The Laker/Lutz News

Pasco County Commissioners

Pasco County employees to get 3% raises

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Pasco County Administrator Dan Biles initially recommended a 2% raise for county employees, reasoning that was in line with the current rate of inflation.

But, Pasco County Commissioners overrode Biles’ recommendation, agreeing instead with Commissioner Mike Wells’ push to give employees a 3% raise.

When he brought up the issue a few weeks ago, Wells said a 3% raise was in keeping with what the county’s constitutional officers planned to give their staffs, and also in line with the 3% raise approved by Gov. Ron DeSantis for state workers.

Wells revisited the issue again, at the board’s Aug. 4 meeting.

“To give you an idea of the impact on the general fund, for increasing from 2 (%) to 3 (%), is about $560,000,” Wells said. He also noted that sales tax receipts in May exceeded the county’s expectations.

“So, we have the money,” Wells said, then proceeded to make a motion to increase the proposed raise by 1% — resulting in a 3% raise.

Commissioners approved the motion unanimously.

Later in the meeting, Biles briefed commissioners on revenues, in light of COVID-19.

“The general sales tax, as he mentioned, was above what we had actually projected in the 20 (fiscal year 2020) budget — the pre-COVID 20 budget number, not the post-COVID budget number, which is great news,” Biles said.

However, he added: “The good news only goes so far. The gas tax has still taken a pretty significant hit, across all elements of the gas tax.

“Of course, the tourist development tax is still down, and ambulance fees are still down, as well,” he added.

On a brighter note, building activity is up.

“We’re issuing a lot of permits. Building revenue is up 6%, and that’s taking into account that we reduced the fees 10% last year. So, if you compare like to like, it’s actually up 16% over ’19 (fiscal year 2019),  year to date,” Biles said.

Published August 12, 2020

Agreement reached on forensic research campus

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Pasco County commissioners approved a three-way agreement that sets up the framework for ownership and operation of a forensic research and training facility on county land next to the Land O’ Lakes Detention Center.

One feature of the facility is a body farm to aid in criminal investigations, body identification and research into body decomposition.

Abigail Kennedy spoke at the dedication ceremony naming the Adam Kennedy Forensic Field for her husband, who died in January. Adam Kennedy, former principal of Crews Middle School, was the first body donated for research at the body farm. (File)

Florida F.I.R.S.T. (Forensic Institute for Research & Tactical Training), will be only the seventh in the nation. It is expected to become a national and international center for forensic research and its applications.

Pasco County, the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office and the University of South Florida are parties to the agreement.

“It’s really going to put us and USF on the map,” said Pasco County Commission Chairman Mike Moore.

At no cost, Pasco will lease a portion of the facility to USF for 33 years, with two extensions allowed, for a total of 99 years.

“We’re excited to get this rolling and move it forward,” said Chase Daniels, assistant executive director for the sheriff’s office.

The campus will have a laboratory, classrooms, a morgue and evidence storage space. Virtual autopsies with 3-D scanning and chemical isotope analysis will be done. Work also will be done in the fields of legal medicine, forensic intelligence, aviation reconstruction and cyber forensics.

A tactical training facility for the sheriff’s K-9 unit and the Pasco Unified SWAT team also is planned.

Dr. Erin Kimmerle of USF’s Institute of Forensic Anthropology & Applied Science (IFAAS) will be in charge of the university’s research and training.

Kimmerle and USF led efforts in identifying bodies found in unmarked graves at the former Dozier School for Boys in Marianna.

The forensic building at Florida F.I.R.S.T. will be the Thomas Varnadoe Forensic Center for Education and Research. Varnadoe’s body was among those recovered and identified at the unmarked burial sites at the Dozier school.

About 5 acres of the future campus were dedicated in May as the Adam Kennedy Memorial Forensics Field. It honors the memory of the former principal of Crews Lake Middle School, who died in a car accident while driving to work in January. His body was the first one donated to the body farm.

The price tag for the facility is about $4.3 million.

Legislators approved the money in the state’s 2017 budget, but Gov. Rick Scott vetoed the item.

The county’s legislative delegation will try again to win approval in the state’s 2019 budget. Conversations with members of Scott’s office already are underway, Daniel said.

Pasco County Commissioner Ron Oakley said he sent a letter to the governor’s office in support of funding. “It’s very important to the state besides us,” Oakley said.

If Pasco is unsuccessful a second time, Daniel said USF officials have offered to “tap into their donor lists.”

Published Oct. 4, 2017

Pasco County approves 2018 budget

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Pasco County commissioners approved a $1.3 billion budget for fiscal year 2018, which begins Oct. 1.

The budget is slightly less than the 2017 budget, but still has new expenditures for parks, boat ramps and the proposed Ridge Road extension.

Pasco County Commissioner Jack Mariano (File)

County commissioners had a final public hearing, and vote, on the new budget on Sept. 26 in New Port Richey.

There will be no change in the existing millage rate, which determines property taxes.

However, some homeowners could see a slight increase of less than $10 in their annual tax bill, based on a 2.1 percent increase in homesteaded property values.

Pasco saw about a 7.7 percent increase in assessed taxable property, with a value of about $24.6 billion. Much of that was fueled by new construction.

Expenditures for 2018 include $2.5 million to buy right of way needed for the Ridge Road extension, and $1 million for design and engineering of the interchange at Suncoast Parkway.

Pasco County Commissioner Jack Mariano was uncomfortable with the county bearing those costs, when the Florida Turnpike Authority previously agreed to pay for the interchange.

“Let’s make sure we’re getting the turnpike authority to pick up all this money, not us,” he said.

The Ridge Road extension is awaiting a decision from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for a construction permit. The road project has lingered for nearly 19 years.

Pasco puts a high priority on the extension to create a new east/west route and a hurricane evacuation option. Environmentalists oppose the project for its intrusion into wetlands in the Serenova Preserve.

Other expenditures include about $8.1 million to the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office to pay for a third year of promised salary increases for deputies, as well as equipment and new job hires.

County employees will receive a 4 percent salary increase.

About $15 million is earmarked for the Wiregrass sports complex, which will be funded with a $20 million loan. The remaining $5 million of the loan will pay for boat ramps.

The county is relying on a 2 percent increase in the county’s tourism tax (for a total of 4 percent) as collateral for the loan.

There also is $4.5 million for a district park at the master-planned community of Connerton, off Land O’ Lakes Boulevard.

The Wesley Chapel District Park will get about $2 million for upgrades, including installation of bleacher canopies for baseball fields and the design of a community center.

The center would be built in 2019.

The $2 parking fee at county parks will be ended, with the county boosting the parks budget about $320,000 to cover the lost revenue.

About $1.5 million will be spent for upgrades and maintenance at county parks that are in danger of being closed due to disrepair.

A special disaster fund of $1 million will be created to take advantage of matching fund opportunities with the Federal Emergency Management Administration.

Such grants are geared toward projects that provide mitigation for future disasters, not current recovery efforts from Hurricane Irma, said Dan Biles, the county’s administrator.

Published Oct. 4, 2017

 

Higher school impact fees expected in 2018

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The Pasco County School Board didn’t get the school impact rate increases initially recommended by a consultant hired by the school district, and the building community didn’t get the rate it was pushing — but Pasco County Commissioners have agreed to support higher impact fees for school construction.

During a July 11 public hearing, commissioners committed to a proposed ordinance that calls for gradually increasing the rates — over a three-year period, with the first increase set to kick in on Jan. 1, 2018.

Commissioners have scheduled a final vote on the issue for Aug. 15.

Bexley Elementary, slated to open this fall, will relieve overcrowding in Oakstead and Odessa elementary schools. Pasco County’s growth is fueling the need for more schools. (B.C. Manion)

By the time the rates reach their final amount in 2020, they will represent 92 percent of what the school district’s consultant had recommended, according to David Goldstein, chief assistant county attorney for Pasco County.

Achieving the compromise required a flurry of last-minute activity between representatives for the school district and the county, Goldstein said.

Goldstein and Ray Gadd, deputy superintendent for Pasco County Schools worked out details over the weekend prior to the commission’s meeting.

“Ray called me at 7 o’clock on a Saturday morning and said, ‘If I’ve got to work 24 hours a day trying to resolve this, you’ve got to wake up and help me resolve it, too,” Goldstein said.

Gadd added: “We’ve been working on this quite a bit from Friday night ‘til Monday afternoon,” including a Sunday morning call that involved the district’s finance chief, its impact fee consultant and others.

“We didn’t get everything we wanted, nor did the builders,” Gadd said.

There were other stakeholders who didn’t get everything they wanted, either.

Representatives of the multifamily industry failed to persuade commissioners to reduce the proposed fee increases for multifamily dwellings.

Parents were unable to convince commissioners to adopt the full fees that the school district’s consultant had recommended and to make them effective this year.

“Why should the burden fall on our children?” Doug Wood, of Wesley Chapel asked. “The teachers and the children should not have to suffer.”

And, even though the Tampa Bay Builders Association agreed to the compromise, it wants the school board to continue looking for a broad-based revenue source to help tackle the issue.

“These are significant increases,” said Mark Spada, president of the Tampa Bay Builders Association told commissioners.

“Pasco’s school impact fees will be among the highest in Florida and in the nation, and the total of all Pasco impact fees will be among the highest in the nation.”

Spada also noted: “Increasing fees increases the price of a home. The higher the price, the less people can afford to buy homes.

Stewart Gibbons chaired the School Funding Infrastructure Committee, created by commissioners.

He described the compromise as a fair and reasonable solution.

However, he noted, “this is a difficult discussion because it’s an important discussion; I think we all know that.

“It is very complex,” he said, noting “there are just a lot of components to this.”

“I do encourage, as we did during the committee discussions, seeking as many broad-based sources of funding as possible,” Gibbons said.

Commissioner Ron Oakley said, before the compromise was reached, he had determined that a reasonable amount would be about 75 percent to 80 percent of what the school board was asking for, and to begin the increase immediately.

“In the long run, I agree with this compromise,” Oakley said.

Commissioner Kathryn Starkey also supported the proposed increase. “I think there is nothing more important than a strong, healthy vibrant school district. That’s what makes a strong, healthy and vibrant community.”

Commissioner Jack Mariano said the compromise will improve the situation, but isn’t the entire solution.

Mariano would like to see commissioners unite with the school board and other stakeholders to seek more construction money from the state for schools.

Commissioner Mike Wells also supports the compromise.

“It’s been a great opportunity to work with the school board more closely,” Wells said.

Commission Chairman Mike Moore said the board is focusing on providing infrastructure that’s needed in the county.

As more students come into the county, more schools are needed, he said.

He asked commissioners if they were all in agreement to support the proposed rate schedule.

And, commissioners indicated they are.

“We’re at the point where enough is enough, and we’re ready to move forward as a board,” Moore concluded.

After the meeting, Pasco County Schools Superintendent Kurt Browning said he is pleased by the commission’s commitment.

Current Rate:
Single-family detached: $4,828
Single-family attached: $1,740
Multifamily: $1,855
Mobile home: $2,843

Proposed new rates
Effective Jan. 1, 2018
Single-family detached: $7,128
Single-family attached: $2,869
Multifamily: $4,182
Mobile home: $4,377

Effective Jan. 1, 2019
Single-family detached: $7,728
Single-family attached: $3,111
Multifamily: $4,533
Mobile home: $4,746

Effective Jan. 1, 2020
Single-family detached: $8,328
Single-family attached: $3,353
Multifamily: $4,884
Mobile home: $5,114

Consultant’s recommended rate
Single-family detached: $9,028
Single-family attached: $3,634
Multifamily: $5,295
Mobile home: $5,544

Published July 19, 2017

Negotiations underway for county administrator

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Pasco County Commissioners have selected Daniel F. Biles as their top choice for the next county administrator and his contract negotiations are underway.

Biles emerged as the clear favorite in the selection process, and commissioners voted unanimously to offer him the position, said Commission Chairman Mike Moore.

If Biles agrees to terms, he will replace County Administrator Michele Baker, who is retiring. She has been in the role since 2013, following a lengthy career with the county.

Commissioners had planned a two-day selection process. Initially they intended to conduct public interviews with all five candidates, followed by one-on-one individual interviews between each commissioner and each candidate.

After that, they were set to reconvene on the first day to narrow the field to three finalists, with those interviews expected on the following day, March 15.

But when they got back together, commissioners received a score sheet to rank the candidates on a scale of one to five, with five being the best score.

Heather Grimes, assistant county administrator, tallied the sheets and announced the outcome.

Biles scored a 25, meaning each commissioner identified him as the top choice, Moore said. Commissioners then decided to drop the second day of interviews.

Biles currently is the deputy county manager of Jefferson County, Alabama, located in Birmingham.

He has 10 years of experience in engineering, including work on stormwater issues. He also has a military background and has family living in Florida.

Besides the public interviews and one-on-one interviews, the candidates also went on a tour of the county and attended a private meet-and-greet session on March 13.

Other candidates that were considered were:

• Mark A. Cunningham, assistant county administrator in Sarasota County

• David M. Ross, the first county administrator of Rock Island County, Illinois, which formed its government in 2015

• Theodore L. Voorhees, the former city manager of Fayetteville, North Carolina

• Dale M. Walker, the county manager of the Macon-Bibb County government, which consolidated in 2014

The five candidates who were interviewed were selected from a list of 11 candidates recommended by the Chicago-based recruitment firm of GovHR USA.

Both Moore and Commissioner Mike Wells said the county had a top-notch pool of candidates.

But, both also said that Biles stood out.

Both commissioners said Biles’ military leadership experience, his private business experience and his government experience equip him to perform well in the job.

Moore characterized Biles as being relaxed and engaged.

“I watched how he interacted with folks, during the meet-and-greet period,” Moore said. “He just felt at home, to me, talking to people.

“Something else that stood out is that his spouse flew down with him, too. His spouse came to the meet-and-greet. She sat with him, while he was interacting with others. She also came and sat in the public interviews that we did, as a group, too,” Moore said.

“Obviously, you really take it serious if you make that decision to bring your spouse down,” Moore said.

That fact didn’t escape Wells’ notice, either, and if left a positive impression.

Wells said Biles obviously had done his homework and, he said, Biles clearly values the importance of customer service.

Moore also noted: “When I had my private interview with him, too, going one on one, he was very comfortable during that conversation. I never felt once that he was trying to oversell me.”

Besides being factual, “he (Biles) was bringing great ideas to the table,” Moore said.

After commissioners offered Biles the job, Moore said he was chatting with him, and Biles mentioned that today’s technology will enable him to be out and about in the county, while remaining accessible.

Moore thinks that’s important.

“When you’re a leader like that, your team needs to see you, and the community needs to see you,” Moore said.

The board is expected to vote on Biles’ contract at its next meeting, scheduled for March 28.

Published March 15, 2017

Views exchanged on ending Pasco blight

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A proposed ordinance to tackle blight and enforce minimum standards for maintaining commercial buildings drew mostly favorable reviews at a town hall meeting.

But, some remain skeptical about what they see as more government bureaucracy.

Pasco County Commissioners are expected to vote on the proposal on Oct. 20, following a public hearing.

The issue has sparked considerable interest.

Pasco County Commissioner Mike Moore talks with about 100 people at a town hall to discuss proposed regulations aimed at ending commercial blight in the county. (Kathy Steele/Staff Photo)
Pasco County Commissioner Mike Moore talks with about 100 people at a town hall to discuss proposed regulations aimed at ending commercial blight in the county.
(Kathy Steele/Staff Photo)

About 100 people met at the Pasco County Utilities Administration Offices in Land O’ Lakes on Sept. 30 for a town hall meeting, hosted by Pasco County Commissioner Mike Moore.

Pasco County Attorney Jeffrey Steinsnyder, Senior Assistant County Attorney Kristi Sims and Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco joined Moore at the town hall session.

Moore proposed the ordinance during discussions for the county’s fiscal 2016 budget. It is similar to one adopted by Hillsborough County and mirrors codes currently applied to residences.

The new regulations would focus on the major commercial corridors of U.S. 19, U.S. 301 and U.S. 41.

According to Moore, the lack of commercial standards is hurting property values and driving away investors who scout locations in Pasco.

“There’s a good chance they’ll turn their car around and go home,” said Moore. “It brings down surrounding property values. Tell me somebody who says it doesn’t, because they’re wrong.”

In August, Moore met with about 50 Land O’ Lakes residents and business owners. Many at that gathering characterized the ordinance as an example of government overreach.

Among the mostly friendly town hall crowd, some were still unhappy with Moore’s approach on curbing blight.

“Small businesses need a helping hand instead of being slapped around,” said Russell Adams of Russell Adams Realty Inc.

Casie Holloway of the family owned Holloway’s Farm Supply said there is no evidence that new regulations are needed. She said a code enforcement officer could show her only one report from July of blight in Land O’ Lakes, and that case was closed as unfounded.

“I understand the concerns, but if it’s not showing up in (county) logs, I question it,” she said. “The codes are already in place to make this work.”

County code currently defines a blighted structure as “extensively damaged by fire, flood, wind or other natural phenomenon.”

Demolitions can be ordered if the building poses a public safety risk. And, the county can place liens on properties to seek re-imbursement of demolition costs from property owners.

But, supporters say the proposed ordinance would provide stronger enforcement tools.

The ordinance would introduce citations and fines for failure to maintain commercial structures to public safety standards.

For example, regulations would require repairs to holes or defects to exterior walls and roofs, and keeping outside stairs safe and sturdy.

New Port Richey resident Hugh Townsend liked the idea of fines.

“When people get hit in the pocketbook, they conform,” he said.

The ordinance also would be a boost for law enforcement in pushing out squatters and drug dealers from derelict buildings, Nocco said.

If approved, the ordinance would allow a six-month grace period for property owners to bring their commercial buildings into compliance.

“This isn’t to nitpick somebody who doesn’t have a painted window,” said Kelly Miller, president of Colonial Hills Civic Association in New Port Richey. “This is the only way we are going to be able to start getting a handle on this problem.”

Published October 14, 2015

 

Homebuilders want compromise on potential ban of feather signs

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Pasco County has strict ordinances against temporary signs, but the proliferation of tall advertising flags known as “feather signs” has some county commissioners looking to make those ordinances even more restrictive.

However, Pasco County commissioners said they would wait at least long enough for the homebuilding community to weigh in — an industry that heavily depends on such temporary advertisement.

Pasco County commissioners are looking to ban temporary signs like these, known as ‘feather signs,’ because of safety and aesthetic concerns. However, homebuilders have asked the commissioners if they can help craft a way to regulate the signs, while still allowing them to be effective advertising, especially for developing communities. (Michael Hinman/Staff Photo)
Pasco County commissioners are looking to ban temporary signs like these, known as ‘feather signs,’ because of safety and aesthetic concerns. However, homebuilders have asked the commissioners if they can help craft a way to regulate the signs, while still allowing them to be effective advertising, especially for developing communities.
(Michael Hinman/Staff Photo)

“We’re hoping that you’ll allow us to put together a policy that provides us a pathway for compliance,” said Jennifer Doerfel, executive vice president of the Tampa Bay Builders Association, which represents homebuilders locally. “We do not want to see blight, and we certainly don’t want to see tattered signs, and we’re part of this community, too. We want to make sure this looks great, because that’s what attracts buyers to our homes.”

The signs have become common in front of businesses, especially on U.S. 41 through the center part of Pasco, where retailers fight to grab attention from a heavily traveled highway artery. They are usually anchored into the ground like flags, and are noticeable by how they freely flap in the wind.

Pasco typically requires a temporary sign permit and a limit for how long they can be displayed. However, the signs usually addressed in that ordinance have been temporary banners, which are typically secured on all sides. Feather signs have been virtually overlooked by the ordinance, and county officials are suggesting implementing an outright ban on those types of signs.

“Feather banners have two key issues, one being the visual impact,” said Rebecca Stonefield of the county’s planning and development department. “There are also general safety concerns associated with them. If they are not anchored appropriately, they could fly out and become a hazard.”

The planning and development department recommended not including the feather signs with other temporary signs the county allows. However, that could create some legal problems for the county in how a court might differentiate between the types of signs.

“Do you believe that it’s defensible, to attempt to defend in court, the difference between a banner and a feather banner?” Commissioner Ted Schrader asked. “I see it as being the same thing.”

County attorney Jeffrey Steinsnyder disagreed, however.

“They are two different styles of advertising, and there is a physical difference,” he said. “It’s easy to define.”

Pasco is a community with hundreds of new homes under construction, many in growing communities. The builders depend on attracting attention from the main road, especially since their product might not be as apparent because it is hidden inside a neighborhood, Doerfel said.

“The reason that you see as many feather signs as you do is that it is the last option that we have to be compliant with the sign ordinance,” Doerfel said, referring to the quantity and time limits for temporary banners. “We have to be able to attract people to our communities, and most of these communities are not even on the GPS. Most of the people are finding model centers through signs.”

Mike Southward, the local division president of Beazer Homes, said unlike standard retailers, homebuilders typically don’t jump onto the radar of someone looking for a new house until after they are inside a neighborhood they want to move to.

“If you look into the buyer’s psyche, they do a lot of research when buying a home,” he said. “They look for things like schools and shopping and lifestyle, and they will go and drive around.”

It’s not until they start driving the area that they start looking for builders and communities, and that’s where having good signage helps get their attention, Southward said.

“If we don’t have an opportunity to direct them into our communities, we lost an opportunity to gain a customer,” he said.

How the county handles signs in the near future is something the commission should explore slowly and deliberately, Commissioner Pat Mulieri said.

“We receive tons of email, and we’re pushing the idea that we want to be premier,” she said. “We don’t want to be shoddy looking, but we also want business, who are also applauding the fact that now we have people buying houses. I don’t know what the problem would be to put this off for a month or six weeks to get other ideas and work from there.”

The commission will look at a potential revision of the temporary sign ordinance again at its July 22 meeting.

Published June 18, 2014

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County may try anonymous code enforcement complaints

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Tired of seeing a neighbor’s car up on concrete blocks? Worried that snakes are finding a paradise in a home’s overgrown yard on your street?

Code violations are not just something that makes a neighborhood ugly, but can make it unsafe as well. Old swimming pools, like this one, create a hazard that could injure people, especially children. (Courtesy of Joaquin Servia)
Code violations are not just something that makes a neighborhood ugly, but can make it unsafe as well. Old swimming pools, like this one, create a hazard that could injure people, especially children.
(Courtesy of Joaquin Servia)

Making a complaint to Pasco County’s Customer Service Department requires a name, address and telephone number. But it might not be that way for long.

Pasco County Commissioners are exploring the idea of allowing the option to report code violations and other problems anonymously. It would help encourage neighbors to keep Pasco looking good without the fear of retaliation. But not everyone on the commission is on board.

“I am very concerned with going anonymous,” Commissioner Henry Wilson said during a workshop last week in Dade City. “I think it would be a huge burden to the (code enforcement) officers, but I will defer to them. If they think it’s the better option to do that, then I would be willing to look into it.”

Joaquin Servia, Pasco’s code enforcement manager, said moving to a system where someone didn’t have to give their name when filing a complaint could require more money and manpower than his department currently has.

“There is a real chance that just accepting pure anonymous complaints is going to increase the number of frivolous complaints we get,” Servia said. “It could just turn into spite, a neighbor-on-neighbor-type of dispute that gets elevated to where now you can use government to club your neighbor over the head.”

However, many people don’t complain about problems they see in their neighborhoods, because the fear of reprisal is just too great, Commissioner Kathryn Starkey said.

“When they call in to complain, their cars get keyed and they get trash thrown in their yards,” she said. “Seems to me that we can do a mixture of these two (named complaints and anonymous), where we could take down the number and information of the person making the complaint, but not give it out.”

Except the county would not be able to do that, Servia said. Even a code enforcement complaint is public record, and government would have to comply with public records laws in releasing that information to anyone who asks for it, even the neighbor that’s being reported.

“Then I would rather do anonymous,” Starkey said. “If we have more work, then it’s because we have a lot of need.”

While official complaints do require names and contact information, there are ways to get around that, Commissioner Jack Mariano said. One of those ways is to reach out directly to the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office, and many times they will forward complaints without including the name of the person making the complaint.

Doing that, however, would require the person know how to step past the requirements, which many likely would not.

Patrick Phillips, a code enforcement field supervisor, told commissioners that any jump in workload would be difficult for his people to absorb.

“With the resources we have available to us now, we would not be able to do it,” he said. “Complaints that come in through homeowners associations and citizen calls, a good portion of the time, the complaint is not valid. Is that a waste of resource? Yeah.

“So if we were to take anonymous complaints across the board, we are going to take a look at a spike in that,” Phillips added.

Mariano loves the sweeps code enforcement conducts from time to time, because not only will it take care of a problem neighborhood, but it also causes surrounding neighborhoods to shape up because they are concerned they’ll be targeted next.

Yet, sweeps hitting property after property in a specific area require a lot of manpower, which pulls them away from everywhere else.

“We have to draw about 50 percent of our resources to do that,” Phillips said. “That’s 50 percent of our county that is not being covered. So what we gain ground here, we’re losing ground over there.”

Commissioner Pat Mulieri, who wasn’t at the workshop, will likely be the swing vote on any decision with code enforcement. The commission itself was split with Starkey and Mariano leaning toward allowing anonymous complaints, and Wilson and Ted Schrader against it.

The commission did not set a timetable on when it would be addressed again.

Published May 21, 2014

Paving public streets: Some homeowners left in the dust

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Years of dirt roads will soon end for residents of the Pasco Lake Estates subdivision after Pasco County Commissioners approved a paving project of just under $800,000. But it won’t be cheap as landowners in the neighborhood fork over thousands of dollars over the next 15 years to pay for the project.

Officials estimate that there are some 500 miles of unpaved roads in Pasco County, and the only way to pave them is to charge a special assessment to those who live on them. (Photo by Michael Hinman)
Officials estimate that there are some 500 miles of unpaved roads in Pasco County, and the only way to pave them is to charge a special assessment to those who live on them. (Photo by Michael Hinman)

That’s business as usual for anyone wanting to pave any of the more than 500 miles of dirt road in the county, said Michael Garrett, director of the county’s Public Works Department. Many of those roads were part of subdivisions, or are used only by those living in those neighborhoods. But others are part of what are described as rural neighborhoods, where dirt roads have been grandfathered into the county’s overall street plans.

“The problem is that when you have very large lots, the road becomes very expensive to build,” Garrett said. “There is not a lot of interest in getting them done.”

All but about 20 miles of the dirt roads are located in the central and eastern parts of the county, Garrett said. Neighborhood residents come to the county quite regularly asking for roads to be paved, but typically only one or two neighborhoods are done each year — and only after landowners agree to pay a special assessment.

In Pasco Lake Estates, that averages out to about $7,600 for each lot. If that cost is spread out over 15 years, the county will add interest of about $2,100.

That’s along the lines of what Bonnie Rupe and her neighbors were told a couple years back when they asked the county to pave their Zephyrhills neighborhood. Rupe and her family moved to Miller Avenue a decade ago from Wesley Chapel, and expected the dirt roads just outside of city limits would be paved in just a couple years.

“We have three vehicles, and we’re constantly washing our cars because of the dust that flies up from the road,” Rupe said. “There are a lot of people on our street here with asthma problems, and other health conditions, and I’m convinced it’s because of the dirt road.”

Several streets in Rupe’s neighborhood are dirt, including 20th Street, which borders to the west. But unlike Pasco Lake Estates, none of the roads are part of a subdivision. And many of Rupe’s neighbors would be hard-pressed to call the area “rural,” as it’s literally blocks from the strip malls of County Road 54, and a short jaunt from Florida Hospital Zephyrhills.

A vote to pave the roads throughout that particular area, where there are at least 60 lots lining less than 1.5 miles of road, failed. Not because people didn’t want paved roads, but because the $6,000 price tag to pave was just too high.

“There’s no way I could afford that right now,” Rupe said. “I don’t think a lot of us here can afford that.”

The problem, Garrett said, is there’s just no money to do it. The county is working on ways to fund current road maintenance and construction needs, and even with an expanded gas tax in coming years, that could still prove to be tricky.

Instead, costs for those wanting to convert to paved roads are passed on to the owners of lots lining those roads. A dozen owners in Pasco Lake Estates will shoulder a third of the overall cost.

One owner, Ollie Williams, would be responsible for $38,620, plus an additional $11,500 in interest if he pays over 15 years. Habitat for Humanity, which maintains four lots in the neighborhood designed to give people an interest-free shot at owning a home, will be on the hook for just under $27,000, along with $8,000 in interest.

“I feel that it’s not fair that they have to charge us,” Rupe said. “They are paving streets in the county all the time, and we pay taxes to the county. We should have paved roads as well.”

Next step toward elevated road: Public education

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The biggest obstacle in the way of an elevated road connecting the east and west sides of Pasco County is public education.

At least that’s what Pasco County Commissioners stated last week just before signaling their support of the Florida Department of Transportation’s continued study into an unsolicited bid that would build upward on the State Road 54/56 corridor.

Commissioner Pat Mulieri says Pasco County officials should show this rendering when talking about the proposed elevated road. This concept would have elevated lanes high enough to provide a clear view across the road, and allow better local car and pedestrian traffic below. (Image courtesy of Pasco County Planning and Development)
Commissioner Pat Mulieri says Pasco County officials should show this rendering when talking about the proposed elevated road. This concept would have elevated lanes high enough to provide a clear view across the road, and allow better local car and pedestrian traffic below. (Image courtesy of Pasco County Planning and Development)

“I definitely don’t think the public understands what we are talking about,” Commissioners Kathryn Starkey said. “We need to go out to the community, get their input, and let them see what their options are. When I go to them, I see a lot of misunderstanding and misconception, and a lot of understandable objections. But they don’t know what we know. They don’t get to sit up here and see the traffic projections and understand what the alternatives are.”

International Infrastructure Partners Inc. has proposed building a 33-mile elevated toll road down the center of the State Road 54/56 corridor, similar to the Lee Roy Selmon Expressway in Hillsborough County, using private money to fund it. The ultimate decision on whether it happens lies with FDOT, but the state agency wanted the county’s OK before moving forward.

Richard Gehring, Pasco’s planning and development administrator, said one of the main misconceptions is that businesses and homes along the corridor would face giant walls, similar to what’s happened in the elevated portions of U.S. 19 in Pinellas County. However, a completely elevated road could have far less negative aesthetic impact than many realize.

“You could have view lines across the roadway,” Gehring said. “That condition could be enhanced by landscaping and night lighting to soften up the overall infrastructure.”

Gehring showed a rendering of what he thinks State Road 54 could look like from the ground level. The elevated road was about 20 feet high, but the supports were covered in topiary-like vegetation, and businesses across the road were quite visible.

“Have you reached out to the chambers to show them how this road could look?” Commissioner Pat Mulieri asked Gehring after seeing the images. “The elevated road has caused such an uproar since they think it would have this blank wall that would destroy businesses. But this is a totally different concept.”

But not all the commissioners were anxious to move forward with more studies of the elevated road. Commissioner Henry Wilson said he moves through traffic just fine.

“I spend very little time in congestion here in Pasco County,” he said. “The congestion is when I get into Hillsborough County. This is going to benefit the Pinellas and Hillsborough drivers more than it benefits our people, our citizens.”

Although Gehring demonstrated 17 other road options that were carefully considered instead of an elevated road — including the construction of a 20-lane surface highway through the middle of Pasco — both Wilson and Commissioner Ted Schrader felt there could be other alternatives outside of the corridor that could move traffic east and west.

That could include Ridge Road, which Schrader said might not have even been considered by FDOT since it is a county road and not a state one. Elevating that road and connecting it to Interstate 75 could be a possibility.

Gehring, however, said that would still only move traffic over the Suncoast Parkway, and would not connect the east and west sides of the county with an expressway option. And such an option will be needed within the next 30 years if the county doesn’t want to stunt its growth.

In the end, however, commissioners approved a resolution giving their support to more studies on a proposed elevated road unanimously.

The elevated road is still quite a ways away, if it ever happens. A member of Gehring’s team said ground could be broken within seven years at the earliest, although Schrader said it would be more like 10 years if everything goes as planned.