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Barbara Behrendt - Pasco County Reporter

Pasco County Reporter

The North Suncoast and the Times have been my home since I graduated from the Ohio State University more than 35 years ago. Every day I get to come work for one of the country’s finest newspapers with talented co-workers who share my passion for informing our readers about their community. From the latest development plan near your neighborhood to the newest road project to impact your commute, there is no more relevant journalism than what we do here in Pasco County. I cherish your input, suggestions and story ideas.

  1. In 2009, DCH Timber and its neighbor Coastal Landfill argued over the private road between the properties. At the time, DCH Timber's Barbara Ryals had a fence put up down the middle of the road to stop the landfill from trespassing on her property. The issues between the neighbors have continued, with the timber company filing a lawsuit against the landfill earlier this month over continuing grievances.
  2. The Southwest Florida Water Management District which owns the Weekiwachee Preserve will now consider a 20-year lease for Hernando County to manage 350 acres as a passive park with walking trails and picnic pavillions. Gone is any plan to build a beach on the old mining pits on the site.
  3. Global ETS has been awarded job creation incentive money from the Pasco Economic Development Council as the high-tech business continues to expand.
  4. The new welcome sign to New Port Richey has been installed at U.S. 19 and Main Street, one of numerous projects signifying ongoing change in both incorporated and unincorporated West Pasco. County and city leaders meeting earlier this month talked about common project needs from road work to redevelopment to finding new solutions to the growing homeless population in the area.
  5. Dade City Hall
  6. The Links golf course in Beacon Woods closed in 2019 and for the last few months the owner has been working with the county on a new plan for the property. Some nearby neighbors are accepting an offer from the owners Lowman Links to take on responsibility for the land, which is now planted with trees. Another homeowners group has not yet stepped forward to decide if the old tree-planted fairways should become their responsibility.
  7. This photo taken in 2002 at Gowers Corner, oriented toward the southeast at the intersection of U.S. 41 and State Road 52 in Pasco County, shows a sparsely developed area. That crossroads has been changing in recent years, and now Pasco County has approved a development on the southwest corner that will include large commercial and apartment projects.
  8. Voters in Pasco County’s six cities now know the slate of candidates vying for the nonpartisan governing councils and commissions in the April 9 election.
  9. A scallop from the first scalloping mini season in Pasco County in 25 years is pictured on July 27, 2018, in New Port Richey.
  10. More expansion of amenities has been approved for Pasco's Sunwest Park in the northwest corner of Pasco County.
  11. The former Schwettman Education Center was put up for sale and New Port Richey made an offer. When the deal fell through for technical reasons, school officials had some second thoughts after hearing proposed uses for the historic site, which used to house Gulf High School. The city has made a new proposal opening the door to further discussions.
  12. Pasco County has been extending Ridge Road in sections. The first phase pictured here opened several years ago. The next phase, approved by commissioners earlier this month, will extend the road from Sunlake Boulevard to U.S. 41.
  13. Overgrown vegetation spills into the parking lot outside the former Sears store at the Gulfview Square Mall in a 2022 photo. That portion of the mall, which is now being developed into apartments, was one of many areas in west Pasco where sprawling and empty parking lots generated discussion of future parking needs as Pasco becomes more urban. The Pasco County Planning Commission has again pushed back against creating parking maximums to cut down on future parking spaces. [ DOUGLAS R. CLIFFORD | Times ]
  14. The Clevelander Hotel and Bar is shown at dusk along Ocean Drive, on Friday, Sept. 24, 2021, in Miami Beach. The iconic Miami Beach hotel and bar will soon be replaced with a high-end restaurant and affordable housing units, the building's owner announced, Thursday, Sept. 7, 2023.
  15. Pasco County's historic courthouse in Dade City is pictured.
  16. A 66-year-old man was arrested after repeatedly trying to cross yellow police tape meant to keep people out of a plane crash site in Clearwater.
  17. Mary Ellen Pender was one of the victims of the Clearwater plane crash. “Mary Ellen was full of life,” her husband said. “The odds of that happening to her were one in a trillion.”
  18. The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office is conducting a homicide investigation following a fatal shooting in Plant City.
  19. An aerial drone view of the scene where a small plane crashed into the Bayside Waters mobile home park in Clearwater on Thursday evening, setting multiple homes on fire and resulting in several fatalities. The main home struck by the plane was a double-wide at 2647 Pagoda Drive.
  20. Consultant Stantec recently performed ground penetrating radar testing to determine if the marked Indian Mound at the Anclote River Park contained burials. While their report says it did not, it also notes that there still could be burials in other portions of the park.
  21. Heavy rain from Hurricane Hermine caused flooding in west Pasco County in 2016. Now Pasco is establishing a county resiliency department, dedicating staff to be ready for whatever the future holds, from storm damage to another pandemic.
  22. Pasco County commissioners this week announced plans to fight to stop the potential loss of tens of millions of dollars in property tax revenue from existing and proposed new apartment complexes which could get exemptions under Florida's Live Local law. Their first step is to try to get the law changed. If that doesn't work, they are willing to go to court. The county has added 55,000 new apartment units in the last five years with tens of thousands on the drawing board for future construction.
  23. Pasco County commissioners worry about tax revenue that will be lost under the Live Local law. While the law was sold as a solution to Florida's housing affordability crisis, apartment owners can claim tax rebates even if they don't offer particularly low rents.