The Laker/Lutz News

Michele Baker

Pasco County resolves call center dispute

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Pasco County commissioners have reorganized the leadership chart at county’s emergency call center — settling an ongoing dispute between Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco and Pasco County Administrator Michele Baker.

Commissioners approved a plan on April 12 to create a new emergency services department with a communications division and emergency management division.

Newly-appointed Emergency Services Director Kevin Guthrie talked with reporters after Pasco County commissioners approved a plan to improve operations at the 911 call center. (Courtesy of Pasco County)
Newly-appointed Emergency Services Director Kevin Guthrie talked with reporters after Pasco County commissioners approved a plan to improve operations at the 911 call center.
(Courtesy of Pasco County)

They promoted newly hired Emergency Management Director Kevin Guthrie to the new job of emergency services director. He will oversee both the 911 center’s operations and emergency management.

Lt. Dan Olds, of the sheriff’s office, will serve as assistant director of the communications division, a role he had before the reorganization.

The county will advertise for the new position of assistant director of emergency management.

Nocco favored the plan.

“Everyone seems to have hit the ground running. I look forward to seeing in the next 30 days what their evaluations are,” Nocco said. “I have full confidence in these two men.”

Nearly three weeks ago operations at the center came under renewed scrutiny due to a mishandled emergency call for a wrong-way driver and other dropped or unanswered calls.

It led to a testy commission meeting when Nocco recommended that Olds be appointed permanent director, and the county’s fire and rescue department name an assistant director.

Commissioners put off a decision for two weeks.

In the interim, Baker and Nocco sent letters to Pasco County Chairman Kathryn Starkey outlining their proposals to resolve the center’s leadership dilemma.

Baker also removed Jody Kenyon as acting director of the 911 center and placed Guthrie in that role. Guthrie previously served in Flagler County where he was in charge of both public safety communications and emergency management.

The county and sheriff’s office consolidated the center’s emergency operations in 2013.

Kenyon stepped in as acting director in 2014, when the director resigned. He remains as technical services manager.

Nocco has cited trust issues as reasons for not speaking with Baker, and leaving discussions to his staff members.

Baker has cited what she described as “half truths and inaccuracies” in Nocco’s statements.

Baker said Nocco still doesn’t speak to her.

But, there were no fireworks at the April 12 meeting.

Instead, there was a presentation and quick vote to approve the new leadership.

“I’m looking forward to seeing improvements,” said Pasco County Commissioner Mike Moore.

Guthrie told commissioners in the past two weeks he already has seen faster response times on calls to the center. He plans to update commissioners on progress in 60 days.

“There’s nothing more important than having a quick response on a 911 call,” Starkey said.

The resolution was “a long time coming,” said Pasco County Commissioner Jack Mariano. But, he added, “I think we’re on the right path.”

Published April 20, 2016

Sparks flying over 911 center

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Controversy is swirling over the leadership of Pasco County’s 911 center, after a dispatcher mishandled an emergency call regarding a wrong-way driver on Interstate 75.

Pasco County commissioners also say that residents have reported instances of dropped calls or unanswered calls to the center.

“I think it’s gotten to the point we need to think outside the box,” Pasco County Commissioner Mike Moore said during the commissioners’ March 29 meeting.

Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco
Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco 

Despite additional staff members working at the center, Moore said, “There have been too many missteps.”

A solution could come at the commissioners’ April 12 meeting in Dade City, when the issue is expected to be reviewed again.

The center has been without a permanent director for about 18 months.

On two occasions, candidates backed away. One cited family related reasons. The other gave no reason.

The issue of who will lead the county’s emergency center has evolved into a tussle between Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco and Pasco County Administrator Michele Baker.

Baker and Nocco disagree over who should appoint the center’s leader, and how the county and sheriff’s office will divide responsibility for the center.

The county and the sheriff’s office began consolidating their emergency response operations into one center in 2013.

Nocco and Baker each fired off letters to the Pasco County commissioners after a sometimes heated discussion at the commissioners’ March 29 meeting.

At that meeting, Moore invited Nocco to present recommendations to be put to an immediate vote.

“We all want to find a solution,” Nocco said.

He proposed promoting Lt. Dan Olds to the position of director of the emergency center, and letting Pasco Fire & Rescue name one of its supervisors as assistant director.

Olds currently serves as the center’s assistant director for public safety communications, which includes the consolidated 911 center.

Jody Kenyon has served as acting director, pending the hiring of a permanent director. He began serving in October 2014, soon after Dona Fernandes resigned from the job.

Baker objected to Nocco’s proposal. She said the matter “needs a more detailed conversation.”

Pasco County Commissioner Ted Schrader backed Baker.

“This is an important issue,” he said. “There’s a lot of us that haven’t had the benefit of all the facts.”

Pasco County Commissioner Kathryn Starkey agreed that a vote should not be taken on something commissioners have not seen.

Schrader urged Nocco to meet with Baker to discuss the matter.

Nocco said his staff members would meet with Baker, but he would not.

“When trust is an issue, that’s a problem,” Nocco said.

Nocco sent a letter two days later to Starkey and the board, again laying out his solution.

Nocco’s letter states that he has met with Baker multiple times on the issue and “she has failed to provide any solutions for the Center.”

Pasco County Administrator Michele Baker
Pasco County Administrator Michele Baker

On March 31, Baker sent a lengthy letter to the commissioners, responding to Nocco and outlining three options for hiring a director for the emergency center.

In her letter, Baker objected to what she characterized as the sheriff’s “inaccuracies and half-truths.”

Baker states there haven’t been multiple meetings, and Nocco’s refusal to meet with her are what have prompted issues about trust.

“I am concerned that his delegates are either misunderstanding or misrepresenting our conversations,” Baker wrote.

Baker contends that Olds doesn’t meet minimum requirements established by the center’s consolidation board.

Baker also notified commissioners that she was removing Kenyon as acting director. He remains as technical services manager. She appointed newly-hired Emergency Management Director Kevin Guthrie to take on additional duties as acting public safety communications director.

In her letter, Baker noted that Guthrie supervised both emergency management and emergency communications in Flagler County before being hired by Pasco.

In a second letter to commissioners, dated April 1, Nocco gave “conditional acceptance” to Guthrie, if he is appointed permanently and serves solely as the center’s director.

Baker is expected to recommend three options on April 12.

  • The county has full responsibility for the center, with the county administrator hiring the director, with commission approval.
  • The sheriff hires a director and takes responsibility of the center. The county would appoint the assistant director, and set up an enterprise budget to track expenditures.
  • The center would be under control of the Consolidated Communications Board, which would select an executive director and other management positions. Employees and support services would be under contract with the county.

Baker also noted: “I remain willing to transfer responsibility and authority of the entire (Consolidated Communications Center) to the Sheriff, if that is the Board’s desire.”

Published April 13, 2016

County and state team up on land deal

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Pasco County and the state of Florida have teamed up on a $6 million land deal to designate a large swath of a former cattle ranch in Land O’ Lakes as a conservation easement.

The county and the state each will pay $3 million for two parcels totaling nearly 620 acres, located west of Old Pasco Road about a half-mile south of State Road 52.

Pasco County Chairwoman Kathryn Starkey held out on a land deal to be sure that a swath of land could possibly be used as the right-of-way for a planned trail that will generally follow the old Orange Belt Rail Line. (File Photo)
Pasco County Chairwoman Kathryn Starkey held out on a land deal to be sure that a swath of land could possibly be used as the right-of-way for a planned trail that will generally follow the old Orange Belt Rail Line.
(File Photo)

The purchase is an acquisition for the county’s Environmental Lands and Acquisition Management Program, also known as ELAMP. That program is partially funded with revenues from the Penny for Pasco program.

There’s a provision in the deal that could result in a portion of the northern half of the site being used as the right-of-way for a planned trail system that generally will follow along the former Orange Belt Rail Line.

Pasco County Chairwoman Kathryn Starkey persuaded commissioners to postpone a vote on the contract until after their lunch break at the March 8 meeting in Dade City. She wanted to add language to the contract that would clear the way to negotiate the trail’s easement and public access through the site.

Without that provision, Starkey said the county could be forced to eventually negotiate a separate, costly deal to buy privately owned land for the trail.

“This is one of our most important trails in the county,” Starkey said. “We need to be able to build a trail there.  This should have been part of the discussion before it was brought to us.”

The initial deal struck between sellers, the state and the county didn’t allow public access.

Four generations of the McKendree family operated the cattle farm. Sellers of the conservation easement are Neil Mathis and Christine Phillips.

Negotiations took about two years for an agreement that is the first partnership between Pasco and the state to buy conservation land. The state usually strikes such deals with federal agencies, said Keith Wiley, the county’s natural resources manager.

Members of the Florida Cabinet are scheduled to approve the deal on March 29.

With time a factor, Pasco County Commissioner Ted Schrader didn’t want to continue the vote to the next commission meeting. “I don’t want to jeopardize the state’s participation. I’m confident we’ll secure this (easement). This is a win-win for everyone,” he said.

But, after a representative for the property sellers agreed to the contract’s new stipulation, commissioners gave their approval to a revised agreement.

The exact route of the trail isn’t determined, but it generally will run diagonally across the county from Lacoochee through Land O’ Lakes to Odessa.

The county owns portions of the rights-of-way for the trail along Old Pasco Road and State Road 52, near the conservation easement site, according to Pasco County Administrator Michele Baker.

The Florida Department of Transportation also is building a bridge as part of its widening and realignment project along Interstate 75 and State Road 52. State officials said there would be an underpass below the bridge for the county to build a trail connector.

Starkey envisions the trail as a redevelopment tool for the Land O’ Lakes area, similar to a walking and bicycle trail established through Dunedin in Pinellas County.

“It has great potential to be an economic draw in Land O’ Lakes,” she said.

Published March 23, 2016

Pasco master plan seeks to improve parks and recreation

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A proposed master plan for Pasco County’s parks and recreation facilities would cost an estimated $222 million over 10 years, according to a needs assessment from consultants at AECOM.

About $112 million of that amount would be targeted at new amenities for the county’s growing population.

A 2001 master plan projected about 51,000 more people over 10 years.

The actual number was closer to 119,000.

As more people move into Pasco County, the amount of parkland shrinks, in proportion to its population. (File Photos)
As more people move into Pasco County, the amount of parkland shrinks, in proportion to its population.
(File Photos)

New projections peg population growth at about 204,000 more residents, also over 10 years.

How much of the master plan realistically can be implemented and where the funding will come from has yet to be determined. Pasco County commissioners, on Feb. 16, got an overview of the issues confronting the county’s parks and recreation — now and in the future.

Commissioners were asked to consider potential funding options through increased impact fees, user fees, matching grants, assessments, taxes, or through combining multiple sources.

One option could be taking the issue to voters seeking additional funding through a 2018 referendum.

“We really think it’s going to take a combination of a lot of these things,” said Matt Armstrong, the county’s executive planner for long-range planning.

County staff presented the information to commissioners to seek direction before scheduling public meetings to map out various scenarios for the county’s master plan for parks and recreation.

Inadequate parks funding is posing a challenge for Pasco County to keep up its parks.
Inadequate parks funding is posing a challenge for Pasco County to keep up its parks.

However, commissioners requested a follow-up presentation, with additional details, as well as illustrations of potential projects.

“We’ll draft a community-engaged road show and bring it back to you,” said Pasco County Administrator Michele Baker. “Then, you can try it on for size.”

After years of sharp budget cuts during the economy’s downturn, the parks and recreation department lacks funds just to maintain and operate existing parks.

The current budget falls short by about $14 million a year to cover existing needs, according to AECOM’s assessment.

The county now has about five acres per 1,000 people for parks and recreation activities. As the population grows over the next decade, the acreage per 1,000 people likely will shrink by half, if the county does nothing to expand parks and recreation, according to AECOM’s assessment.

In a survey, about 80 percent of 621 residents put repairs and upkeep as one of the county’s priorities. They also wanted more trails and sidewalks, more boat ramps, ball fields, community centers and a more equal distribution of facilities countywide.

About $15 million in new construction proposed in the county’s 2001 master plan went unbuilt, largely due to budget cuts.

AECOM consultants looked at five market areas in the county. While all areas need additional ball fields or recreational facilities, the market areas in south, north and central Pasco had the greatest needs.

One possible solution to address the shortage of funding for Pasco County’s parks and recreation could be to ask voters to approve additional funding through a referendum.
One possible solution to address the shortage of funding for Pasco County’s parks and recreation could be to ask voters to approve additional funding through a referendum.

Pasco County Commissioner Kathryn Starkey cited 2009 data from the nonprofit Florida Taxwatch, which placed Pasco near the bottom in per capita spending on cultural and recreation facilities.

Residents might want to pay more to see improvements, she said.

“There is no money for parks and recreation in our budget,” Starkey said. “Their budget has been slashed, and the current parks they have are falling apart. We’ll have to close parks if we don’t find a budget source. And, if you think we have it now in our general revenues, where? In the sheriff’s budget?”

On revenues for parks and recreation, commissioners appeared to have a consensus that voters should decide what they want, and have a say in how to pay.

Pasco County Commissioner Mike Moore stressed a “think outside the box” approach that includes public/private partnerships. Past efforts seemed to rely too much on taxes, he said.

It comes down to what residents want and a referendum, said Pasco County Commissioner Mike Wells.

“If the residents want it and want to pay a little more on it, that’s what they need to do.”

Published February 24,  2016

 

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 County fills leadership jobs

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New hires will step into leadership roles at three Pasco County departments.

Pasco County commissioners approved the hiring choices at their Dec. 1 meeting in New Port Richey.

Brian Head, a former chief deputy with the Pasco County Sheriff’s office, will be assistant county administrator for public safety and administration. He served 12 years with the sheriff’s office before retiring in 2013 with the rank of colonel. Most recently, he has been employed by Pasco-Hernando State College at its law enforcement academy.

Kelley Boree, left, spoke to Paso County commissioners who appointed her the new director of Pasco County’s Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources Department. Cathy Pearson, assistant county administrator for public services, stands next to her. (Courtesy of Pasco County)
Kelley Boree, left, spoke to Paso County commissioners who appointed her the new director of Pasco County’s Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources Department. Cathy Pearson, assistant county administrator for public services, stands next to her.
(Courtesy of Pasco County)

In 2011, Head was one of three finalists for the top cop job in Pasco County following the retirement of Bob White. Gov. Rick Scott appointed Chris Nocco as the county’s sheriff and, soon after, Head was promoted to second-in-command as deputy sheriff. He held that position at his retirement in 2013.

He is a graduate of Troy University with a degree in public administration, and also has a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice.

Head’s start date is Dec. 14 at an annual salary of $115,000. He will oversee Fire Rescue, emergency management and the county’s new 911 communications center. He replaces Randy TeBeest who left several weeks ago to move out of state.

“I believe he is exactly the right candidate to help us put the cherry on top of the consolidated communications center,” said Pasco County Administrator Michele Baker.

Cloyd “Flip” Mellinger will become assistant county administrator for utility services effective Dec. 9. His start date will overlap by a few weeks the remaining tenure of Bruce Kennedy, who plans to retire at the end of the year.

Mellinger currently is director of utility services in Marion County, a position he has had for about six years. Previously, he also served four years in supervisory positions with the same department.

He served in the U.S. Navy and is a graduate of the University of Maryland with a bachelor’s degree in business administration, and a master’s degree in science and environmental management.

His annual salary will be $128,000.

Kelley Boree will become director of parks, recreation and natural resources effective Jan. 4. She currently is parks and recreation director in Jacksonville.

She is a graduate of William Woods College in Fulton, Missouri with a degree in business administration. She has served in director level positions with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.

Her annual salary will be $105,000.

“I look forward to leading an awesome parks team,” said Boree in comments to commissioners prior to her appointment to the job.

Published December 9, 2015

 

Pasco County to add metal detectors?

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Bag searches and metal detectors are routine outside council or commission chambers in most counties including Pinellas, Polk and Hillsborough.

That is especially true on meeting days.

Pasco County is an exception.

Pasco County Chairwoman Kathryn Starkey thinks it is time to rethink the county’s policy.

She brought up the topic at the conclusion of the county commission’s meeting on Dec.1.

Pasco County Chairwoman Kathryn Starkey (File Photo)
Pasco County Chairwoman Kathryn Starkey
(File Photo)

“I’ve had a couple incidents with people who might be considered fairly unstable,” Starkey said after the meeting. “It just really makes me concerned.”

County staff plans to report back to commissioners with data on costs and feasibility of installing metal detectors at the West Pasco Government Center in New Port Richey and the Historic Dade City Courthouse.

Other government buildings also could be included in plans to beef up security.

Starkey aired her concerns just a day before a mass shooting in San Bernardino, California left 14 people killed and more than 20 people injured.

It was another in a list of what the Federal Bureau of Investigation now labels as “active-shooter” incidents where an individual or individuals kill or attempt to kill people gathered in a confined area.

According to FBI data, there were 160 such incidents from 2000 to 2013, and the number is on the rise.

“I sure don’t want to see something happen here that happened in California,” said Starkey, in a phone interview on Dec. 3.

There was little enthusiasm for pursuing metal detectors during the commission’s Dec. 1 meeting.

Cost, in part, was an issue.

“It’s the taxpayers’ building,” said Pasco County Commissioner Mike Wells.

“I think it’s okay to look at what other counties do,” Wells said. “Safety is No. 1. I agree with you there.”

County Administrator Michele Baker said the design of the government center in New Port Richey included room to allow metal detectors. But constitutional officers and commissioners, at the time, didn’t want to pursue that.

Ted Schrader, another commissioner, said he’s not sure the idea will find support now.

“I suspect you’re going to get some pushback from that,” Schrader said. “How do you pick and choose which buildings?”

He noted that security cameras are in use.

“A camera doesn’t stop someone coming in with a gun,” Starkey said. “I can tell you, there are employees here who are not comfortable.”

With its multiple entry points and limited lobby area, the Historic Dade City Courthouse, could pose some logistical challenges.

Tampa City Hall is a historic building similar to Dade City’s courthouse. Instead of using metal detectors there, Tampa police officers search bags and use security wands to screen people.

Outside Hillsborough County Commission chambers, sheriff’s deputies operate a metal detector.

“In this day and age it’s a sad thing, but we want to know if people are bringing guns,” Starkey said.

Published December 9, 2015

Pasco’s tourism figures are rising

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When the final numbers are in, Pasco County’s tourism manager believes the county will be issuing a report on a record year for the county.

“I’m actually probably going to have a record year, once I see September’s numbers. The average daily room rate is up about 10 percent across the board,” said Ed Caum, tourism manager for Pasco County. “It’s pretty exciting.”

And, the prospects are bright for even more visitors in the coming year.

The county has several new attractions that will be opening soon, or have recently opened.

Among them:

  • Tampa Premium Outlets, off State Road 54, near Interstate 75: This 441,000-square-foot mall, featuring 110 retailers, is scheduled to open on Oct. 29.
  • Florida Hospital Center Ice, off State Road 56, parallel to Interstate 75, is set to open next spring. It is expected to attract tournaments, as well as thousands of local hockey players, skaters and other athletes.
  • Tree Hoppers, in Dade City, is a zipline course designed for aerial adventurers of all ability levels.
  • SunWest Park, in Hudson, is expected to attract worldwide attention for its beach volleyball courts and its wakeboard course.

These attractions will help draw more visitors, which will increase tourism — and that benefits the county, Caum said during the Oct. 6 breakfast meeting of the Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce.

Ed Caum, tourism manager for Pasco County, believes the county is heading toward a record year in terms of tourism. (B.C. Manion/Staff Photo)
Ed Caum, tourism manager for Pasco County, believes the county is heading toward a record year in terms of tourism.
(B.C. Manion/Staff Photo)

Tourism figures matter — not only to people working directly in the hospitality industry, but to all of Pasco’s business owners and residents, Caum said.

Taxes paid by tourists reduce the tax burden for Florida residents, he said.

And, tourism provides jobs.

Across Florida, the state is projecting the need for 300,000 more hospitality employees by 2020, Caum told the breakfast crowd, gathered in the conference center at Pasco-Hernando State College’s Porter Campus at Wiregrass Ranch.

“A lot of people are thinking, well that’s not really a lot of high-paying jobs,” Caum said.

But he added: “We’re going to have to change our mentality about that a little bit.

“Actually, the median wage for someone who is in the hospitality business is about $45,000,” he said. “It’s not all people changing sheets.”

“Tourism is economic development,” Caum said.

“Everybody who runs a business in Florida is an ambassador for tourism. Because if you’re a car dealership, or a car repair or providing some kind of service, chances are you’re going to have a tourist that’s going to walk through your business,” he said.

In Pasco, County Administrator Michele Baker has realigned the tourism office so that it works with the county’s office of economic growth.

The shift was made because tourism is an economic generator, Caum said.

Tourism also helps the state to attract more businesses and residents.

Events like the mud run attract people to Pasco County, where the visitors spend money — boosting the local economy. (File Photo)
Events like the mud run attract people to Pasco County, where the visitors spend money — boosting the local economy.
(File Photo)

“A lot of the folks who have moved their businesses here, came here because they had a good experience in Florida and they decided they wanted to come down here to open a business,” Caum said.

Figures show that $500 million was spent by tourists in Pasco County.

“We’re generating right around 6,000 jobs, currently, here in Pasco County, which is tourism-related,” Caum said.

That’s not counting the car mechanic that fixes a traveling tourist’s car, or the car rental place that rents a car to someone who is coming from the airport to visit people or conduct business in Pasco.

Pasco County currently has 3,556 hotel rooms.

Caum expects the county’s hotel stock to increase by 75 beds a year for the next five years.

“I have to market what we are. Not what we think we are. Not what we want to be. We have to actually market and play to our strengths.

“So, what do we have? We have elbowroom. We have outdoors. We have nature.

“We don’t swim with the manatees here, but I’m constantly out there kayaking and they’re always coming out to see what that big green thing on the top of the water is, and it’s me, looking down at the manatees. That’s an experience that people love.

“I always see dolphins when I’m out kayaking,” he said.

Tree Hoppers is an aerial adventure park in Dade City, giving people of all ability levels the chance to experience ziplining. (File Photo)
Tree Hoppers is an aerial adventure park in Dade City, giving people of all ability levels the chance to experience ziplining.
(File Photo)

As the county invests in amenities to boost tourism, local residents benefit, too, Caum said.

Caum serves on two Visit Florida committees: The Cultural Heritage, Rural and Nature Committee and the Marketing Committee.

“I’m sitting around the table with the likes of Disney, Busch Gardens and some of the major, major players, to talk about marketing.

“The one thing that we’re going to try to do is to move people around Florida more.

“We’ve found that people that have gone back to the same destination over and over again are looking for other opportunities,” he said.

“I’m trying to position Pasco County as the place they maybe want to visit after they’ve seen The Mouse (Disneyworld).

“I’m trying to not be the anti-Mouse, but say, if you want to disconnect, bring your family someplace where you can go out and walk in the woods, paddle on the water — a different experience and a healthy experience, also,” Caum said.

The county also has a number of events that attract visitors, including the Bug Jam, the Savage Races and local festivals.

And, it is launching new initiatives, too.

“One of the things that we do have here is a lot of history,” he said, noting there are 93 cast iron historic signs around the county.

“I’m working right now to GPS all of them and put them into a map, where our visitors can follow them around,” he said.

European visitors, in particular, enjoy driving around to the various historic sites and getting out of the car to read about the area, Caum said.

Efforts are also underway to bring downtown districts back to life and to promote the county’s microbreweries and eclectic restaurants, Caum added.

When it comes to promoting the county, it’s everybody’s job, the tourism manager said.

He recounted overhearing a young waiter being asked by a visitor what there was to do around Pasco County.

The waiter replied: “I’ve lived here forever. There’s nothing to do in Pasco County.”

“There’s a missed opportunity,” Caum said.

Published October 14, 2015

Vision still needed for Wiregrass sports complex

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Pasco County commissioners were introduced to a study that recommends building a multi-use indoor sports complex on parkland near The Shops at Wiregrass.

But a more in-depth review between the Tourism Development Council and the commissioners will have to wait for a public workshop slated for late October or early November.

At the Sept. 22 commissioners’ meeting, Charlie Johnson, president of Chicago-based Johnson Consulting Co., spent a few minutes going over the firm’s report, officially released in August.

“Economically, you’re healthy,” Johnson told commissioners. “I think it’s (indoor facility) very positive and trends are very supportive of this.”

In addition to the indoor complex, ball fields also would be built outdoors, but the focus, at least initially, would be on such indoor sports as volleyball, basketball, wrestling, cheerleading and martial arts.

Johnson cited facilities in Round Rock, Texas, and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, as examples of municipalities with successful indoor facilities.

The Porter family donated more than 200 acres near the Wiregrass mall in 2012 with a stipulation that if a sports complex didn’t happen, then a park would be developed.

But, just what to put on the land has eluded the county ever since.

Last year, a proposal from Pasco Sports LLC, a partnership between James Talton and former major league baseball player Gary Sheffield, fell apart over financial issues. The project would have included a youth baseball camp, with 20 ball fields and on-site dormitories.

The feasibility study, however, dismisses baseball as a good option.

“This site is very attractive. The market is robust enough to support some type of facility.” Johnson said. “But, baseball and soccer are really quite built-out throughout the state.”

The study suggests that Pasco would be competing, for instance, with a $27 million complex proposed in Seminole County. The complex would include 15 ball fields for baseball, softball, soccer and lacrosse.

Within the past week, a proposal to build an Atlanta Braves training facility in St. Petersburg has emerged. The project also would include a youth baseball component. The Gary Sheffield Sports Foundation is one of the partners in the project with the Atlanta Braves.

Some commissioners have suggested that the Porter family has concerns about the feasibility study.

“I think there is going to be some negative feelings on this by the Porters,” said Pasco County Commissioner Jack Mariano.

Pasco County Administrator Michele Baker said she had spoken with family members, and they would be invited to participate in the upcoming workshop.

“We’re committed to a very engaged and active dialogue,” Baker said.

Published September 30, 2015

Wildlife corridors on hold, again

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A plan to establish and protect wildlife corridors met another delay in its 15-year journey from a lawsuit settlement to approval from the Pasco County Commission.

During a workshop on Sept. 15, Pasco County commissioners opted to forego upcoming public hearings in October and November. The hearings were for a proposed ordinance to establish criteria and regulations for seven proposed wildlife corridors that, in part, would pass through private lands.

Instead, the matter will go back to the county’s Local Planning Agency for more discussion. The agency’s members previously tabled the matter without making a recommendation to the Pasco County commission on the ordinance. No new date for the agenda item was scheduled.

Also, county officials plan to schedule a fifth public workshop to get more input on the ordinance. Another workshop for commissioners also will be scheduled to provide additional information including maintenance costs for the corridors and ballpark figures on the cost of choosing to establish the corridors through eminent domain rather than the ordinance.

The maze of hearings and workshops is only the latest for a hot-potato issue that has been tossed around by several Pasco County commissions since a lawsuit settlement in 2000.

“We are eager to come to a resolution on this,” said Matt Armstrong, Pasco’s executive planner for the Long Range Planning Group. “We don’t want it to be hanging around there another 15 years.”

The sticking point is how to strike a balance between conservation and property rights, including compensation for land acquired by the county for the corridors.

The proposed ordinance would be applied only if a landowner sought to rezone property for land uses of greater density or intensity, and had a corridor within the property’s boundaries.

In such cases, the county and landowner would provide property appraisals and reach agreement on a sales price through negotiation. Landowners also would have appeal rights before the Development Review Committee.

The county estimates a need for about 7,000 acres to create the wildlife corridors. Subtracting land the county already owns and some undevelopable wetlands, county officials say only about 2,500 acres would be regulated through the ordinance.

The corridors in central Pasco would link current and proposed development projects at Starkey Ranch, Crossbar, Connerton and Cypress Creek.

However, Pasco County Commissioner Mike Moore said “everyday average citizens” have concerns about what could happen to their property.
“Their concern is that I’m not going to be allowed to do what I need to survive, to pay my bills,” he said. “They can’t grow oranges. They can’t grow citrus. I’m just not ready to go full force on this.”

The mandate to create the wildlife corridors – also known as critical linkages – comes from a lawsuit filed in the late 1990s that challenged the county’s land use plan. The suit centered on the then-proposed development of the Oakstead subdivision, off State Road 54.

Oakstead went forward, but the settlement agreement required the county to adopt conservation measures including the wildlife corridors. A task force recommended creation of the county’s Environmental Lands Acquisition and Management Program, also known as ELAMP.

But ELAMP, which is a voluntary system of acquiring land, isn’t sufficient on its own to protect the wildlife corridors, said David Goldstein, assistant county attorney.

If commissioners choose not to adopt the ordinance, acquiring land through eminent domain is the next option, he said.

“It’s more expensive,” Goldstein said.

A guesstimate on eminent domain costs can be provided to commissioners, said Pasco County Administrator Michele Baker.

She also noted that unless the county owned easements through private land, the corridors would not be open to the general public for recreation.

If anyone wanted to try bicycling the corridors, the answer would have to be ‘No you can’t. It’s still private property,’ ” Baker said.

About $36 million from the Penny for Pasco revenues were set aside to purchase conservation land, with about $17 million invested to date. The ELAMP program has been extended another 10 years, and funds could be used to purchase other properties.

A decision on the ordinance is critical, especially given the renewed burst of development in Pasco County, Armstrong added.

“Once it develops, it’s not coming back.”

Published September 23, 2015