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LAND O’ LAKES EDITION
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Busy hurricane season expected
Emergency officials adjust shelter plans to prevent spread of COVID-19 By B.C. Manion bcmanion@lakerlutznews.com
HOLLIDAY KARATINOS
As if COVID-19, an economic meltdown and soaring unemployment aren’t enough — Floridians need to brace for an above-normal hurricane season, according to forecasters with NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center.
LAW FIRM, P.L.
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Just days into the season, which runs from June 1 through Nov. 30,Tropical Storm Cristobal swept into the Gulf Coast, triggering a storm surge of almost 6 feet along parts of the northern Gulf Coast, according to national weather reports. Heavy rain triggered flash flooding as far east as Florida, and as far north as Wisconsin and Minnesota.The storm also spawned tornadoes in Florida and as far north as Illinois. That was the beginning of an Atlantic hurricane season that experts predict will have above-normal activity. Information released by NOAA says there’s a 60% chance of an
above-normal season, a 30% chance of a nearnormal season and a 10% chance of a below-normal season. NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center is forecasting a range of 13 to 19 named storms, with winds of 39 mph or higher. Of those, six to 10 could become hurricanes, with winds of 74 mph or higher, including three to six hurricanes (Category 3, 4 or 5), with winds of 111 mph or more. An average hurricane season produces 12 named storms, of which six become hurriSee HURRICANE, page 9A
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Some of the destruction wrought by Hurricane Irma’s powerful winds.
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Ridge Road construction moves forward
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By Kathy Steele ksteele@lakerlutznews.com
42 years in Land O’ Lakes
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Dr. Michael Craven “The area’s most highly reviewed Chiropractic office on Google”
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INSIDE, PAGE 1B
Paradise Ventures is building a new 18,000-square-foot ‘strip retail’ center, at State Road 54 and Old Cypress Creek Road.
Shoppes at Cypress Creek Center now going up By Kathy Steele ksteele@lakerlutznews.com
A new retail strip center is coming to a site on State Road 54, west of Tampa Premium Outlets and the Cypress Creek Town Center. Paradise Ventures Inc., is clearing land and installing infrastructure on about 3.5 acres at the northwest corner of State Road 54 and Old Cypress Road.The site is west of Interstate 75, within proximity of Tampa Premium Outlets and the Cypress Creek Town Center. A conceptual plan filed with the county shows a “strip retail” center of about 18,000 square feet.Two 9,000-square-foot buildings are planned with a 20-foot breezeway between them. An outparcel is proposed as a site for a “quick service” restaurant of about 3,500 square feet.Two outdoor patios also
are shown. A company representative could not be reached for comment. Paradise Ventures, based in Safety Harbor, previously developed the Shoppes at Terra Bella, also along State Road 54, east of Livingston Road. No information is available on potential tenants at Shoppes at Cypress Creek. But, tenants at Terra Bella include national chains, such as AT & T, Firehouse Subs, and Tropical Smoothie Café. State Road 54 is among the county’s busiest east/west corridors, making it an attractive development area. Plans filed by Paradise Ventures cite state traffic counts along the State Road 54 corridor at about 73,000 annual average daily trips. That volume is expected to grow to nearly 100,000 by 2025, according to a county comprehensive transportation plan.
By summer, motorists could take their first spins along the initial segment of the Ridge Road extension from Moon Lake Road/DeCubellis Road to Town Center Boulevard. “We’re hoping we open that leg by the start of August, for the start of the school year,” said Sam Beneck, Pasco County’s property manager. “They are pulling out all the stops to get it done. It’s going to be a real challenge.” The roadwork is expected to ease traffic for River Ridge high school and middle school along Town Center. This short jog forward is the beginning of a two-phased road project, with a final completion date in 2025. By then, the approximately 8.6-mile extension of Ridge Road, from west to east, is expected to cross over Suncoast Parkway and come out at U.S. 41, opposite an entrance into the masterplanned community of Connerton in Land O’ Lakes. Pasco County officials celebrated the kick-off to Ridge Road’s extension in January. It was the culmination of more than two decades of pushing the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to issue a permit that would allow the new road to cut through sensitive environmental land in the Serenova Tract of the Starkey Wilderness Preserve. For years, county officials identified the east/west route as an essential evacuation route during hurricanes and other emergencies. They expect it to take pressure off existing east/west routes of State Road 52 and State Road 54, and cut evacuation times down by hours. In addition, traffic capacity is expected to increase by 10%. “It’s really to improve traffic capacity and See RIDGE ROAD, page 9A