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Pasco board considers road priorities
By B.C. Manion bcmanion@lakerlutznews.com
The Pasco County Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) will be identifying its list of priority projects at its June 10 meeting. The list includes projects that are included on the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) from 2022 to 2027, which in-
cludes projects that are funded and those not yet funded. The list also includes projects that are not part of the TIP, but are considered to be priorities by the MPO, which is responsible for updating the priority list, which in turns provides guidance to the Florida Department of Transportation, in developing its developing its tentative work program.
During a workshop session, MPO Executive Director Carl Mikyska explained: “The first year of the TIP is actually part of the proposed budget. That means the Legislature has actually adopted the list of projects. “At this point, the budget has been passed by the Legislature. I do not believe it See ROAD, page 7A
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Photo club wins big at state fair Members of the Land O’ Lakes Photography Club garnered several awards in the Florida State Fair’s annual contest. Above, a photo by Lillian Cucuzza, won first place in the Color-Animals (Wildlife) category. She calls it ‘Sunrise Dip’ because the photo captures an American Avocet taking a drink in the early morning sunrise. See more award-winning photos on page 3A.
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Susan Hill took home the first place award in the Color: Pets & Farm Animals category. It shows two canine brothers, Charlie, on the left, and Buster, demonstrating some good old-fashioned sibling rivalry as they spar over a toy.
This photo, by Allen Craley, won first place in the Color-Scene (Land, Sea, Sky-scapes) category. It depicts a dramatic scene at an agricultural landscape off Route U.S. 301, in rural southern Maryland. The photo was taken last summer.
New state law increases Request seeks school choice funding mixed-use project By B.C. Manion bcmanion@lakerlutznews.com
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B INSIDE, PAGE 1B
Students and families will have more school choice options through an expansion of the program signed into law by Gov. Ron DeSantis. DeSantis signed the new law during a news conference at a Catholic school in Hialeah, on May 10. The new law is summarized on Senate President Wilton Simpson’s web page. Provisions of the new law, according to that summary, include: • An expansion of school choice to allow a family of four earning less than $100,000 to receive full funding of K-12 education costs at a school of their choice. • Increased eligibility, including to students who were not enrolled in a public school the previous year, as well as students of parents serving in the military, and students who are in foster care or adopted. • The Family Empowerment Scholarship program will serve both low-income students and students with unique abilities. Each category has its own eligibility standards, enrollment caps, priority funding lists,
scholarship amounts, and authorized spending uses. • The scholarship award also has been increased to 100% of the funding the student is assigned through the state’s funding formula; previously, it was 95% of that amount. • The McKay Scholarship Program for Students with Disabilities and the Gardiner Scholarship Program are now part of the Family Empowerment Scholarship (FES). • Initial eligible income limits have increased from 300% of the federal poverty level to 375%. DeSantis extolled the value of the new legislation in a news release on his website. “This legislation creates historical levels of flexibility in both schooling and educational services for millions of low-income families and families of students with unique abilities. “As we have seen for more than 20 years now, these scholarship programs have elevated so many children and families. I am thankful to Sen. Manny Diaz, and Reps. Randy Fine and Jason Fischer for sponsoring See CHOICE, page 7A
in Land O’ Lakes
By B.C. Manion bcmanion@lakerlutznews.com
Efforts are underway to obtain regulatory approvals to proceed with a mixed-use development at the southwest corner of Roaches Run and Land O’ Lakes Boulevard, which also is known as U.S. 41. The request calls for changing the land use designation from commercial to planned development on approximately 35 acres. It also calls for a text amendment to the long-range plan. The master-planned unit development for the property is proposed to have a Land Use Equivalency Matrix (LUEM) to allow the exchange of the approved retail for the other approved land uses, according to agenda background materials. The use of the matrix will ensure there is no increase in the project traffic with the exchange of land uses. See PROJECT, page 7A