County officials today cleared the builders of State Road 56 to work round-the-clock as they rush to finish the first leg of the road in time for the Oct. 30 opening of the Shops at Wiregrass mall. County Administrator John Gallagher and the Development Review Committee OK'd a 24-hour-a-day schedule for a 10-day period starting in mid-September. Crews will be laying asphalt for the six-lane road, said Jim Richardson, vice president of Forest City Enterprises, one of the companies involved in the road project. Forest City is overseeing the section of S.R. 56 that passes in front of its 800,000-square-foot outdoor shopping plaza. ...more

August 28, 2008

District 1 County Commissioner Ted Schrader is seeking a third term, running against Tampa firefighter John Nicolette in the Aug. 26 primary. The winner faces write-in candidate John Taylor in the November election. ...more

August 17, 2008

County officials on Thursday gave the builders of State Road 56 a break on the letter of their deal with Pasco County that will let the road open in conjunction with the Shops at Wiregrass mall in late October. ...more

August 15, 2008

The Pasco County development community's most famous shotgun marriage appears to be ending in a bitter divorce. ...more

August 14, 2008

Developer Lee Pallardy of Tampa has spent two years trying to build Trilby Estates, a horse-oriented subdivision off Powerline Road in the Trilby area. On Thursday, he learned he will have to wait two more weeks for approval of the project. The county's Development Review Committee delayed action on the 85-home development until Aug. 14 after Pallardy objected to a requirement that he install water lines and fire hydrants in the gated subdivision. ...more

July 25, 2008

If only the federal government could pull off this trick. The proposed fiscal 2009 budget Pasco County Administrator John Gallagher unveiled last week is 19 percent below the current fiscal year, which ends Sept. 30. That would put the county budget for next year below the $1 billion threshold, at roughly $980 million. ...more

July 23, 2008

NEW PORT RICHEY -- With revenues declining, county leaders had to go the extra mile to stretch dollars for road construction projects in the next five years. ...more

July 23, 2008

Pasco County leaders will spend less, and homeowners will save an estimated $115 each in the 2008-09 fiscal year, thanks to statewide property tax reform and a struggling economy. ...more

July 16, 2008

Pasco County leaders will spend less, and homeowners will save an estimated $115 each in the 2008-09 fiscal year, thanks to statewide property tax reform and a struggling economy. For the first time in three years, Pasco County's proposed budget has dipped below $1 billion, although it remains close at $980 million. That represents a 19 percent decrease from the current fiscal year total of $1.2 billion, County Administrator John Gallagher said today. Pasco County commissioners got their first look at the fiscal 2008-09 budget at a special meeting in New Port Richey. The budget includes higher fees for parks, planning, zoning and development services and about $3.8 million more to compensate for higher fuel costs. The plan also has 44 fewer full-time positions than this fiscal year, although some new jobs are being added. ...more

July 15, 2008

NEW PORT RICHEY -- County leaders are enduring the monetary equivalent of a root-canal operation as they contemplate shrinking the budget by 19 percent to reflect the downturn in the economy. ...more

July 15, 2008