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Housing demand on rise in Florida, Pasco By Kathy Steele ksteele@lakerlutznews.com
Construction sites along Pasco County’s major corridors are part of everyday landscape. Bulldozers clear land and work crews move in with hammer and nails. Pasco is awash in new single-family homes under construction, and to a lesser degree, apartment complexes. But, market trends show that the supply of new homes is lagging behind demand.That’s a change from the housing bubble that burst in 2008 and sent the economy into a tailspin. “This time, instead of building too much, we’re building too little,” said Brad O’ Connor, chief economist for Florida REALTORS.
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But, there are solid reasons why demand is high. “Right now, demand is being driven by population growth and economic growth,” O’ Connor said. O’ Connor was keynote speaker at the Feb. 1 forum, Reshaping the Face of Pasco 2018 Economic Summit. Central Pasco Association of Realtors hosted the event at Pasco-Hernando State College Porter Campus at Wiregrass. Other participants were David Gwynn, District 7 secretary at the Florida Department of Transportation; Tom Ryan, economic development manager for the Pasco Economic Development Council; See HOUSING, page 13A
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Brad O’ Connor, chief economist for Florida Realtors
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Wrestling champs! Wrestling team members, captains, coaches and volunteers gather around as Sunlake High School’s head coach Sergio Matos holds the first-place trophy at the Sunshine Athletic Conference Wrestling Championships. The event was hosted by Pasco High School in Dade City with fourteen schools and 200 wrestlers competing. See story in SPORTS, page 14A.
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By B.C. Manion bcmanion@lakerlutznews.com
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Pasco County Commissioner Kathryn Starkey, left, Pasco County Commission Chairman Mike Wells Jr., Pasco County Commissioner Jack Mariano, Hunter Booth, Toxey Hall, Aaron Baker, Kelli Bailey and Sean Strickler, division president for west Florida region for Pulte Group broke ground on the 850-home, age-restricted Del Webb Bexley community in Land O’ Lakes.
Del Webb moves into Bexley By Kathy Steele ksteele@lakerlutznews.com
Pulte Group broke ground on an 850home, age-restricted Del Webb Bexley community in Land O’ Lakes on Jan. 31. The age 55 and older community is the first “active-adult” project built by Pulte in the Tampa Bay area since 1960, according to a press release from Pulte Group. “We feel the Tampa area is underserved for baby boomers looking to live in a place that is designed specifically for them,” said Sean Strickler, in a written statement. Strickler is division president for the west Florida region for Pulte Group. Strickler attended the ground breaking along with executives from Pulte Group and Newland, Pasco County Commission Chairman Mike Wells, Jr., and commissioners Kathryn Starkey and Jack Mariano. The homes are under construction at Sunlake Boulevard and Tower Road on about 490 acres within the master-planned Bexley by Newland Communities, off State Road 54.The gated community will be built in four phases, with the first homes expect-
ed to be move-in ready by spring 2019. In a telephone interview, Strickler reported a construction start on model homes in October, with completion in January or February, 2019. Already, about 2000 people have expressed an interest in moving there, he said. Some homes could be sold before the model homes are finished, he added. “Del Webb always has a high degree of interest,” Strickler said.“But, this has exceeded our expectations because we haven’t done much advertising, except on the website.” Del Webb’s last active-adult community was built in the Ruskin area in the early 1960s. Plans were underway for a Wesley Chapel community before the housing bust in 2009. “Obviously the market got in the way,” Strickler said. But, it’s a different market today, and the Tampa Bay area is a magnet for baby boomers, he added. Pulte also is one of the builders at the master-planned community of Epperson, See BEXLEY, page 13A
You come home from work and you see your husband sprawled out on the couch watching television, while dishes are piled up in the sink. You get mad. You’re thinking: Really, he’s just sitting there while there’s work that needs to be done? You’re not thinking: He’s exhausted. He just finished a tough day at work and he’s stressed out. He needs to relax a little. These are the kinds of things that occur often in relationships and can sometimes result in a fight. Choosing to “believe the best” of the other person, however, can help avoid conflicts and help relationships thrive. That’s just one of the eight tips that See THRIVE, page 13A
B.C. MANION
Veronique Polo is a life coach at CREATION Wellness Center, which is part of Florida Hospital Zephyrhills.