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Sinkholes drive insurance rate increase

Citizens wants rate increases in Pasco higher than in any other county: an average of 66 percent for homes east of U.S. 19, 124 percent for homes west of it.

Last week, David Ross opened his bill from Citizens Property Insurance Corp. The premium was twice what he paid last year and came just as the insurer announced plans for another big rate increase next year.

"I went to my agent," Ross said, and asked, "What's going on? They said, "They doubled your insurance. Must be because of the hurricanes.' I said no kidding." But it's not hurricanes hitting Ross in the wallet.

It's sinkholes.

For homes west of U.S. 19, Citizens wants to raise rates an average of 124 percent. For homes east of the highway, rates would rise an average of 66 percent. The increases are the highest Citizens wants in any of the state's 67 counties.

In supporting papers for the rate increase, Citizens staffers make it clear that without sinkholes, the Pasco rate increase would have actually been below the state average of 32 percent. By comparison, the proposed rate increase for Pinellas is from 8 to 18 percent and for Hillsborough from 16 to 23 percent.

For some Citizens policyholders in Pasco, the increases would represent the third consecutive year premiums more than doubled.

Nothing Citizens sent Ross, of Port Richey, explained the sinkhole problem. In fact, the only advice his bill gave was to shop around. But Citizens' actuaries said the proposed Pasco rate is so much higher than other counties because the company will continue to pay tens of millions of dollars in sinkhole losses in the coming years.

Last year alone, the company reported paying more than $17-million in sinkhole losses.

In contrast, the actuaries predicted losing $3.3-million to hurricane losses in Pasco in an average year.

But there are even more factors working against policyholders than expected losses.

Until this year, Citizens didn't have to consider projected losses. It wasn't until the state Office of Insurance Regulation ordered the company to change its practice of simply matching the highest rate in the private market that it began to base its rates on actual projected losses.

Additionally, officials believe sinkhole losses are being inflated because not all paid claims are actually sinkhole losses.

Staffers at Citizens and the county property appraiser's office said it's likely that some damage attributed to sinkholes can actually be blamed on poor construction. Yet owners of these homes are collecting sinkhole reimbursement because the insurer cannot prove the absence of a sinkhole.

"The fact is that it's very difficult to prove a negative, that a sinkhole is not the cause," said Citizens spokesman Justin Glover. Sinkholes occur underground as the delicate lacework of limestone and caverns give way, crumbling driveways and cracking walls and foundations.

The Citizens board of governors put off a recent vote on the rate increases because the proposed rates are so high.

Paul Cameron, a Citizens policyholder in northwest Pasco, said, "If they double us again next year, I guess I'm out of the state. We're getting up near our mortgage payment."

Garrett Therolf can be reached in west Pasco at 869-6232 or toll-free at 1-800-333-7505, ext. 6232. His e-mail address is gtherolf@sptimes.com

When David Ross moved to Port Richey in 2004, he got insurance from Citizens Property Insurance Corp. Every year since, his property insurance rates have increased dramatically:

2004: $997

2005: $2,012

2006 (proposed): $3,386

Citizens Urge Caution On Growth

By JULIA FERRANTE jferrante@tampatrib.com

Published: Sep 24, 2005

NEW PORT RICHEY One by one, residents, farmers and developers took their turn at the lectern, imploring the Citizens Advisory Committee to consider carefully the future growth of northeast Pasco.

Some longtime residents who attended the three-hour meeting Thursday night at River Ridge High School applauded the committee for proposing restrictions that would cluster development and allow open spaces to remain indefinitely.

"I support the efforts to protect the charm of this area from cookie-cutter houses, crowded roads and schools," said Pat Carver, of Dade City. "It is important to protect the quality of life of our existing neighborhoods."

Several farmers and their representatives argued the changes, which if approved by the county commission would be incorporated into Pasco's comprehensive growth plan, violate property rights and impose the desires of some on everyone.

"Do you really want people who don't live in this area telling you what to do with your land?" said Aaron Craig, of Wesley Chapel. "This is like two wolves and a sheep deciding what we want for dinner."

The committee is slated to discuss the proposed standards for northeast Pasco at a second meeting from 6:30 to 9 p.m. Oct. 4 at the River Ridge High School Center for the Arts, 11646 Town Center Road in New Port Richey. The committee again will take public comments at a third meeting on Oct. 20, then vote on the changes.

The county commission and the state Department of Community Affairs must approve any land use changes for the area bounded by State Road 52, the Pasco-Hernando County Line, the Green Swamp and Bellamy Brothers Boulevard. Information about the plans is available on the county Web site, www.pasco countyfl.net, and on a compact disc that may be purchased from the growth management department at 7530 Little Road, Suite 320, New Port Richey.

While many residents urged the committee to act quickly and proceed with the plans, a group of farmers and developers asked the committee to proceed slowly.

"I think we need to slow this down before we approve something we can't live with," said King Helie, a Hudson planning consultant.

Helie said the guidelines "seem to be taking the decisions out of the hands of county commissioners and putting it in the hands of bureaucrats."

Helie said the inclusion of just one "new town" retail, office and government center at Connerton off U.S. 41 is unfair.

"This may violate the equal protection rule if only one person can have a new town," he said. "I think that is very specific."

Complaints about the proposed plan changes ranged from limits on town houses, road expansions and sewer services as well as designations for employment centers. County growth managers are reconsidering restrictions on town houses. County sewer service would not be offered to developments with an average of one unit per acre, even if those developments were part of a conservation subdivision where development is concentrated in one area to create open space.

Clarke Hobby, an attorney representing a group called East Pasco Agricultural Landowners, also said the plan is "onerous and unreasonable."

Joel Tew, who represents the Pasco Building Association, suggested the committee delay its vote and take more time to refine the regulations.

"This document does not protect property rights," Tew said.

Barbara Simpkins, of Spring Hill, disagreed.

"I bought in the country to enjoy the country," she said. "I believe replacing it with pollution and traffic will devalue my property."

Subdivision plan gets mixed reviews

Some residents think it will preserve northeast Pasco's rural feel, but some landowners worry it will hinder them.

Amid the talk of scenic vistas, open spaces, dying farms and development rights, the tug-of-war over northeast Pasco's future has centered on a single idea: the conservation subdivision.

The proposal is simple enough: If a developer gets a zoning change to build houses on a northeast Pasco tract larger than 50 acres, the houses would be clustered together on half of the property, with the other half remaining open space.

Some residents say it will help keep the area's rural feel, even as new homes sprout on old farmlands. Owners of large properties say it will strip them of their right to develop their land as they like.

America's Founding Fathers "would roll over in their graves if anyone proposed the idea that if you owned 100 acres, you don't have the right to use 100 acres," developer attorney Joel Tew told members of the Citizens Advisory Committee on Thursday night. The meeting Thursday, which drew more than 100 people to the theater at River Ridge High School, proved just how polarizing the northeast Pasco plan had become.

"Why should the landowners of northeast Pasco pay for the sins of the rest of Pasco County?" asked Emmett Evans, whose family owns dying citrus groves south of State Road 52.

"We're not trying to hurt anybody," Blanton resident Carol Cruz said. "We just want to keep it beautiful and the way it is."

The conservation subdivision is part of a slate of suggested changes to the comprehensive plan, Pasco's blueprint for long-term growth. The Citizens Advisory Committee has spent nearly four years reviewing the plan and offering ideas to improve it.

But their work isn't done. A county-hired consultant is still tweaking the rules for conservation subdivisions to allow even more homes on the developed half, committee chairman Allen Altman told the crowd Thursday night.

Currently someone with an agricultural/rural tract can build one home per 5 acres. On a 100-acre tract, that comes out to 20 homes.

But if that person built a conservation subdivision, a "density credit" would kick in allowing one home per 2.5 acres. That would mean 40 homes, although they would be confined to half of the 100-acre tract.

The proposed density credits vary according to how much of the land would be preserved as open space, and whether the land is agricultural, agricultural/rural or residential. Altman said the county-hired consultant will look at increasing those density credits, allowing more homes on the developed side.

The idea will come back to the committee Oct. 4 and 20 before going to the County Commission for public hearings and a vote.

While much of the comments Thursday revolved around the northeast Pasco plan, some residents aired concerns about other parts of Pasco County's growth.

Several objected to the plans to put "employment centers" near their homes. One man said the county should require developers to perform archaeological surveys before doing any construction, to ensure artifacts are not destroyed or paved over.

Meridy Norfleet-Mendoza, a third-generation Aripeka resident, wept while urging the committee to keep hundreds of homes out of her rural community.

"If you let people come in," she said, "there's not going to be anything left to look at."

Bridget Hall Grumet can be reached in west Pasco at 869-6244 or toll-free at 1-800-333-7505, ext. 6244. Her e-mail address is bhall@sptimes.com

Budding business park is thriving

Performance Honda is leasing 20,000 square feet at Dade City Business Center, where about 40 percent of the space is now leased.

DADE CITY - The newest tenant at Dade City Business Center might be considered owner Jim Guedry's best customer.

Performance Honda, which deals in motorcycles, ATVs and watercraft, bought Guedry's 2-acre packing house at State Road 54 and Interstate 75 last year.

Guedry then bought a chunk of the former Pasco Beverage juice plant north of downtown, moved his citrus shipping business and has renovated the sprawling complex into an industrial and business park.

Now the Honda dealer plans to lease about 20,000 square feet there of warehouse space.

"We knew he had that available space," Performance Honda general manager Darrin Hovater said.

The space will serve as a distribution center for his two dealerships: the one in Wesley Chapel and his original one in Winter Garden.

Hovater said five employees will work at the center assembling new motorcycles.

"We'll keep $6- or $8-million worth of inventory there at all times," he said.

Guedry originally bought 57 acres of the beverage plant site last fall and has since picked up more pieces. Dade City is annexing the property.

Guedry's citrus shipping business, which employs more than 100 people, is up and running. Soon he will open a 6,000-square-foot retail store fronting U.S. 301 selling fruit baskets that can be shipped anywhere.

Beyond that, he and his partners hope to lure between 20 and 30 other businesses. They have already signed on several big-ticket tenants. The most recent one was announced in July, when the Orlando company Howard Fertilizer & Chemical Co. signed a one-year lease for 40,000 square feet of warehouse and office space.

Business center spokesman Joe Kennedy said that so far almost 150 people are working at the center's different businesses. In less than a year of ownership, 40 percent of its space has been leased, he said.

"We're very pleased," he said.

Molly Moorhead covers news about Dade City. She can be reached at 352 521-6521 or toll-free 1-800-333-7505, ext. 6521. Her e-mail address is moorhead@sptimes.com

Gated wall plans hit a roadblock

Pasco County officials say plans for two gated communities will contribute to gridlock.

Nothing says Florida real estate quite like walled, gated communities. From humble trailer parks to luxurious seaside enclaves, Floridians are mad for masonry.

But are these symbols of safe and sound living on the way out in Pasco County?

Pasco administrators have frozen plans for a pair of gated communities proposed for Wesley Chapel's Wiregrass Ranch.

Their main objection: By walling themselves in with private streets, gated communities hinder traffic that needs to flow smoothly to keep the county's suburbs from becoming gridlocked.

DiVosta Homes and Del Webb Homes, both subsidiaries of housing giant Pulte Homes, want to build gated communities of thousands of homes northeast of State Road 56 and Bruce B. Downs Boulevard.

In August, citing traffic worries, Pasco administrators denied Pulte permission to build the first installment of those homes on the 5,000-acre ranch.

Pulte is appealing the decision to county commissioners at a meeting scheduled for early November.

If the county breaches the walls of the gated communities it would destroy the integrity of DiVosta's and Del Webb's projects, said Joel Tew, the attorney representing Wiregrass.

DiVosta builds semi-self-contained communities under the brand name VillageWalk. They feature guard houses that operate 24 hours a day. The Wiregrass VillageWalk would include canals, foot bridges and walking trails.

Del Webb builds golf course communities for people 55 and older. Webb wants its Wiregrass project to be largely sealed off except for cars visiting what's to be a public golf course.

"Public roads defeat your purpose to have private gated communities," Tew said. "Carried to its logical conclusion you couldn't build walled communities anymore."

Well, yes and no.

County administrators view the gated communities as giant blockages in a pipeline of planned roads south of State Road 54.

SR 56 and Chancey Road, both to be extended through Wiregrass, could be overwhelmed with traffic. The same fate could await a proposed north-south road called Porter Boulevard.

The source of the cars isn't just the 16,000 homes proposed for Wiregrass, a housing explosion that could draw tens of thousands of new residents. Wiregrass also comes with plans for mall-sized shopping centers and office parks packing as much floor space as a Tampa skyscraper.

As the county strives to lay out road networks to serve present and future suburbs, "very large walled communities" could become an endangered species, assistant county attorney David Goldstein said.

Walled communities are everywhere in Pasco, from gated trailer parks in Zephyrhills and New Port Richey to more luxurious neighborhoods like Wilderness Lake Preserve in Land O'Lakes and Lake Jovita near Dade City.

"If you're talking walled communities of the size Pulte is proposing, I suppose you could say, "Yes, they could be banned,"' Goldstein said.

New Tampa, years ahead of Wesley Chapel in the development game, has struggled without a proper road network, a tough thing to lay out among its numerous gated subdivisions.

That lack of infrastructure came home to roost last year when Hurricane Frances dumped 10 inches of rain.

The area's two main roads, Bruce B. Downs and Morris Bridge Road, were partly flooded. The result: traffic jams that stretched for miles.

Goldstein cited Trinity, in southwest Pasco, as an example of a project that's successfully steered a middle ground between private communities and public access.

Trinity Boulevard is a main thoroughfare serving Trinity, but developers provided an alternative route south of the boulevard called Robert Trent Jones Parkway.

Robert Trent Jones winds through several neighborhoods, included the restricted, seniors-only Heritage Springs golf course community.

"Joel made it sound like we're picking just on them," Goldstein said of Pulte's lawyer. "...The other developers weren't happy with building roads either, but they ended up doing it."

Attempts to bridge the differences between the county's and Pulte's position have failed so far. As a compromise, county planners suggested looping a road around one or more of the walled communities.

Pulte has been cool to the beltway idea, and will take its chances with an appeal to the county commissioners.

"The county commissioners seem to understand these things better than the county staff," Tew said.

Timber Oaks' soggy plight may dry out

Commissioners could vote to make stormwater drainage standards tougher in the neighborhood.

PORT RICHEY - The flood-prone folks in Timber Oaks are about to get some help staying dry.

The County Commission will get its first glimpse Tuesday of a proposal to add Timber Oaks to the list of soggy areas where developers must meet tougher stormwater drainage standards. Commissioners would vote on the measure after public hearings Oct. 25 and Nov. 8.

The measure would not torpedo a developer's plans to plant 250 townhouses on the Timber Oaks Golf Course, said Joyce Gallagher, president of the homeowners' group. But it would require the developer to go to extra lengths, such as digging deeper drainage ponds, to ensure the project won't flood the neighbors.

"It certainly will foster a clearer scrutiny" of the project, Gallagher said.

More than 200 Timber Oaks residents poured into the West Pasco Government Center three months ago, urging officials to include their neighborhood in the drainage ordinance. Commissioners approved the ordinance in July for two east Pasco basins, Tank Lake and East Zephyrhills, but promised to study Timber Oaks so it could be added later.

The Timber Oaks neighborhood, sandwiched between State Road 52 and Jasmine Boulevard, west of Little Road, sits at the bottom of a drainage basin that collects water from the surrounding areas. Last year, residents frantically pumped water from Footprint Lake to Dollar Lake to save dozens of homes threatened by floodwaters from the hurricanes.

Chuck Kalogianis, the attorney and developer behind the 250-townhome proposal, has said he won't have any problem meeting the tougher drainage standards. At the urging of county officials, he said, the project was designed to collect much of the stormwater washing into the neighborhood, thereby reducing the flooding for the neighbors.

County planners are still reviewing the townhouse proposal. No dates have been set for the public hearings on that project.

The proposal coming before commissioners Tuesday would add the New River basin, located between Zephyrhills and Wesley Chapel, to the list of flood-prone neighborhoods where developers must meet tougher drainage standards.

Sandhill cranes

The stoic sentinels of the Nature Coast offer many good photo opportunities.

That the Nature Coast abounds with fascinating and photogenic bird life is no big secret. But, for many, proof of such occurs only in field guides.

That's because many of the area's favorite feathered friends are given to hiding in treetops or roaming hard-to-reach environments such as deep forests and secluded shorelines.

One particular species is not only abundant and regularly visible, it's downright cooperative. Now, that is a term seldom applied to critters in the wild. Reason being, we represent potential danger to be avoided at all costs.

But when you're talking about sandhill cranes, you are talking about a bird displaying an intriguing blend of confidence and curiosity that seems to beckon attention. So docile is the crane's demeanor that it often seems to say, "Take my picture."

Sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis) are long-legged, long-necked, gray birds with a patch of bald red skin on the tops of their heads and a clump of feathers spilling over their backsides. Adults are mostly gray, with white on their chin, cheek and upper throat.

They often are confused with great blue herons. But cranes fly with their necks fully extended, while herons tuck their necks over their backs during flight.

An indigenous subspecies, the Florida sandhill crane is a year-round breeding resident. The greater sandhill crane nests in the Great Lakes region and spends its winters in the Sunshine State. The latter is slightly larger, but the two, otherwise, are identical.

Florida sandhill cranes typically occur in pairs or small groups. But when the influx of northern cranes arrives in November and December, the population doubles until spring. During this period, throaty, rolling calls are unmistakable throughout the landscape.

A close relative to the nearly extinct whooping crane, sandhills live to be older than most birds - some upwards of 20 years. Look for these stoic birds in prairies, freshwater marshes, pasture lands, agricultural areas, golf courses and open lawns.

Omnivorous eaters, cranes forage on seeds, grain, berries, insects, earthworms, mice, small birds, snakes, lizards, frogs and crayfish.

Unlike herons, cranes don't "fish" by spearing aquatic meals. Despite their relaxed disposition, don't expect to hand-feed sandhills - a bad idea with any wild animal. But you can expect to catch much more than a fleeting glimpse of an unidentified bird.

In fact, you often will encounter such patience that you can take time to closely observe the subject and compose several different photo angles. Reason being, sandhill cranes often roam close to humans.

I've enjoyed my best "sandy" sightings by complete happenstance. A few of the examples:

In a pasture - Driving across State Road 52, I spotted a pair of the tall birds strolling across the lush grass, near the edge of a watering hole.

On a tidal flat - Heading home from the Bayport boat ramp, two sandhills stood shin deep in clear, quiet water, preening themselves and nibbling at whatever bugs or crabs they could find.

Family cookout - My sister's house sits about a quarter mile off U.S. 41 on a small Land O'Lakes pond surrounded by a cypress swamp. On the small stretch of residential shoreline, a pair of adults cautiously stood watch as their yearling chick - still brown and fuzzy - worked on his foraging skills with waterside insects.

The latter sighting exemplified how the normally laid-back sandhill can quickly launch into a clear display of disapproval. I never got closer than about 30 feet, but that probably was about 10 too close.

I don't recall exactly where the line was. But once I crossed it, one of the adults fluffed up its feathers, swung its head back and forth with irritated gyrations and did this angry half-hopping, half-flying thing. When I held my ground, the bird took Emeril's advice and kicked it up a notch by grabbing a twig, shaking it as if it were killing a snake, tossing it to the ground and stomping on the lifeless object.

I wasn't all that intimidated, but I got the message. Sandhill temper tantrums are quite entertaining, but don't push the envelope.

Crane attacks are rare, yet getting too close to an angry bird with 6 inches of pointed bill can turn ugly in a hurry. Moreover, disturbing wildlife only lessens your chances of future encounters.

I am no ornithologist and I'm not even all that versed in bird-watching, but experience has shown sandhill cranes to be willing ambassadors of Florida's avian community. Just stay clear of the babies.

New Law Forces Counties To OK Some Developments

By FRED HIERS Hernando Today

Published: Sep 23, 2005

BROOKSVILLE The muscle Hernando County can flex over businesses proposed near failed roads is likely to turn to flab soon.

A new Florida law will require municipalities to issue building permits to developers wanting to build near substandard roads regardless of whether county officials believe the stress from traffic on a nearby failing road would be too much.

In return, counties could require those businesses to pay a portion of the cost to fix the substandard road that would be affected.

In Hernando County's case, the law, which goes into effect in December 2006, would primarily affect State Road 50 between the Suncoast Parkway and U.S. 19.

The road this year fell below standards set by the state Department of Transportation.

Current laws allow the county to halt development along the road. Hernando County officials are working with developers in collecting money to fix the problem.

However, the law will no longer allow counties the choice of allowing developers to help pay but will make it mandatory they be allowed to contribute to fixing the traffic problem, Hernando County Planner Jim King said.

"We don't see this as a solution based on what we can read," King said.

Despite fees paid by individual developers wanting to build along failed roads, King said there might not be enough money for many years to widen State Road 50 or build a parallel frontage road. The law will require that those developers be allowed to begin the permit and building process immediately after payment, regardless of whether that alone is sufficient money to repair the traffic problem.

King said the law requires the county to have an ordinance in place that allows developers to obtain building permits and know how much their contribution to fixing the traffic problem will be.

In addition, developers will be given impact fee credits for their contribution toward fixing the traffic problem, King said.

Impact fees are taxes collected by the county from property owners when they build a home or business. In the case of businesses, the one-time fees are used to provide services such as new roads and law enforcement.

The fees can only be spent in the areas where they were collected.

King said the law could end up costing the county because money collected from developers to fix failing roads will be lost in impact fee credits, King said.

To make matters worse, impact fee laws allow for some flexibility in how counties spend that money, King said. The new Florida development law does not allow for that flexibility.

Sep 22, 2005

County Presses Road Plans

County officials are examining several properties near the proposed Ridge Road extension that could be used to compensate for wetlands destroyed by the east-west connector and ultimately move the project forward.

After months of failed attempts to secure the 300-acre Five-Mile Creek Corridor north of the route from owner James "Bo" Bexley, county officials are working with another faction of the Bexley family to buy land to the south, County Commissioner Jack Mariano said Wednesday.

Relatives of the late Bud Bexley, who with the help of Newland Communities are developing a southern portion of the ranch, are considering selling property to the county to push forward the long-delayed road project, Craig Bexley, Bud's son and Bo's nephew, confirmed.

"Nothing's set in stone right now, but we would look at the county's options and the county's needs," Craig Bexley said. "We would certainly talk to the county. We are nowhere near agreement as far as I am concerned, but we are keeping an open mind."

The 14,000-acre Bexley Ranch was divided years ago, with the northern portion controlled by Bo Bexley and the southern part going to his brother, Bud. Bud and his family decided to develop part of their property. Bo is not interested in selling or developing his, Craig Bexley said.

If the county is able to reach an agreement with Craig Bexley and his immediate family, the land would comprise a portion of the property needed to make up for damage from the road extension, Mariano said. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Southwest Florida Water Management District would have to approve the plan.

County officials are examining at least three other sites in the same watershed as possible mitigation for the road project, but no deals have been made, Pasco County Biologist Bob Tietz said.

Commissioners plan to discuss the road project at a meeting starting at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday at the West Pasco Government Center, 7530 Little Road, New Port Richey.

Mariano said he is much more confident about completing the project than he was two months ago, when attorneys told the board Bo Bexley adamantly refused to allow engineers on his property to study his land. The board at that time discussed the possibility of truncating the road project to start at Moon Lake Road and end at the Suncoast Parkway rather than at U.S. 41.

"It won't be everything we need, but it's a portion of it," Mariano said. "I'm very encouraged by it."

Craig Bexley and his family have an interest in accelerating the Ridge Road extension project, he said. The connector is listed as one of the major access roads for future residents of the Bexley Ranch development, which is to include 7,000 houses and retail and office space within the next 15 to 20 years.

Years Of Delays

The mitigation issue is the latest of many setbacks for the Ridge Road extension project. The road has been drawn on future transportation maps for 20 years, but the project has been delayed by permitting issues and opposition from environmental groups. The water management district known as Swiftmud approved the road in 2003. The Corps still is reviewing the permit application.

Environmentalists have challenged the road project mostly because it would cut through the 6,533-acre Serenova Preserve, set aside to compensate for construction of the Suncoast Parkway. County officials counter that before the Serenova was a preserve, it was designated for thousands of houses, businesses and roads. The extension was to cut through the development.

The county plans to build the road in two sections, with the first phase connecting Moon Lake Road and the Suncoast Parkway. Phase II would start at the parkway and end at U.S. 41. County officials have secured mitigation property for Phase I, but finding viable land to compensate for the second phase has proved more challenging.

Swiftmud approved the road based with the understanding that a 240-acre parcel known as Mablebridge would be put into conservation to compensate for Phase II. That property later was approved for development, so county officials set their sights on the Five-Mile Creek Corridor.

Jake Varn, the Tallahassee attorney hired to push through the Ridge Road extension for the county, said the county needs to work fast to secure a new mitigation site for Phase II.

"If the county wants to proceed with Phase II, it needs to move reasonably expeditiously to see if there are other alternatives for mitigation for that phase," Varn said.

Support Still Strong

County commissioners say they would like to stretch the Ridge Road extension to U.S. 41 if possible. Studies have shown that most traffic -- an estimated 27,000 vehicle trips initially and later about 41,000 vehicle trips -- would come from the west. Residents of new neighborhoods along U.S. 41 also could use the extension to reach the Suncoast Parkway.

Mariano and other commissioners argue the road extension would be a vital hurricane evacuation route and ease traffic on alternative east-west routes, namely state roads 52 and 54.

"You've got so many people coming from U.S. 41 that have to go all the way to 52 or 54," Mariano said. "For time, speed and movement of peopl0065, goods and services, I think this will cut down a lot of trips."

Commissioner Ann Hildebrand also was hopeful about completing the project.

"If you don't get plan A, you go to plan B," she said. "I think we need to take it all the way to U.S. 41. If you end it at the Suncoast, you create a monster traffic jam. This would be an evacuation route. I can't stress it as even a higher priority. Even those who oppose it would have to agree it would be a good evacuation route."

Even if the mitigation issues are resolved, the county also is awaiting an opinion from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission about whether endangered woodstorks and eastern indigo snakes and threatened Florida scrub jays will be hurt by the project, Army Corps Project Manager Mike Nowicki said.

Fish and Wildlife also is evaluating the Serenova an aquatic resource of national importance, Nowicki said. If it is determined that the road extension will affect the aquatic resource, the county would have to find another route or the permit could be rejected. The county argues the road will not affect wildlife or waterways.

Public will get say on preserve

The Southwest Florida Water Management District will host the Sept. 29 meeting on Cypress Creek Preserve.

LAND O'LAKES - Hikers, bikers and horseback riders who pound the trails on the 7,400-acre Cypress Creek Preserve will have a say about how to improve that swath of wilderness in Land O'Lakes.

Want to request more trails, bigger campgrounds or more accessible gates? The public can make suggestions at a workshop at the Land O'Lakes Community Center at 5401 U.S. 41.

The meeting, hosted by the Southwest Florida Water Management District, starts at 6 p.m. Sept. 29.

The preserve hugs an 8-mile length of Cypress Creek between State Roads 54 and 52. Dozens of miles of trails, some paved, crisscross the property.

The preserve's two main entrances are on Parkway Boulevard, north of Pine View Middle School, and at the Cypress Creek Water Treatment Plant east of Ehren Cutoff.

The northern end of the property is home to the Cypress Creek well field. Each day, to serve the Tampa Bay region, more than 1-million gallons of drinking water are pumped from beneath the preserve.

With comments gathered at the workshop, the water management district will update the preserve's management plan written in the early 1990s.

The district allows what it calls "passive recreation" on the property. In addition to pitching a tent at two marked camp sites, visitors can fish, skate, bicycle, hike and ride horses on the land. Hunting and motor bikes are banned.

But it's pretty much every person for himself. Unlike most state parks, the property has no rangers. Wild animals - mostly deer, alligators, turkeys and aquatic birds - are commonplace.

"We don't really have what you might call park staff, so our ability to supervise use is limited," the water district's Gene Kelly said.

Sep 21, 2005

River report nearly ready

It was drafted by the Hernando County Weekiwachee River and Springs Task Force and will be submitted soon to the Florida Legislature, which could help improve the river and its headsprings.

And while most of the eight goals included in the first draft of the report are meant to gauge and help improve the river's water quality, the report also will contain suggestions to improve the overall experience of those who use the river and residents who live on or near it.

The six-member panel, which has no policy-making power, met at the Weeki Wachee Area Club Tuesday night to discuss the report and get reaction from the public.

About 50 people showed up at the meeting and were most vocal about sand in the river, the proposed removal of wooden groins meant to direct the river's flow and continued problems with scofflaws at the Chassahowitzka Wildlife Management Area.

They also voiced concerns about increased traffic on the river and conflicts among people using the river in different ways, such as power boaters and tubers.

While some residents were able to speak during the public comment portion of the meeting, most made their feelings known with occasional applause during the task force's deliberations over the goals outlined in the report.

The message from those in attendance: Remove the sand, keep the groins and do a better job of enforcing the rules at the wildlife management area, located about 1.5 miles west of U.S. 19 on S.R. 550 -- or close it to the public.

Some issues that have been repeatedly raised by the public aren't necessarily environmental concerns, said Dave Tomasko, environmental section manager for the Southwest Florida Water Management District (Swiftmud), which provides administrative support to the task force. The legislature created the task force specifically to come up with ways to improve the river's water quality, which has deteriorated in recent years.

"We have to balance what the public is concerned about versus what the Legislature expects this task force to devote its time to," Tomasko said.

The task force chose to stick by its decision to ask Swiftmud to study how removing 22 wooden groins would affect the river's flow. The Hernando County Port Authority had asked Swiftmud to remove the structures, stating they pose a hazard to boats and other river users. The project is slated to cost $80,000 and is already in the design and permitting stages.

Residents worried that removing them would allow the river to widen in some places, slowing its flow and making parts of the river too shallow to navigate. Tomasko said Swiftmud engineers believe that removing the groins would have little or no impact and that the study would be "a waste of money," but neither residents nor the board were convinced.

Weeki Wachee resident James Knotts got up to speak toting a collage of photos taken after a recent busy weekend at the Chassahowitzka Wildlife Management Area that showed the widespread problems with litter, vandalism and other damage. He repeated the message he sent to the Fish and Wildlife Commission at the task force meeting last meeting: "If you can't patrol it, close it down."

Tom Champeau, regional fisheries administrator for the commission, said staff at all levels of the commission were looking at the concerns and trying to come up with ways to address them. He said one option might be increased signs outlining the rules at the popular river access point but admitted the commission doesn't have the manpower to significantly step up patrols in the area.

Residents and task force members were skeptical that signs would work. Task force chairman Paul Sullivan advocated closing the area to the public.

"What makes you think that putting up signs that say you shall not drink on this beach or you shall not break into people's cars will have an impact on the problems we're having," Sullivan said.

The task force voted to strengthen the wording in its report to ask the commission to step up patrols or close the area.

The task force addressed another non-environmental issue but one that has been controversial: conflicts between various people using the river. Last month, the task force came to the consensus that power boaters have the right of the way over non-motorized craft such as canoes.

This week, Chuck Morton of the Hernando County Port Authority, told the task force that no vessel has the right-of-way in every instance. Rather, it depends on which vessel is going upstream, which has the most maneuverability at the time and several other factors.

"There's not enough ink to write a sign that will cover all the rules for situations you would encounter on that river," Morton said. In the end, he added, "It's a courtesy thing."

The task force agreed to ask for some $40,000 to commission the University of Florida to conduct a study on the river traffic and to come up with ways to educate river users and customers of canoe and kayak rental businesses.

Officials will tweak the report before the task force's next meeting, slated for Oct. 11 at 6 p.m. at the Weeki Wachee Area Club, 7442 Shoal Line Blvd.

The report is due to the Legislature in November.

Reporter Tony Marrero can be contacted at (352) 544-5286.

OTHER GOALS, STRATEGIES IN REPORT

1. Determine appropriate nitrate levels for the river

The Weekiwachee was once unique in its low level of nitrates, but those nitrate levels have skyrocketed in the last few decades. Officials admit they're unsure just how much this impacts the river's ecosystem, but they do know that increased nitrate levels usually go hand in hand with environmental degradation. Once they establish an appropriate nitrate level for the river, the next strategy would likely be to figure out ways to reduce them.

2. Determine an appropriate flow regime for the river

The flow coming from the Weekiwachee's head springs have varied over the years. While much of that is natural, officials worry that there also could be a human impact, too. They want to get a better idea of what a typical flow should be to help head off any potentially harmful manmade effects.

3. Shoreline stabilization

Residents complain that the Weekiwachee River is, on average, shallower than it once was, which limits boating access and could impact underwater vegetation. Projects to stabilize the shore at the Chassahowitzka Wildlife Management Area, known as the Bluffs, and at another area south of the observation tower have already been completed. Another is underway at Buccaneer Bay, the water park at Weeki Wachee Springs. More shoreline stabilization sites could be identified, officials said, and funding requested from the Legislature.

4. Stormwater retrofit at the river's headsprings

A project currently in the permitting stage will make storm water treatment system near the river's headsprings to treat runoff from U.S. 19 and the parking lot of the Weeki Wachee Spring attraction. The runoff is filled with sediment, oil and other pollutants, officials said.

Assess the status and trends in fish communities and aquatic vegetation in the river. The population and diversity of fish and other wildlife in the river is a way to determine its ecological health, officials said. This project would study the various species of fish macroinvertebrates and plant life to, as one official put it, "take the pulse" of the river.

-- Tony Marrero

Road now leads to many new jobs in park

Cortez Crossings Business Park, on a road unused for years, officially opens Wednesday with its first tenant promising to create at least 40 jobs, maybe 60.

RIDGE MANOR - Hernando County's so-called road to nowhere now does actually go somewhere.

It's official: The Cortez Crossings Business Park on Nature Coast Boulevard near State Road 50 and Interstate 75 is no longer vacant.

The owners of four of the county's biggest home builders teamed up to build the HiTek Truss LLC manufacturing plant. Local elected officials and the business community were well represented at the ribbon-cutting Wednesday morning.

To the right of the lectern set up outside were three county commissioners: Chris Kingsley, Nancy Robinson and Rob Schenck.

On the left were three of the four owners of the building companies: Joe Pastore of Pastore Custom Builders, Joe Mazzuco of Royal Coachman Homes and Stuart Glover of the Palmwood Companies. Bob Eaton of Artistic Homes was out of town.

"This," Jean Rags, the director of county Health and Human Services and the master of ceremonies, told a group of about 20, "has been a long time coming."

HiTek Truss is the much-anticipated anchor of the business park.

It's going to create at least 40 new jobs.

And it also could be a sign of things to come on this eastern end of the county, where the growth has lagged behind development on the west side and along the Suncoast Parkway corridor.

All of this started with a $750,000 federal grant.

The county applied for the grant in 1999. The grant came with conditions. The money had to be used to create jobs for low- to moderate-income residents.

Construction of the road began in 2000.

Then the snags started.

In October 2000, the county entered into an agreement with Polaris Pool Systems, a Vista, Calif., pool company. The grant money was to pay for the road and the water and sewer lines. Polaris pulled out in November 2002.

The next potential anchor: TVSS, a Destin surge processor plant, but county officials decided against them after the Times revealed that the owner had a lengthy criminal background.

The road?

Still there.

"We took a beating on this at times," Kingsley said Wednesday.

But for Mike McHugh, director of the county Office of Business Development, the main concern was getting an anchor tenant - it was either that or lose the grant money.

HiTek Truss filled that role.

Even that had its kinks.

"We thought we could put it all together in a year," Glover said. "It took two years."

In April, the county's development department ordered a stop in construction on the site, saying the company didn't have the proper permits.

Then, just last month, the development department ordered a stop in production, saying the company didn't have the necessary occupancy certificate.

"Before this project started," Mazzuco joked Wednesday, "Joe's hair was completely black."

Pastore, with his combed-back, salt-and-pepper-streaked hair, laughed along with everybody else.

The second business on Nature Coast Boulevard is going to be Universal Microwave Corp., a wireless communication technology company that's moving from southwest Pasco County and broke ground last month.

HiTek, combined with Universal Microwave, satisfied the grant requirements: $1-million in private funds invested and the creation of at least 30 low- to moderate-income jobs.

Universal Microwave, which plans to open near the end of the year, has agreed to provide at least 22 new jobs, 12 of which should be filled by local folks with low to moderate incomes. HiTek, meanwhile, has invested an estimated $2-million and promises to create a minimum of 25 of the low-to-moderate positions out of the 40 to 50 jobs overall.

"We hope to hire some more people, not just the 40," Mazzuco said. "We could probably hire up to 60 people with second shift and everything else."

The location, McHugh said, is ideal.

In the next 10 years, said Commissioner Kingsley, some 25,000 more people could live on this side of the county.

Over 8,000 and as many as 10,000 new homes are "on the table," said Larry Jennings, director of the county's planning department, although estimates vary.

"More than a few," Schenck said. "Less than a million."

A lot.

Cortez Crossings is just off SR 50 and so close to I-75 that all the cars and trucks can be heard whizzing and rumbling by.

The HiTek Truss facility is 36,100 square feet, a high-ceilinged, hangarlike place with lots of stacks of boards waiting to be turned into 2-by-4 wooden planks used to make the frames for rooftops - a more efficient, more cost-effective, state-of-the-art factory to speed up the home-building process, say the owners.

"We're just glad it's finally done," Mazzuco said.

"We know it was a bumpy road," Pastore told the crowd, "but all roads are bumpy."

McHugh also talked about what was coming next to the Crossings. Retail. Restaurants. Hotels. More industry. "Most of the lots have been bought," he said.

"Now the commission can find another location within the county," said Robinson, the commissioner, "so we can continue to grow and continue to find jobs."

Michael Kruse can be reached at mkruse@sptimes.com or 352 848-1434.

House battle ends in rubble

A self-proclaimed expatriate and engineer lost his decade-long battle with the county over the house he built without proper permitting in the Inverness Highlands neighborhood.

INVERNESS - Bulldozers and dump trucks stood atop the rubble of Anthony Boccaccio's home Tuesday morning, a sign that the county had won its decade-long war with the self-proclaimed expatriate.

The fight over the single-family home in the Inverness Highlands neighborhood started in 1995. Over the years, journalists cited county officials and Boccaccio saying there was an end in sight. Each time, it seemed, something stopped the truce.

And so, the war ended with Boccaccio and at least one of his neighbors scrambling to get his belongings before the bulldozers arrived.

"(The county) took everything I had and they squashed it," said Boccaccio, 53. He alleged that many of his belongings were taken out of his home without his permission.

The house at 5595 E Arthur St. was designed and built by Boccaccio, who said he has an engineering degree. He said the house was sturdy and well built and said the county has a vendetta against him. Neighbors at the scene said the house had a garage, a hot tub and a full basement.

Over the years, the county has repeatedly told Boccaccio he didn't have the proper permits to build, didn't have a certificate of occupancy, and was living in an unstable structure.

The story of Boccaccio's problems began in 1996, when then-Assistant County Attorney Richard Wesch ordered him to pay $16,000 in back fees for code enforcement violations. If he didn't pay, Wesch said, the county would foreclose on the property. Circuit Judge Patricia Thomas also ordered him to stop building the house.

Boccaccio did neither. He told a reporter his theory of politics is complex, but he said basically, he feels he is allowed to not participate in the United States government. The government doesn't give anything to him, he said, and he doesn't give anything to it.

So when the county government told him he had to stop construction of the house, he questioned the county's right to do so.

The county disagreed. At the time Wesch, who is now the county administrator, said any structure built in the county needed to adhere to county codes because of safety reasons. People building new structures are also required to pay impact fees, he said.

In court testimony in 1996, Boccaccio said his construction methods were superior to any of the county's requirements and that no one on the county staff was qualified to inspect his work.

Over the years, he faced multiple obstacles to construction. He was even jailed after a judge found him in contempt of court.

Reached Tuesday night by phone, Boccaccio said he's not sure what he'll do now, but he is considering moving away.

"This place is the worst place in the frigging earth," he said.

Abbie VanSickle can be reached at 860-7312 or vansickle@sptimes.com

Sep 21, 2005

Pasco Letters to the Editor

No Moral Imperative

It is to be expected that large landowners in east Pasco with dollar signs in their eyes will oppose efforts to protect the area's rural nature in the comprehensive land use plan as well as in zoning regulations.

These would-be developers hope for maximum profit from their land. They are only human -- like you and me. Wannabe developers will lose no rights that they have now under proposed changes to the comprehensive plan to protect the rural nature of east Pasco.

What developers lose is the ease in the present system, whereby special treatment can break a developer free from present zoning laws. By making it harder for developers to circumvent the rules, the proposed comprehensive plan changes protect the status quo from the dynamic that reliably creates urban sprawl.

Urban sprawl is created when developers, one by one, lobby local government for "just one little exception" from the "onerous and unreasonable" limitation on "little ol' me" using my land.

Meanwhile, a distracted public doesn't pay enough attention to insist that an unending series of special treatment zoning decisions don't undo the plan.

This whole dynamic is animated by focused developer money pumped into the political process. This is the system that creates New Tampas and will turn east Pasco into a similar nightmare unless barriers are put up now.

If east Pasco goes the way of New Tampa, all county taxpayers will end up subsidizing the optimal profits large landowners naturally seek from land sales. The taxpayer will be picking up the slack on road and school building, infrastructure maintenance and increased services.

I am not sure if I am more amused or amazed to hear the argument that farmers are subsidizing their neighbors' scenic lifestyles through their choice to be agriculturists.

My family is filled with farmers. They find it hilarious to be cast in such a role.

There is no moral imperative owed to farmers who have lived off the land for generations when they are trying to earn an extra buck by selling to a developer depending on dodging zoning rules to get maximum return on investment.

I am sorry if any Pasco farmer feels aggrieved because he might get more for his land from a developer if the developer can expect to subdivide an acre into eight lots rather than complying with the present low-density regulations.

After all, the selling farmer gets to move away.

The proposed changes are designed to make it harder for developers to get such exceptions. The public doesn't incur a debt -- moral or financial -- for making it harder for special interests to get rules waived.

The arguments being mustered by east Pasco's big landowners are the same ones used t oppose regulations on brickyards and strip-mining a hundred years ago.

They are the same used to persuade Florida local governments to permit endless breakneck urban sprawl for the last 50 years -- urban sprawl now reaching from as close as Wesley Chapel.

These well-worn arguments are put in the wind to test the political resolve of the county's voters and leaders. I hope voters recognize these arguments win more often than not in the game of developers seeking ad hoc waivers of zoning rules.

If we want to keep urban sprawl out of east Pasco, we should commend our commissioners for looking at doing the wise long-term step of making it harder for developers to slip around the county's growth plans.

Finally, the developer argument I like most is the notion that taxpayers should have to pay landowners because government makes getting special treatment exceptions harder.

Heck, I might want to turn my house and back yard into a nuclear waste storage facility. I might be able to make a fortune doing it! Maybe the county's environmental fund should pay me for not seeking special treatment to allow me to do it.

Any time government regulates property, a concern about Fifth Amendment regulatory taking and potential compensation arises. Pasco voters and commissioners will be well advised to rely on the county attorney's office for guidance on this issue.

I don't think taxpayers who might end up subsidizing new urban sprawl infrastructure should be cowed by demands of potential developers that they be paid from environmental funds if they aren't allowed to bend the rules in the future.

DOUG BEVINS

Dade City

Send letters to the editor to Pasco Editor of Editorials William Yelverton wyelverton@tampatrib.com

Sep 21, 2005

Northeast Residents Ponder Development

The hills of northeast Pasco offer views of valleys, trees and hay rolls that some residents argue are beyond compare.

Citrus and cattle farmers have lived off the land for generations, for better or worse. Others have moved to the far reaches of the county to escape a faster pace of life.

As they contemplate their future, residents and landowners are trying to decide how to maintain the rural character of the area and still profit from the land. Some propose limited or clustered development with room for open space. Others argue struggling farm owners should be compensated if their potential for development is limited.

The Citizens Advisory Committee is slated to discuss proposed standards for northeast Pasco at a meeting, 6:30 to 9 p.m. Thursday at the River Ridge High School Center for the Arts, 11646 Town Center Road in New Port Richey. A second meeting is scheduled for Oct. 4.

The county commission and the state Department of Community Affairs would have to approve any land-use changes for the area bounded by State Road 52, the Pasco-Hernando county line, the Green Swamp and Bellamy Brothers Boulevard.

Deborah Bolduc, a senior planner for Pasco County, said the meeting is an opportunity for the public to comment on recommended land-use changes to the comprehensive plan. Information about the changes is available on the county Web site, www.pasco countyfl.net. A compact disc also may be purchased from the growth management department at 7530 Little Road, Suite 320, New Port Richey.

At least two groups have formed to represent the various interests of residents.

Sharon Hannah-West of Northeast Pasco Concerned Citizens said her group is pushing for clustered development, where houses are built closer together and room is reserved for open space.

"I don't think anyone will come up with the perfect plan," she said. "We want to see Dade City as a town center. We don't want to see a lot of strip cities that show up outside of subdivisions. There are ways of building communities without destroying them."

Hannah-West argues that northeast Pasco is home to some of the most beautiful views in the county.

"Granted, it all can't stay that way, but some of it should stay in the future," she said.

She supports the purchase of development rights, where landowners would hold title to their property and be compensated for not developing it."

Clarke Hobby, an attorney representing about 25 longtime landowners, sent a letter to county officials asking them to reconsider designating much of the area rural. He said the proposed regulations are "onerous and unreasonable" and do not allow enough flexibility for commercial and residential development.

Hobby's clients, who call themselves East Pasco Agricultural Landowners, want to ensure that the regulations do not preclude them from developing their property in a viable, profitable way.

"They really don't want to be another New Tampa, but they want to have the reasonable ability to use their property," he said. "We need to make sure that the total usefulness of the property is not taken so the county can make up for other density in the area."

Development Overshadows Budget

DADE - CITY Plans for an upscale housing development attracted more attention Tuesday night than did final passage of the city's $8.9 million budget for 2005-06.

With no comments or questions from the public, city commissioners approved the budget for the fiscal year starting Oct. 1. The board also approved a property tax rate of $9 per $1,000 of assessed taxable property value.

That rate includes money city residents pay to Pasco County for fire protection.

In a separate matter, commissioners also agreed to annex 58 acres at the northwest corner of St. Joe and Ramsey roads, just south of Pasco-Hernando Community College's East Campus, which is off Blanton Road.

Property owners Mark Maconi and Warren J. Pashley intend to build 79 single-family homes on the St. Joe site. They also are developing town homes on a contiguous parcel within city limits, said Karla Owens, city attorney and growth administrator.

The 79 single-family homes will sell for $600,000 to $700,000, said Debra Zampetti, an attorney representing the property owners. She answered questions outside commission chambers but did not speak during the public hearing.

At that price range, the homes will be among the most expensive in Dade City. They will be built in a traditional neighborhood design with front porches, said Zampetti of the west Pasco-based law firm Figurski & Harrill.

Existing property owners in the rural area didn't specifically object to the annexation, but three speakers wondered about the impact of the planned homes.

Pat Carver said she worries the new homes won't be compatible with others nearby, some on parcels of 5 or 10 acres, or even larger.

Mayor Hutch Brock urged those who live in the area and have such concerns to keep communicating with the city.

Later meetings will review in more detail elements such as design, landscaping and placement of access roads. Neighbors will be able to see and comment on site plans before they come up for city approval, Brock said.

Sep 20, 2005

Early payers of impact fees given a break

The board voted 4-1 to lift their deadline that would have made property owners begin construction on their new homes by June 2, 2006 or pay the new full impact fee.

Commissioners pushed back the deadline to June 2, 2008.

County Commission Chairman Robert Schenck originally wanted property owners who paid the lower impact fee to be grandfathered and allowed to indefinitely wait before beginning to build, but agreed to push the deadline back as a compromise.

Only Commissioner Diane Rowden voted against the postponement.

Previously, she said they should be made to pay now and any deadline was unfair to those paying the full fee.

Commissioners this summer increased impact fees from $4,894 to the current $9,211.

After the increase, Schenck convinced commissioners Chris Kingsley, Jeff Stabins and Nancy Robinson to reconsider the June, 2006 deadline.

"I always believed the way we handled the prepay impact fees as unfair to the public," he said. "We're now considering what's right."

Impact fees are taxes collected by the county from property owners when they build a new home. The one-time fees are used to provide services such as new roads, schools, parks and libraries to accommodate the influx of new homeowners.

The fees can only be spent in the areas they were collected.

Impact fees are divided into separate categories that include road impact fees, fees for new school construction, parks, libraries, law enforcement and fire protection.

The county collected more than $15 million in impact fees in 2004.

The county collected about $3.3 million in early impact fee payments this year, $2 million of which came from about 600 property owners paying between May and June.

When those property owners paid their $4,894 impact fees, there was no time limit involved in which they would have to start building.

Schenck predicted most of those who paid early will start building homes long before the 2008 deadline.

Assistant Planning Director Jerry Grief said about 15 percent of the $3.3 million in collected impact fees was spent since this summer's board vote, showing that many of the early impact fee payers were beginning the building process and obtaining building permits.

Schenck said by June 2008, there would be an insignificant number of those left who paid early and who were still were not building. And they will probably be allowed to hold off building indefinitely, he said.

But for now, Tuesday's vote "will give more people more peace of mind," Schenck said.

Italix: See a related editorial on page 4

Reporter Fred Hiers can be contacted at (352) 544-5290.

County extends lot fee deadline

Commissioners stretch by two years the time to pay impact fees on vacant lots at the current rate, rather than a higher one approved earlier.

BROOKSVILLE - To the landowners who have already paid the old, lower impact fees on vacant lots, the County Commission lived up to a promise on Tuesday.

The Commission voted to extend from one to three years the time those property owners have to start construction without paying the new, increased fees.

"I don't think it's going to be that onerous now," said Len Tria, a consultant representing the Hernando County Builders Association; many of the prepayments came from builders.

"I think they did the right thing and the building community was happy with that."

Builders were not happy in June when the county raised impact fees from $4,799 to $9,211, effective July 5. Along with this increase, the commission decided to quit accepting impact fees until the higher fees went into effect.

It also required the people who had already paid at the lower rate to obtain a building permit in the next year or be subject to the higher fees.

This caused a near rebellion because the people who had paid those fees - both builders and individual homeowners - had been assured the fees would cover them indefinitely, they said. They said the county's action amounted to a breach of contract.

"It's a gross injustice," Tria said at the time.

Residents who had paid the lower rates previously had until June 2 of next year to receive a building permit. With the change to the impact fee ordinance approved on Tuesday, residents now have until June 2008.

"It produces a greater amount of equity for those who prepaid their impact fees earlier," said Commissioner Nancy Robinson.

Opponents of the county's decision at the time said the commission was using the one-year time limit to stop the flood of prepayments. The building department had collected 1,069 prepaid impact fees on unbuilt properties by early June, including 619 in the two weeks before the new ordinance passed.

But County Attorney Garth Coller said that Hernando had to stop accepting the advance fees because its accountants would no longer allow it to spend the collected money.

The cause of that, he said, was a judge's order that required an agency in Monroe County to refund prepaid impact fees to a development that was denied the right to build.

Diane Rowden was the only commissioner who voted against changing the ordinance.

"First of all, I think it sends the wrong message when the board makes a decision then comes back two weeks later and changes that decision," Rowden said after the vote.

"I think the majority of the people they're pleasing are builders," Rowden said.

Times staff writer Mary Spicuzza contributed to this story. Dan DeWitt can be reached at 352 754-6116 or dewitt@sptimes.com

Developer Shows City Its Plans

ZEPHYRHILLS - Waterfront homes and lakeside dining could be features of a more than 700-acre development proposed off Chancey Road.

The ambitious project, dubbed "Zephyrmere," would feature 1,067 houses, some with docks leading to three large lakes. Also on those lakes, the developer plans restaurants and retail.

The houses and shops would replace a decades-old rock mine operating on the property, just south of mostly industrial Chancey Road and east of Yonkers Boulevard. The mine is scheduled to close on Dec. 31, 2006.

But first, Zephyrhills officials have to approve the project, the largest ever presented to the city.

So in a rare move, representatives of Plaza Materials, owner of the mine, met with city officials last week, unveiling color-coded maps and plans, and touting the project's value.

The project would feature seven acres of retail, three acres of restaurants, six acres of public park and more than 400 town houses.

"The lakefront siting really makes this attractive for residential," Ron Weaver, the developer's attorney, said Monday.

Todd Vande Berg, city director of development services, said he was impressed by the plans and scope of the project. But questions remain.

"It's not necessarily about how nice the development is," he said. "It's predominately more a land-use question."

The 765 acres are outside city limits. To transform the property from industrial to residential, the developer wants to annex into Zephyrhills.

That means more than 1,000 houses -- with an average of at least two residents each -- would become part of the city.

On top of that, the municipal airport is growing, and part of the proposed project sits in the buffer zone where housing is not recommended. Also, a growing industrial community has taken root farther north on Chancey Road.

To alleviate complaints about airplane noise and truck traffic, the project calls for a buffer zone of retail and light industrial along Chancey Road. Much of the residential development lies south of Chancey Road, Weaver said.

He said closing the mine would eliminate the 300 to 400 daily truck trips originating from Plaza Materials.

"We believe 80 percent of the residents would be coming in from the southeast and southwest, and a lot of ... Chancey Road they will not be traversing. They'll be coming up off U.S. 301 and U.S. 39," Weaver said.

Vande Berg plans to meet with officials from the Southwest Florida Water Management District and Pasco Economic Development Council to hear their concerns before any other action is taken.

Sep 20, 2005

Clay May Be Causing Roads To Crumble

WESLEY - CHAPEL A shallow layer of clay thought to be prevalent in the soils of south-central Pasco may be causing roads to deteriorate prematurely in some of the county's newest neighborhoods.

Private engineers are scheduled to begin testing one of the roads, Lexington Oaks Boulevard, next week to determine why it has become pitted with potholes and dips just seven years after it was built.

The road, which was accepted into the county's jurisdiction in 2001, was designed to last 20 years. Residents began to notice crumbling conditions just a few years after it was built.

Several other roads in the county network, including some in the Meadow Pointe communities straddling County Line Road east of Bruce B. Downs Boulevard, also have shown signs of deterioration, possibly because clay was present in their road base, county Engineering Services Director Jim Widman said Monday.

"I'm suspect of this in other places," he said. "I am looking at that region out there where there is a shallow layer of clay. It goes all the way from near County Road 54 to County Line Road. Meadow Pointe has had quite a bit of pavement defamation. I am very concerned."

A Defective Road?

Pulte Homes, the developer of Lexington Oaks, finished building the 1,509-home community west of Wesley Chapel Boulevard (County Road 54) late last year. The company has hired a consultant, Mortensen Engineering Inc., to test a mile-long stretch of the road for possible defects.

Residents have been asking Pulte to fix the road for about two years. In November, Catherine "Cass" Peters started a petition urging Pulte to proceed.

County engineers toured the road in April and surmised it was built on an inferior base. Pulte applied this month for a right-of-way permit to perform the tests. On Thursday, Richard A. Mortensen sent an e-mail to Widman setting a timeline for the work.

Once the results are in, county officials will assess who is responsible, Widman said. County engineers also will consider taking additional measures to ensure other developers are complying with county standards.

"We are going to learn from this experience what needs to be changed, either in procedures or quality assurance, such that this doesn't happen again," Widman said.

The tests of Lexington Oaks Boulevard, set for Sept. 27-30, will involve drilling 60 holes to a depth of 4 feet, according to an e-mail from the consultant. Soil samples will be analyzed to determine whether the base contains moisture, presumably trapped in clay or other soft materials. If moisture is found, it could be the cause for the road's deterioration. Additional tests of larger areas may be conducted Oct. 4 and 5.

The borings will be made at 200-foot intervals in all four lanes. Sandy soil then will be inserted and cold asphalt will be packed on top to refill the holes. Larger samples may be taken in some places, Mortensen wrote.

"What we're really searching out, what our goal is is to determine if the road is in compliance with the design and to test the design itself to see if it is working," Widman said. "We also want to see if a clay material is hurting the integrity of the road. If the content of clay is significant, it could have a negative effect."

Widman surmised that the road can be fixed without having to be reconstructed.

Expressing Frustrations

County Commission Chairwoman Pat Mulieri, who represents central Pasco, remains frustrated with Pulte, whose officials repeatedly told her and residents the company would "do the right thing" in Lexington Oaks. Mulieri sent a letter to Pulte's corporate headquarters on Monday complaining about how the issue was handled.

"I'm happy this is moving forward, but I think it should have moved forward a little faster," she said. "It seems to me that the perception was that this was the county's fault. We met with them, and it's two years before they even do a bore sample. We met with them again and they waited six months to apply for a right-of-way permit. That to me doesn't seem to be an expeditious way of doing something."

Widman said he also is frustrated that the roads were not tested sooner, but the project has been given a high priority.

"It's not something that is keeping people from getting in and out of the subdivision," he said. "It is not unsafe. It is not the highest priority, but it's important that we fix it."

Pulte's Tampa Division President, Scott Campbell, has said his company also wants to learn why the road is falling apart. He suggested last week that Pasco's road design specifications or excessive traffic may be at fault.

Lexington Oaks Boulevard is the only way in and out of the community. The road was shared by residents and construction workers with heavy equipment during the time the community was being built.

Campbell also questioned why the county accepted Lexington Oaks Boulevard if it was defective.

Pasco's road construction standards, modeled on the state's, require that roads be built on a solid base of "select material" such as hard sand. When digging roads, builders must remove or separate clay and replace it with hard fill dirt, Widman said. Builders are not required to test the roads or to submit test results showing that their roads meet the specifications, but they must comply.

"The county manual doesn't have a requirement for test submittal, but that doesn't release the company from complying with DOT standards," he said.

If excessive moisture is found in Lexington Oaks Boulevard, Pulte may be required to install additional drains under the road, Widman said.

"First, we have to find out what's there," he said. "In theory, it should have held up. If you are building a road on top of soft material, it will deflect. If there are moisture problems, it will weaken the integrity."

Katrina threatens schools' growth

The school district fears a drain on materials and spike in construction costs caused by the storm could delay building.

Hurricane Katrina spared Central Florida its massive destruction. But early signs suggest K-12 students will feel its effects for years.

Pasco County school officials on Monday said national construction supply shortages are threatening to delay the district's aggressive building program, one that calls for the opening of seven schools by the 2006-07 school year and 21 total by 2009.

Already, Rinker Materials, a leading Florida supplier of drywall, sent a letter to customers - including the Pasco and Hillsborough school districts - warning that distribution will be limited due to effects of the hurricane on supplies. Drywall already was in tight supply pre-Katrina, but two Louisiana drywall manufacturers were damaged by the storm, further affecting supply and price, a Rinker official said.

"We foresee it being very tight for a very long time," said Ken Noland, Rinker's regional manager in Odessa. The company in the past was able to meet supply on demand. Now, it's a week behind in deliveries, he said.

Assistant school superintendent Ray Gadd said the Rinker memo was the first tangible evidence of the construction struggles to come.

"It's got us worried," he said. "It's not going to be a materials and supplies shortage; it's going to be a labor shortage too."

It's too soon to say what, if any, delays might occur. Gadd said he wasn't prepared to contemplate a return to double sessions for the already overcrowded 60,000-student district, even if the worst-case occurs.

"Right now we're not anticipating anything that severe," Gadd said of the double-sessions scenario, which calls for two schools to attend class in the same school building in shifts.

In Hillsborough, which plans to build 21 new schools in the next five years, chief facilities director Cathy Valdes said Hurricane Katrina is only one more factor in a growing list of pressures on school construction.

Between tremendous population growth, a class-size reduction law that calls for districts to build more classrooms, escalating construction costs and a new law that requires school vendors to conduct pricey criminal background checks on their employees, school districts are struggling to figure out how they are going to catch up.

"It's kind of like there are so many factors working against school construction at this point in time that it has to be viewed holistically," Valdes said. "It's not only Katrina. Before Katrina there was escalating construction costs."

Prices for concrete, steel, insulation and any petroleum products all are on the rise. Cement prices rose by between 12 and 30 percent in some regions in the past year. And as the construction industry prepares for reconstruction efforts in the Louisiana and Mississippi Gulf Coast, demand and prices are only expected to go higher.

"Once they get New Orleans drained, most of the supplies destined for Florida are going to be headed to New Orleans," said John Petrashek, director of new construction for Pasco County schools. "The construction market is out of the control of the School Board. ... We literally are at the mercy of the construction industry market."

School construction has long lagged behind Florida's residential building boom. Even if the rising prices and building materials shortage slows down suburban and exurban sprawl, experts expect the need for new schools will not subside.

Bob Abberger, head of Florida development for commercial real estate giant Trammell Crow, speculated that the burden of funding new school construction during increasingly tight economic times will fall to local government officials and, eventually, taxpayers.

"Cities and counties in this state are going to have to find a way to pass this cost through, and that's going to mean impact fees or taxes," he said. "It's unfortunate that now that there's a huge focus on catching up (in school construction) that we now have to deal with the cost shock that could cause another setback."

--Times researcher Angie Drobnic Holan contributed to this report.

Sep 19, 2005

Intentional mistakes plague building department

But with commercial permit applications taking as long as 90 days to process and residential permits 45 days, his department is far behind schedule.

The process used to take about seven days.

After eight hours of processing 40 permit applications three days ago, he was left with a stack of about 20 rejections.

Tolbert nixed them not because they were poor design proposals or violations of county building codes but because they were "grossly" incomplete, he said.

Some were made up of pages nearly blank. In others, sections where completed with writing that was undecipherable, leaving building officials scratching their collective heads.

Unfortunately for those who take the time to fill out their applications fully, these incomplete applications double the processing time, Tolbert said.

In most cases, the omissions are not innocent oversights.

Turning in incomplete applications is something of a cat and mouse game initiated by builders, Tolbert said.

This is how it is played.

Builders submit permit applications in order to satisfy a waiting customers who want either their home or commercial properties built. So builders submit the incomplete documents, generally with plans to gradually submit the additional information later.

This way, builders can report to customers their applications are in and any delays are due to the County Building Department.

And the number of "grossly" incomplete application forms is only growing, Toblert said.

The first wave of incomplete applications came this summer just before the county nearly doubled impact fees to $9,211. About 600 applications were submitted in two months, ten times the number typically submitted.

"They were slamming us with anything we would take," Tolbert said.

By October 1, the county will adopt new national building codes.

That has spawned a new wave of application from builders in an attempt to fall within the current building rules, Tolbert said.

The number of incomplete permit applications has recently jumped about 10 percent, he said, adding that he anticipates additional hikes during the next two weeks.

To solve the problem, Tolbert will soon direct his staff to do general reviews of permit applications as they are turned in and while the applicant is still in the department.

But that will have to wait, Tolbert said, because his staff is still trying to catch up with the avalanche of applications pouring into their offices.

"We've got to first dig our way out of this impact fee ...and rule change...frenzy," Tolbert said. "And we have to sort through the incomplete applications."

Reporter Fred Hiers can be contacted at (352) 544-5290.

Ridge Manor: Where the streets moved over for the trees

Is Three A Crowd?

WESLEY CHAPEL Chances are, southern Pasco County doesn't strike anyone as the place to go to buy, say, some cute capri pants or one of those trendy lettuce-wrap appetizers.

It's hardly a retailing or restaurant mecca -- yet.

But this patch of former citrus and cattle land could house no fewer than three outdoor shopping malls by 2007. All told, the proposed Cypress Creek Town Center, The Shops at Wiregrass and The Grove at Wesley Chapel plan to bring 2.9 million square feet of retail space to southern Pasco County -- nearly three times the size of Tampa's 1 million-square-foot WestShore Plaza.

The mall developers insist that their projects will get built, but even some people involved in the projects wonder whether three massive shopping centers within about five miles of one another is too much, too soon for Pasco.

"There's not enough business to support all these developments," warned John Dowd, whose firm, the Goodman Co. of West Palm Beach, is developing The Shops at Wiregrass with Cleveland-based Forest City Enterprises. "All these developments are not going to happen."

So far, developers are keeping mum about the names of the shops and restaurants at the malls. However, all three have revealed -- to the bafflement of some retailing experts -- that they plan multiscreen movie theaters. This is despite the fact that New Tampa, five miles to the south, already has a 20-screen theater complex operated by Muvico.

Dowd said the malls are so keen to line up movie theaters because they help add an entertainment element to outdoor malls, along with a mix of restaurants.

Looking At The Plans

A glimpse at the three proposed shopping centers:

•The Shops at Wiregrass. At State Road 56 and Bruce B. Downs Boulevard, the 750,000-square-foot project has the early lead among the three proposed developments. Its first tenant, a 98,000-square-foot JCPenney store, is nearly finished and will open in early October. It will be much different from the Penney stores most people are familiar with. Among the changes: registers at the front of the store, akin to Stein Mart or Target's layout, and shopping carts.

"It's made for the customer on the go, and these stores have been very successful for us in the last couple years," J.C. Penney Co. spokesman Quinton Crenshaw said of the prototype.

J.C. Penney Co. will close its University Mall location in Tampa as it opens its new Pasco store. Other announced anchors at The Shops at Wiregrass are Dillard's and a 14-screen Marquee Cinemas movie theater.

• The Grove at Wesley Chapel. At State Road 54 and Interstate 75, The Grove has signed tentative agreements with retailers for 98 percent of the space in the 835,000-square-foot shopping center, said Pat Duffy, president of Colliers Arnold, a real estate firm handling the mall's leasing. The project's anchors are an 18-screen Cobb Theatres movie complex and two major retailers, a 96,000-square-foot department store and a 110,000-square-foot home improvement store.

Jim Roberts, another Colliers Arnold executive, could not reveal tenant names but said potential tenants would be along the lines of Best Buy, Dick's Sporting Goods (a rival of Sports Authority) and Petsmart.

The Grove is being developed by Echo Real Estate Services of Pittsburgh.

• Cypress Creek Town Center. This is the largest of the three projects, at 1.3 million square feet (about the size of University Mall), and perhaps the most uncertain. At I-75 and State Road 56, the town center would be near Cypress Creek, a tributary of the Hillsborough River. The river provides Tampa's water supply.

Some fierce critics of the mall, including the Florida Public Interest Research Group, have stepped up to protest the project, fearing that stormwater runoff from the mall would damage the creek. The developer, Richard E. Jacobs Group of Cleveland, still needs permits from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Southwest Florida Water Management District to proceed.

The developer is confident the project will happen. "All I can speak to is that Cypress Creek Town Center will be built and will start construction next spring," said Bill Fullington, the Jacobs Group's vice president of marketing and communications.

The only anchor the Jacobs Group has revealed is an 18-screen AMC movie theater.

An Area Ripe For Retail

Patrick Berman, a real estate broker with Cushman & Wakefield, said southern Pasco County and New Tampa have great demographics for retailers, so it's no surprise that three mall developers would target the Wesley Chapel area.

Berman provided a demographic analysis of the area within a 5-mile radius of one of Pasco's major intersections, I-75 and S.R. 56. The analysis was done by the market research firm Claritas. It showed that residents there are relatively affluent (with a 2004 median household income of $71,285) and educated (with 47 percent of people 25 and older having associate's degrees or higher). The state median household income is $49,461.

In addition, the population is booming. From 2004 to 2009, the population within the 5-mile radius is expected to leap 34 percent, to 88,427 from 66,050.

With all those factors, Berman expects a flurry of retailers that chase the young and affluent to build in Pasco. Potential retailers could include Barnes & Noble, Best Buy, Bed Bath & Beyond, Costco and Crate & Barrel, Berman speculated. The Kohl's apparel chain, which has been running commercials in the Bay area but has no local stores, has been looking hard in southern Pasco, said Berman, who has been involved in other Kohl's deals.

Still, it's yet to be determined whether southern Pasco can accommodate three huge new shopping centers. Roberts, of Colliers Arnold, said his firm's research suggests the area can handle 1.5 million square feet of new retail space, not the 2.9 million that would come if all three projects are built.

Pat Mulieri, chairwoman of the Pasco County Commission, wonders how three movie theaters can co-exist within a few miles of each other. But the county needs more retail shops in general, and the county could use the extra tax revenue they would bring, she said.

"We've got mega rooftops, and we've got to move from bedrooms to business," Mulieri said.

THE SHOPS AT WIREGRASS

Size: 750,000 square feet

Completion: 2007

Located: State Road 56 and Bruce B. Downs Boulevard

Developer: Goodman Co., West Palm Beach

Tenants: A stand-alone JCPenney will open in October; Dillard's and a 14-screen Marquee Cinemas are planned.

Notable: Expect a different Penney's store, with Target-like registers at the front.

THE GROVE AT WESLEY CHAPEL

Size: 835,000 square feet

Completion: 2007

Located: Interstate 75 and State Road 54

Developer: Echo Real Estate Services, Pittsburgh

Tenants: An 18-screen Cobb Theatres, an unnamed department store and a home improvement store are planned.

Notable: Developer says 98 percent of space is leased.

CYPRESS CREEK TOWN CENTER

Size: 1.3 million square feet

Completion: 2007

Location: Interstate 75 and State Road 56.

Developer: Richard E. Jacobs Group, Cleveland

Tenants: The only named tenant is an 18-screen AMC movie theater.

Notable: Facing fierce critics of development, the project's future is the most uncertain of the three.

Sep 18, 2005

County, Developer Square Off Over Road

WESLEY - CHAPEL The road from State Road 54 to the Lexington Oaks Golf Club is a bumpy one. That, no one disputes.

The mile stretch of Lexington Oaks Boulevard which runs through the 1,509-home community of the same name is mottled with recently filled potholes, and portions have a washboard feel.

Who is responsible for repairing or replacing the 7-year-old road -- residents, the county or the community's developer -- is an issue that remains unresolved.

By all accounts, the road, which the county accepted into its network in 2001, was supposed to last 20 years.

Whether heavy construction traffic, a flawed design or improper materials contributed to the decline has not been determined.

County engineers, who toured the road in April, surmised the road was built on an inferior base.

The engineers plan to perform tests to determine the cause of the deterioration, said County Commission Chairwoman Pat Mulieri, who represents Lexington Oaks. County officials think the developer, Pulte Homes, built a defective road, and excessive construction traffic led to its decline.

Pulte's Tampa Division President, Scott Campbell, said his company is seeking a county permit to do its own tests, but he suggested Pasco's road design specifications may be at fault. Or, perhaps, excessive traffic from passenger cars and construction vehicles while building continued through late last year caused the decline.

"It was built to county specifications," Campbell said. "Should the county have accepted the road? What are the underlying issues? Is it construction traffic or was it substandard to begin with?"

Paying For The Fix

Residents simply want the road fixed, and they don't want to pay.

Peter Hanzel, a resident of more than three years, said residents have been asking the developer for two years to repave or replace Lexington Oaks Boulevard.

He said Pulte representatives repeatedly have told residents and county officials the company will "do the right thing," but the road has not yet been repaired.

"The road has been deteriorating," Hanzel said. "It was never constructed to the proper standards. Pulte said they were going to do this close to two years ago."

When Pasco County accepted Lexington Oaks Boulevard into its road network, the issue of who should make repairs became more complicated.

County workers have filled potholes as a temporary fix, Hanzel said.

Catherine "Cass" Peters, a resident of five years, started a petition in November 2004 urging Pulte to fix the roads.

She said dips and potholes are a chronic problem, and some residents have complained of front-end damage to their cars.

Peters also argues that county engineers should not have accepted Lexington Oaks Boulevard into the Pasco road network until building was completed in the community.

"The basic problem is all the construction equipment coming in," Peters said. "The back half of the development had not been done. The county should not have accepted the road. I really think the county should establish a policy that they don't accept roads until construction is done."

Mulieri met with residents in April and later toured the road with county engineers and Pulte officials. The county engineers surmised that the road base was not strong enough to withstand truck traffic.

Mulieri met with residents again this month.

At a county commission meeting last week in Dade City, Mulieri publicly urged Pulte to fix the road. She later reiterated the request.

"I'm really shocked," she said. "The road isn't that old. There are structural problems. When you're going to pull heavy construction traffic on a road, they should put a higher grade of base on it.

"The people have been patient," she said. "Pulte has been saying they are going to do the right thing. They've got to do it. It should not, no way, have to be paved by the people. Pulte is a premiere company, so I would think they would want to fix it."

Complicated Issues

Campbell agreed the road needs to be fixed, but he said jurisdictional issues are complicating the process.

Because Pasco has accepted Lexington Oaks Boulevard into its road system, Pulte may not repave or repair the road without a county permit.

The company has applied for a right-of-way permit. Once the permit is granted, Pulte will perform tests to determine the cause of damage and who is responsible for repairing it.

"We're dealing with the situation, but we need to understand what the issue is," he said. "If we put another layer of asphalt on it, I'm not sure that is going to be a benefit. They may have the same problems in three years. In good faith we are working with the county. When we plan a community, we plan to the design standard of the particular community or the county."

Campbell did not have an estimate of the cost of reconstructing or repairing the road.

County Engineering Services Director Jim Widman could not be reached for comment.

The county had a similar problem with roads in the Thousand Oaks community of Trinity.

Commissioner Ann Hildebrand described those roads, which deteriorated after three years rather than the projected 15 or 20, as having a texture of "crumbled up brownies."

In that case, engineers surmised that the Southwest Florida Water Management District improperly permitted the road to be built at a level lower than the standard.

A study of the road is nearly complete.

Once the cause of the damage is determined, officials will decide who should pay for the repairs.

"Construction trucks are not tearing them up . It's got to be something else," Hildebrand said. "The bottom line is I don't think it should be the residents who pay."

Sep 18, 2005

Wiregrass Plan Hits A Snag

WESLEY - CHAPEL A month after county officials rejected their proposed road network, the developers of Wiregrass Ranch have hit an impasse on their path to building the 5,000-acre community.

"Right now, they're dead in the water until they get their master roadway phasing plan approved," said Sam Steffey, the county's growth management director.

The rejection of that plan last month by the Development Review Committee, led by County Administrator John Gallagher, has shelved a half-dozen residential plans by Pulte Home Corp. and raises questions about the schedule for more than 750,000 square feet of shopping and entertainment construction the Goodman Co. hopes to finish by October 2007.

Steffey said planners have had little contact with the people developing the Porter family's ranch since the contentious Aug. 18 hearing. The county has offered to meet with Wiregrass officials to no effect, Steffey said.

Wiregrass developers last week formally asked county commissioners to review the DRC decision. That hearing is likely to happen in late October or early November. The developers still hope to win final approve for the overall project by December, said Wiregrass attorney Joel Tew.

In the meantime, the developers continue to work on the permits they need from state and federal environmental agencies, Tew said.

The rejected road plan called for using the project's three main roads -- extensions of Chancey Road, State Road 56 and a new road called Porter Boulevard -- to handle the bulk of travel within Wiregrass by residents of Pulte Home Corp.'s two gated senior citizen enclaves.

County planners argued that strategy would overwhelm the three roads, which are intended for public use, by the time Pulte finished the 16,000 homes it plans to build.

Planners want more links between the residential areas to keep some of the traffic off the main roads, including ties to the neighboring Meadow Pointe 3 and 4 projects to the east. They've asked Pulte to open the main roads through its two gated enclaves to the public and put gates on the side streets to improve overall traffic flow. A similar design is common across the county.

Pulte says the success of its enclaves hinges on keeping them gated and separate from the surrounding areas.

Tew said Pulte would consider small changes to its developments, but still rejects the county's request for public roads through the heart of its gated communities.

Without an approved master road plan, little can happen at Wiregrass, say county officials. Pulte can't build any of the 1,999 homes it plans to open development with. Goodman can't build any more retail beyond the JCPenney and neighboring out parcels under construction.

Pulte is committed to building the first two lanes of an eastern extension of State Road 56 from Bruce B. Downs Boulevard to Meadow Pointe Boulevard.

The state Department of Transportation is working on designs for the road, but the current standoff also raises questions about when that extension will be built.

"If we don't have this resolved when the highway design is approved, this could delay S.R. 56," Tew said.

If necessary, Goodman could build enough of S.R. 56 to reach its retail projects and leave the rest to Pulte, said John Dowd III, Goodman's senior vice president for construction.

Goodman intends to build a 750,000-square-foot open-air "lifestyle center" mall, a multiplex movie theater and a "big box" retail center along the north side of S.R. 56.

Pulte's deal with the county regarding S.R. 56 wouldn't keep Goodman from building part of the highway, said Assistant County Attorney David Goldstein. But Goodman cannot build more than the 174,000 square feet already permitted without an approved development of regional impact, or DRI, agreement, Goldstein said.

"The obligation right now to build that part of S.R. 56 is tricky," Goldstein said.

That DRI deal remains under review by regional and county planners. The project was expected to file its second response to the county's question last month, but developers won a 30-day extension from the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council, Tew said.

Tew hopes Wiregrass will pass muster on its second go-round. A third one would likely make spring the earliest the developer could begin home construction and further retail construction, potentially delaying the opening of Goodman's project, Tew said.

But the success of the DRI review still hinges on whether Wiregrass developers and the county can strike a deal on the project's road network that brings it more in line with the county's ordinance requiring interconnections, Steffey said.

"I think we can accomplish the intent of the ordinance with some slight modifications of their preliminary plans," Steffey said.

Sep 18, 2005

Airport Manager Unveils Growth Plans

SPRING HILL Hernando County Airport manager Don Silvernell has a lot to be excited about.

At an open house Thursday night at Chocachatti Elementary School, Silvernell revealed the airport's 20-year master plan for growth and expansion.

It's an ambitious list of projects, but one Silvernell thinks will be necessary to meet the needs of the county's growing population and business base.

The airport is 2,400 acres located to the west of U.S. 41 and south of Spring Hill Drive, and includes business and industrial parks.

Silvernell said one of the biggest changes to the airport in the near future would be the construction of Airport Boulevard, which will link U.S. 41 and Corporate Boulevard.

"The new road will be the first thing. It's under design right now," he said. "I'm hoping construction will start by next summer."

It will be two lanes at first.

"But we're setting enough right-of-way aside to four-lane it in the future," he said.

The plan also calls for construction of another industrial park. Silvernell said the existing park on Spring Hill Drive is already full.

He said leasing those spaces would provide revenue for the airport in the future.

"The industrial base is what helps us make the airport work," he said. "And we've got a lot of industrial work that we're getting ready to do."

Silvernell explained that as more companies move into the industrial parks, it's a twofold benefit.

"The industries that are coming in are bringing their corporate aircraft in," he said.

The airport's fixed-based operation, American Aviation, is reporting an increase in traffic and expects more to come.

The airport's master plan includes a runway extension, runway relocations, new taxiways, more aircraft parking spots and the construction of more hangers and a 4,335-square-foot general aviation terminal facility.

Silvernell said these improvements wouldn't be a big burden on taxpayers.

"Any of these improvements, if they're done, would come out of the airport budget, not the county budget," he said. "The airport is pretty much self-sufficient."

Mike McHugh, Hernando County director of business development, said Friday that he's excited about the airport's future.

"I think, overall, the airport has got a very strong comprehensive plan going forward that deals with aviation and industry," he said.

McHugh said that on the aviation side, there are always improvements being made.

"We've got new hangers and new services being added there all the time," he said.

As a pilot himself, McHugh said the airport is a real gem and one of the nicest airports of its size in the region.

He said part of what makes the airport such a success is the location.

"It's got excellent connectivity with U.S. 41, Spring Hill Drive and the Suncoast Parkway. It's easy to get into. It's well kept. It's well managed," he said. McHugh said it's hard to say what Hernando County will be like in 20 years, but he's sure the airport will play a major role.

"It's going to continue to be what I call the economic hub of the county, particularly as it relates to industry. We really can see our possibilities are almost limitless there."

Sep 16, 2005

Impact fees up for debate

Board members will consider during their Tuesday meeting lifting their deadline that would force property owners to begin construction on their new homes by June 2, 2006 or pay the new, full impact fee.

Commissioners will consider postponing that deadline to June 2, 2008.

Schenck originally wanted property owners who paid the lower impact fee to be grandfathered and allowed to indefinitely wait before beginning to build, but agreed to push the deadline back as a compromise.

When commissioners this summer increased impact fees from the previous $4,894 to the current $9,211, most of the board wanted the new rates to go into effect soon afterward.

Schenck asked fellow commissioners during the summer impact fee meeting to separate the issue of raising impact fees from the issue of residents paying fees early, but fellow commissioners denied his request.

But a few weeks later, Schenk convinced commissioners Chris Kingsley, Jeff Stabins and Nancy Robinson to reconsider the June, 2006 deadline.

"I always believed the way we handled the prepay impact fees as unfair to the public," he said. "We're now considering what's right."

Impact fees are taxes collected by the county from property owners when they build a new home. The one-time fees are used to provide services such as new roads, schools, parks and libraries to accommodate the influx of new homeowners.

The fees can only be spent in the areas they were collected.

Impact fees are divided into separate categories that include road impact fees, fees for new school construction, parks, libraries, law enforcement and fire protection.

The county collected more than $15 million in impact fees in 2004.

The county collected about $3.3 million in early impact fee payments this year, $2 million of which came from about 600 property owners paying between May and June.

When those property owners paid their $4,894 impact fees, there was no time limit involved in which they would have to start building.

"I think it's right to give (property owners) who paid early an indefinite extension," Schenck said, but added he would accept the June 2008 deadline as a compromise.

"It's better than what's on the books now," he said.

Commissioner Diane Rowden was the single commissioner to oppose the extension, saying it put an unfair burden on future property owners that must pay the full price.

County finance officials say impact fee money cannot be spent by the county until the individual construction projects are complete.

Stabins, Kingsley and Robinson said property owners should be given more time, but eventually made to begin construction on their home or pay the new impact fee or get a refund.

As for property owners who still have not built after 2008, Schenck said he believes there will be so few of them left that the future board will allow them to postpone construction indefinitely.

Reporter Fred Hiers can be contacted at (352) 544-5290.

Change in pace leads women to outpost

The new owners of the Nobleton Canoe Outpost hope to revitalize the business and get more people interested in recreation on the river.

NOBLETON - Corinne Berry and Marsha Warner thought they'd found just what they were looking for when they saw the ad in the newspaper.

For sale: the Nobleton Canoe Outpost.

"I'll always remember the day I saw the ad - it was Feb. 5, 2005," Berry said. "We were looking for a change in careers, and a change in pace."

Berry, a medical sales representative, and Warner, a teacher, were neighbors on Lake Eckles in Tampa and have been friends for nine years. Both have years of boating experience and love the water, so they decided to visit the canoe outpost.

Located on the Withlacoochee River about 12 miles northeast of Brooksville, the Nobleton Canoe Outpost immediately enchanted Berry and Warner.

"We saw its potential right away," Berry said.

On June 10, Berry, 43, and Warner, 54, bought the business and moved into their new home adjacent to the outpost. They say they have big plans to revitalize the 15-year-old outpost.

Nobleton Canoe Outpost was opened by Bob Meers in 1990. For the past 10 years Meers, 78, has run the business with his son, Charlie. Last winter, they decided to sell.

"I really enjoyed working there, and everything worked good till I got up in years," Meers said. "When I wasn't able to help customers the way they needed to be helped, I knew it was time to sell."

Since moving in, Berry and Warner have been busy cleaning and renovating the outpost. They've replaced old canoes and have been fixing the trailers used to transport the canoes downriver.

"We want our customers to be happy, so we're taking the time to fix everything," Warner said.

People who come to the outpost can rent a canoe, kayak, pontoon boat, paddle boat or fishing boat. Berry, Warner or one of the outpost employees drives customers to one of the campgrounds in the Withlacoochee State Forest. Customers then paddle up the river back to the outpost. Depending on which campground customers choose, trips can range from 5 to 16 miles. Paddlers also have the option of beginning their trip at the outpost.

The outpost currently has 120 canoes, 15 kayaks, two pontoon boats, two paddle boats and a fishing boat. Berry and Warner want to add to their inventory by purchasing more kayaks.

Berry and Warner also plan to reopen the concession stand that has been closed for three years. Within two months, they will open a small dining area, which will have inside and outside seating. The menu will include appetizers and maybe sandwiches.

In addition, Berry and Warner will start selling live bait to customers.

The outpost rents a furnished bungalow for people looking for a longer vacation. The bungalow sleeps four and includes two bathrooms and a kitchenette. Before winter, Berry and Warner will add a cabin on the river for visitors.

Despite all of the additions they are planning, Berry and Warner said they will maintain the peaceful atmosphere that first drew them to the outpost.

"The outpost offers a unique experience for paddlers because it is so quiet, and there's a lot less boat traffic on the Withlacoochee River than there is on the Weeki Wachee," Warner said.

"We want our customers to enjoy the wilderness and the wildlife," Berry said.

Business at the Outpost has been slow during the summer, but Warner and Berry predict it will pick up once the thunderstorms stop and the weather cools down.

"We hope a lot of people will come out to the outpost and love it here as much as we do," Warner said. "To us, this is heaven."

The Nobleton Canoe Outpost is at 29295 Lake Lindsey Road, Nobleton, on the Withlacoochee River. It is open from 8 a.m. to dusk six days a week; it is closed Tuesdays. If you are transported to a campground for launch, the cost is $40 for a canoe or $35 for a kayak. If you launch from the outpost, the cost is $30 for a canoe or $25 for a kayak. For information, call 796-7176, 796-4343 or toll-free 1-800-783-5284. The Web site, which is under construction, is at: www.nobletonoutpost.com

Old farm could become county's largest RV park

Amenities include an 18-hole golf course and a clubhouse with bowling, but the land must be rezoned.

INVERNESS - The Eden family's citrus grove once dotted a 207-acre stretch south of State Road 44 E.

Aerial photographs of the former farm show row after row of trees, county environmental planner Sue Farnsworth said.

Now, county planners are considering a proposal that would line the lakefront landscape 3 miles east of Inverness with row after row of recreational vehicles, creating what would be the county's largest RV park.

John Eden IV, who owns the property through his company New Horizon Funding Inc., did not return a call requesting comment. But according to an application submitted to county planners this month, the proposed "upscale" park could include as many as 1,100 RV pads divided into gated neighborhoods.

The design also features numerous amenities, including an 18-hole executive golf course, a canoe launch, a boat ramp, trails for pedestrians and bicyclists, a general store and a 15,000-square-foot clubhouse with a swimming pool, tennis courts, bowling and a theater.

The land, which sits just east of Lost Pond Lane, was assessed at $586,400 by the property appraiser in 2004.

County planners and local RV enthusiasts said that, in addition to being the largest park in the county, the project would be the first large-scale luxury RV park here. There are fewer than a dozen RV parks and about 1,900 RV spaces in Citrus County. The largest parks have 300 to 400 hookup sites.

The first phase of Eden's proposed park would top that at 499 units.

But before developers break ground, they must get county approval to rezone the property from low intensity coastal lakes to recreational vehicle park. That will require changes in the county's comprehensive plan and land development code. The Planning and Development Review Board must review the request; the County Commission will have the final say.

Because the project would eventually involve more than 500 units, developers must also go through the extensive approval process required of a "development of regional impact."

That means development won't begin until next year at the earliest. Meanwhile, county staffers are reviewing the application to prepare for an October planning board meeting.

The property includes 21.5 acres of wetlands, which usually raises a red flag to county planners - particularly with a project of this scale.

"Whenever you're close to a wetland there's concern about wetlands," Farnsworth said. "But this plan appears to be treating the wetlands well."

The developer will receive sewer service and potable water from Inverness, Farnsworth said, relieving one of her chief environmental concerns.

Farnsworth said the developers also built Deer Creek RV Golf Resort, a similar RV park about 80 miles away on U.S. 27 in Davenport.

That park, which sits on more than 200 acres, has 500 full RV hookup sites, 164 campground sites and an expansion with 234 RV sites in the works, property manager Dewanna Moore said. Lot prices there range from $17,200 to $124,900.

The Davenport park also features an 18-hole golf course and a million-dollar clubhouse with a restaurant.

But unlike at Deer Creek, where Moore said about 20 percent of residents stay year-round, residents of Citrus County's RV parks can stay a maximum of 180 days and cannot build permanent structures.

"When a storm comes, we want them evacuated," Farnsworth said. "And if the area floods, we want them out of there."

Luxury RV parks that have tennis courts, golf courses and health spas are becoming increasingly popular, according to the Recreational Vehicle Industry Association.

And so are luxury RVs.

While on the low end, folding camping trailer costs start out at about $4,000, the most upscale motor home models cost about $1.4-million.

RV ownership has reached record levels, according to the association, and nearly one in 12 U.S. homes with cars owns an RV, too, spurring an annual $14-billion industry.

Keith Mangrum, manager of Gist RV Sales & Service in Inverness, said he would be happy to see business increase with the arrival of a much-needed RV park on the county's east side.

He said snowbirds often want to park in Citrus County but can't find a spot and continue on to parks in Zephyrhills.

"We need more parks in this county to draw more tourism," he said.

Catherine E. Shoichet can be reached at 352 860-7309 or cshoichet@sptimes.com

Sep 17, 2005

Increased Impact Fees Sought For Growth

TAMPA - Hillsborough County school officials vowed Friday to push harder for county commissioners to raise impact fees to help pay for growth.

"I would like us to get as aggressive as possible," board member Carolyn Bricklemyer said.

The urgency comes as new state growth management laws require school officials and county and city planners to link new development to classroom space. Officials are to meet Oct. 14 to begin hammering out a plan for meeting the requirement, called concurrency, which must be in place by 2008.

Impact fees are tacked on to new home construction to pay for land to build schools.

Hillsborough's school impact fee of $196 on a three-bedroom house, one of the lowest in Florida, has not been increased in 20 years and doesn't cover construction or operational costs.

County impact fees on the same house are $354 for parks and $1,475 for roads.

"That's ridiculous," school board Chairwoman Candy Olson said. "Is it more important to have happy cars than safe kids?"

A May 2004 report projected the school impact fee would have to increase to $317 to reflect current land prices. The same report also estimated the true impact on the school system of a family moving into a new house is $3,251.

Such "full fees" would raise about $63 million for the school system, still short of the projected $276.5 million shortfall in its five-year building program.

"I don't want to give the false impression that impact fees would meet all our needs," school planning consultant Georgianne Ratliff said.

School board members want the county to consider providing more Community Investment Tax money for schools. The half-cent sales tax has provided $300 million for new schools and construction since 1996.

On Wednesday, county commissioners are holding a public hearing on a new round of parks, roads and other projects paid through the tax, including $40 million for a proposed amateur sports complex.

Olson said school officials want to fully explore an increase in impact fees or more CIT funding before trying to put a sales tax increase on the November 2006 ballot.

She also vowed to bring builders and real estate agents into the discussion.

Wal-Mart Buys Site For Supercenter

HUDSON - Beacon Woods residents were abuzz this week after learning Wal-Mart has closed a deal to buy a proposed supercenter site -- without gaining the county's approval to build it.

Residents fear a massive store just outside their subdivision will increase traffic, decimating their way of life and property values, said Dan Meahl, Beacon Woods Civic Association president.

Pasco County Commissioner Jack Mariano and a Wal-Mart manager confirmed the retailer has bought the former Bayonet Point Mall along U.S. 19 at Beacon Woods Drive, north of State Road 52.

The move comes more than six weeks before a crucial meeting of Pasco's Development Review Committee on Oct. 20 to review revised traffic plans from Wal-Mart. The issue has been postponed many times.

Eric Brewer, Wal-Mart's community affairs manager for Florida, said the chain moved forward with the purchase to take advantage of increases in Florida land values.

Wal-Mart still wants to build a supercenter on the site. But if those plans don't work out, the retailer potentially could sell the land at a profit, Brewer said.

"We certainly feel like it's a good business decision in investing in property," he said.

Ordinarily, corporations pay for an option to buy a parcel, contingent on a project gaining final approval from the overseeing government, Mariano said.

Companies typically can walk away from buying land if their project falls through, said the commissioner, whose district includes the proposed supercenter site.

In previous filings with the county, Wal-Mart executives hope to gain access for their store onto Beacon Woods Drive, the main east-west thoroughfare through the subdivision of 2,700 homes.

Meahl and others from Beacon Woods don't want Wal-Mart to build a bridge over Bear Creek that would link the supercenter parking lot and Beacon Woods Drive.Bear Creek runs between the southern edge of the Wal-Mart site and Beacon Woods Drive.

"We were quite surprised" to hear Wal-Mart bought the Bayonet Point Mall property Aug. 26, Meahl said.

"Money talks."

He and others have noticed activity on the site lately. A for sale sign was removed and the grass was mowed.

Traffic remains the main stumbling block to Wal-Mart's plan for a store exceeding 200,000 square feet.

"We're at the mercy of the county," Meahl said.

Sep 15, 2005

Plant City Design Under Review

After all, other communities have done it. Look at Disney's Celebration, for example.

So why couldn't commissioners make sure new development would fit in with Plant City's ``small-town charm''?

Planning Director Rob Anders and planner Phillip Scearce were given the task of fending off the suburban monotony evident elsewhere in rapidly growing Central Florida.

They unveiled their first draft at a workshop June 13.

The proposed standards included curving roadways, staggered setbacks, varied facades and multihued housetops. They addressed such details as the way front porches could be allocated, the materials that could be used for external fences and the sizes of trees that could be planted.

Right from the start, Mayor John Dicks and Commissioner Robert Brown expressed misgivings.

They wondered how the city proposed to police the restrictions, especially in future years after the development was established and resales were occurring.

Anders responded that the standards would apply to developers presenting plans for approval and would not be deed restrictions governing future homeowners.

But commissioners still worried over the problems that might arise in developments with several builders or single- lot sales.

The commission told Anders and Scearce to come back with an ordinance spelling out the restrictions so they could go through them one by one.

Public Hearing

On Aug. 8, commissioners looked at the draft ordinance but questions remained. A public hearing was scheduled for Aug. 22.

At the hearing, Joseph Narkiewicz, executive vice president of the Tampa Bay Builders Association, teed off on the proposed standards.

Narkiewicz said they were more onerous than some deed restrictions and would cause confusion and distress among developers.

He warned that trying to ``legislate randomness`` could end up producing mediocrity instead of creativity. He asked for time to discuss the standards with the appropriate Greater Plant City Chamber of Commerce committee and with city staff.

Commissioners directed city planners to get the chamber committee's input and bring the standards back for more discussion.

Monday, the standards were back, with underlines and double underlines, red type and margin notes.

So was Narkiewicz.

Despite extensive revisions resulting from the planners' meeting with the chamber, Narkiewicz was not pleased.

The standard on front porches was gone. Chain link fences were in. One-acre lots were exempt.

``I support the chamber's recommendations,'' Narkiewicz said. ``But (the standards) need fine tuning.''

No, Thanks, Big Brother

He then launched a scathing attack.

Doors should be prominent? Floor plans should be different? No two lots next to each other should be the same size?

What was that about?

And where was the provision for existing trees?

Narkiewicz said the standards preclude contemporary design, which he happens to like. And they ``limit freedom of expression, if not freedom of speech.''

He warned against creation of a Big Brother society.

When Dicks asked if commissioners had any questions for Narkiewicz, Vice Mayor Rick Lott had just one: Which chamber recommendations did he support?

Wrangling over the agenda item had gone on for nearly two hours, and the commission chamber was almost empty. The remaining observers tittered sleepily.

Developer Mike Lawrence of Riverview was next.

He was more low-key than Narkiewicz. But he also was opposed to design standards - especially in the approval process for subdivisions.

Developers don't deal in roof lines and floor plans, he said. Those provisions should be in the permitting phase, not the platting phase.

He already has enough problems observing the city's ban on ``snout houses'' (where the garage is the most prominent feature).

By then, Brown was shaking his head.

``I have to tell you I'm going to take a lot of convincing,'' he said. ``My neighborhood is one of the best in Walden Lake and it doesn't comply with the ordinance.''

The standards could end up pricing homes out of the reach of most people, he said.

Lott, who had been the standards' most loyal advocate, seemed to waver under the assault.

The standards were intended to discourage bad builders from coming to Plant City, he said. ``We're just trying to set minimum regulations.''

The planners were sent back to the drawing board. They will present a revised draft at the next commission meeting Sept. 26.

Also to be considered Sept. 26 are standards for large retailers like Wal-Mart (which is eyeing a site at Sam Allen and Park roads). Wal-Mart challenged 11 points in the draft ordinance, and the chamber hasn't had a chance to review the standards.

Undeterred, commissioners asked city planners for yet another set of standards - this time for medium-size merchants like Walgreen's.

Stay tuned. This could take a while.

Reporter George Graham can be reached at (813) 865-4433.

Sep 17, 2005

Developer's Proposal Spares Original Biltmore Resort

BELLEAIR - The 145-room main section of the Belleview Biltmore Resort & Spa that railroad magnate Henry B. Plant opened in 1897 would be spared under a proposal to redevelop the rest of the 22-acre property and its golf course.

Besides preserving the original footprint of the 247-room hotel, Tampa-based DeBartolo Development wants to replace the north-south wings, added in the 1920s, with 180 condominium units. Plans also call for more than 360 single-family residences and town houses on the 136-acre golf course nearby.

The homes would be part of a mixed-use, pedestrian-friendly "village" that also would include a new town hall, a library, fitness center and commercial office buildings.

Yet it's unclear whether the concept will become a reality.

Numerous residents opposed DeBartolo's proposal at a Belleair Town Commission meeting Thursday night. The plans also conflict with a permit request filed by Urdang and Associates, general partner for Belleview Biltmore Resort Ltd., to demolish the hotel it owns and all other buildings on the property.

"There's some inconsistency there," Town Manager Steve Cottrell said. "To be consistent, Urdang would have to modify their application that's pending to preserve the hotel."

DeBartolo has a contract to buy the property, but the deal's status could not be determined Friday. Two competing preservation groups also hope to buy and preserve the Biltmore if DeBartolo's contract falls through.

Save Our Waters Week kicks off today throughout county

Want to help with cleanup efforts or tour Crystal River Spring? Here's your chance to do that and more as the event enters its 10th year.

The 10th annual Save Our Waters Week begins today. Here's a list of the scheduled events:

Appreciation cookouts for volunteers after cleanup. East side, Arbor Lakes, sponsored by Tom Chancey, Link Properties; west side, American Pro Diving Center, sponsored by American Pro Diving Center.

Ancient of the Deep and Flooded Amazon Forest will be shown at 3 and 7 p.m. at the Crystal River Preserve State Park Redfish Theatre Revue, North Sailboat Avenue, Crystal River (off West State Park Street).

"Safeguarding Citrus County Waters," by Dr. Joan Bradshaw, University of Florida IFAS Extension, 10 a.m. to noon, Citrus County Extension Office, 3650 W Sovereign Path, Suite 1, Lecanto. Call to preregister: 527-5700.

"Muck About," noon to 2 p.m., Fort Cooper State Park, Inverness. Call 726-0315.

Homosassa River Springs tour, 8 a.m. to noon, Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park Visitors Center, U.S 19. Call 628-5222 for reservations. Capacity: 40 people.

Save Our Waters forum, 6 p.m., Jerome Multipurpose Room, Central Florida Community College, Citrus campus, County Road 491, Lecanto. Guest speaker: Eric Draper, policy director for Audubon of Florida. Call 860-5175 for information.

Crystal River Spring tour, 8 a.m. to noon, Fort Island Trail Park. Call 795-4393 for reservations. Capacity: 36 people.

Meadow Pointe Developer Drops Golf, Senior Housing

NEW PORT RICHEY Developer Don Buck has dropped plans for a golf course and senior-citizen housing at his Meadow Pointe 3 and 4 project in Wesley Chapel.

Buck won approval Thursday for changes to his 2,150-acre project from the county's Development Review Committee.

The DRC ruling will go to county commissioners Sept. 27 for final action.

The golf course will be replaced with housing. The senior housing will become multifamily housing under the plans Buck submitted to the county and regional planners.

The DRC's decision left unresolved a conflict over access to an elementary school site in the northeast corner of the project. That site, located just north of a planned extension of Chancey Road, has no road leading to it.

The county has agreed to design a temporary road to reach the property that the school district will build.

But county officials said Thursday the road alignment Buck has granted the county has power poles in the middle of it, making it unusable.

County engineer Jim Widman recommended shifting the road 15 feet to the south -- an action that would allow construction but could delay the design and permit phase of the road up to five months.

School officials said they need to start construction on the school soon to have it open by August.

While they have secured access for construction vehicles, it's unclear how students, teachers and parents will reach the school when it opens.

School officials suggested using the neighboring subdivision for temporary access to the new school.

That suggestion drew a strong reaction from the DRC chairman, County Administrator John Gallagher.

Gallagher demanded that the DRC wait to rule on giving the school district access through Fox Ridge and schedule a separate public hearing on that issue.

Also on Thursday, the DRC:

• Approved preliminary construction plans for Kumquat Landing, a 14-home subdivision proposed for Curley Road just south of Pugh Road. The project will cover 14.5 acres and have a single paved road running through the middle.

• Approved a four-house subdivision at the end of Birdsong Road in Wesley Chapel. The 0.73-acre site sits on the edge of the North Tampa Aero Park and is being developed by airport owner Charles Brammer. As part of its decision on Brammer's project, the DRC ordered a paving assessment for the residents of Birdsong to finance repaving of the road.

'Beautiful' Downtown Evolves

ZEPHYRHILLS - Six years ago, downtown underwent a transformation. Quaint brick pavers replaced anonymous concrete, and palm trees sprung from the sidewalks.

City officials hoped the much-touted streetscape project would draw "oohs" and "aahs" from passers-by -- and bring business to the historic district.

To Sue Harvey, the transformation continues. The director of Main Street Zephyrhills, a nonprofit organization that stages events to promote downtown, sees bigger things for the Main Street district as the city grows.

Thursday afternoon, Harvey and her organization's board honored the businesses and individuals who have worked to promote downtown Zephyrhills.

From the couple who organize the popular Music and Motorcycles street festival, to the local businesses that donated paint or carpet for the Main Street office, Harvey said she appreciated them.

Mayor Cliff McDuffie, former city chamber of commerce director, touted the work of Main Street and the progress the downtown district has made.

"Any time we have visitors to this city, they remark on how beautiful the downtown community is," McDuffie said.

Aesthetics, though, are only part of the puzzle of bringing people downtown as the city grows and new strip malls lure shoppers elsewhere. In February, Main Street, with the chamber of commerce, plans a Chalk Art Festival expected to draw thousands.

Sep 14, 2005

Glen Lakes residents get their way

About 40 Glen Lakes residents crowded the commission chambers, saying they would welcome the shopping center, which could include a Publix supermarket, but they didn't want it to be accessible from Glen Lakes Boulevard.

The developer, Carmel Ceraolo of Tri-City Ltd., proposed the extension of Outer Banks Drive to link Glen Lakes to the center.

Right now Outer Banks Drive is a dead-end road jutting off Glen Lakes Boulevard to the south, but still east of the subdivision's main gate.

Joseph Mason represented Ceraolo at Wednesday's meeting and had a few edgy exchanges with the commission when Mason alleged Ceraolo wasn't being treated fairly. Much of what he said was met by jeers and boos from the tense crowd of Glen Lakes residents.

One of them, Judy McPherson, said she was concerned about her neighbors' safety with large trucks entering the center via Glen Lakes' entrance.

"The issue isn't just our roads," she said. "It's the impact on our homes and our lives."

Engineer Bob Sprinkle told commissioners a traffic study doesn't indicate a future problem. He added that large trucks would use the main entrance. Publix has already agreed not to use Outer Banks Drive at all for deliveries.

John Moonan brought two things to the attention of the commissioners. He said the traffic study done at the site isn't accurate because it was performed when most snowbirds are at their northern homes. He also claimed that when planning and zoning commissioners approved the master plan 5-0, they did so with wrong information that Glen Lakes Boulevard is a public road.

Robert Buesing, attorney for the Glen Lakes Homeowners Association, said Ceraolo hasn't tried working out a solution with the residents.

"The process here has been wrong," he said. "They chose to take the bullying route. They chose to take the lawyering route. They chose to take the hide-the-football route."

After several residents made disparaging remarks about him, Ceraolo told commissioners he was upset by it all.

"I'm the guy with the horns, I guess," he said. "I think I've been slandered. My family's been slandered."

Ceraolo, who bought the land in 1987, said Glen Lakes Boulevard would not be a main entrance to the center. He said it would actually benefit the residents because they could visit the center without entering U.S. 19 traffic. But the residents reaction indicated they weren't impressed.

"I've tried to be a good neighbor," Ceraolo pleaded. "I intend to be a good neighbor."

His son-in-law, Richard Harris, said Outer Banks was always intended to lead somewhere.

"Why would you put a frontage road to nowhere?" he asked. "I think the property and the development that's being planned here is the best use of the property."

Another issue of dispute is the median strip openings on U.S. 19. There is already a full opening -- allowing traffic to turn north or south -- in front of Glen Lakes. County engineer Charles Mixson told commissioners that the Florida Department of Transportation will only allow a one-way median opening in front of the shopping center since there's already full access in front of Glen Lakes.

Mason said that's yet another reason access via Glen Lakes Drive is so crucial.

Despite nearly three hours of debate, the commissioners didn't have a lengthy discussion before taking a vote.

Commissioner Chris Kingsley said he was against the project because of the access road.

"I'm not comfortable taking private property and saying the public can use it, too," he said.

In the end, commissioners voted to deny the request for master plan approval. However, they said they'd be happy to look at it again if some changes were made.

Feaster project gets commission nod

The land, owned by the George Feaster Living Trust, is currently zoned agriculture/residential and general highway commercial. The request is to rezone the land general commercial and single family.

The developer initially wanted to build 65 single-family townhomes on part of the land, but abandoned that idea for single-family homes to make the request more appealing to the planning and zoning commission.

It worked.

The planning and zoning commission approved the rezoning and recommended the county commission do the same.

In addition to the homes, the request states that nearly six of the 17 acres will be sectioned off for commercial use along the S.R. 50 side of the property.

The developer has asked the commission to waive the usual requirement of a frontage road and reduce the setback requirements.

Commissioners spoke of few concerns Wednesday that the developer hadn't already anticipated.

They voted 4-1 in favor of rezoning the Feaster land.

One of the conditions of approval is that a 10-foot buffer of plants and trees must stand between the commercial and residential areas on the property. A 20-foot buffer will be added along the west and south property lines.

Commissioner Diane Rowden was the only dissenting vote. She said she didn't get satisfactory answers Wednesday when she questioned whether the land was prone to flooding.

According to the planning staff report, the Feaster property is in a flood zone C. A portion is located within the Bystre Lake 100-year flood area.

"I have a problem with not having true answers on this flood problem," she said.

Reporter Christi Stevens can be contacted at (352) 544-5271.

Sep 14, 2005

South Brooksville park plans lose steam

Once it became apparent the county was years behind schedule cleaning petroleum-based toxins from its former Department of Public Works site on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, County Parks Director Pat Fagan said he scrapped plans to turn the four-acre facility into a park.

That left Fagan to look for other land in the area as a possibility.

"I went down there again (Monday) and there's nothing for sale on Martin Luther King," Fagan said. "So it's at a standstill."

That leaves Fagan with a dilemma.

As soon as DPW officials announced they were abandoning the old DPW site for a new $6 million facility on State Road 50, area residents said they wanted the old site made into a park and community center.

County commissioners agreed and instructed staff to begin converting the old site.

"Now I don't ever see the old DPW site being used as a park," Fagan said. "I think that property is out of the picture."

Meanwhile, other county parks, including Kennedy Park near South Brooksville off S.R. 50, are in need of money for upkeep and repairs.

"And there's only so much money...to go around," Fagan said.

So with DPW no longer an option and Fagan unable to find an alternative site, any plans for a new park in south Brooksville appears to be in peril.

Meanwhile, the cost to clean up the old four-acre DPW site is rising.

The county spent nearly $580,000 since 1996 trying to pump out the toxins from the ground there, according to county records.

County Engineer Charles Mixson plans to hire new consultants to oversee the project, but that will cost an additional $50,000 to $100,000 just to start.

The county moved to the former DPW location on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard about 30 years ago. It has since moved to new facilities off S.R. 50.

But while still at the old location, county workers repaired and refueled their vehicles. Mixson said the location was also the site of vehicle repair before the county moved its DPW facility.

Florida Department of Environmental Protection officials said they were most concerned about petroleum pollutants found near two former fuel tanks first identified in 1998.

About six months later, DEP officials notified the county as to the state agency's cleanup requirements, according to a July 2005 DEP letter sent to commissioners.

But the letter went on to say the county failed to meet a series of deadlines set by DEP and failed to meet cleanup standards. The latest deadline missed was as recent as July 22, 2005, the DEP letter said. And that led to the agency's final warning for the 5-acre site that levying $10,000 daily fines could be next.

While that convinced Mixson to become more personally involved in the cleanup, he said it would not likely speed up the process much.

However, the controversy over the old DPW site takes it off the table as a possible park, Fagan said, because it would pose too much of a potential health risk to children.

New subdivisions leap first hurdle

The developer had asked for conditional plat approval for Cedar Woods and Cedar Trails subdivisions near Cedar Lane and Powell Road. The commission voted unanimously to approve the request as long as several conditions are met.

Those conditions state the development's access roads will not connect to Winding Creek Drive and that Falls Hollow Drive will be used for emergency access only.

The property owner, Dal USA, recently bought the property from Mark Maconi Development of Palm Harbor.

The project involves two sister sites. One is for 55 single-family lots on about 82 acres. The other is for about 67 single-family lots on about 105 acres. All the lots would be about one acre in size.

About a dozen neighbors showed up at the commission's meeting last month to protest the project, particularly the road connections. They complained about the traffic the project would bring to their own neighborhoods.

In the end the commission postponed the requests until this month, giving the developer a chance to fix some drainage issues and show the connection roads on the plan map.

No one from the public was given the opportunity to speak for or against the new subdivisions Monday because a public hearing was held last month.

Commissioner Nicholas Nicholson said he drove to the site after last month's meeting and didn't feel it was safe to connect to Winding Creek Drive now or in the future.

Commissioner Anthony Palmieri said he's always had concerns about the project because of drainage, traffic and school impact issues.

"I think the petitioner has gone way out to address these concerns," he said. "...So, basically, what I'm saying is I believe we've beaten this thing to death and we should take some action today."

After the planning and zoning commission's unanimous decision, the matter will go before the county commission next month.

Bid To Incorporate 765-Acres Raises Questions For County

ZEPHYRHILLS When county officials extended Chancey Road in the 1980s, they called it an industrial bypass.

They called it that for a reason: It reflected what most people expected would grow around the otherwise undeveloped stretch of pavement.

These days, cars and trucks roll down Chancey past cow pastures, two mobile home parks, businesses catering to the nearby municipal airport and Plaza Materials' sizable rock mine off Yonkers Boulevard.

There, on a 765-acre parcel that includes the mine, a developer wants to build 1,080 houses, retail and restaurants, which dramatically would change the Chancey Road landscape.

"It's a lot to consider," City Manager Steve Spina said Tuesday.

The developer wants to have the property annexed into the city and get permission to build the project. It is the largest annexation request the city ever has received.

So the nuts and bolts questions that go along with such requests -- Does the city have enough police officers to patrol the neighborhood? How much would it cost taxpayers to hook up sewers there? -- are on a much larger scale.

With this project, there's another question: What is the feasibility of building homes along a road where large trucks rumble by and small airplanes buzz overhead?

"We get complaints about the existing businesses already," Spina said.

He noted the growth of industry in the area, including parachute makers, construction companies, even a Bingo equipment manufacturer.

In the past, the county hasn't been keen on giving up land zoned for industrial use. In April, a developer scuttled plans to build several dozen houses near the airport because the county had zoned part of the property for light industrial use.

Bryan Kamm, business development project manager for the Pasco Economic Development Council, said space for businesses is needed countywide.

"There's definitely a lot of interest in the Zephyrhills area for industrial growth. We have a lot of clients that we're dealing with now, and we're trying to find sites for them," he said. "It's all across Pasco County."

At the same time, there also is heavy interest in building houses. Ron Weaver, a lawyer for Plaza Materials, has said the proposed development's location between Tampa and Lakeland would be a big selling point for homeowners, as would the natural beauty of the Zephyrhills area.

Weaver and other project representatives will meet with city staff Friday, Spina said.

Airport Manager Jim Werme also plans to attend. The airport, which has been expanding in recent years, has a runway protection zone where the Federal Aviation Administration recommends no houses be built, Werme said.

A small part of the proposed development lies in that runway zone, he said.

"I'm more worried about the safety and how the lines are drawn," Werme said. "If you don't, you're going to have buildings in there and more problems down the line."

Sep 14, 2005

Suncoast Interchange Put On Hold

Pasco County's transportation planners have pushed back plans for a new Suncoast Parkway interchange until the county moves forward with its long-delayed effort to extend Ridge Road eastward.

The county's Metropolitan Planning Organization, which includes county commissioners and elected city officials, made the change at the request of Florida's Turnpike Enterprise, which builds and runs state toll roads.

Construction of the interchange has been moved, on paper at least, to 2011.

When the county gets clearance to build the Ridge Road extension, turnpike officials will move the interchange project back up on the schedule, turnpike spokeswoman Joanne Hurley said.

For years, the toll road authority has set aside funds to build the Ridge Road interchange, only to push everything back a year every time the county pushed back its plans for Ridge Road, she said.

Those delays have given the turnpike authority bad marks from its overseers at the Florida Transportation Commission, set up to ensure that highway officials spend funding as they say they will.

"Every year, we put that money in the work program, and then every year we take a hit for not doing what we said we'd do," Hurley said.

County officials were sympathetic to that position.

"How would you like to get reprimanded every year for something that's not your fault?" asked Doug Uden, Pasco's transportation planning director.

By moving the interchange project back, toll road officials free up $13.5 million for other projects, possibly including a new Suncoast Parkway interchange at Lutz-Lake Fern Road, Hurley said.

The Ridge Road extension is intended to link western Pasco with U.S. 41 to create a third east-west route in the county and an extra path for hurricane evacuation.

The project has stumbled lately. Last month, the county failed to persuade James "Bo" Bexley to sell part of his property for preservation to lessen the environmental impact.

The county also is still trying to convince federal authorities Ridge Road can be built without doing major harm to wetlands it crosses, including Serenova Preserve, originally set aside to make up for damage done by the Suncoast Parkway.

The Southwest Florida Water Management District gave the Ridge Road project a green light in 2003, but the extension has yet to clear the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' review.

Environmentalists say the road is unnecessary and will ruin an otherwise unspoiled section of the county.

Commissioner quits; chairwoman irked

The Planning and Zoning Commission leader is unhappy with the abruptness.

BROOKSVILLE - Nick Nicholson has resigned from the county Planning and Zoning Commission to concentrate on his engineering business, but the abruptness of his decision angered some fellow board members.

Replacing Nicholson will take at least two months, said commission Chairwoman Anna Liisa Covell, and the two alternate commissioners have sometimes been unavailable for service.

"Nick knows the process to replace a commissioner," Covell said. "It was inconsiderate."

Though Nicholson sent a letter of resignation to the county Monday, Covell and other commissioners were unaware of his decision when that day's commission meeting took a strange turn, she said.

After an unexpectedly contentious discussion about the Hernando Oaks development, Commissioner Bob DeWitt - who had previously said he would be leaving the meeting because of his wife's hospitalization - excused himself, Covell said; Nicholson followed almost immediately.

"Nick mumbled something about being ill, and he got up and walked out," Covell said.

At the end of the meeting, the remaining commissioners voted to reprimand Nicholson for his sudden departure.

"I lost my temper," Covell said. "I told them it was very inconsiderate for Mr. Nicholson to leave in the middle of the meeting. I was really not happy with his actions."

Nicholson, a board member for seven years, said he left because he was genuinely ill. In the last two years, he has been prone to near blackouts, he said, attacks related to an illness he contracted as a young man that has left him with a lifelong limp.

The condition can be controlled with medication, he said, but the medicine can only be taken with food.

"I hadn't eaten," Nicholson said. "I was feeling really bad at the end of the meeting, and I felt that I could either get up and leave or someone would be calling 911."

His decision to resign, he said, stemmed from a discussion last month with Assistant County Attorney Kent Weissinger. Weissinger had noticed that Nicholson had recused himself from three recent votes on rezoning requests from clients Nicholson represented.

Though certainly preferable to going ahead and voting, Weissinger told him, repeated recusals can also be grounds for a complaint with the Florida Commission on Ethics.

Officials "need to focus their attention on their public duties," Weissinger said, explaining the justification for the rule. "If you are going to have frequently occurring conflicts, then you can't focus on your public duties."

Nicholson said he had to make a decision quickly because he plans to present two more rezoning requests to the commission next month.

"I think Kent Weissinger did an excellent job in giving me advice. I'm essentially listening to my attorney," said Nicholson, whose wife, Sandra, is a longtime Hernando School Board member.

Nicholson ran as a Republican for state representative in 2000, when his campaign was undermined in part by a Florida Board of Professional Engineers charge that he had negligently approved two home designs. He was eventually ordered, in 2004, to pay $8,140 in fines and other costs for providing inadequate engineering plans.

Both Covell and Commissioner Anthony Palmieri also said Nicholson had seemed prone to heated comments at recent meetings.

"I think we've all noticed the outbursts," Covell said.

"It's no big loss," Palmieri said of Nicholson's resignation. "Some people grow up and some people grow older, I'll put it that way. Ever since he's been on the board, all he's ever done is promote his own business and his own profession."

Nicholson said he mentions his engineering background only because he wants to establish his qualifications to comment on technical matters. But the observation about his quick temper might be accurate, he said, because of what he called illness-related "spasms."

"Sandy said in the past two years I haven't been myself," Nicholson said.

Dan DeWitt can be reached at dewitt@sptimes.com or 352 754-6116.

Boy, does this sound familiar!

Clear-cutting fiasco mows down justice, too

Several neighbors and I complained about clear-cutting of trees going on in Homosassa, on South Farm Point. Over a month has gone by since the initial complaint was issued. Deputies were called, as was the County Code Enforcement office.

We were told by the county that the person was to be fined $250 per tree for clear-cutting without a permit and that the person refused to stop clear-cutting. I find that fact to be incredible, but I was given assurances that justice would be done. Yeah, right!

Going over the permit information, I find no records of fines being issued, no repercussions for denuding more than 5 acres of land of every tree. God knows how many gopher tortoises were buried instead of relocated.

But the one simple fact that boggles my mind is that after a month of stripping the land, a permit was issued on Aug. 30 to this individual to clear trees.

Ah, the good ol' boys are at it again. Those in charge in Homosassa just don't get it.

I think the St. Petersburg Times ought to investigate this fiasco and see that those responsible are charged.

Sep 13, 2005

Developer Requests Rock Mine Annexation

ZEPHYRHILLS A developer with visions of 1,080 homes, plus restaurants and retail space, wants the city to annex 765 acres along Chancey Road.

It's the largest annexation request in city history.

The mostly undeveloped area, zoned by Pasco County for industrial use, is home to a rock quarry off Yonkers Boulevard. If the project goes through, the quarry would close, said Ron Weaver, a Tampa attorney for the developer, Plaza Materials, which owns the quarry.

Because the tract and the proposed development are so large, the city council will schedule a workshop to discuss the plans with project representatives before taking action.

"To go from a mine use to something completely the opposite is obviously a significant land-use change that requires a pretty substantial land-use review," said Todd Vande Berg, the city's director of development services.

Although much of that part of Chancey Road on the city's southern edge rolls past pasture, it's also an industrial road. It leads to the city-run airport and the rock mine.

Weaver said the area's natural beauty would be a key selling point to home buyers.

"The area is so beautiful with all those connected lakes," he said. "It could be a world-class community."

The workshop will be scheduled after city officials meet with the developer.

Sep 13, 2005

Property Values Up, But So Are Taxes

NEW PORT RICHEY From new housing developments to grandiose construction projects to skyrocketing real estate values, this is a city on the rise.

During the past five years, the largest city in Pasco County also has become one of the most desirable for transplanted home buyers from Pinellas and Hillsborough counties.

Exclusive housing developments are replacing ramshackle mobile home parks; roads and sidewalks are being repaved; dilapidated properties have been cleaned up; and property values have increased by more than $250 million, or nearly 60 percent, since 1999.

But the city's rapid economic transformation is a mixed blessing for homeowners.

The city is generating more revenue than ever from property taxes, which is keeping the tax rate from increasing. But the rising value of properties in this city of 16,000 means many homeowners still are paying more for what they own.

In the past year, property values have increased by $110 million, or 18.6 percent. City officials say homeowners probably won't see a tax cut anytime soon.

"I would be cautious to predict any sizable decrease in property taxes over the next few years," said Rick Snyder, the city's finance director.

The property tax rate has been $7 per $1,000 of assessed taxable value for three years, and for the upcoming fiscal year it is likely to remain the same.

The city council on Monday unanimously approved a $51.3 million budget proposal for 2005-06, which included more than $8 million in spending for capital improvement projects and the property tax rate for the next fiscal year.

The budget, which must pass a final vote on Sept. 23, goes into effect on Oct. 1.

For a homeowner with property valued at $150,000 -- with the $25,000 state homestead exemption -- the $7 per $1,000 rate translates into a city property tax bill of $875.

The city's estimated revenue from property taxes next fiscal year is more than $4.5 million, a 16 percent increase from what was collected during fiscal 2004-05.

City Manager Scott Miller said it's still not enough to warrant lowering the property tax rate.

"Some day, I'd like to get to the point where we can start rolling the tax rate back. That's my goal," he said. "But unfortunately, I can't do that now."

Miller said that while the city's capital redevelopment fund is expected to grow by more than $3 million during the next fiscal year, the general fund -- where the revenue from property taxes is deposited -- is not expected to increase much from the previous year.

"That's where we need the money," he said.

A surge of annexations by the city government, several in the past year, is helping to increase the tax base, which in turn will boost general reserve funds, he said.

"If we're able to increase the general fund from annexation and new development in the future, then I hope we can give the homeowners some tax relief," he said.

JCPenney prototype to anchor new mall

Wesley Chapel JCPenney, the company's first stand-alone store, plans to open Oct. 2 in Shops of Wiregrass. It is still hiring.

WESLEY CHAPEL - Northeast of Bruce B. Downs Boulevard and State Road 56, the Wesley Chapel JCPenney, trimmed in plate glass and fresh beige paint, is bulking up with merchandise before its Oct. 2 grand opening.

Twelve miles to the south at University Mall in Tampa, JCPenney is liquidating its stock and shedding employees after a run of 26 years. Its last day is Oct. 1.

The replacement of University Mall's 160,000-square-foot store with Wesley Chapel's 98,000-square-foot stand-alone store places Penney on the leading edge of a retailing shift from the city to the suburbs.

"We've filled around 60 to 80 positions but ultimately we're looking for another 100 employees,' JCPenney manager Connie Lant said Monday from her office in the new store. "We're merchandising it right now. It's looking awesome."

Penney, one of three projected anchors at what will be the 750,000-square-foot Shops at Wiregrass, backs up to thousands of acres of forest and pasture. But not for long.

The Goodman Co. and Forest City Enterprises, the joint-venture partners on The Shops, have signed contracts with a Dillard's department store and an 18-screen cinema.

The partners hope to draw 60 stores to their $105-million development. Most wouldn't arrive until late 2007. Its fiercest rival is Cypress Creek Town Center, a 1.3-million-square-foot mall scheduled for completion in two years at SR 56 and Interstate 75.

The Wesley Chapel JCPenney is the Plano, Texas, chain's first Florida stand-alone prototype store. By swapping back-room storage for more efficient distribution, Penney economizes on store size.

The newfangled stores pride themselves on their wider aisles, snazzier lighting, faster customer service and cash registers up front. Those features are meant to steal some of the appeal of discount store rivals such as Target and Kohl's.

Though University Mall Penney employees had first dibs on jobs at the suburban store, not everyone wanted to trek 12 miles north for work, Lant said.

JCPenney is collecting applications for the remaining 100 jobs. They include commissioned sales people in the shoe, jewelry and window covering departments; cashiers; display people; and hair stylists.

Applications are accepted on the JCPenney Web site, at the University Mall store or via online job placement sites such as Monster.com. Until parking lot paving is complete, the new store is closed to traffic.

Building projects get the go-ahead

Traffic congestion and road capacity were arguments concerning two developers' respective apartment plans.

BROOKSVILLE - The county Planning and Zoning Commission on Monday gave its backing to two projects with a total of 648 apartments, which could increase the number of multifamily units in Hernando by about 20 percent.

Emerson Oaks LLC received approval for its plan to build 248 apartments on 23 acres near Emerson Road. The developer intends to sell these units rather than rent them, said Don Lacey of Coastal Engineering and Associates Inc., which represents Emerson Oaks.

Last year, several residents turned out to successfully argue against a similar project on the property, north of Moton Elementary School and across the street from Hernando Christian Academy.

No one spoke against it on Monday, though David Holtzhouse, Hernando Christian's administrator, said that the development would worsen congestion on Emerson Road, which becomes jammed when students arrive in the morning and depart in the afternoon. He urged the commission to push for the widening of Emerson.

Road capacity was the main issue with the second project, The Crossings, just east of the Suncoast Parkway and about one-quarter mile north of County Line Road.

The project is being built in cooperation with the developers of a planned 53-acre shopping and office center just to the south, said Cynthia Tarapani, a planner representing the developer, Invesco LLC of Palm Harbor.

This company plans to build 400 units on 35 acres. Some of these will be rental properties and some will be condominiums, according to the plan submitted to the county.

But the County Planning Department said two-lane County Line Road does not have enough capacity to handle the additional traffic.

As the project moves forward, the developer will need to prove the road system is adequate. If not, Invesco will have to either delay construction or help pay for the widening of County Line Road.

But especially because The Crossings is next to Trillium, a subdivision that will eventually have nearly 900 houses, Commissioner Anthony Palmieri said the development should wait until the road had been widened. Palmieri cast the only vote against the project.

Because Invesco is requesting a rezoning, it must receive final approval from the County Commission next month. The county, which currently has more than 3,300 multifamily units, has generally encouraged such dense development near commercial areas.

For that reason, Tarapani said the project is ideally located. Residents of the complex would be able to walk to shops or possibly work in the commercial area just to the south. The apartments would also serve as a buffer between parts of Trillium and the shopping center.

"This is a traditional planning transition, moving from the most intensive to the least intensive use," she said.

--Dan DeWitt can be reached at dewitt@sptimes.com or 352 754-6116.

Cedar Lane plan wins approval

The developer improves drainage in its master plan for two subdivisions. But neighbors say flooding will worsen for them.

BROOKSVILLE - Last month, it seemed unlikely the county would ever approve two subdivisions along rural Cedar Lane, east of Brooksville.

At the county Planning and Zoning Commission meeting in August, Commissioner Al Sevier listed the problems facing the development, including chronic flooding of nearby yards and increasing traffic on Cedar Lane, a narrow, twisting road.

"I don't know of a solution," Sevier said before the commission voted to postpone hearing the plan for the second time.

But after meeting with county planners and improving the drainage plan, the developer - DAL U.S.A. LLC in Tampa - won the support of the commission Monday.

"I think the developer has gone out of its way to address some of these concerns," Commissioner Anthony Palmieri said.

Because the developer was not seeking a zoning change, only approval for its master plan, it does not need approval from the County Commission.

The plan calls for building 126 houses on 187 acres on the west side of Cedar Lane, between State Road 50 and Powell Road.

Palmieri and Sevier both said they regretted they could not require larger lots in the two adjacent subdivisions - Cedar Woods and Cedar Trails - because the county allowed 1-acre lots on the land 12 years ago.

The commissioners also asked that Winding Creek Drive, which had been considered an emergency access road, not be used by the development in any way.

Commissioner Nick Nicholson said he visited the area to talk to residents and found limited visibility when trying to pull onto Cedar Lane from Winding Creek.

"You almost take your life in your hands exiting Winding Creek," Nicholson said.

The developer previously had planned to build retention ponds on residential lots, which county planners said might result in inadequate maintenance.

New plans call for the retention areas to be built on land owned by the development.

The commission did not allow opponents of the projects to speak Monday because they had done so at two previous meetings. That - along with the commission's vote - angered some of the opponents.

"Hell, no, we're not satisfied," said Pam Ward, a Spring Lake growth management activist.

Ward said that the plans contain several contradictory statements about, for example, the thickness of the asphalt on the subdivisions' roads and whether the roads would be privately maintained.

Residents of nearby neighborhoods, especially those on Winding Creek, have said that runoff from the property causes chronic flooding on their land. The two new subdivisions will only make that worse, Ward said.

--Dan DeWitt can be reached at dewitt@sptimes.com or 352 754-6116.

Sep 12, 2005

Rezoning OK'd over neighbor's protests

The Brooksville company wants a piece of land across the street from its Martin Luther King Boulevard factory to be rezoned from residential to commercial so it can turn an old home into a showroom.

Jeff Prystupa is the brother of Curt Prystupa, who owns Sun Fiberglass Pools and petitioned for the zoning change. He represented his brother at Monday's meeting and briefed the commission on company plans.

Sun Fiberglass Pools wants to turn a vacant home into an office building where customers can visit to pick out tiles for their new pool. The company wants to replace the existing pool with its own product and put another pool in the front yard as a demo. It also wants to be able to park its commercial vehicles on the property.

About 12 neighbors who oppose the rezoning attended Monday's meeting, telling commissioners the proposal is inappropriate for the area.

Several spoke to the commission and told their concerns, including the Rev. Joy L. Gallmon of Allen Temple AME Church on Leonard Street, near the rezoning site.

Gallmon said she's not against progress, but she does oppose anything that's detrimental to the community.

"How do we know that they're only going to park a few trucks there?" she asked.

Nora Haywood, who has lived in her home on Hazel Avenue for 42 years, said the factory is at her back door and she doesn't want to see it expand.

"We don't need it in our neighborhood," she said.

She also expressed concern for children who catch school buses in that area. Large trucks and commercial traffic would endanger their safety, she said.

Neighbor Richard Howell said the home isn't dilapidated and could be fixed up and rented out.

But Prystupa said the home is in bad condition and the work Sun Fiberglass would put into the home - landscaping and general improvements - would benefit the entire community.

Some neighbors complained to the commission of the foul smell coming from the factory across the street, but Commission Chairwoman A.L. Covell said the factory is a done deal and not at issue.

Prystupa, in his rebuttal, told the commission that the factory doesn't pose any health risks.

"If you can smell something, it's usually not harmful," he said, drawing laughter from the audience.

Commissioner Anthony Palmieri opposed the project, saying a commercial zoning wouldn't be consistent with the home's surroundings.

Commissioner Nicholas Nicholson questioned why the home couldn't be rezoned office professional instead of commercial, like model homes are zoned.

Prystupa said that zoning wouldn't allow Sun Fiberglass to park trucks there or open it up to the public for tile selection. It would be limited to office use only.

Covell had harsh words for Prystupa about his brother, who was not at Monday's meeting. She said Curt Prystupa upset the neighbors by saying to a newspaper reporter that he would not hire them because all they want to do is lay around and do drugs.

"They have been insulted and I don't blame them," she said.

Covell said she wouldn't vote to approve the project.

While the county planning staff had recommended approval to the commission, it seemed clear Monday that it wasn't going to follow that recommendation when Sevier made a motion for approval and no one would second it.

Then Commissioner A.M. Sevier made a motion to approve as office professional, but it also failed.

Then without further discussion, Nicholson made another motion for approval of the project and Commissioner Bob DeWitt seconded. The vote was 3-2 with Palmieri and Covell voting against it. The only stipulation was that the home be connected to the county sewer system.

Afterward, Howell told his neighbors that they haven't lost yet.

"It's not over. We've got one more meeting before the county commission," he said.

Planning and zoning's approval is just the first step in the process. County commissioners will hear the case next month at its land use hearing.

Reporter Christi Stevens can be contacted at (352) 544-5271.

Sep 12, 2005

P&Z approves Wellington project

Alvin Mazourek asked the commission to approve a zoning change on 33 acres of agriculturally-zoned property he owns at County Line Road and Farnsworth Boulevard. Mazourek is acting as a private citizen, separate from his county office as property appraiser.

He's asking for it to be rezoned combined planned development project (CPDP) with office-professional and business park uses as well as an area for 145 multi-family housing units.

The proposal also plans for the construction of a frontage road that would connect to the existing Quality Drive.

Some of the businesses proposed for the rezoned area would be convenience stores, domestic and business service and repair establishments, personal service establishments, gasoline stations, dry cleaning and antique shops, veterinarians, rental stores, day care centers, secondhand stores and nursing homes.

The planning department staff recommended the commission approve Mazourek's request with a few conditions, including limitations on any proposed gas stations.

Danny Dominguez, who lives in one of the newer sections of the community, was one of two nearby residents to speak against the project.

He told commissioners he's lived in Seven Hills for about a year and moved there because it's so peaceful.

"As far as living in the community and facing this new development, I'm opposed to the multi-family development due to the congestion," he said. "It's just too much commotion there."

The commission voted 3-2 to follow the staff's recommendations. The issue will go before the county commission next month for final approval.

After the meeting, Dominguez said he was disappointed in the commission's decision.

"I felt like their attitude was like oh well, you're out of luck," he said.

His wife, Angela, said she's worried the new development will change the overall feel of the area.

"I feel like it's going to bring the property values down," she said.

Reporter Christi Stevens can be reached at (352) 544-5271.

Pappas', long a restaurant icon, closes

The Tarpon Springs landmark shuts down abruptly and leaves 70 employees out of work.

TARPON SPRINGS - It was the birthplace of Greek-salad-with-potato-salad-on-the-bottom.

In its heyday, its 1,000-seat dining room was filled to capacity.

But Monday, Pappas' Riverside Restaurant closed, putting 70 employees out of work and ending service at a restaurant that had become a landmark.

The restaurant's owners announced in a statement that the business has closed, to be redeveloped as a mixed-use project. They have been working on the plans for more than a year, they said.

Former owner Jack Pappas, son of the restaurant's founder, Louis M. Pappas, said three of the restaurant's employees told him they were told to turn in their keys at an employee meeting.

"To tell you the truth, yes, I expected it to happen because the food wasn't up to par and the service wasn't up to par," said Pappas, 75, who previously owned the restaurant with his two brothers. "They deviated against the original Pappas menu, and it just didn't work."

Louis Pappas, a Greek immigrant, started the restaurant in 1925.

Its current building, built in 1975, was purchased for about $5.5-million three years ago from the Pappas brothers by three families. One owner, Jimmy Melissas, is a second cousin to the Pappas family. The other owners included Melissas' wife, Maria, Michael and Maria Kastrenakes and James and Mia Boutzoukas.

Located at the entrance to the Sponge Docks, the massive restaurant demanded notice from visitors to Tarpon Springs.

But Monday's statement said business has been on a downhill slide since the mid 1990s.

Two fires the last two years in the heating-cooling system forced the restaurant to close for repairs. Utility costs rose to 20 percent of operating costs, the statement said. Combined with rising payroll and general costs, keeping Pappas' open was untenable, according to the owners.

"The bottom line is it's difficult for them to cover their expenses," said Mayor Beverley Billiris. "They don't fill it to capacity at lunchtime anymore."

Pappas' closing was no surprise to Billiris, either. She had heard rumblings for the past six months, she said.

"Everybody was hoping it would make the turn or could survive because nobody wanted to see Pappas' restaurant go away," she said.

The owners came to her a month ago with an informal proposal of a multiuse development. She said there was talk of a development with shops, restaurants, a hotel and convention center. Billiris said she suggested the owners share their suggestions with the board of commissioners by the end of the month.

The proposed project will be a mixed-use development on the 2 waterfront acres that will include a scaled-down version of Pappas' restaurant, according to the statement, which did not give details on what would be built or when the project would be completed.

Billiris said the owners told her they wanted to build up to 75 feet in height. Although Pappa's restaurant got a conditional-use approval for a building 75 feet tall in the past, the city's codes allow buildings only up to three stories in most areas and four stories in some parts of the city.

The owners told Billiris there were creative ways of making 75 feet not look so tall. She told them to come to the commission with a model to show that. No formal plans have been filed, nor a time line for the redevelopment.

"They said they have a proposal that even I would like and I said, I hope it's creative," Billiris said. "I'm not a proponent of 75 feet anywhere in my city."

Billiris said the closing of Pappas' Riverside is a sad day for Tarpon Springs. She described the restaurant as one of the community's landmarks, and her introduction to Greek food.

She recalled sampling conch salad and turtle soup there for the first time.

"I really liked the conch salad," she said.

And the turtle soup?

"It was different."

But of late, Billiris said she couldn't help but notice the empty seats at lunch.

"I think it would always be missed," she said. "Somehow turning that corner and not seeing Pappas' restaurant would be hurtful and will be hurtful for a long time."

Cuts to Community and Economic Development Funding

Sep 11, 2005

Aripeka Feeling Winds Of Change

ARIPEKA Close by Hammock Creek, Meridy Norfleet Mendoza runs a two-chair hair salon attached to the side of the small general store run by her father, Carl Norfleet.

On a recent afternoon, Mendoza swept the floor while she waited for Fay Morris to arrive for her appointment. Mendoza's family came to Aripeka three generations ago from Arkansas. Morris moved to this corner of Pasco County more than 20 years ago after moving to Florida from western New York.

But things are already changing in Aripeka, driven by building booms in nearby Hernando Beach and Spring Hill. Land prices are going through the roof, and two-lane Aripeka Road has become a popular cut-through for people avoiding traffic on U.S. 19.

"When I first moved here, kids and dogs had the right of way," Morris said. "Now, I won't let my granddaughter walk down the road."

Both women worry what's in store for Aripeka, a fishing village straddling the Pasco-Hernando county line, if developer Steve Thompson of Dunedin builds his planned 235-home subdivision, Aripeka Heights, on Aripeka Road near U.S. 19.

At two people per house -- Thompson expects most of his buyers to be retirees -- the project would add nearly 500 people to Aripeka, effectively doubling its year-round population.

The 210 acres are owned by Maria and Virgil "Sonny" Berdeaux Jr. Residents of Aripeka, working as the Gulf Coast Conservancy, tried to get the Berdeauxes to sell their land to the Southwest Florida Water Management District.

"That just never worked out," conservancy member Mac Davis said.

The Berdeauxes have sold an adjacent 20 acres to another group of developers led by New Port Richey lawyer Chuck Kalogianis. That project, which will feature 25 homes, won rezoning approval by the county's planning commission last week.

Thompson has spent three years trying to design a subdivision that would pass state and local review. Last month, he finally won approval from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and from the county's Development Review Committee. The development goes to planning commissioners next month and to county commissioners for final consideration in November.

The houses will be arrayed on either side of a 600-foot-plus wildlife corridor mandated by state wildlife officials to protect local black bears. The houses will be moderately priced with a fence separating them from the corridor, Thompson said.

Aripeka's small population of black bears is a source of pride for residents, but Thompson remains skeptical about them.

State officials say the bears travel through Thompson's site as they move along the coast from northwest Pasco through Hernando and Citrus counties.

A five-year study, conducted between 1997 and 2002 by the University of Kentucky, found one female living in Aripeka and several males traveling through the area.

Thompson says he has never seen a bear there. He calls the issue of black bears a "gray area" in his project.

"Every project has hurdles," Thompson said. "This project has never gotten to the point where the hurdles are insurmountable."

Bears aside, some residents of Aripeka see the impending arrival of Thompson's project -- as well as Kalogianis' and other projects to the south on Old Dixie Highway -- as the beginning of the end for their way of life.

"They'll tax all us old Crackers out of here," Carl Norfleet said.

From behind the cramped counter of his roadside store, Norfleet waited on a steady stream of customers, many of whom pulled up within a few feet of the front door and ran inside for beer after work.

"I'd like to see it stay the way it is," said Rosemarie Woodward, a certified nursing assistant at Regional Medical Center Bayonet Point. "But money does strange things to people."

Like many of the people living in the mobile homes, low-slung block houses and stilt houses scattered along Aripeka's sandy roads, Woodward is a transplant. She spent her childhood visiting relatives in the area before moving there permanently 15 years ago from New York.

"We welcome people who want to live like us," Mendoza said. "We like the nature. We like that 'laid-backness.' "

That philosophy lies at the heart of residents' concern about how well the 500 new residents Thompson expects to live in his Aripeka project will fit into the community. Some are pessimistic.

"Aripeka won't absorb them," Norfleet said. "They'll be their own community."

Thompson expects to attract retirees more than working-age commuters. He isn't concerned about how well the new residents will fit in with their neighbors.

"There are other projects like this within three miles," he said. "There will be more in 10 years."

Sep 11, 2005

Bears A Source Of Local Pride, But Future May Be Threatened

ARIPEKA Everybody in Aripeka, it seems, has a bear story.

Dave Hart has seen them in his back yard along Owen Road. Meridy Norfleet Mendoza has seen them walking along the roadside.

The bears of Aripeka are legendary and a source of pride for the residents of this secluded corner of Pasco and Hernando counties. But they're also on the brink of extinction, say those who have studied them.

"They're the smallest bear population in North America," said wildlife research Dave Maehr, an assistant professor at the University of Kentucky. Maehr and a team of researchers studied the bears from 1997 to 2002 under a grant from the Southwest Florida Water Management District.

Aripeka lies at the southern tip of the bears' territory, which stretches north along the Gulf Coast to the Chassahowitzka National Wildlife Refuge in Citrus County. At the time of their study, Maehr and other researchers estimated fewer than 20 bears lived in the study area.

Over time, the bears have been hemmed in on three sides by roads and development in Pasco, Hernando and Citrus counties. That has made it hard for new bears to move into the territory and local bears to leave.

"For a bear to get from there to somewhere else, there's an entire gantlet of development," Maehr said.

That has led to inbreeding. Aripeka's bears have the lowest genetic variation of any population studied, Maehr said.

The population is also older than most -- with females that are double the age of females in other black bear populations across the country. It also has fewer young members than other areas, possibly because male bears are killing cubs in order to mate with the few remaining females, researchers say.

"The key to keeping bears in that historical range is just a matter of every few years bringing young females or males into the area," said Maehr, who's conducting a similar study on bears living near Lake Placid in Highlands County.

Maehr recommended bringing in bears from the Ocala National Forest or building a corridor north to a smaller bear population in the Big Bend section of the coast.

Aripeka's bears have adapted to living close to people. Unlike most bears, for example, Aripeka's bears are most active at night. But that doesn't mean they'll adapt well to more development in the area, Maehr said.

A project planned for Aripeka Road and Old Dixie Highway will increase traffic and noise in the area, potentially restricting the bear's territory even further, Maehr said.

"All of those things are working against bears continuing to use that part of their range," Maehr said.

Sep 11, 2005

School District Looks To Purchase 21-Acre Site

WESLEY CHAPEL A 21-acre site that was slated to be home to a private school in Wesley Chapel is back on the market, and the Pasco County school district has expressed an interest in buying the property.

Assistant Superintendent Ray Gadd said Friday the district is entering into negotiations for the land, which is on Wells Road across from Wesley Chapel High.

A private school called Wellspring Preparatory Academy had planned to open on that site in August 2006.

Mark DeHaan, a senior vice president for National Heritage Academies, Wellspring's parent company, said plans for the private school have been put on hold.

"The development and construction costs were pricing us out of the market," DeHaan said.

He said National Heritage Academies worried that the rising costs to build the school would keep it from being able to offer a quality education at a competitive price.

"We're not giving up on it, but at the same time we have to figure out how to create something that would have value for families," DeHaan said.

National Heritage Academies, based in Michigan, operates 51 charter schools in Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, New York and North Carolina.

Charter schools are public schools run by private groups or individuals.

Wellspring Preparatory Academy was announced earlier this year as National Heritage's first effort at establishing a private school.

If the school district buys the land, it won't put a school there because, in addition to Wesley Chapel High, Wells Road is home to Weightman Middle and Wesley Chapel Elementary, Gadd said.

The site's proximity to the three schools, though, drew the district's interest because the land could be used for other facilities, Gadd said.

One possibility could be a bus garage, but nothing is definite, he said.

Gadd said the decision to consider buying the 21 acres reflects a new attitude on the school district's part to pursue land when it becomes available, if it might be of use sometime in the future.

"It was a good opportunity," he said.

The asking price on the land is $65,000 an acre.

As Pasco County has grown, the school district has encountered problems finding land for all its needs.

Although the Wells Road property, if purchased, would be for other uses, the district's main concern has been finding school sites.

Seven new public schools are opening in August, and more are planned. Most existing schools in Pasco are over capacity and portable classrooms dot the campuses to hold the overflow of students.

Preservation plan offered

Developer hopes to build city, sell 80 percent of land to state

• Tour manager Mary Anne Bulas talks about the history of Babcock Ranch while driving through the Telegraph Swamp during a news conference and tour on Thursday. Photos by jack hardman/special to The news-PRess TIMELINE 1919: Edward Vose "E.V." Babcock buys land, forms lumber company. 1940: Babcock Florida Co. is formed. It includes cattle ranching and raising timber. 2001: Babcock family plans to sell the Telegraph Swamp and eastern flatwoods to the state and retain nearly 20,000 acres in the southwest corner to build a new town. Those plans were later dropped. 2002: Babcock Florida Co. creates plan to divide ranch into a 20,000-acre planned city of up to 50,000 residents. The rest would be kept as a ranch; some would be donated to the state. April 2004: Babcock family agrees to take the ranch off the market for up to six months to allow public agencies to appraise the property. November 2004: Lee County pledges an estimated $40 million toward buying the ranch. December 2004: Babcock family rejects a $400 million offer from the state Department of Environmental Protection. April 2005: Babcock family rejects a $455 million offer from the state. June 2005: The U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee earmarks $3 million to help the state buy the ranch. July 21, 2005: Kitson & Partners of West Palm Beach announces contract to buy Babcock Ranch. The purchase price was not disclosed.

Babcock Ranch could become a new city of 19,500 homes clustered in one corner, with the remaining 80 percent of the land set aside for state purchase and preservation, developer Syd Kitson said Thursday.

Under his proposal, about 17,000 acres would be developed in the southwest corner of the 91,000-acre ranch in eastern Lee and Charlotte counties.

Kitson's vision, however, hinges on agreements he hopes to obtain from local governments to allow him to build more homes per acre than now allowed.

He also is still negotiating with the state to buy the rest of the land.

He refused to discuss what prices are being discussed, saying that's part of ongoing negotiations.

"There's still a lot of work to be done," he said. "But preservation will not be possible without a new community in the southwest corner of the ranch."

Working with the Morgan Stanley financial group, Kitson, of West Palm Beach, finalized a contract to buy the ranch in July but has not closed on the deal.

He refused to say how much he paid, except that it was more than the $455 million the state offered the Babcock family owners last spring in an unsuccessful effort to buy the entire holdings.

Kitson also purchased the Babcock corporation stock, which the state could not do and which the owners made a requirement for sale.

In addition to the homes, which he said would include affordable housing as well as high-end units, he said he plans as much as 6 million square feet of retail and business space.

His intent, he said, is that the town will be "self-sustaining," with schools, utilities, recreation, shopping and employment opportunities on site.

Of the 17,000 acres targeted for development, Kitson said most are in Charlotte County, although he was unsure of exact acreage.

Kitson hopes to work through the state's Rural Lands Stewardship program, which would allow more homes per acre that usual in exchange for preservation of environmentally valuable land.

Eric Draper, of Florida Audubon, also attended Kitson's presentation at the ranch and said he believes Kitson's proposal is a good one.

Florida land values have made it economically impossible to buy all the land that needs to be preserved, he said, and the trade-off of concentrated

high density areas in exchange for preservation of such a large piece of land, is worth it.

The worst kind of sprawl, he said, is that of 10- or 5-acre single-home "ranchettes," which could happen under Babcock's current allowance of about one home per 10 acres.

The opportunity to preserve about 71,000 acres of open land, including valuable wetlands as well as woods and pasturelands, is too rare to pass up, he said.

But Kitson also said he needs the state purchase to make it all work.

Lee County Commissioner Bob Janes, the board's point person on the issue, said he needs more information before he can say whether Kitson's proposal looks like a good plan.

"We need to know if the state is buying the land, exactly what land the state is buying and what's left for him to develop," Janes said.

"Until we get some specifics from the state, I don't want to second-guess what Kitson might get or not get."

Legislative leaders have been noncommittal on whether they will provide funding for the project.

While some of the purchase money is expected to come from the "Florida Forever" land purchase program, other dollars will be needed from lawmakers to avoid tapping out that fund.

Cragin Mosteller, spokeswoman for the Department of Environmental Protection, said funding negotiations are ongoing, and she feels "optimistic" they can reach an agreement. "We're working hard to reach an agreement quickly," she said.

• The Babcock Ranch covers 91,361 acres, or 143 square miles, of pastures, pine woods, grasslands and swamps in Lee and Charlotte counties.
• About 10,000 acres, including some of the best land for development, lies inside Lee County borders.
• In addition to commercial activities such as lumbering, cattle and mining, the land provides shelter for endangered species such as black bears and panthers.
• Sand hill cranes, red cockaded woodpeckers and wood storks feed and breed in the woods, swamps and grasslands.
• The land also is considered a crucial link in replenishing Southwest Florida's water resources.

Parkway plan unfolds - just in case

If and when the extension becomes reality, the county wants standards in place to avoid a Suncoast sprawl.

The state still hasn't decided whether it will extend the Suncoast Parkway into Citrus County.

But in case the answer is yes, county officials want to be ready.

After two years of preparation by county planners, the County Commission approved a set of standards last month that would regulate the areas around parkway interchanges.

Their goal: to make sure Citrus doesn't look like the jumbled sprawl that surrounds Exit 329 - the intersection of State Road 44 and Interstate 75 in Wildwood.

"We wanted to be proactive," Commissioner Gary Bartell said. "We didn't want truck stops like Wildwood to be spread throughout Citrus County."

There would be no utility lines allowed above ground within a mile of any interchange, and no trash receptacles visible from the parkway. Lighting, signs and landscaping would follow a unified theme. All commercial developments would be surrounded by buffer zones. And they would be required to connect to central water and sewer.

County planners say the approach is innovative. Director of Community Development Chuck Dixon said it's unlike anything he's ever seen.

But at several recent meetings, members of the county's Economic Development Council expressed concerns that the standards could discourage business from coming to Citrus County.

Right now, they said, many businesses don't set up shop in Citrus because no major highway runs through the county.

"This is going to be the closest thing we have to an interstate highway," EDC executive director Brett Wattles said at the council's meeting last week.

If the tollway ever does come to Citrus after years of legal wrangling, it will have been a long time coming, EDC leaders say, and they don't want anything to stand in the way of the growth they hope it will promote.

"I was concerned that we may be setting ourselves up to completely eliminate development in any of those corridors," EDC President Jack Reynolds said at the meeting.

But county officials say the EDC has nothing to worry about.

"I can understand concerns about regulations," Director of Community Development Chuck Dixon said. "This will add a lot of value to the land around those intersections. It will enhance the value of land all along the western side of the county and probably provide incentives to people to locate their business here."

EDC leaders still need to thoroughly review the standards, Reynolds said. They support the concept, he said, but they still may have some concerns about its execution.

"We don't want to prevent business," Reynolds said. "We want it to be an attractive setting for business."

For opponents of the possible Suncoast Parkway extension, interchange management issues are a moot point.

"There is absolutely no need for this road," said Janet Masaoy, chairwoman of Citizens Opposed to the Suncoast Tollroad.

They note that Florida's Turnpike Enterprise, a Department of Transportation division, still is studying whether the tollway should be extended from U.S. 98 northwest through Citrus, ending at U.S. 19 near Red Level.

On Aug. 28, the DOT hosted the second public meeting of the Environmental Resource and Regulatory Agency Group required as part of the mediation agreement reached after a judge found that the group's five previous private meetings violated the Sunshine Law.

The DOT must wait 45 days after the meeting before proceeding further on the project in order to allow participating agencies to consider public comment, according to the mediation agreement.

Ross Burnaman, a Tallahassee attorney representing the property-owners who filed the Sunshine Law violation suit, said Thursday that he did not attend the meeting and had not yet received a promised video of the meeting or paper copies of the agencies' presentations.

"I anticipate further legal proceedings," he said.

Catherine E. Shoichet can be reached at cshoichet@sptimes.com or 860-7309.

Sep 9, 2005

Postponed subdivisions back on planning agenda

Last month the commission voted to postpone a decision on whether to grant the developer's request for conditional plat approval of Cedar Woods and Cedar Trails subdivisions.

Cedar Woods would consist of 55 single-family lots on 82 acres. Cedar Trails would be 67 single-family lots on 105 acres. All the lots would be about one acre in size. Both developments would be located near Cedar Lane and Powell Road.

Mark Maconi in Palm Harbor was the original developer of the land, but has since sold the 185 acres to Dal USA, owned by Troy Powell.

Maconi's original application proposed road access to the subdivisions from Cedar Lane with another road connecting the two developments. But the county planning staff's recommendation requires the construction of additional access roads, including connections to Winding Creek and Falls Hollow drives.

Neighbors in the area have opposed the development since the beginning. Many have written letters to the county and even more have appeared before the commission to voice their concerns.

Those concerns include drainage and traffic woes.

Last month the commission voted to postpone a decision on conditional plat approval until its next meeting. They told Powell to come back with more detailed drawings of the subdivisions, including connection roads and drainage retention areas.

The commission will meet at 9 a.m. Monday, Sept. 12, in the Hernando County Commission chambers in the county government complex, 20 N. Main St., Room 160, Brooksville.

Neighbor Fran Thomas was at last month's meeting, but won't be able to attend Monday. She said she worries Powell's plan will be approved despite the neighbor's concerns.

"We have the same concerns that we've had all along -- the drainage and making sure that everything isn't going to make our problems any worse," she said.

Thomas said that Powell met with several of the neighbors after last month's commission meeting and listened to their concerns. She said she just hopes he took them into account when he revised his plan.

"But I do have to say, it appears that he's making every effort to make things right," she said.

Reporter Christi Stevens can be contacted at (352) 544-5271.

SunTrust banks on growth

Already boasting a 46 percent market share in Hernando, the company opens a state-of-the-art facility in Spring Hill.

SPRING HILL - Early Thursday evening, just before 5, a man on a ladder was still hooking up a light to the ceiling over the drive-through ATM. Inside the bank, though, there were crab cakes, and in the corner of the parking lot with the black pavement was a big white tent with beer and wine and the sounds of steel drums.

Party time.

The new, fancy-looking SunTrust bank on Barclay Avenue near Spring Hill Drive is the company's 10th location in Hernando - and the latest milepost in one of the fastest-growing areas in one of Florida's fastest-growing counties.

"We have tried to be out front trying to put offices on the precipice of the growth," said Jim Kimbrough, SunTrust Nature Coast chief executive officer.

To his right was a Publix. To his left was what used to be an Eckerd Drugs. Behind him: a Wendy's, a 7-Eleven, an unfinished strip mall.

"Location, location, location," Kimbrough said. "Yes, sir."

SunTrust is well positioned in Hernando. As of June 2004, the Atlanta bank had 46 percent of the county's market share - more than double Bank of America's 20 percent - the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. said.

SunTrust already has Hernando locations in Ridge Manor, Seven Hills, Timber Pines, Heritage Pines, Western Way, Weeki Wachee, Spring Hill and two places in Brooksville.

The Barclay office will be run by eight full-time staff members, including three tellers and two financial services representatives.

Thursday evening's guest list was a county who's who: County Commissioners Rob Schenck and Jeff Stabins, County Judge Don Scaglione, Property Appraiser Alvin Mazourek, Greater Hernando County Chamber of Commerce president Jeanne Gavish.

"More people, more money," Mazourek said.

More money, more banks.

Hernando's overall population continues to spike: The Planning Department's latest estimate, which is updated monthly, stood at 155,459 at the end of August.

"As things started to expand," said Gavish, a SunTrust customer, "it was, like, "Where's the banks, where's the banks, where's the banks?"'

The new branch is down the road from the county's industrial park on Spring Hill Drive and catty-cornered from the unfinished Spring Hill Retail Center.

And the Barclay Avenue-Anderson Snow Road corridor - the booming stretch going from State Road 50 to County Line Road - offers proximity to subdivisions such as Hernando Oaks, Pristine Place and Silverthorn. Farther south, Trillium and the Villages at Avalon are on the way.

"I live about two minutes from here," said Schenck, the County Commission chairman, "so it's a huge deal to me - a huge convenience."

SunTrust's Barclay office is one of just three new prototypes for the company in the Tampa Bay area. The other two are in Hillsborough County, said senior vice president Chris Pippenger, who's in charge of the Hernando area.

The model features a high-ceilinged, all-glass foyer, track lighting and even a Jetsons-like palm scanner to get into the area with the safe deposit boxes.

"Yep," Pippenger said. "High tech."

The soft opening was Aug. 31.

Thursday evening was the official unveiling.

Chris Walley of the Chamber of Commerce had some cartoon-large wooden scissors slung over his left shoulder.

Kimbrough thanked everyone for coming.

"All around us," he said, "for those of you who live in this area, you know there's construction activity 24/7 with new homes and new businesses. You get in a helicopter, which I do quite regularly, and you look at the marketplace, you can answer the question of why right now, right here."

Michael Kruse can be reached at mkruse@sptimes.com or 352 848-1434.

Bankers Warily Watch Wal-Mart

David Irvin
Montgomery Advertiser
September 2, 2005

An attempt under way by Wal-Mart to charter an industrial bank has irked some of Alabama's community bankers.

Although Wal-Mart officials say the proposed bank only will be used to process about 140 million transactions placed in their stores every month, bankers wonder if Wal-Mart will replicate in the banking world what was achieved in the retail world: Total dominance.

"We would find it difficult to believe that their long-term plan would be to simply process electronic check transfers, credit and debit cards through this industrial loan charter," said Scott Latham, president and CEO of the Community Bankers Association of Alabama. "Wal-Mart has a history of rapid growth and relentless expansion in retail markets."

If Wal-Mart succeeds in obtaining a bank charter, Latham wonders if the company will stick with its plan, or will it segue into retail banking and compete with community banks.

Wal-Mart officials deny any such plans.

"We don't have any intention of doing that. We've got long-term relationships with community banks that we invite into our stores," said Marty Heires, spokesman for Wal-Mart.

"Currently we have more than 1,000 of these branches. We have long-term agreements with those folks. That is our strategy with branch banking."

According to a news release from the company, Wal-Mart filed the charter application so it can "capture the costs" being paid to third-party financial institutions to process debit, credit and electronic check transactions.

Rather than pay another entity to process the transactions placed in Wal-Mart stores, the company can save millions of dollars by processing their own transactions, company officials say. These savings, according to the company, will be returned to consumers by marking down prices in the stores.

But Wal-Mart watchdog groups are suspicious.

"If they haven't been good corporate citizens in the places they exist, why should we expect them to do the right thing as far as banking is concerned?" asks Alton L. Bennett, president of the housing section of ACORN, a group concerned with social justice and stronger communities, according to its Web site. Another objection raised by the ACORN and the Wal-Mart Alliance for Reform Now is that by seeking the charter, Wal-Mart is asking to be exempted from the Community Reinvestment Act.

"Wal-Mart wants to do an end run around the Community Reinvestment Act, which requires banks to make at least some credit available in low-income and minority communities," said Alton Bennett, spokesman for ACORN. "If you remove the money from our most distressed neighborhoods, they will even become worse."

But Heires maintains Wal-Mart has no intention of getting into the lending business, rendering the Community Reinvestment Act inconsequential.

"As far as the Community Reinvestment Act, we are not planning on doing any lending," he said. "That is really at the core of our contention that it shouldn't apply here."

One reason community bankers are skeptical is that Wal-Mart has made repeated attempts to obtain a bank charter in the past. Also, if the company did pursue retail banking, a sacred wall between the commercial world and the banking world would be toppled, Latham said, which could have much broader implications in the business world.

"Once that barrier is breached, it will change the way we do business in this nation," said Latham. "You are just opening a big, big can of worms, in my opinion."

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To see more of the Montgomery Advertiser, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com.

Copyright © 2005, Montgomery Advertiser, Ala.

Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.

Sep 9, 2005

County Approves Landfill Accord

DADE CITY County commissioners on Thursday approved a settlement that lets the operators of Pasco Lakes landfill increase the height of their facility by 15 feet and sets a specific date for closing the facility.

The deal ends five years of legal action that included a trial and appeal after commissioners denied the operators' request to expand their facility by 30 vertical feet. Both court proceedings ended in the county's favor.

Attorneys from both sides praised the settlement as benefiting the county and Pasco Lakes.

"We think this is the best alternative for the county," said attorney Marion Hale, who negotiated the deal as a consultant for the county.

Under the settlement, Pasco Lakes:

• Can expand its existing facility on Old Pasco Road by 15 vertical feet.

• Must add a berm, trees and other landscaping to screen the landfill from the view of neighbors, including residents of Tampa Bay Golf and Country Club.

• Must close the landfill by Sept. 8, 2013, regardless of whether it has reached it full capacity.

• Must allow access to the county and any community watch group that may form to ensure the facility is operating within the bounds of the agreement.

Pasco Lakes also has bought 10 acres owned by John and Loretta Crockett, whose land borders the landfill to the south, as a buffer. The Crocketts will continue to live on the land, which they retired to in 1980.

The landfill accepts waste from construction sites, including asbestos sealed in containers. It opened in 1992.

The landfill abuts Tampa Bay Golf and Country Club on the south. The proximity to the growing residential development provoked commissioners to reject the original expansion proposal in 2000.

Basil Grussing, a resident of Tampa Bay Golf and Country Club, praised the county's work on the deal.

"They probably got, considering everything, the best outcome possible," Grussing said. "It's not ideal, but it's something we can live with."

Pasco Lakes attorney David Smolker said that the company will spend $800,000 to meet the county's requirements for landscaping and paving the landfill's access road to cut down on the dust from truck traffic.

The state Department of Environmental Protection renewed Pasco Lakes' operating permit for five years in February. The permit covers 66.6 acres of the 120-acre site, according to Pam Vazquez, spokeswoman for the DEP's Tampa office.

The landfill's 1994 agreement with the county allows it to accept a maximum of 3.9 million tons of debris.

The new configuration could add 1.5 million tons of capacity, according to landfill officials.

Battle over mound of debris is settled

The county will let the pile stay for eight more years and get as much as 15 feet taller, but Pasco Lakes must plant trees to hide it from the neighbors.

DADE CITY - The five-year battle over "Mount Pasco" has ended with a truce.

The County Commission approved a settlement Thursday that allows the mound of construction debris to grow as much as 15 feet higher but requires Pasco Lakes Inc. to plant trees hiding the landfill from the view of the neighbors, including the Tampa Bay Golf & Country Club.

Most pleasing to commissioners, the agreement requires Pasco Lakes to shut down the construction and demolition debris pit by Sept. 8, 2013.

"The eight-year definite closure certainly gives the county and the residents some security," Commissioner Ann Hildebrand said at the special meeting in the historic courthouse in Dade City.

The debris pit now sits about 20 feet above grade on the east side of Old Pasco Road, about 2 miles south of State Road 52. Pasco Lakes applied for a permit to more than double the mound to 50 feet above grade, but a split commission rejected the plans in November 2000.

Pasco Lakes sued, sending the case into court-ordered mediation, where the attorneys struck a settlement. The county agreed to let the mound grow 15 feet taller, to 35 feet above grade, and Pasco Lakes agreed to plant a buffer and halt operations within eight years.

"I believe this is a balanced and fair agreement for all concerned," Pasco Lakes attorney David Smolker told commissioners.

Between planting trees, paving a driveway and buying a neighboring property, Pasco Lakes will spend more than $800,000 holding up its end of the deal, Smolker said.

The agreement was welcome news to Tampa Bay Golf & Country Club residents such as Basil Grussing, who has followed the controversy as president of the homeowners association for Egret Landing and the Estates of Eagles Nest.

Ideally, he would like to see the dump trucks kept off State Road 52, but he said the settlement accomplished nearly everything the residents wanted.

With the new trees, Grussing said, "I actually think it's going to look better than it does today."

Bridget Hall Grumet covers Pasco County government. She can be reached in west Pasco at 869-6244 or toll-free at 1-800-333-7505, ext. 6244. Her e-mail address is bhall@sptimes.com

Industrial park is planned for Hernando

The unnamed developer purchases land just north of Inverness and envisions a 17-acre facility.

LECANTO - A developer plans to build a 17-acre industrial park in Hernando just north of the Inverness city limits, according to county officials.

At a meeting of the Economic Development Council in Lecanto on Thursday morning, executive director Brett Wattles said he had received a letter confirming that two men had purchased property just north of Inverness and plan to build an industrial park there.

Wattles did not release their names, saying they had asked for confidentiality as they begin to hash out their plans for the property.

The developers have not filed any permitting applications with the county, but Gary Maidhof, director of development services, said he and other county officials met with the buyers to discuss the proposed park. At that time, the developers had not yet nailed down any clients for the park, Maidhof said.

EDC president Jack Reynolds said after Thursday morning's meeting that the industrial park would provide a much needed opportunity to attract new jobs and new businesses to Citrus County.

"We are reasonably short on having available sites when businesses contact us," he said. "Anything we can do to make those sites available is important to us."

The proposed industrial park in Hernando would be connected to central water and sewer lines, unlike most of the county's existing industrial parks, Maidhof said.

In other news at Thursday's EDC meeting:

Wattles said the council was concerned that the county's recently approved interchange management standards for the proposed extension of the Suncoast Parkway would discourage development. Maidhof said county planners developed the standards to encourage organized growth.

Several members of the EDC said they were worried about the impact of a federal ban on grouper fishing slated for November and December. They said they have contacted local legislators.

Maidhof said developers proposing a large RV park on State Road 44 just outside the Inverness city limits have said they will partner with county and city officials to extend water and sewer service to the property.

City opposes EPA plan to just bury toxic soil

PENSACOLA - The City Council has unanimously voted to oppose the federal government's plan to leave more than 560,000 cubic yards of contaminated soil untreated at a toxic waste site known as "Mount Dioxin."

The Environmental Protection Agency's plan to bury the dirt in a clay-lined landfill on site without any decontamination effort will cost $25-million - the cheapest of seven options the agency considered, except for doing nothing at the old Escambia Wood Treating Co. plant.

Councilman P.C. Wu on Wednesday called the plan a "betrayal of good faith." "I really thought they were going to treat the soil and detoxify it," Wu said.

Council members said they feared dioxin and other poisons eventually would seep from the landfill into groundwater and that the lack of any decontamination would thwart plans to redevelop the area as a commercial park.

Dioxin has been linked to cancer and other illnesses.

Escambia County commissioners are scheduled to vote on a similar resolution Sept. 15.

The EPA 13 years ago excavated 344,250 tons of toxic soil to halt groundwater contamination. The soil has remained there ever since, covered by plastic sheeting. The agency also plans to bury additional contaminated soil in the landfill.

EPA spokeswoman Dawn Harris-Young said the agency will not respond to complaints until after a public comment period ends Sept. 22.

In addition to the 26-acre Superfund site itself, the surrounding neighborhood also has been vacated in EPA's relocation program. About 350 families have been moved and EPA has proposed relocating some 50 more.

Subdivision rules keep families from housing Katrina evacuees

OCALA, Fla. (AP) -- Subdivision rules are keeping residents from temporarily housing Hurricane Katrina evacuees, and some angry homeowners say it might make them move.

The board of Majestic Oaks Homeowners Association told homeowners their deed restrictions prohibit housing people who fled the hurricane-ravaged Gulf Coast. The board sent the notice after learning one resident in the 500-home subdivision planned to take in three New Orleans families.

Georgia Ann Bolla, who moved there last November from Texas, said, "I'm totally ashamed to live in Majestic Oaks. I'm ready to move. We have a wonderful community, but this is a disgrace."

Homeowners association president Bob Watson said legal liability means the restrictions can't be ignored, even in extenuating circumstances.

"How am I going to explain that to the judge?" he asked.

Board members noted that residents approved the restrictions, but homeowner Bryce Mercier said, "We didn't know the covenants would mean we couldn't help people."

Mark Bogen, executive director of the Florida Community Association Coalition, said similar restrictions are routinely upheld in court, but boards "can decide to not enforce those restrictions under unusual circumstances."

Sep 7, 2005

No help here for storm refugees

Board members were asked to donate five school buses slated for auction to a homeless shelter in Hudson, an organization with a 15-year history of helping Pasco County's homeless.

The buses, said Jeff Griffin of the Holy Ground shelter, would be used to assist the organization with transporting Hurricane Katrina refugees to the area.

The board, however, turned down the request in a controversial 2 to 2 vote.

Even though the vote appeared to be a draw, board chairman Robert Wiggins said the measure failed.

"Motion failed by 2 to 2 vote," Wiggins announced at the end of the meeting.

School board member John Druzbick did not attend the board meeting due to illness. Board members Sandra Nicholson and board vice-chair Jim Malcolm voted against the donation of buses that are scheduled for a Saturday, Sept. 10, auction.

Wiggins and board member Pat Fagan voted in favor of the donation.

"My concern is we have had many people ask for buses," Nicholson said. "I understand these buses are not in great condition. What happens if they break down? Are we free of any liability?"

School attorney Paul Carland offered to assist staff in preparing the appropriate "release" paper work. Carland also vouched for the Holy Ground homeless shelter.

"Holy Ground Inc. is a nonprofit organization operating in good standing with the state," Carland said.

Fagan also confirmed the organization's background. He said Congresswoman Ginny Brown-Waite, R-Crystal River, spoke highly of the organization.

"I support this 110 percent," Fagan said. "Congresswoman Brown-Waite supports them."

School superintendent Wendy Tellone also chimed in.

"Because it's a national disaster, I think it (sets) a precedent," Tellone said.

Wiggins said he was familiar with the organization's history of turning around the lives of both men and women. He also believed the cost that will be fetched, as a result of the auction, wouldn't go beyond $2,000 per bus. The district plans to auction off 13 buses and one cargo van. Neither Nicholson nor Malcolm were swayed by the comments.

"I understand we mention Katrina and, gosh, let's give them five buses," Malcolm said.

Malcolm asked the organization's representative what purpose the buses would serve after transporting issues were cleaned up.

"(We will have) ongoing use of these buses," said Jeff Griffin in representing Holy Ground homeless shelter. "This is the biggest disaster to hit this country. It's the size of Great Britain. It's unbelievable."

Malcolm still felt a precedent has been established in the school district which superseded Hurricane Katrina.

"I'm not sure this is an appropriate move for us given what we have done," Malcolm said. "We've turned people down."

Nicholson also asked Griffin, "How many buses are they getting from Pasco County?"

Griffin replied that the Pasco County option has also been considered. After the vote, Griffin asked school board members to consider the people that have been out there for six days without water.

"I think it's very important we support this request," Fagan said. "Not too many disasters happen in this country. If it's legal and right and binding then I think we're making a very positive move."

Fagan asked Griffin to accept a personal $100 donation prior to the board meeting's end.

Reporter Angeline Taylor can be contacted at (352) 544-5289.

Sep 8, 2005

Over Objections, Aripeka Home Plans Are Approved

DADE CITY Planning commissioners Wednesday approved a rezoning for the first of two subdivisions planned for the Aripeka community in northwest Pasco County.

Landowners Martha and Virgil "Sonny" Berdeaux requested the rezoning on 20 acres as part of a development deal with New Port Richey lawyer Chuck Kalogianis.

The 20-acre tract abuts 210 acres that Dunedin developer Steve Thompson wants to turn into a 235-home subdivision surrounding a state-mandated wildlife corridor. That project won approval from the county's Development Review Committee last month and will go to planning commissioners next month.

Aripeka residents Meridy Norfleet Mendoza and Dan Stack voiced opposition to both projects.

With images of the hurricane-ravaged Gulf Coast fresh in everyone's minds, the pair warned commissioners that adding more than 500 people to Aripeka -- effectively doubling its population -- could complicate an evacuation.

Much of Aripeka is in a flood zone. Residents rely on County Road 595 to reach U.S. 19. The Hernando County segment of C.R. 595 floods easily, leaving the southern section through Pasco as the only reliable way out, Stack said.

He reminded commissioners that more residential projects are planned to the south on Old Dixie Highway.

"Stop it right here with this project, the one next to it and the one to the south of it," Stack said.

Kalogianis argued that the 25 houses he'll build will be elevated above potential flood waters, as required by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

"We absolutely feel this will be an improvement to this neighborhood," he said.

Pasco County Attorney Robert Sumner wondered whether the development could be allowed without tying into county water and sewer under an agreement between the county and FEMA. Sumner pledged to research the issue before the zoning reaches county commissioners for final consideration.

Also on Wednesday, planning commissioners:

• Approved creation of the Riverwood neighborhood, 997 single-family homes on 520.4 acres in far southeastern Pasco, 1.5 miles south of Chancey Road.

• Approved a conditional use for a liquor license for Adam Smith Enterprises Inc., which plans to open an East of Chicago Pizza restaurant in Trinity at State Road 54 and Duck Slough Boulevard.

• Approved the rezoning of two parcels at Hudson Avenue and Nottingham Trail being developed as a horse-oriented community.

Sep 8, 2005

Cinema To Anchor Cypress Creek

WESLEY CHAPEL An 18-screen theater with stadium seating and digital surround sound is the first anchor tenant at Cypress Creek Town Center, the mall's developer said Wednesday.

The AMC theater will join two other theaters in Wesley Chapel. The theaters will be within about five miles of one another.

The Cypress Creek theater will be similar to AMC theaters at WestShore Plaza in Tampa and the Westfield Brandon mall, said AMC spokeswoman Melanie Bell.

"What we're putting in all of our new theaters is stadium seating for unobstructed viewing and love-seat-style seating," she said.

The love seats are more comfortable than older seats and can arch back.

The love seats also have arm rests that lift, "so you can cozy up and get comfortable," Bell said.

The Cypress Creek theater will be AMC's eighth in the Tampa Bay area. The company operates 207 theaters in the United States.

A proposed 1.3-million-square-foot regional mall, Cypress Creek will be on a 511-acre site that straddles State Road 56, just west of Interstate 75.

Before breaking ground, the mall's developer, the Cleveland-based Richard E. Jacobs Group, must first get permission from the Southwest Florida Water Management District and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to fill about 60 acres of wetlands.

The mall has been opposed by two groups, the Wesley Chapel-based Citizens Against the Cypress Creek Town Center, and the Florida Public Interest Research Group, an environmental group based in Tallahassee.

Despite the hurdles and opposition, William Fullington, a spokesman for the developer, said Wednesday that construction should begin "sometime next spring." The mall is expected to open in fall 2007.

Fullington said the search for other tenants was "going quite well," but declined to elaborate. "We're cautious about releasing news of tenants until we're very, very certain," he said.

The other Wesley Chapel theaters were announced in May.

A 14-screen Marquee Cinemas theater with stadium seating will be at Wiregrass Ranch at Bruce B. Downs Boulevard and S.R. 56. The location is about five miles north of Muvico's Starlight 20 theater in New Tampa.

Echo Real Estate Services/Development plans to include a 14-screen theater with its The Grove at Wesley Chapel on the site of the former Oakley orchard.

Sep 6, 2005

Dade City Redux

And at Price Park, off Meridian Avenue, the playground has been made over with equipment disabled children can use. Appropriate parking spaces have been added for their families.

They may be small projects, but both enhance the quality of life.

Both were accomplished through shared efforts. A Rotary Club donated time and material to improve Price Park, complementing the work of city employees, and state grant money and city money were pooled to improve Watson Field Park.

Most important: Both are an indication that Dade City has turned a financial corner.

And finally, gradually the city can afford to start making repairs here and there when it can get financial assistance - and even start to prioritize which improvements to tackle first in the next few years when more local property tax dollars, created through property annexations, begin to flow into city accounts.

That's a big step forward from where the city was two years ago when it came time to pass its annual budget and it found it had to cut the municipal fire department to stop some financial bleeding.

Mayor Hutch Brock calls the progress getting ``to the point of stabilization.''

Residents are expected to start taking a detailed look at that ``point'' this week. The city commission is expected to finish a proposed budget at a workshop tonight and bring it before residents at a public hearing Thursday evening.

Brock and city staff are warning that money still is tight. A tax rate of either $9 or $9.25 per $1,000 of assessed property value is still ahead.

With that money, the city figures it can afford a 2 percent pay increase for employees but will have to leave three positions vacant.

It will be able to let a neighborhood of retirees with construction skills use city equipment and material to put in sidewalks, but the retirees will have to pour the cement themselves.

It will be able to add a police officer to the night shift in October but will have to wait until April to afford a second position the force needs.

Waiting For Pennies

Everyone is hoping fuel prices don't go any higher, because it's already been costing more to fill police cars and city trucks.

The trade-offs and balances, income and expenditures, are likely to balance finally at $8.5 million for this city of about 6,700 residents.

It's still tight because there is not much money coming back to the municipality from the Penny for Pasco county sales tax assessment, and City Manager Harold Sample already has plans for what's coming in. Four new police cars, replacement police dispatcher equipment, and a new city work truck all are overdue investments, according to Sample's budget plans and public comments.

The other reason the budget still is tight is that builders haven't had time to erect stores and homes on tracts recently annexed into the city. When the buildings go up and are appraised, they will be added to the tax rolls and help pay the bills.

Fixer-Upper List

Brock says he's ready for that money to come in. The city has plenty of other things that need fixing, and new tax dollars will help pay for those things.

``You're going to have some additional money to finish paving some of the roads ... and to fix some potholes and to make sure we've got the trees trimmed,'' he said.

Mundane housekeeping tasks are the things that keep a city functioning. Fill the potholes and there's less wear and tear on vehicles; prune trees and you minimize limb and tree damage during storms.

Longer term, the city needs to build a city hall to replace the worn structure on Meridian Avenue, Brock said. The city cannot economically refurbish the existing three-story building and uses the top floor only for storage.

Dade City also is figuring out what grants it can get and what impact fees it should charge new residents to fund a major upgrade to the sewer treatment plant. The upgrade will add capacity and improve existing equipment.

A better sewer system might not sound flashy either, but working pipes are a fundamental service, Brock said.

Little by little, other things are happening in Dade City that should spruce things up and enhance the county seat's charm.

Pasco County government is planning on moving the Hugh Embry Library branch to a larger site at the current home of the First Baptist Church.

The State Department of Transportation will repave U.S 301 and State Road 52. Brock is hoping local private efforts will chip in for street landscaping, benches and lighting that will enhance the look of downtown. The state also is inching forward with plans to put in a bike trail, Brock said.

``It turns out we have this confluence of events,'' Brock said. ``Things are definitely beginning to pay.''

Reporter Jo-Ann Johnston can be reached at (352) 521-3062.

Sep 5, 2005

Trying to win the neighbors

Sep 5, 2005

County Seeks Growth Balance

The joke refers to a fear that houses will displace open spaces, new residents will crowd roads and the rural character of the community will disappear.

Pasco leaders have additional concerns. They recognize that as the 38th-fastest-growing county in the United States, Pasco depends on residential construction. They believe, however, that there must be a balance between construction of houses and businesses. Toward that end, planners have identified several areas for ``employment centers'' or business parks that they hope will attract companies offering high-skill, high-paying jobs.

Among the target employment center areas are three interchanges along the Suncoast Parkway. Most of the property - more than 640 acres between the Suncoast and U.S. 41 - is designated for agricultural or low-density residential use, growth manager Sam Steffey said. The area is too big to designate entirely for industrial and light-industrial use, so officials are refining their plans.

``We are definitely going to scale that back,'' Steffey said. ``It is just too massive.''

County officials also must develop a clear definition of employment centers and determine what might attract higher-paying companies, consultant Frances Chandler Marino said at a recent county commission meeting. Until then, they must fend off those seeking to develop the land for other purposes.

``We looked at the high-capacity corridors and opportunities for vacant land, and there are a lot of places in the county where you have residential uses approved,'' Marino said. ``There are not a lot of options for employment centers.''

An Early Test

A group of developers has challenged the county commissioners to narrow the field for employment centers. Ben Harrill, representing Maconi- Crosland County Line LLC, last month sought on behalf of his clients to change the future land-use designation on 49 acres southeast of the Suncoast Parkway and Pasco- Hernando County Line Road from residential to office/retail/residential. The property was to be developed as a retail shopping center with office space. Offices would comprise about 40 percent - or 113,300 square feet - and retail would comprise 340,000 square feet.

Commissioners sitting as the Local Planning Agency supported the request after hearing arguments that the county does not need more employment centers. A week later as the county commission, the board reconsidered and voted 3-2 against the request. Commission Chairwoman Pat Mulieri and Steve Simon supported the project.

Harrill argued a retail center near the Suncoast and Pasco- Hernando County Line Road could draw shoppers from Hernando, supporting the Pasco tax base without placing service demands on it. He also said a retail center could be a gateway to an employment center.

``You can have both. You should have both. It's an appropriate mixed use,'' Harrill said. ``Most integrated employment centers are wrapped around a retail center. I don't think it's a question of either/or. You can accommodate both.''

Pasco Economic Development Council Executive Director Mary Jane Stanley told commissioners they can't afford to give up areas identified for employment centers. She said companies have told the council that the Suncoast, between Tampa and Brooksville, is a desirable place to do business. Stanley further argued that areas designated for retail, office and residential development typically are dominated by retail.

``This is a good office site,'' she said. ``We need higher- paying jobs to raise the economy of Pasco.''

Mulieri said she respected Stanley's opinion but thought the Maconi-Crosland project would be a complement to industrial development.

``I do support the concept of employment centers,'' she said during an interview last week. ``I do understand you don't just want retail. I also believe in property rights. There is other land around there that may be very well developed into industrial. There has to be a balance. ... What are these people supposed to do, put their land on hold for 10 years?''

Simon said at the commission meeting that the board should not discount the value of retail.

``We need jobs altogether, of varying sorts,'' he said. ``To assume that retail is not good is making a huge mistake. High- end retail is a good thing. This one will mesh well with offices.''

Commissioner Jack Mariano disagreed. He said Pasco should not compromise its plans to encourage industrial growth.

``If you have enough bodies, the retail will come,'' he said. ``We are supposed to develop new future land use categories to support the EDC. With employment centers, we need them at the Suncoast.''

Mixing It Up

In an interview last week, Commissioner Ted Schrader, who voted against the Maconi- Crosland development, said the plans seemed ``top heavy'' with retail.

Schrader said the county needs to diversify its economy. He noted that new construction and a high volume of existing home sales has allowed Pasco to comfortably reduce its tax rate without sacrificing property tax revenue. Sales of existing homes prompt new property tax assessments, which in turn increase property tax revenue for the county.

County leaders must, however, be cautious, he said. Homes that are occupied by the same residents for a number of years, as is more common in neighboring Pinellas, are protected by Save Our Homes legislation, which limits property tax assessments to 3 percent or the rate of inflation, whichever is lower.

``We have so many real estate transactions,'' he said. ``If the real estate market became somewhat stagnant, it could become a problem.''

Pasco leaders have increased impact fees on new construction to offset the costs of building roads, schools, fire stations, parks and libraries, and voters approved a sales tax increase to help pay for transportation, public safety improvements and environmental lands acquisition. Developers also are contributing to the cost of building and running Pasco.

``With new construction, we can extract improvements in infrastructure from new projects,'' Schrader said.

Pasco must, however, establish a solid base from businesses and nonresidential real estate, he said. ``Hopefully, we will get to that point so we don't look back in 20 years and have a deficit, with more rooftops than businesses.''

Reporter Julia Ferrante can be reached at (813) 948-4220.

Sep 5, 2005

Parkway May Bring More Sprawl

CHASSAHOWITZKA - Most expected the Suncoast Parkway to deliver growth to the counties north of Tampa Bay.

But four years after the toll road's first phase was completed, the numbers may surprise some of the same people.

Current and proposed developments on Hernando County's west side include plans for more than 9,000 new homes.

Seville, a 3,500-lot subdivision on U.S. 19 south of U.S. 98 and five miles west of the Suncoast, is at the top of the list. Approved years ago, the bulk of the work is expected to begin soon.

World Woods could come on its heels.

If it's approved by the state Department of Community Affairs, the project would add 1,680 single-family homes, cottages and hotel rooms to a 1,190-acre site that already has two championship golf courses, a nine-hole par 29 and a three-hole practice course. It's a mile east of the parkway on U.S. 98.

The DCA is deciding whether the owner has addressed growth and environmental concerns, including the possible effect to a cave on the property. World Woods also needs approval to exceed the 660 units allowed by the master plan.

Hernando County commissioners gave their blessing to those issues Aug. 23.

The site is owned by Japanese businessman Yukihisa Inoue, who also owns neighboring Sugarmill Woods.

World Woods probably would be built by Kitson & Partners LLC of West Palm Beach, said Stan Cooke, the resort's director of golf and vice president. It's an ideal location for a retirement and bedroom community, he said - only about an hour north of Tampa.

The same goes for Sugarmill Woods, christened on U.S. 19 just north of here in 1975. That community is still growing. To date, more than half of its 8,000 home sites have been developed, including Oak Village, a phase on U.S. 98 west of World Woods, said Ric Stocker, broker at Sugarmill Woods Sales Inc.

He agrees the parkway is a big plus for some buyers.

``We're seeing more young people,'' including commuters, he said.

Using SunPass, the parkway's prepaid toll system, and cruise control, ``you can literally make it to Tampa without touching your gas or your brake,'' Stocker said.

Other developers see the potential, too.

Hernando County subdivision specialist Jim Schroeder says there are a number of projects planned or under construction along that county's parkway leg.

In addition to Seville, World Woods and Sugarmill Woods, e-mail listings from Schroeder and fellow county employee Paul Wieczorek show the following large projects:

* Sterling Hill, a 1,250-lot subdivision a mile west of the parkway near the Hernando- Pasco county line. Much of this community is completed.

* Hernando Oaks, 975 lots three miles east of the 43-mile toll road on U.S. 41. It's being developed.

* Trillium, 891 lots east of the Suncoast at the Hernando- Pasco county line. This project is awaiting construction.

* Villages at Avalon, 797 lots west of the parkway at the Hernando-Pasco line. Plans are being reviewed.

Back at World Woods, Cooke gets a glint in his eye when he thinks about how luck played into the mix.

Inoue picked the location before he heard of plans to build a commuter road that virtually ends at his front door.

He built the golf course right away, but waited nearly a dozen years for Japan's economy to improve before he sought permits for the housing units. That delay presented the good fortune of having the toll road as a selling point, given that commuters as well as retirees and second-home owners are the target market.

``This area is remarkable and the pricing was good,'' Cooke said.

``But our proximity to [the Suncoast] is a huge selling point.''

You can learn more about World Woods on the Internet at

You can learn more about World Woods on the Internet at www.worldwoods .com. .com.Reporter Jim Tunstall can be reached at (352) 628-5558.

Contractors Face Bind To Recruit Skilled Help

``A lot of the guys who have been doing it for 20 or 30 years are about to retire,'' said Close's wife, Judy, who works with him at A-1 Southern Plumbing in New Port Richey.

As they look toward the future, contractors across the spectrum of building trades are caught between the potential retirement of thousands of experienced professionals and the uncertainty of who will replace them.

Industry officials see greater roles in the coming decades for women and Spanish- speaking immigrants in the construction trades.

``Our challenge is to produce the electricians, the masons and the plumbers we'll need'' in the next 15 years, said Dave Hamilton, a researcher with the Spring Hill-based Pasco-Hernando Jobs and Education Partnership Board. ``We don't produce those in any quantity in these two counties.''

``For us to sustain this growth, we have to have them,'' Hamilton said.

As they try to find new workers, many of Pasco's construction companies remain wedded to the time-honored on- the-job training that moves a worker from apprentice to journeyman status over several years.

A few - electricians and masons - have cultivated relationships with the region's technical schools to prepare people for work. But not so for plumbers and carpenters.

``We're trying to do it on our own,'' said plumber Erik Suojanen, owner of an Odessa plumbing company.

``We had a pretty formal training program, but that fell through the cracks. So we're trying to get that back going.''

Masons - workers who lay bricks and concrete blocks - saw a labor shortage coming in 1997 and started planning for the future, said Todd Bradley, vice president of Tampa-based Masonry Buildings Inc.

About four years ago, the masonry association formed the Florida Masonry Apprentice and Education Foundation.

Through the foundation, the industry sponsors an apprenticeship program at technical schools in Pinellas and Hillsborough counties.

The foundation is building a similar program in Hernando County, but it has no programs planned for Pasco.

``We are trying to get stuff into Pasco because Pasco needs it,'' said Bradley, who is also Tampa Bay area president of the Masonry Association of Florida.

``We've got kids who live up there and drive to St. Pete.''

Few Programs Offered

Pasco County schools dropped the masonry program in the 1980s because of a lack of interest among students, said Anne Johnson, who directs vocational programs for the school district.

Interest in construction trades remains slim among Pasco's high school students.

The most recent figures available from Pasco County schools show that enrollment in construction-related vocational programs involves 10 percent to 20 percent of eligible students at most of the county's high schools.

Schools in Hudson, Trinity, Wesley Chapel and Dade City offer no construction-related classes.

The county's two technical schools offer popular programs in heating and air conditioning and electrical skills.

But students have few options for earning certification in other trades, Johnson said.

The district would like to see more growth in apprenticeship programs, which, so far, is limited to heating and air conditioning, Johnson said.

``We've tried to reach out to the various trades,'' Johnson said. ``It takes a big commitment on their part because is has to be industry-sponsored. It's a dilemma.''

Builders say that a high school graduate who becomes an journeyman can make $40,000 a year before his college-bound classmates even have a bachelor's degree.

That's a major selling point for some trades that are trying to attract young people who otherwise might choose jobs at Wal-Mart or McDonald's.

``You may not go to college, but you have the option to make decent money and earn a pretty good living in the process,'' said Traci Martin, executive director of Florida Plumbing, Heating and Cooling Contractors.

But educators often find themselves pressured by parents to put their children on a track to college, not trades, Johnson said.

``Every parent wants their child to go to college,'' Johnson said.

The masonry foundation has begun work on an apprenticeship program at Wilson Youth Services, the all-girl detention center run by the Department of Juvenile Justice in Land O' Lakes.

With the average age of masons in the 50s - and other trades similarly dominated by about-to-retire baby boomers - the construction industry faces a serious gap in institutional knowledge if it cannot replace those preparing to leave the business, said Pat McLaughlin, executive director of the Florida Masonry Apprentice and Education Foundation.

Reaching Out To Hispanics

So far, Florida's masons seem to be ahead of the curve as they reach out to women and Hispanics to fill their ranks.

Plumbers, carpenters and other trades are just beginning to get their own recruiting programs off the ground.

The National Association of Homebuilders is developing Future Homebuilders of America, a program aimed at encouraging junior high and high school students to work in construction trades, McLaughlin said.

Builders agree that Spanish- speaking immigrants, who now fill many of bottom-rung jobs in construction trades, will play a large role in the industry's future.

McLaughlin sees it as part of the same process of assimilation that brought Irish and Italians immigrants into American society generations ago.

``Anyone who has the skill and the desire and the will to work in our industry, we will train them,'' said Joyce Rivas, spokeswoman for the masonry foundation.

The foundation has begun training its Spanish-speaking workers in their native tongue.

Carpentry contractors are sending their Spanish-speaking workers to English classes.

Meanwhile, they and other trades rely on bilingual workers to translate between supervisors and workers, said Jeff Pfeiffer, vice president of field operations for Carpenter Contractors of America.

Even with those efforts, some builders say it that won't be enough to meet construction demands.

Pfeiffer said his company is even looking toward Taiwan for workers.

``We're getting along right now,'' Pfeiffer said. ``But I'm not taking on new work right now. The existing people I have have all the work they can handle.''

No Easing Of Squeezing

At lunch, more than 800 students squeeze into the cafeteria, often eating while standing in line or getting a late pass so they have time to wolf down a slice of pizza.

Welcome to Durant High School, Hillsborough County's most crowded, where 2,850 students walk the halls -- just 150 short of the number where most schools switch to double sessions.

"We have more kids in two lunch periods than Newsome High School has in their whole school," Assistant Principal Mike Witchoskey said as he pulled lunchroom duty one day last month. "We just tell them, 'You'll be banging elbows, so get used to it.' "

It's not likely to get better anytime soon. The district won't build a high school to relieve Durant until 2009, when a facility opens in north Plant City. In the meantime, Durant's enrollment, up nearly 1,200 since it opened 10 years ago, is still growing.

"I think we'll just have to deal with the numbers we have in front of us," said Pamela Bowden, Durant's principal. "I don't see growth dwindling anywhere in this end of the county."

The first high school to be built in the area since Bloomingdale in 1987, Durant made waves from the moment it opened in 1995.

The $26 million, 88-acre school pioneered block scheduling, which traded the traditional 60-minute class for 90-minute classes. The school's boundaries took in some of Bloomingdale High School's territory, prompting complaints from some parents there about transferring their children to another school.

First-year enrollment was a comfortable 1,483. A year later, in 1996, it had jumped by 550. Since then, Durant's enrollment has risen every year, except for a minor dip in 2003 when Newsome opened and took some of its students.

The crowds have caused some strain, mainly in the lunchroom. Bowden created an extra lunch shift, going from three to four, and allowed seniors to leave class two minutes early to stagger the crowds hitting the cafeteria.

Students say getting fed and back to class in 30 minutes is a challenge.

"Lunch is awful," said Brandi Bergmann, 17, a senior at the school. "Half the time, if you don't get there the second the bell rings, you're in line the whole lunch period."

Oscar Jimenez, 16, said there are worse things than standing in line.

"Sometimes I don't even get to eat," he said. "You just stay hungry."

"We've always had two major problems," Bowden conceded, "feeding everybody and crowded hallways."

Students have only to ask for a late pass, however, if they need extra time to eat, she said.

"I make sure everybody eats," she said. "I never want a student not to be fed."

Luckily, Durant was built before the era of "smart schools," which have smaller classrooms, narrower hallways and less storage space.

Durant's two-story structure, built around an open courtyard, also helps, allowing students to move through a large open area during class changes.

Bowden has converted the media center and a conference room into classrooms, using temporary partitions to enclose the classroom space.

So far, there has been no talk of double sessions, in which the student body is split, half attending school in the morning and half in the evening.

"I would hope we would never have to go to that," she said. "I'm a double-sessions graduate. It doesn't do any good for student morale. You don't have that group feeling."

Steve Ayers, director of pupil administration for the district, said High School UUU, scheduled to open in August 2009 in the north Plant City area, will help relieve the crowding at Durant.

One temporary solution -- moving some of Durant's students to Newsome High School in Lithia -- isn't feasible, Ayers said.

Newsome serves the FishHawk Ranch subdivision, one of Hillsborough County's fastest-growing areas. Only half-completed when Newsome opened, the subdivision is expected to double in size before it's completed.

"It won't be long before Newsome starts to fill up," Ayers said.

Bowden stressed that the crowds don't mean larger class sizes.

"We don't have classes with 45, 60 kids in them. No child sits on the floor. You might have a class with 35, but we also have classes with 15 or 20."

Because of its enrollment increase, the school probably will gain some teachers this year as well as portable classrooms beyond the four it has.

In the meantime, Bowden said, she will take what steps she can to ease the squeeze and ask her students and staff to be patient.

"I was here when we had 2,500," Bowden said. "I was here when we had 2,800. We have people here who just take it in stride. We just have a great staff."

DURANT HIGH

•Opened: 1995

•Cost: $26 million

•Campus: 88 acres

•Mascot: Cougars

•School colors: Navy blue and gold

•2005-06 enrollment: 2,850

•First graduating class: 1997

•Number of graduates through 2005: 4,531

•Principal: Pam Bowden

Aug 31, 2005

County Responsibility

Our children's education must be considered more important than the tax revenue that new development brings into Pasco County!

There are more than 120,000 homes that have been approved to be built the next few years. Our school board's budget cannot keep up with the demand, and most of the planned schools will be over capacity when they open.

Developers should be held accountable to provide school sites in their plans without charging an exorbitant amount of money to our school board.

The developers are the ones making huge profits at the expense of our children!

DEBBIE MOORE Land O' Lakes

Send Letter to the editor to Pasco Editor of Editorials William Yelverton

Trilby Tegg-nology

Wilton Simpson has eight houses just like this one on his family's farm north of Dade City. That's just over 1 million hens producing on average 700,000 eggs a day that Simpson Farms harvests, packages and ships to major retailers across the state. Within three or four days, they'll be in scrambles, cakes or quiches from Jacksonville to Naples.

The eggs come from a variety of chickens known as W-36 Hy-Line. They're bred to be about half the size of their free- range cousins and lay larger eggs. They're made to live in the confined spaces they share in the chicken houses, Simpson said.

Simpson admits that industrial farming isn't the idea most people have in mind when they think of farming. That idea - cows grazing in a field or Rhode Islands pecking feed from the ground - isn't realistic given the costs and demands of modern agriculture, Simpson said.

He disputes any notion that conditions on his farm are harmful to his chickens.

``If we are abusive to the animals we rely on to provide our living, they won't provide,'' Simpson said.

Growth at Simpson Farms earned the company recognition by the Pasco Economic Development Council as Industry of the Year for businesses with fewer than 25 employees. It is one of a handful of agricultural companies to have won the award, said selection committee leader Judy Ravenna.

``They actually doubled their capacity, effectively duplicating themselves,'' said Ravenna, vice president of SunTrust Bank.

A dozen years ago, Zephyr Egg won an honorable mention from the EDC's award committee. In 1996, Stearns Peat Co. of Darby won in the same category as Simpson Farms.

``It's not very frequent that we see nominees from that area [agriculture],'' Ravenna said.

Simpson, 39, has helped raise chickens on the family farm since he was a child. He plans to bring his own children into the family business.

Even as he plans for the future, Simpson feels the shadow Pasco's rapid development casts on his corner of the county. Subdivisions have begun sprouting on the fringes of his land - pushing Simpson to make his operation as neighborly as possible.

``The key to the long-term survival of chicken farms is you can't have any smell, flies or other pests,'' Simpson said during a tour of farm.

The neighbors weren't as much of an issue when Simpson's parents created the farm in the late 1970s. They began with 64,000 birds, making the farm one of the state's largest at the time, Simpson said.

In recent years, Simpson's operation has become mechanized and computerized, making it more efficient. Simpson also has redesigned some of the farm's operations with the goal of mitigating the odor and pest problems. For example, fans have replaced misters to keep the chickens cool, a process that also keeps their manure dry and prevents flies from hatching there.

Simpson says some of his innovations have caught on industrywide.

``We take a lot of pride in what we have here,'' Simpson said.

The technology that makes Simpson Farms a good neighbor also will encourage development closer to it, ultimately creating problems on the day when the system breaks down and there's what Simpson calls ``an event.''

Simpson need only to look south to Gore's Dairy, surrounded by the rapidly suburbanizing northern fringe of Zephyrhills, to see one possible future for his farm. The dairy has been sold for development.

``One day we will be in a bowl just like Gore's Dairy was,'' Simpson said.

Swamped! Building permit bonanza

Historic Churches Have Changed Over Time

Three of the churches are listed as historic, and the fourth, First Baptist Church, dates to before the turn of the century, but its structure is more recent.

First Presbyterian, First United Methodist and Bethel Primitive Baptist churches are examples of historic architectural styles. First Presbyterian and First Methodist are built in the Gothic revival styles, and Bethel Primitive Baptist is frame vernacular.

The Gothic revival style, popular for religious structures and not often used for residences, has the principal characteristics of steeply pitched roofs, pointed arched windows and wall surfaces that extend into the gable without a break. These characteristics reinforce this style's vertical emphasis.

Gothic revival reflects its medieval inspiration in a picturesque fashion, including the belfry tower that provides not only a necessary function for religious structures but is key in reinforcing the vertical emphasis.

First United Methodist

At 37628 Church Ave., First United Methodist is the oldest church on the street, with the sanctuary completed in July 1889 of heart pine and cypress. It originally sat at the northeast corner of the lot.

Electric lights were installed in 1910, and a year later, a brick sidewalk was built in front, the interior was painted and the vestibule was remodeled to have steps and doors on two sides instead of just in front. About this time, a bungalow was built for classrooms and social hall. It was later moved to the rear of the church lot.

A two-story education building was constructed in 1939. In 1954, the church sanctuary was moved to its present location where it abuts the northwest corner of the education building. A chapel and the southwest portion of the sanctuary were built at this time to join the two buildings.

Additional modifications included a new school building, remodeling the sanctuary and education building, construction of a parish hall, and rebuilding the exterior.

New stained glass windows were installed in 1975 in the original openings. The front portico on the sanctuary, the west wing and the entrance porch along the north side of the education building were added in 1987 to provide a more modern appearance.

The congregation remains proud of its heritage that dates to 1886 when church services were held in a store building that later served as the first Pasco County courthouse. Located on the southwest corner of the square where the Historic Pasco County Courthouse now stands, the building was owned by W.N. Ferguson, co- owner of Coleman and Ferguson Co. Coleman and Ferguson owned the building that they offered to the county for a courthouse when Pasco became a county in 1887. Ferguson was a church trustee, and his wife was the church's first organist.

James E. Lee built the existing church on a quarter-acre purchased from Reuben Wilson in March 1888. Lee, originally from Georgia, had recently built the First Methodist Church in nearby Enterprise. Lee was a steward at the Dade City church.

First Presbyterian Church

First Presbyterian Church, 37412 Church Ave., was the third church to be constructed along Church Street, now Church Avenue, but it is the only one that retains most of its original configuration and materials.

Built by A.H. Ravesies in 1894, the church is basically T- shaped. It features a dominant gable-roofed facade, complete with a large Gothic-arched stained glass window and a tall northeast corner tower. A Gothic-arched entrance door leads into the base of the tower that features a steep spire with segmental arched louvered vents and gabled dormers on each side.

A rear annex was built in 1928, and additions were made to it in 1939. Originally, the church was located closer to Church Street; it was moved to its current location in 1950. In recent years, the additions were extensively remodeled.

The First Presbyterian Church was organized Jan. 13, 1889, by the Rev. L.H. Wilson and 25 charter members. At that time, church services were held in the frame courthouse owned by Coleman and Ferguson.

That August, they were offered use of the First Methodist Church for monthly meetings. In October 1891, the church purchased a 1-acre lot from Pleasant Wilson for $150. In 1894, the church was built for $595.

Bethel Primitive Baptist

The building at 37315 Church Ave. that is now Bethel Primitive Baptist Church was built about 1885 as a schoolhouse in Indian Lake.

Bethel Primitive Baptist, also known as ``old school'' Baptist, was formed in July 1888 about two miles north of Dade City. For several years, the congregation met in the Blanton schoolhouse on the fourth Sunday and Saturday before each month.

In May 1896, church members voted to buy the Indian Lake schoolhouse and 1-acre lot for $10. It was moved to the Church Street location in 1910 and expanded.

An addition to the front hides its historic architectural character. The oldest portion is the one-room sanctuary that has a front-facing gable roof and five wood, triple-hung sash windows that represent frame vernacular architecture.

A concrete block vestibule with a lower gable roof was later added to the front of the old schoolhouse building that was transformed into the modest Bethel Primitive Baptist Church.

M.L. Gilbert was one of its pioneer pastors and served the congregation for more than three decades. He also made his home on Church Street.

First Baptist Church

The fourth church on Church Avenue dates to before the turn of the 20th century. First Baptist Church of Dade City's brick home at 37511 Church Ave., however, dates to 1955 when it was constructed to replace a frame sanctuary that was built in 1900.

It won't be there long. Having outgrown its facilities, First Baptist is looking to build a new church on property on State Road 52.

Organized in 1891 as College Street Baptist Church, the congregation first met in a school building on the street. A church built there in 1892 burned down in 1899. It was rebuilt on the same lot in 1900.

The church was renamed First Baptist Church of Dade City in 1945, about the time nearby College Street was renamed 14th Street.

County develops plans for future; values also discussed

To get that, Adams organized a "visioning" seminar for his five commission bosses Wednesday to help layout goals for the county.

Overseen by consultant Steve Rosenthal, commissioners spent more than five hours debating how they wanted the county to grow and what they wanted from employees to better serve citizens.

Although the mission might appear fundamental, Adams said many municipalities, including Hernando County, have never identified what they wanted for the year 2025.

"I think what's missing is a plan for the future and a consensus on their goals as a board," Adams said. "This process will give us, as staff, a clearer vision of where the board wants us to go."

Although the county has a Comprehensive Plan, that document outlines land use issues and development, he said.

The vision seminar focuses on what the board wants for the county and to use those plans as a goal toward which this and future boards should steer.

Rosenthal's advice to commissioners was to outline core values that every employee could understand.

The board also needed to create a "core purpose" that might not be achievable, but gives commissioners a goal to strive toward, he said.

Nearing the end of the meeting, commissioners agreed county government's values were stewardship, integrity, honesty and trust.

As for its core purpose, commissioners agreed it was "serving the public to create the highest quality of life by forging a community with endless opportunities."

The county paid Rosenthal $1,795 for the seminar which was held at the First United Methodist Church in Brooksville.

Although the meeting was open to the public, no one attended.

Commissioner Robert Schenck said the meeting allowed for board members to talk away from the government center.

"I don't know if anything was hammered out but it will make us aware of each other's different philosophical outlooks," Schenck said. "This was definitely an interesting experience."

As for its long-term applicability, Schenck said, "Time will tell."

Commissioner Chris Kingsley agreed.

"This gives us an opportunity to hear what the other commissioner is thinking in a less threatening atmosphere," Kingsley said.

Don't Miss Bluegrass On Labor Day Weekend

The Sertoma Youth Ranch, just north of the Pasco- Hernando county line off Blanton and Clay Hill roads, will host musicians, campers and bluegrass fans Friday through Sunday.

Performing will be the Williams and Clark Expedition; Flint River Boys; Blue Moon Rising; The Gillis Brothers; Jeanette Williams; Tater Hill; Sawgrass Drifters; and Scattered Grass.

Weekend tickets are $45.

Friday's events run from 1:30 to 11 p.m. and admission is $20. Tickets for Saturday also are $20, with shows from 1 to 11 p.m. Sunday admission is $12, with entertainment from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Children pay $3 per day or $7 for the weekend. Those younger than 12 get in free with an adult ticket.

Weekend camping is $39 with electrical hookup or $20 without.

All proceeds will benefit the youth ranch.

No pets are allowed in the concert area, but pets on leashes are allowed in the camping area. For camping information, call (352) 754-3082.

For festival details, visit www.sertomayouthranch .com. .com.

Shopping comes of age in growing Hernando County

Commissioners Annex Acreage For Development

PLANT CITY - The city's land size grew by more than 5 percent in one big gulp Monday night as commissioners annexed, rezoned and remapped about 800 acres.

Most of the annexed area is north of Interstate 4. With the exception of 363 acres of city-owned, environmentally sensitive land, the area is targeted for development.

By getting the city to annex rural land in the unincorporated area, developers usually can build more houses per acre than the county would allow and get services such as water and sewer.

Crowning Monday's annexation is Eagle's Crest, a proposed community north of Knights-Griffin Road and east of State Road 39. This 367-acre "community unit district" will add 600 homes to the city and include such amenities as shops and a community center.

The community proposes to tax itself to fund maintenance and enhancements over the years. Attorney Richard Davis, representing JES Properties Inc., said the development will build its sewer and water lines, and permit future area projects to use them.

The proposed development drew fire from residents who bemoaned the loss of a rural lifestyle they and their forebears have enjoyed for generations.

Trapnell Road resident Corlene Findley, a tireless opponent of growth, showed up at Monday's commission meeting to protest the spread of asphalt and concrete.

She said she was "dismayed at the devastation that is occurring," and she suggested commissioners don't care about the deterioration of the area's quality of life.

Findley had plenty of support.

A large crowd that had shown up to comment on the city's revised adult entertainment ordinance vigorously applauded her address to the commission. Several members of the crowd approached the microphone to add their disapproval of encroaching development.

"This lady is completely right," Joanie Carter said. "If this annexation continues, you will be robbing me of my right to live in the country. It's not fair for those of us who have lived here all our lives to be run over."

Flooding Predicted

William Wetherell, who lives in an unincorporated area near Eagle's Crest, said he and his neighbors will be the ones most affected, yet they had no say in the project's approval.

He said it "makes no common sense" to annex a development "5 miles outside the city" and warned the increase in paved areas will make flooding problems even worse.

Eagle's Crest is adjacent to wetlands that touch the city's boundary. By annexing the wetlands, the city brought the development into contact with the city's existing area, making it eligible for annexation.

Wetherell also pointed to the railroad tracks on Knights-Griffin Road and predicted tie-ups will result when the Eagle's Crest residents join the morning traffic trying to turn south on State Road 39.

Wetherell said an editorial in The Tampa Tribune called that kind of growth a bad idea.

"But you've gotta pack in 600 homes when you pay $5 million for a piece of land," he said.

His address drew prolonged applause from the capacity crowd.

Growth Is "Inevitable"

Vice Mayor Rick Lott said that as a fourth-generation area resident, he sympathized with the protesters' feelings, but he added that growth is inevitable and the commission's only reasonable course of action is attempting to keep it under control.

Area residents were not the only ones concerned by the looming development.

The state Department of Community Affairs initially balked at the proposed projects, saying Interstate 4 already carries as much traffic in this area as it was designed to handle.

State officials also grumbled that the "finger" of annexed land that would extend along S.R. 39 looked a lot like urban sprawl.

But City/County Planning Commission representative Terry Cullen reported Monday night that local planners were able to show the "finger" is just part of a larger "master plan" being developed for the area north and east of the city.

Also, developers set aside pastoral areas and reduced the number of housing units to "mitigate" the traffic impact.

For example, Eagle's Crest was rezoned for four housing units per acre, which would have allowed more than 1,300 homes, even with required preserves for a bald eagle's habitat and protected wetlands, Cullen said.

But the developer is building only 600 units.

Housing Demand Cited

He said state officials also were swayed by the intense demand for housing in the Tampa Bay area and the need to keep home prices at "affordable" levels.

In the end, the state relented.

But quizzed by Lott, who represents the city on the Metropolitan Planning Organization, Cullen said the state probably will not look kindly on future development in the city's I-4 corridor unless alternative east-west routes are opened.

Lott suggested Sam Allen Road and Knights-Griffin Road could be extended. He said the city should require developers to contribute rights of way along these routes as part of future projects as "we won't have the millions of dollars we would need" to qualify for state road building funds.

Growth "is going to be a big issue," Lott predicted.

Comprehensive Plan amendments include:

• A 303-acre parcel on the northeast corner of Knights-Griffin Road and State Road 39, which will be developed as the Eagle's Crest Community Unit District

• A 64-acre parcel between Half Mile Road, State Road 39, Knights-Griffin Road and Bailey Road, which will be included in Eagle's Crest

• The 363-acre McIntosh Tract, a city owned "passive park" bordered by Joe McIntosh Road/Hams Farm Road, State Road 39, Knights-Griffin Road and Williams Road

• A 28-acre tract between I-4, Wilder Road, U.S. 92 and Son Keen Road, targeted for town homes

• Part of the 525.5-acre Walden Woods Development of Regional Impact between Park Road and Alexander Street, rezoned from industrial use to allow for a large town home development

• The 183-acre Midway Tract, a residential project bordered by Sam Allen Road, Wilder Road, I-4 and Charlie Taylor Road.

Aug 28, 2005

Builders' Prices No Sure Thing

Nowadays, good luck locking in the price.

In today's market, builders are sewing clauses into home construction contracts that let them raise the price later. They say such ``escalator'' clauses help them keep ahead of rising material costs.

Buyers are left with a dilemma: pay the new price, which could be thousands more than they counted on, or take back their down payment and look for a new house.

Some buyers turn up their noses at builders who include such clauses or opt for previously owned homes.

``I just won't do it because it's not fair,'' said Rob Blakely, who has a contract to buy a home in Pasco County.

In a market where buyers camp out to reserve vacant lots, some say they have little choice but to pay. Also, because home closings often happen a year or more after the contract is signed, buyers who back out lose equity the house accumulates in a rising market. Because sales prices can shoot up weekly, the chance of finding a similar home for the originally agreed- upon price is slim.

``They can jack it up and say, `Pay it or leave it,' '' said Mark Smith, who recently wrestled with the decision and ended up signing a contract for a preconstruction town home in Tampa. His contract doesn't specify how much the price could go up.

Builders ``don't need you,'' Smith said. ``They just use your money and your credit to get construction loans. They know they can make more money on the same house by selling it to someone else.''

Even though builders can charge more for homes because market prices keep rising, skyrocketing increases in the cost of concrete, roof-tile, lumber and steel cut into builders' profits, said Joseph Narkiewicz, president of the Tampa Bay Builders Association.

Builders who don't include escalator clauses, he said, can lose money on some houses or, worse, find they can't afford to build the whole subdivision or condominium complex. Some who omit the clause and try to raise prices later have been sued.

Escalator clauses have been commonplace for years on high-priced homes in Tampa's custom-home-building market but now are found in every price range. Narkiewicz said rising construction costs affect subdivision builders of moderately priced homes more because the ``margins of error are much slimmer.''

Problems arise, Narkiewicz said, when builders price homes a year or more in advance. It used to be that material increases could be estimated fairly accurately, but in today's market costs can shoot up at the last minute. Cement prices have gone up about 10 percent this year, according to a recent estimate by Houston- based Cemex Inc., the biggest cement supplier in the United States. Some builders limit home price increases to less than 5 percent, but others don't include a cap.

Other builders get around escalator clauses by charging a ``builders fee'' that can range from 0.75 percent of the home's price to more than 1.5 percent. The buyer still pays more but knows the cost up front.

Strategy Could Help Resale Market

Not being able to count on a sales price can cause buyers financial or moving hardships and nudge some out of the market for a new home.

Mike Neils, owner of FishHawk Realty, said his clients have not had such clauses in their contracts, but he's heard that some builders are considering them. Neils said builders might be able to get away with raising prices for now, but that could change.

``When we do see it, it will throw water on some buyers and help foster the resale market instead of the new home market,'' Neils said. ``It has been a sellers' market for a while, but we're on the cusp of that changing. [Builders] may be a little late with their strategy.''

Bob Krieff, division president for Transeastern Homes, said his company started increasing prices on some signed contracts about four months ago. Transeastern Homes built Live Oak Preserve and is building The Hammocks in New Tampa and Tampa Bay Golf and Country Club in Pasco County.

The company's new price plan has translated into increases of $2,000 to $5,000 for most buyers, he said. ``We did this with a lot of thought and concern.''

Transeastern's contract says the total sales price must jump 3 percent before buyers can get their down payment back and walk away. Krieff says he has offered that opportunity to every buyer affected so far and none has taken it.

To make sure buyers don't think ``the increases are made up,'' Transeastern keeps a binder in its sales office that details material costs and includes letters from vendors about increases, Krieff said. Customers are encouraged to flip through the book.

The price of concrete, steel, drywall and metal ``has gone up faster than I've ever seen in 27 years,'' he said, noting that the recent increase in gas prices and a labor shortage have added to the trouble.

Not Everyone Believes Builders

Some buyers and brokers don't buy the explanation and think builders are trying to capitalize on the quick home price appreciation across the market.

Blakely, who has a house under contract in the new Connerton community in Pasco County, is also a real estate agent. He says he steers his clients away from builders who rely on escalator clauses, and he personally won't sign such a contract. He passed on some builders for his house out of fear they would raise his sales price.

``It can put you in a tough spot,'' Blakely said.

Other agents, such as Bill Alford of New Homes America, say buyers need to be understanding.

``When you contract for a home and it takes a year to build, some of those costs are going to go up,'' Alford said. ``It's just a fact of life.''