Pasco Schools Facing Major School Bus Driver Shortage

Parents Frustrated With Delays While The District Is ‘Desperate For Warm Bodies’ To Fill Bus Driver Vacancies 

This school bus arrived late to Wiregrass Ranch High on Oct. 16, which is part of a Pasco School District-wide problem with late buses. (Photo by Joel Provenzano)

 If your child rides a school bus to and from school, they may be arriving to school well after the late bell, and you may not even know. Or, you may be like many other parents who are aware of the issues with late buses — picking up late in the morning, dropping off late at school, or being dropped off late in the afternoon when coming home — and feel like there isn’t much that can be done about it. 

We have spoken with Pasco County School District officials, concerned parents and current and former students, and reviewed online community posts — including some posts directly from the bus drivers themselves — and even observed the buses ourselves. All of this has opened our eyes to some significant issues with Pasco County Schools’ Transportation Services for the schools located in Wesley Chapel. 

But, we also have found that all of this is a symptom of a much bigger problem — one the District is aware of and actually acknowledges. 

Pasco Schools public information officer Jessica Meek says, “Our district continues to feel the impact of the ongoing bus driver shortage, and we are constantly taking steps to address this nationwide challenge….we have a strong and ongoing focus on reducing transportation delays and ensuring our routes run as efficiently as possible.” 

 So, just how short of drivers is the District? How many additional drivers are needed District-wide? School District officials say that shortfall number is 59. That’s a pretty significant shortage — almost exactly 20% — considering the total number of operational (running) buses in the fleet is 297, with the District stating that, “[There’s] no shortage of vehicles, just drivers.” 

But, just how bad is it exactly? One local driver of nearly 25 years (whose employment we verified but decided not to name them for this article) put a comment out on social media last month stating that there was, “..desperation for warm bodies…” regarding the District’s ongoing efforts to recruit and retain drivers. The driver also implied that not all drivers they currently have may be best suited for the job, or compatible with the kids they’re driving around. 

One local Wesley Chapel parent, Dr. Lorraine Tracey, says she has been feeling the effects of driver shortages on a nearly daily basis. In regards to the late buses, she believes, “It really is a problem, with no solutions in the works, except trying the same thing over and over, and making no progress.” 

Lorraine works a full-time career in clinical development, for the treatment of life-threatening diseases, and has a son and a daughter who attend two different local schools — one who is at John Long Middle School and the other who attends Wiregrass Ranch High. Both ride the bus. 

She forwarded to us all of the emails between her and the School District. Like many local parents, Lorraine is frustrated with the situation. “It feels like no matter what I do, or what I say, I’m just banging my head against a wall.” 

How The 2025-26 School Year Started 

Transportation problems are typically worse at the beginning of the school year for everyone, and that’s because the District’s Transportation Services Department faces the Herculean task of coordinating the logistics to get 33,000 students (the latest total number of student bus riders, according to the School District) across Pasco’s 868 square miles, with buses originating from six different bus compounds. 

And, just like the rest of us, buses have to deal with traffic, especially the traffic getting into and out of the schools themselves. 

Lorraine believes that many of the school bus drivers were being set up to fail early on by being given impossible routes. She looked at the number of stops, how far apart they were, and where they had to come from, in order to be on time to her son’s stop — and told us that, “unless the bus driver figured out how to fly the bus, they were never going to be on time.” 

She said that it’s ironic, because at the beginning of the school year, a message was sent out to all parents from Pasco’s Superintendent of Schools Dr. John Legg that stated, in part, “Every minute of instructional time matters.” Lorraine feels that due to the busing issues, the School District and School Board members are not living up to their promises to the students, and she sent detailed emails to all of them explaining that. 

Those emails from the beginning of this school year stated that her son’s bus (Route Z520A) was consistently late showing up to his stop, often running as much as an hour (or possibly more) behind. She even compiled a chart (right) to document the delays. 

And, Lorraine wasn’t alone either. Numerous local community Facebook groups were ripe with posts about parents having to take their kids to school because buses were getting to stops extremely late — 30 minutes, 40 minutes, an hour even…which has been going on for many years, from what we could find. 

Michael Santus, the manager of Transportation Services for Pasco Schools, replied to Lorraine’s email with this boilerplate response: 

“As ridership patterns stabilize, route timing naturally adjusts. For example, during the first two weeks of school, buses stop at every designated location. After this initial period, stops without riders are removed to streamline the route. This is one of the many ways our routing team works to enhance overall efficiency.” 

A later email he sent specifically about Lorraine’s son’s bus stated, “It appears that ridership is beginning to stabilize. The bus arrived at the stop at 8:09 am this morning and arrived at school at 8:17 a.m. While it was still late, it is 7 minutes late vs. 25 minutes yesterday and 39 minutes the day prior. I will continue to monitor its progress for you.” 

Lorraine told us, “What made it worse was that I had to frequently call the school and fill out an ‘absent’ form each day for two weeks, until the school figured out some solution, because his tardiness was causing him to not show up at attendance.” 

While she acknowledges that there has been some improvement since the beginning of the year, in regards to the recurring late pick-ups (she says her son’s bus does show up to the morning stop on time now), but that there are still issues with the frequent late drop-offs at Wiregrass Ranch High, and that those haven’t improved, even at this point, two full months into the 2025- 26 school year. 

She worries that this is having a negative impact on education. “His first period is Spanish 3 Honors,” she says. “It’s an important class, and he can’t really make up that time.” 

Dealing with all of the issues with her son’s bus, Lorraine was surprised, on the morning of Sept. 19, when she got a text from her daughter stating that her bus for John Long hadn’t shown up, and she didn’t know what to do. Lorraine wasn’t available, and neither was a close family friend who lived nearby. An older sibling of a fellow John Long student that Lorraine didn’t know offered to drive the students to the school, and she accepted, since there wasn’t much other choice. 

According to the District’s response, when we independently confirmed the record of this incident, they explained that the bus did get there that morning, but it was well over an hour after it was supposed to arrive. Officials further explained that, “There should be no circumstances where a bus does not show up, just delayed.” No explanation was offered as to why the bus was that late. 

When hearing of the District’s official response, Lorraine responded to us, “Yep, let’s leave middle schoolers on the side of the road for [more than] an hour.” 

The Students’ Perspective 

Our initial research quickly uncovered that this was likely a much bigger, District-wide, systemic problem, where if it affected one family this much, there were likely many more families affected in exactly the same way. 

We wanted to understand what this looked like inside the school — get an idea of how many buses and kids were coming in late — so we separately interviewed a current and a former student of Wiregrass Ranch High, both of whom asked not to be named. 

The current student (a freshman) said that in their first period class, “4 to 5 students per day are late, getting to class at least 5 minutes, and up to 15 minutes [after the bell].” They explained that the majority are “tardies” caused by the buses. 

Meanwhile, the former student said that last year, during their first period class (when they were a freshman), there were “8 to 9 per day, mostly due to the bus, who came in 10 to 20 minutes [after the bell].” 

They further explained that, “They would hand you [the late students] a tardy slip as you got off the bus to give to the teacher. This had become a normal thing, so much so that the school needed to start doing them in different colors each day, …green, pink, orange, purple, so as not to be reused by the students.” 

Our response to all of this info? “Wow.” 

Even though neither of these students is riding the bus this year — which would have given them an even more accurate idea of the tardies — because these two students were always in class before the late bell rang, they said it was such a common problem, almost every student knows how bad it is, whether they are bus riders or not. 

We followed up and asked the Transportation Services officials specifically: “How many tardies (roughly) of your students are a direct result of busing issues? This could be a number, a general range or even an estimated percentage.” 

They apologized and stated that it would take too long to pull and compile that data before our story deadline, but that it is publicly available data for anyone who wants it by filling out a “Public Records Request Form” on the School District’s website. 

However, the officials did also verify the need to have staff manage bulk late student arrivals, responding: “There have been some small revisions to accommodate for student supervision (in other words, modifying duty schedules)” when we asked if the individual schools had to make direct adjustments to their operations to compensate for busing issues. 

What We Discovered First-Hand 

With the students explaining to us how many of their peers were late daily to first period, we decided that we had to see first-hand for ourselves what that translated to, in terms of the buses. 

We found that most buses do get to the schools with plenty of time to spare, arriving anywhere between 10 to 20 minutes before the late bell. But, the number of late buses was surprising, at least at the two schools we chose to look into — John Long Middle and Wiregrass Ranch High. 

We picked a random Thursday this month — Oct. 16 — to go out and directly observe the buses entering the school properties (from the adjacent public right-of-way). We saw multiple buses arriving to the school properties after the late bell had already rang. 

For each one we observed, we wrote down the bus number and the time they crossed onto the property. We then sent those bus numbers to the District, to ask them what time their records showed that those buses arrived. They confirmed down to within 1 minute of accuracy that our observations were consistent with their records. 

We found that two buses arrived late to John Long and at least three buses full of students (there was one discrepancy with a fourth) arrived late to Wiregrass Ranch. 

When we asked if there are any proactive steps the schools are taking to make the bus drop-off and pick-ups smoother or less time-consuming, the District officials told us that, “All administrators look at the systems they have in place each year to ensure it is the most efficient procedure for their campuses.” 

Knowing the Wiregrass Ranch campus is especially overcapacity (with 2,183 students enrolled this year, it is at 140% of its capacity), we asked if this would cause any efficiency issues with busing. 

The District replied that, “The routes get reevaluated each year, to accommodate for student growth. The issues with busing are a direct result of bus driver shortages, not capacity issues.” 

We did observe one clever trick that the buses going to the middle school were doing to avoid traffic and save time — one that was perfectly safe and legal (for the buses), but that we aren’t going to explain, so other drivers don’t try to replicate it — but it was a very unique “route” that shows they are trying to be ingenious in at least one way to save time. 

There have been some other improvements, too. At least one Pasco parent that we reached out to, who also had significant complaints about busing last year, stating that her son was often arriving back home more than two hours after school ended. That parent told us that, “It’s a lot better this year,” when asked for a comment. 

The ‘Wheres The Bus?’ App 

A relatively new GPS-enabled bus tracking system, a phone app fittingly called (and misspelled) “Wheres the Bus?” (left) at least allows parents to see exactly where the school bus is on a map, and actively track it. This app was launched in 2023 for Pasco and is available for parents to download from Google Play or the Apple App Store — but there may be an issue with it. 

We asked the District, when a bus is arriving late to a school, and drops off students past the late bell time, does the “Wheres the Bus?” app notify parents of the late drop off, or are parents notified any other way of the late drop off? 

They responded, “If a parent is using the parent app, and their child signs in and out [when getting on and off the bus] they can track this specific information, but there is not a separate notification. However, parents should be getting notifications through MyStudent if a bus is going to be late picking up or dropping off their child.” 

Lorraine stated that while she does get notifications on her phone about late morning pickups, it’s not always that accurate, saying that the times shown might be a little off, but she explained that as far as tracking the times when her son gets on and off the bus (to verify his late arrival to the school), when she goes into the app, it only shows the times for that day, which resets the following day, and she hasn’t been able to find the historic data anywhere in the app. 

This means that some parents may not even know that their children are arriving late to school, unless their child tells them, or they actively go into the app to view the live map showing the location of the bus, or review the pick-up and drop-off times for that day themselves, on that specific day. 

The Desperate Need For Drivers 

Lorraine told us that she felt slightly insulted when she was emailing the District about her serious concerns, because in a response she received from Nichole Schreiber, a field service specialist with the District’s Transportation Services Dept., Schreiber said, “If you know anyone who would like to join the transportation staff, we would greatly appreciate it!” 

In other words, Lorraine says, instead of the District coming up with solutions, “It shifts the burden to parents by suggesting that we need to help recruit staff, which is neither our responsibility nor a practical solution to ensuring timely and reliable transportation in the immediate term.” 

She also joked with us that they must be really desperate if they want her to drive a bus. 

But, District officials admit that the ARE desperately trying to recruit help, almost any way they can, and they’re definitely not shy about it. But, are these efforts to the potential detriment OR enhancement of public safety and service? 

Back in 2021, Pasco’s former Superintendent of Schools Kurt Browning’s staff suggested using the National Guard to help with the bus driver shortage. It was ultimately turned down because there was no formally declared state of emergency. 

The District has organized multiple hiring events, some upcoming, to try to recruit drivers. The next one will be on Thursday, November 6, 4 p.m.-6 p.m., at the District Office (7227 Land O’Lakes Blvd., Land O’ Lakes, FL 34638). 

Pasco Schools Transportation Services advertises the benefits they offer to drivers as: 

‱ Free health insurance 

‱ Paid time off 

‱ Paid holidays 

‱ Retirement plans 

‱ Paid CDL (commercial drivers license) 

prep course 

‱ $18.15/hour starting pay 

The website says that the District guarantees at least 6 hours of work per day in a split shift, but that most routes are longer than 6 hours. 

The Pasco Schools Transportation Services Dept. can be reached during business hours Monday-Friday at (813) 320-2562 to take your questions, comments and/or complaints.

All Of Kirkland Ranch Being Purchased By The State For Conservation!

The area in red is the 938-acre Kirkland Ranch, also known as “Village K” in the Villages of Pasadena Hills. 
The property being preserved extends from north of the Watergrass community to Kiefer Rd. & east from where Curley Rd. meets Elam Rd. to the Kirkland Ranch property line. (Pasco County map modified by Joel Provenzano) 

Residents wanting to see land and the environment protected in eastern Pasco County are getting their wish, as one local family intends to sell their almost 1,000- acre ranch to the state for natural preservation, instead of to developers for homes or apartments — and the state just approved the funds to do exactly that. 

How much?…. $30.8 million. 

Days after our article went to print last month, entitled “Where Are The Villages of Pasadena Hills (VOPH) & Why Should You Care?,” a surprise press release came from the Southwest Florida Water Management District (SWFWMD, aka “Swiftmud”) on Aug. 26, explaining that the Kirkland Ranch portion of the land in VOPH — immediately between the Kirkland Ranch school complex and the community of Watergrass — was approved to be purchased by Swiftmud’s board, with funds being provided by the state’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). 

“We appreciate Governor Ron DeSantis and the Florida Legislature’s commitment to preserving this conservation land in one of the fastest-growing areas in Pasco County,” said Swiftmud’s executive director Brian Armstrong. “This important purchase will help preserve the region’s lands and water resources for future generations.” 

Deemed to be a critical watershed for the state of Florida, and specifically Pasco County, the six contiguous cattle farming parcels owned by Kirkland Ranch since 1956 (938 acres total, of which 41% is wetlands), would have made up almost all of the residential area of “Village K” in VOPH, directly along the burgeoning Curley Rd. corridor (see attached map for location). But now, that land will remain fully undisturbed. 

“This acquisition meets all four of the District’s ‘Areas of Responsibility,’ which are water supply, water quality, flood protection and natural systems,” the Swiftmud news release from Aug. 26 says, “and is consistent with the District’s ‘Florida Forever’ workplan.” 

For those not familiar, VOPH is the 20,000+ acre special development district making up the area directly between Wesley Chapel, Dade City and Zephyrhills. 

This purchase will presumably affect two of Pasco’s so-called “vision roads,” the first being the northern Watergrass Pkwy. extension that was supposed to cut diagonally through Kirkland Ranch, serving as an important north/south corridor. The other is the eastern Elam Rd. extension, which would have run behind the Kirkland school complex (which includes the Kirkland Ranch Academy of Innovation and the Kirkland Ranch K-8 school) — all of which was shown in the “Pasadena Hills Land Use Vision Plan” and transportation maps, but now that it’s no longer being developed, these road extensions are likely off the table. But, we’ll keep you posted. 

Wesley Chapel Walmart Adding Gas Station; What About Sam’s Club? 

Based on the speed with which the construction is progressing, the opening of the Wesley Chapel Walmart’s gas station should only be a few months away. 
Walmart Fuel Under Construction 

The massive banner on the construction fence couldn’t be any less subtle — “COMING SOON, YOUR NEW WALMART FUEL STATION” (photo). 

The underutilized northeast portion of the Wesley Chapel Walmart’s parking lot (directly behind Chase Bank) on S.R. 54 (east of Bruce B. Downs Blvd., or BBD) is being transformed into the next useful feature of the popular store. 

Final site plan revisions for the gas station addition were submitted to the county back in January of 2024, but nothing transpired for almost a year and a half, so it was unclear when, or even if, the station would ever come to fruition. 

That question has been answered, as the construction is now happening at breakneck speed. Walmart hadn’t even fenced the area off just a few months ago, but now, the massive fuel tanks are getting ready to be buried, the station’s canopy is about half done, and the convenience store is pretty much finished. At this pace, it appears that the new gas station, with 18 fueling positions (making it the largest such station in Wesley Chapel), will be done in a few months. 

In addition to the gas pumps, the station will feature a very tiny and interesting 440-sq.-ft. convenience store. From what we can tell from the building plan and this photo, the tiny store will have two exterior restrooms to the rear of the building, with roll-up doors on the side of the building that will protect what appears to be display doors that will open outward which will likely contain drinks and snacks. It’s unclear, however, if you will even be able to go inside the store to make your purchases or if everything will be done from the outside. We’ve never seen anything quite like it before. It’s certainly nothing like the full convenience store at the New Tampa Walmart on BBD. 

In addition to these features, the plan also proposes to add a new right turn lane into the Walmart’s northern driveway on southbound Wiregrass Ranch Blvd., which should hopefully reduce conflicts for motorists who only want to access the new gas station. 

Sam’s Club Expansion Not Happening? 

Considering that the two stores are run by the same company, is the Sam’s Club on S.R. 56 getting its desperately needed fuel expansion next? Unfortunately, it seems that it’s not likely to be happening anytime soon, as the plans for that expansion were withdrawn from the county by the developer in January of this year. 

We had previously reported — back in the summer of 2023 — that Sam’s Club representatives had met with the county to expand the store’s existing gas station from 12 fueling positions to 16, which would include adding two more fueling lanes and a redesign to make things run smoother, as the existing location and design of the station causes backups on the access roadway (which sometimes extend out onto S.R. 56) in front of the main Sam’s Club parking lot. 

Engineering plans were submitted the following year, and the county gave comments, but it appears that the plan is off the table for now. 

Here’s The Latest News From Two Rivers Ranch! 

Updates On The County Park & School Sites, Private Club, Peak Surf Park, Publix & The Homes At The Massive Development 

Introduction by Gary Nager Story by Joel Provenzano 

As the publisher and editor of the New Tampa and Wesley Chapel Neighborhood News, I’m having a dilemma — What should I do about the 6,000-acre development known as Two Rivers? 

For more than three decades, I have used Morris Bridge Rd. as the eastern boundary of both Wesley Chapel and New Tampa. But, the Thomas family’s Two Rivers Ranch is just to the east of Morris Bridge, both north and south of the Pasco-Hillsborough County line, which, by my definition, is located in unincorporated Zephyrhills (not to be confused with the City of Zephyrhills, which is well north and east of Two Rivers) in Pasco and Thonotosassa in Hillsborough. 

But now, with the Pasco side of Two Rivers already home to hundreds of new homes, plus the announcement last year that the Tampa Bay area’s first-ever surf park was coming to the community, and even more recent announcements of a Publix beginning construction, plus a private club, schools and the most recent addition — a Pasco County-record $18-million purchase of 85 acres on the south side of S.R. 56 to be developed as a district park — and its location just to the east of Morris Bridge, it’s clear that Two Rivers is very much Wesley Chapel-like and we have already published multiple stories about it in these pages. 

So, my dilemma is — should I start mailing the Wesley Chapel Neighborhood News to everyone who currently lives — and those who will one day move into the thousands of additional homes, apartments and townhomes — in Two Rivers? 

The answer is most likely going to be “Yes,” even though we’re already mailing our Wesley Chapel issues to more than 40,000 residences and businesses — and more than 110,000 people (according to U.S. Post Office estimates) — in zip codes 33543, 33544 and 33545 and Two Rivers addresses (at least so far) are all in 33541. 

In other words, to misquote Bette Davis in “All About Eve”: “Fasten your seatbelts, it’s going to be a bumpy ride!” 

In the meantime, for the latest updates on everything currently happening in Two Rivers, keep reading! 

While not even a single ounce of dirt has been turned on the Hillsborough side of the Two Rivers development yet, whole communities (and most of the infrastructure— roads, utilities and drainage) — have been completed on the Pasco side, the side we’re going to be focusing our updates on, and there’s quite a bit to update for you. 

In case you’re somehow not familiar, Two Rivers is the name for the entire 6,000-acre master planned development being developed on the Thomas family’s Two Rivers Ranch property both north and south of S.R. 56 between Morris Bridge Rd. and U.S. Hwy. 301, with approximately 3,500 acres in the Pasco portion and 2,000+ acres south of the Pasco-Hillsborough county line, technically in Thonotosassa. The entire Two Rivers development is being managed by the Eisenhower Property Group, with multiple home builders building out the individual communities.. 

To put the size of Two Rivers into perspective for locals, the combined area of Meadow Pointe II and III, The Ridge, Union Park, Woodcreek and the upcoming Wyndfields development also total about 3,500 acres. 

Construction on the project began in late 2022, after the S.R. 56 extension to U.S. 301 was completed in 2019. Most people noticed the two communities on the north side of 56 popping up almost overnight, with entire streets of houses going vertical within a couple of months, and it’s been breakneck speed ever since, with seemingly no shortage of buyers since the beginning. 

This article will update the progress on Two Rivers, following meetings with the builders’ sales associates, driving the entire area and researching Pasco and Hillsborough records for clarity. 

Our research and discussions indicate that most of the residential development on the Pasco side of Two Rivers will likely be completed within the next 2-3 years, with the commercial properties taking a little longer. So, anyone wanting a house in Two Rivers should probably start looking soon. 

2025 Pasco Plan Amendment Updates 

The best way to know what’s coming to Two Rivers is to look at the total entitlements the county has granted to the entire development. There was an original list, but it was modified at the beginning of 2025, and included in the “Project Needs Assessment” document from January. Below is the current list of Pasco entitlements: 

‱ Single Family – 4,047 Dwelling Units 

‱ Townhomes – 514 Dwelling Units 

‱ Villas – 108 Dwelling Units 

‱ Multi-Family – 1,878 Dwelling Units 

‱ Assisted Living Facility – 300 Beds 

‱ Office/Target Industry – 1,335,000 sq. ft. 

‱ Retail – 1,335,000 sq. ft. 

‱ Industrial – 1,335,000 sq. ft. 

‱ Hotel – 480 Rooms 

‱ K-8 School – 2,000 Students 

‱ High School – 1,814 Students 

‱ County (District) Park – 85 acres 

‱ Surf Park – 35 acres, 700 parking spaces 

These numbers indicate the maximum uses to be granted to the development, so it could be shy of what’s listed. The interesting items are the categories that were deleted, added, or modified. 

The first such item to note is that Two Rivers has bucked the recent trend in Wesley Chapel and fully removed the original 55+ community entitlement of 1,125 homes. Added instead to the list is a 300-bed assisted living facility. 

Also added are 480 hotel rooms, 108 villas (aka fancy duplexes, especially since Homes by WestBay will be building them), 514 townhomes, and the number of apartment units was upped from the originally approved 1,400 to 1,878. 

Instead of separate 762-student elementary and 1,306-student middle schools, there is now a combined K-8 school of 2,000 students being proposed, which had been rare for Pasco, but Kirkland Ranch K-8 off Curley Rd. is one of the four currently in the county. Combining the two schools on one campus helped free up land space for the retail entitlements to be increased from the original 630,000 to 1,335,000 sq. ft. 

Apartments & Townhomes 

While the townhomes are shown on the most recent Two Rivers Map, the location of the upcoming apartments had not been. 

Six commercial outparcel lots were submitted for plat this year, with 146 townhomes behind them. The plat was finalized in June, and now the townhome parking lot is almost complete, with vertical construction of the townhomes to begin soon. 

The first apartment complex on the list is labeled ‘Parcel G Apts’ in the map above (east of Morris Bridge Rd.). There will be 324 units, with eight 3-story buildings in total. The site ground work has been started and vertical construction should begin soon, as the pool for the apartments received its final permit in April. 

The second known apartment complex will be called “Oasis at Two Rivers” on the south side of S.R. 56, directly aligned with the full median opening at the entrance to the Northwater subdivision (at Wide Water Way). Construction of this site is in full swing and Oasis will feature eight 4-story buildings with 344 units in total. 

Communities Aplenty 

If you drive into Two Rivers, there’s a cohesiveness to the entire development, from one community to the next. Everything from the playgrounds, to the beautifully designed mail stations, to the heavy emphasis on landscaping, the consistent rustic theme carries clearly throughout. It also helps that almost all of the streets were built by the developer at one time, so there’s no choppiness as you drive back. 

In addition to the aesthetics, one thing we quickly noticed was just how much has already been completed — as the Lennar sales office was being converted into the last private residence in the community of Childers, which means that by the time this issue reaches your mailbox, this community on the north side of 56 will be the first in Two Rivers to be completely sold out. 

DR Horton sales reps in the Northwater subdivision, also north of 56, believe that community is only be about eight months behind Childers, given how much inventory there is left. Homes in Northwater currently start in the low $300k range for 1,560 sq. ft., but that may not last forever, because the next DR Horton community of Archer (south of 56) — with a sales office that has only been open for a couple of weeks — has homes currently starting in the high $400k range, but this could change when the builder moves into narrower 40’ lots in a future phase. 

Lennar might only be gone for a short time, as the builder’s next venture will be the community of Creekwood on the eastside. While Lennar has started building houses in Creekwood (well south of 56, almost to the Pasco-Hillsborough line), we did not see any models completed or a sales office open yet. 

At the higher end of the current scale, builders like Homes by WestBay and M/I Homes are offering homes reaching well up into the $1-million range, with up to 70’-wide lots, 7 bedrooms, and 5,500 sq. ft. of space, some even offering to build pools before the house closes for an additional charge. Even if this is too rich, there’s a plethora of other builders (10 so far) to fit every need in-between. 

Most of the builders we talked to are offering some type of special financing, too, as low as 3.99%, with others covering up to $40k for closing costs, and/or substantial savings in the prices of homes, depending upon when customers intend to buy. These incentives make it seem like now is one of the best times to buy new construction, as the competition is hot to attract potential buyers. 

Because of the endless choices, most real estate agents in the area still recommend buyers bring an agent with them to tour new construction, as many are well versed and know the ins and outs of the new construction process very well. 

Here’s a complete list of the single- family communities on the Pasco side of Two Rivers. The villas are included, given their prominence: 

Two Rivers North: 

‱ Childers (Lennar) 

‱ Northwater (DR Horton) 

Two Rivers West: 

‱ Tamarack (Park Square Homes & William Ryan Homes) 

‱ Ryals Field (Homes by WestBay) 

‱ Fairwood ‘villas’ (Homes by WestBay) 

‱ Delyle (Pulte Homes) 

‱ Shortgrass (M/I Homes) 

‱ Hammock (DR Horton, Pulte Homes, Taylor Morrison Homes) 

‱ Holter (unknown at this time) 

Two Rivers East: 

‱ Archer (DR Horton) 

‱ Fieldcrest (Casa Fresca Homes) 

‱ Ackley (Meritage Homes) 

‱ Creekside (Lennar) 

Clubhouses & Amenities 

The only two single-family communities in Two Rivers to have their own amenities inside the subdivisions themselves are those located north of 56 — Childers and Northwater, each of which has its own pool, clubhouse and playgrounds. 

All of the other single-family communities in Two Rivers listed above will have one central amenity center, depending upon which side of Two Rivers a resident lives. 

The Two Rivers East communities will have access to The Nest at Two Rivers, which will have everything one might expect for a normal-size community amenity center, like a pool, pickleball courts, dog park, playground and a clubhouse (but no gym). The Nest currently is under construction and should be completed sometime in early 2026. 

The Two Rivers West communities will have a larger The Landing at Two Rivers, a private social club whose size reminds us of the exceptionally large amenity center in Connerton up in northern Land O’Lakes. This will be an independent private club, not associated with an HOA or CDD, to keep the consistency and quality high. As stated in The Landing’s club brochure, “Our lifestyle director and team will be on-site managing club operations and member experience.” 

The Landing (rendering above) has just begun construction and is anticipated to open by late 2026, with a hefty price tag of $27 million. It will offer a lot for residents, including tennis and pickleball courts, playgrounds, event pavilions, massive resort-style swimming pool with slide, along with a junior Olympic-sized lap pool, poolside food and drink service, bars, onsite casual and fine dining, and a dedicated fitness building complete with separate cycling and aerobics/yoga studios, where classes will be offered. 

In the future, Two Rivers will be adding one more club feature on the Hillsborough side that many newer communities have stopped providing — a golf course. Speaking of the future Hillsborough side, the developer writes, “The centerpiece of this community is a private, members-only 18-hole golf course designed by renowned Scottish architect David McLay-Kidd. Expect a golfing experience that breaks free from the typical Tampa landscape, with subtle nuances that transport players to a world afar.” 

It’s Important To Know Your Fees! 

Every potential Two Rivers resident needs to understand their Homeowners Association (HOA) fee sand what they include, the Community Development District (CDD) fees, and whether or not there is a separate mandatory club fee, for each community. Here’s what we found; 

It appears that all Two Rivers communities will have an annual CDD (whether for Two Rivers East, West, or North) fee. The CDD fees range from around $1,700 in the villas, up to $3,500 for other communities, depending upon lot width, builder and which side of Two Rivers the community is on. The manager for all of the CDDs is listed as Jayna Cooper with Inframark. 

Two Rivers North appears to have higher (on average) CDD fees, because both Childers and Northwater have their own amenities, but their HOA fee is lower — less than $15 a month — because utilities have to be paid separately. 

However, in Two Rivers East and West, the HOA fees are higher, from around $70-$140 a month ($385 for the villas because that includes exterior maintenance), due to the HOA fees in these sections also including Spectrum UltraFI Internet with speeds advertised up to 2 gigabits/sec (Gbps). 

That seems like a good deal, considering many Spectrum customers (not new customers on a promotion) could be paying around $95 a month for regular high-speed internet (400 Mbps) with wifi, due to Spectrum’s advertised price hikes. 

It appears that annual CDD fees for Two Rivers West are about $1,000 lower on average than East, but that is due to the fact that there will be a separate mandatory $285 monthly fee per household ($3,420 annually) for all West residents to have The Landing Private Club membership. 

This mandatory fee is expected to begin in mid-2026, as the club gets closer to opening. This means that some West communities could have well over $600 per month total in community fees. For the villas, it would be just over $800/month. 

For East residents, the CDD fee also includes access to The Nest amenity center. Holter, in Two Rivers West, is the only community that isn’t currently listed for any amenities, nor does it have any itself, and we’re not sure if additional info about Holter will be made available in the future. 

Walmart & Publix 

For a while now, residents have been looking forward to a proposed Lowe’s Home Improvement store, which was expected to be built at the southwest corner of S.R. 56 at Morris Bridge Rd. Unfortunately, that preliminary plan is gone and has been replaced with a full set of final engineering plans for a new Walmart, which were submitted to Pasco on June 11. 

While not technically located inside of Two Rivers (see map at the top of the page), Walmart is being proposed just outside of the development, and will serve the residents at a very convenient location, considering the closest Walmart is eight miles away, on S.R. 54. The plan also shows something very interesting — a proposed roundabout on Morris Bridge Rd. as a way to handle traffic entering and exiting the southern driveway, located halfway between S.R. 56 and Colston Ave. 

While nothing in the permit explicitly states that this is a new Walmart, the size is correct, and it has a proposed liquor store, a drive-through pharmacy and the curbside pick-up area design is uniquely Walmart’s new model. It’s what the New Tampa Walmart was changed to look like. 

One thing we are certain of is that Publix has a plan to be in Two Rivers, and had even started construction, but things abruptly stopped. The Publix location is right at the main entrance to Two Rivers in a spot that actually didn’t seem obvious for a grocery store, as we drove right by it without realizing that was the spot, which is on the southwest corner of S.R. 56 at Two Rivers Blvd. 

It almost doesn’t seem big enough for a Publix, but that could be because, unlike many other Publix stores that are part of plazas, this will be a fully standalone Publix,, with no other stores (except Publix Liquors) or outparcels on the site. 

The permit reads, “This project entails the construction of a 58,834 SF Publix and a 2,100 SF Liquor store with associated vehicular use areas, parking, landscaping, utility connections, and storm water conveyance into the existing storm ponds.” A review of the plans shows it also has a drive-up pharmacy. 

Some earthwork grading on the site is already completed, and the outline of the building and parking lot can be seen, but otherwise it appears construction is on hold for the parcel. We investigated a rumor that it was on hold because there was a question as to who would be installing the signal on S.R. 56, and when it might be installed, but had no confirmation from Pasco County staff about that rumor. 

The permit shows that Traffic, Planning, and a few other county departments issued comments to request additional revisions to the updated plans that were submitted in April of this year but the exact comments were not visible, and revised plans have not yet been produced, which is likely what is causing the hold-up. 

Schools & Parks 

Two Rivers is a huge development that currently doesn’t yet have any schools built, but given the overall size of the community this will be a necessity moving forward. Currently, Two Rivers residents are zoned for Chester Taylor Elementary, R.B. Stewart Middle School and Zephyrhills High, with an option for students to apply to go to either one of the nearby charter schools — Union Park Academy K-8 or Pinecrest Academy K-9. 

The Pasco County School District recently solidified a clearer plan for the Two Rivers school locations than it had at the beginning of the development, but there’s still a question as to when it will proceed forward, as we are not aware of any formal site plans that have been submitted yet. 

What is known is that the School Board has purchased the two parcels needed for the proposed 2,000 student K-8 school — one of 23.43 acres and the other of 12.4 acres — for a total of 35.83 acres at the northern limit of the development, just east of Northwater, for $8.15 million total in Oct. of 2024. 

For perspective, John Long Middle School’s site in Wiregrass Ranch is 29.2 acres, which means this Two Rivers K-8 school might have to be multistory to fit on the site. The proposed 40- acre (50 acres gross), 1,914-student high school site immediately to the south, has been identified (see map), but has not been purchased yet. This site also is a little on the small side, compared with, say, Wiregrass Ranch High, which is 60 acres, meaning it’s likely the future high school might also have to be multistory to fit. 

Immediately east of the school sites is planned to be an 80-acre (85 acres gross) Pasco County Park, similar in size and function to the Wesley Chapel District Park on Vandine Rd. (see story below). 

And, although Two Rivers in not getting a massive Crystal Lagoon, as we reported last year, it is expected to have Peak Surf Park, the first of its kind in this part of Florida, although no plans have yet been filed. It was announced that Peak owner Tony Miller was planning to acquire 35 acres immediately east of the county park location to build the surf park. The most recent park rendering indicates that the 700 or so parking spaces (according to the plan amendment discussed on pg. 4) were covered with solar panels, so it will be interesting to see if Miller plans to generate all the electricity the surf park will need, or if that’s just for show. 


Pasco To Buy Two Rivers Park Site For Record $18M+ 

At the June 17 Pasco County Board of County Commissioners (BCC) meeting, the commissioners voted 5-0 to approve the purchase from EPG Two Rivers QOZP LLC of an 85-acre (roughly 80 acres net) site at the eastern end of the Two Rivers development (see map above). The park site is located to the east of a 35.83-acre site purchased by the Pasco School District in Oct. 2024 for what is now being planned as a combined campus for grades K-8. To the south of the K-8 school site is a 50+-acre site (about 40 acres net) dedicated for a high school, although the School District has not yet purchased that site. 

“This is the most money we’ve ever spent on a park site,” said District 5 Commissioner Jack Mariano during the June 17 meeting. “In the future, when we’re negotiating, I think we have to start working these developers at the start, saying that we want to put a park there and we want a good price. I think we should say we’re going to build it quicker to help sell more homes, instead of coming in at the end. Then, we’d have a lot more leverage to get it done.” 

District 2 Comm. Seth Weightman, who took the vote to purchase the park off the BCC’s consent agenda in order to discuss it, noted, however, that, “The park site is the most prime piece of real estate in the [Two Rivers] project for commercial development. Historically, the county gets less-than-desirable properties for park sites.” 

Among those less-desirable park sites, apparently, is the planned 240-acre “Superpark” located in the Villages of Pasadena Hills, adjacent to the Connected City, both of which are located in Comm. Ron Oakley’s District 1. The BCC and parks director Keith Wiley have been looking into procuring additional park land in the Connected City itself since the Apr. 9 BCC meeting, but there was no discussion of those efforts when the Two Rivers park purchase was discussed on June 17. 

Commissioner Oakley — Two Rivers also is in his district — said, “I’m very grateful this is coming forward. It’s another large park in District 1 and we need as many parks as we can get. It takes a lot of funds to have more and better parks. This park is going to be great and I’ve been working with Robert Thomas (whose family owns the Two Rivers Ranch, where the Two Rivers community is being developed) to name it the ‘Bob Thomas Memorial Park at Two Rivers.’” 

We were told by the county staff that the size of the Two Rivers development triggered the County’s parks concurrency requirement — one community park (20-80 upland acres) is needed per 20,000 residents, a district park (80+ acres) per 55,000, and a natural resources park per 85,000 residents. As part of the zoning process, the developer was required to dedicate park land. By law, the County has to purchase that park land at fair market value. In this case, the appraised value was $18 million. The purchase wasn’t entirely cash, however. The agreement included $13.5 million in cash, $3 million in park impact land credits, and about $1.6 million in facility credits. — GN 

WC Resident Portrays ‘Diddy’ In ‘Diddy On Trial’ Docuseries On Hulu 

In a surprising twist, long-time Wesley Chapel resident, family man and entertainer Layne Harper has stepped into the spotlight by portraying Sean “Diddy” Combs on Hulu’s gripping hit new docuseries, “Diddy on Trial: As It Happened.” 

Layne’s involvement in the show has garnered national attention, especially considering the sensitive and sensational nature of the content. As the trial of music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs continues to unfold in real life, with testimony from various witnesses, including rapper Kid Cudi, Diddy’s former longtime girlfriend Cassandra Ventura and “Jane,” an alleged sex trafficking victim, the series provides an alternative medium for audiences to engage with the case through reenactments and on-screen analysis. 

Produced by ABC News Studios, “Diddy on Trial” debuted on May 25 as the third most-watched show on Hulu (as of May 28), behind “A Handmaid’s Tale” and “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives,” according to FlixPatrol, a site that provides Video on Demand (VOD) charts and streaming statistics worldwide, and has continued to garner high ratings through its first four episodes as we went to press with this issue. 

Hulu’s website states that the docuseries, “takes you inside the criminal trial of Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs, one of the most salacious and hotly anticipated courtroom showdowns in decades. Watch bombshell moments and heart-wrenching testimony unfold in real time through meticulous actor reenactments sourced each week from courtroom transcripts. 

“Prosecutors allege the music icon and business mogul engaged in a dark underworld of sex trafficking and prostitution. Combs denies all accusations, maintaining his innocence. Join host Sunny Hostin [Senior Legal Correspondent for ABC News] as she breaks it all down with a rotating roster of legal and pop culture experts, giving you a front-row seat to this high-stakes legal battle.” 

Since cameras are not allowed in the federal courtroom, the actor reenactments allow viewers to more accurately, and emotionally, connect with what’s actually happening in a more natural way than just reading about it in news articles. The series is a “must watch” for those who like courtroom dramas, as well as, of course, pop culture fans. 

As of this writing, here are the four episodes of “Diddy on Trial” have been released: 

#1: “The Freak-Off” 

#2: “The Assault.” 

#3 “Secret Life of Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs” 

#4: The Bribe & The Balcony” 

New episodes are being released every Sunday as the trial continues. 

The Man Playing The Monster 

Testimony in the trial so far has painted Diddy as a violent and controlling man that people feared. So, how does someone like Layne Harper — who’s known locally to be a genuinely nice guy — get to portray one of the most mocked and allegedly vile men in America? 

Layne says he is actually “really excited” about this opportunity and that one of his agents in New York City helped him land the lead role. “I’ve never been told that I resemble Diddy,” Layne says. “My agent in New York submitted me for the role because he had a strong feeling I could execute on the role as Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs.” 

He adds, “I’m not concerned at all because I’m playing the role of ‘Diddy.’ I’m my own person. I’m a husband and father of three and I choose to protect my peace and strongly believe in not entertaining negativity. One thing that cannot be erased from the entertainment industry is that Sean Combs will always be a music mogul.” 

He admits, however, that stepping into this unique role has been a wild ride for him. 

“Everything is happening so fast,” Layne says. “I’m flying back to New York again tomorrow night, and will be back and forth in Tampa for the next 4-6 weeks — maybe longer, depending on the trial, [since] I’m doing the entire season.” 

Assuming that Diddy is going to take the witness stand at some point, Layne says of that possibility, “I just pray. I don’t overthink it. That’s how I booked the role. I’m on the edge of my seat because no one knows if he will take the stand.” 

Layne Harper, Jr., 43, was born in Memphis, TN. Raised in a military family, he spent seven years in Darmstadt and Mannheim, Germany. After graduating from Millington (TN) Central High School in 2000, Layne moved to Brooklyn, NY, to pursue a music career. 

He later relocated to Nashville, TN, where Layne met his wife Jennifer. The couple moved to the Tampa Bay area in 2009, and has been living in Wesley Chapel since 2010 with their three children (l.-r. in top left photo on the next page) — Jaydon, Enyal and Xavier, the latter of whom is currently serving in the U.S. Navy. 

Playing Diddy is actually somewhat ironic for Layne, as he is also an experienced and talented rapper/musician with an amazing voice. His songs “A Thing Called Love,” “Hell Ride to Heaven” and “Medicine Cabinet” are his most popular originals with his message landing somewhere between faith and hope. “Hell Ride to Heaven” definitely has that New York sound. The music videos for Layne’s music can be streamed on Youtube under “Layne Harper” and his album “House of Blues” also can be streamed on Spotify. 

Layne also has ventured into fashion — he has launched his inspirational and faith-based urban clothing brand called Vctry (which Layne is wearing in the photo below right). The designs seem to resonate with customers who appreciate Vctry’s blend of style and functionality, offering pieces that are both fashion-forward and comfortable. 

As an actor, Layne has had a few roles in small, independent films, and he’s also done a few commercials, but most recently he scored a role as a reporter/member of the press in a major film — the upcoming and hotly anticipated Apple Original racing film called “F1,” starring Brad Pitt, Damson Idris and Javier Bardem. The movie is about Formula 1 racing and is scheduled to be released in theaters on Friday, June 27. 

As for portraying the most ridiculed man in the world (at least currently), Layne says, “I actually turned the role down twice and prayed that someone else would be blessed with the opportunity rather than me. However, God had other plans for me. Yes, I feel I’m out of character, but there’s a difference between natural actors and method actors and for this role, I bounce between the two.” 

More Than Just A Role 

As Layne takes on the role of Diddy in “Diddy on Trial,” he isn’t just stepping into a role — he’s stepping into a cultural moment, one with lots and lots of baby oil. 

The show doesn’t shy away from controversy and neither does he. His performance captures the complexity of a man under intense public scrutiny, while also reflecting the broader questions regarding celebrity culture, justice and the role of the media. 

As the world watches the trial, Layne’s performance reminds us that storytelling — no matter the medium — has the power to challenge, provoke and, ultimately, inform. Whether or not this role also will make this Wesley Chapel family man a star in his own right remains to be seen. 

From Wesley Chapel to the world stage, Layne Harper is hoping to prove he’s more than ready for the spotlight. As his diverse background and creative endeavors continue to shape his multifaceted career, faith. hope and family continue to shape the man himself. 

New episodes of “Diddy on Trial: As It Happened” will be available for streaming on Hulu every Sunday through the conclusion of the trial.