Tax collector offices again collecting shoes, socks for students
All five Pasco County tax collector offices are again serving as drop-off sites for the county’s annual Two Good Soles Shoes & Socks Collection Drive, which provides footwear to school students in need.
New shoes and socks for children and adults may be left through Oct. 15 in donation boxes in the main lobby of each office.
“We are proud to be a part of the Two Good Soles Shoes & Socks Collection Drive for the past 11 years,” Tax Collector Mike Fasano said. “Every year our staff and a very generous community have participated in this important charitable effort. All the new shoes and socks collected will go to Pasco students who need good footwear.”
Donations may be dropped off at the Gulf Harbors office, 4720 U.S. 19, New Port Richey; the New Port Richey office, 8731 Citizens Drive, Room 120; the Land O’ Lakes office, 4135 U.S. 41; the Wesley Chapel office, 4160 Pet Lane, Suite C101, Lutz; and the Dade City office, 14236 Sixth St., Room 100.
For office locations, call the centralized call center at 352-521-4338, 727-847-8032 or 813-235-6076. For information on the tax collector’s charitable giving programs, call Assistant Tax Collector Greg Giordano at 727-847-8179.
Work begins on 120 affordable senior apartments in Hudson
HUDSON — Construction has started on 120 affordable apartments for seniors in Hudson, the second phase of a 360-unit development going up a block from HCA Florida Bayonet Point Hospital.
McDowell Housing Partners closed financing Aug. 19 on the $38.9 million project, Ekos at Bayonet Point II, at 7526 McDowell Way. The age-restricted building is expected to be finished in spring 2028.
“We saw an acute need in Pasco County for new affordable senior housing, particularly on the west side of the county, where numerous deed-restricted senior communities are aging and hurricane-damaged,” said Christopher Shear, president of McDowell Housing Partners. “We assembled 29 acres in 2023 and rezoned the property in 2024 on the conviction that this site could serve that need at scale.”
The first phase, 114 senior apartments, is scheduled to open this fall. A third phase, 126 apartments for families, has financing commitments in place.
Phase two will be a single five-story building served by elevators, with one-bedroom, one-bath apartments averaging 660 square feet. Rents will be capped based on the area median income for the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater metropolitan area: three apartments for households earning up to 22% of that figure, 12 at 40% and 105 at 60%. Six apartments are set aside for residents with special needs.
Residents of all three phases will share a clubhouse with a pool and covered patio, a fitness center, computer lab, game and crafts area and dog park. The site also will include gazebos, grilling areas and a walking trail linking the three phases.
The apartments will have Energy Star appliances, low-flow plumbing fixtures, SEER 15 air conditioning and LED lighting, and the building is designed to meet the ICC 700 National Green Building Standard.
Financing came from tax-exempt bonds issued by the Florida Housing Finance Corp., 4% housing tax credits and subordinate financing awarded by the state agency through its SAIL, ELI and HOME-ARP programs. Wells Fargo bought the tax credits and arranged construction financing, with permanent financing from Freddie Mac.
FK Architecture is the architect of record and High Pointe Engineering the civil engineer. MHP-Park & Eleazer Construction is the general contractor, and Bryten Real Estate Partners will manage the property.
Volunteers sought for countywide Pasco cleanup
Keep Pasco Beautiful is looking for volunteers for its annual countywide cleanup, set for Saturday, Sept. 19.
Volunteers will collect litter along roadways and in public spaces at sites across Pasco County from 8 a.m. to noon, though ending times may vary by location. The nonprofit is partnering with Pasco County on the event.
About 80% of the trash that ends up in waterways starts on land, according to Keep Pasco Beautiful. Picking up litter before it washes into the stormwater system keeps debris out of local waterways and the Gulf of Mexico.
Registration is open through Sept. 5 at keeppascobeautiful.org. Disposable gloves, trash bags and cleanup T-shirts will be provided while supplies last.
The cleanup is part of the International Coastal Cleanup, coordinated by Ocean Conservancy. Since 1986, the worldwide event has drawn more than 18 million volunteers who have collected more than 380 million pounds of trash.
Partners include Pasco County, Seaworthy Collective, Reworld Pasco, the Surfing’s Evolution & Preservation Foundation and Tampa Bay Water.
Pasco waiving pet adoption fees for Clear the Shelters
Pasco County Animal Services is waiving adoption fees for all available dogs and cats from Wednesday, Aug. 26, through Sunday, Aug. 30, as part of NBCUniversal Local’s annual Clear the Shelters campaign.
Adoptions include spaying or neutering, vaccinations and microchipping. Pasco residents must buy a county license for each pet they adopt.
The adoption center is in Building A at 19640 Dogpatch Lane in Land O’Lakes. Hours are noon to 5 p.m. Aug. 26 and 27, noon to 6 p.m. Aug. 28 and 29, and noon to 5 p.m. Aug. 30.
“We’re happy to be partnering with NBCUniversal again for Clear the Shelters,” said Gary Herrero, director of Pasco County Animal Services. “Swing by, meet our amazing pets and find the perfect fit for your family.”
The campaign also accepts online donations through Greater Good Charities. Contributions to animal services or other participating shelters and rescue groups can be made at ClearTheSheltersFund.org.
For more information, visit MyPasco.net/PAS.
Saint Leo starts year with new degrees, AI training for all
ST. LEO — Saint Leo University opened its 2026-27 academic year this week with more than 10 new degree programs, $4.8 million in recent state and donor funding, and a plan to build artificial intelligence training into every course of study.
Nearly 850 new students enrolled at the university’s residential campus in east Pasco County. Classes began Aug. 24 there, online and at Saint Leo’s education centers, which include sites at Pasco-Hernando State College, the MacDill Education Office and locations in Savannah, Georgia, and Key West.
“As we begin a new academic year, our focus is clear: We are preparing students not just for their first job, but for the future of work,” said Jim Burkee, who is finishing his first year as university president.
The new degrees span health care, technology, business, criminal justice, education and ministry. Among them are bachelor’s degrees in business analytics, finance, and exercise and sport science; a bachelor’s degree in medical humanities; a master’s degree in nursing for career changers who already hold a degree in another field; an online master’s in social work; a master’s in education focused on autism spectrum disorder; and a doctorate in criminal justice with a forensic science emphasis. The university also added a minor in artificial intelligence and a forensics track within its criminology degree.
A doctorate in social work is planned for spring 2027, pending approval from the university’s accrediting agency.
Saint Leo recently received $1.8 million in state funding to expand its cybersecurity and nursing programs. Dewey and Becky Mitchell gave $1 million to start the Derek J. Mitchell Collegiate Recovery Program, which is accepting applicants and expects its first group of students in spring 2027. Arnie and Lauren Bellini gave $2 million toward an accelerated graduate program meant to move executives into cybersecurity leadership roles, also planned for spring 2027.
Every academic program will include artificial intelligence and digital fluency training through IBM SkillsBuild, a partnership the university says will make it the first in the nation to integrate the platform across all areas of study.
“At the heart of everything we do is a commitment to helping students thrive in a work environment that looks nothing like it did even five years ago,” said Bryan DePoy, provost and vice president of academic affairs.
The university also opened LEO 360, a single location combining academic advising, accessibility services, career and workforce services, the registrar and student financial services. Other additions this year include new gathering spaces, a campus store and expanded dining.
County seeks input on West Port Channel speed marker
NEW PORT RICHEY — Pasco County will take public input Monday, Aug. 31 on a proposal to install a slow-speed marker in the West Port Channel.
The county’s Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources Department will hold the preliminary meeting at 6 p.m. at the West Pasco Government Center, 8731 Citizens Drive in New Port Richey.
Community members and stakeholders are welcome, and the county has invited other government agencies.
For more information, visit MyPasco.net.