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Commission solidifies legislative priorities
By Kevin Weiss kweiss@lakerlutznews.com
The City of Dade City has identified four legislative priorities to present to the Pasco County legislative delegation at its upcoming annual meeting. The session is for Sept. 1 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., at Zephyrhills City Hall, 5335 Eighth St. The public and representatives of various interest groups are invited to present their
requests to the delegation before the 2022 Legislative Session begins. Pasco’s delegation includes State Reps. Amber Mariano, Ardian Zika and Randy Maggard; and State Sens.Wilton Simpson, Ed Hooper and Danny Burgess, respectively. The Dade City Commission is seeking state funding for these key priorities: • Morningside Drive Extension: $8 million • Meridian Avenue/21st Street/St. Joe
Road-Suwanee Way Intersection: $4.2 million • Wastewater Transmission Forcemain: $4.7 million • Wastewater Treatment Plant Relocation — design and permitting: $1.75 million The four projects are described, in a staff memo, as elements that would foster “an overall favorable effect on our local and regional economic development efforts.” See COMMISSION, page 11A
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COVID-19 cases are straining hospitals, health care workers By B.C. Manion bcmanion@lakerlutznews.com
Hospital admissions of patients with COVID-19 continue to rise, adding to the strain already being experienced by local hospitals. Admissions for patients with COVID19 are at their highest levels since the start of the pandemic in Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oregon and Washington, according to statistics kept by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Things are so serious that Pasco County Fire Rescue Fire Chief Scott Cassin and EMS Division Chief Paula Coleman have issued a video, asking residents and guests to avoid using the 911 system unless they are experiencing a true emergency. “Hospital emergency rooms are currently being inundated with patients, and the time it takes to be seen in an emergency room is skyrocketing across our community,” the fire chief says in the video. “Many hospitals are at, or over, capacity and ambulances are currently holding patients at hospitals for hours at a time, due to a lack of available beds and hospital staff. “This is causing an ambulance shortage across the county, and is causing long wait times for our 911 callers,” Cassin says. Coleman adds:“Please help us provide lifesaving interventions for those who truly need them. If your 911 call is not an emergency that needs immediate medical attention — such as chest pain, shortness of breath, stroke symptoms, serious trauma or other life-threatening illnesses or injury — please consider contacting your primary care physician, or utilizing a walk-in clinic or urgent care center. This will get you the help you need in a timelier manner, while at the same time assist an overtaxed health care system,” she says. “Let’s all do our part to save the ambulances and ER visits for those who urgently need those services,” Coleman says. Michael Weiss, epidemiology program manager for Florida Health-Hillsborough County, gave a big-picture look at Hillsborough County’s COVID-19 situaSee COVID-19, page 11A
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COURTESY OF CYPRESS CREEK HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETICS
Are you ready for some football? Under head coach Mike Johnson, the Cypress Creek Coyotes could surprise some teams this year, given a deep offense laden with experience. See the Pasco County Fall football preview to get the team by team rundown, in Sports, page 12A.
COURTESY OF WIREGRASS RANCH HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETICS
Wiregrass Ranch could be one of the area’s top teams, thanks to a highpowered offense anchored by senior quarterback Rocco Becht, a Division I FBS Iowa State University verbal commit.
COURTESY OF PASCO HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETICS
The Pasco Pirates are embracing having one of the toughest football schedules in the county this year.
Controversy continues over school mask mandates By B.C. Manion bcmanion@lakerlutznews.com
School district statistics
2021-2022 school year, to date*
Leon County Judge John Cooper was scheduled this week to conduct a three-day hearing involving a lawsuit that challenges the legality of an executive order issued by Gov. Ron DeSantis. In the executive order, DeSantis stands firm on his position that parents — not school boards — have the right to decide whether their children should be required to wear masks on campus. But a group of parents has challenged the governor’s legal authority to make that call. This week’s Tallahassee court hearing, set to begin Aug. 23, comes after attorneys for DeSantis attempted to have the lawsuit dismissed. The judge refused to toss the lawsuit, but refrained from any assessment on the merits of the case, according to numerous published reports. In addition to DeSantis, the Florida of Board of Education has weighed in on the mandatory mask issue. The board of education has created options for students who are in districts that mandate masks, but do not wish to comply. Instead of complying, those students can obtain a scholarship through the state to attend a private school, or can attend school in a different district. Also, the state has warned districts that if they defy the governor’s executive order, they can face reduced funding in an amount equivalent to the sum of the superintendent and school board members’ salaries, accord-
Hillsborough County Student cases: 2,310 Staff cases: 648
Pasco County Student cases: 897 Staff cases: 196
*As of the evening of Aug. 22
ing to numerous published reports. President Joe Biden has countered that by pledging the federal government could fill that funding gap — if one arises — by using American Rescue Plan dollars. “We’re not going to sit by as governors try to block and intimidate educators protecting our children,” Biden said, on national television. DeSantis, at another news event, countered:“We believe this is a decision for the parent.” As the debate plays out, individual school boards continue to impose face mask requirements. During an emergency meeting last week, the Hillsborough County School Board adopted a 30-day mandatory face mask requirement for students and staff, allowing an opt-out with a medical note. School boards in Mami-Dade, Alachua, Palm Beach, Broward and Sarasota counties have taken similar actions. The divisiveness of the mandatory masking issue was on full display during the
Hillsborough school board’s hearing. Board Chair Lynn Gray said the surge in the delta variant of COVID-19 created an emergency for the board — not only in terms of the number of positive cases being reported on campus, but also of the numbers of students and staff being forced to quarantine. She said action was needed because the situation was unsustainable. Passions ran high at the meeting. Dozens of speakers on both sides of the issues made passionate 1-minute arguments, either for or against. “Our K-5 children cannot get the vaccine, but at the same time, you’ve given them no option to do e-learning, no required social distancing and no required masks,” one parent said, urging the board to take action. Another put it plainly: “I am very concerned for our vulnerable children.” A third observed: “If you can mandate masks 100% last year, you can mandate masks this year.Your actions today can save lives.” Other speakers presented a different point of view. “Those that are living in fear, if they want to wear a mask, let them wear a mask. Put on a visor. Put on a second mask. But don’t force our children to wear masks if they don’t want to,” one speaker said. Another put it this way:“Leave the mask policy as is, with parents deciding what’s best for their children.” A third challenged the school board’s auSee MANDATES, page 11A