public comment citizen input on county business
What the county recorded
This item is not from the published agenda
It is a stretch of the recording that this archive identified as a separate matter — a call to order, a recess, or something taken up that the agenda does not list. There is no official title, no staff recommendation and no disposition, because the county never recorded one. Everything below is inferred.
The source document
The county’s agenda for Board of County Commissioners, Sep 19, 2023
The published PDF, as served by the county. This item is one entry in it.
The county’s minutes for Board of County Commissioners, Sep 19, 2023
The published PDF, as served by the county. This item is one entry in it.
What was said
Machine transcription of 55m of recording, with speaker names inferred from voice matching. 88% of 191 lines carry a name. It shows what was said, not what was decided, and both the words and the names can be wrong.
the public. After stating your name and address for the clerk, a three-minute timer will be activated. After two minutes, a single beep will indicate you have one minute left. When your time is up, two beeps will sound and you should close your comments. WebEx participants will be disconnected automatically when their time is up. Madam Clerk, do we have anyone signed up for public comment?
Yes, Mr. Chair, we do. Um I'll go ahead and uh call out the first three. Uh Debbie Manns, followed by Mike Peters, followed by Mark Kahn.
My contacts are bad.
Good morning, honorable chair, members of the Commission. My name is Debbie Manns, as indicated. I serve as the city manager on behalf of the city of New Port Richey. I'm here to address two of your agenda items. Um they are noted as uh C eight and C9 interlocal agreements between the city of Newport Ritchie. and Pasco County related to the Town and Country Villas Neighborhood Improvement Project. Um
I'd like to initiate my comments by Indicating that the city of New Port Richey has enjoyed a perpetuous relationship. with Pasco County for a very long period of time and I thank you for that. We have not always been on the winning end, so to speak. of our deals, but we have always felt very respected. and we has always felt that we negotiated in good faith.
That being said The interlocal agreement before you today is the result of discussions that have ensued since 2018. It is the potential of a joint project to address a multitude of problems that exist. within an enclave, which is basically a four-block area located within unincorporated Pasco County, but served by city utilities. The purpose
of the project in large part. Is to provide respectable affordable housing. It is to improve resiliency of public infrastructure. against future storms, rising sea levels, and other disasters to reduce public health risks and environmental contamination. To reduce the cost of providing public services and to incentivize the development of this housing. The
original project partners involved in addition to the county and the city are US Water. People places, LLC, a real estate development design company, and Habitat for Humanity, who has since sold their interests. That being said, no one more than I recognize the importance of budgeting. I know that two million dollars is important to you. I know that you have already made the commitment for $200. There are 185
lots in this neighborhood that are substandard. Nothing has happened in five years except that slum and blight has deteriorated. Please allow the city by appropriating this $2 million to be your project partner and address this substandard condition. Why? installing what will now be a more than two million dollar infrastructure and our investment in the
neighborhood to provide decent housing for people. Thank you.
Thank you. Uh Mr. Mike Peters, followed by Mark Kahn, followed by Alfred Colucci.
Uh good morning chairman and good morning commission. I'm um happy to be able to address you today. My name is Um Mike Peters. Uh I'm addressing you as a um longtime Pasco County resident since eighty eight. and uh uh small business owner and employer, as well as uh I am now in my third year term as uh city council member of the city of Newport Ritchie. So I I would also like to address the project that our city manager, Miss Manns, uh outlined
and spoke about. Uh I I just like to to tell you that uh we appreciate the opportunity to partner with you on a project like this. I think uh in years past, Shown we provided to be good partners uh with you on on projects. And uh there's an opportunity here. for uh you to fulfill things that have been talked about for years. I can recall back in the um in the mid two thousands and so I I had an opportunity to serve on several advisory committees
here for the county, um sign ordinance review committee. uh comprehensive plan review and so forth. And I can recall back during that time there was m there there was at that time discussions about the redevelopment of the uh US 19 corridor. And um and you know that's been talked about and revisited and and worked on for a number of years, perhaps not as much progress that we've all liked to see. The city,
we've done our we've tried to do what we can in uh along that corridor within our borders. And it's just not the US nineteen, but it's those areas that are immediately, you know, east and west of nineteen that needs need some more. And this is one such neighborhood. Um, and it gives an opportunity to maybe take that steps to fulfill some of that. Th those folks in that area have had substandard services for many years. Um, the city we've we've stepped in at time to time, whether it's police services
or fire services necessary to do that, is obviously proximity to many important city. um residents and businesses. And uh this provides an opportunity for the county to fulfill some of their long wanted projects to enhance those areas and and and take us as a partner so you can basically get this as a bargain with our um stepping in and helping you. So I'd like to you to consider the um the agreement that had been placed before
you. Thank you.
Thank you. Uh Mr. Mark Kahn? Followed by Alfred Colucci, followed by John Russell.
Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. My name is Mark Kahn. I moved to Pasco County in 2014. I'm a resident of District Two. I built a house in the Windsor development. Located off of State Road 56 and Meadow Point Boulevard. In twenty twenty one D R Horton. a along with four star came in and started developing the Windfield Wood Creek. development on our eastern boundary. My neighbors and myself went to them and asked if they would indeed leave a
land barrier there to to protect us. They said they would. If you notice on slide five, the original plat map that they put out from the MPUD indicates a type A buffer between their development and ours. In twenty twenty two they're not a Silently removed that buffer and when we contacted them about that, they said they decided to put a fence up instead. As you can see in uh slide Seven. they sent
this picture to our C D D attorney indicating that a fence would be along the entire eastern boundary. The winter development is to the left of that line. Yeah. Slide eight. Will show you that uh they lied about that. They basically stopped the fence a hundred yards short. Of that, creating a blind alley and allowing people to ingress and trespass into the Windsor development unseen. Slide nine shows you what the land buffer looked like before. They
bulldozed to the property line with bushes and trees and a safety area there. Slide 10 shows you what it looks like when they got finished doing that. Slide eleven. This is seventeen feet this feet is seventeen feet from the the actual boundary line. People are using this blind alley with unseen to enter into the Windsor development. Our development has children in it. Okay. Slide twelve, this individual who was a worker
over there decided to come and walk around our community. Slide thirteen. These four men decided they would just come into and fish in our pond and at the time my wife was in the back continually staring at her at the time while she was out with our dog.
A deputy was actually came out this time, this is like the twentieth time I've called them and he reprimanded them and then he told me there's nothing that can be done about it until and that until somebody puts up a fence and it's just gonna get worse when people move in there. Slide 14. This is the code that the developers are using against us. And it has a caveat on it that Districts that developments in the same districts do not have to buffer. I am asking the board to change this code and make it retroactive to January
first. I'm asking the board to contact D.R. Horton and make this right. Okay. You need to protect the taxpayers and the citizens that elected you. This is gonna cause a problem not just for me but for other people as well. Thank you very much for your time.
And sir, before you leave, uh Matt Campbell is ready to talk with you. Um I appreciate the emails last night. Dia Horton did respond to me last night as well as this was coming up. So Matt Campbell's got more information for you to talk to, and hopefully we can make this get resolved one way or the other.
Thank you, Chairman.
Windsor is a gated
community.
Windfields is not.
Okay.
Okay, so Matt Campbell, Matt, raise your hand.
Okay.
All right. Um Next the next individual signed up is Alfred Callucci, followed by John Russell. Um and followed by I think it's George Oh George Romagnoli, I can know that name Um if you could please state your name and address for the record before you begin.
My name is Alfred Callucci. I live at [address removed] That's Cambridge Commons two subdivision. I'm on the committee for the Oakes Park to
receive
M S B U from Heritage Lake. Uh last August we met with Commissioner Jack Mariano about this project. And we were told he was going to recommend that the change from the park zoning And have the property considered a surplus real property. That is happening now. And we thank him for that. However, We're not against the sale. But we'd like to be able to monitor it. Two items of concern are that the property Should
be sold to build one hundred home could be sold to build one hundred homes or one hundred single family uh townhouses. We prefer the single family homes, of course. And our second question is the sixty-foot easement that's being considered. Uh in the rear of the property which goes from the east side to the west, which of course ends at Sebring, which is in Heritage Lake. Lake. We we're concerned and a lot of people are concerned that will this become
a road eventually? Or is it going to be just an easement for utility services? And nothing but that. Uh there's also a body of water uh before you get to Sebring. And if that's the case, is that going to be bridged? Uh this is part of is it part of the plan? That's all I have and I want to thank you for giving me the permission. To be here. Also I have the permission of our president, Judith Wolf. who is out of town, otherwise she would have been here. So thank you for giving me that time to speak
Thank you, Chairman.
Thank you. We have a motion to receive. Motion to receive. Second. All in favor say aye. Aye. Aye. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Calucci.
Uh Mr. John Russell, followed by George Romagnoli, followed by Kieran Stokes.
Copies of what I'm gonna say.
Okay. Bring them to the clerk? Would
you like to?
So move.
Second.
All in favor say aye. Aye. Aye.
I'm the one with one vocal cord left, so bear with me. My name is John Russell. And my wife and I live at [address removed]. I'm here to represent both myself and my wife.
We want to uh we want to express our sincere concerns regarding consent agenda item C twenty. the reclassification of the Oakes Park property as surplus real property. This property is the subject of a municipal service benefit unit. Approved by the commission on June 24, 2014. These forty one acres are very special to us. And I am quoting directly from the agreement or ordinance. Section
seven M S B U will consist of the provision of a neighborhood, park and or open space and related facilities, including but not limited to stormwater ponds. Section eight. That's ironic. Funds uh for the services and facilities authorized under section seven of this ordinance shall be provided to Special assessments sh which shall be levied and collected and enforced in accordance with the uniform method.
Special assessments shall be collected annually from the owner of each parcel of land in the MSBU and shall not exceed the cost providing the service and facilities described in Section 7. This document was signed by Commissioner Mariano on June 24, 2014. My wife and I did not move in to their current address until November of twenty nineteen. No one in our community ever told us about an MSBU until early twenty twenty one. At a
commission meeting in twenty twenty one I asked Commissioner Mariano. why this MSU had not been acted upon and turned over to the tax collectors. Office. Commissioner Mariano was, I believe, being completely honest when he simply res responded, I don't know. I'll look into it. Many meetings have passed since then. Last year I was told by the commission uh at a commission meeting that the delay
was because we have to recalculate the correct number of ERUs, equivalent residential units, to be assessed. This is being turned over to the Parks, Recreation, and Natural Resources Department. Now here's a big if for you folks. If you had started the MSBU in 2014, put it on the tax rolls in 2015, eight years worth of assessments would have already been collected. That's well over fifty percent of the three million dollars. This is not our fault.
And it's clearly the f something in the counties Doing there. Um let's get back on task here. and get that MSBU over to Mike Fasano. Thank you very much for listening. Thank you.
No.
We have George Romagnoli followed by Karen Stokes, followed by Alan Rose.
Nice to be up here again. My name is George Romagnoli. I had the honor of working for this county for 25 years, all in community development. Fifteen years as a director. I'm now the Senior Vice President of Neighbor Lending Partners, a community development financial institution. That funds affordable and workforce housing. And for six years I was chairman of the Florida Housing Coalition, which is the principal advocacy group for housing in Florida. I'm not speaking for them though, I'm speaking for myself, a resident of Pasco County for most of my life, with knowledge
of how affordable housing is developed. When Live Local became law, I was skeptical. Even with increased density and height allowances, how could a developer build affordable housing without subsidy? I decided to underwrite a live local project. And I found out I was wrong. In areas of moderate property values, live local works. In most of holiday Port Ritchie, New Port Richey, Dade City Hudson, it will work. In areas of higher values like the Interstate M fifty six or
the Gulf Coast, it would be difficult. In really high value areas like downtown St. Peter, Tampa's Bay Shore. It would be impossible. I am not optimistic in your desire to amend the bill this year. Major changes will be difficult as long as the current legislative let leader legislative leadership is in place. I understand why you want to exempt the county. especially in industrially zoned areas. But I think we need to look at this bill and why it was done. The law was written in a vacuum without
most without most of affordable housing community involved. The development community was involved. Time is money. Land is constrained by zoning and land use. that was developed two generations ago or more. I'm an advocate for affordable and workforce housing. I have a master's degree in planning. But I do not like local preemption in this bill, but I understand why it was there. And we have a massive need for affordable housing in this county and the state as a whole. Your community development department is doing a
good job developing affordable housing projects, but it is not enough. If developers affect accept your subsidy, they will have to accept your rules. Of the three counties in our region, Pinellas, Hillsborough and Pasco, we're the only county that provides no subsidy to affordable housing with local funds. You're not going to stop them from building Live Local. but on the site, but you may be able to shape the project to make it mixed use or have less density. Housing goals, jobs, construction has the largest multiplier
of any investments you can make. Look at creating a revolving loan fund with general funds as Salesburgh County has done. One more point. I know you're asking developers who are rezoning their properties to put deed restrictions as to remain commercial or industrial. The first developer that says no and you deny that rezoning, you have a big Bert Harris lawsuit on your hands. I would hate to see the county suit. Thank you for the opportunity to talk to you. Thank you.
Thank you. Karen Stokes, followed by Alan Rose, followed by Garth. Is it Ashnall?
Good morning to you all.
Seven years ago my husband and I moved to Heritage Lake.
We enjoy living there since we have moved.
Maybe name
and address?
Pardon me? me?
Get your name but your address, please.
Of course. My name is Karen Stokes. I live at [address removed] And uh New Port Richey, Florida. Three, four, six, five, five. At the beginning of this meeting we had a prayer. And the prayer included
A prayer for every living creature.
to me that includes the creatures that live in Our wetlands. and in properties that have not been developed.
We've prior to moving to this Heritage Lake. We lived in a place called uh Hamilton and it was in South Jersey. There's such a thing in South Jersey called Pinelands Commission. And the Pimeland Commission Includes
Certain areas that are not allowed to be developed because they are sensitive to the environment. If certain uh animals or certain Uh fauna or flora are in this area. No one is allowed to develop in that area. I think it's a good idea. law that South Jersey has. I
think it would behoove us to keep properties as much as natural to the Florida. scenery as possible. Right now we have more car washes within a two mile radius than there are cars. I've seen car washes being built with hideous looking vacuum cleaner hoses coming down that look like they're from some kind of alien movie. It's ridiculous,
it's horrible, and it does not do justice to our beautiful Florida environment. So I will say that I am thankful for the people that who do uh participate in talking to you and speaking speaking to you about the people who live in Heritage Lake. We are proud people who live there and we do acknowledge the uh existence of the beautiful Surroundings.
in which we live. So I am concerned about any properties that might be Developed that n don't necessarily need to be developed. Thank you for your time. Thank you.
No. Please don't clap. Please don't clap.
Alan Rose, followed by Garth. Um, I think it's Ashnau, followed by um just simply Nancy's the first name.
Good morning. Alan Rose, [address removed]. Today it's coastal. My interest has always been coastal. I've been coming to you for years. Recently I've made some discoveries and I'd like to share. Last month I sent to the to the county over $250 million in available funding for coastal projects. Strictly coastal. And this month, so far I have an extra forty-five million available.
I come to find out that what's what's impeding this is that we don't have the staffing to enable us to take care of the coastal proper. So I'm retiring. I'm gonna be bringing something forward. And uh what you're gonna hear about in the future will be Pasco County Coastal Improvement Council. to handle what the county is unable to do the short staffing. When you see this, just know that we're friends. We're not gonna be adversarily. We're gonna help support Pasco. But
our focus is gonna be coastal. We have so much needs out there. And just as an insight. Everyone knows that I did a little work at Hudson Beach a few years ago. since I did that work prior to that project that I did. Not approved by anybody, just did it on my own time. That was a little that was the issue. But You used to have uh restrictions every month. And since that project we've had one restrictive day month week per year. So it worked. We
can do things and it can be cost effective and it can be done on the larger scale for our twenty some odd mile coast. I for the projects that I see in our future. When I'm used to seeing is a million dollars a mile, so between twenty and thirty million dollars. We'll take care of our coast properly. And I'm gonna step forward and work to get that done for everyone. So just wanted to bring that to your attention, let you know because we actually did have money available. And we didn't go after it because we don't have the staffing. So in
the future. We'll work on the staffing. It may be aside as a as a MS as a nonprofit, but we'll work on it and we'll work together to make it happen.
Alan, if you would get with Sonia, um I want to I want to work with you on that on that nonprofit. Home Assassin did the same thing up there. Uh we tried to modify that a bit a few years ago. We didn't come together, but if we got a leader like you out in there in the community with your experience, hopefully it can be. In this year's budget, we do have a C grant agent and we are looking for a resiliency officer as well. So we are making that step, but I would love to work with you on that nonprofit.
Absolutely. Thank you. And thanks for all you do, Alan.
Yeah.
Okay, thank you. We have Garth Ashnau, followed by Nancy, followed by Tom Summers Summers.
And you get it close. It's Garth Ashpaw. Uh [address removed]. Uh in Heritage Lake. Um and thanks for the opportunity to address C twenty. Um First of all, the HOA does not speak for uh a lot of us in this room today. Uh we oppose C twenty. The uh I I am a new resident. I've only been uh in Heritage Lake now for two months.
But I didn't move in. To have The kind of Distraction. Over my shoulder, that's only gonna be a block away from me. uh from this kind of construction and this kind of development. Um anybody who's been to that property and looked at it out there can see that What we're talking about here is environmentally sensitive territory. Um
Tampa right now is uh getting federal money to maintain its green canopy. Um as I drive down Little Road, Pasco County is doing a good job of tearing it up. Um We don't want this kind of stuff in our back door. I know that's uh Um not something the developers uh like to hear, but uh we would appreciate it if uh you would live up to your promises and um make that area
a park. And Um The folks who live in Heritage Lake uh will remember one way or the other. Okay. Thank you.
Thank you.
No.
No clapping. We've asked you not to clap, please.
All right, I've got uh Nancy, I don't know last name, followed by Tom Summers, followed by Barb Ross.
I feel like you you can try what they do in the state, they can wave in support.
Keep trying that.
Hello. Hello, everyone's Nancy Extine and I live in Heritage Lake. This is the email I sent to the five commissioners yesterday. And ma'am, couldn't you take your address for the record? [address removed]. I'm next door neighbors to Garf. Okay, thank you very much. I've been coming to these meetings at the government center since 2011, back when I was young and beautiful. And you can see what's happened in all those years.
Nothing's changed.
Okay. That piece of land has been the center of my nightmares for all these years. Lawyers, hydrologists, civic engineers, tax collectors, governors, and a whole gamut of your constituents have been fighting for years to keep that as open space. We want to save the surrounding subdivisions, all the subdivisions, from flooding, traffic impact, and danger. So we bought the land from Mr. Sherr in twenty fourteen. In twenty fifteen We
got the M S B U. It's two thousand and twenty-three. Folks, we've gone completely circled back to the beginning. We have the same problems we were talking about back in 2011, we're going to be talking about now. I have a horrible feeling this is a done deal. I'm very disappointed in you. You you know, we are your constituents. You should be looking out for us, not the impact fees or whatever else you want. And this is the last thing in my email. There's only one thing that's a
given. We all vote.
you. Thank you.
So Tom Summers followed by Barb Ross followed by Marlita Casseter.
Morning Commissioners. My name is Tom Summers. I live at [address removed]. Um I'm here today for the uh C forty one uh Riverside Oak forty one acres.
Cwenty. Twenty, yes, ma'am. Okay. Um As stated before. We've been playing around with this since 2014.
Two thousand twenty one and twenty-two we We're talking about it that we were gonna change it to an S M S B U and not go with any more construction up in that area. The area is A wetland environmentally sensitive and it's just some place that I don't think we need to have additional Housing built. Look at the fiasco that's about to happen down here on Little Road.
Uh it's just gonna be a nightmare for the communities on the uh western part of Pasco County. And Yeah, our quality of life is one of the things that We champion in Pasco County that we want to see always be on a good side. So this is something that uh it may you know, it's something that may be a small step, but it's something that we need to try and keep under control. because of the go
on a rampant Uh development just bowling us over And again, everybody in Pasco County quality of life will suffer from it. Um The our Heritage Lake president uh Is not speaking for a majority of the residents in Heritage Lake. We uh most of us do not want to see that area developed. primarily because of the traffic and the environmental area. With that, I thank you for your time.
Thank you. Thank you. Barb Ross followed by Marlita Casseter, followed by Brenda Broderick.
Good morning. I'm Barb Ross. I live at [address removed]. I'm appreciate the opportunity to speak today. And I'm here because I moved here eight years ago and I had been involved in city government for many years, and I was a real estate agent for over 30 years. P and Z was like old hat, it's what I did all the time. And I'd moved to that community because I did a lot of research and I
heard about the fact that the land had been planned to be developed and that the residents in all the surrounding communities came together and talked about it and it was resolved. It was not gonna happen. And so eight years ago I was like, yay, this is the place for me, because I'm a wildlife person. I love it. It's why I chose to live there. It's why most of the residents in that area chose to live there. But I started hearing about issues going on, and the next
thing you know, I became the HOA president because nobody wanted to do it. And so I invited then Commissioner Mr. Mike Wells to come and speak to us because all these residents were under the impression they were going to be paying back. And just like a lot of people have said here. The plan was always there to pay back. And so residents in our community wanted to pay back. And we had Mr. Wells come and speak to us and he said, We've gotten grants,
everything's okay, don't need to worry about paying right now. There would be no development over there. And then we had talked about the land on the other end of our subdivision. And promised that there would be no development there for anything except for single families similar to us. Well, we all know what happened to that. And so when we talk about what was promised years ago. It's like talking
to the wall because people don't seem to remember that these promises were made. And the residents were willing to work with the county and try to get the park established. But no one came to us to fulfill the need. And as the gentleman said, it would have been paid off partially by now if we had done it in a timely manner. Thank you for your time.
Thank you.
Thank you. Marlita Kat uh Laster, Brenda Broderick, followed by Miriam Butler.
Good morning. I'm here again before you. Um my name is Marlita Lasseter and I live at [address removed]. And I um live in a position where I look At the forty one acres of the Oaks Park every day. And I must tell you that the wildlife is very varied. There are a lot of endangered
species species now occupying that area because of the development in Starkey and all the other areas surrounding us. Um Some history that I haven't heard mention was originally this was going to be a golf course when it was being developed by the developers in the eighties. Then in two thousand and eight We defeated um Condominiums that were supposed to be built
on that property. And the reason for the neighborhood concern is. that m a lot of the areas in Riverside Village are in A zone flood zones. I happen to be an AE flood zone. With a fifty foot right-of-way. that has a canal that takes all of the water from Heritage Lakes, Riverside Village,
Riverside Estates, and also uh other areas that are draining into that canal. So it's quite a concern when you see half of your backyard covered in water.
I I have seen some Clean up of that canal, but not enough. and the drainage under Rivers under Amazon Drive is not adequate, it backs up that whole area floods So one of the my questions to you is how are we going to develop that land When they raise those properties higher. than the surrounding area What are
we going to do with flooding then? Um, you know, I've lived there for twenty years and I'm a resident of Pasco County for 55 years. I just got a cancellation notice from my homeowner's insurance. Because of Flooding and high claims history in Florida. So one of the things that we need to consider is what's going to happen once that land is
developed. I was an officer of five five three three strong. We hired an attorney to get that MSBU. enacted. And I've worked with many of you and The thing at this time is It's not
a feasible idea to continue developing in Pasco County. When you go out Highway 54, and Highway fifty six and look at what's happening We're in a quandary. So At this time, I would say that the hundred and thirty-two signatures I submitted from the folks in my area. All wanted the MSBU enacted.
Thank you.
So I would consider again what's happening in Pasco County and to your homeowners who are voting in the twenty twenty-four twenty-three-twenty-four election. So I thank you for your time.
Thank you.
We have uh Brenda Broderick followed by Miriam Butler, followed by Doug Carroll.
Good morning, Commissioners. I just want to commend you for the wonderful work you've been doing with Pasco County. I know it's a very difficult task to be in public service. I'm here today to speak on uh regards to my community, Jasmine Lakes, which is Mr. Mariano's. District. And my name is Brenda Broderick. I live at [address removed]. We have an ongoing problem which has been persistent for fifteen, twenty
years, with the need for the fountain to be working to aerate what is a retention pond according to the departments that I have discussed issues with this body of water. Um I've requested for an appointment to speak with you, Jack, numerous times with your secretary and promised that I would have a personal appointment with you. To go over the problems that I have that
my community discusses with me as I'm walking around the lake, and to no avail yet. So this ongoing problem, it is definitely not a a reflection of the mission, vision, and goals of Pasco County. And I have attended the Action Planning Committee. Numerous times over the year. There is no representative for our district, which is your district, Jack. And I cannot attend these meetings as an advocate
for our community. I'm a doctoral student with honors. I'm my last year of my program, and it's very important that I complete this and stay focused on my task. So I'm here to discuss the economic burden associated with the continuous automobile accidents around the lake that is associated with property damage to our homes and the increase of property insurance, the increase of automobile insurance, and the rising cost associated
with these accidents associated with the health care. So the economic loss is I'm sure in the millions because if you take the collected data over the past we've lived here since two thousand and one. on how many times cars have crashed into the light poles and how many times cars have driven into the lake, then I'm sure that would be somewhere in the millions. I'm requesting that
oh I'm sorry I'm on the wrong page here. I I would like to know more about what's going on with the Restriping and painting of our road, which was promised to us at the beginning of the year in an action committee meeting, the guardrails, the trees that need to be trimmed, which is community property, uh county property. What can we do? Our homes around the lake and Day Springs Academy. are
half million dollar homes. These, you know, we're we're encroaching up to the appraisal levels of these homes being in the half a million dollar range around the lake. We're not a blight community, but we're becoming a blight community every time a car runs into our home. Or I had a car that ran into my property.
If you would, would you talk to Brantford and Brantford Jasmine Lakes with the sidewalks gonna go in and we talked about doing the pond there. Would you kind of like tell her what we're at? And if you could, I know I had Vencat looking at the traffic as far as the study, as far as accidents, whatever, if you could kind of review that whether in Brenda, I'd I'd be happy to send an appointment up with you as well.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Have a fantastic day, Commissioner.
Thank
you.
Thank you. Miriam Butler, followed by uh Doug Carroll, followed by Mike Bloom.
Um I started to say, is it good morning, State? Yes, still good morning. I'm Miriam Butler. I live at [address removed]. I'm speaking as both the president of the HOA, the Riverside Village Estates HOA, and also as a a longtime resident of that community who originally who has been involved in the debate over this property since the beginning of the controversy. It
began because we objected to um hundreds of apartments being put onto that property. Frankly, if it had been another kind of development more in keeping with our with our homes, there probably might not have been that kind of outcry. But the communities all around rose up and fought what we knew would be traffic, drainage, congestion, loss of wildlife, all of those reasons that you've
already heard about.
um land with apartments. And then, lo and behold, in the process of all of this debate, we had the backing of some very Influential people, Mike Fasano, Richard Cock Corcoran, Mike Wells, they were all involved in helping the county come to the decision to purchase that property from the developer. So time and again, we have been convinced that this wonderful
solution was really going to happen. It's encoded with ordinance numbers and resolution numbers into the Pasco County minutes and proceedings and documents. to renege on that now and come back, as another speaker said, full circle. We're right back where we started. And all of those efforts of residents who fought and gave up their time and and reasoned and cared about this project.
Or Well frankly we wonder, are you waiting for us to just move away or die? We really want m everyone in my neighborhood wants this to be the park. We certainly do not want to go back to any um development concepts like multifamily dwellings. But um So speaking on behalf of my community, we hope you will keep your promise. Thank you.
Thank you.
No clapping, please. I think it was saying the next person's name wrong. I think it's Doris Carroll. Not Doug Carroll. Sorry about that. Um and then followed by Doug Bloom and then Rainy Mm Ruth Ruth?
Hi, thank you. Doris Carroll [address removed]. I've been here before. I'm a registered nurse of 40 years, currently licensed in Florida. And I'm here only two and a half years, but my mother has been here for 30 years. I care for her and live with her now. She's 89 years old. I'm here representing the Democratic Environmental Caucus of Florida. I'm also and I'm the current uh vice president.
I'm also the past union president of the Illinois Nurses Association and Chief Union Steward at my hospital for of 1,500 nurses at University of Illinois. Why is that important? I'm used to being an organizer. And I'm here today because of some of the things that um I've talked about before, but mainly about C26, which is uh on the consent agenda, and that's the um Sorry. First Amendment to the professional services agreement regarding the
cultural resources support for complete design for Pasco County and Clote River Park with the amount of 268-335. So I also represent concerned citizens of Pasco County. We have presented to you in the past a uh petition of over 1,800 signatures. Right now it's at 3,500 signatures. We had a drum circle event at the park on Sunday. We are concerned about
this project overall. We are concerned because, for instance, the current indigenous mound that is now considered of no cultural significance, uh it's not listed as a temple mound anymore or a midden or a uh burial mound. But we know there's controversy about that. It was witnessed a person was riding their electric bike on the mound on Sunday. There is only posts and ropes
between the posts to prevent the public from disturbing that mound. We need to do better. We need to protect our sacred lands. You're planning to spend almost eight million dollars over two the next two years uh to redesign the park. And to uh I've been told the mound will not be disturbed. It's already being disturbed. And lastly, I want to say I want to know who approved a private
citizen. Two uh give them a permit to dig at the park and to film a history channel episode. How does a private citizen get that permit? He's looking for treasure. So hopefully he won't be there when the phase three starts. Thank you.
Okay.
Mike Bloom, followed by Rainey Ruthig.
Good morning and with all due respect I come before you this morning as a Property owner, my wife and I at Heritage Lakes and we're concerned about the forty one Oaks property there. And you've already heard about the traffic management issues, the wildlife, the water issues, which are all
And so
your
name and
your address for the record? Michael K. Bloom, I'm sorry, my wife Nancy and I, forgive me.
And your address?
Uh [address removed].
Thank you.
And um You've heard all that about uh those issues and the C twenty Uh as new property owners, uh when we got there a couple of years ago, it was such a big deal. Um In 2014, uh the um establishment of the MSBU and um I'm here this morning to just ask the county uh to please reestablish that deal that was already
made and etched in stone. I notice on the the agenda today it says requested to declare surplus real property. Oaks at Riverside no funding. And as you go back and read that deal that was made Please reconsider Uh it is so important this day and age to mean what we say and say what we mean. And I with all due respect I Make that request. Thank you. Thank you.
Then Rainy Ruthred.
Good morning. My name is Rainey Ruthig. I live at [address removed]. Um of course I'm here on the C20. I'm not gonna respond with all the same concerns and issues that we all agree with. I bought my property in 2020 with my husband after retire retiring after 29 years of military service, both him and I did. We bought our property because they said it was going to be a park. Well one thing I want to address is um An article that they
said in April in 2022 on WFLA, and it says that Pasco County firefighters sound the alarm out of over shortage response times. And in this article, April of 2022, it talked About our critical infrastructure, that we don't have the response times, that it takes 10 minutes for firefighters to come to fires, and it's taken them over 15 minutes to get there. A house can burn down, they say in this article. In ten minutes. And
the other thing that concerns me is that and every g any given day, excuse me, I'm a little bit nervous. At any given day there's twenty minutes an ambulance isn't available. And in this article they say it's only gonna get worse. Well we continue to develop. From two miles out, you are building thirty five thousand homes on Plat Tanglewood is being built on. You are building homes on Alvernon. Old 54 is
now getting built homes. Mitchell. And then I just read that, of course, the blueberry farms is now getting built on. When's it gonna stop? Can we get our infrastructure to finally build to the population and then if we need more places, continue building? Thank you.
Thank you. And thank you for your service and your husband's service.
Thank you. Mr. Chair, that's all I have signed up. Um we did have one person signed up via WebEx, but they are not logged in.
Okay. All right. Anyone else from the audience like to speak? Please come forward.
My name is William Gillis. I live at [address removed].
Subdivision that we're talking about. The parks, the old parks. is on Amazon Drive just north of our subdivision.
Groundhog's Day, I guess. I don't know why this is I guess I do know why because We see new faces. Every time we see new faces we revisit this. on the board. People. The commissioners made a promise back in twenty fourteen. that this we were gonna pay for this park which we agreed to. Okay? So basically we had a contract with the commissioners. to purchase this park even though
we wouldn't maintain ownership.
Now You throw a wrench into the works again. And you want to make this surplus land. Well I'm here to tell the residents that if they make this a surplus land, chances are we will no longer have any say in the the use of this piece of property. We started this fight. Based on all the comments you heard earlier. And those and I understand those who are hoping to escape
this hundred and thirty-five dollars a year on their taxes for the next fifteen years. I appreciate that. But you're gonna pay a higher price. Because when they build anything on that property, let's say best case scenario, fifty homes. Remember they're building another forty or have permission to build another forty-five townhomes Just south of that area. All of this ties into River Chase
Southern Oak.
and heritage lakes. and if you don't think that's gonna affect you, wait till they open Amazon into Southern Oaks.
Wait till the traffic from all those new houses go down Genesee Avenue. down into Uh River Chase. and then out through Southern Oaks.
People, $135 a year is cheap. compared to what we're gonna face if they get their way and make this surplus property. Thank you.
Thank you.