Tag: District 1

Three of the five Pasco Board of County Commissioners seats are up for grabs on Tuesday, November 8, the most interesting of which might just be District 1, which represents the Zephyrhills, Dade City and Wesley Chapel areas.

There are three Republicans on the ballot vying for votes in the Tuesday, August 30, primary election –

(in alphabetical order, as they will appear on the Aug. 30 ballot)

• Ronald Oakley, a 71-year-old Zephyrhills citrus farmer and former treasurer and chairman of the Southwest Florida Water Management District board;

• Rachel O’Connor, a 31-year-old Pasco County substitute teacher and former Republican Party of Florida field representative who also is a Wesley Chapel resident;

• Debbie Wells of Lake Jovita, 66, the director of sales for the Tampa division of Meritage Homes and ex-wife of Pasco Property Appraiser Mike Wells, Sr.

Wells’ son, Mike Jr., currently is Pasco’s District 4 commissioner.

O’Connor and Oakley both ran unsuccessfully for the same seat in the 2012 Republican primary, losing to four-term incumbent Ted Schrader, who this year running for property appraiser.

The winner faces Dimitri Delgado, 51, a no-party candidate, in the general election on Nov. 8.

The three candidates all present similar views on many subjects, with some differences on quite a few, like development, supporting police, improving the area roads and increasing tourism.

The Metro Question

However, at a Pasco County Commission Candidate Forum on Aug. 15, in front of roughly 25 potential voters at the Alice Hall Community Center in Zephyrhills, the biggest difference between the candidates’ views centered on Metro Development’s plans to build a “Connected City” on nearly 8,000 acres of land that sits in District 1.

Because Metro asked to delay consideration of its plans in front of the commission, originally slated for July, to sometime later this year, the winner of the District 1 race could now cast a crucial vote.

Recent attempts by Metro, as reported by the Tampa Bay Times, to stack an advisory board with hand-picked members while removing public and county representation, as well as a request for impact fee credits typically not afforded to other developers, has raised some eyebrows.

O’Connor is opposed to the project and says she will not vote for it.

“They propose taking the voice of the people away, giving them permission to do whatever they want with the land there,’’ said O’Connor, adding that giving Metro impact fee credits, “would not fly with another developer.”

Oakley and Wells both said they needed more information before deciding if they are in favor of the project, which includes a highly-anticipated “Crystal Lagoon” in the Epperson Ranch Development of Regional Impact (DRI) off Curley Rd., as well as the promise of ultra-fast internet speeds in every home in the development.

“There’s a lot of issues and nuances that are unknown,’’ Wells said.

Oakley said he has had at least seven meetings with Metro Development, and has been unable to figure out “what they are holding back.”

O’Connor, however, questioned whether Oakley or Wells could vote against the project at all, based on the fact they have received a combined $20,000 in campaign contributions — $14,000 for Wells and $6,000 for Oakley — from Metro and its affiliated companies.

“I know Rachel said she was the only candidate that did not take contributions, but they were not offered to her,” said Wells, a claim O’Connor said was not true.

“I would never support that (project), which is why I have not taken the opportunities presented to me to take money from Metro Development,’’ O’Connor said.

Metro also has donated thousands to commissioners who are currently serving and running for re-election.

Oakley defended taking contributions from a development company that will need his vote.

“I did, I got a contribution from them for my campaign,’’ Oakley said. “That money was needed to run my campaign. Just like anybody else that has to run a campaign, it costs money. I can tell you that in that process, I didn’t sell my integrity, I didn’t sell my soul, and I didn’t sell my vote to Metro.”

O’Connor, who has railed against the ‘Good ol’ Boy Network’ during her campaign, said that is not a chance voters should take.

“When you take money from a developer or a builder, you are pretty much saying that they have an open door to you,’’ she said. “And, if they don’t have the door to you, they invest heavily in other county commission candidates. When you take $14,000 from one developer, that is pretty much buying your vote. No way you’re going to say no, I’m sorry.”

Other than the exchange over Metro, the three candidates did not disagree on much.

On the vastly expanding Wesley Chapel area, all three candidates agree that growth and development is a good thing.

Oakley said that the economic development on the east side of Pasco County, primarily in Wesley Chapel, was a “steamroller and it is running down that road” towards Zephyrhills and Dade City. He said that is a good thing, as long as certain controls are in place.

“It’s one of the better things we have going for Pasco County,’’ he said.

Meanwhile, Wells, citing what she said was a 20-plus-year career in business leadership and boardrooms (mostly in real estate, where she is currently director of sales for the Tampa Division of Meritage Homes) said that to continue the growth, she would form a strong partnership with Pasco Economic Development Council (EDC) president and CEO, Bill Cronin. She stressed the need for Pasco to better market itself to continue to attract new businesses.

O’Connor presented a six-point plan for harnessing the growth, including streamlining permitting and updating the county’s technology for handling it, reviewing codes to make sure the county is open to all types of businesses, instead of just a few, creating competitive impact fees and evening the playing field by not playing favorites to certain developers.

All three candidates, speaking in front of a small Zephyrhills audience, said S.R. 56 was going to connect to their city and they needed to be ready and prepared for the growth that is likely to come with it.

Regarding the county’s current issues with homelessness and drugs, Wells said she was a proponent of helping, “but also to enable them to get jobs and get back on their feet.”

Oakley called for a bigger role by local ministries, while O’Connor said working with the sheriff’s office to help stop the drug problem would play a big role in settling the homeless issue.

All three candidates profusely praised both Sheriff Chris Nocco’s office and the county’s other first responders, and promised to help find more funding for those departments.

Asked what is one of the biggest issues facing the district and county, O’Connor said preparing for the upcoming development and population boom that would accompany it is a priority. Wells said the Zephyrhills Airport was a “jewel” and needed attention, and also stressed the need for better county infrastructure. Oakley said he was “very passionate” about improving Pasco residents’ quality of life.