The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

New Port Richey

Pasco-Hernando State College chooses new president

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Timothy Beard has been selected to become Pasco-Hernando State College’s fourth president.

The PHSC District Board of Trustees announced its choice at the conclusion of its presidential search, on March 18.

Timothy Beard has been selected to become the fourth president of Pasco-Hernando State College. In choosing Beard, the college’s board went with someone who already knows the college and is ready to build on its strengths (Courtesy of Pasco-Hernando State College)
Timothy Beard has been selected to become the fourth president of Pasco-Hernando State College. In choosing Beard, the college’s board went with someone who already knows the college and is ready to build on its strengths
(Courtesy of Pasco-Hernando State College)

Beard, vice president of student development and enrollment management at PHSC in New Port Richey, was among a field of four finalists. The other finalists worked at Klamath Community College in Klamath Falls, Oregon; West Virginia University at Parkersburg, Parkersburg, West Virginia; and, St. Petersburg College in St. Petersburg.

They decided to promote Beard to replace Katherine Johnson, who is retiring on June 30.

Beard’s appointment becomes effective July 1, pending the successful outcome of contract negotiations.

“We are pleased to extend an offer for the presidential position to Dr. Beard,” Ed Blommel, PHSC District Board of Trustees and presidential search committee chair, said in a release. “As a senior administrator at PHSC for the past eight years, he is already familiar with the college and has an understanding of its strategic goals and mission.”

Beard is delighted to be stepping into the college’s leadership role.

“This is a surreal opportunity,” said Beard, who has worked for the college since 2007 and expects to build on the good work that has been accomplished there.

Before joining PHSC, Beard was vice president and dean of student affairs at the University of South Alabama in Mobile, and director of student affairs and enrollment management at Florida A&M University in Tallahassee.

He earned his doctoral degree in rehabilitation counseling, with a special emphasis in higher education administration, from Florida State University in Tallahassee. He also has a master’s and a bachelor’s degree in rehabilitation counseling from FSU.

Pasco-Hernando State College has more than 15,000 students and about 700 employees, including adjunct faculty.

Pasco-Hernando State College awards certificates, diplomas, associate degrees and baccalaureate degrees.

The college has campuses in Dade City, Wesley Chapel, New Port Richey, Spring Hill and Brooksville.

Beard said he plans to pursue an initiative that would enlist the help of faith communities and other organizations to help support students, through scholarships and in other ways.

He is looking forward to strengthening the ties between PHSC and the communities it serves.

“I really want to bring the community into the college and the college into the community,” Beard said.

Published March 25, 2015

Lowe’s is hiring workers for new Land O’ Lakes store

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Construction is down to the wire at the new Lowe’s Home Improvement warehouse on State Road 54, east of U.S. 41.

Job training for new hires is in full swing and applications are being accepted online for up to 160 job openings anticipated by company officials.

A pedestrian makes her way past the safety fence in front of the new Lowe's store that is aiming to open in April. (Fred Bellet/Photo)
A pedestrian makes her way past the safety fence in front of the new Lowe’s store that is aiming to open in April.
(Fred Bellet/Photo)

The store is aiming for an April opening is expected this spring.

“Everybody, everybody is asking ‘when are you going to open the doors?’” said Steve Petrone, Lowe’s pro services specialist.

When the store does open area residents in Land O’ Lakes will have a hometown, one-stop Lowe’s warehouse for their do-it-yourself projects, Petrone said.

The 152,000-square-foot store is across from the Village Lakes Shopping Center. It is Pasco County’s third Lowe’s location.

The other stores are in Zephyrhills and New Port Richey.

Lowe’s began accepting job applications in October.

Some of the employees opening the new store worked at other Lowe’s locations and competed for openings because they wanted to work in Land O’ Lakes, closer to their homes, Petrone said.

Those who are interested in applying should visit Lowe’s website, Careers.lowes.com, to find job postings and submit separate applications for each job the applicant would like to pursue.

The job list changes, so repeat visits to the site are useful, Petrone said.

Recent job listings were for delivery driver and seasonal inside garden customer service associate.

Before it has its soft opening, Lowe’s will be making its local presence felt by being the principal sponsor for Central Pasco Chamber of Commerce’s 2015 Community Fun Day and Business Expo.

The two-day event is free and open to the public. It will highlight businesses and service providers in the northern area of Hillsborough and the central area of Pasco counties.

Hours for that event are March 6 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., and March 7 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The expo will be at the Land O’ Lakes Recreation Complex, 3032 Collier Parkway in Land O’ Lakes.

Lowe’s associates will be on hand to answer questions about indoor and outdoor repairs or remodeling chores. They can help with items such as paint choices and color schemes, Petrone said.

For gardeners, there will be experts who can give helpful tips on how to grow healthy lawns and get rid of pesky insects.

There will be an activity that gives families a chance to grow, build and bond, too, on March 7.

Lowe’s is enthused about its new Land O’ Lakes location.

“We’re chomping at the bit to get started,” Petrone said.

Published February 11, 2015

Pasco officials to discuss potential charter government

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The Pasco County Commission is having a workshop to explore whether a charter form of government would be in the best interest of residents.

The meeting is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m., on Feb. 12 at the West Pasco Government Center, in the boardroom on the first floor. The government center is at 8731 Citizens Drive in New Port Richey.

Pasco County Commission Chairman Ted Schrader said Pasco County commissioners should be prepared to ask plenty of questions about the charter form of government when the board holds a workshop on the issue on Feb.
Pasco County Commission Chairman Ted Schrader said Pasco County commissioners should be prepared to ask plenty of questions about the charter form of government when the board holds a workshop on the issue on Feb.

Switching to a charter government could lead to massive changes in Pasco County government.

State Rep. Richard Corcoran, R-Land O’ Lakes, is advocating that Pasco voters be allowed the option to vote on whether the county should shift to a government governed by a charter.

Pasco County Tax Collector Mike Fasano thinks shifting to a charter government would lead to higher taxes and more layers of bureaucracy.

Commissioners discussed the idea at their Jan. 13 meeting, then decided to call a workshop for a more detailed look at the issue.

Under state law, either a majority of county commissioners or a petition signed by 15 percent of the county’s registered voters can create a charter commission. In Pasco, that would require more than 46,000 signatures.

Once a panel is formed, it has 18 months to complete a charter that Pasco voters would adopt or reject.

At the Jan. 13 meeting, Pasco County attorney Jeffrey Steinsnyder said there are 20 charter counties operating across the state’s 67 counties.

The charter dictates the shape that the government will take, he said.

At the board’s Jan. 27 meeting, Schrader reminded commissioners of the upcoming workshop and encouraged them to find out about how charter government works in other jurisdictions.

“We need to make sure we ask as many questions as possible,” Schrader said.

Commissioner Mike Moore said commissioners may benefit from talking with elected officials in jurisdictions using a charter form of government.

Schrader added: “Don’t just stop with the elected officials.”

Constituents served in those jurisdictions may offer a different perspective on the issue, Schrader said.

Schrader said it’s also a good idea to talk with the constituents in those places, to hear how charter government works from their perspective.

The commission has invited representatives from the Florida Association of Counties to provide information and answer questions at the public workshop.

Ginger Delegal, the general counsel for the association of counties, will make a presentation on the charter process. Kurt Sptizer, former executive director of the association of counties and now a private consultant, also will be on hand.

Pasco commissioners also have invited the county’s legislative delegation and the county’s constitutional officers.

Published February 4, 2015

Sharing Florida’s wonders through photography

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Images captured by landscape photographer Clyde Butcher reveal a side of Florida that many people never see.

For decades, Butcher has waded into Florida’s wild side — and until recently, he’s used a large format camera to produce captivating black-and-white images of the state’s natural splendors.

After hearing about the beauty of the sand dunes in the state’s Panhandle, Clyde Butcher decided to photograph them. The weather, unfortunately, was not cooperating. He set up his camera every day for a week, waiting for the right light. Finally, on the last day, the sun broke through the clouds just long enough for him to shoot one piece of film. (Courtesy of Clyde Butcher)
After hearing about the beauty of the sand dunes in the state’s Panhandle, Clyde Butcher decided to photograph them. The weather, unfortunately, was not cooperating. He set up his camera every day for a week, waiting for the right light. Finally, on the last day, the sun broke through the clouds just long enough for him to shoot one piece of film.
(Courtesy of Clyde Butcher)

Now that he’s 72, he can no longer lug the 65 pounds of equipment he used to carry into Florida’s swamps, and he has switched over to lighter digital cameras.

Regardless of the equipment he’s using, though, Butcher employs the same approach.

“Everything I do is point and shoot. I don’t use the camera to compose. I just use my eyes,” he said. “If I see something, I set the tripod down, I set the camera down, focus it and shoot.”

Some of the photographer’s work, showcased in a traveling exhibit called “Visions of Florida: The Photographic Art of Clyde Butcher” is currently on display through Jan. 29 at the West Campus of Pasco-Hernando State College in New Port Richey.

“I’m basically trying to communicate how great Florida is,” Butcher said.

People are often unaware of Florida’s unique and special nature, he said.

“We have a cypress tree the same circumference as the largest redwood tree. We have the oldest tree in America — 8,000 years old.

“We have great skies.

“We have the largest spring in the world.

“It’s the only place in the world that has a place like the Everglades,” Butcher said.

Pasco-Hernando State College began planning to bring the exhibit to its West Campus more than a year ago, said Ray Culvert, director of libraries. The exhibit is among the traveling exhibits offered through the Florida Museum of History in Tallahassee.

Culvert — whose family roots in Florida date back to the 1800s — has been fascinated by Butcher’s work for years.

“His photography just kind of reaches out to me, you could say, on a very emotional level,” Culvert said. “If all you see is Orlando and the beaches, you completely miss it (Florida). You really have to go back where he’s going to really appreciate it.”

Clyde Butcher will speak on Jan. 21 at 6 p.m., at the Pasco-Hernando State College in the West Campus Performing Arts Center. A question-and-answer session and book signing will follow the presentation. The performing arts center is at 10230 Ridge Road, New Port Richey.

Visions of Florida: The Photographic Art of Clyde Butcher
Landscape photographer Clyde Butcher captures the essence of Florida’s nature through black-and-white images.

When: Through Jan. 29. Hours: Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Fridays, 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Where: the Rao Musunuru M.D. Art Gallery located within the Alric C.T. Pottberg Library on Pasco-Hernando State College’s West Campus, 10230 Ridge Road, New Port Richey.

How much: Free

Published January 14, 2015

MPO keeps elevated road on county transportation plan

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A group that spent months successfully fighting a privately built elevated toll road through the heart of Pasco County got a bit of a setback last week. But its members seem to be OK with it … for now.

Jason Amerson, second from left, will fight any elevated road planned to run near his home off State Road 54 in Land O’ Lakes, but won’t challenge the county’s current long-range transportation plan as long as elevated roads don’t come up as a viable option. He was one of the leaders of a local protest group, Pasco Fiasco, that included, from left, Patrick Knight, Brian Narcum and Kristine Narcum. (File Photo)
Jason Amerson, second from left, will fight any elevated road planned to run near his home off State Road 54 in Land O’ Lakes, but won’t challenge the county’s current long-range transportation plan as long as elevated roads don’t come up as a viable option. He was one of the leaders of a local protest group, Pasco Fiasco, that included, from left, Patrick Knight, Brian Narcum and Kristine Narcum. (File Photo)

Pasco County’s 2040 Long-Range Transportation Plan is on its way to both federal and state authorities, highlighting the county’s plan for roads, transit and sidewalks over the next 25 years. And among the various needs the county’s Metropolitan Planning Organization included in that transportation plan are elevated roads along the State Road 54/56 corridor.

“We knew the (transportation plan) would still contain the elevated toll road,” said Jason Amerson, a Land O’ Lakes resident who was one of the key players in the elevated toll road protest group, Pasco Fiasco. “It’s not something we are worried about unless they start actively discussing it again at MPO meetings.”

Pasco Fiasco came together last year after some homeowners who live just off State Road 54 learned about a proposal by a private company, International Infrastructure Partners LLC, to build a 33-mile elevated toll road, stretching from U.S. 301 in Zephyrhills to U.S. 19 in New Port Richey. The company had said initially it would fund the estimated $2.2 billion project on its own, but then lost its negotiating power with the Florida Department of Transportation after it requested the state help finance it.

That killed the private project, but an elevated road option remained in the county’s transportation plan. While then Pasco County commissioner Henry Wilson Jr., vowed to help Pasco Fiasco and others against an elevated road down State Road 54 remove such projects from the plan, Wilson was defeated in an open primary election last October by Mike Wells Jr.

“It’s not a simple task getting it removed,” Amerson said. “Probably even a harder task now that Wilson is gone.”

The elevated road remains an option for the county between 2020 and 2040 along the State Road 54/56 corridor as an “alternative improvement.” That could include “premium transit improvements” like toll lanes, overpasses like those used on U.S. 19 in Pinellas County, and elevated lanes.

The elevated road stayed in the plan, but the MPO did make more than 30 other changes to the documents after two months of public hearings. The MPO conducted a 30-day comment period through Nov. 23, as well as public workshops throughout November. It concluded with a public hearing on Dec. 11 where the new transportation plan was adopted unanimously.

Many adjustments to the plan were minor, like name changes of some roads at Bexley Ranch near the Suncoast Parkway, and Mitchell Boulevard near the Little Road area.

But there also were some larger changes as well. They included:

  • Moving up the six-lane expansion of State Road 52 from Interstate 75 to Pasco Road from 2040 to 2019.
  • Delaying another 10 years to 2040 projects like Livingston Avenue from State Road 54 to Collier Parkway, Eiland Boulevard from Handcart to Dean Dairy roads, Curley Road from Wells Road to Clinton Avenue, and Lake Patience Road from Sunlake Boulevard to U.S. 41.
  • Keeping the State Road 56 expansion from Meadow Pointe to U.S. 301 two lanes instead of four by 2019, but possibly expanding it to four lanes by 2030.

That last proposal angered city leaders in Zephyrhills, who wanted four lanes leading into one of its key commercial areas, the Zephyrhills Municipal Airport. Lawmakers like new state representative and former Zephyrhills mayor Danny Burgess said they would work with the city to try and restore funding for a four-lane segment.

The MPO also made a number of changes to Tower Road, which runs primarily east to west in Pasco, just north of State Road 54. They include developer-funded improvements like a two-lane stretch from Bexley Ranch to Ballantrae Boulevard, and an expansion to a two-lane road from U.S. 41 to Ehren Cutoff by 2040, paid for by the county.

The Federal Highway Administration, the Federal Transit Administration, and the Florida Department of Transportation will now review the plan, and work with the county to help implement it.

To read the complete plan, visit Mobility2040Pasco.com.

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MPO keeps elevated toll road on long-range county plan

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Pasco County’s 2040 Long-Range Transportation Plan is on its way to both federal and state authorities, highlighting the county’s plan for roads, transit and sidewalks over the next 25 years. And one transportation feature that made the cut? Elevation roads along the State Road 54/56 corridor.

A group of residents successfully fought a proposed private elevated toll road that would’ve stretched from Zephyrhills to New Port Richey earlier this year, but once they stopped that project, they vowed to remove any mention of elevated roads from the transportation plan. Yet, among the more than 30 changes made to the plan after two months of public hearings, none of them included deleting references to an elevated road.

In fact, it remains an option for the county between 2020 and 2040 along the State Road 54/56 corridor as an “alternative improvement.” That could include “premium transit improvements” like toll lanes, overpasses like those used on U.S. 19 in Pinellas County, and elevated lanes, like was proposed by International Infrastructure Partners LLC in 2013 that could’ve cost upward of $2.2 billion or more.

Pasco’s Metropolitan Planning Organization conducted a 30-day comment period through Nov. 23, as well as public workshops throughout November. It concluded with a public hearing on Dec. 11 where the new transportation plan was adopted unanimously.

Many of the changes to the plan were minor, like name changes of some roads at Bexley Ranch near the Suncoast Parkway, and Mitchell Boulevard near the Little Road area. But there also were some larger changes as well, including:

• Moving up the six-lane expansion of State Road 52 from Interstate 75 to Pasco Road from 2040 to 2019.

• Keeping the State Road 56 expansion from Meadow Pointe to U.S. 301 two lanes instead of four by 2019, but possibly expanding it to four lanes by 2030. Zephyrhills city officials are working with state lawmakers to get that timetable moved up.

• Delaying another 10 years to 2040 projects like Livingston Avenue from State Road 54 to Collier Parkway, Eiland Boulevard from Handcart to Dean Dairy roads; Curley Road from Wells Road to Clinton Avenue, and Lake Patience Road from Sunlake Boulevard to U.S. 41.

The MPO also made a number of changes to Tower Road, which runs primarily east to west in Pasco County just north of State Road 54. They include developer-funded improvements like a two-lane stretch from Bexley Ranch to Ballantrae Boulevard, and an expansion to a two-lane road from U.S. 41 to Ehren Cutoff by 2040, paid for by the county.

The Federal Highway Administration, the Federal Transit Administration and the Florida Department of Transportation will now review the plan, and work with the county to help implement it.

To read the complete plan, visit Mobility2040Pasco.com.

Commissioners to decide next step on baseball park Tuesday

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Pasco County officials are set to do exactly what James Talton has wanted over the last few weeks: To terminate the agreement between the two for a massive recreational baseball complex in Wesley Chapel’s Wiregrass Ranch area.

County commissioners could do just that during its regular meeting in New Port Richey on Tuesday, after Talton’s Pasco Sports LLC failed to provide necessary paperwork to show he had $3 million available to help with the design stage of the project. Talton and retired Major League Baseball player Gary Sheffield wanted to build the complex on 100 acres of land not far from Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel, which they said could become a significant youth sports training destination.

Yet, finding private financing for what was at one time a $70 million project has been troublesome under the current agreement with the county, Talton has said, and the project could actually move forward without the county’s involvement, or its $11 million in tourist tax dollars.

“in our minds, this is just another step in the process, and we have every intention of getting this project completed,” Talton told The Laker/Lutz News last week. “The current agreement is being terminated. I literally cannot work based on the current financing environment. We will negotiate new terms and have financing in place upon execution so we can move forward immediately.”

How that would work is unclear. The county, at least based on what county administrator Michele Baker has said, is ready to move on with someone else. In a memo to commissioners, Baker said that by canceling the agreement, it will “bring closer to this matter” and “allow the county to pursue future options for the parcel in question.”

Baker also said she will with the county attorney to review the agreement struck with Pasco Sports to see any changes that might be required for the future, and prepare a list of recommendations for commissioners to consider at its Jan. 13 meeting.

The original agreement signed a year ago called for Pasco Sports to provide the county verification of $23 million in financing necessary to design and construct the park by last summer. However, that agreement was amended in July to give Talton and Sheffield a 90-day extension.

It was during that period that Pasco Sports provided a $3 million commitment letter from Hallmark Mergers & Acquisitions LLC, along with a letter from Florida EB-5 Regional Center LLC saying it was committed to raising $20 million in funds.

County officials, however, didn’t feel that was enough to meet the terms of the agreement, and the commission then gave Talton and Sheffield until Dec. 5 to at least show they had $3 million available for the project. That deadline passed, however, with a letter from Talton proposing a new plan that would eliminate the need for the $11 million county contribution — but also remove payouts to the county after it’s built — but nothing in terms of the $3 million.

That prompted Baker to recommend the entire deal be cancelled.

Talton told members of the Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce last October that his project — consisting of 19 baseball fields, dormitories and other sports-related amenities — could create an estimated 8,000 jobs and a $318 million annual economic impact boost to the county.

Commissioners will have to decide what they’re going to do next at the meeting, which begins at 10 a.m. at the West Pasco Government Center, 8731 Citizens Drive in New Port Richey.

Also expected to be discussed is Commissioner Mike Moore’s proposed sexual predator ordinance, which would prohibit registered sexual predators and sexual offenders from living within 2,500 feet of schools, parks, nursing homes, assisted living facilities and bus stops. Moore unveiled the plan with Pasco County sheriff Chris Nocco last week in Wesley Chapel.

Buffalo Wild Wings planned for State Road 56

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Land is getting pretty expensive along State Road 56, which is exactly what the owner of the Buffalo Wild Wings chain found out late last month.

AMC Wesley Chapel Real Estate Inc., a company affiliated with Buffalo Wild Wings owner Diversified Restaurant Holdings Inc., purchased a little more than 2.5 acres of land along State Road 56 just east of Cypress Ridge Boulevard for $2.3 million. That’s a price just north of $903,000 an acre.

The developer has plans to put that land to good use, however. AMC is seeking final approval to build a 6,400-square-foot restaurant on the site, with an 800-foot patio, with direct access to State Road 56. The Buffalo Wild Wings got initial approval from the Pasco County Planning Commission earlier this month, and will seek to get the same from the full Pasco County Commission in January.

This would become the second Buffalo Wild Wings in Pasco County after the State Road 54 location in New Port Richey. Other locations are in Ybor City and Tampa’s Westchase area, according to the restaurant’s website.

The chain, informally known as B-Dubs, first opened in Columbus, Ohio, in 1982, and now has locations in every state in the country. This particular restaurant will be located at 26725 State Road 56 in Wesley Chapel, next to the Gate gas station on Cypress Ridge Boulevard.

The cost of the land is well above the $542,000 an acre Walmart paid to buy its site at 27621 State Road 56 in July 2009, and even higher than the $697,000 Gate Petroleum paid per acre for the land next door in August 2012. Yet, it’s still not the most expensive land buy — the owners of the PDQ restaurant location at 27757 State Road 56 paid $1.4 million for a single acre of land close to Bruce B. Downs Boulevard in January 2012.

Developers have not said when construction will begin, or when the restaurant would open.

Zephyrhills wants respect on State Road 56 expansion

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Just about every road leading to Zephyrhills is two lanes. And for what is soon to become the largest incorporated city in Pasco County, leaders there says it’s time for that to change.

Yet, whether it’s U.S. 301 from the south, State Road 54 from the west, or now the new extension of State Road 56 into the airport business park area, Zephyrhills just can’t get any respect.

Steve Spina
Steve Spina

“The rest of (State Road) 54 has been widened in the county, but not Zephyrhills,” one resident and local businessman, Nils Lenz, shared in a recent letter. “Why is Zephyrhills being left out? The population within the city limits of Zephyrhills — with all of the recent annexing in the last few years — (is) only about 200 less in population than New Port Richey.”

Lenz, the owner of B & N Lenz Enterprises, was reacting to news last week that the Florida Department of Transportation was cutting funding of the State Road 56 extension project from $60 million to $35 million. While the 6.7-mile road will connect Wesley Chapel’s Wiregrass Ranch area with U.S. 301 in Zephyrhills, it is no longer a four-lane project.

Cone & Graham, the last contractor standing in the bidding process, will still have to convince property owners along the route to donate 250 feet of right of way, room enough to build up to six lanes. However, that won’t be built until traffic studies require it and additional funding becomes available.

Zephyrhills city manager Steve Spina expressed local frustration to state lawmakers, including former mayor and new House District 38 representative Danny Burgess, during a legislative delegation last week in Land O’ Lakes.

“We believe it’s vital to southeast Pasco County and Zephyrhills to the municipal airport to have four lanes of funding as it’s built initially, and not piecemeal as we go forward,” Spina said.

State Sen. John Legg said he and Burgess want to have a town hall meeting to discuss some of the city’s transportation issues in January or February. The east-west corridor of the county, the Lutz Republican said, is becoming more congested because of the residential growth there.

The meeting, Legg said, could help the lawmakers decide how to move forward, and possibly move some projects up on the list, including the possibility of making the State Road 56 extension four lanes.

The Zephyrhills City Council may not wait that long. It was scheduled to vote on a resolution during its regular Monday meeting imploring state lawmakers to back the expansion of State Road 56 to the city now, rather than later. The resolution cited, among other things, the residential growth in the city, as well as $5 million in facility improvements at Zephyrhills Municipal Airport, which also serves as an industrial park for the city.

Councilmembers want FDOT to revisit its construction schedules, and based on new budget priorities from state lawmakers, fund the four-lane expansion.

Lenz doesn’t want the transportation discussion to stop at State Road 56, however. He feels it’s time the state look at finally widening State Road 54 — something that has been talked about for more than a half-century — and which has been widened everywhere except one last major stretch between the eastern side of Wesley Chapel to Zephyrhills.

FDOT has approved widening that road to where it meets Morris Bridge Road and Eiland Boulevard, but still won’t take that final leap into downtown Zephyrhills.

“In comparison to the other ideas … (State Road) 54 is absolutely the best option,” Lenz said. “It will be less expensive than all the other options suggested” as rights of way have already been acquired, usually a costly and time-consuming process in building a new road.

Published December 10, 2014

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Murphy offers own repeal of nuclear cost recovery

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Just weeks after one Democrat in Tallahassee put forward an idea to eliminate certain surcharges utilities can levy for projects like failed nuclear power plants, a Pasco County representative has come up with one of her own.

State Rep. Amanda Murphy, D-New Port Richey, has joined forces with Clearwater Republican Chris Latvala filing H.B. 67 to repeal what is known as the nuclear cost recovery charge.

Her bill, filed on Monday, would set an expiration date for such charges from companies like Duke Energy Corp., on July 1. Any money collected but not spent by the utility by that time would have to be returned to ratepayers within the next year.

The expiration date would apply to any cost recovery charges for “siting, design, licensing, construction of nuclear gasification combined cycle power plants.”

It follows the efforts of state Rep. Michelle Rehwinkel Vasilinda, D-Tallahassee, who filed H.B. 4001 just before Thanksgiving, that would repeal the nuclear cost recovery statute outright, which put Duke in line to collect more than $3.2 billion from customers through a $3.45 monthly surcharge.

That charge was designed to pay for the now-closed Crystal River nuclear facility, as well as a cancelled nuclear power plant in Levy County. Rehwinkel Vasilinda’s bill is similar to the one offered by Murphy and Latvala, except hers would use a simple repeal of the state statute that allows utilities to collect the monthly recovery fee from its customers.

Rehwinkel Vasilinda’s bill would essentially expire the surcharge at the same time as Murphy’s. However, it does not have a mechanism in place that would force utilities like Duke to refund any unspent money. Rehwinkel Vasilinda also is missing a Republican sponsor for her bill, which might help it gain traction in a state House controlled by the GOP.