The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

West Pasco Judicial Center

Pasco County government buys office space

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As Pasco County grows, so does its need for government office space.

The Pasco County Commission has approved the purchase of the Liberty Professional Center at 8606, 8624 and 8630 Government Drive, in New Port Richey.

The county purchased the three Class A buildings for $4.2 million, plus closing costs. The buildings make up more than 19,000 square feet.

The purchase is in keeping with the county’s Facilities Master Plan.

The location of the office buildings, which is south of and adjacent to the West Pasco Judicial Center, makes it ideal for the county, according to a memo in the board’s agenda packet for its July 12 meeting.

In other action, the county board:

  • Approved a task order for Alfred Benesch & Company in an amount not to exceed $126,856.12 for a Pasco County Greenways, Trailways and Blueways Master Plan. The work will involve planning services that will build upon past and current efforts to lay the groundwork for countywide greenways trails and blueways systems that connects communities, provide recreational opportunities, and complements or supplements existing recreational and transportation infrastructure.
  • Approved a professional services agreement with American Consulting Engineers of Florida LLC, in the amount of $573,434.27 for the Tower Road Route Study and Pond Siting Analysis Report, from west of Sunlake Boulevard to east of U.S. 41.
  • Authorized the county administrator or his designee to make binding incentive offers for parcels to be acquired in eminent domain proceedings for the Wesley Chapel Boulevard (County Road 54) widening project.

Using incentive offers is deemed to be a way to achieve significant savings by avoiding considerable costs that can be incurred in the process, according to materials in the county board’s July 12 agenda packet.

The county board has agreed with the county attorney’s recommendation to allow offers not to exceed 120% of the county’s written appraisal report of the affected property.

  • Approved an amendment to a task order with Williamson Dacar Associates to extend the completion date on the Land O’ Lakes Branch Library project, by 90 days, to Sept. 23. The change also increases the purchase authority by $6,3500, bringing the new not-to-exceed total amount to $211,800. The extension is needed to allow for additional site inspections resulting from unforeseen delays from material shortages.
  • Approved an amendment to a task order with Williamson Dacar Associates to extend the completion date on the Hugh Embry Branch Library to Aug. 8. The change also includes an increase in the purchase authority of $4,450, bringing the new not-to-exceed total to $152,825. The extension is needed to allow for additional site inspections resulting from unforeseen delays from material shortages.

Published July 27, 2022

The Big Shred IV helps people dispose of documents

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If you have some sensitive or outdated documents you want to destroy, The Big Shred IV may be just the thing for you.

Pasco County Clerk & Comptroller Nikki Alvarez-Sowles directs traffic in the rain at the Big Shred event last year, in Dade City. (Courtesy of Pasco County Clerk & Comptroller)

Pasco County Clerk & Comptroller Nikki Alvarez-Sowles has set two dates to give area residents the opportunity to safely dispose of documents they no longer need, according to a news release.

Last year, the event drew about 350 area residents who got rid of about 7.5 tons of documents. Over the three years the event has been held, more than 24 tons of documents have been shredded.

The times and dates for this year’s events are:

  • Jan. 30, 10 a.m. to noon: West Pasco Judicial Center, 7530 Little Road, New Port Richey
  • Feb. 6, 10 a.m. to noon: Robert Sumner Judicial Center, 38053 Live Oak Ave., Dade City

People who bring documents to be destroyed can watch while they are shredded.

Those wishing to take advantage of the service can bring in up to three copier-paper boxes or two tall kitchen trash bags of paper documents.

Staples, paper clips or other metal clasps must be removed.

“Last year, at New Port Richey, we had 5.5 tons of paper (shredded at the event),” Alvarez-Sowles said, at the Pasco County Commission’s Jan. 12 meeting.

She noted that 264 cars came through that line.

In Dade City, the event was held on a rainy day, reducing the turnout. At that event, there were 82 cars, which yielded 2 tons of shredded paper that day.

Published January 20, 2021

Pasco drivers can save money on fines this week

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Operation Green Light gives motorists a chance to pay unpaid court fines and fees, and get back onto the road, at a reduced price.

The event is happening in Pasco County from Nov. 18 through Nov. 20.

By paying their fines during this window of opportunity, drivers can save big on collections, penalties, and interest, according to a news release from the office of Pasco County Clerk & Comptroller Nikki Alvarez-Sowles.

“This is an important moment for drivers who have seen their licenses suspended over unpaid court obligations,” Alvarez-Sowles said, in the release. “So much of our modern lives depends on having reliable transportation, and for most of us, that means being able to drive.

“During Operation Green Light, penalties, interest, and collections fees that have been piling up can, in many cases, be waived. For those who can’t pay their obligations in total, we offer payment plans that allow driving privileges to be restored, too.”

There are three ways to participate: in person, phone, online.

Deputy Clerks will be available at both courthouses – the Robert Sumner Judicial Center (Dade City) and the West Pasco Judicial Center (New Port Richey) – during business hours, which are 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., for in-person assistance.

Sidelined motorists can skip the trip and get squared away by telephone: (352) 521-4542, Option 1; or (727) 847-8031, Option 2, between 7:30 a.m. and 6 p.m.

And, anytime during the three-day event, access will be offered to a special Operation Green Light web page: https://www.pascoclerk.com/856/Operation-Green-Light.

Those with licenses suspended over failure to pay child support, DUI, failure to complete a driver’s course ordered by the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV), traffic-related felony, or deemed by FLHSMV as a habitual traffic offender may not be eligible to participate, according to the release.

Drivers wanting to get a grasp on the financial obligations pending against their license may check their status here: https://services.flhsmv.gov/DLCheck/.

Published November 18, 2020