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Budget includes more library hours By Kathy Steele ksteele@lakerlutznews.com
Pasco County commissioners didn’t care for the lean 2018 budget, with no frills, they received at a June 13 workshop. So, they added in about $7.6 million in reserve funds to pay for a litany of items for libraries, parks and public safety. At about $1.34 billion, the proposed fiscal year budget is slightly more than the
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JUNE 28, 2017
$1.3 billion offered up by Pasco County Administrator Dan Biles. His version of the budget balanced revenues and expenses without dipping into reserves. Even so, the budget path taken by county commissioners is about $40 million lighter than the 2017 budget. It also maintains the current property tax rate. Some owners, with homestead exemp-
tion, could see slight increases due to a 2.1 percent increase in property values. “There’s a desire to maintain a level of service as we grow,” said Biles.“The issue is, how do we do that?” Since 2011, more than 60,000 new residents have moved to Pasco. A 2018 referendum on an additional $25,000 in homestead exemptions, if apSee BUDGET, page 19A
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Dale Sloan, of Dade City, holds a salute during the Pledge of Allegiance and the playing of ‘God Bless America.’
Festivities planned to celebrate the nation’s independence
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By Mary Rathman mrathman@lakerlutznews.com
Independence Day — a day that represents the Declaration of Independence and the birth of the United States of America — gives people a chance to celebrate the Fourth of July. There are many events planned across the Tampa Bay region, and here are a few of the choices. • Connerton’s annual Nation Celebration, in Land O’ Lakes, will take
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54 and U.S. 41 in Land O’ Lakes), and All Hazard Response will host a Red White and Blue Station 1 Dedication and Fire and Police Salute on July 2 from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., at the Land O’ Lakes Community Center, 5401 Land O’ Lakes Blvd.The event is for police, fire, emergency responders, their families and the community. Festivities include food, prizes and more. For information, call (813) 728-4251. See FESTIVITIES page 19A
Opening doors Medication can reverse effects of opioid overdoses of hope for the homeless
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place July 1 from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., with a neighborhood party in its New Town community. There will be Build-A-Buddy, free games, a disc jockey, live music by GottagrooveBand, food trucks, local crafters, free bounce houses, and fireworks sponsored by Benedetto’s Ristorante Italiano. Guests can register by June 30 at Connerton.com/event-signup, to be eligible for a $250 gift card. • Chief Ryan Andrew Anthony of Station 1 Tampa (now open at State Road
As communities across the nation struggle with an opioid epidemic, there’s a medication — that’s not widely known — that can reverse the effects of an overdose and save lives. About 75 people attended a June 15 seminar on opioid addiction moderated by Judge Shawn Crane, who presides in the sixth circuit. Law enforcement officers, health care providers and a local pharmacist shared their expertise during a panel discussion. People recovering from addiction or helping family members to recover also shared their insights. Pasco County Alliance for Substance Abuse Prevention (ASAP) sponsored the seminar at St. George Greek Orthodox Church in New Port Richey. The opioid epidemic is widely known. Data from the United States Department of Health and Human Services estimates more than 650,000 prescriptions of opioid pain pills are dispensed daily. Since 1999, the rate of deaths from opioid overdoses has quadrupled, including deaths from illegal use of heroin and other opioid synthetics, according to health and human services statistics. On average 78 people in the country die every day from an opioid-related overdose, the department reports. Not nearly as well-known is a medication called naloxone. It can reverse the effects of an opioid overdose. The medication doesn’t eliminate the need for emergency medical care and treatment, but it can save lives. Naloxone is available to anyone at area pharmacies, and can be administered as an injection or through a nasal spray. Crane and law enforcement officers agreed that the most prevalent drug of choice among addicts is methamphetamine. “It’s cheap,” Crane said. But, there is an increase in opioid pain medications from prescriptions or their synthetics. The use of heroin also is on the increase. “It’s important that people know law en-
forcement understands that we can’t arrest our way out of the problem,” said Sherryl Johnson-Tandy, a corporal with the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office.“Drug addiction is a public health issue.” Every Pasco deputy, as of April, carries naloxone as a nasal spray – sold under the name Narcan.The deputies can use the spray as first responders on the scene, without waiting for emergency medical personnel to arrive. “We have a unique opportunity to make contact with people who are in their greatest need,” said Pasco Sheriff’s Capt. Michael Jenkins.“In an overdose, every second counts. It was a no-brainer for us.” Johnson-Tandy said Narcan also is a protection for first responders. During investigations, officers, or their K-9 partners, can inadvertently ingest or inhale opioids, such as synthetic fentanyl or carfentanil.They could have an overdose and need Narcan. Emergency medics also are at risk. Cesar Rodriguez is a recovering addict, and serves on the ASAP Recovery Committee. He used heroin for about seven years, and nearly died from an overdose. Naloxone saved him, he said. There is a stigma attached to addiction, but Rodriguez said,“We do recover and become productive members of society. We can turn around and help the next recovering addict.” Naloxone also saved Lisa Conca’s son, who has been in and out of rehabilitation programs for about eight years. In years of seeking help, Conca said no one ever told her about naloxone. “I just want to pay it forward and help our community,” she said.“It’s a disease of the brain, not a moral failing. Every life deserves a chance.” Kent Runyon likened naloxone to the automated emergency defibrillators.The portable devices save people who are having heart attacks, and can be found in public places, such as offices, gymnasiums or shopping malls, he said. People can keep naloxone doses at work, at home, or in a purse. “We need to do everything we can to put See OPIOID, page 19A
By Kathy Steele ksteele@lakerlutznews.com
The Pasco County Commission has approved funding to renovate a former Boys & Girls Club, and reopen the campus as a navigation center for the county’s homeless population. An administrative building and a teen center, at 8239 Youth Lane in Port Richey, will be refurbished with about $600,000 in federal and state money. The goal is to open the navigation center by mid-2018. The center will serve as a “low-barrier” homeless shelter. Its larger purpose, however, is to find housing for homeless men and women, and deliver support services for job searches, job training, education and health care. It will be the first time the county has opened a homeless shelter, and embarked on such a major initiative.The center is modeled after one in San Francisco. “Navigation centers work,” Pasco County Commission Chairman Mike Moore said.“This is a community effort.This is a people’s building. This is a citizen’s building. I need everybody to come together. Let’s pool resources together and get something done.” Moore is chairman of the Homeless Advisory Board. Commissioners heard from about a dozen people during public comment. Speakers were passionate, with most of them supporting the navigation center. Suzanne Chicon has volunteered for the annual count of homeless people in Pasco. Among the people she met was a man who lost a good-paying job for health reasons, and a young woman who had aged out of the foster care program. “Some of the things I witnessed horrified me,” Chicon said.“We need the (navigation) center as a focused area to help these people.” See HOMELESS, page 19A