The Laker/Lutz News

Mike Moore

Wesley Chapel Library is a step closer to reality

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A new Wesley Chapel Library has moved a step closer to reality.

The Pasco County Commission has authorized negotiations with FleischmanGarcia Architecture and Planning, as its first choice to handle the project’s design.

The board shortlisted the top firms vying for the job, during its Nov. 9 meeting. If negotiations with FleischmanGarcia are unsuccessful, the county would move on to begin negotiations with the second-ranked firm.

Pasco County Commissioner Mike Moore began talking up the idea well over a year ago, telling his colleagues during discussions of the budget for 2021 that it was important to begin laying the groundwork to make that happen.

Libraries are about a lot more than books, these days. They’re community gathering spots, they provide meeting spaces for classes, community organizations and programming. A new library is planned in the Seven Oaks area or Wesley Chapel. (File)

Moore has a soft spot in his heart for libraries. He recalls riding his bicycle to the library when he was young, to get his hands on books and magazines.

He sees libraries as community assets — because they have something to offer to people of all ages and walks of life.

Initially, Moore was simply trying to move the project forward.

It got a push, however, when the county board decided to set aside funding from the American Rescue Plan to build the library.

“The goal is to have it under construction next fiscal year,” County Administrator Dan Biles, told those gathered at a breakfast meeting of the North Tampa Bay Chamber. The breakfast meeting was at the Porter Campus of Pasco-Hernando State College, which is in Wesley Chapel.

The county has owned the planned library’s site since 2004. It’s next to Seven Oaks Elementary, which is at 27633 Mystic Oaks Blvd.

The planned Wesley Chapel library is just the latest news involving the county’s library system.

It also received national recognition for the design of the Starkey Ranch Theatre Library and Cultural Center, which opened this year at 12118 Lake Blanche Drive, in Odessa.

The county also is in the midst of modernizing all of its branches, using proceeds of a bond issue approved by 66% of Pasco County voters in a 2018 referendum.

The Land O’ Lakes Branch Library, and Hugh Embry Branch Library in Dade City are both closed now, for renovation. The New River Library, at 34043 State Road 54, in Wesley Chapel, now completely updated, has reopened.

Published December 08, 2021

Pasco County to reach 1 million by 2040?

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Pasco County Property Appraiser Mike Wells gave a talk at a recent meeting of the East Pasco Networking Group, and offered a look at the county’s current growth — and what may be in store.

Wells, who has been in the appraiser’s office for 10 months, reminded the crowd that he’s continuing to learn.

Still, he offered a number of statistics that document the county’s rapid growth, and at least one forecast that expects it to continue to expand for the foreseeable future.

Pasco County Property Appraiser Mike Wells Jr. was the featured guest speaker during an East Pasco Networking Group meeting at the Sarah Vande Berg Tennis & Wellness Center in Zephyrhills. (Courtesy of Pasco County Property Appraiser)

He pointed to a study from the Urban Land Institute that predicted the county’s population could reach 1 million by 2040.

Whether or not that turns out to be true, the county is in the midst of a significant growth surge, Wells told those gathered for the meeting of the East Pasco Networking Group, at the Sarah Vande Berg Tennis & Wellness Center, in Zephyrhills.

“There’s just so much in the pipeline, it’s crazy, it really is,” Wells said. “You can see the growth; it’s unreal,” said Wells, who served years on the Pasco County Commission before being elected to his current post.

The county, which measures 868 square miles, has 301,000 parcels, Wells said.

It is currently averaging about 800 single-family permits a month, which equates to about 10,000 new permits for 2021-2022.

The county’s just value recently was measured at more than $52 billion, which is 13% more than last year.

Wells noted that 69% of the county’s property value is tied to residential, followed by commercial (7.4%), tangible personal property (6.6%) and government (4.2%).

The key to managing the county’s growth is for county leadership to continue to push for “smart development” through the use of Mixed-Use Trip Reduction Measures, referred to as MUTRM, he said.

That strategy calls for a mixed-use compact development pattern, incorporating various ways to get around.

He pointed to the Epperson Crystal Lagoon community in Wesley Chapel, as a solid example of this approach.

There, residents have access to most of their needs within the development, he said.

“They don’t have to come out any main roads. They can shop in there, work in there, play in there. Kids go to school in there, eventually. That’s the kind of communities we want to see.”

Although Pasco has been working to bring more jobs to the county, it continues to be a bedroom community, Wells said.

(In fact, County Administrator Dan Biles recently reported that 60% of the county’s workers travel to surrounding counties to work — up from the previous rate of 50%.)

But Pasco continues to work toward shedding its bedroom community image and has made progress in attracting some large employers.

TouchPoint Medical Inc., for instance, has a new $24 million global headquarters in Odessa. There also has been a number of Class A offices added, as well as warehouses and retail facilities.

Moffitt Cancer Center also will have a significant impact, when it establishes its 775-acre campus near the soon-to-open Ridge Road extension and Suncoast Parkway.

Moffitt’s Pasco campus will include lab, office and manufacturing space. It’s also expected to be a magnet for biotech and life sciences enterprises and innovation.

Job creation estimates vary, but Wells said it could yield as many as 25,000 jobs over its 20-year build-out, he said.

“Moffitt is going to be larger than downtown Tampa,” Wells said. “That should pretty much sum it up. It’s crazy. It’s exciting.”

A new apartment community, Avidity Living, is being built at State Road 54 and Oak Grove Boulevard, in Land O’ Lakes Pasco County Property Appraiser Mike Wells says apartment communities rank among the highest-valued properties in the county. (Fred Bellet)

Pasco’s apartment dilemma
Wells also shared his views on the county’s temporary moratorium on applications seeking new entitlements for apartment development.

The moratorium applies to new applications in an area primarily in Land O’ Lakes and Wesley Chapel.

Pasco County Commissioner Mike Moore advocated for the temporary moratorium, to allow time to find out how many apartments are already entitled and how many are needed to meet market demands.

He has argued that approving too many apartments will lead to a glut on the market, which eventually could result in derelict buildings and associated problems.

Wells said he understands the moratorium decision, but emphasized there is a need for apartments in certain parts of the county.

“I feel the market decides those things, but my opinion doesn’t matter anymore, and I respect the board with the decision that they’ve made, and it’s not easy,” he said.

He continued, “It’s just about trying to do it a little smarter. You look at these apartment complexes, they don’t get any breaks. There is no homestead. They pay full tilt. They take up less space (than housing developments).”

Wells also pointed out apartments lead the way in construction value “by a pretty substantial margin.”

In fact, six of the 10 highest-valued commercial properties in the county are apartment complexes, he said.

Those include:

  • Lantower Cypress Creek: $75.29 million
  • Lotus at Starkey Ranch: $71.93 million
  • Horizon Wiregrass: $71.56 million
  • Tapestry Cypress Creek: $62.05 million
  • Trinity Exchange: $61.69 million
  • Lantower Asturia: $56.45 million).

Six of the largest commercial sales in the county also have been apartment developments, Wells said.

Those are:

  • Pier 8 at the Preserve: $100 million
  • Lotus at Starkey Ranch: $87 million
  • Tapestry Cypress Creek: $78.49 million
  • Parc at Wesley Chapel: $53.57 million
  • Worthington Court: $15.61 million

Updates within property appraiser’s office
Elsewhere, Wells shared the various changes within the property appraiser’s office since he was elected to replace Gary Joiner, who won the post in 2016, but chose not to seek a second term.

So far, Wells said, there have been updates to the website’s parcel database, based on input from industry professionals.

Property record searches now yield more detailed information, such as school versus non-school values and the sinkhole status, including the exact year a sinkhole was stabilized or remediated.

Wells also is working on making the website easier to navigate, noting: “The idea should be less clicks, not more,” he said.

Additionally, Wells has hired some employees from the private sector, including a licensed surveyor — something new for the office.

Wells said his office is required to inspect every property on a five-year cycle.

His 54 staffers handle about 5,500 parcels apiece, he said.

He also noted that his homestead fraud investigators added $69.5 million back to the tax roll in 2020 — equating to roughly $1.2 million in recovered revenue.

“There’s been a lot of things that we’ve found,” Wells said, noting one scheme that is used involves landlords having renters sign up for homestead exemptions on rental properties.

“There’s been a lot of things that we’ve found,” he said.

The investigative group works closely with the county’s municipalities and the sheriff’s office to track down illegal activities, the property appraiser said.

Published December 01, 2021

Pasco clerk takes county to court over budget dispute

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A budget controversy involving the Pasco County Clerk & Comptroller’s office and Pasco County Commission has landed in court.

Pasco County Clerk & Comptroller Nikki Alvarez-Sowles filed a petition for declaratory and supplemental relief on Nov. 12, in the Sixth Judicial Circuit Court.

The lawsuit wants the court to determine whether the county may phase-in funding for the multiagency criminal justice information system (CJIS) and whether the county should pay for the increased costs for duplicating court-related operations at the county’s annex court.

Pasco County Clerk & Comptroller Nikki Alvarez-Sowles

Alvarez-Sowles reminded the Pasco County Commission, during the board’s Nov. 9 meeting, about a letter she’d sent to them on Oct. 27, asking them to reconsider their budget decisions.

She noted that the board had not responded to her letter, had not put the issue on its agenda and had not raised the topic during the meeting.

Having exhausted all other options, the clerk said she felt compelled to seek a legal determination over the issues.

“I am confident that my budget request is supported by law,” Alvarez-Sowles said.

She told board members: “This is not the conversation I hoped to have. The last thing I want to do is involve the courts in our dispute.

But, Alvarez-Sowles reiterated a position she has taken throughout the controversy: “The clerk’s office budget adopted by the board is inadequate.”

Commissioner Mike Moore responded by saying, “I hate that we have to go through this.”

Then, he said: “Just a question, if you look at the 2021 budget request, there was no local requirement in there, listed at all. There was no local requirement listed in the ’21 budget, so why was there in ’22?”

Alvarez-Sowles said at the time she submitted the budget, she informed county administration that her office would be doing a “deep dive” into Florida statutes to determine whether there was an issue with revenue sources coming into her office.

“The results of that deep dive into Florida statutes was that local requirement in the budget for 2022,” she said.

Moore persisted, asking why that wasn’t in the budget before.

The clerk responded: “That would be a question for the prior elected officials that were in this position. I can’t answer that question for you.”

The lawsuit notes that in December 2016, the clerk helped the county retire the mainframe system by upgrading the 1970s multiagency CJIS to a new system.

Before January 2017, the county maintained and paid for the multiagency CJIS, the lawsuit says.

After that, the clerk began bearing the costs.

“The law is clear that the county is required to pay for the costs of the multiagency CJIS,” the lawsuit says.

The county has acknowledged it is required to pay the costs, but County Administrator Dan Biles said the county can’t pick up all of those costs at once. He recommended phasing them in over a three-year period.

Alvarez-Sowles rejected that approach, saying the county is obligated to pay the expenses and it should meet its duty.

The other dispute involves whether the county should pay the expenses for the operations of the annex courthouse.

The clerk contends it should. The county contends it should not.

The clerk also asserts that the county “has the financial ability to pay fully and immediately fund its requirements.”

The county’s failure to do so, the lawsuit says, “has forced the clerk to divert other funding sources to the detriment of the clerk’s operations.”

Ryan Hughes, a spokesman for Pasco County, offered this response to Alvarez-Sowles’ action: “Since a lawsuit has been filed, we are unable to provide comment at this time.”

Published November 17, 2021

Pasco County pursuing new effort to curb panhandling

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The Pasco County Commission wants to follow Lee County’s lead, in enacting an ordinance that aims to reduce panhandling — while avoiding potential concerns about free speech violations.

Patrick Moore, a senior assistant county attorney, explained the approach during the county board’s Oct. 26 meeting.

In essence, the new approach makes it illegal for people to stand in a roadway area that’s less than 6 feet wide and prohibits physical interactions between motorists and pedestrians.

“The county’s current ordinance was created for the purpose of protecting vehicular and pedestrian safety, and the free flow of traffic. This purpose hasn’t changed,” Moore said.

However, he added, the county’s current ordinance “makes it unlawful to solicit or attempt to solicit with the intent to receive a charitable donation.”

Because of that, the ordinance is often referred to as the county’s panhandling ordinance, he said.

“As far as enforcement goes, historically, direct citations haven’t always been effective, which causes the sheriff’s office, in an attempt to enforce the ordinance, to utilize the county’s public roadway, public right of way, trespassing ordinance,” he said.

“However, due to recent case law, the sheriff’s office has decided not to enforce or utilize the ordinance, in order to trespass someone, moving forward.

“In fact, that’s kind of across-the-board in the state of Florida. Law enforcement agencies across the state are deciding not to enforce many panhandling ordinances in different counties,” Moore explained.

So, he said, “this discussion is something that many other jurisdictions are also struggling with.

“The reason why this new case has caused this result is because it points out the infringement on First Amendment rights, specifically related to free speech, as to requesting charitable donations and so on, in public roadways.”

The ordinance recently adopted in Lee County essentially eliminated the solicitation aspect, Moore said.

“It has the same exact purpose of our current ordinance,” Moore said.

But, it eliminates the concerns over the First Amendment because it “eliminates any mention of solicitation or panhandling, as a basis of the violation.

“It creates a violation for remaining in a median or other areas of the roadway,” Moore said.

“It is unlawful” to remain in a median, whether the area is paved or not paved, if it less than 6 feet, unless you are actively crossing in a crosswalk.

It also is unlawful in Lee County “to have a physical exchange, or physical interaction, amongst a pedestrian and a vehicle.

“It specifically notes a vehicle that’s not lawfully parked. In other words, in a roadway at an intersection, stopped at a red light, stopped at a stop sign.

“It removes any contemplation on the enforcement side, whether it’s the sheriff’s office or code enforcement, of trying to determine what the intent of the message is that the person is trying to relay. It simply says this is a violation. There is no physical interaction between a pedestrian and a vehicle.”

Commissioners Mike Moore, Kathryn Starkey and Jack Mariano all spoke in favor of the ordinance, noting panhandlers pose a danger to motorists and to themselves.

Commissioner Moore said when he came on the board in 2014, it was a problem, but lessened for a time and now seems to be on the uptick, as word gets out that enforcement isn’t happening.

Starkey noted: “I’ll drive around Holiday, which I do regularly. They’re at every intersection and it’s dangerous because they’re walking down between the cars. Who wants to hit someone walking down the street? It’s unsafe for our citizens.”

Mariano added: “This has been a very sore subject in the Hudson area. Probably the No. 1 complaint, I get is all of the panhandling.”

The Lee County ordinance appears to be an excellent approach, Mariano said.

“It addresses stopping, standing or otherwise occupying a median that is not sufficient pedestrian refuge.”

And, it seeks to get people to understand “they are in violation, if they give,” Mariano said.

“Those two things will help us tremendously.

Mariano also noted: “I can’t think of a more important thing for code enforcement to do than to attack this issue, at least in the Hudson area. It may deter this behavior from going on.”

Starkey made a motion for the county’s legal team to draft an ordinance that incorporates Lee County’s approach, to advertise it for public hearing and to bring it back for board action.

Published November 03, 2021

Pasco commissioners push for faster completion of long-range plan

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A presentation on the county’s efforts to update its comprehensive plan was cut short last week — after a majority of commissioners raised questions about the proposed time frame for completing the work.

Nectarios Pittos, director of planning and development, began his presentation at the board’s Oct. 26 meeting by explaining — for the public’s benefit — that the purpose of the comprehensive plan is “the long-range plan to manage growth, improve quality of life and ensure long-term sustainability for the county.

Pasco County Commissioner Mike Moore wants the county to accelerate efforts to update the county’s comprehensive plan — the tool that expresses the county’s long-term vision and guides future development.

“So, why are we doing an update of the comprehensive plan?

“We want to understand the current conditions and address the changing needs and reassess the vision that the current comprehensive plan has,” Pittos said.

Required by state law, the county’s comprehensive plan must consider: future land use, transportation, housing, conservation, coastal management, recreation/open space, public facilities, capital improvements, intergovernmental coordination and economic development.

“It’s been 16 years since the last update, 31 years since the establishment of the plan and a lot has changed since 1991 and 2006, and a lot is changing right now.

“And because the 1991 plan took us to 2025, we’re looking at the next plan to take us to 2050, hence the new name of the future comprehensive plan being the Pasco 2050 Plan,” Pittos said.

The county approved its first task order with HDR Engineering to help with the project last year, and approved a second task order with HDR, at last week’s meeting.

The county has envisioned a five-year process for updating the comprehensive plan — which lays the groundwork for the county’s vision and growth over the long-term.

“So, we’re going to be revisioning the county’s long-term plan and we’re going to be looking at a number of data, asking lots of questions and studying the county — where we’ve been and where we’re going,” Pittos said.

Public involvement is important and a public engagement plan has been created to foster that participation, Pittos said.

Pasco County Commissioner Jack Mariano says much of the work needed to help update the comprehensive plan has already been done and can be used to help in the effort.

The planning director then laid out the major efforts that will be completed, as part of the update over the next four years.

He planned to hand off the presentation to a member of his staff, to go into greater detail regarding what’s been done so far, but that didn’t happen.

Instead, Commissioner Mike Moore began questioning why the process needs to take so long and asking what can be done to update the plan sooner.

When the county board discussed the update a few years ago, Moore said, he was under the impression it would be done around 2023.

“There’s a lot of things we’ve asked for. There’s a lot of things we requested. So, now we’re going to wait until 2025 for a lot of these things,” Moore said. “Hey listen, I know it’s a big project. This is a long time to wait.

“We’re going on four years or so, from when it was first brought up and first asked to initiate changes. In reality, you’re looking at about a nine-year time frame from when it was first brought up.”

Commissioner Kathryn Starkey told Pittos: “Every one of the steps is very important. We want you to go through all of them.”

But she asked: “Is there any way to speed it up?”

County Administrator Dan Biles told commissioners that the first year of the project was part of last year’s budget and the second year of the project is part of this year’s budget.

“It’ll be in the budget for the next two or three years, until we get this done. It’s not a short-term process,” Biles said.

Commissioner Jack Mariano agreed with Moore and Starkey: “Should it take that long? Can we speed it up?”

Pittos wrapped up his remarks as the meeting was approaching the break for lunch.

He offered to have his staff member make her presentation after lunch.

Instead, Biles addressed Commission Chairman Ron Oakley: “Mr. Chair, I would suggest that we table this for now, we can come back and brief each of you individually, with where we are, where we’re going, what the plan is, get feedback from you directly, and then bring you back something at a later date and kind of wrap up all of this discussion.”

The county administrator noted that may include some schedule adjustments to accelerate the work.

Published November 03, 2021

Selection process set to change for planning board

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The Pasco County Planning Commission has recommended approval of a proposal that will change the way its members are selected.

The planning board took the vote at its Oct. 28 meeting.

The action stemmed from the Pasco County Commission’s previous direction to county planners to pursue changes to the land development code to alter the selection process.

County board members said they wanted to be able to make an individual appointment to the planning board, rather than voting collectively for the entire planning board.

Under the proposed process, each of the five county board members will appoint a member to the planning board, and the board will act collectively to appoint a sixth planning board member.

One seat, which is occupied by a representative for Pasco County Schools, will not be affected by the new system.

The proposed terms of the planning board members would coincide with the term of the county board member who selected him or her.

The recommendation now goes to the Pasco County Commission for final action. Once approved, the new process would become effective Feb. 22, 2022.

While each county board member will be able to appoint one planning board member, there are no restrictions on where the planning board member must live, said Denise Hernandez, the county’s zoning administrator.

Currently three planning board members live in County Commissioner Mike Moore’s district and three live in County Commissioner Christina Fitzpatrick’s district, while no planning board members live in the other three districts.

In other action, the planning board:

  • Recommended approval of a rezoning request that would allow 238 multifamily units on 37.9 acres, within a master-planned unit development on the southeast side of Dale Mabry Highway/U.S. 41 intersection and abutting Hillsborough County to the south.
  • Recommended approval of a change to the county’s land map from a residential designation to a neighborhood commercial category on 4 acres at the southeast corner of the intersection of Foxwood Boulevard and State Road 54.

Published November 03, 2021

Redistricting proposals advance for a vote

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The Pasco County Commission has selected its preferred map for new voting districts for the five seats on its board.

And, the Pasco County School Board is set to make a similar choice at its Nov. 2 meeting.

Both government bodies also are planning public hearings on the issue.

County Administrator Dan Biles said the county’s proposed redistricting map took into account feedback from individual commissioners, geographic features and a need to balance population between districts. (File)

The county commission’s public hearing is being advertised for Dec. 7; the school board’s is expected on Nov. 16.

The school board’s desire to weigh in on the redistricting discussion before the county board made a choice, however, didn’t happen.

The school board had taken up the issue at its Oct. 5 meeting, addressed it again on Oct. 19.

School board member Megan Harding thanked the district’s Deputy Superintendent Ray Gadd for trying to arrange an opportunity for the school board and county board to work together on redistricting.

The school board had hoped to establish the same district boundaries as the county commission. That’s what it did the last time redistricting occurred.

“Unfortunately, we didn’t get to work with the county,” Harding said. “It’s unfortunate that we now have to have two separate maps.”

Redistricting occurs every 10 years, based on the population figures collected in the decennial census.

The figures are used to apportion the number of seats each state has in the U.S. House of Representatives.

The Florida Legislature redraws the districts from which Florida voters elect their members of their U.S. House of Representatives, state senators and state representatives.

The Florida Constitution also requires county commissions to develop a redistricting plan every decennial census to keep commission districts as nearly as equal in population as practical.

Political observers are keenly interested in the process because the way the lines are drawn can influence outcomes of elections.

In the case of Pasco County’s proposed district lines, County Administrator Dan Biles told the county board at its Oct. 12 meeting: “After we sat down with each of you and each of you gave us feedback of what you’d like to see, with respect to your district, we kind of combined all of that and tried to come up with a compromise map.”

His preferred option, was based on input from each commissioner, consideration of geographic boundaries and the goal of balancing population.

Incumbent school board member Alison Crumbley would have been carved out of her district, if the school board had adopted the map that the Pasco County Commission has proposed under its redistricting plan.

“What we tried to do was follow major arterials, collectors, as best we could,” Biles said.

“I know it’s not necessarily perfect, but it’s what we could do best to balance the population across the county, based on the feedback you gave us and make it reasonably easy to describe what your district boundaries are to the members of the public,” he said.

He also noted: “The difference between the largest and the smallest district is less than 2%.”

Commissioner Mike Moore made a motion to approve Biles’ preferred option, which was approved unanimously by the board.

The board is scheduled to have a public hearing and vote on the proposed map at its Dec. 7 meeting, at 1:30 p.m., in New Port Richey.

After the vote, Commission Chairman Ron Oakley invited Gadd, who was in the audience, to address the county board.

Gadd told commissioners: “What I have to say is now irrelevant. In all deference to Mr. Biles, because I know he worked hard in putting this together.”

Gadd told the county board that the school board and county commission met in a workshop on Aug. 16, 2011, regarding the last redistricting effort.

“We adopted the same districts. The school board did that by resolution,” Gadd said.

The board was interested in taking the same approach, but didn’t have the opportunity, Gadd added.

“We thought it was a good idea to have commission districts and school board districts that were the same. In the past, we cooperated on that,” Gadd said.

The county’s proposed map won’t work for the school board because it carves school board member Alison Crumbley out of her district, he said.

“I think it’s unfortunate that the school board and the county didn’t meet to discuss this issue, prior to that decision being made,” he said.

Some county board members said it appeared that a small tweak might be able to resolve the issue, but Gadd said: “None of our school board members have seen these maps. I don’t know what any of them think of these maps.”

School Board Attorney Dennis Alfonso and Superintendent Kurt Browning addressed the issue during the school board’s Oct. 19 meeting.

Alfonso told the board that the county’s proposed map can’t be used by the school board “because it would be contrary to the law.” He explained that a map cannot affect an incumbent’s position.

Proposed maps have been circulated to board members, Browning said.

The issue will be discussed at the board’s Nov. 2 meeting, and the proposed maps will be published as part of that agenda, the superintendent said.

Browning said based on the board’s Nov. 2 action, a resolution and map will be placed on the board’s Nov. 16 meeting, to set the new districts for each of the five school board members.

By the numbers

Proposed commission districts:
District 1: 113,431
District 2: 112,918
District 3: 111,299
District 4: 111,763
District 5: 112,480
Total Pasco County population: 561,891
Average population per district: 112,378

Pasco County, census data
Total population, 2020: 561,891
Total population, 2010: 464,697
Numeric change between 2010 and 2020: 97,194
Percent change: +20.9%

Published October 27, 2021

Solid waste commercial rates to change in Pasco

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Pasco County is proposing that future commercial waste collection rates be determined by the open market.

The Pasco County Commission is set to have a public hearing on the issue at its Oct. 26 meeting, at 1:30 p.m., in the first floor board room at the West Pasco Government Center, 8731 Citizens Drive, in New Port Richey.

The county currently sets a fixed maximum hauling charge based on the size and numbers of containers. The last adjustment for those rates for commercial customers occurred on Jan. 1, 2009, according to agenda backup materials for the county board’s Oct. 12 meeting.

During the past 12 years, the costs of equipment, fuel, and staffing for private waste haulers within the county have increased significantly, the agenda materials note.

Since the last adjustment, the Producer Price Indices (PPI) for truck transportation have increased over 25%.

The county now plans to join other counties around the state in allowing commercial haulers to operate in an open market, and letting competition among private businesses establish the charges.

The price for residential waste collection will not be affected by the change.

On another issue, Commissioner Kathryn Starkey raised the need for developing some type of voluntary registry to help the county reach out to leaders of Community Development Districts and Homeowner Associations.

She said she would like to be able to create a system to make it easier to reach these groups to provide opportunities for them to learn more about county departments and services, to help them to address issues within their communities. But such meetings are difficult to arrange without contact information for the leadership of the associations, she said.

Commissioner Mike Moore agreed that such a registry would have value and supported an effort to create one. He told his colleagues that the county may be able to pick up some pointers from Hillsborough County, on this issue.

In other action, the county board:

  • Amended the composition of the Airport Zoning Commission to add Hidden Lake Airport, and appointed James Bunn to represent that airport. The board, which helps with the creation of airport zoning regulations had three board members in the past, each representing a public use airport: Pilot Country Airport, Tampa North Aero Park, and the Zephyrhills Municipal Airport. Now the advisory zoning panel will have four board members.
  • Approved a two-year extension for the county’s construction of trail restrooms at the Jay B. Starkey Wilderness Preserve. The extension is needed because of delays in funding from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.
  • Officially recognized the Fire Cadet Program as a county initiative. It has operated since 1989, but has never been formally recognized. Cadets are high school-aged individuals who want to pursue a fire service career after graduation. They are given exposure to all aspects of the fire service and its pathways to various careers. Participants meet regularly to learn the ins and outs of becoming a firefighter, emergency medical technician, or paramedic.
  • Approved spending up to $2.3 million for fiscal year 2022 for legal services, which are exempt from competition. The funds are designated for retaining the services of law firms, outside counsel, process servers, investigators, expert witnesses, trial consultants or similar persons or firms deemed necessary by the county attorney, for any reason, as necessary to address the county’s legal needs.
  • Approved a conditional use for Focus Forward Solutions, LLC/Fields Farm to permit a private motocross track for personal use on 30.58 acres, on the south end of Fields Farm Lane, approximately 1.25 miles west of Bellamy Brothers Boulevard. A private use motocross track had been operating at the site, in violation of the county’s land development code. The conditional use designation brings it into compliance.
  • Authorized additional purchasing authority in the total amount of $50,000 to Lewis, Longman & Walker P.A., for attorney’s fees, paralegal fees, travel expenses and costs, as may be incurred by the law firm on work done in behalf of the county. The maximum cumulative amount in 2022 is not to exceed $457,301.88. The law firm is handling litigation for the county in connection with the Ridge Road extension.

Published October 20, 2021

‘Belated’ grand opening

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Pasco County Commissioner Mike Moore (in blue suit jacket) and members of the North Tampa Bay Chamber watch as Toni Derby cuts the ribbon for a combination ‘belated’ grand opening and one-year anniversary celebration. (Courtesy of Andy Taylor/Pasco County)

The Florida Avenue Brewing Co., at 2029 Arrowgrass Drive in Wesley Chapel, had a belated grand opening, which also served as a one-year celebration of the company’s restaurant opening.

While the restaurant has been operating since last October, the manufacturing/brewery side of the business just went fully operational a few months ago.

So, the brewery had a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Oct. 8 to celebrate, with remarks offered by Pasco County Commissioner Mike Moore.

The Pasco Economic Development Council Inc., was instrumental in helping the brewery come to Pasco, through economic incentives. The restaurant and brewery has 127 employees.

Pasco County extends multifamily moratorium

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Pasco County has extended its temporary moratorium on new multifamily applications — which applies to a specific area of the county — until April 1, 2022.

This shot, taken in the spring of 2018, shows construction crews building apartments at Brightwork Crossing, a mixed-use project at Wesley Chapel Boulevard and State Road 54. This view is from Old Cypress Creek Road. (File)

The approved 185-day extension occurred after Commissioner Christina Fitzpatrick called for receiving a report back on the issue within 90 days, but that request received no support from her board colleagues.

The county board initially approved the moratorium on May 4 — retroactive to April 1, 2021 — at the urging of Commissioner Mike Moore, who expressed concerns that his district was becoming oversaturated by multifamily development.

The temporary ban on new applications applies to an area contained in Moore’s District 2, essentially made up of Wesley Chapel and Land O’ Lakes.

The area is generally defined as between State Road 52, on the north; U.S. 41, on the west; State Road 54 on the south; and, Bruce B. Downs Boulevard, on the east. The boundary zigzags between Moore’s District 2 and Commission Chairman Ron Oakley’s District 1.

Initially, the temporary ban was set to expire on Sept. 28.

The area shaded in pink represents the area where a temporary moratorium on applications relating to new entitlements for multifamily developments has been extended until April 1, 2022. (Courtesy of Pasco County)

The temporary ban’s intent “is to study the potential oversaturation due to the existing and all possible future multifamily developments within the moratorium area and to determine whether additional regulations are necessary,” according to a resolution the board approved at its Sept. 28 meeting, to extend the moratorium.

The 185-day extension was recommended by county staff, to provide time that’s needed to complete the study, and to draft and adopt any needed regulations to implement the study’s results, says the resolution, included in the board’s agenda packet.

A housing market research firm is preparing the report and will present it to the board.

That report will cover the current quantity of multifamily dwelling unit entitlements and the current acreage of land zoned for multifamily dwelling units, including the acreage having potential for multifamily units upon approval of a conditional use.

It also will include the potential number of multifamily dwelling units available through existing land use equivalency matrices to accurately calculate and determine the true potential for the oversaturation of multifamily dwelling units within the moratorium area.

More time is needed to complete the report because of procedural delays, staff shortages, and complexities associated with accurate data collection, according to the resolution.

When Fitzpatrick called for a report back to the board within 90 days, Moore said achieving that would require pulling county staff off of other work that needs to be completed.

In granting the extension, the board agreed with the resolution’s finding that the action “is in the best interest of the public health, safety, and welfare, and that it advances a valid and important public purpose.”

No additional extensions will be granted, the resolution says.

Objections were raised to the moratorium when it was initially approved, but there was no public opposition before the board’s recent vote.

Published October 06, 2021