The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

FLorida Turnpike

Construction crews busy on roadwork in Pasco County

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When it comes to construction activity on Pasco County roads, State Road 52 is a hotspot.

At least that was the message that David Gwynn, secretary for the Florida Department of Transportation’s District Seven, delivered during the North Tampa Bay Chamber’s breakfast meeting.

Gwynn briefed the audience on the state transportation department’s current and upcoming projects in Pasco, during the June 4 session at Pasco-Hernando State College’s Porter Campus at Wiregrass Ranch.

Construction barrels, like these, have been a familiar sight on State Road 52, as work has been done to widen the road. (File)

“We’re trying to address some of our major issues we have in the transportation system in the region,” the transportation secretary told the crowd. “The State Road 52 Corridor is one that we’ve really put a lot of money into in the last few years, and we’re going to continue to do that in the near future.”

Among the projects, the state DOT is widening State Road 52, from the Suncoast Parkway to the east of U.S. 41.

That stretch will be expanded to six divided lanes.

It is currently under design, with construction expected to begin later this year, Gwynn said.

Heading from east of U.S. 41 to west of County Road 581 (Bellamy Brothers Boulevard), State Road 52 will be expanded to four divided lanes.

State Road 52 also will be expanded to four divided lanes from County Road 581 to Old Pasco Road, with that project expected to be completed this year.

In 2020, the state DOT expects to widen U.S. 41 to a four-lane road, from just south of State Road 52 to Connerton Boulevard.

The biggest project, Gwynn said, will introduce a new State Road 52 route to U.S. 301.

That project involves widening the road to four lanes, beginning at the intersection of State Road 52 and Uradco Place, extending to the Bayou Branch Canal.

East of the canal, a brand new four-lane State Road 52 will branch off (south of existing State Road 52) and eventually will merge with Clinton Avenue.

This new alignment, expected to begin this fall, will provide an additional route from Interstate 75 to U.S. 301.

When that project is completed, the existing State Road 52 will be turned over to Pasco County to become County Road 52.

U.S. 301 is scheduled for several improvements, too.

There are plans to repave U.S. 301 from Pond Avenue to the north of Long Avenue. And, another project will widen the stretch from County Road 54 (Eiland Boulevard) to north of Kossik Road into six lanes.

David Gwynn is the secretary of District Seven for the Florida Department of Transportation. On June 4, at Pasco-Hernando State College Porter Campus in Wesley Chapel, he informed an audience about Pasco County’s new road projects. (Brian Fernandes)

Another project would expand U.S. 301 to four lanes south of State Road 56 to south of State Road 39. That two-mile project is expected to include a median, as well as a bike lane, sidewalk and a shared-use path.

Another two-fold project is under evaluation on U.S. 301, Gwynn said.

That project would expand the stretch from State Road 39 to Corey Street in Downtown Zephyrhills. Then, branching out from the Corey Street intersection would be two newly built one-way roads.

Each road would hold three lanes, run parallel to U.S. 301 and end just south of County Road 54.

Gwynn also mentioned the plans to add another entrance in Wesley Chapel from Interstate 75.

The new diamond interchange would connect Overpass Road to the interstate by way of a flyover ramp.

Overpass Road would be accommodated with two additional lanes from its intersection with Old Pasco Road to the exit ramp getting off the interstate.

From the ramp, to the intersection with Boyette Road, Overpass Road would be widened to six lanes. No start date has been determined yet, Gwynn said.

The director also revealed that Wesley Chapel is one of five areas being studied as a possible public transportation hub for traveling cross-county.

It would afford commuters traveling out of Pasco County to neighboring Hillsborough County an alternative from personal transportation.

And, Gwynn informed attendees of the new Florida legislation to build three multi-use corridors, adding new toll roads as well.

“The main purpose of them is to revitalize some of the rural communities that may have been left behind as Florida has prospered – to encourage job creation in these areas,” the director said.

One local corridor will be the Northern Turnpike Connector, which will bridge the Florida Turnpike northwest to the Suncoast Parkway.

Construction on the corridors is set for late 2022.

Gwynn also mentioned that the construction of the long-awaited diverging diamond in Wesley Chapel is still progressing.

The project, which is reconfiguring the State Road 56 bridge overpassing Interstate 75, will crisscross eastbound and westbound lanes upon reaching the bridge.

Four through lanes and two left-turn lanes will make up the westbound road on the south end of the bridge, to better accommodate heavier traffic flow. The eastbound road will hold only three lanes on the north end.

The project is still set to be completed in late 2021, Gwynn said.

Published June 12, 2019

A citrus king who savored the art of the deal

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When James Emmitt Evans was 12 years old, he already knew what he wanted to do.

He aimed to be “a general business man,” as he liked to call it.

By the time he died, at age 96, the Dade City man would have gone on to build one of the first citrus concentrate plants in the state south of Dade City.

This is where Evans Packing Plant stood in February 1989. (Courtesy of Pam Higgins/The History Center/Pioneer Florida Museum and Village Collection)
This is where Evans Packing Plant stood in February 1989.
(Courtesy of Pam Higgins/The History Center/Pioneer Florida Museum and Village Collection)

He is perhaps best remembered for his pioneering strategies to hedge juice inventory on the futures market, and for planting some of the largest contiguous citrus groves in Florida.

When he died, his obituary carried the lead headline on the front page of the June 13, 1996 edition of The Tampa Tribune.

A half-century before his death, Evans was a vice president on the board of the Pasco Packing Company in Dade City. Other board members were L. C. Edwards Jr., president (whose father was the former head of the Florida Citrus Exchange); W. F. Edwards, vice president (namesake of the football stadium at Pasco High School in Dade City); L.C. Hawes, vice president; and, H.S. Massey, secretary-treasurer.

These men, who were all citrus growers, had a combined total of 10,000 acres that could produce 2.5 million boxes of fruit annually for processing at the plant.

When the company’s whistle was heard across Dade City at noontime, the Valencia Restaurant in downtown Dade City was often the unofficial “Board Room” for Pasco’s board of directors.

Located across from the Historic Pasco County Courthouse at the time, the Valencia was probably the place where plans were discussed to sell the company to Lykes Brothers in Tampa.

With the citrus industry changing beyond all recognition, Pasco’s board members recognized how frozen concentrate was letting growers preserve and ship juice with greater efficiency.

Built in 1900, the longtime residence of James Emmitt Evans is now the home of a Pasco County Circuit Court judge. (Courtesy of Doug Sanders)
Built in 1900, the longtime residence of James Emmitt Evans is now the home of a Pasco County Circuit Court judge.
(Courtesy of Doug Sanders)

Only 50,000 gallons of concentrate were produced in the inaugural year of 1945. By 1951, production had zoomed to 31 million gallons.

Selling the plant allowed the new owners to change the name to Lykes Pasco Packing in 1961, and to market its labels around the world as “Old South,” “FloridaGold” and “Vitality.”  At its peak, Lykes had more than 2,000 workers on its payroll in Dade City.

Unlike any grower in the state at the time, Evans was a trader with his own accounts on the emerging Frozen Concentrate Orange Juice futures market.   He was never satisfied with dealing through brokers, buying his own seat and remaining a major force during the formative years of the exchange.

“All I can say is, I love making deals,” Evans said, in a Feb. 2, 1983 story published by The Gainesville Sun.

Evans Packing Company was one of the first processors to supply other packagers with drums of bulk concentrate for distribution to chain stores.  At its peak with some 400 employees, many of Evans’ six grandchildren and five great-grandchildren worked side-by-side with their spouses and in-laws.

“If they’re kin, we’ll give them a job,” he was quoted as saying.

Evans enjoyed spending time with his family and friends.

He employed his own pilot, Sam Fallin, who flew the eight-seat, twin engine King Air to the Evans ranch in Homestead, where friends and family could spend a weekend fishing, playing golf, and hunting.

Over the years, Evans endured his share of challenges.

His citrus groves faced hard freezes, the Mediterranean fruit fly and citrus canker.

The area where Evans Packing Plant stood is vacant today, except for the Walgreens at the intersection of U.S. 301 and Morningside Drive. (Courtesy of Doug Sanders)
The area where Evans Packing Plant stood is vacant today, except for the Walgreens at the intersection of U.S. 301 and Morningside Drive.
(Courtesy of Doug Sanders)

Despite these harsh realities, Evans started the development of 7,000 acres for production in St. Lucie County in the 1960s. He also began an even larger grove along the Indian River/Okeechobee County lines near the Florida Turnpike during the 1970s. And, the purchase of 10,000 acres for additional groves in Charlotte County was completed in the early 1980s.

Evans did not live to see the outbreak of citrus greening, the agricultural disease with no known cure that has decimated Florida’s citrus production to an all-time industry low.

The 1983 Gainesville Sun story identified Evans as one of 21 Floridians on the Forbes magazine list of the 400 wealthiest Americans. At the time, he citrus fortune was estimated at $135 million.

Five years later, he was the oldest resident in Florida on Forbes 400 list, with $400 million in holdings — putting him at 157th place on the list.

Evans had been successful since the early 1920s, starting off with less than $500 from selling tractors.

“I never did have a bad year in business,” he told The Gainesville Sun. “Not even during the Great Depression.”

Despite his wealth and success, Evans lived in the same wood frame, three-bedroom home on the corner of 12th Street and Meridian Avenue in Dade City for 49 years.

He headed his family business for 39 years.

And, the company he founded in 1951 still remains as one of the largest growers in the state with 12,000 acres of citrus groves.

“Retirement is not for me,” Evans was quoted in 1983.  “Retirement is the day I die.”

It turns out, that’s exactly what happened.

Doug Sanders has a penchant for unearthing interesting stories about local history. His sleuthing skills have been developed through his experiences in newspaper and government work. If you have an idea for a future history column, contact Doug at .

Published September 14, 2016

An era ends: Cash tolls go extinct on Veterans

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Toll roads have been a part of American life since the first such paths opened for business in Pennsylvania and New York in the late 18th century.

From the very beginning, passage on these roads required horse riders — and later vehicle drivers — to come face-to-face with a toll collector. But not anymore.

The Sugarwood toll plaza on the Veterans Expressway is undergoing construction as tollbooths are removed and electronic sensors read the vehicle’s prepaid SunPass. (Fred Bellet/Photo)
The Sugarwood toll plaza on the Veterans Expressway is undergoing construction as tollbooths are removed and electronic sensors read the vehicle’s prepaid SunPass.
(Fred Bellet/Photo)

Last week, the Veterans Expressway parted ways with its last toll collector when the Florida Department of Transportation officially closed the Sugarwood plaza just south of the Pasco County line. It’s the end of an era, as drivers no longer need to rummage for loose change in their car. Instead, SunPass transponders and license plate scanners will help drivers pay the required toll as cash itself becomes obsolete on the Veterans.

“Unlike the old days, back when we first built the Florida Turnpike in the 1950s, most of the people who use roads like this are not people on a leisurely vacation drive,” said Christa Deason, public information officer for Florida’s Turnpike Enterprise. “Now they are commuters, and they are on a fast track to get to work in the morning, and get home at night. They want to keep driving.”

Sugarwood accepted its last cash toll around midnight Sept. 4. By late Friday afternoon, drivers heading north or south on the Veterans no longer had to stop. Technology had won.

When the Veterans Expressway first opened in 1994, traveling the 15-mile stretch was possible only by cash or a rarely used prepaid card that required a hefty cash balance. FDOT introduced SunPass on the Veterans in 2001 after a successful rollout two years earlier on the Florida Turnpike.

At first, SunPass was embraced by a select few, but that has changed over the years, Deason said. Now a third of Florida’s drivers are SunPass users, and 84 percent of travelers on the Veterans and the Suncoast Parkway have a transponder in their car.

“This is just a logical evolution of the road,” Deason said. “Fewer and fewer people were paying cash, and we’ve been phasing out collectors ever since.”

The introduction of the Suncoast in 2001 has caused traffic to explode on the Veterans, especially Pasco residents looking to get to jobs in Hillsborough and Pinellas counties, Deason said.

In its first year, more than 19,500 cars drove through the Anderson toll plaza each day, while 8,600 ventured past Sugarwood. Now, Anderson welcomes 59,400 cars each day, while Sugarwood deals with 44,200.

That prompted the state to spend $380 million to not only convert the Veterans to cash-free tolling, but to expand the roadway to six lanes. It’s created a mess along the road, with commuters having to navigate through construction cones. But this could be the last major construction project on the Veterans … ever.

“We don’t have any more room to expand the road,” said Tracie Rose, a Lutz-based project engineer with Jacobs Engineering, the firm contracted by FDOT to complete the work. “This will be as wide as we get. So it’s going to have to last us.”

Now that the toll conversion is complete, work crews can fully concentrate on widening the road. But even with that focus, the project won’t be completed until 2016.

Deason didn’t have an exact count of the number of toll collectors the Veterans employed at its peak, but did say that the state has been winding down hiring new collectors over the past several years. The few that were left up to last week have either moved on, or are getting help from the company that managed the toll collectors.

“We had some long-term employees,” Deason said. “We even had one or two that started out on the Sunshine Skyway Bridge back when they accepted tokens. Some of them took this opportunity to finally get that chance to retire.”
The tollbooths located along the Suncoast, including the one between State Road 54 and State Road 52, will remain the way it is. Cash tolls are still collected in those main plazas, with the option of using a full-speed express lane around the plaza for those with SunPass.

Just so you know …
Michael Hinman, the reporter for this story, spent a little bit of time as a toll collector himself. He worked at both the Anderson Road and Sugarwood toll plazas in the mid-1990s, not long after the Veterans Expressway first opened.

Published September 10, 2014

See this story in print: Click Here

Cash no longer good on parts of Veterans Expressway come Friday

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Travelers making their way south on the Veterans Expressway will no longer need to use cash once they get past Sugarwood.

The last cash toll at Anderson Road’s toll plaza will be collected early Friday before all traffic on the road converts to all-electronic tolling. And by the end of the summer, all of the plazas leading up to Hutchison Road will follow suit.

Taking a lead from the Crosstown Expressway, tolls instead will be collected either through a SunPass transponder, or through the Florida Turnpike’s Toll-By-Plate system, which involves scanning plates and sending the registered owner of that plate a bill for the toll — plus a possible administration fee.

Safety, however, is the biggest concern for those leading the conversion to cashless tolls. Drivers are asked to not slow down or stop in the tollbooth areas, but instead travel at posted speed limits. Otherwise, there is a fear of accidents in areas that used to collect tolls.

Also, on June 13, there will be detours for northbound motorists beginning at midnight between Waters Avenue and Gunn Highway. Southbound motorists will get a similar detour beginning Saturday at 9 p.m. between Gunn and Waters. This will allow work crews time to install final equipment and to calibrate, according to a release.

Additional detours and lane closures will take place June 18-22. Complete removal of the toll plaza structures at Anderson is expected to take several months.

Drivers who use SunPass will typically be charged lower tolls than the standard fare, and won’t be assessed administrative fees. Those using Toll-By-Plate could see fees up to $2.50 per invoice, which are sent out monthly. Florida Turnpike officials say up to 84 percent of all drivers on the Veterans Expressway and Suncoast Parkway already use SunPass, and more than 150,000 motorists use the Veterans every day.

The conversion is part of the $380 million widening of the Veterans, the first major construction project on the road since it opened in October 1994.

For more information on the cashless tolling on a road heavily used by those who live or work in Pasco and northern Hillsborough counties, visit FloridasTurnpike.com, or call (800) 749-7453.