The Laker/Lutz News

Sarah Vande Berg Tennis & Wellness Center

More residential and commercial growth coming to East Pasco

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Zephyrhills is hitting its stride as growth and development gain momentum along the traffic corridors of what is now Pasco County’s largest city.

The signs of new growth are everywhere along Zephyrhills’ major corridors including U.S. 301/Gall Boulevard, and State Road 56.

Construction is changing the city’s landscape.

Heavy equipment prepares land for the construction of a new Radiant Gas Station and other retail on the west side of Gall Boulevard, in Zephyrhills. (Fred Bellet)

New developments include The District at Abbott Square, a master-planned community behind the Sarah Vande Berg Tennis & Wellness Center, and Abbott Park, a residential community off Dean Dairy Road.

The Zephyrhills Municipal Airport is expanding and there’s new retail at Zephyr Commons shopping complex.

These signal the city’s increasing population.

It grew from more than 13,000 residents in 2010 to more than 17,000 residents in 2020, according to data from the 2020 U.S. Census.

In addition to Abbott Square and Abbott Park, Hidden River and the Links at Calusa Springs also are adding rooftops to Zephyrhills.

“The fact is that the need for housing is just exploding statewide. Tampa is running out of space,” said Todd Vande Berg, Zephyrhills’ planning director. “We were the next logical location.”

The view from the exit of Tropical Acres on Blue Lagoon Drive will soon change as ongoing construction site preparation will transform the east side of U.S. 301.

The widening of State Road 56 to four lanes opened Zephyrhills to more development, Vande Berg said.

He also noted that city officials have worked to ensure that residential projects were not “cookie-cutter.”

Abbott Square, as an example, will offer one-story villas, two-story townhouses, and will feature three different lot sizes.

“I think people appreciate that. Not all residential is on 40-foot-wide lots like every other development,” he said.

Preserving trees, installing sidewalks and adding trails are highlights of new residential development.

Zephyrhills is building on Pasco’s countywide efforts to attract tourism through an emphasis on sports facilities such as the Sarah Vande Berg Tennis Center.

In coming months, Vande Berg said the tennis center will add dormitories to accommodate increasing interest in tournaments and training opportunities.

The facility also is attracting new residential including the Abbott Square project. The Lennar Homes development, on Simons Road behind the tennis center, will build about 700 residential units of single-family houses, townhouses, and apartments.

West of Dade City on State Road 52, a new residential development, Abbey Glen, is under construction.

Abbott Park, off Kossik Road near Zephyr Commons, is a new residential community by Metro Places.

Summerstone is a new single-family and townhome development, off State Road 56, west of Morris Bridge Road. It is located in Wesley Chapel, just a short distance west of Zephyrhills.

Chipotle’s restaurant recently opened at Zephyr Commons. Planet Fitness had a recent ribbon-cutting. Chick-Fil-A opened, too, on an outparcel of the shopping center on the northeast corner with Pretty Pond Road.

More retail is anticipated. And plans for the site include about 400 residential units.

The Pretty Pond intersection is becoming a hub for Zephyrhills shoppers, who are adding Zephyr Commons to their destinations along with established plazas along Gall Boulevard (U.S. 301), including Merchants Square, Towne View Square Shopping Center, and North Town Center.

On the west side of Gall Boulevard, at Pretty Pond, the former site of Rainbow Court and Brightside Manor mobile home park, is being prepped for new commercial development. A sign planted at the site advertises a coming Radiant gas station and convenience store. A car wash also is anticipated at the site.

Zephyrhills’ downtown, on Fifth Avenue, is enjoying its own commercial revival.

The opening of Zephyrhills Brewing Company in 2016 set the stage for renewed interest in downtown, said Melonie Monson, president, and chief executive officer of The Greater Zephyrhills Chamber of Commerce.

“It has been an economic driver,” she said. “It’s brought traffic in on weekends.”

New shops opening within the past year include Vintage Chix, a boutique clothing store; A.O.K., a sports bar featuring axe throwing; and Your Turn, a board game café that serves coffee, sandwiches, pastries, and a choice of hundreds of board games to play.

A site preparation worker makes his way through a parcel of land on Gall Boulevard, just south of North Town Center on Gall Boulevard in Zephyrhills.

Tina & Joe’s Café opened recently in the historic Jeffries House, built in 1910 for Zephyrhills’s founder Captain A. B. Jeffries. The café serves salads, sandwiches, lobster rolls and desserts.

Also, Planet Jupiter, a hookah lounge, is “coming soon” to a storefront on Fifth Avenue.

“Our downtown is really growing,” said Monson.

On Gall Boulevard, near downtown, Jerry’s Crystal Bar reopened after being ravaged by fire in 2020.

Checkers on Gall and Culver’s on Eiland Boulevard are new additions to the quick service food options.

The chamber recently hosted a ribbon-cutting for Hoops Heaven, on Chancey Road along the city’s industrial corridor. The indoor training facility offers basketball training for youth in the Zephyrhills and Wesley Chapel area.

Hoops Heaven adds to both Zephyrhills’ and Pasco County’s goal of advocating for sports and ecotourism to build economic growth and bring jobs, Vande Berg said.

“Someone came from out of town and saw a need for youth basketball,” the planning director said.

By Kathy Steele

Published January 05, 2022

Pasco County to reach 1 million by 2040?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Those include:

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

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

Those are:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Published December 01, 2021

Pasco facing apartment shortage, commissioner says

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Pasco County Commissioner Kathryn Starkey tackled a number of key topics as the featured guest speaker of the East Pasco Networking Group’s breakfast meeting earlier this month at the Sarah Vande Berg Tennis & Wellness Center in Zephyrhills.

She first addressed one of the more visible happenings — the county’s surging population growth, and its residential and commercial development.

“Obviously, you know, the county is on a tear,” Starkey opened to the group of a dozen-plus citizens during the Sept 14 gathering. “Florida’s No. 1 engine for growth is getting people to move here, and you see that happening in our county.

“We’re growing like crazy,” said Starkey, whose district seat includes southwest and south-central Pasco. “Every month we’re breaking the record on the amount of permits that we’re giving, compared to last year.”

Pasco County Commissioner Kathryn Starkey was the featured guest speaker at the East Pasco Networking Group’s Sept. 14 meeting at the Sarah Vande Berg Tennis & Wellness Center, in Zephyrhills. (Kevin Weiss)

The commissioner said she regularly receives calls from landowners who want to know if the county plans to approve their land to build apartments.

The commissioner said that Pasco is actually facing an apartment shortage, despite the many Class A luxury apartments that have gone up in recent years.

Yet, the commissioner emphasized that county leadership and decision-makers are becoming “very, very picky” on where new apartments will be placed in the area.

“We do not want to give up commercial and industrial property for apartments,” she said.

The Pasco County Commission currently has a mortarium in place for new applications for multifamily development, which includes a portion of the county that’s essentially in Wesley Chapel and Land O’ Lakes.

Starkey said county leaders have instead encouraged would-be developers to build multi-family housing in more needed areas, such as Hudson, Holiday and along U.S. 19.

It has been a challenge, as Pasco’s apartment shortage is leading to steep rent increases, Starkey said.

The county needs to have affordable housing, particularly for first responders, public servants and working-class residents, Starkey said.

“Where are our policeman and our nurses and our teachers going to live? Because when this cycle comes around again and they go to sign a new lease, they’re going to be moving out.

“They’re going to be moving to Hernando (County), they’re going to be moving to Citrus (County), and they’re going to be driving down here, and I really worry about that, so there needs to be a balance,” she said.

The apartment development industry is having trouble keeping up with Pasco’s population surge, too.

Starkey noted experts in that field all but say they build only about 1,500 units per year in the county due to the equipment and logistical hurdles.

Besides being a bedroom community for many Hillsborough County workers, the county also has experienced an influx of people moving in from the Orlando area, Starkey observed.

She believes the Orlando influx can be attributed to that region’s hospitality industry taking a hit during the course of the coronavirus pandemic.

“Orlando is sending us people like crazy,” she said. “I’m thinking when all the hospitality stuff closed up, people left and came here.”

The commissioner also touched on various county road construction projects, including the delayed Diverging Diamond Interchange project at State Road 56 and Interstate 75 in Wesley Chapel.

This work stoppage was a result of contractor D.A.B. Constructors defaulting, and ultimately filing for bankruptcy and going out of business.

The diverging diamond project has since been assumed by a bond company and awarded to Superior Construction Company Southeast LLC.

“I was very glad to see, driving up here, that they were at work on the diverging diamond,” Starkey said. “It’s going to be at least a year behind, but it is moving again.”

The new estimated date of completion is the summer of 2022, according to the Florida Department of Transportation’s website.

Published September 29, 2021

Zephyrhills tennis center changing membership packages

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The Sarah Vande Berg Tennis & Wellness Center in Zephyrhills is overhauling its membership pricing model — in an effort to streamline options, encourage more annual memberships and better capture growing demand for play.

Among the most noteworthy changes are raising seasonal and non-resident rates essentially across the board, while removing age-specific senior (over 65) and junior (17 and under) packages in favor of a comprehensive one-size-fits-all individual membership.

The Sarah Vande Berg Tennis & Wellness Center in Zephyrhills is altering its membership pricing model for the coming year. (File)

The Zephyrhills City Council approved the requests from the facility’s private operator, Tennis Pro Florida LLC, during an Aug. 23 regular meeting at Zephyrhills City Hall. Zephyrhills entered into a management agreement with Tennis Pro Florida in October 2019, when it was established that any membership changes required council approval.

Sarah Vande Berg Tennis & Wellness Center’s Chief Financial Officer Nick Walton made a presentation at the meeting on the proposed changes, expected to take effect this month, following the council’s action.

During a presentation to council members, Walton began by detailing the tennis facility’s popularity since its soft opening last September, even in the wind of the coronavirus pandemic.

The state-of-the-art complex has seen some 2,000 visitors who have been there at least once. It also has about 175 members who pay monthly dues.

“It’s been a crazy year this past year,” said Walton, emphasizing the consistent turnout.

The $4.9 million tennis complex at 6585 Simons Road in Zephyrhills is marketed as “Tampa’s first boutique-style racquet sports and wellness club.”

The city-owned, but privately operated facility offers:

  • 11 regulation-sized outdoor tennis courts (nine clay surface, two hard surface)
  • Eight outdoor pickleball courts
  • Four outdoor padel courts
  • Outdoor multipurpose turf field
  • A nearly 8,000-square-foot indoor clubhouse, featuring a full-service restaurant/cafe, fitness center, salt room, yoga room, cryotherapy chamber and pro shop

Tennis center leadership is striving to attract more annual members, and to encourage patrons to use more of the facility’s supplementary offerings, beyond tennis, Walton said.

“We have people coming once a month, they pay the non-member rate, but what we want is people to become members, so they’re kind of incentivized to come every single week, and enjoy all of the services that we have to offer,” he said.

Simplifying its existing membership model will help, Walton said, which he labeled “a little confusing currently, because there’s so many levels.”

Changes include tapering membership combinations from 72 different options down to 24 choices.

Sarah Vande Berg Tennis & Wellness Center Chief Financial Officer Nick Walton. (Courtesy of Sarah Vande Berg Tennis & Wellness Center)

Membership increases for seasonal, non-residents
The most significant price hikes will be coming to six-month, seasonal membership offerings —to both Zephyrhills and non-Zephyrhills residents.

A seasonal, tennis-only membership was set at $160 total for Zephyrhills residents and $200 total for non-residents.

Now those rates will more than double —  to $344 total for Zephyrhills residents and $430 total for non-residents.

Other activities show similar seasonal hikes.

A seasonal, pickleball-only membership jumps from $120 total to $264 total for Zephyrhills residents, then from $150 total to $330 total for non-residents.

Annual rates for non-residents are slated to go up, to varying degrees, too.

Encouraging more activities, beyond tennis
Walton went on to discuss the facility’s current supply and demand issue for tennis, in comparison to myriad other sports and activities.

Because tennis is “overwhelmingly” the facility’s largest attraction, that’s causing issues with accommodating adequate court space needs for all users during the evenings, he said.

While “a great problem to have” in one sense, Walton said, the facility is working on inventive ways to encourage other offerings, too. This may include offering one-week trials and other specials highlighting pickleball, padel, fitness classes and so on.

“We don’t want to box anyone out with pricing, but we want to allow ourselves to make money, and we’re almost maxed out with the tennis community,” Walton said. “We almost want to say, ‘Look, we’re not going to sell anymore tennis-only memberships, because we’re running out of courts.”

The council unanimously approved the facility’s membership model request, following some back-and-forth discussion.

Councilman Charles Proctor summarized the membership changes: “We all know, prices go up, so you’re going to have to raise the price, that’s inevitable, so I mean, I don’t have any problem with what I’m seeing here.”

Meanwhile, the Sarah Vande Berg Tennis & Wellness Center has grander plans in play in the next year or so.

The city received a $4.7 million state appropriation this year to construct six additional outdoor hard tennis courts, as well as a 30,000-square-foot indoor tennis facility with the capability for other sports and activities, such as soccer, ping pong, banquets and ceremonies.

Another membership step is expected in September 2022, in advance of the targeted completion of the additional outdoor courts and indoor multipurpose facility.

Visit SVBTennisCenter.com for more information.

Published September 08, 2021

Zephyrhills keeps busy — with lots of irons in the fire

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The City of Zephyrhills is involved in numerous initiatives, and City Manager Billy Poe recently updated the city’s elected leaders on what’s happening on numerous fronts.

For one thing, a staff-level meeting has been scheduled with state Sen. Danny Burgess, state Rep. Randy Maggard and the Pasco Economic Development Council regarding “future opportunities” at the Zephyrhills Municipal Airport, Poe told members of the Zephyrhills City Council, at its Aug. 9 meeting.

He also informed them that the Florida Army National Guard is still evaluating parcels in the area of the municipal airport to build an armory — a project that’s received $25 million in state funding.

Poe told council members that the National Guard plans to purchase a property, instead of lease property from the city, as originally anticipated.

Funding for the armory project must be encumbered by 2024 and completely spent by 2026, Poe said.

The city manager also said that staff is hammering out a new lease agreement for the Zephyrhills Municipal Golf Course, an 18-hole, par 68 course, at 39248 B Ave., in Zephyrhills. It’s expected to be presented during an Aug. 23 council meeting.

At one point the golf course was being considered as a possible location for the armory building.

Poe also told council members that appropriation funding requests to present to the 2022 state legislative session will be evaluated and finalized during the council’s Aug. 23 meeting.

Staff and council members have been tasked to prepare ideas and input on necessary projects within the city limits, to present to state legislators.

Poe noted: “You know, the things that they (legislators) look at the most are projects that are economic drivers, so that’s what we need to be thinking about.”

The annual Pasco County Legislative Delegation public meeting is scheduled for Sept. 1 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., at Zephyrhills City Hall, on 5335 Eighth St. Legislators to be present include Senators Wilton Simpson, Ed Hooper and Danny Burgess, and Representatives Amber Mariano, Ardian Zika and Randy Maggard.

Poe also told council members that progress is being made on the 2021-2022 fiscal year budget, which is undergoing “a few changes or some additions.”

In another update, Poe noted the Sarah Vande Berg Tennis & Wellness Center is set to host the SVB Padel Open, from Aug. 27 through Aug. 29.

The tournament initially was promoted as an international padel tournament — featuring a team from Spain — but has been scaled back to feature just local competition, amid coronavirus-related travel restrictions, Poe said.

Another padel tournament incorporating international competition is expected to be scheduled at a later date, he said.

Finally, the city manager said that city staff is working on making applications for Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds for these projects:

  • Transforming Seventh Street into a complete street
  • Purchasing and installing generators for the city’s utilities department
  • Construction of a city maintenance yard.

Published August 18, 2021

Zephyrhills city manager earns solid performance marks

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The verdict is in: Zephyrhills City Manager Billy Poe is doing a pretty bang-up job.

That’s the general consensus of the Zephyrhills City Council in its performance review of Poe, shared during the council’s July 12 meeting.

Poe earned a combined 4.21 on a rating scale of 1 to 5, with 1 meaning needs improvement and 5 meaning exceeds expectations.

Zephyrhills City Manager Billy Poe (File)

Here’s how the scores for Poe broke down:

Council President Alan Knight: 4.84
Councilman Ken Burgess: 4.68
Councilman Charlie Proctor: 4.27
Councilman Lance Smith: 3.82
Council Vice President Jodi Wilkeson: 3.43

The 12-page evaluation covered a period from June 2020 to June 2021.

The review consisted of 10 key performance measures — personal, professional skills and status, relations with elected members, policy execution, reporting, citizen relations, staffing, supervision, community, and fiscal management.

The evaluation also gave council members an opportunity to respond to specific questions and include comments pertinent to the rating period. Those specifics could include the city manager’s strengths, performance areas needing improvement and constructive suggestions.

The results were submitted to Lori Hillman, the city clerk; Sandra Amerson, human resources director; and, Pasco County.

After the results were shared, several council members offered remarks about the city’s operations under Poe’s management.

Smith and Burgess each simply stated the city manager is “doing a good job.”

Burgess added: “I think everything is running along pretty good right now.”

Knight was more effusive in his praise. He said Poe is “doing a great job.”

Knight elaborated: “Things that are being done for this city and the growth and all, I’m just real proud of everything. Once again, Mr. Poe, we’re very proud. I know I’m very proud of the job you do.”

Poe’s evaluation period coincides with several noteworthy changes for the municipality. Those include consolidation of the city’s longstanding fire department into Pasco County; the opening of the multimillion-dollar Sarah Vande Berg Tennis & Wellness Center; progress on the U.S. 301/Pretty Pond Road signalized intersection project; the launch of the city’s first social media accounts; and, the hiring of its first public information officer.

Poe became Zephyrhills’ city manager during a period of massive residential growth in the city — with over 2,400 homes under construction, not including the numerous developments currently in the negotiation stage. As a result of the growth, an estimated 6,000 people could move into the city within the next two years to five years.

He previously served as city manager in Dade City in 2008, a position he held for over a decade.

He left Dade City to become the assistant city manager in Zephyrhills, in November 2018, then stepped up to replace retiring city manager Steve Spina in July 2019.

Published July 28, 2021

Pasco gains state funding for wide assortment of projects

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Initially, things were looking pretty bleak on the state fiscal front — before the last session of the Florida Legislature.

Pasco County Commissioner Kathryn Starkey recalled some previous remarks from the county’s state lobbyist, Shawn Foster, of Sunrise Consulting.

“Before session started, you were like: ‘This is going to be a really bad session. We’re going to be billions of dollars in the hole,’” Starkey said, during the Pasco County Commission’s June 22 meeting.

Foster said that was before the dollars that came in from the America Rescue Act.

Nearly 10% of the state’s $101.5 billion came from the federal government, Foster said.

“If it had not been for that $10 billion that we got from the federal government, there would be no good here. There would be no good,” Foster said.

Without the federal money, he added: “There would be none of these projects on here, none of these other big grants.”

Instead, “the state took $7 billion of the American Rescue Act and implemented it into this year and held off another $3 billion for the next budget,” Foster said.

Instead of being decimated, the statewide budget includes:

  • $1 billion for community substance abuse and mental health
  • $3.2 million for homeless program challenge grants
  • $500 million for the Resilient Florida Trust Fund and programs
  • $626 million for septic to sewer and stormwater improvements
  • $146.7 million for the State Housing Initiative Partnership program
  • $74 million for the Florida Job Growth Grant Fund, including $24 million from last year
  • $1.5 billion in the Emergency Rental Assistance Program

The county can apply directly for funding through the Septic to Sewer/Stormwater Improvement program, Foster said.

“That was our Sen. (Wilton) Simpson’s priority and has been for years. I think it started with an idea a few years ago; it was $50 million. So, to see it up to $626 (million) is amazing.”

The lobbyist also noted that the Emergency Rental Assistance Program is one in which constituents can make direct applications, through OurFlorida.com.

Three Pasco County projects also went through to the governor.

Those were:

  • $6.5 million for the Handcart Road water and wastewater improvements
  • $200,000 for the Ackerman Street drainage improvements
  • $3,818,208 for the Lindrick sewer and water quality

“The county as a whole, really did well,” said Ralph Lair, the county’s intergovernmental affairs officer.

Other county projects receiving funding were:

  • $3 million to extend the runway at Zephyrhills Municipal Airport
  • $4,665,000 for the Sarah Vande Berg Tennis & Wellness Center in Zephyrhills
  • $25 million for a Florida National Guard Armory in Zephyrhills
  • $1.25 million for a CARES One-Stop Senior Center in Dade City
  • $450,000 for AmSkills Workforce Training
  • $25 million for a Pasco-Hernando State College student success and community engagement center in Dade City
  • $34,738 for a Pasco Association of Challenged Kids Summer Camp
  • $5 million for Metropolitan Ministries to expand its campus in Pasco County
  • $700,000 for Bridging Freedom Program in Pasco County

While Commissioner Mike Moore expressed gratitude for this year’s appropriations, he said the county needs to focus on securing funding to address flooding issues in areas such as Quail Hollow and around Eiland Boulevard.

“That needs to be a big focus, going forward,” Moore said. “Those are very important. Those affect our citizens on a day-to-day basis,” he said.

Commissioner Kathryn Starkey said she’d like to follow the Pinellas County Commission’s example of meeting with their county legislative delegation and with their federal legislative delegation.

She wants Pasco to be more proactive in seeking state and federal funding to help address county needs.

Foster expressed optimism about the state’s revenue prospects for next year.

Committee meetings will begin in the fall, and the next session of the legislature is set to start Jan. 11 and end on March 11.

Published July 07, 2021

Zephyrhills council to weigh in on city manager

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Zephyrhills City Council soon will be sharing their evaluation of how well City Manager Billy Poe has been performing his job during the past year.

Council members will be completing an annual performance evaluation of Poe, with the aim to “provide important feedback to the city manager identifying areas of strengths and accomplishments, as well as areas in which improvement may be needed,” according to a city memo dated June 14.

Zephyrhills City Manager Billy Poe

The evaluation covers a period from June 2020 to June 2021.

Council members are expected to complete the evaluation form and submit to Mayor Gene Whitfield by June 25.

Whitfield will summarize a report during the next regular council meeting scheduled for July 12 at 6 p.m., at Zephyrhills City Hall Council Chambers, 5335 Eighth St., in Zephyrhills.

The 12-page evaluation form consists of 10 key performance measures — personal, professional skills and status, relations with elected members, policy execution, reporting, citizen relations, staffing, supervision, community, and fiscal management.

Performance levels are factored based on a rating scale numbered from 1 (needs improvement) to 5 (exceeds above expectations).

The evaluation also contains a section with an opportunity for council members to enter responses to specific questions and list any comments pertinent to the rating period, such as the city manager’s strengths and performance areas that need improvement, with additional room for constructive suggestions.

The evaluation period coincides with several noteworthy changes for the municipality, including consolidation of the city’s longstanding fire department into Pasco County; opening of the multi-million dollar Sarah Vande Berg Tennis & Wellness Center; progress on the U.S. 301/Pretty Pond Road signalized intersection project to pave way for commercial development such as a soon-to-be Chick-fil-A and Chipotle franchises along Gall Boulevard; the launch of the city’s first social media accounts and the hiring of its first public information officer, among other happenings.

Poe has deep ties to the East Pasco community.

Born and raised in Zephyrhills, he began his career as an intern with Zephyrhills city administration, then spent several years working as an assistant city planner.

Poe landed the role of city manager role in Dade City in 2008, a position he held for over a decade.

He left Dade City to become the assistant city manager in Zephyrhills, in November 2018, then stepped up to replace retiring city manager Steve Spina in July 2019.

Poe became Zephyrhills’ city manager during a period of massive residential growth in the city — with over 2,400 homes under construction, not including the numerous developments currently in the negotiation stage. As a result of the growth, an estimated 6,000 people could move into the city within the next two to five years.

Published June 23, 2021

Maggard addresses state budget, new laws

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District 38 state Rep. Randy Maggard has reason to be upbeat.

After all, Gov. Ron DeSantis recently signed a record $101.5 billion state budget for fiscal year 2020-2021 — making it official during a notable June 2 appearance at Zephyrhills City Hall.

The state budget allocates more than $66 million East Pasco projects alone, including:

  • $25 million for new facilities at Pasco-Hernando State College’s Dade City Campus
  • $25 million for a new Florida National Guard armory in Zephyrhills
  • $6.5 million for water and wastewater improvements on Handcart Road
  • $4.6 million for improvements to the Sarah Vande Berg Tennis & Wellness Center
  • $3 million for improvements to the Zephyrhills Municipal Airport

Maggard — who was born in Dade City and grew up in Zephyrhills — gave a positive account of the  latest legislative session and provided other news, as the featured guest speaker for the Greater Zephyrhills Chamber of Commerce’s June 3 business breakfast meeting at Golden Corral in Zephyrhills.

District 38 state Rep. Randy Maggard, R-Dade City (Courtesy of Florida House of Representatives)

“We have a lot of good things to talk about,” said Maggard, who represents Dade City, Wesley Chapel and Zephyrhills, among other areas, in the Florida House of Representatives.

“Pasco, East Pasco especially, did really well this year,” the state lawmaker said.

Maggard particularly credited the county’s legislative delegation — singling out Senate President Wilton Simpson, a Republican from Trilby and state Sen. Danny Burgess, a Republican from Zephyrhills — for myriad strides made on behalf of East Pasco during the past legislative session.

The legislator otherwise emphasized that the region’s municipalities, businesses and educational institutions have a “prime opportunity” to garner state funding for other future projects and initiatives with the current legislative leadership.

“I can’t say enough about the work the delegation did to help East Pasco,” Maggard said. “This is your time, because you only get these moons and stars to line up so often, when you have people (in the state legislature) from here (in East Pasco).”

Bullish about bills
Maggard detailed several pieces of legislation that he supported, and which ultimately became Florida laws during the recent session.

For instance, he told the audience that the state’s enhanced “right-to-farm” law expands protections for farmers by generally making it more difficult for residents to sue over the impacts of agriculture operations — whether for flooding, burn fields or other reasons.

“You would not believe the lawsuits filed against farmers,” said Maggard. “They get sued more than you’ll ever know.”

The speaker underscored “the pressure” Florida farmers face relating to rapid growth and development — noting the state is now netting about 1,000 new residents per day.

“The farming industry is a lot bigger and we do a lot more than people realize,” Maggard said.

He also talked about a new state law that limits civil liability against businesses for damages related to COVID-19 — creating separate standards and procedures for lawsuits against general businesses and entities versus litigation against healthcare providers.

In other words, the law is designed to protect restaurants, retail shops and other establishments from lawsuits if an individual contracts COVID-19 in those places.

“We had to do something to protect our businesses,” the lawmaker said.

“I can tell you, certain sides were ganging up and getting ready to unload on businesses off of easy and cheap lawsuits, saying, ‘Oh, my constituent got COVID in your establishment,’ and the numbers were startling how they were lining up for that to happen, so I’m particularly proud of that bill that protects the businesses,” he said.

Another bill Maggard helped push through was enhanced civics education programming for public school districts and charter schools, requiring Florida high school students to earn three social studies credits covering U.S. history, world history, economics and U.S. government.

It also requires the Florida Department of Education to develop or approve integrated civic education curriculum that meets certain requirements, including “a comparative discussion of political ideologies, such as communism and totalitarianism, that conflict with the principles of freedom and democracy essential toward the founding principles of the Unites States,” according to the bill’s text.

The lawmaker said the legislation is needed to educate youth on the perils of communism and socialism beyond “what the world paints, that it’s a little rosy picture.”

“We forget what we have. We forget these freedoms,” said Maggard. “If we don’t teach it, maybe it’s our fault.”

The state representative also addressed the governor’s signing HB1, the so-called “anti-riot” bill, which increases penalties for bad actors who turn otherwise peaceful and constitutional protests into violent assemblies where law enforcement officers are attacked and public and private property is destroyed.

The bill signed into law in mid-April came in the wake of civil unrest throughout the country over the last couple years.

Maggard observed of the highly-publicized legislation: “(It’s) basically saying, you’re not going to defund your police department, and if you want to protest, it’s fine to protest, you have that right, but you’re not going to burn down the Golden Corral to do it, you’re not going to burn down the bank across the street to do it.

“There’s a lot of ways you can (protest) in this country, freely. You can walk up and down this road, but you’re not going to burn anything down. That’s not freedom of speech, that’s called rioting. Rioting’s against the law. We all work hard for this. we all work hard for what we do every day, and I think it’s a great bill, actually. It’s sad that we even have to have a bill like this.”

Maggard also shared his viewpoint on the controversial law prohibiting transgender athletes from competing in female sports, dubbed the “Fairness in Women’s Sports Act.”

Signed by DeSantis on June 1, the law specifies an athletic team or sport that is designated for females, women, or girls may not be open to students of the male sex, based on the student’s biological sex listed on the student’s official birth certificate at the time of birth.

The bill applies the requirements to interscholastic, intercollegiate, intramural, or club athletic teams or sports that are sponsored by a public secondary school, high school, public college, or university institution.

Maggard said the law “doesn’t allow boys and men to play in girls’ sports,” a comment which a drew rounds of applause from Zephyrhills Chamber members in attendance.

The lawmaker acknowledged the transgender community’s perspective, but also remarked, “How about the other 99.5% of folks? My granddaughter, I’m thinking of her during these conversations.”

The entire measure brought about what Maggard labeled as “interesting testimony” from all involved parties.

“That was a bill we got a lot flak over, but it’s just right,” he said.

“You would not believe the hate e-mails and phone calls we got from that. It was quite interesting,” he said.

Maggard elsewhere described being “most proud of” of a pair of other bills, one related to reclaimed water reuse technology requirements for utility companies; another related to auditing requirements and increased scrutiny of independent special taxing districts.

Meanwhile, Maggard said DeSantis deserves “big credit” for keeping the Sunshine State open and restrictions relaxed amid the coronavirus crisis.

“Not everybody liked it, not everybody was for it,” said Maggard, “but I can tell you, at the end of the day, ask the rest of the nation, when we talk to all of them, they want to be Florida. “People want to go back to work, people didn’t want to quit working, and the kids wanted to go back to school.

“I think we need to thank our governor for standing up, because I’ll tell you what, he took a lot of criticism, a lot of hit from that,” Maggard said.

Published June 16, 2021

Florida Governor pens $101.5 billion budget in Zephyrhills

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It’s not very often the governor makes a public appearance in Zephyrhills, let alone to make a major statewide announcement.

But that’s what happened on June 2, when Florida Governor Ron DeSantis appeared at Zephyrhills City Hall for a state budget-signing ceremony — penning into law a record-setting $101.5 billion budget for fiscal year 2021-2022.

City of Zephyrhills administrators and officials pose for a picture with Gov. Ron DeSantis outside of Zephyrhills City Hall. From left: Council President Alan Knight, City Attorney Matt Maggard, Councilman Ken Burgess, Mayor Gene Whitfield, DeSantis, Council Vice President Jodi Wilkeson and City Manager Billy Poe. (Courtesy of City of Zephyrhills)

The invite-only press conference drew several dozens of area residents, business owners and government officials, in a standing-room only affair.

“It’s great to be in Pasco County,” DeSantis said, opening his speech. “It’s great to be here.”

The Republican governor was accompanied by several members of the Republican-led state legislature, including Florida Senate President Wilton Simpson (R-Trilby), Florida House Speaker Chris Sprowls (R-Palm Harbor), state Rep. Randy Maggard (R-Dade City), state Rep. Ardian Zika (R-Land O’ Lakes), state Sen. Danny Burgess, (R-Zephyrhills), state Rep. Amber Mariano (R-Hudson), and state Sen. Kelli Stargel (R-Lakeland), among others.

As for dropping by the City of Pure Water, DeSantis acknowledged plans to stop somewhere in the Tampa Bay region for one of his multiple budget-signing ceremonies. He took input from Simpson and others for an ideal spot in Pasco — which figured to be Zephyrhills’ multimillion dollar statuesque municipal building built in 2018.

The trip from Tallahassee also coincided with particularly strong results for Zephyrhills and the greater East Pasco area, which combined to receive over $40 million in appropriations alone, including:

  • $25 million for new facilities at Pasco-Hernando State College’s Dade City Campus
  • $6.5 million for water and wastewater improvements on Handcart Road
  • $4.6 million for improvements to the Sarah Vande Berg Tennis & Wellness Center
  • $3 million for improvements to the Zephyrhills Municipal Airport
  • $25 million for a new Florida National Guard armory somewhere in Zephyrhills

Altogether, DeSantis stated the county and region “did very well” in the latest budget, and therefore “should feel very proud.”

The governor observed Florida’s largest budget in history overall was made possible because the state reopened more rapidly compared to others across the United States, resulting in unexpected economic and revenue boosts amid the coronavirus crisis.

Governor lauds reopening state
“We made a decision,” DeSantis said, “as other states kept locking their citizens down, we lift people up in Florida.”

Aside from the $101.5 billion, the 2021-2022 budget leaves another $9.5 billion in reserves, for hurricane relief and other unforeseen circumstances.

Gov. Ron DeSantis makes the record-setting $101.5 billion state budget official, during a June 2 invite-only press conference at Zephyrhills City Hall.

It also implements a program designed to cut taxes by $169 million and includes the first seven-day freedom week sales tax holiday, a 10-day back-to-school sales tax holiday and a 10-day disaster preparedness sales tax holiday.

Meanwhile, DeSantis’ vetoes totaled $1.5 billion from this session. He labeled the cuts as mainly “back of the bill” items related to the state’s general and trust funds.

Relatedly, the governor pointed out Florida’s budget is less than half of New York State’s $212 billion mark, despite having “millions of fewer people than we do.”

He added: “We’re very prudent with how we spend our money.”

Throughout the 30-minute briefing, DeSantis hyped up the budget’s commitment to issues regarding education, environmental protection, and mental health.

Said DeSantis, “I think, all thing’s considered, you look at a lot of the major issues, and I think the legislature did a really good job to address all of the key issues, so I thank them for that.”

On the education front, there’s roughly $23 billion for the kindergarten through 12th grade system, plus $2 billion for early childhood education. The budget also includes $1,000 bonuses for teachers and principals in the state’s public and charter schools “because they had to work extra hard,” during the pandemic, DeSantis said.

About $2.5 billion is set to address mental health and substance abuse across all associated agencies. DeSantis specifically cited $137.6 million for community-based services for adults and children with behavioral health needs; $120 million for school-related mental health initiatives; and, $5.5 million for youth mental health awareness and assistance.

Noteworthy environmental-related response includes a $500 million stormwater infrastructure grant program — with another $100 million in recurring funds — where Florida cities and communities can apply as needed. There’s also $155 million for beach renourishment, “which is important when you have 1,300 miles of coastline,” DeSantis said.

Another notable budget item: $1,000 bonuses for roughly 175,000 first responders throughout Florida, including police, fire and other emergency medical personnel.

DeSantis underscored the challenges of such jobs throughout the pandemic, as reasoning for creating the bonus pool.

“We understood when COVID hit, there’s folks in white-collar jobs that could work from home, or remote, but the people in uniform have to show up every day.

“They can’t keep the streets safe on Zoom, you can’t put out a fire on Zoom, you’ve just gotta be there, and they were there from the very beginning, day in and day out,” he said.

The governor overall was bullish on the Sunshine State during his in-town visit, emphasizing the increasing number people who’ve relocated and vacationed here — be it related to climate and weather, property values, or fewer COVID-19 restrictions.

“We really served as kind of a respite for other citizens of our country in states that were chafing under these lockdowns,” he said. “I can tell you, I think there’s a lot of people in the last year, year-and-a-half, that have said, ‘Thank God I live in Florida.’”

Meantime, the Florida Senate Democratic Caucus released a joint statement on the day of the governor’s budget signing:

“Thanks to President Joe Biden and Democrats in Congress passing the ‘American Rescue Plan,’ the governor can tout a state budget that helps Florida recover from the pandemic, allocating billions for the environment, public schools, and community health care.  A big chunk of the $10 billion from the federal stimulus act added to a bounty of transportation and economic development projects all over the state. The money even allowed the governor to dole out $1,000 bonuses to law enforcement, firefighters, and other frontline emergency workers,” the statement reads.

“Unfortunately, as he took his victory lap to hand out the bonuses, and brag about the many programs rescued as a result of the federal help, the governor never once directed thanks to those who made this possible. It was a crass example of freeloading off the hard work of others he doesn’t want to acknowledge because he doesn’t agree with their politics. Shame on the governor. When the president and congressional Democrats stepped up to the plate, there were no political litmus tests. There was only the question of how to help. And how to do so quickly.”

Published June 09, 2021