The Laker/Lutz News

Pasco County Commission

Contract approved for Land O’ Lakes library renovation

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The Pasco County Commission has selected Trias Construction LLC, to complete the renovation work at the Land O’ Lakes Branch Library.

The library, at 2818 Collier Parkway, in Land O’ Lakes, will get a complete makeover, under the approved expenditure, which is not to exceed $3,837,200.

The work is being paid for with funds secured from General Obligation Bonds approved by Pasco County voters in a November 2018  referendum, with a 66% voter approval.

This rendering shows what the new interior of the Land O’ Lakes Branch Library will look like, once a massive remodeling project is completed at the library. (Courtesy of Pasco County Libraries)

The project involves completely updating and modernizing the branch library, including new spaces for adults, teens and children.

When the renovations are completed, it will have updated technology, new furnishings, high-efficiency air-conditioning and faster internet.

There also will be updated meeting spaces, an expanded lobby, a renovated makerspace and a central service desk, according to materials in the county board’s Aug. 24 agenda packet.

Space is being reconfigured in the library to maximize the amount available for public programming.

There also will be exterior renovations, including new landscaping and outdoor spaces.

The library closed on Aug. 14, to get ready for the renovations. The project is expected to wrap up in late 2022.

Meanwhile, patrons that typically use the Land O’ Lakes branch will be able to order materials to be placed on hold and picked up at the Land O’ Lakes Recreation Complex, 3032 Collier Parkway, which is next to the library. Hours for picking up holds will be Tuesdays and Thursdays from noon to 6 p.m., and on Saturdays from noon to 5 p.m.

Patrons wanting to visit another library location can go to the New River Branch Library, at 34043 State Road 54 in Wesley Chapel, which has just been completely updated. Or they can go to the Starkey Theatre, Library and Cultural Center that recently opened in the Starkey Ranch development, at 12200 Lake Blanche Road in Odessa.

Future plans also call for a library in Seven Oaks in Wesley Chapel.

The county plans to use money from the American Rescue Plan Act toward the funding of that new library.

Answers to frequently asked questions about the Land O’ Lakes Branch remodeling can be found at PascoLibraries.org/lol-remodel/.

For additional information, in general, visit PascoLibraries.org.

Published September 08, 2021

Request for mixed uses aims to wrap up Wesley Chapel project

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The Wesley Chapel Lakes project has been on the books for decades, but now the developer is seeking an amendment to its master planned unit development (MPUD) to pursue entitlements at three intersections within the community.

The project is located south of, and adjacent to State Road 54, about 3.5 miles east of Interstate 75, and extending south to the Pasco County line.

The developer, M/I Homes of Tampa LLC, is seeking entitlements for vacant parcels within Wesley Chapel Lakes that are consistent with market demands, according to information contained in the Pasco County Planning Commission’s Aug. 26 agenda materials.

The proposed uses will not generate more vehicle trips from the development than were previously approved and that have already been addressed through mitigation (which normally includes impact fees and/or transportation improvements), according to the agenda background materials.

Most of the residential component of the project has been developed.

Now, the applicant is seeking approval of entitlements along three nodes on Meadow Pointe Boulevard, according to Barbara Wilhite, an attorney for the applicant.

The northern node is at Meadow Pointe Boulevard and State Road 54; the central node is at Meadow Pointe Boulevard and State Road 56; and the southern node is Meadow Pointe Boulevard and Beardsley Drive.

The project originally was approved decades ago, as a Development of Regional Impact, which allowed an array of uses, Wilhite said.

Wilhite told the planning commission: “This is not the beginning of this project. This is the end of the project.”

The changes being sought will allow a mixture of uses, along with conditions, at the intersections, Wilhite said.

“It just so happens that the developer has held those properties and not developed those,” she said. “All of those nodes are approved for commercial today. What we’ve done is the ability to do residential at those nodes.”

The property is not within the current multifamily moratorium boundary.

The modification area includes about 166 acres. It calls for up to:

  • 850 single-family attached, townhome or apartment units
  • 420,000 square feet of commercial use
  • 150,000 square-feet office/light industrial
  • 700 hotel rooms

The request also seeks a variation from the county’s land development code to permit a reduction in the standard parking space size of 9-feet by 20-feet to a reduced size of 8-feet by 18-feet, with the condition that curbs and/or wheel stops will be required to prevent vehicles from overhanging required landscape buffers, or sidewalks, unless the sidewalk is 7-feet wide, to keep the sidewalk width at a minimum of 5 feet for pedestrians.

One speaker, who appeared via a virtual connection, expressed support for the additional development planned at the State Road 54 and State Road 56 intersections with Meadow Pointe Boulevard, but asked to preserve the area near the Meadow Pointe and Beardsley intersection for residential development.

Wilhite said that the Beardsley intersection currently has some commercial entitlement. But the attorney said her client will not seek to increase the commercial potential at that location.

The county’s planning staff recommended approval of the request, with conditions.

The Planning Commission agreed with county planners, unanimously recommending approval of the request to Pasco County Commission, which has final jurisdiction on land use and zoning decisions.

Published September 08, 2021

County office building in Land O’ Lakes to get upgrades

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The Pasco County Commission has awarded a task order for slightly more than $1.78 million to Bandes Construction Company LLC., to complete interior renovations at the David “Hap” Clark Jr. Building in Land O’ Lakes.

The work will be performed in two phases, on the first and second floor of the building referred to as the Hap Clark building, at 4111 Land O’ Lakes Blvd.

Details of the project were included in the county board’s agenda materials for its Aug. 24 meeting.

Phase one will be done on the northern side of the building on the first floor, and will accommodate building construction services, veteran services, human services and conference suits.

The general scope of work shall be approximately 6,027 square feet of existing space,

including the surrounding restrooms and corridor.

Phase two of the renovation will be on the southern side of the building on the second floor, and will consolidate the Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources team into one suite of approximately 6,250 square feet.

Published September 08, 2021

County clears way for 350 apartments

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The Pasco County Commission has approved a rezoning to allow an apartment development of up to 350 units at the southwest corner of State Road 52 and Old Pasco Road.

The 23.1-acre site currently is occupied by pastureland, some residences and some outbuildings. It abuts the Mango Hills master-planned unit development district, which has been approved for a maximum of 415 single-family detached and single-family attached townhomes.

Properties to the north and the northeast, adjacent to State Road 52, are zoned for general commercial, light industrial and retail, office and residential land uses.

In recommending approval of the request, county planners said the proposed apartments are a logical transition from general commercial and industrial uses.

The request also received a recommendation for approval from the Pasco County Planning Commission.

In addition to approving the rezoning, the county board also granted a variance regarding the number of parking spaces required for the project.

The property is next to where Pasco County will be building the Orange Belt Trail, and the project is planning to construct a bicycle and pedestrian access to that recreational trail.

During the planning board’s public hearing, Attorney Barbara Wilhite, who represented the applicant, said the maximum allowable density, under the county’s comprehensive plan, would be 24 units per acre. But the proposed project calls for a maximum of 15 units per acre.

Wilhite said the proposed apartments would have access to a portion of Old Pasco Road that has four lanes.

She also noted that the proposed apartments are close to the State Road 52/Interstate 75 interchange, and nearby properties are planned for industrial development.

The access to the project is from Old Pasco Road, Wilhite told the county board, during its Aug. 24 public hearing on the request.

Commissioner Kathryn Starkey noted the planned access to the Orange Belt Trail.

She told Wilhite that her client should consider using a small piece of land near the trail to create a business that would serve trail users.

Starkey said the county wants to create opportunities for entrepreneurship along its recreational trails, such as a coffee shop, or an ice cream shop or somewhere “that would be a fun place to go, if you’re using the trail.”

She encouraged Wilhite: “Be thinking creatively about a retail or a small commercial experience, next to that trail.”

Wilhite said there is property nearby that could be used for that purpose.

Starkey responded: “It could be on your property, too. One of the things that we’ve (Starkey and county staff) talked about doing is what’s called an overlay district, all along the trail. You see it done in other places, where you have it zoned that, if you want to do something.

“We would put the uses in. Ice cream shop, coffee shop, lemonade stand, whatever, if you’re within 20, 50, 100 feet of the trail — whatever — the right determination is, you can do it.

“It’s just a great benefit and a really cool thing to have along the perimeters of the trail. Especially that trail.

“I hear from people all of the time that we don’t have enough amenities on our trails.

“Once you leave the Starkey Market and Longleaf, you go all of the way to Hernando County before you can buy a drink or an ice cream or anything along our trail.

“I just want to really encourage some little entrepreneurship along the trails,” Starkey said.

Published September 01, 2021

Pasco’s opioid task force will help shape funding priorities

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The Pasco County Commission has determined what the makeup will be for the county’s opioid task force.

The appointed board will serve to advise commissioners, regarding expenditures of funds the county will receive from a settlement involving national prescription opiate litigation.

Forming the advisory body is a necessary component for the county to qualify for a portion of the settlement proceeds.

The group will develop an abatement plan that identifies strategies currently being utilized to respond to the opioid epidemic, and will present the plan to the county board by Dec. 1.

The membership of that board will include:

  • The Pasco County Fire Rescue fire chief or designee
  • The Pasco County superintendent of schools or designee
  • The Pasco County sheriff, or his/her designee
  • The Pasco assistant county administrator for public services, or designee
  • A representative from New Port Richey and Zephyrhills, who will alternate
  • The director of the Florida Department of Health Pasco County, or designee
  • A person with subject matter expertise in public health or addiction, who is employed by a provider of opioid-related services in Pasco County, who is nominated to the task force by the county administrator and approved by the county board
  • The chief judge of the Sixth Judicial Circuit or designee
  • A representative from Pasco Alliance for Substance Addiction Prevention (Pasco ASAP), or its designee
  • A person with subject matter expertise in public health or addiction, who is retired, who is nominated to the task force by the county administrator and appointed by the county board

The biggest point of contention was whether or not a member of the county board should serve on the task force.

Commissioner Christina Fitzpatrick advocated for having a commissioner on the task force and that she would like to serve in that capacity.

Commissioner Mike Moore was adamantly opposed, saying the task force should be made up of professionals in the field.

“I don’t think any commissioner should be on it. We need to leave it to the doctors, the nurses, the licensed mental health counselors, the psychiatrists, the psychologists, somebody from the sheriff’s office because they have somebody that’s dedicated to this issue, probably somebody from fire rescue, as well, that treats this on a regular basis, that deals with this on a regular basis. Let them bring this back to us, then we’ll make the decisions from there,” Moore said.

But Fitzpatrick said: “I would like to be on that board. I have been involved with ASAP and substance-exposed newborns since 2012.”

Moore, however, prevailed when he made a successful motion to ensure no board members were named to a seat on the advisory board.

Initially, the county’s assistant county administrator for public services, or designee, will chair the task force. After that, the task force will select its own chair. Seven members of the task force must be in attendance, for the group to have a quorum.

Published September 01, 2021

Pasco and Hernando work out joint funding for road improvement

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Pasco and Hernando counties have approved an interlocal agreement relating to improvements on County Line Road and the intersection of Waterfall Drive/Winding Oaks Boulevard.

The total estimated cost of the project is $645,198.00.

The intersection improvements are programmed and funded for construction in Pasco County’s fiscal year 2021 capital improvements program, according to materials in the Pasco County Commission’s Aug. 24 agenda materials.

“Since these improvements also benefited Hernando County, they shared the cost of preparing the design plans, which were completed by Coastal Design Consultants Inc., and will be sharing in the cost of construction of the project,” the agenda materials say.

“The scope of work for the project will include the construction and construction engineering inspection for a new traffic signal on County Line Road and Waterfall Drive/Winding Oaks Boulevard, signal interconnection conduit and fiber along County Line Road from East Road/Cobblestone Road to the Waterfall Drive/Winding Oaks Boulevard intersection, street lighting along County Line Road within the project limits and a new right-turn lane on Waterfall Drive at County Line Road (CR 578).

“The request for this new right-turn lane on Waterfall Drive at County Line Road is being made by Hernando County and will be fully funded by them, the agenda materials say.

The project costs will be split 50/50 between Pasco and Hernando, except for the cost of the right-turn lane being paid for by Hernando.

Hernando will pay Pasco its share of the costs at the commencement of the work.

The Hernando County Commission had already approved the interlocal agreement, subject to approval by the Pasco County Commission.

Published September 01, 2021

More changes are coming to Central Pasco

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The Pasco County Commission has cleared the way for more changes to come to the central part of Pasco County.

The county board voted on Aug. 24 to approve changes to a master plan unit development (MPUD) on the west side of U.S. 41, between Roaches Run and Causeway Boulevard. The changes allow a maximum 275,000 commercial retail square feet and create a land use equivalency matrix, to expand the types of uses.

Those additional uses are office, medical office, health care-related, light industry distribution, multifamily residential, single-family attached residential, senior retirement/assisted living/aggregate home and public institutional uses.

The request was filed by Hagman Groves Inc., and RS Roach LLC, who were represented by attorney Barbara Wilhite.

The county board also approved a request to change the name from Causeway Center Commercial MPUD to Causeway MPUD, to better reflect the potential uses.

The commercial retail square footage shall be a minimum of 100,000 square feet.

Residential uses will only be allowed on the parcels abutting U.S. 41, if they are part of a vertically mixed-use integrated building.

Commissioners also approved a variance to reduce the number of required parking spaces in the development. And, they granted a deviation from the county’s standard platting procedure, for this specific project.

Brad Tippin, the county’s manager for development review, explained what the county is trying to accomplish with the platting deviation.

“One of the things that we’re doing — the development services branch and public infrastructure branch — are working together to try to reduce the overall timelines to market for some of these types of projects. So, one of the things that we’ve included in here is a deviation from our standard platting process,” Tippin said.

“We only are doing this in this particular project and we can only do it upon your approval of this particular set of conditions that would actually allow us to do that. We’re going to give it a trial run, see how it works,” Tippin said.

He added: “Some other jurisdictions are doing something similar.”

The county hopes this approach will help shorten its timelines, Tippin said.

Wilhite, representing the applicants, told commissioners: “I think we’ll come up with something that will bring this project to market quicker.”

In other action, the county board:

  • Approved a request by Pulte Homes to rezone the southwest corner of Lake Patience Road and Perdew Drive to allow 240 single-family detached homes on approximately 80 acres.

Attorney Clark Hobby, representing the applicants, noted the density “is roughly one-half of the density that would otherwise be permitted on the site.”

He added: “Every property that’s adjacent to the site, running for approximately six miles, have MPUDs or large-scale developments to the west.”

In other action, the board:

  • Established the Connerton East Community Development District, east of Land O’ Lakes Boulevard, West of Ehren Cutoff, and South of State Road 52. The district covers 1,274.6 acres.
  • Approved a text amendment to the county’s comprehensive plan to allow a broader array of uses to be considered on the Paw Materials property, on the north side of State Road 52, about one-quarter mile west of Land O’ Lakes Boulevard. The policy previously contained the word “support” when referring to commercial and retail entitlements. Removing the word “support” expands the list of potential uses.

Published September 01, 2021

Pasco identifies spending plan for ‘American Rescue’ dollars

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The Pasco County Commission has approved a plan for how the county will spend $107.6 million in federal money intended to help local governments respond to impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic.

County Administrator Dan Biles presented proposed projects and initiatives that would be supported by the funds, which the county board approved at its Aug. 24 meeting.

The plan also must be approved by federal authorities.

The county is proposing that about $98 million of the money be spent on these projects:

  • Acquisition of the Lindrick Utility system. Using the federal money will enable the county to acquire the system with a zero rate increase for county ratepayers as a whole, Biles said.
  • Wesley Chapel Library: This will build the next library that is needed in the county’s master plan, on land it already owns, in the fastest-growing area of the county, Biles said.
  • Jail construction: Will pay for changes to the design to address the issue of infectious diseases, not just COVID-19, but infectious diseases, as a whole, Biles said. This expense is in addition to the money that has been set aside from the general obligation bond, which was approved by county voters.
  • A super park at the Villages of Pasadena Hills. This is the highest priority on the county’s parks master plan, now that Starkey Ranch District Park is effectively done, Biles said. This will provide a significant source of money for the project.
  • A park project in Magnolia Valley.
  • Funding for dredging work.

The county also identified $5.5 million in expenditures for:

  • COVID-19 mitigation/prevention
  • Treatment and medical services

And, under the category for public safety and county operations, it includes an estimated $4 million in spending for:

  • Premium pay for county workers
  • County facility maintenance/upgrades
  • Cyber security upgrades
  • Technology improvements

Biles said the list totaling $98 million has some built-in room for price changes due to market conditions.

At the suggestion of Commissioner Kathryn Starkey, and the consensus of other board members, the county added another category to its list. The money will be earmarked to support economic development efforts in the U.S. 19 corridor.

Biles told commissioners that the county spent a lot of time in webinars, on telephone calls and researching how jurisdictions around the nation and state were using the American Rescue Plan Act funds.

“Ultimately, we focused, really, on the revenue recovery piece,” he said.

Based on the model that the county used, it will be getting less revenue than it lost. However, Biles added, “ultimately, there are fewer reporting requirements based on that.”

Treasury wants to know what the county plans to spend the money on, but reporting requirements are different.

The money will be disbursed in two payments, one in fiscal year 2021 and the other in fiscal year 2022. It must be spent, with a few exceptions, by Dec. 31, 2022, Biles said.

He also noted that changes can, and most likely will, be made to the plan as time goes on.

Published September 01, 2021

Flooding complaints increasing, commissioner says

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Pasco County Commissioner Mike Moore has asked county staff to take a closer look at how new developments are handling the discharge of water from their sites.

He broached the topic during the Pasco County Commission’s Aug 10 meeting.

He told county staff that he’s heard “quite a few complaints lately” relating to “some projects out there that are dumping a lot of water on their neighbors.

“I’ve heard that more and more, over the last several weeks, than I’ve heard in the past. I just want to make sure that we’re keeping a close eye on this,” Moore said.

The commissioner said he appreciates the work done by county staff and by staff from the Southwest Florida Water Management District.

However, he said, there have been occasions “where you can see where the runoff is coming from these projects “

In one case, a local farmer couldn’t keep his cattle in his field because the cows are being flooded out, Moore said.

“We need to be more conscious, I think, of what’s going on, when we’re going through the process. Because we say, there can’t be one drop of water that impacts a neighboring property. We need to be very, very considerate of that.”

If the water wasn’t there a week ago and it’s there, now, “it’s obvious what’s going on,” Moore said.

His concerns echo frequent complaints raised by opponents of rezoning requests, who cite concerns that additional development in their area will create potential for additional area flooding problems.

By law, a site cannot discharge more water post-development than it discharged prior to development, but residents often are skeptical that adequate measures will be taken to ensure no flooding occurs.

Published August 25, 2021

From a fortune teller to a fire station roof, this agenda has it all

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Often, it’s the items that aren’t discussed at all that can yield some of the most interesting details, at Pasco County Commission meetings.

On the Aug. 10 agenda, for instance, the county board voted on issues ranging from approval of a fortune teller’s application to do that type of business in the county, to awarding a contract to replace a flat roof at a fire station in Dade City.

They didn’t utter a word about those issues because the items were on the board’s “consent agenda.”

The way it works is this: During each board meeting, the board chairman reads out a “pull list” from the consent portion of the agenda. If anyone wants an item to be pulled for discussion, that item is moved to the regular portion of the agenda.

Items remaining on consent are approved in a single action.

Here’s a look of some items approved on the Aug. 10 consent agenda:

  • An application by Suanne Lynn Gould to engage in the occupation of a fortune teller, and similar occupations. To qualify, an applicant must gain approval from the board,

which requires the applicant to live in Florida and to be of good moral character. If the applicant wishes to conduct fortunetelling at home, she must acquire a Home Occupation special exception from the county.

  • A contract for $96,950 to JD Contractors LLC, to install a flat roof at Fire Station No. 24, in Dade City. Information contained in the agenda packet says the flat roof section at the fire station is more than 20 years old and has reached the end of its life span. There have been several leaks in that section of the roof during the past several years.
  • Additional purchasing authority for technology upgrades, in a not-to-exceed (NTE) total amount of $195,343.68, over a three-year period. The new cumulative total NTE will be $468,534.97 for the five-year contract term.
  • Nearly $1.2 million for future purchase of marketing, advertising and funding programs to support the county’s tourism efforts.
  • Spending $70,125 for the purchase of four-channel multimode phase selector traffic signal preemption devices for emergency vehicles, through a Florida Department of Transportation bid. Emergency vehicles that are equipped with the phase selectors can change traffic signals to a green phase, as they approach the signal. That makes it possible for them to reach their destination more quickly. Like any electrical device, the phase selectors will go bad and need periodic replacement.

In addition to the consent agenda, another part of the meeting that can be illuminating involves the reports made by individual commissioners.

During that portion of the meeting, commissioners essentially bring up whatever they want to talk about with their colleagues.

Sometimes, it involves commissioners wanting the county to deal with problems with illegal dumping, or the lack of landscaping in new developments, or the possibility of a new approach for vacation rental homes in the county.

At the Aug. 10 meeting, Commissioner Mike Moore used the platform to give his colleagues an update on how the county is faring this year on the tourism front.

Moore, who is chairman of the Pasco County Tourist Development Council, reported that the figures for May 2021 were actually up 96% from May 2020.

While indicating that’s not terribly surprising, given the impact from COVID-19 in 2020, Moore noted: “If you look at May (2021) TDT (Tourist Development Tax) collections they’re actually up from May 2019, so we’re on track to have our best year ever.”

Moore also applauded the Pasco County Public Transit department for securing three paratransit vehicles for free from the Florida Department of Transportation.

“Now, we have more paratransit vehicles out in the community for our residents and it didn’t cost our local taxpayers any additional dollars,” Moore said.

During his report, Commission Chairman Ron Oakley asked his colleagues to support the initiation of a special planning effort focusing on Lacoochee.

Decades ago, the community thrived when it was home to Cummer Sons Cypress Company, a company that employed hundreds and created a “town within a town,” according to historical accounts.

After the plant closed, about 60 years ago, the jobs disappeared and the area languished.

But efforts have been made to attract manufacturing to the area, and the interest is growing.

Oakley said the county needs to look ahead, so it can prepare to have workforce housing the area will need, as well as planning for the services, such as doctors and a grocery store, the residents will need.

His colleagues agreed to give direction to the county’s planning department to prepare a scope of services for a consultant to develop a “non-binding” concept plan for the area.

During that portion of the meeting, County Administrator Dan Biles typically announces achievements of county staff and updates the board on various issues.

Published August 25, 2021