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Reality Bites

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THE SUNCOAST NEWS

Published: July 26, 2008

This week some residents who want to preserve largely undeveloped portions of northeastern Pasco County complained to the County Commission about the "stakeholder committee" that will help rewrite the county's land development code.

The committee is like a "fox guarding a hen house" because too many of its members are builders and developers with no interest in land preservation, the critics charged.

This sort of complaint is nothing new. Environmental activists and others have accused Pasco officials of giving developers too much of a free hand. Pasco officials have always rejected that accusation.

This week commissioners did add a 17th, "at-large," member to the committee but didn't sound concerned the pace of Pasco County development is posing a threat.

Commissioner Ted Schrader, a native of northeastern Pasco, said the county's economy needs a "jump start" that a revival of its stagnant construction industry could provide. Even the commission's lone Democrat, Michael Cox, felt the need to point out the role that industry has played in Pasco County progress.

Alex Deeb, a co-owner of the state's oldest homebuilding firm, told commissioners the state of the Pasco development industry is "desperate" and "going to get worse."

Commissioners are contemplating the reality of having to make spending cuts because of falling tax revenue resulting from the economic slowdown and state-ordered tax rate reductions. So it is no surprise they didn't think the committee needed fewer developers.

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