The Latest On The Pebble Creek Golf Club Rezoning

“I Feel Very Strongly That This Board Let This Neighborhood Down.” — Hillsborough Commissioner Ken Hagan 

On June 9, chief assistant Hillsborough County attorney Cameron Clark explains the need for the “constrained remand” by the Board of County Commissioners, as “Save Pebble Creek” supporters hold up “Remand” signs. (Photo is a screenshot from the BOCC’s June 9 Land Development Hearing on YouTube) 

The group calling itself “Save Pebble Creek” has very few opportunities left to try to, as they see it, save their neighborhood. The Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) voted 5-1 on June 9 to “remand” the proposed GL Homes project — the home builder has been trying for year to purchase the 149 acres of the Pebble Creek Golf Club’s golf course (which closed in July 2021) and build 250 single-family homes on the property — back to the Zoning Hearing Master (ZHM) on Monday, July 20, 6 p.m., but for a very limited, constrained purpose. 

Just for clarification, a “remand” in a land development or zoning context “occurs when a higher authority (like a court or appellate board, in this case, the 2nd District Court of Appeals) sends a project application or dispute back to a lower authority (like a local planning commission or, in this case, the BOCC) for further review, additional findings, or reconsideration.” 

Chief assistant county attorney Cameron Clark (photo) told the Board that the only part of the case that could be remanded was to add an “ex parte” communication (Note – An “ex parte” communication in land development is any “one-sided” communication between a project applicant, supporter or opponent and a decision-making board member outside of a public hearing) by Ace Golf and still-Pebble Creek Golf Club owner Bill Place to District 5 County Commissioner Donna Cameron Cepeda. 

In his email to Comm. Cepeda dated Apr. 7, Place wrote, “I believe the GL [Homes] project offers the best possible solution for residents and we have worked with them every step of the way,” which will need to be included in the official record of the project. 

And, while the remand will not include the last line of Place’s email (but it is a matter of public record), it said, “I did not want to make the offer before your position was taken on this (not that it would have influenced), but I would be quite happy to support your re-election.” 

After Clark explained to the commissioners exactly what the BOCC could and couldn’t remand, Dist. 7 Comm. Joshua Wostal moved to remand Place’s ex-parte communication issue to the Zoning Hearing Master at the BOCC’s zoning hearing on July 20. 

After the motion was seconded by Dist. 1 Comm. Harry Cohen, Board Chair & Dist. 2 Comm. Ken Hagan explained to the Save Pebble Creek supporters (who held up “Remand” signs behind Clark as he spoke) in attendance that no public comments could be made at that meeting. 

Prior to the vote, Comm. Hagan asked Clark, “Do you see any avenue or opportunity to broaden that remand at this time?” 

Clark responded, “I would say that’s very difficult. It’s not impossible but all the issues that have already been discussed in this case…the evidence that’s been submitted…that the Board discussed in its denial and that were discussed by the court…essentially, those are closed issues at this point. So, new evidence on, say, the desirability of maintaining open space, things of that nature, would not be helpful at this point because, essentially, it’s already been determined that those issues were resolved by the court.” 

Hagan then said, “I’m just going to say, having represented Pebble Creek for 24 years…I feel very strongly that this Board let this neighborhood down. Unfortunately, that ship has sailed and the county attorney has made it very clear what our options are [now].” 

Dist. 6 Comm. Chris Boles then asked Clark, “When this comes back before us, after the July 20 [ZHM] hearing, will there be an opportunity for public comment at that time, and will it be limited only to what happened at that hearing? Would you expound upon that?” 

Clark responded, “So, just as the ability to comment at the July 20 ZHM hearing is going to be limited — and I believe this comes back to [the BOCC] Land Use in September — there will be a new oral argument opportunity but it would be limited to that issue only because everything else that’s [already] in the record is going to be the same as it was in July 2023, and there’s already been oral arguments on all of those issues.” 

The commissioners then voted 5-1 (Dist. 4 Comm. Christine Miller was absent) in favor of the remand, with Comm. Hagan casting the lone dissenting vote. 

Save Pebble Creek founder Leslie Green released this statement after the BOCC’s vote: 

“It is unfortunate that after the BOCC voted against the rezoning application, its decision-making authority was ultimately limited by a court ruling that prevented the Board from relying on its original reasons for denial, including consistency with the Comprehensive Plan. 

“I believe that if the County had pursued one additional appeal, the BOCC’s denial would have been upheld, and this matter could have been resolved much sooner. We were hoping for a much broader remand that would have allowed consideration of the soil contamination issues and an update to the 2022 traffic study. I fear living here during the soil cleanup.” 

The History Of The Case 

As Clark explained prior to the vote, the BOCC first denied the GL Homes rezoning application in July of 2023: “The developer appealed that denial to circuit court, where the applicant prevailed,” Clark said. “The county then appealed that ruling to the appellate court, where the county prevailed. It was sent back to the circuit court, where the circuit judge essentially ‘fixed’ his order and once again quashed the Board’s denial from July of ‘23, which effectively rewinds this application back to [that date]. The effect of the court order is to place significant restraint on the Board’s action.” We will update this story after the July 20 ZHM hearing. 

Will Rezoning Provide Viera’s Safety Cut-Through In K-Bar? 

 If you travel east on K-Bar Ranch Pkwy. (past Sundrift Dr.; see map above), a little south of the Hillsborough/Pasco county line, you’ll come to a spot where the K-Bar Ranch Pkwy. abruptly ends at five perfectly placed bright red diamond signs. 

To the left are gorgeous houses being constructed by M/I Homes around a freshly paved cul-de-sac, and to the right, a beautiful set of lakes where sandhill cranes are teaching their young how to forage for food along the banks. 

As the sun lowers in the sky, walkers, runners and bicyclists begin to emerge and take advantage of this 800’ long section of road to nowhere, taking in the fading warmth of the sun. Straight ahead, past the signs, is a narrow stretch of cypress trees hiding Basset Branch, a tributary that flows south directly into the Hillsborough River. Many don’t even know the creek is there. 

On the east side of this 300’-wide wetland lies Easton Park, a small subdivision which began building in 2005, but where the last house wasn’t built until 2014, due to the Great Recession of 2008-09. Since then, Easton Park has been the only K-Bar subdivision with access to Morris Bridge Rd., but a big change may be coming — thanks to a new developer planning to add new homes and townhomes in K-Bar Ranch. 

In the distance behind the sandhill cranes, is where K-Bar Ranch Pkwy. currently dead-ends a just east of Sundrift Dr. (see map above). (Photos by Joel Provenzano)

Inside Easton Park are two strange intersection footprints, one along Pictorial Park Dr. and one along Natures Spirit Dr, which like the road in K-Bar, seem to go nowhere. But, there is a purpose to all of this seemingly wasted pavement. Although they are far apart, the end of K-Bar Ranch Pkwy. and these two random intersection footprints are all in line with each other. 

Years before the K-Bar Ranch was annexed into the city and Easton Park was ever even started, Hillsborough County planners knew that they wanted a future east-west road to someday connect to Morris Bridge Rd. all of the communities that would be built upon this sprawling pasture land. Early on, they planned its path and set aside the land for future right-of-way. Back then, there was a dirt path that crossed over then-tiny Basset Branch allowing ranchers to get from one side of the property to the other, and there were no wetland trees around that crossing. 

The county decided the future east-west road path should go there, to minimize environmental impacts, but when the eastern half of that land was sold to make Easton Park, for whatever reason, that dirt path and old culvert pipes underneath were removed. After a few flooding rains, it didn’t take long for now-much-wider Basset Branch to carve its way through and start to expand. 

The New Project 

Now, more than 20 years later, this former dirt-covered crossing has grown into the 300’- wide wetland where K-Bar Ranch Pkwy. will need to punch through in order to connect to Easton Park, and ultimately extend to Morris Bridge Rd. But, this former county vision is no longer a pipe dream, as the Eisenhower Property Group (EPG) submitted a preliminary plat to the City of Tampa on March 1 of this year for a project which is currently being referred to as “K-Bar Ranch Homestead Parcel Phase 1.” This area was annexed into the City of Tampa in 2002 in anticipation of its development. 

The city issued comments for this proposed community (to be located on the east side of the wetland, immediately north of Easton Park) and referenced that rezoning will need to be completed and accepted before the project could move forward as proposed. Even so, there may still need to be some changes to the plans to satisfy all city departments. 

The rezonings — REZ-24-02 and REZ- 24-03 — still need to go before the Tampa City Council, so District 7 Tampa City Council member (and New Tampa resident) Luis Viera could not, by law, comment about the rezonings for this article, and city staff says that neither rezoning has been scheduled yet, but that EPG is targeting June or July for both. 

The main change proposed in both rezonings, from the previously approved zoning, is a change in orientation of the main north-south “Collector Road,” which was previously approved as a loop road. Instead of a loop, it would be straightened (as shown in the map above). Also proposed is a minor change in the number of dwelling units to a maximum total of 500 single-family and 188 townhomes. 

The project plans currently consist of 484 single-family home sites (363 sites of 50’x120’ and 121 60’x120’ lots) on an approximately 400-acre site. This is slightly below the maximum 500 single-family homes being requested in the rezoning. Where the proposed K-Bar Ranch extension intersects with Morris Bridge Rd., both of those corners are labeled as “Future Commercial” in the plans (see map). 

Coincidently, EPG also is developing the master-planned community on the other side of Morris Bridge Rd. from Easton Park, known as Two Rivers (which we told you about in a previous issue). For that project, EPG acquired the first 6,000 acres inside Pasco back in 2021 and the remaining 2,000 acres inside Hillsborough about a year ago. 

The Important Part 

The most important part of this latest EPG K-Bar project (for many local residents) may not be so much the homes, but the roadways shown in the proposed plans. The existing portion of K-Bar Ranch Pkwy. that dead-ends at Sundrift Dr. is labeled “Segment F,” and the new extension that will connect it out to Morris Bridge Rd. is labeled “Segment G, Transportation Improvement,” which is a proposed 120’ -wide right of way (R/W) “Collector Road – 4 Lane Divided.” 

The sign marking the intersection of K-Bar Ranch Pkw. and Sundrift Dr.

The K-Bar Ranch plans state that, “Transportation Improvement G [K-Bar Ranch Parkway Extension] shall be constructed prior to or concurrent with Homestead Parcel Phase 1 [the main project].” This extension will connect with each of those two strange intersection footprints in Easton Park, allowing those residents three potential additional ways to get in and out of their community: 

1. Westbound toward Kinnan St. via K-Bar Ranch Pkwy. 

2. Eastbound toward Morris Bridge Rd. via K-Bar Ranch Pkwy. 

3. Northbound towards Pasco County, where the proposed north-south “Collector Road” through the new community is slated to connect with Wyndfields Blvd. in the Union Park community in Wesley Chapel. 

This also will inversely allow K-Bar Ranch, Union Park and Meadow Pointe residents easier access to Morris Bridge Rd., giving more route choices for local residents and greatly reducing distances to get around the area. These additional connections could improve safety, too (see below). City staff says that EPG is responsible for constructing both the K-Bar Ranch Pkwy. extension and the north-south “Collector Road,” as both are required under the developer’s 2018 agreement with the city. 

Safety First? 

Councilman Viera said he had first learned about this proposed community project from city staff when he was looking into the issues and potential solutions surrounding too-long emergency response times in K-Bar Ranch, New Tampa’s northeasternmost and most remote community. 

“I have been pushing for a fire station in K-Bar but was told there was not enough calls for service in that area,” Viera says. 

He expressed concern about the 12-minute travel time for emergency vehicles from Tampa Fire Rescue Station No. 22 on Cross Creek Blvd. to reach the back of K-Bar Ranch. With the proposed extension of K-Bar Ranch Pkwy. out to Morris Bridge Rd., those travel times could be cut in half — to only six minutes — potentially saving lives. 

Viera says he feels very strongly about connecting roads and communities together. On the other side of K-Bar, he pushed hard to try and fully connect Kinnan St. with Mansfield Blvd. in Meadow Pointe for regular traffic but said, “Pasco has not been amenable to that, there’s been a block from the Pasco side…but I was happy we at least got the emergency gate,” which was installed in 2020. He says his intent is to still get that connection fully open to regular vehicular traffic someday. 

K-Bar Ranch was finally connected to Wesley Chapel when Meadow Pointe Blvd. was extended south to meet K-Bar Ranch Pkwy, something Pasco did agree to, making Viera happier. The thing that isn’t certain now, however, is who exactly is going to physically connect the north-south “Collector Road” in this new K-Bar community project with Wyndfields Blvd. in Union Park. Wyndfields Blvd. currently ends 540’ north of the county line The currently submitted plans do not call out exactly how that will be accomplished or who will be responsible for it, although city staff believes that ultimately, that responsibility will fall to EPG under the development agreement.

Browning Hoping For Smoother Rezoning Process This Fall

Chris Williams (standing) looks over maps during a School Boundary Committee meetings in 2016 at Wesley Chapel High. There will be no such committees in 2019; Williams and his staff are in the process of drawing up new boundaries and will answer questions and concerns on Oct. 7 at Wiregrass Ranch High.

With Cypress Creek Middle School scheduled to open separately from the existing high school in August of 2020, Pasco County is about to tackle the difficult job of drawing new school attendance boundaries again. But, Pasco Schools superintendent Kurt Browning has his fingers crossed that things won’t be nearly as tough as they were in 2016.

They couldn’t be worse, right?

In Wesley Chapel, the process was contentious and exhausting, as families argued over various options and how best to alleviate the overcrowding at the area’s existing schools while filling the classrooms at Cypress Creek Middle/High, which was opening the following year.

On the west side of the county, it was even worse, as the boundaries for Mitchell and Anclote high schools ended up in court.

Browning says this time around, things will be different.

In 2016, a School Boundary Committee (SBC) made up of parents, district staff and school administrators was formed to help define the new boundaries. But this fall, the plans will be the sole responsibility of the District staff. “I’ve done away with that committee, and now it’s a District-driven process,” Browning says.

Gone are the community workshops from the last rezoning, which resulted in a packed gymnasium, or two, of angry parents. Instead, Browning says Chapter 120 of the Florida Statutes will be followed. 

“The irony is that under Chapter 120, there are no opportunities early on for community involvement in this process,” Browning says. “We got dinged because we were not following Chapter 120, so what we did is we said ‘Fine, we’ll follow Chapter 120.’”

That process is more “sterile,” Browning says.

District staff, led by planning director Chris Williams, will come up with a new map of boundaries for high schools and middle schools, with data to support those maps.

Chapter 120 does still allow for public comment, however. And, on Monday, October 7, 5 p.m.-8 p.m., in the Wiregrass Ranch High (WRH) gymnasium, area residents will have the opportunity to view the maps and ask questions of District staff. They also will be allowed to offer opinions, either at the meeting or online.

Browning says his staff will read every question and comment. Some could lead to changes or adjustments, and once finalized, there will be a public hearing before the Pasco School Board on Tuesday, November 5.

That will be the last time the public will have an opportunity to voice any opinions or concerns, as on Tuesday, November 19, the School Board will make its final decision.

A Little Contentious History

 In 2016, the SBC’s recommendation of Option 20, which rezoned the bulk of the students living in Seven Oaks to Cypress Creek, was rejected by Browning, setting off a long dispute.

As a result of Seven Oaks being spared back then, however, Browning says it is likely that the new maps, which will soon be revealed, will rezone much of Seven Oaks.

Kurt Browning

“I said last time there will come a day, sooner than later, that Seven Oaks will have to be looked at, and now is that time,” Browning says. “We have to look to get those numbers down at John Long Middle School and Wiregrass Ranch High, and the most logical place to do that is Seven Oaks.”

While the idea of sending their kids to different schools further away ruffled feathers last time, Browning doesn’t see the same discord this time around.

“I don’t think it will be as contentious as (2016),” he says. “You know, they were going into an unknown and even the students who got rezoned were going to a brand new high school that was coming up out of the ground,” Browning said. “There wasn’t any track record. Now we have two years under our belt at Cypress Creek Middle High and they’re doing wonderfully well. It’s a great administration, great kids, great teachers and the academics are solid. I think it will be easier from that perspective.”

Even after redrawing the boundaries to relieve overcrowding, it is likely that some schools will remain at or above capacity. Browning says the county doesn’t have enough money to build schools fast enough to accommodate the growth in Wesley Chapel.

Based on enrollment numbers that average the first 20 days of the current school year, 11 of the 14 Wesley Chapel schools are already over capacity.

“Even when we rezone kids out of Wiregrass Ranch and John Long Middle with this rezoning, those schools are still going to be at, or near, capacity,” he says.

 This year, Wiregrass Ranch High is at 139 percent of capacity, and John Long Middle School is at 119 percent.

Cypress Creek Middle High currently has 2,100 students, but nearly half of those will be moving to the new 1,600-seat middle school. 

The middle school will then be able to absorb roughly 600 additional students without exceeding capacity. And, according to Browning, Cypress Creek High, which has a capacity of 2,090 students, will be able to take 800 new students from other high schools and those graduating from local middle schools and still remain at or under capacity.

More help could be on the way, too. A new magnet high school is on the horizon for 2022 at the corner of Keifer Rd. and Curley Rd. north of WaterGrasss, which Browning says will draw students from Pasco, Zephyrhills, Wesley Chapel and Wiregrass Ranch high schools.

Until then, while the new middle school will provide some relief, overcrowding will continue to be a way of life in this bustling area.

BCC Again Pushes Back Vote On Fate Of Quail Hollow Golf Course

The red-shaded area is where new homes could replace the golf course in Quail Hollow.

Lingering concerns about whether or not the property rights of Quail Hollow residents are being considered strongly enough is giving some Pasco County commissioners fits.

At a contentious Board of County Commissioners (BCC) meeting on May 9 at the historic Pasco County Courthouse in Dade City, commissioners once again failed to come to a consensus on whether to vote to approve Quail Hollow Golf & Country Club owner Andres Carollo’s request to rezone his property.

Instead of making a decision, the BCC voted 3-2 to continue the issue, until June 6 at 1:30 p.m. in Dade City.

Carollo and his Pasco Office Park LLC is seeking to change the zoning of his golf course property to MPUD, allowing him to raze the course and clubhouse and pave the way for 400 single-family homes, including 30,000-sq.-ft. of office and retail space and a 10,000-sq.-ft. daycare center.

Carollo already has a R1 zoning, which means he already can build a maximum of 306 homes on the golf course located at 6225 Old Pasco Rd if he chooses to.

“I’m not comfortable pushing this,’’ District 5 commissioner Jack Mariano told his fellow commissioners.

District 2 commissioner Mike Moore, who represents parts of Wesley Chapel, including the Quail Hollow area, and District 4 commissioner Mike Wells, voted with Mariano to continue the decision until June 6.

While acknowledging Carollo’s property rights, “I have concerns for the residents too,’’ Moore said. “It’s tough. Many of them were sold a golf course-front property, and when I met with them I saw titles that were signed by the applicant (Carollo). I saw the paperwork. It still concerns me.”

Attorney Barbara Wilhite, who is representing Pasco Office Park LLC, said her client deserved a decision, after four meetings and “countless” good faith changes to his original plan.

Wilhite argued that her client has gone back and made a number of modifications to the original plans to appease the residents and the county, but, “it is never enough.” She cited agreeing to a binding conceptual plan, traffic changes to improve safety and stormwater facilities to handle a 100-year storm (or a storm with a one-percent probability of occurring), when the county requires only 25 years.

Since the last hearing, Wilhite says Carollo has agreed to a very strict regulatory program in regards to offsite discharges, and agreed to hire an independent certified inspector to monitor stormwater erosion and sediment control both for pre-construction and during construction, at a notable cost.

“We have met conditions that far exceed your code,’’ Wilhite said.

When Mariano suggested a continuance to allow more time for Quail Hollow homeowners and Wilhite’s team to negotiate and work things out, Wilhite implored the BCC to vote. “I know what the (residents’) agenda is,’’ she said. “You heard them come here and object to conditions that anybody else that doesn’t want to stop a project would agree to. They want you to stop the project.”

Commissioners Kathryn Starkey of District 3 and Ron Oakley, whose District 1 borders Quail Hollow, voted against a continuance, saying they were on board with Wilhite’s request for a vote.

Both commissioners said they were in favor of the plan put forward by Carollo, because they are proponents of the rights of a property owner. Starkey said the adjustments made to the original plan made the current version “100 times” better.

“The fact is, these golf courses are going defunct everywhere…something has to be done with them and this gentlemen has property rights and I am definitely a property rights person,’’ Starkey said. “They have done as much as they can to negate the worst conditions.”

Dozens of Quail Hollow residents again packed the room for the meeting. A handful spoke -— including Sarasota-based attorney Maureen Jones, who is representing the Quail Hollow Neighborhood Citizens Group Inc. Those who did speak were often admonished by Moore and Pasco County attorney Jeff Steinsnyder for straying from the allowed topics — the four conditions related to pollution and run-off during construction that had been added to the development plan since the last meeting in April.

The June 6 meeting could bring to an end the long process of rezoning QHGCC, which was built in 1965 and despite closing from 2008-10, was bought for $1.7-million by Carollo and refurbished and re-opened.

In Jan. of 2016, the first rezoning request was filed by Carollo, and since then dozens of changes have been made to it.

This year alone, four meetings have been held regarding Carollo’s request to re-zone. On Jan. 12, a public hearing was held in Dade City, as the county’s Development Review Committee (DRC) heard from dozens of concerned Quail Hollow residents. The DRC continued that meeting to March, where it voted 4-1 to approve the zoning change.

That sent it to the BCC for final approval, but meetings in April and May both ended with continuances.

Mariano applauded Wilhite and her team’s efforts to get the rezoning approved. “This is the last hurdle,’’ he told her.

School Board Approves Rezoning Plan: New Tampa Families Brace For Changes

Note: This story has been updated since it was written for the May 19 printed issue of Neighborhood News.

The Hillsborough County School Board met on May 16 and approved a rezoning plan that has had many parents up in arms and many others pleased since it was announced in March.

The plan will shift hundreds of students currently attending Pride, Heritage, Hunter’s Green and Clark elementaries for the school year that begins in August, 2018.

After nearly 20 speakers addressed the Board (14 speakers in favor of rezoning and 4 speakers opposed), the Board discussed the proposal at length before voting 6-1 in favor of the rezoning plan. While acknowledging the inconvenience to some parents and the discomfort of change, the Board ultimately chose to move forward with the plan.

Prior to the vote, school district representatives discussed implementation plans that were released online May 4, allowing many families who don’t want to leave Pride Elementary an option to stay there.

• Students who want to move to their new school early, for the upcoming 2017-18 school year (instead of 2018-19, when the changes are proposed to take effect) will have a special choice application to do so between July 11-20, if capacity is available.

• Students currently in 3rd grade (who will be in 5th grade when the plan is implemented) will be allowed to remain at their current school by completing a special choice application.

• Because capacity is expected to be available at Pride, students currently in grades 1-3 at Pride will be eligible to enter a special lottery to remain at Pride for the 2018-19 school year. The lottery will be conducted based on available capacity (estimated 150 seats) and will likely be held next spring or summer.

• No preference will be available for younger siblings of students who fit the above categories.

• School choice will be closed for all schools involved in this proposal for the first year of implementation, with the exception of the special choice applications listed above and hardship applications, which will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

• Transportation is generally not provided to students who are “grandfathered” into their current school or those who choose to opt in to their new school early.

“At Pride, we know we’ll have some space available for some period of time while K-Bar Ranch is being built out,” says Lorraine Duffy Suarez, Hillsborough County Public Schools general manager for growth management. “As long as we have space to accommodate people, we try to, if it doesn’t have a negative effect somewhere else down the line.”

The update provided on May 4 also outlined a slight revision to the original proposal. Students who live in the Addison Park apartments at the corner of Cross Creek Blvd. and Kinnan St. will be moved from Heritage to Pride, to better balance the enrollments at those two schools.

This is in addition to the previously released changes, which make room for expected growth in K-Bar Ranch over the coming years by shifting students in the following ways:

• More than 550 students who are currently bused to Clark and Hunter’s Green from the area surrounding the University of South Florida move to schools in their neighborhood.

• More than 550 students move from Pride to Hunter’s Green (Arbor Greene and Cory Lake Isles residents)

• Nearly 200 students move from Hunter’s Green to Clark (residents of the Morgan Creek apartments)

• About 200 move from Heritage to Pride (K-Bar Ranch and Addison Park residents; Easton Park residents will stay at Heritage)

More information about the proposal and implementation strategies are on the school district’s website at sdhc.k12.fl.us/doc/251/growth-management/resources/boundary/.

Bell Schedule Changes

At its meeting on April 25, the Hillsborough School Board voted to approve changes to the bell schedule for the 2018-19 school year, giving parents time to adjust to new start and end times for most schools.

School superintendent Jeff Eakins says the changes are necessary to allow time for buses to get kids to school on time. The new schedule will add 15 minutes to the school day at the elementary level, which is expected to be filled with additional time for art, music, and physical education. Middle school students lose 15 minutes and high school students lose 32 minutes. Both middle and high schools will keep their seven-period schedules, but may see the elimination of homeroom, a shorter time for lunch, and class periods may be reduced by a minute or two.

For New Tampa elementary schools — including Chiles, Clark, Heritage, Hunter’s Green, Pride and Tampa Palms — the school day will start at 8:35 a.m. and end at 3:05 p.m. beginning in the fall of 2018. At Benito and Liberty middle schools, the school day will start at 9:15 a.m. and end at 4:15 p.m. At Freedom and Wharton high schools, the day will start at 7:15 a.m. and end at 2:10 p.m. Monday will continue to be an early release day, with students being dismissed one hour early.

For students at Turner/Bartels K-8 school, bell times for the 2018-19 school year are still “to be determined.” The District will survey parents this fall and release information about new bell times during the next school year.