The Laker/Lutz News

Pasco County Commission

Planning efforts begin, at Gunn Highway and State Road 54

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The county has initiated efforts to work with property owners to develop a plan for appropriate future uses of the area at the southwest corner of Gunn Highway and State Road 54.

Pasco County Commissioner Kathryn Starkey convened a meeting with county staff and area property owners at the Starkey Ranch Theatre Library Cultural Center.

“The purpose of it was to bring together all of the land owners in that quadrant, because we’re starting to get piecemeal owners coming in with development plans and we wanted to do a type of cohesive planning exercise there,” Starkey told her colleagues on the Pasco County Commission at its Oct. 26 meeting.

“It’s a sector plan or quadrant plan, if you will, for that part of the block,” explained Nectarios Pittos, director of planning and development.

“There had been a number of property owners that had been inquiring in this particular area, asking what could potentially happen. Because there were so many inquiries, because there was interest, we decided we would hold a neighborhood meeting and ask everybody what they were thinking about,” Pittos said.

“We had a great turnout, took a lot of feedback that we’re going to utilize as we develop the quadrant plan for this part of the intersection.

“The quadrant plan itself is just a fancy name for a comprehensive plan amendment that could change the future land use in the area to something that the landowners would really like, what the market is looking for, the vision of the county in regard to economic development potential for that area,” Pittos said.

“The hope is that it becomes its own little community,” Starkey said. “You’ll be seeing this work its way through the county and come to us, eventually.”

Published December 08, 2021

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

Designing a better Pasco County

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As Pasco County’s rampant growth continues, the Pasco County Commission has been calling for changes to the land development code that would address aesthetic issues.

They’ve been hashing over the topic, off and on, for months.

Commission Chairman Ron Oakley put it like this, at a recent meeting: “We need to be real careful about what we allow our developers to do — make sure that they’re (doing) the right thing for Pasco County.”

These laborers are working on a project in Zephyrhills. Commissioner Kathryn Starkey says that Zephyrhills has some architectural design requirements, and Pasco County should, too. (Fred Bellet)

Oakley has repeatedly voiced concerns about neighborhoods made up of houses on 40-lots noting there’s little room for landscaping.

“We’ve been rural for many, many years,” Oakley said. “We really do not want to destroy the nature of what we have in Pasco County, and yet, we do want to grow and have jobs for our citizens, and do the right thing for our citizens.”

Commissioner Kathryn Starkey has pushed for greater attention to design details, as the county’s building boom continues.

“If you go and drive and find a 40-foot front-loaded street, it’s just a driveway, garage and a door.

“If you drive down a street where they’re rear-loaded on 40-foot, it’s a porch and grass, and it’s very nice.

“You can see it in Starkey Ranch, you can see it Longleaf, you might see it in Asturia. In Bexley, I know, you see it,” she said.

“I’m not opposed to 40-foot lots. I’m opposed to 40-foot front-loaded lots and only 40-foot, and the house is cookie-cutter and there’s no architectural elements on it,” Starkey said.

Pasco County Commissioner Kathryn Starkey wants more attention paid to architectural detail, in future housing developments in Pasco. (File)

“This is an issue that I think needs to be addressed soon. I don’t want 10,000 homes to be approved before we fix this,” Starkey told her colleagues, during a board session.

“I get that our development community needs to understand what we’re looking for.

“When I’ve been meeting with developers, I let them know, that I am very loathe to approve a 40s-only development (40-foot lots).

“I need some better landscaping in front of homes. I need a mixture of 40s, 50s, 60s (lots). I need better architectural details on the sides and the front. I need more rear-loaded 40-foots.

“I want to be fair to the development community. They need to understand what the rules are, or when someone buys a piece of land (what to expect),” Starkey said.

Commissioner Jack Mariano agreed: “We don’t want to build slums for the future. You know, density is sometimes overrated — how good it can be. If the lots are a little bigger, it makes it more comfortable.

“It’s a worthy conversation to bring forward at some meeting coming up,” Mariano said.

County Administrator Dan Biles told the county board that planning staff has drafted some potential conditions that could be added to master-planned unit developments to address concerns that commissioners have been raising — regarding smaller lots, the lack of landscaping on the front, parking and other issues.

Nectarios Pittos, the county’s director of planning and development, is meeting individually with commissioners to discuss the issues.

Biles noted: “Your focus has been on those single-family small lots, of 40-foot, but we thought through what that looks like on the townhome perspective, too. You need to think about both of those discussions. Your front-loaded townhome, you have the same types of issues, as you have with the small 40-foot lots.”

Pasco County Commission Chairman Ron Oakley wants to avoid subdivisions made up of 40-foot lots, noting they don’t have enough room for landscaping.

Starkey told her colleagues: “The city of Zephyrhills and Dade City require some architectural details, and we don’t. And, so, we are getting … windows and a door and a roof.”

Pittos said, when the driveways are rear-loaded, “you can talk about fenestration: How many windows you want to see. Where to place the door — keep it on the front of the house, instead of on the side of the house. A porch.”

Starkey said “there can be a smorgasbord of architectural details” that can be added, that are not expensive.

“We don’t want to see what we’re getting. We want to see better,” Starkey said.

As the county board considers changes to the land development code, Jennifer Motsinger, executive vice president of the Tampa Bay Builders Association, is encouraging the board to look at updates that can streamline the development review process.

In an interview with The Laker/Lutz News, Motsinger said that the cost of a home is made up of four components: Land, materials, local regulations and labor.

Some regulations in Pasco’s land development code have stymied ongoing efforts to streamline the development review process, Motsinger said.

She also noted there’s a need to balance the desire for a particular type of aesthetic with the need for affordable housing.

“Every single one of the suggestions that are being made (by commissioners) can be accommodated for a price. For a price,” Motsinger said.

“We have to make sure that there is a balance of options for folks,” she said. “We have to be careful that we are not trying to legislate to a particular type of buyer.

“One of the reasons you would do a neighborhood with just 40 (40-foot lots) is to get that more-affordable product,” Motsinger said.

She also addressed the issue of requiring homes with 40-foot lots to be backloaded.

“That trend is not in high demand. Because, guess what? Kids want a backyard to play in,” she said.

She said the building industry will be paying close attention to proposed changes and will want to weigh in on them.

“We have to be careful that our local government doesn’t have too much power to say how we live in our homes and what our homes look like,” Motsinger said.

Published December 01, 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

Plan calls for 410 residences in Land O’ Lakes

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The Pasco County Planning Commission has recommended approval for up to 410 single-family detached and attached residences on 322.21 acres, on the north side of Wisteria Loop, approximately 2,100 west of U.S. 41, in Land O’ Lakes.

The planning board gave its stamp of approval to the project, known as the Clark master-planned unit development (MPUD), during its Nov. 4 meeting.

No one from the public spoke for or against the request and the planning board recommended approval, without discussion, as part of the board’s consent agenda.

The request was submitted by the Robert J. Clark, Jr. Trust and the John M. Clark Revocable Trust. It calls for changing the current zoning from agricultural residential, estate residential and rural density mobile home zoning to MPUD, which allows for creating a specific plan for the rezoned area.

The proposed plan call for a mix of lot sizes with 40-foot wide lots being the minimum. However, at least 40% of the single-family detached residences will be on 50-feet wide lots, or larger, according to the planning board’s agenda backup.

There are also conditions regarding the inclusion of architectural details for the single-family detached products to prevent monotony, and front yard/street trees to ensure trees are required in the front of lots and/or along roadways, the agenda materials say.

This development will have access to Causeway Boulevard to the north and shall not have vehicular access to Bexley Road/Wisteria Loop other than an emergency-only access.

The upland portions of the project in the southeast and southwest shall be preserved for open space/stormwater/mitigation, as depicted on the Master Plan, and shall not be developed for residential uses as they would not have direct access to the project’s internal roadways/Causeway Boulevard, the materials add.

Also, the master plan shows pedestrian/sidewalk access to Land O’Lakes High School on the northeast and to the conceptual/planned Bexley/Wisteria Trail, according to the agenda packet.

The request now goes to the Pasco County Commission, which has final jurisdiction on land use and zoning requests.

Published December 01, 2021

Higher density recommended near Zephyrhills

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A request for a land use change that would increase the allowable density on about 30 acres near Zephyrhills is being recommended for approval by the Pasco County Planning Commission.

The land use change would lay the groundwork for a rezoning request to allow the expansion of the Forest Lakes Estates community, a 1,000-home manufactured housing community for people age 55 and older.

Clarke Hobby, an attorney representing Equity Lifestyles, said his client owns the existing 1,000-unit manufactured housing community, which is on the east side of Gateway Drive, and wants to add about 90 additional units on the 30-acre property, on the west side of Gateway Drive, south of County Road 54.

The proposed land use change would increase allowable development from three dwellings per acre up to six units per acre.

Hobby said his client purchased the property about two years ago and has been working on a plan to build a new roadway, as well as to resurface Frontier Drive and Marx Road.

The applicant is proposing a land exchange that would trade a portion of the county-owned Gateway Drive for a right of way the applicant would construct.

“So, my client was going to build an entirely new road, as opposed to have this 30-year-old road (Gateway Drive), which has been patched significantly,” Hobby said.

But neighbors are divided on the request.

During a Nov. 4 planning board meeting, some voiced opposition to the increased density. Those questioning the land use change said it will change how they expected the area to develop, would add traffic and noise, and could pose potential flooding issues.

Neighbors are divided on the proposed road improvements.

Bob Orosz, 5306 Frontier Drive, said residents asked him to work as a liaison between the residents and the applicant — a role he said he would not accept again.

There’s no consensus in the neighborhood regarding the applicant’s proposed roadway improvements, Orosz said.

“We had a road meeting a couple of nights ago, where a couple of people were adamantly opposed to this,” he said. But later, he said, a dozen people approached him privately to say they would like the road, but don’t want to offend others.

Hobby said he was surprised by the opposition.

“I’m somewhat at a loss that this many neighbors are objecting to this, when I thought my client was going above and beyond the duty, here,” Hobby said.

The planning board voted to recommend approval of the request to the Pasco County Commission, which has final jurisdiction on land use and zoning issues.

Published December 01, 2021

Correcting an error that’s gone unnoticed for 60 years

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In one of downtown Dade City’s most visible places, there’s a historic plaque commemorating the establishment of Pasco County.

The problem is — that celebrated memorial, located in courthouse square — contains an inaccurate date.

“Pasco County was created from Hernando County on May 12, 1887,” the sign reads.

Some errors can go a long time before anyone notices. In this case, the historic marker erected 60 years ago reports an incorrect date for the formation of Pasco County. (Courtesy of Doug Sanders)

On the face of it, that seems like an important thing to remember.

However, the historic sign perpetuates the wrong date.

It turns out that the separation of the counties was signed into law by then Gov. Edward A. Perry on June 2, 1887.

The document he signed was titled, “A Bill to Divide the County of Hernando and make therefrom the Counties of Citrus and Pasco.”

In a way though, it’s almost fitting that the marker is wrong because it serves as a reminder of the many challenges that arose, during the naming of Pasco County.

It took much compromise to arrive at that name, according to Jefferson Alexis “J.A.” Hendley.

Hendley wrote about the efforts in a work published in 1943 that chronicles a gathering of residents of southern Hernando County, who met in May 1887, with the purpose of forming a new county.

“We agreed in convention assembled to make an effort to get away from Brooksville,” Hendley writes, in an account he dedicated to the schoolteachers of Pasco County.

J.A. Hendley, shown here, and Richard C. Bankston lobbied in Tallahassee for the formation of Pasco County. Hendley later wrote that it took Gov. Edwin A. Perry only a few hours to approve the new county. (Courtesy of Jeff Miller/fivay.org)

Forming counties in Florida during the 1800s was nothing new.

Hernando County, itself, was part of Hillsborough County before it was separated, and became its own entity, on Feb. 27, 1843.

Writing in a letter on Nov. 25, 1927, Dr. Richard C. Bankston, recalled that at the time of Pasco County’s creation, there was “unanimous sentiment” to support it.

“We all were weary of traveling the sand trails of Brooksville, the county seat, to attend court, or transact other business of varied nature,” he wrote.

Bankston and Hendley were selected to lobby for the change, in Tallahassee.

Bankston was a member of the Florida Legislature, from Tampa; Hendley was a Blanton lawyer and a member of the Florida Constitutional Convention of 1885.

Hendley knew it was not going to be easy based on his own experience in west Texas, where he helped to organize Mitchell County.

Plus, both men had already read “a very discouraging letter,” from James Latham, a Florida House of Representatives member, from Hernando County.

Pasco County is named after Samuel Pasco, who had recently been elected as Florida’s representative to the United States Senate. He was at the height of his popularity when the county was named. (Courtesy of Doug Sanders)

Latham’s letter said it was too late in the session to accomplish anything.

The subsequent reply from south Hernando County was a political threat to “split the county right in the middle of Brooksville,” if the suggested new county was not formed.

The group also suggested three names for legislators to consider for the new county. They recommended: “Tropic,” “Banner” and “Emanuel.”

Bankston and Hendley preferred the name, “Banner,” for the new county.

That was a problem.

“As we learned that nearly every member thought he came from a banner county,” Bankston wrote.

They knew they’d have to come up with a less-objectionable name.

It so happened that the state’s lawmakers were in joint session that week voting for Florida’s next U.S. Senator.

In those days, senators were elected by state legislatures and the decision was rarely made in a single vote.

It took 89 ballots for Florida’s state Democratic party to choose Judge Samuel Pasco, of Monticello, as their compromise candidate.

It took another 25 ballots for the full legislature to elect Pasco, with a vote of 87-17 on May 19, 1887.

This photograph of the Historic Pasco County Courthouse was taken in 1909. (Courtesy of fivay.org)

Pasco was at the height of his popularity — and, Bankston and Hendley were inspired by these events.

They figured if they wanted their new county, the best way to get it done was to garner the support of the English-born Pasco.

He was a Harvard graduate, a Civil War Hero, a lawyer, a Baptist, and, above all — a Democrat.

“It struck me as an inspiration to call our county ‘Pasco,’” Bankston wrote.

Finding a committee room with a desk, he immediately changed the name on the legislative documents from Banner to Pasco.

Bankston recounts: “We gave the finished bill to Sen. A.S. Man, who at once introduced it in the Senate, and it passed unanimously. It was expedited to the House and sponsored by Frank Saxon, where it passed unanimously. The governor was favorable and signed it. Having accomplished all we proposed, we returned home, able to report the complete success of our mission.”

The governor approved the formation of Pasco County within four hours, according to Bankston’s account.

Nearly 20 years after Hendley’s history of Pasco County was published, the state posted the marker on the west lawn of the county’s red-brick courthouse, with its neoclassical dome and clock tower.

Flash forward to the present.

Even though the historic marker was erected in 1963, the Pasco Historical Society in Dade City and the West Pasco Historical Society in New Port Richey are interested in making a joint request to the Pasco County Commission to put the correct date — June 2, 1887 — on the marker.

Stay tuned, to this column, to see what happens next.

Doug Sanders has a penchant for unearthing interesting stories about local history. His sleuthing skills have been developed through his experiences in newspaper and government work. If you have an idea for a future history column, contact Doug at .

Published December 01, 2021

Planning board calls for developer to build road

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The Pasco County Planning Commission has recommended approval of a rezoning to allow a 108 single-family home subdivision in Land O’ Lakes, provided the developer meets a number of conditions — including the construction of a road.

The request, by Darrell A. and Karen J. Renner, calls for rezoning 50.5 acres of agricultural land into a master-planned unit development (MPUD), on the south side of Bexley Road, about a mile west of the intersection of U.S. 41 and Wisteria Loop.

The planning board initially heard the request on Sept. 30, then delayed it until Nov. 4 and then heard it again on Nov. 18.

The delays were made to give the applicant a chance to address expected traffic problems that neighbors and the planning board believe will occur, as the area continues to develop.

Some neighbors to the proposed development urged the planning board to require the applicant to build what the county calls a “vision road” to prevent cut-through traffic in the Wisteria Loop area, as the area is poised for significant growth.

Jeremy Couch, who lives on Wisteria Loop, urged the planning board to require the proposed improvement, which the applicant estimated would cost about $2.8 million.

Attorney Shelley Johnson, whose clients are seeking the rezoning, said they are willing to improve Wisteria Loop, to bring it up to county standards  — a condition that county planners required in their original recommendation for approval.

Subsequently, county planners changed the conditions to require the construction of the vision road, with the applicant being able to receive mobility fee credits that could be sold to recoup a portion of the costs.

Johnson noted that upgrading Wisteria Loop and improving a nearby intersection would cost about $1.5 million — significantly less than building a new road.

Chris Nocco, who is Pasco County’s sheriff, appeared at the meeting as a private citizen, not in his official capacity.

He’s against the proposed rezoning.

“I think one day they should be able to build homes, but not today.

“I don’t object to building houses, but build the houses when the roads are in place, and everything is ready to go,” he said.

“If you look at the whole Angeline project (a massive development planned in the area), this will actually tie into it because of Bexley Road.

Nocco said that if needed infrastructure doesn’t come first, existing neighborhoods will be threatened and the area will lack a coherent way to manage future growth.

“Let’s have a master plan for the entire road system,” Nocco said. “If we don’t address those issues now, we never will. All it’s going to do is create more congestion, more heartaches.”

Ray Gadd, deputy superintendent of Pasco County Schools, spoke at a previous hearing on the request. Like Nocco, Gadd appeared as a private citizen.

Gadd urged the planning board to require the vision road, to help the area prepare for the inevitable traffic that will be coming through, as new developments spring up.

Johnson previously had told the planning board that her client would improve the existing or build the new one, but would not do both.

The willingness to do the either-or, though, changed when they learned about the sizable cost differential.

Planning board members Jaime Girardi and Don Anderson both said that building the vision road was a big burden for Johnson’s client.

But Anderson said he doesn’t see another way to resolve the issue.

David Goldstein, the chief assistant county attorney, said the applicant would get mobility fee credits that could be sold to other developers to recoup the additional expense, over time.

The applicant could be eligible for about $1.3 million in mobility fee credits.

The planning board ultimately voted to recommend approval of the project, provided that a vision road is built.

Planning board member Roberto Saez dissented. He said the area lacks the infrastructure needed to support the development.

The request now goes to the Pasco County Commission, which has final jurisdiction over land-use and zoning issues.

Published Nov. 24, 2021

New agreement aims to give EMS students practical experience

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The Pasco County Commission has approved a request for the Pasco County Fire Rescue Department and the School of EMS to pursue a contract to allow students to participate in patient care activities.

The agreement, approved last month, calls for students to gain experience in a prehospital setting through an established clinical program, when the students are enrolled in the paramedic program at the School of EMS.

Currently, students that are employed by Pasco County Fire Rescue and enrolled in the School of EMS program to obtain paramedic credentials are not able to practice and apply paramedic exercises toward their certification hour allotment requirement.

Firefighters hired by Pasco County Fire Rescue agree to a “Condition of Employment” to elevate their Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) status to Paramedic (a medically advanced treatment designation in the emergency services field more appropriate for service delivery through a premier organization within three years of employment with Pasco County Fire Rescue).

Establishing this agreement is expected to provide students with the opportunity to apply skills mastered in the classroom within a “real-world” setting while under close supervision and mentorship from their colleagues, and substantially increase efficiency in the educational advancement path of the county’s firefighters, according to the Oct. 26 agenda materials.

Published Nov. 24, 2021

County allocates $100,000 for tourism website

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The Pasco County Commission has approved a $100,000 agreement with Madden Preprint Media LLC for a website redesign and redevelopment for the county’s destination management organization (DMO), known as Florida’s Sports Coast.

The bid was awarded as part of the board’s consent agenda, meaning it was part of a vote including several items, without board discussion or public comment.

The contract is for an amount not-to-exceed $100,000 in fiscal year 2022.

It is a one-year deal, but includes three one-year options to renew, upon mutual agreement, or unless it is canceled, according to the materials in the board’s Oct. 26 agenda.

During the bid process, 266 vendors received automatic email notices, including eight from Pasco County. Eighty-five manually searched for and downloaded the solicitation, three of which were from Pasco County. Four responses were received, none of which were from Pasco County.

The bids were evaluated by a committee made up of assistant county administrators Cathy Pearson and Erik Breitenbach; Adam Thomas, director of the county’s DMO; Louise Morgan, IT product manager, information technology; and Kolby Kucyk-Gayson, communications manager for the DMO.

Madden Preprint Media ranked the highest in the evaluation.

Published Nov. 24, 2021