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Colleges return, with social distancing
By Joey Johnston Special to The Laker/Lutz News
With COVID-19 safety protocols in place and enrollments either declining or flat, Pasco County’s colleges and universities have welcomed back students for the fall semester. Whether it was Saint Leo University or the campuses at Pasco-Hernando State College, most courses were offered online to keep class sizes small. Zoom video conferencing technology was utilized for full interactivity, while hybrid/in-person attendance demanded face masks, hand-sanitizing and social distancing. Seat configurations were redone. Plexiglass shields were installed in hightransaction, high-touch point areas. Some student activities were abandoned, while others were offered virtually. “The keyword for everyone these days is flexibility,’’ said Saint Leo Senior Vice
Saint Leo University’s social distancing reminder.
President Melanie Storms.“Of course, there will be a learning curve. But we’re very comfortable with what we’re doing.’’ After a record-breaking 2019, which featured a 40% enrollment increase, Storms said Saint Leo will have the same number of
new students (1,000) as last fall.There is a 30% reduction in new international students and a 10% decrease in students living on the main campus. Enrollment in Saint Leo’s online programs are up 16% over last year. “We got out early with a plan and were very transparent with our students about what we were planning to do,’’ Storms said. “We often talk (in the administration) and wonder what our enrollment might have been had there not been COVID.We might have seen another pretty substantial increase.We believe the fact that we have held steady is a reflection of how strong our new class is and the flexibility we’re providing them.’’ Saint Leo students could choose their educational method — either hybrid (alternating in Group A and Group B between in-person and Zoom), connected (exclusive Zoom in a scheduled class period See COLLEGES, page 11A
813-868-1887 OR
352-597-0009
Pasco seeks to forbid pet stores from selling cats and dogs By B.C. Manion bcmanion@lakerlutznews.com
Pasco County is seeking to stop the sale of dogs, cats, puppies and kittens from retail pet stores. The Pasco County Commission, during its Aug. 4 meeting, heard the introduction of an amendment to a county ordinance — that would enact the new restriction. Commissioners are scheduled to hold a public hearing on the proposal at their Sept. 8 meeting, at the Historic Pasco County Courthouse, 37918 Meridian Ave., in downtown Dade City. Mike Shumate, the county’s director of animal services, told commissioners the proposed change aims “to restrict the retail sale of dogs and cats, puppies and kittens, from pet stores — especially those intentionally selling from large, commercial breeders, outof-state breeders, puppy mills, primarily.” Shumate said the proposed ordinance change is consistent with his department’s mission to protect people and pets, within the community. The new restriction is needed, Shumate said, because a significant number of puppies and kittens sold at pet stores come from out-of-state large-scale breeding facilities where the health and welfare of animals is not provided adequately. Shumate said: “There’s documented abuses — endemic of the puppy and kitten mills — including overbreeding, inbreeding, minimal to nonexistent veterinary care, lack of nutritious food, water and shelter, lack of socialization, adequate space and exercise. “The inhuman conditions of puppy mills and kitten mills often lead to health and behavioral issues,” he added. And, that becomes a problem for future pet owners, the animal services director said. “Consumers are often unaware of these issues when purchasing their animals from pet stores,” Shumate said. Pet owners do have some recourse because there’s state law that puts restrictions and requirements on those importing animals from out-of-state, Shumate said. That regulation is often referred to as Florida’s pet-limit law, he said. However, Shumate noted: “Many of these health and behavioral issues may develop later — once they’re outside the scope of the protection of the Florida statute — to impose financial hardship and emotional costs on consumers.” See PET STORES, page 11A
B 100TH ANNIVERSARY INSIDE, PAGE 1B
COURTESY OF RENEE GERSTEIN/SAINT LEO UNIVERSITY
Students gather with face masks at Saint Leo University.
Dispute pauses County Road 54 improvements By Kevin Weiss kweiss@lakerlutznews.com
Improvements to a portion of County Road 54 through Zephyrhills are on hold, as the municipality and Pasco County struggle to come to financial terms on the project. The scope of the project calls for the following enhancements along a 1.31 mile stretch, from east of U.S. 301 to 23rd Street: • Additional signage and pavement markings • Left-hand turn lane at the Dairy Road intersection • Right-hand turn lane and new mast arms at Wire Road, turning onto 12th Street • Signalized intersection at 23rd Street • A 10-foot concrete multi-use path on the south side of County Road 54, and a 5to-6-foot path on the north side of the road, plus associated drainage How to split the cost of the $6.78 million project is the crux of the issue. County staffers have asked the city to fund 50% of the project through an interlocal agreement.The roughly $3.35 million would be paid in installments, over three years. An initial draft of the contract also calls for the city to agree to pay any cost overruns, in full. For instance, if the project ends up costing, say, $7 million, the city would be responsible for the $22,000 difference from the engineer’s estimate of $6.78 million. The Zephyrhills City Council balked at the proposal. Council members called for a better deal, at the board’s regular meeting earlier this month. Council members and city staff indicated the proposed agreement had come out of left field. They said there wasn’t much or any input with them throughout the design/preengineering process. The estimated cost was an eyeopener, too. “I think we all had sticker shock,” Zephyrhills City Manager Billy Poe said. While the city put forth some money into the project’s design several years ago, council members were under the impression it was for a four-lane road extension, as opposed to turn lanes, traffic signals and ad-
jacent multi-use trails. Any improvements east of 20th Street are not in the city’s jurisdiction, officials noted, so the city should not be responsible for those costs.They also raised a question about whether those improvements are even necessary. Another snag: The county had already gone to bid on the project before getting the city’s approval on the final agreement. The county later canceled that bid opening, Poe said. Poe said the ongoing dilemma is that the project won’t be completed, unless the city participates in helping to fund the project’s entire scope — even the portion outside its jurisdiction.
CITY COULD DO IMPROVEMENTS ON ITS OWN
The city’s other option is to take on the project itself and determine which areas along the roadway are most pressing for improvements, Poe said. Council Vice President Jodi Wilkeson said work certainly is needed along the busy stretch of road. She observed the area north of Zephyrhills High School, and south of Wire Road and 20th Street has “pretty dangerous conditions” with heavy traffic. “People are riding golf carts and walking on the grass there. People tend to ride on the street there because there is no sidewalk, there’s no bike lanes,”Wilkeson said. However, Wilkeson, like others, expressed reservation about the project’s cost — “a significant percentage of our annual budget” — while also noting city residents have already been taxed by the county through Penny for Pasco for such infrastructure improvements. She put it like this: “A million dollars a year (for three years) sounds like a lot of money, but honestly, my bigger concern is what kind of precedent are we setting with the county, if we begin to fund 50% of the projects that they’ve already taxed our residents?” Councilman Lance Smith said some type of project needs to get done along the roadway, one way or another. “It’s going to get bad,” Smith said.“That See ROAD, page 11A
COURTESY OF DADE CITY POLICE DEPARTMENT
The Dade City Police Department has the lowest base salary of any law enforcement agency in Pasco County, at around $37,700. Dade City Police Chief James Walters and the West Central Florida Police Benevolent Association are working to change that.
Dade City Police seek raises, more resources By Kevin Weiss kweiss@lakerlutznews.com
As Dade City anticipates burgeoning commercial and residential development, the city’s police chief said the time is ripe for increased funding for his department. Dade City Police Chief James Walters addressed the issue during a Dade City Commission budget workshop earlier this month. Early projections put the police department’s budget at nearly $2.9 million for fiscal year 2020-2021.That represents roughly 44% of the city’s entire $6.51 million general fund. The agency’s budget this year includes creating a detective sergeant class to assist with span of control and supervision; adding a new civilian position to handle crime scene property evidence; and replacing three police vehicles totaling $165,000. The department originally asked for four vehicles. A broader issue, however, centers on base salaries and overall pay to the department’s sworn police officers. As Dade City Manager Leslie Porter negotiates with the West Central Florida Police Benevolent Association on behalf of the poSee POLICE, page 11A