The Laker/Lutz News

John Gallagher

Baking Irish soda bread for St. Paddy’s Day

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Celebrating St. Patrick’s Day on March 17 is a tradition around the world.

You can serve it on a plate or in a basket, it really doesn’t matter how you deliver it — what matter is how it tastes!
(Courtesy of Betsy Crisp)

It’s a day when the Irish and the “Irish-at-heart” celebrate Irish culture with parades, dancing and special foods, as well as green everywhere — including turning rivers green and drinking green beer.

So, why all of the green?

In the beginning, green wasn’t the color associated with St. Patrick, it was blue. Over time, it changed because green represent the emerald isle, which refer to the beautiful green landscapes of Ireland.

At first, people put green shamrocks in their lapels, and later green showed up in clothing, to represent the day.

A typical St. Patrick’s Day meal consists of corned beef, cabbage, potatoes, and, of course, crusty Irish soda bread.

This recipe will help you bake the bread to enjoy at your St. Patrick’s Day celebration.

Crusty Irish Soda Bread
Ingredients:

  • 4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 4 tablespoons white sugar
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1 tablespoon caraway seeds (optional)
  • 1 cup to 2 cups raisins (optional)
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup margarine/butter
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 1 egg

Plus: 2 Tablespoons melted butter/margarine mixed with 2 Tablespoons buttermilk to brush on top of loaf.

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375°F.

Lightly grease a large baking sheet.

In a large bowl, mix together flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt and ½ cup softened margarine. Stir in 1 cup of buttermilk and egg. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead slightly. Form dough into a round and place on prepared baking sheet. In a small bowl, combine 2 tablespoons of melted butter with 2 tablespoons of buttermilk; brush loaf with this mixture. Use a sharp knife to cut an ‘X’ into the top of the loaf.

Bake in preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes. Check for doneness after 30 minutes. You may continue to brush the loaf with the butter-buttermilk mixture while it bakes.

Interesting note: John Gallagher, former administrator of Pasco County, is widely known for his family recipe for Irish Soda Bread. He would make the bread to bring it to the office during this time of year for his staff to enjoy.

Published March 15, 2017

Pasco administrator set to retire in 2017

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Pasco County Administrator Michele Baker expects to be very busy over the next year and a half.

She’ll be crossing off a to-do list, one by one, before leaving in 2017 to go on a lengthy road trip with her husband.

The couple will hit the road with their recreational vehicle and their motorcycles, on a tour of as many baseball parks and national parks as they can squeeze into a year.

“That’s been our dream,” Baker said, so letting her contract lapse in July 2017 makes sense.

But, don’t expect a lame duck administrator.

“There’s no kicking back here,” Baker said. “This isn’t me slowing down.”

Pasco County Administrator Michele Baker has much work to do before her planned retirement in 2017. (File Photo)
Pasco County Administrator Michele Baker has much work to do before her planned retirement in 2017.
(File Photo)

Baker has told Pasco County commissioners she won’t seek renewal of her current two-year contract, which makes her last day July 9, 2017.

By then, Baker will have worked 35 years in public service, 24 of those years with Pasco County.

Her to-do list, in short form, includes:

  • Completing master plans and updates for storm water, solid waste and tourism
  • Funding and building a diverging diamond road design to ease traffic congestion at State Road 56 and Interstate 75
  • Completing the State Road 56 extension
  • Nurturing SunWest Park, the county’s fledgling aqua park
  • Replacing and repairing aging infrastructure and roads damaged by the summer flooding
  • Making progress on the expansion of the jail and construction of new fire stations
  • Relocating more government offices to central Pasco

Baker also plans to fill vacancies for a few key leadership positions that remain, including an assistant county administrator for public safety and administration.

Progress has been made, Baker said, but government services still could be more customer-friendly.

A culture that was decades in the making is being changed, she said. “You don’t get to turn a canoe. You’re turning a ship.”

Public service wasn’t Baker’s first career choice.

Over the years she worked as a waitress, flight attendant and a theater manager. She also served in the U.S. Air Force Reserve.

Her undergraduate degree was in business administration.

It wasn’t until she accepted a secretarial position with Miami-Dade County’s emergency management office that she discovered her passion for public service.

“I see that it was the hand of God, a bit of destiny with doors I went through and doors I didn’t go through,” Baker said. “But, I fell in love. I am not a competitive, money-directed person by nature. Public service allowed me an opportunity to make a difference.”

She was an emergency operations officer in Miami when Hurricane Andrew devastated that city in 1992.

Pasco County Administrator John Gallagher hired her away the following year as Pasco’s emergency management director. She interviewed for the job the day before the “No-Name” storm (also known as the “Storm of the Century”) slammed Florida’s coast and flooded west Pasco.

Baker cut a vacation short to take on the new job.

Over the years, Gallagher showed his confidence in her, tapping Baker as program administrator for engineering, and for nearly six years as his chief assistant county administrator.

As head of engineering, she oversaw the launching of the county’s Environmental Land Acquisition and Management Program, which buys and manages environmentally sensitive land throughout the county.

She also got the Penny for Pasco program off the ground. Funds from a penny sales tax are shared with the county, cities and the school districts for building projects.

“We had a new program to seek stewardship of at its birth,” Baker said.

She took the helm as interim county administrator in 2013 when Gallagher retired after more than 30 years in the job. County commissioners initially offered the administrator’s job to a candidate from Texas who unexpectedly walked away during contract negotiations.

When Baker was appointed, she was the first woman to hold the county’s top administrative job.

She took over as the county struggled with deep budget cuts and staff layoffs, following the nation’s deepest recession in history.

Baker credits Gallagher for initially steering the county safely through a new era of leaner budgets and fewer staff members. Even as Gallagher prepared to retire, about half of the county’s departmental managers indicated they also planned to retire.

“He empowered me to begin the transition,” she said. “We saw the handwriting on the wall. There was going to be a substantial correction. We didn’t know how bad it was going to be. But, we knew our revenues would be tightening.”

Baker also shared with Gallagher a vision of reorganizing county government and putting an emphasis on customer service.

“You have to operate more efficiently and keep level of service residents want because government has less money,” Baker said.

Baker routinely provides county commissioners with a quarterly report updating them on her progress for the projects on that to-do list.

Discussions are expected to begin soon on how the board will search for a replacement. That typically takes about seven to nine months, Baker said.

She would like to have that person on board before she leaves to help with the transition.

“I am, by nature, an organized planner,” Baker said. “I want to hire and mentor that person. I will have been successful if my successor is successful.”

Once the ignition key is turned on the RV though, it’s a new adventure ahead.

Published January 27, 2016

Pasco opens new Utilities Administration Building

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Pasco County is on the move.

With the slice of ceremonial scissors, county officials cut the ribbon on the new 50,000-square-foot Utilities Administration Building, located at 19420 Central Boulevard, off U.S. 41.

On June 19, more than 200 employees in the utilities department will move from New Port Richey to Land O’ Lakes. And, the facility is scheduled to open to the public on June 23. The hours will be Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Chairman Ted Schrader, holding scissors, slices through the ribbon, as he and other dignitaries celebrated the opening of the Utilities Administration Building. (Kathy Steele/Staff Photo)
Chairman Ted Schrader, holding scissors, slices through the ribbon, as he and other dignitaries celebrated the opening of the Utilities Administration Building.
(Kathy Steele/Staff Photo)

The cross-county move recognizes the accelerating growth in the northern and eastern areas of Pasco, with State Road 54 and State Road 56 prime targets for residential and commercial development.

New housing construction is also heating up on U.S. 41, in the vicinity of the new utilities building.

“We’re trying to get closer to the new customers,” said County Administrator Michele Baker. “We have got to move more of our services. This building is the beginning of trying to provide more services closer to where people are.”

The county utility department provides water and sewer services and reclaimed water as well as solid waste, recycling and hazardous waste disposal.

About 30 people attended the ribbon cutting including Baker, Chairman Ted Schrader, Commissioners Kathryn Starkey and Mike Moore and former County Administrator John Gallagher. Representatives of the architectural firm FleischmanGarcia and contractors Construction Technology Group also attended.

The two-story building has a soaring atrium in the lobby, a customer service center on the first floor, a drive-thru window, conference rooms, a training room and offices for the utilities service staff members.

The facility will be a backup location for the county’s emergency operations center.

A national review panel also certified that the building meets Silver LEED standards based on its energy efficiency and environmental design.

Schrader described the grand opening as a historic occasion.

“Pasco is typically a thrifty county,” he said.

But more than a decade ago, it was clear to some in Pasco government that change was on the way.

“They knew Pasco was going to be exploding,” he said. “It’s an outwardly beautiful building that will stand the test of time and be here for a long time.”

Business owners and residents in Land O’ Lakes see long-range benefits to the area.

“We’re obviously very proud of our community,” said Mary Lynn Gorsline, incoming president of the Central Pasco Chamber of Commerce. “It will help spur growth we’re looking for, positive growth.”

New restaurants or gift shops are potential new businesses that could come to the northern end of State Road 54.

“It will start to change the northern area of Land O’ Lakes,” she said.

There also are other business-related benefits as well.

“I think it’s wonderful,” said Terri Dusek, the honorary mayor of Land O’ Lakes. “As a Realtor, it’s going to make it more convenient for buyers and sellers to change over utilities. The centralized part of it is exceptional.”

The vision for the facility emerged in 2003 and was ready to go five years later. But, by then, construction costs were off the chart, said Bruce Kennedy, assistant county administrator for the Utilities Service Branch.

That coincided with a flattened economy and a slow recovery.

It wasn’t until 2012, when the Pasco County Commission could set aside about $9 million for construction.

A groundbreaking happened in 2014.

While most employees will transfer to the Land O’ Lakes office, Kennedy said a small number of customer service representatives will remain in New Port Richey. They will serve mainly walk-in customers, he said.

An office also is maintained in Dade City.

It’s not clear how many walk-in customers will frequent the new facility.

“It’s going to be interesting what that demand is,” said Kennedy.

The county is encouraging more customers to conduct business online. Kennedy said that would include signing up for new service or disconnecting existing service. “We’re trying to automate these things.”

For about 20 to 30 employees who live in and around New Port Richey, the longer distance to work is an issue. But Kennedy said the county is exploring options to provide some kind of carpooling or ride share.

And, he said some employees transferred to job openings in other departments closer to home.

The department essentially ran out of room nearly a decade ago due to staff growth, Kennedy said. Some employees were deployed to different locations, but he said, “This allows us to get our group of people back together to work on a day-to-day basis. This gives us a central location. It’s a big benefit.”

Published June 10, 2015

 

Charter advisory panel all white, mostly male

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A 15-member charter advisory panel that will decide the future of Pasco County’s governing structure is in place. And Pasco commissioners approved a contract to pay a private Tallahassee consultant $60,000 to guide its efforts during the coming months.

Pasco Commissioner Mike Moore
Pasco Commissioner Mike Moore

But the panel’s all white, and nearly all-male make-up came under fire at the commissioners regular meeting in Dade City on March 10.  Each Pasco County Commissioner appointed two members, plus an alternate to the panel. Pasco’s five state legislators also weighed in, with one appointment each.

Commissioner Mike Moore got some pushback for his selection of a county law enforcement officer supervised by Pasco Sheriff Chris Nocco.

“I have concerns with a member of (Nocco’s) team being on the committee,” said Chairman Ted Schrader. “I think it would be appropriate to replace him with someone else.”

Moore defended Pasco Maj. Mel Eakley as the right choice based on Eakley’s credentials in law enforcement and his service as a military veteran.

“I kind of take offense to saying we don’t want anyone on the board who is an everyday average citizen,” he said.

Schrader said he wasn’t questioning Eakley’s qualifications.

Other commissioners and Pasco County Tax Collector Mike Fasano also questioned Moore’s choice of Eakley.

Pasco Chairman Ted Schrader
Pasco Chairman Ted Schrader

“Perception is everything, ladies and gentlemen,” said Fasano in a public comment to the commission. He questioned the appointment of anyone “associated with constitutional officers.”

But no one made a formal challenge to Eakley’s appointment.

“I respect Mr. Moore,” Schrader said. “I’m really disappointed in his choice. I think it’s a conflict of interest, but it’s your choice.”

The lone woman on the panel will be banker Candace Glewen. She is a replacement for Commissioner Kathryn Starkey’s first choice of Pasco County School Board member Alison Crumbley. Crumbley declined the appointment upon the advice of the school board’s attorney who cited the potential for a conflict of interest.

Commissioner Jack Mariano appointed a woman, Cami Austin, as an alternate.

Former commissioner Pat Mulieri took the commissioners to task for not appointing a more balanced panel to represent the community. “It is ironic,” she said during public comment. “I was supposed to speak at a luncheon (today) celebrating women.”

The panel will tackle critical issues, such as whether Pasco County should have single-member voting districts, term limits and whether the county’s structure should be changed to have an elected administrator rather than one that’s appointed.

Mulieri wondered: ”Why did the board feel only men could make these decisions?”

She also questioned the $60,000 cost “for a consultant you don’t need. I’m standing here today to tell you it will go to $100,000.”

The cost for services from Kurt Spitzer & Associates potentially could exceed $60,000 if the panel requests additional work or travel beyond the flat fee of $5,000 a month, said County Administrator Michele Baker. The fixed rate includes travel for 12 months for approximately 22 to 24 meetings, she said.

Moore suggested panel members might not need a consultant beyond the early organizational meetings. “That’s a pretty large consulting fee in my mind,” he said. “I think you need to leave it up to the committee.”

Baker said the terms of the contract allow Spitzer to terminate his service with a 30-day notice. It also allows the panel to cancel his services immediately upon written notice.

Moore and Commissioner Jack Mariano floated a proposal to allow panel members to approve recommendations based on a simple majority, but Starkey, Schrader and Wells said the requirement of a super-majority vote was essential.

The panel must meet within the next 30 days.

Its recommendations are due to the commission by June 1, 2016.  If the panel recommends a charter government, the matter would go to voters in a referendum on the November 2016 general election ballot.

Members of the Pasco County charter advisory panel
Commission Chairman Ted Schrader appointed Billy E. Brown and John J. Gallagher to the panel, with Cliff McDuffie, as alternate

Commissioner Mike Moore appointed Mel Eakley and Gary Bradford, with Joseph Poblick, as alternate

Commissioner Kathryn Starkey appointed Candace Glewen and Dewey Mitchell, with Dominic Scannavino, as alternate

Commissioner Mike Wells Jr., appointed Steve Booth and Tim Holladay, with Jim Driscoll, as alternate

Commissioner Jack Mariano appointed Chuck Grey and Bill Woodard, with Cami Austin, as alternate

Members of the Pasco County legislative delegation appointed Michael Cox, Robert Eckard, John Kinsman, Randy Maggard and Mike Ryan

Published March 18, 2015

Election Day is here! And so is everything you need to know

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Today is Election Day where Florida will elect a governor, an attorney general, a chief financial officer and an agriculture commissioner among others. Locally, however, voters will have to decide on representatives in Tallahassee, as well as who will represent their interests on the county commission.

In last week’s print edition of The Laker/Lutz News, we offered an election primer, which you can read by clicking here. But do you want to know more?

Here is a collection of stories related to the various candidates and government leaders The Laker/Lutz News has published over the past year, both in print, and online. We’ve covered all the races extensively, and provided some government news at the same time, which helped earn us the state’s best local government reporting coverage this past year by the Florida Press Association.

Did we miss a story? Feel free to search the site using our internal engine using key words that most interest you, and chances are, we’ve covered it.

Be sure to keep reading our site tonight as we provide up-to-the-minute coverage of the election, before we break it all down in the Nov. 12 print editions of The Laker/Lutz News.

GOVERNOR’S RACE

Scott wants closer look of Ebola threat (10/26)
Although one nurse already under quarantine feels the measures are too restrictive in other parts of the country, Gov. Rick Scott has issued an executive order that could go as far as putting people under quarantine he feels is at high risk for Ebola.

Beverly Ledbetter with Charlie Crist
Beverly Ledbetter with Charlie Crist

Crist has slim lead in Saint Leo poll (10/23)
With a less than two weeks until voters have to make a final decision on who they should send to (or keep in) Tallahassee, a new poll from the Saint Leo University Polling Institute shows Democrat Charlie Crist with a slight lead over incumbent Republican Rick Scott.

Crist campaign gets Pasco County boost (10/16)
Mike Fasano has made no secret his dislike for Gov. Rick Scott. But now he’s taking that opposition to television. The Charlie Crist gubernatorial campaign has released a new commercial featuring the Pasco County tax collector and former state legislator, taking a shot at Scott while publicly endorsing Crist, who Fasano calls “a good man.”

Browning parts from Scott, stands by Common Core Standards (10/2)
Pasco Schools Superintendent Kurt Browning is standing by the Common Core State Standards, despite a recent decision by Gov. Rick Scott to put the kibosh on the state’s participation in a consortia developing assessments for those standards.

Lopez-Cantera holds no punches against Crist (10/2)
Carlos Lopez-Cantera is Florida’s second-in-command behind Gov. Rick Scott, but there are still pockets of the state he has only heard about.

Gov. Rick Scott taking part in groundbreaking in Lutz.
Gov. Rick Scott taking part in groundbreaking in Lutz.

Fact Check: Lt. Gov. Carlos Lopez-Cantera’s campaign visit to Zephyrhills (9/30)
Lt. Gov. Carlos Lopez-Cantera made a campaign stop on behalf of Gov. Rick Scott in Zephyrhills Sept. 22, speaking in front of the Conservative Club of East Pasco.

Local projects spared from Scott’s veto pen (6/2)
Gov. Rick Scott left nearly $69 million of this year’s state budget on the cutting room floor, but various projects throughout Pasco and Hillsborough counties were given a reprieve.

CABINET RACES

Pasco’s free lunches take to the road (7/3)
It’s hard to imagine getting through most days without that noontime break for lunch. That packed sandwich, frozen entrée, or maybe even a quick trip to a local eatery, is something many people take for granted each day. But for 36,000 students in the Pasco County school district, that trip to the cafeteria may be the only nutritious meal they have all day, paid for through federal tax dollars.

Private businesses don’t have to open records to public (6/19)
While government typically hires its own people to perform various functions, there are many times when officials contract with private companies to get that work done. But does that mean the records of those businesses are now public record, like they are for the government? The answer is no, Attorney General Pam Bondi has decided.

Bondi saves Fasano’s prescription drug program with $2M pledge (5/5)
Every year since Gov. Rick Scott took office, Mike Fasano says he’s had to fight to keep the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program alive.

CONGRESSIONAL RACES

Local congressmen support president’s ISIL plan (9/18)
In a rare move, the U.S. Congress supported an initiative by President Obama Wednesday, voting to authorize limited military action against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, or more commonly known as ISIL. Despite the U.S. House approving the measure 221-192, the area’s two local Republican congressmen are still saying they’re not happy with how Obama is handling the conflict in Syria and Iraq.

Local congressional districts should remain unchanged (8/7)
Florida lawmakers are back in Tallahassee for a special session this week after a judge in Leon County declared the boundaries for two Congressional districts were unconstitutional.

Cusp of history: Pasco leads way to amend Constitution (1/15)
It’s nearly impossible to get Democrats and Republicans in Congress to agree on anything these days, but a state senator from Pasco County might have a way to bring them together — even if it’s to campaign against his plan.

STATE LEGISLATURE RACES

Buy local? Not state House political candidates (11/2)
They have both championed jobs and money to flow into their district in Pasco County, but are two politicians seeking a place in Tallahassee practicing what they’re preaching?

Burgess: There’s no place like home … rule (10/23)
Danny Burgess was nervous as he straightened his tie and tried to review in his head everything he was going to say. It was his first debate in his race for a seat on the Zephyrhills City Council, and he had an uphill battle to convince older voters that electing an 18-year-old to represent them was the right way to go.

Burgess won’t defend Duke Energy, despite donation (10/9)
A state regulatory agency ordered the company to refund $54 million to customers last week, yet many Duke Energy customers remain unhappy about being charged for $3.2 billion in failed nuclear power plant projects. And one candidate for the Florida House is feeling the heat.

From teacher to candidate, Ledbetter just can’t say no (7/31)
Where there’s a will, there’s a way. And when there’s a need, there’s Beverly Ledbetter. The retired educator has made Dade City her home since the days of Richard Nixon, inspiring thousands of students at Pasco Junior High School and later Pasco High School for more than three decades. Along the way, Ledbetter found herself in the most unexpected jobs, whether it be coaching the school’s soccer team, or helping educators through her work with the teachers’ union.

Express route to downtown Tampa in jeopardy, HART says (7/24)
The number of people who depend on HART’s Route 51X connecting Pasco County to downtown Tampa is dwindling. And so is the organization’s money. So it’s probably no surprise to some of the remaining riders that officials with Hillsborough Area Regional Transit want to make some significant changes to the route, possibly removing the express route altogether. But at the very least, adding some local stops to finally bring such mass transit service to the New Tampa area.

Danny Burgess and Beverly Ledbetter at a recent candidate forum.
Danny Burgess and Beverly Ledbetter at a recent candidate forum.

Legg, lawmakers build path to collegiate high schools (6/26)
High schools have come a long way in preparing students for schools, with Florida especially hanging its hat on dual enrollment opportunities that allow many juniors and seniors to earn college credit before receiving their high school diploma.

Paperwork snafu costs Diaz chance for Tallahassee (6/20)
Danny Burgess no longer has to worry about a primary battle in his quest to succeed Will Weatherford in House District 38.

PHSC project one of Florida TaxWatch’s ‘turkeys’ (5/27)
Will Pasco-Hernando State College get that performing arts center it has been hoping for? Not if the governor is paying attention to political activist group Florida TaxWatch.

Winners and losers from tough Tallahassee session (5/23)
Amphibians like frogs and toads can create thousands of tadpoles each season, but only a few actually survive to become adults just like their parents. That could be the perfect way to describe how lawmaking works in Tallahassee. Hundreds of bills are introduced during each session of the Florida Legislature, but very few survive.

Danish pushing Scott to sign child welfare law (5/6)
State Rep. Mark Danish, D-Tampa, is urging Gov. Rick Scott to sign a bill into law he says will help strengthen the speed and quality of child abuse and neglect investigations in the state. Danish is pushing S.B. 1666, which includes parts of a House bill he introduced this year, and other child welfare initiatives. The bill quickly made it way through both chambers, receiving no dissenting votes in either the House or the Senate.

Future of Pasco lives and dies with municipal airports (4/17)
The expansion of State Road 56 into Zephyrhills could be key to a major economic boom for Pasco County, and two candidates seeking to replace state Rep. Will Weatherford, R-Wesley Chapel, in Tallahassee agree state-level leadership must be in place to make sure it happens.

Burgess invites Tampa mayor to rediscover Wesley Chapel (4/11)
Danny Burgess has just a few more days as mayor of Zephyrhills before he goes full-time into a state House campaign. But before he goes, he has a message for Tampa mayor Bob Buckhorn: Wesley Chapel is no longer a “bedroom community.”

Lawmakers propose a little help at the gas pump (3/20)
There are more than 9,000 gas stations in Florida, but only 350 of them offer any type of help for someone who might not be able to pump their gas on their own. Two lawmakers, however, are looking to change that — and are using Hillsborough County as a model.

Eastern Time, Central Time … Florida Time? (1/30)
Spring forward. Fall back. Using the seasons as a guide, Americans have used those expressions to figure out when they should set their clocks back an hour, or forward an hour, to switch between standard time and daylight saving time.

Burgess eyes Tallahassee, but path may not be easy (12/11)
Although there always was a chance he could run for re-election, Danny Burgess knew he had just a short time as mayor of Zephyrhills when he was elected unopposed earlier this year. He will step down from that office in April with an eye on a much bigger prize: replacing Will Weatherford as the area’s state representative in Tallahassee.

PASCO COUNTY COMMISSION RACE

Moore, Remsberg spending money outside Pasco (11/3)
Bringing money into the county is something politician after politician has brought to campaigns and local government for years, and the Pasco County Commission race between Mike Moore and Erika Remsberg has been no different.

Left Behind: Bus services screeches to a halt on Monday (10/16)
Monday was Columbus Day, a holiday with federal status, but one that’s not recognized by many employers, including state and even Pasco County officials. Yet, many offices in the county were closed, including Pasco County Public Transportation, while the employees from those departments attended a daylong retreat and appreciation day.

Mulieri endorses new replacement, crosses party lines (10/16)
No one could ever accuse Pat Mulieri of simply following the herd. Two months ago, she took a stand in the Republican primary, endorsing underdog Bob Robertson from a group of candidates looking to replace her on the Pasco County Commission.

Mike Moore waving signs in Land O' Lakes.
Mike Moore waving signs in Land O’ Lakes.

Moore raises $34K in two weeks, but is it too much? (10/10)
A huge $22,500 haul from developers and real estate professionals over the last two weeks has given Pasco County Commission candidate Mike Moore his best fundraising week of the campaign, raising a whopping $34,250.

Both want jobs, but disagree on how to get them (10/9)
One of the biggest challenges facing the Pasco County Commission in recent years is how to create more jobs here, and not force nearly half the population to travel elsewhere to find work. It’s likely a problem that won’t be fixed over the next four years, but that hasn’t stopped the two candidates looking for a seat on the commission to share their ideas on how it might happen. They are just quite different.

Partisan politics infest county commission race (10/2)
It’s been four years since a Democrat has served on the Pasco County Commission, but Erika Remsberg hopes to change that with just one election in November. However, she has a formidable opponent in the form of Republican Mike Moore, who not only has out-fundraised her 19-to-1, but seems to be the shoo-in to replace the retiring Pat Mulieri in District 2.

Littlefield joins forces with Moore in commission race (9/25)
They may have been foes during the primary, but former state Rep. Ken Littlefield has taken sides in the November election, joining the campaign of Republican candidate Mike Moore in his efforts to replace the retiring Pat Mulieri on the Pasco County Commission.

Moore tops $100,000, makes district race most expensive (8/22)
With just days before voters will choose just one of three candidates to represent the Republican ticket in the Pasco County Commission District 2 race, Mike Moore will clearly take the fundraising title after a final push this week put him over $100,000.

Moore brings big voice to Pasco, but is ready to listen too (8/21)
Money talks, especially in a political campaign. And with nearly $100,000 at his disposal throughout his primary campaign, Mike Moore has had a pretty loud voice.

Let them go? (8/7)
It pretty much started when John Gallagher was caught in heavy traffic on Interstate 75. The morning rush is exactly that, the morning rush. But Gallagher, then the Pasco County administrator, realized that these were primarily people who lived in his county, but were heading south to work jobs in Hillsborough and even Pinellas counties.

Erika Remsberg
Erika Remsberg

Remsberg ready to give commission a much-needed intervention (7/31)
The first step in finding out who will replace Pat Mulieri on the Pasco County Commission begins at the Aug. 26 primary. There voters will choose between three politically focused men — Ken Littlefield, Mike Moore and Bob Robertson — to represent Republicans in the November election.

Commission candidate among those appointed to planning council (4/1)
Michael Moore is one of six appointments announced Monday by Gov. Rick Scott to the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council. Moore, who is seeking Pat Mulieri’s seat on the Pasco County Commission, is the owner of VR Business Sales/Mergers & Acquisitions of Wesley Chapel. He was appointed for a term that began Monday, and would end in October 2015.

GOP commission candidates debate policy for the first time (3/13)
He served eight years in the Florida House, a few weeks on the state’s Public Service Commission, and some additional time working in Gov. Charlie Crist’s administration. So why would Ken Littlefield, who is approaching his 70th birthday, want to try once again to replace Pat Mulieri on the Pasco County Commission?

OTHER ELECTION NEWS

Pasco, Hillsborough offers free rides to polls (11/3)
Want to vote, but not sure how to get there? Well, whether you live in Pasco County or Hillsborough, a chance to cast a ballot is just a free bus ride away.

Pasco gets 25 percent head start into Nov. 4 (11/2)
Early voting in various places around Pasco County ended Saturday, and although there’s still room to receive more mail-in ballots on Monday, county elections supervisor Brian Corley has to be happy with the turnout so far.

Political mailer pits neighbor versus neighbor (10/30)
A political mailer sharing the voting habits of neighbors might not be a new trick for the 2014 elections, but it’s one that has some residents questioning how much of their personal information should be made public.

Strong early voter turnout so far in Pasco (10/30)
Brian Corley likes what he’s seeing for the 2014 election so far. As of 4 p.m. Thursday, more than 21 percent of registered voters in Pasco County have dropped a ballot in the voting box, and there’s still two full days of early voting left.

Inaccurate campaign fliers confusing voters (9/29)
Thousands of voters in Pasco County and across the state opened their mailboxes this weekend to find a flier from the Gov. Rick Scott campaign telling them their absentee ballots should have arrived. Yet, there were no absentee ballots waiting for them.

Voters speak their mind on the primary election (8/26)
Despite the best efforts of election officials to get people out to the polls for the Aug. 26 primary, turnout — at least in Pasco County — is likely to be below 15 percent.

Campaign Crunch: Politicians reveal where their dollars are coming from (8/14)
Erika Remsberg has not raised a lot of money for her bid to replace Pat Mulieri on the Pasco County Commission — and she never expects to.

Voters are mad, and it could affect turnout this November (7/3)
There’s one question Susan MacManus gets more than any other as we head into a contentious election season. And despite her long and impressive credentials as a political scientist, even she can’t answer it.

Let them go?

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It pretty much started when John Gallagher was caught in heavy traffic on Interstate 75.

The morning rush is exactly that, the morning rush. But Gallagher, then the Pasco County administrator, realized that these were primarily people who lived in his county, but were heading south to work jobs in Hillsborough and even Pinellas counties.

More than half the residents of Pasco County hop in their cars each morning and drive across the county line for jobs in places such as Hillsborough and Pinellas counties. (Michael Hinman/Staff Photo)
More than half the residents of Pasco County hop in their cars each morning and drive across the county line for jobs in places such as Hillsborough and Pinellas counties.
(Michael Hinman/Staff Photo)

From that time forward, Pasco County made it a priority to develop policy that not only encouraged people to find homes in the county, but to work here as well. That meant working to attract high-wage jobs to the area with efforts like tax incentives, and removing some of the red tape involved in locating a business in the county.

Ken Littlefield, a former state representative who is running for Pasco County Commission, may bring a completely different perspective to the dais if he’s elected, however.

“A lot of people see 60,000 to 80,000 people leaving Pasco to go to work in Hillsborough or Pinellas counties as a negative. But I’m not sure about that,” Littlefield said. “It’s like they are working in the mine. They are bringing the gold back to Pasco, and they are spending that money here. When that money is spent here, there is economic growth that is taking place.”

Littlefield shared those views during a candidate forum last week at Keystone Community Church in Land O’ Lakes, hosted by the Central Pasco and Trinity-Odessa chambers of commerce. Other candidates seeking the same seat on the commission quickly rebuked his remarks.

“When I think about a premier county, I think about jobs in that county,” said Mike Moore, who is facing Littlefield for the Republican nomination.

Money, he said, doesn’t necessarily come back home. Especially since people spend a lot of time at work, and spending money around their jobs.

“There was a time that I worked outside the area quite often, and I would fill my gas tank on the way home in another county,” Moore said. “I would shop in the afternoon — guess where, in another county. Guess where I ate breakfast? Another county.”

Pasco residents spend an average of 30 minutes on the road commuting to work, compared to 26 minutes for residents living in Hillsborough, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Two decades ago, that commute time was 24 minutes, and despite advancements like the widening of I-75, U.S. 41 and the construction of the Suncoast Parkway, the time it takes to get to work is just going up for Pasco residents.

It’s something county leaders still want to curb, especially since Pasco ranks as one of the worst commute times in the state, spending the equivalent of three full work weeks, and a bit of overtime, behind the wheel each year.

“That’s valuable time, and time is money,” said James Edwards, the transportation manager with Pasco’s Metropolitan Planning Organization.

But it’s not just sales tax the county collects from having more business here, but other ways of producing more money inside the county as well.

“Basically, the big (economic) payoff is at the other end of their trip, which is where they are employed,” Edwards said. “The intent is to build that employment base within your own county, so that you capture the best of all worlds.”

How can the county keep more workers here? Find companies willing to pay higher wages, said another county commission candidate, Bob Robertson. He cited a report from the National Bureau of Labor Statistics that showed the average weekly wage in Pasco was $624, while it was well above $800 in Hillsborough and Pinellas.

“I live in Pasco and work in Pasco,” the Zephyrhills financial analyst said. “When you have a chance to make 30 to 35 percent more, it’s no wonder more people drive south.”

Making it worse, Robertson said, is the fact any educated work force Pasco develops ends up moving away.

“We are hearing about kids who are coming out of school, and they are not going to Hillsborough or Pinellas. They are going to Atlanta, or they are going somewhere else altogether,” he said. “That is not a good thing for Pasco County.”

Sandy Graves, who chairs the government affairs committee at the Central Pasco Chamber, said a lot of what’s needed is patience.

“I am happy that people have jobs and choose to live here in Pasco, because that is the reality of the situation at present,” she said in an email. “There is no doubt that Hillsborough and Pinellas have the commercial economic base that supplies those jobs for many that live here, but our county needs to prepare for the natural growth of businesses that will move northward in the future.”

However, Erika Remsberg — the lone Democrat seeking to replace Pat Mulieri on the county commission — believes there is something the county can do right now: invest in small businesses.

“We should be putting 75 percent of our economic development money into small business,” Remsberg said. “It’s a lot less expensive, and can have more of an impact. Just think, if they all added just one job, we would have 3,000 more jobs in Pasco County.”

Any change to scale back the need to commute will take a while, the MPO’s Edwards said.

“It’s going to take a long time to change it, probably 15 to 20 years to change that dynamic,” Edwards said. “But at the end of the day, it’s really a revenue-based decision, and what’s good for the employment sector is good for the county.”

Published August 6, 2014

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County searches for next administrator

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The Pasco County Commission expects to select a new county administrator by the end of May to replace the retiring John Gallagher.

The details haven’t been worked out completely, but commissioners indicated at their April 10 meeting they’d like to narrow the field of candidates to eight before selecting finalists to interview.

Bob Murray & Associates, of Tallahassee, is conducting the national search for Gallagher’s replacement.

Pasco County Administrator John Gallagher plans to retire on June 1 after three decades in his post. (File photo)

When they sought proposals from search firms, the board made it clear it wants a robust effort to come up with candidates, not a rehashed list used in similar searches.

The board called for “a far-reaching recruitment that will capture a fresh list of the best candidates from throughout the country, including high performers in other jurisdictions that may not be actively seeking new employment.”

Commissioners have asked for backgrounds on the top eight candidates, which they will narrow down to finalists for interviews. They also plan to arrange a county tour and host a social so candidates can mingle with the public.

They have set tentative dates of May 14 to shortlist the candidates, May 23 and May 24 for interviews and a social and May 28 for naming a new administrator.

Gallagher, who had planned to retire in April, has agreed to stay on until June 1.

First retailer announced for potential outlet mall in Wesley Chapel

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Plans are apparently moving forward on an outlet mall development in Wesley Chapel, according to a recent announcement posted on Simon Property Group Inc.’s website.

Saks Fifth Avenue Off 5th plans to open a new location at Tampa Premium Outlets in Wesley Chapel, in 2014, according to the posting.

The announcement signals the first retailer to announce plans to locate at the potential upscale outlet center on a portion of the Cypress Creek Town Center site near Interstate 75.

Representatives from Simon would not provide additional information.

News of the potential outlet surfaced in February, after Pasco County administrator John Gallagher met with representatives from Simon and from the Cypress Creek Town Center.

Plans for Cypress Creek Town Center were announced years ago and the mall received a permit from the Army Corps of Engineers in 2007, but then the project became mired in legal battles and the economy tanked.

A federal court ruling on Nov. 17 affirmed in part, reversed in part and remanded a previous district ruling in a case involving the Sierra Club and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers over the permit for the mall.

However, an issue that remains unresolved involves the eastern indigo snake.

Simon’s recent announcement appears to signal progress toward development of an outlet mall, and that prospect already has received a warm reception from major players in Wesley Chapel. Representatives from the Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce, The Shops at Wiregrass and the Porter family, who are major landholders, all have said an upscale outlet mall would enhance the area’s offerings.

Saks Fifth Avenue Off 5th leverages Saks Fifth Avenue’s knowledge of fashion in the marketplace to create exclusive brands, providing customers with accessible luxuries, trend-right values and stylish exclusives, according to Simon’s announcement.

It features a luxury-in-a-loft design which can showcase an emerging trend one day and a great deal the next, the website says.

There are 34 Saks Fifth Avenue Off 5th locations within the Simon portfolio both in its Premium Outlets and The Mills divisions.

Simon’s Premium Outlets portfolio features 70 Premium Outlet Centers including 57 in the United States, one in Puerto Rico, eight in Japan, two in Korea, one in Malaysia and one in Mexico.

Simon Property Group currently owns or has an interest in 337 retail real estate properties in North America and Asia comprising 244 million square feet. It is headquartered in Indianapolis and employs approximately 5,500 people in the U.S. For more information, visit the Simon Property Group website at www.simon.com.