The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

New Port Richey

CareerSource job fair attracts 315 people

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More than 300 people decided to “race to work,” taking part in a job fair through CareerSource Pasco Hernando.

RACE to Work — the Reemployment Assistance Community Event — attracted 315 job-seekers and 50 employers, according to a release. It took place at three sites in Dade City, New Port Richey and Spring Hill, and was designed to help pair people who have received or exhausted unemployment benefits, with employers with job openings.

“These events are the first step to developing relationships within the community,” said Rick Casey, the director of career and testing services at Pasco-Hernando State College, in a release.

Employers taking part included Target, Alumni Guard, Toys R Us, Communication Concepts and Sparton Electronics, as well as the county’s largest employer, Pasco County Schools.

Each industry was looking to hire between three and 70 new employees for both seasonal and permanent positions.

For more information on services provided to job-seekers and employers, visit CareerSourcePascoHernando.com, or call Sunnye Fredia at (352) 247-0761.

National search begins for new PHSC president

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With Katherine Johnson set to retire next June, the Pasco-Hernando State College trustees board has launched a national search for who would become the fourth president of the 42-year-old institution.

During a meeting in September, the board contracted with Myers McRae Executive Search and Consulting of Macon, Georgia, to help in the search. The committee itself is led by Ed Blommel, a trustee of the college.

Blommel hosted the first presidential search screening committee meeting Oct. 28 in New Port Richey, telling the committee and Myers McRae that “we have an incredibly important job to do.”

“We’ve hit home runs with our first three presidents,” Blommel said, according to a release. “Now we want to hit a grand slam. We need a president to build on the progress we’ve made, and lead us into the next era.”

The Myers McRae representatives outlined a presidential search recruitment strategy, providing a timeline and details on the committee’s role and responsibilities related to the search. The committee is comprised of a cross-section of 30 community leaders, current and former college and foundation board members, student leaders, alumni and college employees.

From an initial pool of qualified applicants, the board will interview a slate of candidates based on the recommendations of the screening committee. The goal is to select a new leader by spring, so that he or she can begin July 1.

The application and nomination deadline for prospective candidates is Jan. 22. Nominations and applications can be submitted directly to .

Strong early voter turnout so far in Pasco

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Brian Corley likes what he’s seeing for the 2014 election so far.

As of 4 p.m. Thursday, more than 21 percent of registered voters in Pasco County have dropped a ballot in the voting box, and there’s still two full days of early voting left.

“We’re on pace to beat 2010, and we’re doing that with less than a 10-minute wait” at early voting locations around the county, said Corley, Pasco’s supervisor of elections. “It’s very rewarding, and shows that we are getting things done to get out the vote.”

Nearly 65,300 votes have been cast in Pasco so far, with nearly a third from early voting, and the rest from mail ballots. In a race that includes a tight battle for governor between Charlie Crist and Rick Scott, as well as a high-profile county commission race, more than 29,000 — or 45 percent — of the votes are being cast by Republicans, while more than 23,000, or 35 percent, are coming from Democrats. Another 20 percent, representing just over 13,000 voters, are coming from those with other or no party affiliations.

Republicans continue to turn out in better numbers than Democrats in the race, especially with the GOP only accounting for 38 percent of Pasco’s more than 305,000 voters. Democrats make up 33 percent of the total electorate, while everyone else is at 28 percent.

The voting precinct with the best numbers so far is First Assembly of God in Zephyrhills where 33 percent, or 850 people, have cast an early ballot so far. Political breakdowns there match pretty much the rest of the county with 40 percent Republicans, and 35 percent Democrats.

The lowest numbers so far, however, are coming from Crystal Springs Community Hall just outside of Zephyrhills, where just 86 votes — or less than 10 percent — have been cast. That precinct has nearly 900 total registered voters where Democrats just slightly outnumber Republicans.

Early voting continues through Saturday, with each location open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Voters also are choosing whether to support three amendments to the state constitution, ranging from land conservation to how state supreme court justices are appointed to medical marijuana.

• East Pasco Government Center, 14236 Sixth St., Dade City
• Land O’ Lakes Library, 2818 Collier Parkway, Land O’ Lakes
• New River Branch Library, 34043 State Road 54, Zephyrhills
• The Grove at Wesley Chapel, 6013 Wesley Grove Blvd., Wesley Chapel
• Hudson Library, 8012 Library Road, Hudson
• New Port Richey Elections Office, 8731 Citizens Drive, New Port Richey
• Regency Park Library, 9701 Little Road, New Port Richey
• South Holiday Library, 4649 Mile Stretch Drive, Holiday

Pasco libraries to tackle identity theft

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The Pasco County Library System is offering a program to teach residents how to protect themselves from identity theft, and how to catch identity theft early.

The 45-program will be offered throughout November and part of December at library branches around the country.

It’s free, and also will explain what to do if someone feels they have become a victim of identity theft.

Upcoming programs include:

  • Centennial Park Library, 5740 Moog Road in Holiday, Nov. 4 at 11 a.m.
  • South Holiday Library, 4649 Mile Stretch Road in Holiday, Nov. 6 at 2 p.m.
  • Hugh Embry Library, 14215 Fourth St., in Dade City, Nov. 7 at 11 a.m.
  • Land O’ Lakes Library, 2818 Collier Parkway in Land O’ Lakes, Nov. 12 at 10 a.m.
  • Regency Park Library, 9701 Little Road in New Port Richey, Nov. 13 at 2 p.m.
  • Hudson Regional Library, 8012 Library Road in Hudson, Nov. 20 at 2 p.m.
  • New River Library, 34043 State Road 54 in Zephyrhills, Dec. 5 at 2 p.m.

For information, visit PascoLibraries.org.

More than 5,000 show up for first day of early voting

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A lot of people are heading to the polls, and it’s not even Election Day yet.

Pasco County elections supervisor Brian Corley says more than 5,000 people turned out to vote on Saturday, as early voting started in various locations around the county.

By lunchtime on Monday, the number of early voters quickly approached 9,000, joining more than 38,000 mail-in ballots already received for the midterm election.

Republicans make up 45 percent of all the pre-Election Day voters so far in Pasco, while Democrats account for 35 percent. Non-affiliated voters or those from other parties make up the remaining 19 percent.

That brings total turnout so far to a little more than 15 percent. The best turnout so far has been at the Tampa Bay Golf & Country Club in San Antonio, where nearly 25 percent of the more than 2,100 people registered there have cast a ballot. That is a heavily Republican precinct, where Democrats are outnumbered nearly 2-to-1.

The worst turnout so far is at Darby Community Church in Dade City, were just 6 percent of the 764 voters there have finished their civic duty. That district is more balanced in terms of the major political parties, with 42 percent Republican and 34 percent Democratic.

Early voting continues through Saturday, with each location open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. This election gives voters a chance to choose between two governors in who will stay (or move back into) the mansion in Tallahassee. It also has some local races, including Pasco County Commission between Mike Moore and Erika Remsberg.

Voters also are choosing whether to support three amendments to the state constitution, ranging from land conservation to how state supreme court justices are appointed to medical marijuana.

• East Pasco Government Center, 14236 Sixth St., Dade City
• Land O’ Lakes Library, 2818 Collier Parkway, Land O’ Lakes
• New River Branch Library, 34043 State Road 54, Zephyrhills
• The Grove at Wesley Chapel, 6013 Wesley Grove Blvd., Wesley Chapel
• Hudson Library, 8012 Library Road, Hudson
• New Port Richey Elections Office, 8731 Citizens Drive, New Port Richey
• Regency Park Library, 9701 Little Road, New Port Richey
• South Holiday Library, 4649 Mile Stretch Drive, Holiday

Vote by mail already has 10 percent turnout

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Early voting doesn’t start until this weekend. But in the meantime, Pasco County elections supervisor Brian Corley continues to collect mail-in votes — by the thousands.

As of late Monday, Corley has received more than 30,000 ballots for the upcoming midterm election. Of those ballots, 35 percent of them are from Democrats, 45 percent are from Republicans, and 20 percent were from other parties. For the more than 305,000 registered voters countywide, 38 percent are Republican, 34 percent are Democrat and 28 percent represent other parties.

That means there’s still room for more non-partisan voters to complete a ballot before or on the Nov. 4 election, as well as a small number more Democrats.

Midterm elections are historically low when it comes to turnout, even though Florida typically elects a governor during the season between presidential elections. The county, however, still has a ways to go to beat the 2010 midterm turnout of 46 percent.

The area of the county with the biggest turnout so far is the area surrounding the Heritage Pines Country Club in Hudson, according to Corley’s office. There, 566 early votes have been received, representing just under 17.3 percent of the voters there.

The lowest turnout so far is the area surrounding Darby Community Church in Dade City, where just 30 voters — or less than 4 percent of those eligible — have cast ballots to far.

The Darby precinct has 764 voters, but is 42 percent Republican, 34 percent Democrat, and 24 percent other parties. The Hudson precinct, however, has 3,278 registered voters. There, Republicans represent 46 percent, Democrats 29 percent, and other parties 26 percent.

Early voting will begin Oct. 25 and run through Nov. 1 at eight locations, operating from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Those locations — which can be found by clicking here — include:

• East Pasco Government Center, 14236 Sixth St., Dade City
• Land O’ Lakes Library, 2818 Collier Parkway, Land O’ Lakes
• New River Branch Library, 34043 State Road 54, Zephyrhills
• The Grove at Wesley Chapel, 6013 Wesley Grove Blvd., Wesley Chapel
• Hudson Library, 8012 Library Road, Hudson
• New Port Richey Elections Office, 8731 Citizens Drive, New Port Richey
• Regency Park Library, 9701 Little Road, New Port Richey
• South Holiday Library, 4649 Mile Stretch Drive, Holiday

The end of East vs. West in Pasco County?

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Over the decades, the cultural and geographic differences between the New Port Richey and Port Richey area on the west side, and the Zephyrhills and Dade City area on the east side have brought up the question of splitting Pasco County more than once.

But could the real solution be to just move the county government to Land O’ Lakes?

That’s exactly what private planning developer CGL is expected to tell Pasco County commissioners during a workshop Oct. 14 as part of a proposed 15-year expansion plan that will nearly double the amount of office space for the government, move much of that space to south central Pasco, and cost upward of $583 million.

In presentation materials sent to commissioners ahead of Tuesday’s workshop, CGL said the county government would have to increase its office footprint from 1.5 million square feet now, to more than 2.8 million square feet by 2034. The sheriff’s office would get the biggest benefit from that expansion, growing from more than 450,000 square feet now, to 1.1 million square feet in the next two decades.

Also needing more than twice the amount of existing space is judiciary offices from an existing 49,000 square feet to 117,000 square feet in 2034. Administrative offices for the courts would need to grow from 15,000 to 31,000 square feet, while public safety would expand to 364,000 square feet, and utilities to 68,700 square feet.

The administration offices for the county commission would need to grow only 29 percent to 28,000 square feet, CGL said, while storage space would actually drop 5 percent to a little more than 30,000 square feet.

The county also would have to consider upgrading or even replacing about 25 percent of its existing buildings, which CGL rated poor or very poor. That accounted for more than 210,000 square feet — or 11 percent — of existing space.

A lot of the new construction, however, would need to move from the edges of the county, and more in the center, CGL planners said. That could include at huge chunks of land around the Land O’ Lakes jail on U.S. 41, as well as about 30 acres of land in the Lutz area of the county along State Road 54 between Interstate 75 and the Suncoast Parkway.

If that didn’t work, CGL also suggested sites north not far from U.S. 41, through Land O’ Lakes, and even near State Road 52.

Field operations — like public works, fleet management, utilities and public transportation — would completely move out of the New Port Richey area, and instead find bases in central Pasco, the Dade City area, and the Shady Hills area.

CGL is recommending the county demolish 174,000 square feet of buildings, and selling 13 others — including the Hap Clark Building in Land O’ Lakes — that could generate about $7.4 million based on current value.

The highest priority structures in the first phase also are the most expensive. CGL is telling county officials they need to build a 1,000-bed detention center and a 12-courtroom criminal courthouse in Land O’ Lakes, that would cost between $206.2 million and $227 million.

Other plans in the first five years include eight fire stations, the first phase of a new centralized location for up to $26 million, and a $3.6 million renovation of the Hap Clark Building on Land O’ Lakes Boulevard.

The second phase — beginning in the sixth year — lists the sheriff’s office administration building as well as two sheriff substations and forensics as the top priorities, costing up to $34.3 million. Eight more fire stations would be included, costing up to $16.5 million, while the detention center would receive a $41 million expansion to add 500 beds.

Lower priorities would include new libraries in Dade City, Wesley Chapel, and the east central portion of the county, for $12.7 million.

The final phase, in the last five years of the overall plan, would put the sheriff’s office at the top of the list again with a new Land O’ Lakes campus and vehicle maintenance facility for $19.3 million. It would include yet another 500-bed expansion at the jail, and the possible construction of a new District 4 substation for the sheriff.

How the county would fund all of that is a different question, but a lot of it is needed, CGL said. With Pasco’s population expected to grow 77 percent to more than 842,000 people in the next 25 years — and southern Pasco replacing the west side of the county as the most populous — county government will need to be ready.

The annual average cost to the county would be between $30 million and $39 million per year, according to CGL estimates. That is a little more than 3 percent of the county’s current annual budget of $1.2 billion.

The county commission is set to hear CGL’s presentation during a workshop Oct. 14 at 10 a.m., at the Historic Pasco County Courthouse, 37918 Meridian Ave., in Dade City.

Both want jobs, but disagree on how to get them

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One of the biggest challenges facing the Pasco County Commission in recent years is how to create more jobs here, and not force nearly half the population to travel elsewhere to find work.

It’s likely a problem that won’t be fixed over the next four years, but that hasn’t stopped the two candidates looking for a seat on the commission to share their ideas on how it might happen. They are just quite different.

Mike Moore, left, and Erika Remsberg both want to succeed Pat Mulieri on the Pasco County Commission. Moore has raised nearly $132,000 in his effort, while Remsberg, who has raised slightly more $7,700, wants to be the first Democrat on the commission since 2010. (Michael Hinman/Staff Photo)
Mike Moore, left, and Erika Remsberg both want to succeed Pat Mulieri on the Pasco County Commission. Moore has raised nearly $132,000 in his effort, while Remsberg, who has raised slightly more $7,700, wants to be the first Democrat on the commission since 2010. (Michael Hinman/Staff Photo)

Mike Moore and Erika Remsberg both want to succeed the retiring Pat Mulieri on the commission, and both believe it’s jobs and growth that will finally put them on the dais.

“Penny for Pasco is giving us $45 million for economic development, and those dollars need to be put to work,” Moore said during a recent candidate forum at Lexington Oaks in Wesley Chapel. “I know the (Pasco Economic Development Council) has some ideas on how to put those dollars to work, and I have some of my own ideas.”

The Pasco EDC has long taken a position of working to attract big employers to the county, competing with Hillsborough, Pinellas and even Polk counties, to get companies here. Earlier this year, Pasco EDC president and chief executive John Hagen suggested using some Penny for Pasco money to assemble chunks of land and make it ready for a large employer.

Companies like Amazon and Bristol-Myers Squibb could have brought many high-paying jobs to the county if they had chosen Pasco over Hillsborough, Moore suggested.

“We need to incentivize those companies to come into the area,” he said. “When you bring in large companies, that helps some of the smaller businesses, too. You’re going to have more people eating at restaurants, and they will have the money to buy goods at mom and pop stores. We need to keep the economic engine going.”

But the county has had little luck in bringing those companies here, Remsberg said. Instead, millions of taxpayer dollars have been put aside for companies like T. Rowe Price, who was supposed to bring 1,600 jobs on the promise of a $30 million commitment from the county, only to change its mind a few years later.

“It’s very expensive to do that, and more often than not, the projects do not work out,” Remsberg said. “It’s an expensive gamble that we should not be taking and using the minimal dollars we already have.”

Instead, Remsberg suggests the county take cues from the Pasco EDC and the communities of Dade City and New Port Richey to fund more small business incubators. Facilities like the one at the Dade City Business Center provide low-cost commercial space for upstarts, as well as advisory help from business experts to help those companies become profitable.

“They are resource centers for these small businesses, and they have training available to help make these businesses successful,” she said. “We should be taking these Penny for Pasco dollars and investing them in provable strategies that we know work here, and which will benefit Pasco residents.”

Because of his own background starting and running companies, Moore said he’s perfect to talk to chief executives of larger companies, and promoting the county to them. Pasco’s push to bring tourism-related amenities like the proposed 20-field baseball complex by Blue Marble Strategic in Wesley Chapel will make it easier to sing those praises.

“We need to gamble, we need to show them our area and how all these people are excited about it,” Moore said. “We want to create lots of opportunities for people who want to come here.”

But the work to wine and dine executives, and to compete with neighboring counties, carries a hefty price tag, Remsberg said.

“The consulting fee alone could’ve helped Meals on Wheels feed the 200 homebound elderly people who are going without food right now,” she said. “We need a steady stream of qualified workers, and we need comprehensive public transportation so that we are able to move those people around.”

Voters will decide between Moore and Remsberg Nov. 4.

Published October 8, 2014

See this story in print: Click Here

Kmart turning off blue light in Zephyrhills

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Pasco County is losing yet another Kmart store, and it’s going to affect nearly 70 jobs in Zephyrhills.

Sears Holdings Corp., the parent company of Kmart, told The Laker/Lutz News it will close its location at 7422 Gall Blvd., in early December. A liquidation sale began Sunday, and will continue for the next two months as the location gets ready to shut its doors.

A second location is reportedly being closed in New Port Richey as well.

Although he didn’t say how many stores were being closed, a Sears spokesman said store closures were “part of a series of actions we’re taking to reduce ongoing expenses,” as well as transform the company’s business model.

“These actions will better enable us to focus our investments on serving our customers and members through integrated retail — at the store, online and in the home,” said Sears spokesman Howard Riefs, in a statement.

The other Kmart location on this side of Pasco County, located at 22920 State Road 54 in Lutz, will not be affected by the closing, Riefs said.

The Kmart location in Zephyrhills currently has 68 employees, and those associates will receive severance packages if they are eligible, Riefs said. They also will have the chance to apply for open positions in other Sears or Kmart stores. Most of the jobs being lost are part-time or hourly.

Sears has closed a number of stores so far this year, including 46 nationwide during the second quarter, according to its filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. In total, 75 Kmarts had closed through the first half of 2014, as well as 21 Sears stores. In the first half of 2013, 27 Kmarts and 10 Sears were closed.

Kmart had sales of $2.9 billion in the most recent sales quarter, compared to $3.2 billion the year before. The company lost $142 million during that time compared to a $56 million loss the year before.

Peace Week coming to PHSC Oct. 6-9

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Pasco-Hernando State College will host keynote speakers, guest lecturers, exhibits and more as part of its Peace Week celebration Oct. 6-9.

Peace Week events will be held on all the school’s campuses, including East Campus in Dade City, Porter Campus at Wiregrass Ranch in Wesley Chapel, West Campus in New Port Richey, North Campus in Brooksville, and Spring Hill Campus.

Opening ceremonies will kick off Oct. 6 in New Port Richey with a musical performance by Lorri Hafer, the lead vocalist for The Hillside Singers who proclaimed through a Coca-Cola ad that she would like to “teach the world to sing.”

Other presenters include Daniel Caron, nature photographer John Moran, religious scholar Dell deChant, political activist Scott Camil, transgender couple Linda and Karen Schrader, drum circle leader Steve Turner, Erica Senack-Daum, Florida Veterans for Common Sense founder Gene Jones, and biologist John Darovec Jr.

There will be other sessions hosted at the various campuses as well. At Porter Campus, for example, Buddhist monks will create a sand mandala, a circular mural created from colored sand. Tibetans refer to the mandala as the “architecture of enlightenment,” according to a release, with meanings on many spiritual and artistic levels.

There also will be drum circles, exhibits and displays, as well as scarf art, tie dye, and sand art. All events are free and open to the public.

For details, visit PHSC.edu/peace, or call (855) 669-7472.