The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

Sunlake High School

Elevated toll road no more: FDOT rejects project

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It was on life support as early as last week, but now the Florida Department of Transportation says an unsolicited proposal from a private group of companies wanting to build an elevated toll road along the State Road 54/56 corridor is now officially dead.

“The department was unable to reach an agreement with International Infrastructure Partners LLC on a framework of financing and various design concepts for the corridor that would be acceptable to all parties and address the concerns of the local community,” FDOT secretary Ananth Prasad, said in a release. “In absence of this framework, advancing this project would not make any sense.”

Pasco Fiasco, a group of home and business owners along that 33-mile corridor who opposed the project, celebrated the decision, and said they are postponing a planned rally at Sunlake High School next week that was intended to build even more opposition to the project. Organizers told The Laker/Lutz News last week that they could still hold the rally either way, because a similar public project could be pushed forward as part of the county’s long-range transportation plan.

While FDOT and Pasco County officials have said future growth will require some sort of expansion of the corridor that connects Zephyrhills at U.S. 301 and New Port Richey at U.S. 19, the plan to build the elevated toll road came unsolicited last year by a construction group known for similar projects around the world.

The project itself had been chipped away over the last few months, as public sentiment against it grew — including from Pasco commissioners Henry Wilson and Jack Mariano. However, it went into a tailspin last week when Prasad admitted that discussions on how the project would be built started to fall apart when the developers, who at this point said they would raise the estimated $2.2 billion construction cost privately, started asking for public money to help fund it.

FDOT continues to work on other projects in the area as part of its five-year plan, Prasad said, including the widening of State Road 54 from the Suncoast Parkway to U.S. 41, as well as from Curley Road to Morris Bridge Road. It also will continue work toward starting the new State Road 56 leg from Meadow Point Boulevard to U.S. 301.

Elevated toll road down, almost out

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The private elevated toll road proposed for the State Road 54/56 corridor isn’t so private anymore. And that might be enough to cancel the project altogether.

Florida Department of Transportation secretary Ananth Prasad said he has some serious concerns about the controversial 33-mile project, especially after the developers behind the project — International Infrastructure Partners — signaled they would need some taxpayer investment in the project.

“He came to the conclusion that the project does not look very promising,” FDOT spokesman Dick Kane told The Laker/Lutz News. “The reason, he said, was that when they looked into the financials of the unsolicited proposal, it was not what we were initially led to believe.”

Prasad, who was traveling Wednesday, did not have the exact amount IIP expected the state to contribute. However, even a single dollar would be more than what officials were told would be required, as the estimated $2.2 billion project was going to be funded completely by private equity.

Prasad, hearing that there would have to be some public dollars, then suggested in a meeting with the developer last week that it might be time to “hit the reset button,” Kane said.

That does not mean the project is dead, but it certainly is on life support. Prasad plans to meet with the developers again in the next couple of weeks to see if they can hammer out some of the questions that have been raised around the project.

A request for comment from the developers of the proposed project is pending return.

Pasco County administrator Michele Baker, however, said it’s not completely over.

“Pasco County will continue to engage the public and move forward with its analyses and studies in order to determine how to manage future congestion on the State Road 54/56 corridor,” Baker said, in a statement.

The county’s Metropolitan Planning Organization will continue to consider options as it gets ready to adopt its long-range transportation plan in December, Baker said.

Members of a local opposition group Pasco Fiasco say they believe the project has been scrapped, based on what they’ve been told by Pasco County commissioner Jack Mariano, who also opposes the project. However, the group is still planning a rally May 19 at 7 p.m. at Sunlake High School promoting their position.

AAA offers safe trips home for impaired prom teens

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It’s a shocking yet humbling statistic, but 41 percent of teenagers say they plan to drink or take drugs sometime during the prom or graduation season.

A recent AAA survey of high school students between the ages of 16 and 19 in four states, including Florida, also revealed a more startling fact: Some 84 percent of teens say that if they are under the influence, they would rather get behind the wheel than call their parents for help.  The main reason? Because they fear getting in trouble with their parents for drinking underage.

More than 80 percent also fear being in a crash that injures or kills themselves or someone else, while another 69 percent are afraid of going to jail.

“More than 30 percent of all motor vehicle traffic fatalities in the United States results from alcohol-impaired driving crashes,” said Michele Harris, director of AAA Traffic Safety Culture of The Auto Club Group, in a release. “We need real solutions to end these needless tragedies.”

The survey was conducted in Florida, Georgia, Tennessee and Wisconsin as part of AAA’s promotion of its AAA Promise program. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.6 percentage points.

That program encourages parents to speak with their teen before prom and graduation season, and to find a way to get home safely. If there is a chance of a teen drinking and driving, or getting into the car with someone else driving, parents are able to pick up their teen, and AAA will tow the family car home free of charge.

“We want the student to promise their parents they will make adult decisions on prom night, the parent to promise their teen they will pick them up should they not have a safe way home, and AAA promises to give a free tow home of the family vehicle, whether or not they are a AAA member,” Harris said.

High school students can sign up for AAA Promise by texting the word “promise” to 46787, or by visiting AAA.com/PROMise.

Pasco High School hosts its prom April 26. Land O’ Lakes, Steinbrenner, Wharton and Wesley Chapel high schools will have their proms May 10. Sunlake, Freedom and Wiregrass Rand high schools will follow with their proms May 17.

Zephyrhills High School hosted its prom in early April.

Saffore set to represent Sunlake at collegiate level

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Sunlake High School has never had a premier volleyball team. Before this season, they had never won more than six games in a single campaign, and compiled a 15-91 record across six seasons.

Senior Malika Saffore wasn’t just a part of Sunlake’s best volleyball season in school history, she’ll be the first Seahawks volleyball player to continue her career in college. (Courtesy of Malika Saffore)
Senior Malika Saffore wasn’t just a part of Sunlake’s best volleyball season in school history, she’ll be the first Seahawks volleyball player to continue her career in college.
(Courtesy of Malika Saffore)

While they played hard, they’ve never seen much success, and have never had a player continue their volleyball career in college.

But a lot can change in a year.

The Seahawks finished the 2013 season with a 16-10 record, tallying more wins in one season than in their entire history combined. They made the playoffs for the first time in school history. And now, also for the first time, a volleyball player will continue their career at the college level.

Senior Malika Saffore will attend school and play volleyball for Florida Southern College, an NCAA Division II school located in Lakeland. She signed a letter of intent last week and said she’s excited about the opportunity to continue her athletic career.

“I’m so excited to play next season,” she said. “I was definitely honored that I was the first person to get a scholarship who was on the volleyball team.”

While most people have seen volleyball in some form, Saffore said her sport isn’t always understood as a complex one. Keeping the team motivated and working well together is just as important as hitting the ball hard.

“Volleyball is such a momentum-built sport. It depends on whether one team has more energy than the other, and I don’t think people realize that,” Saffore said.

A lot of the skill goes beyond physical ability, and includes thinking several moves ahead and utilizing what she calls “volleyball intellect.”

Saffore has no problem using her intellect both on and off the court. She’ll actually attend Florida Southern on scholarships — both athletic and academic. When coupled with a 3.8 GPA, her dedication to volleyball means most of her time is spent working on school or sports.

Saffore spends about 15 hours a week practicing on the court, plus another five hours in the gym staying in shape. After allotting time for studying and homework, free time is scarce, but she’s been able to find balance between the two priorities in her life.

In college, Saffore plans to study nursing, so her time will continue to be limited. But she said that the skills she’s learned on the court often translate to success in the classroom.

“I think it gives me a sense of self-control,” she said. “If I feel overwhelmed about the amount of homework I have or a test that’s coming up, I collect myself and think, OK, I have to prepare myself in these different aspects and I follow that plan just like I do with volleyball.”

Florida Southern was a good fit with Saffore for several reasons, she said. She said she was immediately impressed with the campus and her new teammates, but she also was attracted to the idea of staying local. She’s very close to her family and enjoys the Florida sunshine, so the opportunity to keep playing volleyball (including beach volleyball, which she enjoys) and stay close to home for a school she liked was too good to pass up.

And while she’s proven her abilities and has earned a scholarship thanks to her volleyball talent, Saffore knows that this is the beginning of competition, not the end. The Moccasins — Mocs for short — are a good volleyball team, posting a 22-14 record last year, including a 10-6 record in the competitive Sunshine State Conference.

She’ll have to continue proving herself to succeed at a school that’s used to playing at a high level against top talent, and she’s ready for that challenge.

“When you get to college, you have to actually compete for the position that you want to play,” Saffore said. “I know I have to work 10 times harder than I do now, and compete not only on the court against the team we’re going to play, but compete for a spot on the team to be on the court.”

Published April 23, 2014

This week’s Sunlake softball game benefits Wounded Warrior

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The Sunlake softball team doesn’t have a winning record. After their home finale against the Zephyrhills Bulldogs, the team won’t be thinking about a state championship.

The Sunlake Seahawks are closing out their home softball schedule with green camouflage shirts to commemorate their benefit for the Wounded Warrior Project on April 10. Their opponents, the Zephyrhills Bulldogs, also are participating with special shirts for the game. (Courtesy of Nelson Garcia)
The Sunlake Seahawks are closing out their home softball schedule with green camouflage shirts to commemorate their benefit for the Wounded Warrior Project on April 10. Their opponents, the Zephyrhills Bulldogs, also are participating with special shirts for the game.
(Courtesy of Nelson Garcia)

The game also won’t affect the Class 5A-District 8 standings, where the Seahawks are near the bottom.

Still, the game on April 10 might be the most important one of the season.

Sunlake’s game will not only feature two softball teams looking for a win, it will serve as a benefit for the Wounded Warrior Project, a nonprofit organization that provides assistance and services to injured military service members. Attendees can support the organization by making a direct donation at the game, or by purchasing arts, crafts or T-shirts that will be on sale from a variety of booths.

A portion of those proceeds will go to the organization.

Coach Nelson Garcia, who organized the event with his wife Denise, isn’t surprised that a team starting four freshman would endure some growing pains in the win-loss column. But he believes that supporting charitable organizations as a team — the Seahawks also had a Pink Out event earlier in the year to support breast cancer awareness — helps them grow in important ways that go beyond the playing field.

“They’re learning not only goals of softball, but in life and giving back to the community also,” Garcia said. “They’re very excited to do it. They can’t wait.”

Garcia spent 14 years with the fire department, so he understands the importance of serving the community. But while the team is eager to show support for the military and will wear special green camouflage shirts during the game (Zephyrhills also is participating, and will don orange camouflage shirts), the issue is particularly important for their coach and his family.

Garcia’s son, Sgt. Anthony Michael Garcia, was wounded in 2011 during his first tour in Afghanistan. He was approximately 15 feet away from an improvised explosive device, more commonly known as an IED, when it exploded.

Garcia’s son recovered and is now serving in his second tour of the region. But he realizes that many members of the military have worse outcomes and often need support, and the organization helps with everything from prosthetics to post-traumatic stress disorders.

“It seems like people forget that they go over there and they’re serving right now and they’re getting wounded,” Garcia said. “How many don’t come back, or don’t come back all intact? The great thing about the Wounded Warrior Project is they help all the military personnel in all the branches to get their lives back together when they come back.”

The event is open to the public and begins at 6 p.m., with the game starting at 7. There also will be giveaways, a hospitality tent for active and retired military, and a U.S. Army recruiting booth.

Sunlake High School is located at 3023 Sunlake Blvd., in Land O’ Lakes.

For information about the Wounded Warrior Project, visit WoundedWarriorProject.org.

Published April 9, 2014

Land O’ Lakes teen prepares for big summer adventure

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Many teenagers would be content to spend their summer vacation learning how to drive, getting a part-time job or hanging out at the beach. But 16-year-old Amy Deeb has much bigger plans.

Amy Deeb, a sophomore at Sunlake High School, received a scholarship from the U.S. Department of State to study Hindi this summer in Indore, a city in central India. (B.C. Manion/Staff Photo)
Amy Deeb, a sophomore at Sunlake High School, received a scholarship from the U.S. Department of State to study Hindi this summer in Indore, a city in central India.
(B.C. Manion/Staff Photo)

She’ll jet off to New York on July 5 where she’ll spend three days being prepped before traveling another 7,600 miles to spend the summer in Indore, a city in central India. The Sunlake High School student will be immersed in the sights, sounds, language and culture of the place – and she’ll spend at least 120 hours in class learning Hindi.

Deeb’s travel expenses and classes are being covered through a scholarship provided by the U.S. Department of State’s National Security Language Initiative for Youth program. She’ll stay with a host family and receive a stipend to cover her day-to-day expenses in India.

The program is intended to encourage youths to develop language skills in Arabic, Mandarin, Korean, Persian (Tajiki), Russian, Turkish and Hindi. The initiative is aimed at helping prepare Americans become leaders in a global world, according to the NSLI for Youth website.

While in school, Deeb will focus on reading, writing, speaking and listening, so that by the end of her program, she’ll be familiar with the Devanagari alphabet and will possess and understand Hindi grammar and the different dialects of Hindi, according to the program’s website.

Not only will Deeb learn a new language, but she’ll also learn new sounds and how to make them. She’ll have a chance to explore the context in the language, including Indian crafts, music and dance, as well as yoga and the Bollywood film industry, the program’s website says.

Deeb is counting the days before her departure. She knows throwing herself into a new place without extensive background in the language or culture is a somewhat daunting challenge. But she is ready to embrace it.

“Complete immersion,” she said, is a very cool way to learn about another culture and language.

When she applied for the scholarship, Deeb said she had to rank three languages she was interested in studying. Hindi was her No. 1 choice.

“I figured if I’m going to go for it, I may as well pick something that’s so, in my mind, different from what I could ever experience in America,” said Deeb, who has aspirations of becoming a surgeon working in foreign countries.

She has her sights set on work in fetal surgery. “I think it would be interesting to be kind of like a pioneer in fetal surgery,” Deeb said.

She expects to be in class about six hours a day during the week. She’ll spend other time with her host family and on cultural excursions.

Deeb studies American Sign Language, but doesn’t take other language classes. She believes her sign language studies will help her be more observant of others than she might have otherwise been.

But she admits she doesn’t have a clue about speaking Hindi.

“I could be just terrible at Hindi – it’s a definite possibility,” Deeb said, but it won’t be for a lack of effort or enthusiasm. “I’m going to throw myself in there and hope for the best.”

Deeb said she found out about the scholarship program from two of her cousins who live in Tucson, Ariz. Both of them have been selected to study Mandarin, and one of them is currently involved in a yearlong program, Deeb said.

Deeb found out about the program when she was 13 and knew then that she wanted to apply when she turned 16. She’s delighted she was chosen.

“It’s very selective,” Deeb said, noting about 3,500 students apply nationwide for scholarships for all seven languages. About 400 or fewer receive scholarships.

Her application included three essays, biographical information and a copy of her transcript. Finalists also underwent personal interviews, which lasted about 40 minutes.

The main qualities the program requires are enthusiasm and aptitude, Deeb said.

She seems to qualify on both counts. Deeb has a 4.4 GPA on a 4.0 scale, with extra points awarded for rigorous coursework.

And, her enthusiasm is obvious.

“I can’t even imagine in my mind what it’s going to be like to go there. I am so excited,” Deeb said.

For more information about the National Security Language Initiative for Youth program, visit NSLIForYouth.org.

Published March 19, 2014

Soaring Sound family earns accolades on, off field

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This week is spring break for Pasco County schools, meaning thousands of students are enjoying some well-deserved time off and maybe even a little time at the beach.

Tonya O’Malley works with some of her percussionists ahead of a pep rally to kick off spring break last week. The band director is in her eighth year in Pasco County, and her fifth at Sunlake High School. (Michael Hinman/Staff Photo)
Tonya O’Malley works with some of her percussionists ahead of a pep rally to kick off spring break last week. The band director is in her eighth year in Pasco County, and her fifth at Sunlake High School.
(Michael Hinman/Staff Photo)

But that’s not so for members of the Sunlake High School Soaring Sound. These band students have spent hours on end in the school’s gymnasium, where there is no air-conditioning when school’s not in session, getting ready to represent Sunlake on the state and national level … once again.

Sunlake’s marching band was a finalist in Class 2A competition last fall — one of the only Pasco schools even competing — and now its color guard is getting ready for a trip to the University of Central Florida near Orlando this weekend to compete at the Southeastern Color Guard Championship. And percussion members have a competition of their own coming up in the next week or so in Daytona Beach.

The Soaring Sound members are first to credit the efforts of director Tonya O’Malley, who’s now in her fifth year at Sunlake. But it’s O’Malley who quickly turns and credits her players.

“It all comes down to our student leaders. This is what has made our program thrive,” O’Malley said. “We have one or two kids in every single section of the band that demands excellence in that section. I can teach them, but it’s these leaders who make sure everyone in their section are there, and all prepared.”

Leaders earn their positions every year, including drum majors like Nonna Stutzman, who started in the band as a flute player, but was approached by O’Malley last year to serve as one of two field leaders for the band. Even as her junior year is drawing to a close, Stutzman already is working hard to earn the privilege of continuing as drum major next year.

“You have to try harder than you did last year,” Stutzman said, adding that her level of involvement has prompted her to think quite seriously about a future in music. “Marching band honestly has made up my whole high school experience. I played the flute for so long, maybe I can even teach it.”

Troy Moeller is one of the younger leaders, a sophomore who serves as the brass captain. During marching season, he plays a euphonium — one step down from a tuba — and right now is part of the percussion group preparing to head to Daytona.

Moeller, however, has other talents as well, including the cello. And he dabbles a bit on saxophone as well.

Moeller doesn’t like to talk about all of that much, but that hasn’t stopped O’Malley from singing his praises.

“The biggest selling point for me on Troy is that he was an amazing player, even as a freshman,” O’Malley said. “I sent out emails to all his teachers looking for some feedback, and what I got was that Troy is an exceptional student who is well beyond his years. The way he behaves in class is impeccable.

“It’s all those types of things I expect of the kids in leadership. They need to be well-rounded individuals, and represent the band well in the community and in the school.”

O’Malley starts the recruiting process early for Soaring Sound, working closely with younger students at Rushe Middle School, and preparing them for the transition.

“All of this can be somewhat intimidating for eighth-grade kids,” O’Malley said. “Our members go frequently and talk to the kids there, and make sure they are comfortable. They let them know the high school band is not big and scary, and they can fit right in.”

Soaring Sound has just under 75 members right now, but the latest success of the band could cause that number to swell. In fact, O’Malley has a list of 60 Rushe students interested in taking part in Soaring Sound next year.

“They’re looking to find their place,” she said.

When those new freshmen arrive, they’ll find a band ready to help them do just that, thanks to people like color guard captain Sara Pickernell.

Pickernell is graduating in May, but she hopes leaving her mark will help encourage others to be strong leaders in Soaring Sound as well.

“My leadership experience is way more off the field than on the field,” Pickernell said. “If the kids are having a hard time, like their boyfriend just broke up with them or they are having trouble in class, I pull them aside and see what I can do to help.”

Published March 19, 2014

In Print: Spending $119,000 on a campaign with no opponent

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State Rep. Richard Corcoran, R-Land O’ Lakes, may find his return to Tallahassee an easy one in the November election, especially if he doesn’t draw an opponent.

But the man in-line to become the House Speaker in late 2015 has spent more than $9,000 a month on his re-election campaign, and far more than any other House candidate, whether they have an opponent or not.

Corcoran knows he’s spending a lot, but he’s using the election as a way to connect with constituents, a lot of the nearly $119,000 already spent on events like tele-town halls that draw thousands of people.

“If there’s any chance you get where you can communicate with the voters and get their input, we do it,” Corcoran told reporter Michael Hinman. “Anytime you get input from the voters, that just makes you much more effective.”

But what are election observers saying about the spending spree? You’ll have to find the print edition of The Laker/Lutz News this week to learn more.

Amy Deeb also wants to make some people connections, but in a completely different way.

The 16-year-old Sunlake High School student will spend her summer in India as part of a U.S. Department of State program that encourages young people to learn different languages. Deeb will immerse herself in Hindi.

“I figured if I’m going to go for it, I may as well pick something that’s so, in my mind, different from what I could ever experience in America,” Deeb told reporter B.C. Manion.

And it will be the first language outside of English Deeb has learned since she picked up American Sign Language.

While Deeb is preparing for her trip to a new continent, B.C. as her own trip idea a little closer to home. As part of her “Worth the Trip” series, B.C. introduces us to Gamble Mansion near Ellenton.

Gamble Mansion in Ellenton is the only remaining antebellum plantation house in South Florida. The park is open to visitors every day. The mansion is open to visitors, by guided tours only, Thursdays through Mondays. (Photo by B.C. Manion)
Gamble Mansion in Ellenton is the only remaining antebellum plantation house in South Florida. The park is open to visitors every day. The mansion is open to visitors, by guided tours only, Thursdays through Mondays. (Photo by B.C. Manion)

The house and surrounding park is open to the public, and carries with it a significant amount of history, especially around the Civil War era. Among other things, it is said to be a place where some of the leaders of the Confederacy hid out in the aftermath of that conflict.

All of these stories and more are in this week’s The Laker/Lutz News, available in newsstands throughout east and central Pasco County as well as northern Hillsborough County. Find out what has your community talking this week by getting your local news straight from the only source you need.

If The Laker/Lutz News is not coming to your door, call us to see where you can get your copy at (813) 909-2800.

Town hall over elevated toll road descends into chaos

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The crowd was there to speak, not to listen.

After spending nearly an hour hearing why some Pasco County leaders like planning and development administrator Richard Gehring were still open to exploring the possibility of an elevated toll road along the State Road 54/56 corridor, hundreds of people gathered at a town hall meeting at Sunlake High School Monday night interrupted, shouted and booed over scheduled speakers.

Residents crowded into Sunlake High School's gymnasium March 10 to talk about the proposed elevated toll road for the State Road 54/56 corridor. (Photo by Michael Hinman)
Residents crowded into Sunlake High School’s gymnasium March 10 to talk about the proposed elevated toll road for the State Road 54/56 corridor. (Photo by Michael Hinman)

And their goal was clear: No elevated toll road.

“This needs to have community support, and the presentation (from county officials) was very demeaning,” one resident said. “Everything has already been decided.”

It was supposed to be just another one of several town hall meetings Pasco County Commissioner Kathryn Starkey had organized for constituents: She would bring members of the county staff with her to discuss various issues, and then listen to the attendees and get their feedback.

This meeting, however, served as a prelude to official public interaction over the elevated toll road and overall county transportation plan that’s set to kick off Saturday at The Shops at Wiregrass.

Even with a microphone, speakers like Gehring struggled to talk over the unruly crowd. When one man interrupted him after shouting from the audience, Gehring tried to keep some sort of order.

“Sir … could we have …” Gehring said before getting interrupted again. “Public dialogue requires civility. Let me try and ask you for it.”

International Infrastructure Partners, which submitted an unsolicited proposal last year to privately build the elevated toll road in Pasco County, has not even actually bid on such a project yet, and is still early in negotiations with the Florida Department of Transportation, Starkey said.

“We don’t know what’s going to happen,” she said. “But we all need to know, at least in my mind, what our alternatives are” to the road if it’s not built.

Some of the talk from the crowd is to keep moving such an east-west connector north, just like residents in Hillsborough County have successfully done over the years. One idea would be to build a higher-capacity road along State Road 52, which virtually runs parallel to State Road 54 in the northern part of the county.

“We do have a problem: We have to have an east-west road,” said Christie Zimmer, a member of the Pasco County Citizens’ Advisory Committee. “I’m absolutely 100 percent opposed for that to happen in the State Road 54/56 corridor, but if we look at the 52 corridor, the cost is substantially less.”

Such a road, she said, would not just serve the travelers from Hillsborough and Pinellas counties, but it would help bring Hernando County into the fold on a road where not so much development has happened.

At one point, Gehring rebutted a comment that an elevated road would depress property values along the corridor, using the Selmon Expressway as an example in Hillsborough County. There, he said, property values are actually on the rise — a statement that was met with jeers from the audience.

While there was a lot of interruptions from the audience, it did seem at least one person was listening. Ken Littlefield, a Republican candidate for Pasco County Commission seeking to replace Pat Mulieri, failed to take a position on the elevated road during a Republican debate last week. But now, the former state legislator says he has all the information he needs.

“If there is one thing that I detest, it’s an unsolicited call,” Littlefield said. “Every evening, between 5 and 7 p.m., our telephone rings, and every now and then, I will not recognize the number and I’ll pick it up. They’ll start an unsolicited call, and I will hang it up.

“Ladies and gentlemen, what I think we need to do on this unsolicited bid is hang up.”

Read more about this meeting and this weekend’s transportation presentation at The Shops at Wiregrass in the March 19 print edition of The Laker/Lutz News.

Tallahassee meeting lays groundwork for elevated road discussion

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The State Road 54/56 corridor was the primary topic of conversation between Pasco County administrator Michele Baker and Pasco County Commission chair Jack Mariano with Florida Department of Transportation secretary Ananth Prasad in Tallahassee last week. And, of course, the proposed elevated toll road planned to link U.S. 301 in Zephyrhills with U.S. 19 near New Port Richey, was part of that discussion.

“This is a very unique opportunity for Pasco County,” Prasad said in a release. “It’s not every day that a private company offers to come in and design, construct and maintain a new roadway with no costs to taxpayers.”

But the project is not exactly being well-received by everyone. A group of residents along the State Road 54/56 corridor have organized in recent weeks to oppose it. This, among other things, has pushed Baker to suggest public meetings discussing the proposal happen sooner rather than later.

“It is very important that we inform our residents of the projected need to address traffic congestion, and the alternatives available,” Baker said in a release.

Mariano, however, is not convinced.

“I want to make sure Secretary Prasad looks at all of our options,” he said, in a release. “Projects like the Ridge Road extension should also be brought into the discussion to help alleviate any traffic congestion on State Roads 54 and 52, and provide another hurricane evacuation route.”

A proposed extension of Ridge Road has been tied up with environmental concerns.

Although it’s not part of the official group of public meetings to introduce the elevated road concept to the public, Commissioner Kathryn Starkey is holding a town hall meeting Monday to discuss that and other planned growth development along the growing corridor. That begins at 7 p.m. at the Sunlake High School gymnasium, 3023 Sunlake Blvd., in Land O’ Lakes.

“This proposal has the potential to create numerous jobs for Floridians, improve traffic flow in Pasco County, and enhance economic development,” Prasad said. “However, we want to hear what the community wants to help with growing congestion in this area.”

The first official meeting is planned for March 15 at Fresh Market at Wiregrass, 28211 Paseo Drive in Wesley Chapel. That meeting begins at 10 a.m.