The Laker/Lutz News

Pasco County Commission

Wesley Chapel Boulevard widening projects are a step closer

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The Pasco County Commission has approved a state-funded incentive grant agreement with the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) relating to the construction of a portion of Wesley Chapel Boulevard.

The board took the action at its May 17 meeting, with no discussion, as part of its consent agenda. The consent agenda includes several items that are approved in a single action.

The agreement with FDOT covers a stretch of the road, from north of State Road 54/State Road 56 to north of Magnolia Boulevard.

By way of background, the county board approved an incentive program agreement with FDOT on May 23, 2017, relating to acquiring right of way for the project. The estimated right of way cost for the project is $11.7 million, with FDOT contributing about $5.9 million.

The construction cost for the project is estimated at about $36.4 million, with FDOT agreeing to fund slightly more than $5.7 million, according to information in the board’s agenda packet.

The overall project includes a six-lane urban typical section roadway, with a sidewalk, bicycle lanes, a multi-use path, lighting, and new signals at the intersections of Wesley Chapel Boulevard (also known as County Road 54) and Stagecoach Village Boulevard; and, Grand Oaks Boulevard and Compark Drive. (The signals at Grand Oaks already have been installed.)

Right of way acquisition is expected to be completed in the winter of 2022/2023. Construction is scheduled to begin in the Fall of 2023 and to be completed by Summer of 2025.

In another action at the May 17 meeting, the county board approved the state-funded grant agreement with FDOT for the construction of Wesley Chapel Boulevard, from north of Magnolia Boulevard to north of Old Pasco Road.

The project includes two new lanes in a 48-foot median to tie into the existing six lanes to the east and proposed six lanes to the south. Most of the lanes will be 12-feet wide, with some sections having 11-foot lanes. Traffic signal adjustments will be made to accommodate the new

six lanes, with new striping and pavement markings.

The project’s estimated cost is slightly more than $1.1 million, of which FDOT has agreed to fund about $569,400.

Construction is scheduled to begin in February 2023 and be completed by July 2025, according to agenda backup materials.

Published May 25, 2022

A new public access is planned for Starkey Wilderness Park

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The Pasco County Commission has approved an agreement that will provide public access to J.B. Starkey Wilderness Park from the Starkey Ranch residential community, next door.

Visitors to J.B. Wilderness Park, 10500 Wilderness Park Blvd., in New Port Richey, can hike and bicycle through gorgeous Florida scenery. (File)

The park, at 10500 Wilderness Park Blvd., is owned by the Southwest Florida Water Management District and managed by Pasco County. People across the county visit the park for its recreational opportunities and beauty.

The action taken by the county board allows TSR CDD, the owner of the Starkey Ranch residential development next to the park, to provide recreational access to the general public at two access points.

At the access points, TSR CDD will construct gates, and provide informational signs with park hours, a map, and allowed uses.

It also will maintain liability insurance and assume all risks related to use of the access points, according to the agreement.

Also, at one of the access points, TSR CDD will construct a foot bridge crossing over the South Branch of the Anclote River.

The agreement also calls for TSR CDD to pay for engineering and construction as well as for future maintenance, repair and/or replacement of the foot bridge, subject to approval by the county and the Southwest Florida Management District.

Pasco County Commission Chairwoman Kathryn Starkey said efforts to create these access points began a long time ago and she’s happy that people will finally be able to get access the lower portion of the park.

Published May 25, 2022

Some county roads are about to get brighter

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The Pasco County Commission has approved two joint partnership agreements with the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), aimed at improving lighting along two county roads.

One agreement calls for installation of street lights along State Road 56, from Willow Oak Drive to The Shops at Wiregrass entrance. The county will be coordinating with Withlacoochee River Electric Company on the project, which is set to start this summer and be completed by winter 2023.

The second agreement calls for installing the lighting along State Road 56, from The Shops at Wiregrass entrance to Meadow Pointe Boulevard.

The county will coordinate with Withlacoochee River Electric Company for the installation of the street lights. The construction, engineering and inspection phase is expected to begin this summer and be completed by the winter of 2023.

Both projects are each estimated at $60,000, according to backup materials in the county board’s May 17 agenda packet.

In other action at the May 17 meeting, the county board:

  • Approved a moratorium for development near airports, with the exception of Zephyrhills Municipal Airport. The moratorium will allow the county to develop regulations aimed at protecting airports.
  • Approved awarding work to the following companies: Megascapes Landscape and Maintenance Inc., (Megascapes) as the primary vendor; Sunbelt Sod & Grading Company (Sunbelt), as the secondary vendor; and Sod Solutions Inc., (Sod Solutions) as the tertiary vendor for ongoing and as-needed sod and sod installation to be used by the Parks, Recreation, and Natural Resources Department. The total work is not to exceed $250,000 for fiscal year 2022 and $250,000 for fiscal year 2023, for a cumulative amount of $500,000, for the two-year contract ending Sept. 30, 2023.
  • Agreed to purchase 18.28 acres of property from Lynn Heasley, for $400,000, plus closing costs, for the land to be included in the county’s Environmental Lands Acquisition and Management Program. The land is in Land O’ Lakes, on the north and south sides of State Road 52. The property is next to the ELAMP-owned Upper Pithlachascotee River Preserve, and within the North Pasco to Crossbar Ecological Corridor. While the property will be managed as part of the Upper Pithlachascotee River Preserve, the seller has requested that the tract be named after her father, Maj. Billy A. Heasley, a retired veteran of the U.S. Air Force.
  • Approved a rezoning from a general commercial district to a Master Planned Unit Development to allow 376 residential units and 85,500 square feet of retail on 40.05 acres, on the south side of State Road 52, about 840 feet east of Mirada Boulevard.
  • Directed County Attorney Jeffrey Steinsnyder to follow the recommendation made by outside counsel to approve the proposed settlement with Walgreens, and authorize the county attorney’s office to execute necessary documents for Pasco County to participate in the proposed settlement with this defendant.
  • Approved spending $425,000 to purchase affordable housing rental units.
  • Approved a 120-day extension for completion of an intersection improvement at Eiland Boulevard/Morris Bridge Road and State Road 54. The new completion date is set for Aug. 9, 2023.
  • Approved a budget amendment recognizing additional revenue for the library service department, through a state aid to libraries grant award of $144,793. The state aid to libraries grant is received annually, and the funds are used to purchase library books and electronic resources.
  • Approved funding for reimbursement grants from the Florida Sports Foundation to the county’s Destination Management Organization (DMO), in the amount of $32,677.82.

The reimbursement resulted from a higher-than-expected public participation at several events hosted by the DMO.

The board also discussed the need for a working arrangement with Pasco County Schools to open school playgrounds, basketball courts and other facilities, to allow families and children to enjoy using them.

Commissioner Christina Fitzpatrick said she has been working on the issue.

Commission Chairwoman Kathryn Starkey said opening up those facilities is long overdue. She, too, has been interested in making the facilities available for public use.

When there are more people congregated in areas, there’s a reduced chance for vandalism, because there are more people watching what’s happening there, the county board chairwoman said.

Published May 25, 2022

Delays persist on fire department improvements

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Pasco County firefighters repeatedly have rang alarm bells recently regarding delayed response times and lagging construction progress on county fire/rescue facilities.

At the Pasco County Commission’s meeting on May 17, board members voted on two items that reflect those delays.

The board approved a change order on Fire Station No. 17 that extends the work for 90 days, bringing the new completion date to Oct. 2.

(File)

The delay includes an additional fee of $15,124 for Fleischman and Garcia Architects (FGA) and Planners, AIA, PA, bringing the not-to-exceed total to $489,510.

The board took that action without comment, as part of its consent agenda.

In another action, the board approved spending $549,100 for the purchase and installation of a training burn tower for the department’s Amador J. Gonzolo Training Center, 15910 Little Ranch Road in Spring Hill.

The new tower is replacing one that has exceeded its life cycle, according to Andrew Baxter, facilities management director.

The county had been planning to build a new training center, near the jail, using funds from the voter-approved General Obligation bonds.

However, Baxter said, “based on the escalations that we’re seeing for the construction of all of the new and replacement fire stations, we’re reevaluating that entire plan.”

Now, a new Fire/Rescue training center is not expected to be built for at least 10 years, he said.

The new burn tower will give the county time to continue training, while awaiting the new center, he said.

The delays underscore complaints that have been made during the public comment portion of the board’s meetings for the past several meetings.

At the May 17 meeting, Steve Akel, a member of International Association of Firefighters, Local 4420, reiterated those concerns.

He told commissioners: “When smoke fills your hallway; glass litters the road; or you or your child have that unexpected emergency at 2 a.m., myself and my 600 brothers and sisters race to be the ones to save you, in your emergency.”

Akel doesn’t want Pasco residents to have to ask whether an ambulance or fire truck will be available, and if it will arrive on time.

“Ambulances and stations need to be prioritized,” Akel said.

“It is this lack of support that’s been a contributing factor to losing 50 firefighters, averaging 5½ years of service, to other departments.

“Experienced firefighters are leaving from over-utilization, under-compensation and the feeling of no help in sight, from the commission,” Akel said.

“We are losing experienced rescuers, while trying to replace them with new ones and losing those people, also,” he added.

Meanwhile, as the department battles to retain current staff and train new firefighters, neighborhoods continue to fly up across Pasco, the union member said.

Akel also complained about the condition of the current training center, which he characterized as being “in shambles and nearly condemned.”

He summed up his remarks this way: “By not fixing these issues, you are failing our people and not fulfilling your purpose.”

Published May 25, 2022

Pasco County hires new utilities director

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The Pasco County Commission has confirmed the selection of David F. Allen, as the county’s new utilities director.

Allen begins in his new role June 6.

He arrives in Pasco County with more than 30 years of experience in technical, management and leadership in local government and utility business operations, according to information in the county board’s agenda packet.

His experience includes serving for the past 15 years as an assistant city and county manager, and utilities director for the city and county of Broomfield, Colorado.

He holds a Bachelor of Science in civil engineering from Colorado State University, and a Master of Science in water resources from the University of Southern California.

He is a licensed professional engineer in Colorado and California, and intends to apply for reciprocity in Florida.

This is a new role in the county. The position was necessitated by the increasing size of the department to address the county’s expanding needs, assistant county administrator Mike Carballa told the board, during Allen’s confirmation by the board on May 17.

Published May 25, 2022

Apartment moratorium area is not oversaturated, study finds

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Pasco County halted new applications for multifamily development for a year in a portion of Central Pasco, to allow research to be conducted to find out if that part of the market was  oversaturated with apartments.

The study was completed by Lambert Advisory and its subconsultant Calvin, Giordano & Associates, working in conjunction with county planning staff.

Pasco Commissioner Mike Moore championed a moratorium on new applications for multifamily developments in South Central Pasco, to allow research to determine if there is an oversaturation of that type of development in the study area. The study found that there is not an oversaturation. Moore questioned the accuracy of the figures within the report. He also reiterated the need for the county to preserve land intended for employment-generating uses. (File)

Based on the results, “there does not appear to be an oversaturation of entitlements for multifamily units,” according to a report delivered to the Pasco County Commission, at an April board meeting.

That assessment is particularly true, as viewed from a five-year to seven-year planning horizon, the report says.

The multifamily market within the moratorium area boundary (MAB) is reporting more than 97% occupancy, with monthly rental rates increasing by more than 17% within the past 12 months, the report says.

Pasco County Commissioner Mike Moore championed the moratorium on multifamily — raising concerns about the prospect of a glut of apartment developments eventually leading to problems of buildings in disrepair and the potential for increased crime.

He also has argued against the conversion of land designated for employment-generating uses into residential development.

The moratorium area was confined to Moore’s district. Initially, it generally included an area between State Road 52 and State Road 54 and approximately Land O’ Lakes Boulevard and Bruce B. Downs Boulevard. Later, after the commission district boundary lines were changed due to redistricting, the MAB was expanded to include areas south of State Road 54, from U.S. 41 to east of Bruce B. Downs Boulevard.

Calvin, Giordano & Associates (CGA) conducted the supply side of the study’s analysis, working in conjunction with the county’s planning staff.

Eric Liff, of Lambert Advisory, provided the analysis for the demand side of the equation.

The primary question, Liff said, was to determine if the moratorium area was oversaturated with multifamily.

The study also took a broader look to give the county “enough information and data for future housing policy and planning initiatives,” he said.

In the moratorium area, Liff concluded: “There’s tremendous demand that’s occurring within this market. And, you can see it, because obviously, a lot of it is pent-up.

“The occupancy doesn’t even take a corresponding hit, with all of this new development,” he said.

Historically, growth in this part of the county has outpaced Pasco’s  overall growth, Liff said.

Going forward, the assumption is that the study area will capture at least “its fair share of the county’s population growth,” the consultant added.

“If the MAB captures just its fair share, it’s growing at 100 to 150 units per year of multifamily, which is directly in line with historical trends.

“Then, if you shift to the upper, then you’ve got demand of 130 to 200 multifamily units per year, which, as you recall, is well below even what’s under construction today.

The demand for multifamily development in the moratorium study has leveled off to some degree, but remains robust, according Eric Liff, of Lambert Advisory. He was involved in a study to determine if the multifamily market had reached oversaturation in South Central Pasco. (Mike Camunas)

“The supply is outpacing demand right now,” Liff said.

“The bottom line is that there are about 3,400, 3,450 total entitlements remaining in the MAB,” Liff said, citing the findings of CGA, working in concert with county staff.

It is unknown, however, whether those units will be built as single-family residents or multifamily.

Moore questioned the accuracy of figures in the report.

He also pointed to a new application that came in, which was too late to be considered for the study, but which calls for 370 units.

The bottom line is that the area has enough multifamily units coming on line to meet the demand for 10 years, Moore said.

Commission Chairwoman Kathryn Starkey noted that the number of entitlements doesn’t necessarily reflect what will actually be built.

She said it’s common for developers to build fewer units than their entitlements would allow.

County Administrator Dan Biles agreed. He said this particular market study was a “paper exercise” based on data, not an examination of actual conditions on the ground.

Sometimes an area that has entitlements is not able to get the yield allowed because of environmentally sensitive lands or other constraints.

Moore reiterated concerns he has repeatedly expressed about allowing too much land to be converted from employment-generating uses, such as office, retail or industrial to multifamily.

He said that concern was underscored during a presentation made by the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Commission, which was commissioned by the county to take a look at the county’s allocation for industrial sites and employment centers.

In essence, that report found that, in general, the county’s sites are too small for those purposes, and too scattered.

Research from both studies is expected to be useful, as the county updates its comprehensive plan, known as Pasco 2050.

Multifamily market study
Pasco County hired consultants to research multifamily market conditions in a moratorium area that includes parts of Land O’ Lakes, Wesley Chapel and Lutz. Pasco paused new applications on multifamily development in that area for a year.

Key findings from that study include:

  • There does not appear to be an oversaturation of entitlements for multifamily units; that’s particularly true, as viewed from a five-year to seven-year planning horizon.
  • The multifamily market within the moratorium area boundary (MAB) currently is reporting more than 97% occupancy. Monthly rental rates have increased more than 17 % during the past 12 months.
  • Based upon historical and projected population/household and multifamily development trends, and solely from a market-driven perspective, multifamily demand within the moratorium area is forecast to total in the range of a minimum 1,300 to 1,700 units over the next 10 years.
  • There is an estimated 3,459 total residential units entitled/not built (including both single-family and multifamily housing). It is not possible to determine whether those units would be single family or multifamily. However, it is estimated that there are roughly 1,200 to 1,500 multifamily units entitled/not built, within the moratorium area.
  • The estimated development potential represents a six-year to 10-year absorption rate, however county staff has indicated that it may not be possible to reach the full development based on actual conditions on the ground. Therefore, the absorption timeline might be shorter.

Source: Executive summary of Pasco County Housing Entitlement & Housing Study, conducted by Lambert Advisory and its subconsultant Calvin, Giordano & Associates.

Published May 18, 2022

Go Pasco seeks to allow riders to track buses, in real time

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Go Pasco — Pasco County’s public bus service — is planning to use technology to enable riders to get up-to-date information to track buses in real time.

The department is going through the purchasing process and will be bringing the proposed contract back for approval, James Flaherty, interim public transportation director with Go Pasco, told members of the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) at its May 12 meeting.

Flaherty also gave the board an update on current ridership numbers.

Go Pasco is seeking to acquire technology that will allow bus riders to track buses on their routes, in real time. (File)

“Currently, our fixed route is down about 3% from last year. Currently, we’re projecting about 500,000 trips this year. Our paratransit is up about 5%. We’re projecting between 40,000 and 42,000 trips this year.”

Go Pasco plans to install three billboards across the county in an effort to increase ridership, Flaherty said.

The MPO board is made up of elected leaders across the county, including the Pasco County Commission and the cities of Dade City, Zephyrhills, New Port Richey and Port Richey.

New Port Richey City Councilman Matt Murphy asked Flaherty for an update on the status of a proposed study to determine where it would make sense to create micro-transit routes.

Flaherty responded: “Currently, we don’t have any studies that are being conducted. There was a potential route expansion and contraction study, within that, the micro-transit study would have been conducted.”

That study had been discussed at a previous MPO board meeting, when Kurt Scheible, was public transportation director.

Flaherty told the MPO board: “That (study) has been tabled for about two years, until an actual director is identified and we can move forward.”

But both Murphy and Pasco County Commission Chairwoman Kathryn Starkey wanted more information about the micro-transit study that had been previously discussed.

Flaherty told the board: “I’d have to look into that. I was not aware of a specific study, outside what was within the route expansion and contraction study.”

Starkey said there was discussion of looking at micro-transit in the Holiday area, and then it was transitioned over to Dade City.

Murphy added: “My understanding was that they were doing a feasibility study, to figure out where the best place would be. There’s a lot of money in that. I forget how many millions of dollars were in that, given to the state.”

Flaherty responded: “I will have to look into that.”

Pasco Commissioner Jack Mariano said if funding is available, the entire area should be studied and then, “we’d put a plan together and make decisions on what we think is most appropriate.”

Flaherty then told the board there had been issues with the procurement process, which led to delaying the study.

Starkey asked: “So, we didn’t put it back out there for bid?”

Flaherty responded that in the “2019-2020 time frame, Go Pasco attempted to do a comprehensive, operational analysis, using the MPO’s planning contract. It went to the board. It was pulled.

“A year later, a scope was provided. It went through the procurement process. There were issues with the procurement process. It’s been delayed for two years, until a new director is identified.”

Starkey: “When you say it’s delayed for two years, who decided we’re going to wait two years before we do it, we try it again?

Flaherty responded: “The county administrator.”

Starkey replied: “Well, is it his decision to that, or is it our decision?”

Carl Mikyska, executive director of the MPO, said that’s probably a discussion that should be had by Pasco County Commission or individually with County Administrator Dan Biles.

Starkey added: “Why would we wait? I don’t know why we would delay it for two years.”

Before the MPO meeting ended, Flaherty updated the board.

“That study has been pushed back six to nine months, not two years,” Flaherty said.

In other action, Mikyska told the board that there will be a presentation on the U.S. 41 and State Road 54 intersection at the board’s June meeting. He said the update was requested by the board’s Citizens Advisory Committee.

The board also appointed Geoff Lanier, of Land O’ Lakes, to serve on the MPO’s Bicycle/Pedestrian Advisory Committee. Lanier is the owner of Suncoast Trailside Bicycles, according to his application, contained in the board’s agenda packet.

Published May 18, 2022

Volunteer openings available on economics committee

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Pasco County’s Jobs and Economic Opportunities Committee (JEOC) is seeking volunteers to oversee the use of the JEOC Trust Fund portion of the Penny for Pasco surtax proceeds, according to a county news release.

Members of the volunteer board are responsible for ensuring that Penny for Pasco spending meets the requirements to promote projects creating new jobs and economic growth.

The committee is made up of nine members, representing expertise from each of the following areas: finance/banking, agriculture, real estate, manufacturing and other private industries.

The committee meets at least quarterly and presents an annual update to the Pasco County Commission.

Terms are one year or two years, depending upon the industry.

Pasco County voters first passed the Penny for Pasco local government infrastructure surtax in 2004 to pay for county, city and school district improvements. The JEOCTF portion, adopted in 2015, is estimated to generate over $60 million in revenue to be used for target industry job creation and economic development projects designed to improve the local economy.

Applications for the JEOC openings are being accepted online through June 9 at bit.ly/AdvisoryBoardApp.

Published May 18, 2022

Seven of 10 Pasco residents commute to other counties for work

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When it comes right down to it, the sites that are designated for industrial uses and employment centers in Pasco are simply too small and too scattered for the county to attract the kinds of companies that can make a significant difference in the county’s jobs picture.

That was essentially the message delivered to the Pasco County Commission, at its May3 meeting, by Randy Deshazo, chief of staff for the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council.

Pasco County has had a significant amount of residential growth in recent years — but it needs to attract more high-paying jobs to keep its workforce at home. To make that happen, the county needs large tracts of land available for the development of employment centers and industrial parks, a recent study shows. (B.C. Manion)

In introducing Deshazo to the board, David Engel, director of the Office of Economic Growth, said, “As a result of unprecedented residential demand for land in our region, the Office of Economic Growth and Planning and Development Department engaged the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council (TBPRC) to conduct a strategy analysis for the preservation and optimization of light industrial and employment center properties and zoning in the county.

“The study does an economic analysis of the fiscal and economic impact to the community, when we take industrial land and we modify it to allow residential,” Engel said.

Deshazo said the focus of the study was on land that has been designated for employment center and light industrial uses.

“You want to increase the share of target industry jobs in your economy and this is your main land use tool to do that,” he explained.

“Target industry jobs are those higher-paying jobs that span a range from blue collar manufacturing to high-tech kinds of jobs, that help raise the average wage in the county and provide, what we’ll call, an employment multiplier.

“They create more jobs through their own spending, down through their own supply chains and household spending,” Deshazo said.

Deshazo briefed theboard on the county’s current employment conditions.

“One out of 10 jobs in Pasco is what we would call a target industry job,” Deshazo said.

By comparison, in both Pinellas and Hillsborough counties, one of every four jobs is a targeted industry job, he said.

He also noted that Pasco has the longest commute in the Tampa Bay region, as well as one of the longest commutes in the state.

It also has the highest imbalance, when it comes to number of housing units compared to the number of jobs.

“About 70% of your employed residents work somewhere else besides Pasco County,” he said. “That is not just a case that there’s not enough jobs in the county. There’s not enough well-paying jobs,” he said.

The key questions, Deshazo said, are: “How many jobs does the county need?

“How many acres do those jobs need?”

Decision-makers must focus on how they allocate the county’s land, he said.

Converting an acre of industrial land to a non-employment use has the impact of about $2 million in lost personal income, direct and indirect, he said.

That number was calculated by taking the average of what those wages might be in a target industry, stretch it over the forecast period of 2050, and  doing some financial discounting, he said.

The county wants to increase its share of target industry jobs in its economy, and land use designations are the main tool to achieve that, he said.

Large tracts needed to help generate jobs
Pasco has a significant amount of acreage designated for employment centers and light industrial uses, however, those designations are generally on small parcels, he said.

Employment centers and industrial uses need large tracts.

“The average for industrial parks throughout the country is about 550 acres in size,” Deshazo said.

He told board members: “the really big issue here is that you’ve got a very fragmented pattern of industrial land. The overall distribution is that half of your parcels are less than 4 acres; 40% of all those parcels are actually less than 2 acres in size.

“They’re scattered across the county. They’re not easily assembled. So, that is really your land use supply issue. It’s not so much the total acreage, but where those acres are and how they’re divvied up,” Deshazo said.

His report also identifies current concentrations of industrial land. It adds buffer areas around those, as potential places for expansion of industrial land in the future.

It also identifies areas along railway corridors and truck routes for consideration of adding future employment centers and industrial land.

“The point here is not just to add acres, but to look at larger sites that might better fit the needs of future industrial land use,” Deshazo said.

In Jacksonville, there are areas that have been protected for industrial uses. It has coined the term “industrial sanctuary” to identify that concept.

“These are areas that you want to protect from redesignation to residential or other uses, to consolidate industrial land, so that you can get to those scales that industry needs to operate, and to work with each other and to attract labor,” he said.

“To do that you need to identify some basic criteria, such as perhaps establish a new land use in zoning that has a significantly larger minimum lot size than what you currently allow for light industrial or heavy industrial, which is about 30,000 or 40,000 square feet and talk about a minimum lot size of 50 acres or perhaps higher than that.”

Deshazo said the key takeaways in the TBPRC’s report are:

  • Employment centers and industrial land are the key tools for attracting and developing target industries.
  • It is important to set job goals; there doesn’t need to be a perfect 1:1 ratio, but every job closer to that is good for the county.
  • The county needs to think about where future industrial land should go.
  • It’s important to pay attention to the size of potential employment centers and industrial parks, to make sure they’re large enough.
  • The county may want to consider creating districts that allow both heavy industrial and light industrial uses.

Engel said the county’s Planning and Development Department, the Metropolitan Planning Organization and his Office of Economic Growth are working together to identify freight corridors, road systems, to look at the marketplace and at available land, to provide information to help inform future land use decisions.

Pasco County jobs picture

  • One out of 10 jobs in Pasco County is a target industry job; in Hillsborough and Pinellas, one in four jobs are target industry jobs.
  • Pasco County has the longest commute in the Tampa Bay Region and one of the longest in the state.
  • Pasco County has the highest jobs imbalance, that is the number of jobs compared to the number of housing units.
  • About 70% of employed Pasco residents work elsewhere.

Published May 11, 2022

School pay raise vote to go on August ballot

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The Pasco County School Board has voted to ask the Pasco County Commission to place a referendum for school district employee pay raises on the Aug. 23 primary ballot.

Initially, the school board had voted to seek to have the question placed on the Nov. 8 general election ballot. But during its May 3 meeting, the board voted to amend its original request.

Deputy Superintendent Ray Gadd suggested the switch, in background materials contained in the board’s agenda packet.

He explained the rationale for the change this way: “I am making this recommendation for two reasons: This will eliminate any confusion between the salary referendum and the local infrastructure surtax (Penny for Pasco) that will be on the general election ballot.

“Additionally, nonpartisan school board races are being held during the August primary and the salary referendum fits well with the school board races.”

There was pushback on the request during the public comment portion of the board’s meeting.

Some parents were skeptical about the shift from the general election to the primary.

One said fewer voters participate in primary elections and thus, the vote will not be truly representative of the community, as a whole.

Another said that rather than raising taxes, there needs to be greater scrutiny in how the district spends its money.

Speakers said they support better pay for district personnel, but not through the referendum.

A representative for a group called Lift Up Pasco said the group is made up of volunteers who support the referendum and will be working to support its passage. They said the additional source of funding will improve education, and thus, will enhance the community, as a whole.

The referendum question asks voters to approve up to a maximum of 1 mil in funding to be designated for improving pay for teachers, bus drivers and other district personnel, except for administrators.

At an April 5 school board workshop on the topic, it was estimated that a 1 mil increase would yield an average instructional boost of $4,000; for non-instructional, $1,700.

District calculations show that Pasco’s median home cost of $325,000, and assuming a $25,000 homestead exemption, a property owner would pay $300 more per year, if the increase is 1 mil.

Specifically, the ballot question asks for a yes or no vote on whether to levy an additional tax, not to exceed 1 mil,  beginning July 1, 2023 and ending no later than June 30, 2027.

The proceeds, according to the ballot question, will be used “for essential operating expenses to maintain salaries competitive with the market, attract and retain high-quality teachers, bus drivers and other non-administrative school support employees.”

There also is a requirement for “annual reporting to Pasco County taxpayers for transparency of the use of these funds.”

The board’s vote to pursue up to a full mil, followed persistent requests by Don Peace, president of the United School Employees of Pasco (USEP), urging the board to seek the ballot initiative. The union has pledged to give its full support to efforts to secure passage of the referendum.

Board members have said the request is necessary in order for Pasco to recruit, retain and reward district personnel.

They also noted the district is losing personnel to nearby districts that offer better pay. It also is losing staff to burnout, resulting from a combination of additional stress from fatigue caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and a shortage of district workers.

The shortage of bus drivers prompted the district to change its school ending and starting times for the second semester this year. And, the shortage also was cited by the district as one of the reasons it has decided to end courtesy bus rides, beginning next school year, for sixth- through 12th-graders living within 2 miles of school.

Board members said action is needed because the district is losing too many employees to other districts, or to industry jobs.

In a video released after the board’s action, Superintendent Kurt Browning said the additional source of money is needed.

“For too long, we have struggled to remain competitive with other school districts in the area,” Browning said, in the video.

In other pay-related news
The union and district instructional bargaining teams have reached a tentative agreement for the 2021-2022.

Under that agreement, teachers will receive a one-time lump sum supplement equal to 4% of their salary, and the base teacher salary will be raised to $45,200 in accordance with state statute, according to information posted on the union’s website.

The union and district also have agreed to return to the bargaining table immediately after the ratification of the 2021-2022 contract to begin negotiating additional salary improvements for 2022-2023.

The union and district also have reached a tentative agreement for school-related personnel for the 2021-2022 school year.

The union and district agreed to the 4% supplement for school-related personnel and also agreed to a guaranteed minimum for all school-related personnel.

Also, the parties will immediately open the 2022-2023 contract year to begin to bargain additional recurring raises to deal with compression as the district moves toward the minimum $15 per hour minimum requirement, beginning in October 2022, according to the union’s website.

Published May 11, 2022