dade City area, as examples.

Both are close to receiving funding, Oakley said.

Mikyska said the new approach is aimed at helping “people to understand their likelihood of being able to successfully pursue funding.”

He also noted that it’s important to identify worthy projects because there may be sources of potential funding that is unknown to the county.

“Florida DOT (Department of Transportation) has more money than just federal funds,” he explained. “If they see something on our list that they feel is a good project they may be able to put other funding on it.”

Smith, who chairs the MPO board, urged his colleagues to take a close look at the proposed methodology before the February meeting.

“This is pretty important. This is how we’re going to rank the projects, so we need to all make sure we look at it hard,” Smith said.

Mikyska told board members that he wants to make sure that staff is moving in the right direction.

The goal is to finalize the methodology so it can be used for the MPO’s list of projects due to the state on June 15.

Published January 12, 2022

State Road 54 work expected to resume this month

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Work on a project to widen State Road 54 — from Curley Road to Morris Bridge Road — is expected to resume on Dec. 20, according to Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) District Seven Secretary David Gwynn.

Gwynn recently updated the board of the Pasco Metropolitan Planning Organization regarding the status of three construction projects that were stalled this summer, when the contractor handling the work defaulted.

“It was the end of July when DAB  (Contractors) defaulted, more or less put us on notice that they were not financially able to continue to complete the projects,” Gwynn said.

The FDOT notified the surety, which provides the bond on the project, that is responsible for bringing in a replacement contractor to complete the work.

It typically takes two to four months to bring a replacement contractor on board, Gwynn said.

In addition to the State Road 54 project, work also was stopped on the diverging diamond interchange project at State Road 56 and Interstate 75; and on the State Road 52 project, on State Road 52, from the Suncoast Parkway to U.S. 41, including a portion of U.S. 41.

Work has resumed on the diverging diamond project, with Superior Construction handling the job. That’s the same company that’s building the realignment of State Road 52 in East Pasco.

“They jumped onto the diverging diamond. One thing they just recently did, it wasn’t really required of them in the contract, but for the Christmas holiday season, opened up an additional lane on State Road 56 to try to help with the merchants in the area and be able to provide a little better service during the shopping season,” Gwynn said.

The contractor expects to have the new configuration completed by summer 2022, Gwynn said.

The State Road 52 project is being handled by a company called PCS (previously known as Pepper). The work has begun, but there’s still about two years left on that project, the FDOT officials said.

“The one that’s given us the most challenge has been State Road 54, for a variety of reasons,” he said.

That work will be completed by Cone & Graham, which is the company that is building the county’s Ridge Road project and that built the State Road 56 extension, Gwynn said.

Gwynn also noted there are some traffic issues at the new leg of an intersection at Meadow Pointe Boulevard and State Road 54, which has to do with an equipment issue. He said that is expected to be corrected in coming weeks.

The Pasco MPO — made up of representatives of Pasco County, Dade City, Zephyrhills, Port Richey and New Port Richey — is the lead transportation planning agency in Pasco County.

Published December 15, 2021

Temporary lane added to help handle holiday traffic

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To help ease the flow of holiday traffic, the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) has added a temporary third lane on eastbound State Road 56, from east of Grand Cypress Drive to east of Interstate 75.

The extra lane is expected to remain open until after the New Year’s holiday period, according to a news release from Kris Carson, of the District Seven office of FDOT.

Also, motorists who are headed to southbound I-75 from eastbound State Road 56 need to know that the entrance ramp entry point to I-75 has been moved to the west, meaning motorists will need to exit State Road 56 sooner to get onto the interstate.

A temporary third lane has been added on eastbound State Road 56, from east of Grand Cypress Drive to east of Interstate 75. The lane is intended to help ease the flow of holiday traffic. (Courtesy of the District Seven office of the Florida Department of Transportation)

The additional lane and the relocation of the exit are just the latest changes near the I-75/State Road 56 interchange — one Pasco County’s most traveled areas.

The interchange happens to be near Cypress Creek Town Center, which includes Tampa Premium Outlets, west of I-75 on State Road 56; and The Shops at Wiregrass, east of the interchange on State Road 56.

There also are myriad shops and restaurants in the general area — making the State Road 54/State Road 56 corridor a magnet for motorists.

Add to the mix a major construction project that’s now underway to create a new configuration at the interchange — and the ingredients are there to create traffic migraines.

The state road department previously issued a playbook, of sorts, aimed at helping drivers avoid the frustrations of holiday traffic jams.

Their first word of advice is to avoid the area, when possible.

Instead of getting off at the State Road 56/I-75 exit, FDOT officials advise southbound motorists to get off at the Exit 279, which is the County Road 54 (Wesley Chapel Boulevard)/I-75 exit. Those motorists can head west from that interchange and then take Wesley Chapel Boulevard south to State Road 56, to access the area on State Road 56, west of I-75.

Or, drivers can head east over to Bruce B. Downs Boulevard and then south to State Road 56, to access the areas east of I-75.

Here are some additional suggestions:

  • Use other roads to travel around the highly congested area of SR 56 at I-75, and also near shopping malls, especially if your destination is not actually on the State Road 54/State Road 56 corridor.
  • Seek out alternate access points to shopping and dining destinations. (Remember many major shopping areas have multiple access points to and from parking areas.)
  • Shop or commute during off-peak hours, when possible. Congestion at SR 56/I-75 is at its worst between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m., on weekdays, so try to avoid that area during those hours.

Published December 01, 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

Tips to help avoid holiday traffic jams near I-75/State Road 56

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Officials from the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) have offered a bit of a playbook to help motorists avoid holiday traffic jams near the Interstate 75/State Road 56 interchange.

The interchange happens to be near Cypress Creek Town Center, which includes Tampa Premium Outlets, west of the intersection on State Road 56; and The Shops at Wiregrass, east of the interchange on State Road 56.

There also are myriad shops and restaurants in the general area — making the State Road 54/State Road 56 corridor a busy area.

Add the holidays and a major construction project into the mix, and traffic jams could become a real source of frustration during the holidays.

So, the folks at FDOT’s District Seven office are offering some practical suggestions that could help during the holidays, from Thanksgiving through New Year’s Day.

Their first word of advice? Avoid the area, when possible.

Instead of getting off at the State Road 56/I-75 exit, FDOT officials advise southbound motorists to get off at the State Road 54/I-75 exit. Those motorists can head west from that interchange and then take Wesley Chapel Boulevard south to State Road 56, to access the area on State Road 56, west of I-75.

At the same exit, head east over to Bruce B. Downs Boulevard and then south to State Road 56, to access the areas east of I-75.

Here are some other suggestions:

  • Use other roads to travel around the highly congested area of SR 56 at I-75, and also near shopping malls, especially if your destination is not actually on the State Road 54/State Road 56 corridor.
  • Seek out alternate access points to shopping and dining destinations. (Remember many major shopping areas have multiple access points to and from parking areas.)
  • Shop or commute during off-peak hours, when possible. Congestion at SR 56/I-75 is at its worst between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m., on weekdays, so try to avoid that area during those hours.

In addition to issuing this guidance, the FDOT “will adjust traffic signals for seasonal traffic patterns and the project team is working on other plans to help improve travel times,” according to a news release from Kris Carson, spokeswoman for FDOT’s District Seven office.

Published Nov. 24, 2021

Work resumes on State Road 52 widening

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Construction has restarted on State Road 52, near the Suncoast Parkway, in Land O’ Lakes.

A new contractor, PCS Civil Inc., began work on Oct. 25.

The contractor is expected to spend a few weeks doing cleanup, surveying and other tasks necessary to safely resume operations, according to an update from the Florida Department of Transportation’s (FDOT) District Seven office.

Work on the project stopped on July 28, 2021, when the original contractor notified FDOT that it was halting work on the project. The state transportation department declared the contractor in default on Aug. 3.

Pipes await a crew on the south side right of way, along State Road 56. Construction again has started up on a project aimed at easing congestion at the State Road 56 and Interstate 75 interchange, in Wesley Chapel. (File)

The FDOT requires its contracts to have bonds issued by a surety company.

The surety company was required to obtain a completion contractor and chose PCS Civil Inc.

The State Road 52 project calls for widening the road to a six-lane divided highway from the Suncoast Parkway to east of U.S. 41.

The contract also includes widening U.S. 41 for approximately 1 mile, approaching the State Road 52 intersection. A 12-foot wide multi-use trail — to be built along the north side of State Road 52 — is another element of the project.

The estimated cost for the State Road 52 widening is $49.8 million, according to FDOT’s website.

While work has resumed on State Road 52, it is expected to begin again soon on the State Road 54 widening, from Curley Road to Morris Bridge Road, according to the FDOT update.

The prospective completion contractor is sending the surety company an updated price proposal.

A completion contract is expected to be with the surety by Nov. 12, with execution of the contract to follow. Once that occurs, the contractor is expected to begin work within a week.

In the meantime, mowing and litter removal is expected to occur.

Another project that had been halted involves the construction of the Diverging Diamond Interchange (DDI) project being built at the State Road 56 and Interstate 75 interchange.

That work stopped June 25, when the contractor informed FDOT it was halting work on the project. On July 1, FDOT declared the contractor in default.

Work resumed on Sept. 13, after Superior Construction Company Southeast LLC was selected by the surety company to complete the work.

The project, estimated at $33.6 million, is now expected to finished in summer 2022, according to FDOT’s website.

The project will reconfigure the State Road 56/I-75 interchange between County Road 54 and Cypress Ridge Boulevard.

The existing diamond interchange at the intersection will be converted to a DDI.

The main change will be to diverge, or cross, State Road 56 traffic to the left side of the road through the interchange, and then cross vehicles back over to the right side of the road on the opposite side of the interchange, according to a description on FDOT’s website.

The changes will help to alleviate traffic congestion to reduce travel time for motorists in this rapidly growing area.

A DDI was chosen for the State Road 56/I-75 interchange because of the proven ability of this traffic configuration to increase safety and capacity while using a large amount of the existing interchange footprint, including the existing bridge, according to FDOT.

The DDI also was chosen because of its ability to handle heavy left-turn volumes, such as the westbound to southbound movement from State Road 56 to southbound I-75.

For more information about these or other FDOT projects in Pasco or Hillsborough counties, visit FDOTtampabay.com.

Published November 10, 2021

Proposed transportation plan would accelerate some Pasco projects

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It’s a tentative list — but if it gains approval and subsequently secures funding, numerous transportation improvements affecting local motorists, pedestrians and bicyclists could occur faster than previously proposed.

The new work program presented during the Pasco Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) meeting “represents an over $40 million increase from what we are currently enjoying,” Carl Mikyska, executive director, told members of the MPO board during its Oct. 14 meeting.

Public comment will be accepted online regarding the tentative work plan, from Oct. 25 through Oct. 29, and at a public open house will be conducted by the District Seven office of the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) on Oct. 28.

All public comment, regardless of how it is provided, must be submitted by Nov. 12. (For more details, visit FDOT.gov/wpph/district7.)

Southbound traffic on Interstate 75 passes under the State Road 56 overpass. A proposed project in the State Department of Transportation’s five-year tentative work program calls for improving the traffic flow for southbound motorists, heading to I-75 and I-275, from State Road 56. (File)

Jensen Hackett, of the FDOT’s District Seven office outlined some of the proposed changes to the tentative work program, in an update to the MPO board. The board is made up of the Pasco County Commission and elected officials from the county’s largest municipalities.

One project, now included for construction in fiscal year 2027, is the widening of State Road 52, from Ehren Cutoff to Bellamy Brothers Boulevard, Hackett said.

“This is the final project as part of the (State Road) 52 widening, across the northern part of Pasco County,” he said, noting the project had been identified as the Pasco MPO’s No. 1 priority.

Pasco County Commissioner Kathryn Starkey reacted: “Thank you. I’m happy to see the rest of (State Road) 52 in the work plan.”

Another proposed change involves an effort to improve traffic flow heading south at Interstate 75/Interstate 275, in an area between State Road 56 and County Line Road.

It would be similar to the collector/distributor system that already exists for northbound motorists on I-75 and I-275 that get off the long exit ramp at State Road 56, Hackett said.

“This will be almost identical in the southern direction, to guide you from State Road 56 to southbound 75 or southbound 275 —  taking away a lot of those weaving conflicts that occur, heading in that southbound direction.

“This construction is being added to fiscal year ’27,” Hackett said.

Other projects that have been added, or moved up on the proposed work program, include:

Bike and pedestrian improvements

  • Overpass project for the Suncoast Trail, at State Road 54 and the Suncoast Parkway. This pedestrian overpass project has been added to the construction list for fiscal year 2023. It is being paid for through an agreement with Pasco County.
  • Overpass project for the Suncoast Trail, at State Road 52 and the Suncoast Trail. This pedestrian overpass has been added to the construction list for fiscal year 2023. It, too, is being paid for through an agreement with Pasco County.

Safe route to school improvements

  • Ballantrae Boulevard, from north of Straton Place to Tower Road. This is a sidewalk project near Bexley Elementary School. Construction of this project has been added to the list for fiscal year 2026.
  • Fort King Road, from Hester Road to north of Coleman Avenue. This is a sidewalk project near Pasco Elementary School. Its construction has been added to the list for fiscal year 2026.
  • Leonard Road, from U.S 41 (State Road 45/Land O’ Lakes Boulevard) to Henley Road. Design has been added to fiscal year 2025; construction, to fiscal year 2027.

Resurfacing projects

  • State Road 39, from north of Central Avenue to U.S. 301 (Gall Boulevard). Design has been added to fiscal year 2023; construction added to fiscal year 2025.
  • State Road 54, from west of Ray Drive to U.S. 301 (Gall Boulevard). Design added to fiscal year 2023; construction added to fiscal year 2025.
  • State Road 54, from Gunn Highway to east of Crossing Boulevard. Design has been added to fiscal year 2023; construction to fiscal year 2025.
  • State Road 54, from Marathon Road to Gunn Highway. Design has been added to fiscal year 2023; construction to fiscal year 2025.
  • State Road 581 (Bruce B. Downs Boulevard), from State Road 56 to State Road 54. Design has been added for fiscal year 2024; construction, to fiscal year 2026.
  • State Road 54, from Bruce B. Downs Boulevard to Curley Road. Design has been added in fiscal year 2024; construction to fiscal year 2026.

Aviation improvements
A number of improvements at Zephyrhills Municipal Airport also have been added or moved up on the list. They are:

  • Zephyrhills Municipal Airport Master Plan Update, added to fiscal year 2024, includes partial local funding
  • Design and construct box hangars, added to fiscal year 2024, includes partial local funding
  • Sixth Avenue realignment around the airport grounds, added to fiscal year 2026; includes partial local funding
  • Rehab Runway 1/19, design added to fiscal year 2023, includes partial local funding
  • Rehab Runway 1/19, construction added to fiscal year 2024, includes partial local funding

The proposed changes — and many other projects that have been previously included in the plan — still must gain funding through the Florida Legislature and secure the governor’s signature before they become operational.

The current work program ends on June 30 each year, with the new work program beginning on the first year of the five-year program, on July 1. New projects are then added into a new fifth year, based on transportation goals.

Want to weigh in?
The Florida Department of Transportation’s District Seven office is accepting public comment on its tentative work program for the upcoming five fiscal years, 2022-2023 through 2026-2027.
The public can participate online, from Oct. 25 through Oct. 29. To do so, go to FDOT.gov/wpph/district7.
The public open house will be on Oct. 28 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., at the District Seven office, 11201 N. McKinley Drive, in Tampa.
All public comments, regardless how they are submitted, are due by Nov. 12.

Published October 20, 2021

Interstate 75 traffic to be detoured, Oct. 15 through Oct. 17

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One direction of Interstate 75 traffic in the Wesley Chapel area of Pasco County will be detoured to local roads each night between 9 p.m. and 9 a.m., beginning on Oct. 15 and finishing up on the morning of Oct. 17, according to officials from the Florida Department of Transportation.

The detours are needed to set concrete beams for one of two new Overpass Road bridges, FDOT officials say.

Southbound traffic will be detoured Friday night, Oct. 15, and northbound traffic will be detoured Saturday night, Oct. 16. Here are the details and detour routes:

  • Southbound I-75 traffic will be detoured off the interstate between State Road 52 (Exit 285) and State Road 54/County Road 54 (Exit 279) between 9 p.m. Oct. 15 and 9 a.m. Oct. 16.

Detour route for southbound I-75: Traffic will be directed off at Exit 285. At the bottom of the ramp, turn right onto State Road 52 and continue for approximately one-half mile. At the next traffic signal, which is Old Pasco Road, turn left and go south on Old Pasco Road for approximately 6.75 miles to County Road 54/State Road 54. Turn left at the traffic signal onto State Road 54/County Road 54 (which also is known as Wesley Chapel Boulevard) and continue east about seven-tenths of a mile to re-enter southbound I-75.

  • Northbound I-75 traffic will be detoured off the interstate between State Road 54/County Road 54 (Exit 279) and State Road 52 (Exit 285) between 9 p.m. Oct. 16 and 9 a.m. Oct. 17.

Detour route for northbound I-75: Traffic will be directed off northbound I-75 at Exit 279. At the bottom of the ramp, turn left onto State Road 54/County Road 54/Wesley Chapel Boulevard and continue west about eight-tenths of a mile to Old Pasco Road. At the traffic signal for Old Pasco Road, turn right and go north for approximately 6.75 miles to State Road 52. Turn right at the traffic signal onto State Road 52 and go east about three-quarters of a mile. After passing under I-75, turn left onto the entrance ramp to re-enter northbound I-75.

Motorists should be aware that Old Pasco Road is a two-lane road — with one lane in each direction. It is expected to be very congested during the hours of the detour. The posted speed limit along Old Pasco Road must be observed.

Motorists are urged to plan plenty of extra time to drive the detour and return to the interstate, or to consider alternate routes.

Law enforcement officers and traffic management personnel will be active along the detour route to assist with traffic flow.

Detour signs and message boards will be placed along the detour route for guidance.

Detour maps and directions are posted on the project web page, tinyurl.com/usysjbx6.

Published October 13, 2021

Pasco County approves new mobility fee schedule

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Pasco County has adopted a new mobility fee rate schedule — with fees increasing in some categories, and decreasing or staying the same in others.

The proposed fee schedule calls for a sizable fee increase in the retail category.

It also proposes the addition of two new categories — one that provides a discount for locally owned small businesses and another that establishes a rate for accessory dwelling units.

Northbound traffic on Land O’ Lakes Boulevard, also known as U.S. 41, stacks up and waits for the traffic light to turn green. (File)

Mobility fees are used to help pay for the impacts that new development has on people’s ability to get around — including drivers, walkers, cyclists and transit riders.

The new rate schedule, approved by the Pasco County Commission at its Sept. 28 meeting, was recommended by the county’s staff and was based on a study completed by Bill Oliver, a consultant. Oliver is a registered professional engineer, who has conducted a number of mobility fee studies for the county including this one.

The proposed changes also received a recommendation for approval from the Pasco County Planning Commission, at its July 22 meeting.

“The costs of implementing your mobility system have increased over recent years,” Oliver said, at the planning board meeting.

At the same meeting, Oliver said that costs for implementing improvements to the county’s mobility system have increased in recent years and are expected to continue to do so.

The Florida Department of Transportation has estimated that costs will increase by 3% a year over the next five years or so, he said.

To keep pace with those increases, Oliver said the county needed to increase its fees.

The update:

  • Continues to encourage office, industrial and lodging, and redevelopment and infill development in the West Market Area by charging zero mobility impact fees in those categories/areas
  • Increases most retail fees by 50% over 4 years, divided equally by year, due to cost increases and partial or full subsidy removal
  • Increases rates for apartments by 6% annually, for a total of 24% over four years due to cost increases and full subsidy removal
  • Creates a new category for locally owned small businesses, with a 50% discount in standard fees
  • Continues to charge full rates for mini-warehousing and mining
  • Increases other fees by approximately 3% annually, or about 13% over four years, to address cost increases
  • Creates a reduced rate for accessory dwellings, sometimes known as mother-in-law residences

Accessory dwelling units are defined as an ancillary or secondary living unit, not to exceed 900 square feet, that has a separate kitchen, bathroom and sleeping area, either within the same structure or on the same lot, as the primary dwelling.

Oliver also told the planning board that the schedule changes reflect the changes made in state law during the last session of the Florida Legislature.

The new law establishes that impact fee increases must be limited to every four years, with a maximum of a 50% increase in individual rates.

A 50% increase must be implemented over four years in four equal installments, Oliver added.

Pasco began charging transportation impact fees in 1985.

It later shifted to mobility fees and decided to provide mobility fee incentives to encourage growth in specific categories.

The discount for locally owned small business is based on a concern they could not absorb the increased retail fees, Oliver told the planning board. That change was included after individual conversations he had with members of the county board, he told planning commissioners.

For purposes of the fee schedule, locally owned small businesses are defined as businesses that are not chain operations, that have 25 or fewer employees and that are 51%-owned by people whose permanent household is in Pasco, Hillsborough, Hernando, Pinellas, Sumter or Polk counties

All other fees, such as single-family residential, institutional fees, recreational fees, and other land use categories, will be indexed over the next four years at about an increase of 3.13% per year, Oliver said.

The changes take effect on Jan. 1, 2022.

Published October 06, 2021

Pasco facing apartment shortage, commissioner says

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Pasco County Commissioner Kathryn Starkey tackled a number of key topics as the featured guest speaker of the East Pasco Networking Group’s breakfast meeting earlier this month at the Sarah Vande Berg Tennis & Wellness Center in Zephyrhills.

She first addressed one of the more visible happenings — the county’s surging population growth, and its residential and commercial development.

“Obviously, you know, the county is on a tear,” Starkey opened to the group of a dozen-plus citizens during the Sept 14 gathering. “Florida’s No. 1 engine for growth is getting people to move here, and you see that happening in our county.

“We’re growing like crazy,” said Starkey, whose district seat includes southwest and south-central Pasco. “Every month we’re breaking the record on the amount of permits that we’re giving, compared to last year.”

Pasco County Commissioner Kathryn Starkey was the featured guest speaker at the East Pasco Networking Group’s Sept. 14 meeting at the Sarah Vande Berg Tennis & Wellness Center, in Zephyrhills. (Kevin Weiss)

The commissioner said she regularly receives calls from landowners who want to know if the county plans to approve their land to build apartments.

The commissioner said that Pasco is actually facing an apartment shortage, despite the many Class A luxury apartments that have gone up in recent years.

Yet, the commissioner emphasized that county leadership and decision-makers are becoming “very, very picky” on where new apartments will be placed in the area.

“We do not want to give up commercial and industrial property for apartments,” she said.

The Pasco County Commission currently has a mortarium in place for new applications for multifamily development, which includes a portion of the county that’s essentially in Wesley Chapel and Land O’ Lakes.

Starkey said county leaders have instead encouraged would-be developers to build multi-family housing in more needed areas, such as Hudson, Holiday and along U.S. 19.

It has been a challenge, as Pasco’s apartment shortage is leading to steep rent increases, Starkey said.

The county needs to have affordable housing, particularly for first responders, public servants and working-class residents, Starkey said.

“Where are our policeman and our nurses and our teachers going to live? Because when this cycle comes around again and they go to sign a new lease, they’re going to be moving out.

“They’re going to be moving to Hernando (County), they’re going to be moving to Citrus (County), and they’re going to be driving down here, and I really worry about that, so there needs to be a balance,” she said.

The apartment development industry is having trouble keeping up with Pasco’s population surge, too.

Starkey noted experts in that field all but say they build only about 1,500 units per year in the county due to the equipment and logistical hurdles.

Besides being a bedroom community for many Hillsborough County workers, the county also has experienced an influx of people moving in from the Orlando area, Starkey observed.

She believes the Orlando influx can be attributed to that region’s hospitality industry taking a hit during the course of the coronavirus pandemic.

“Orlando is sending us people like crazy,” she said. “I’m thinking when all the hospitality stuff closed up, people left and came here.”

The commissioner also touched on various county road construction projects, including the delayed Diverging Diamond Interchange project at State Road 56 and Interstate 75 in Wesley Chapel.

This work stoppage was a result of contractor D.A.B. Constructors defaulting, and ultimately filing for bankruptcy and going out of business.

The diverging diamond project has since been assumed by a bond company and awarded to Superior Construction Company Southeast LLC.

“I was very glad to see, driving up here, that they were at work on the diverging diamond,” Starkey said. “It’s going to be at least a year behind, but it is moving again.”

The new estimated date of completion is the summer of 2022, according to the Florida Department of Transportation’s website.

Published September 29, 2021