Pasco County commissioners vote 4-0 today to hire Spring Engineering and Bandes Construction to build regional hurricane shelter and health clinic for $7.5-million. The long delayed project -- the state approved its funding in 2006, despite being a Florida TaxWatch "turkey"  -- will provide up to 1,000 beds.

Among the hold-ups was a new federal shelter standard to protect against the biggest tornadoes. But the county recently received a federal waiver to build to lesser standards. It will go up in Hudson, and it's supposed to be essentially finished in August 2009.

-- David DeCamp, Times staff writer