BROOKSVILLE — Tracy Ramirez left Hillsborough, Pinellas and Pasco counties for rural eastern Hernando County to get away from the growth, the traffic, the noise and the sprawl.
Now, she told county commissioners, a Pasco County developer wants to send its subdivision traffic down her quiet, tree-lined street.
Ramirez and several of her neighbors on Hancock Lake Road lined up during public comment Aug. 25 to demand the county block the developer from using their dead-end road to reach a planned 12-lot subdivision across the county line.
They left with what they came for. Commissioners said they would oppose any connection, and Public Works Director Scott Herring said he would notify Pasco County that Hernando would not allow access to Hancock Lake Road. Commissioner John Allocco suggested residents petition to vacate the end of the road, which would put the pavement into their own property and rule out a link to Pasco.
“I am thrilled,” Ramirez said afterward. “I am very happy that the county commission is reacting the way that it did.”
Letter from the developer
Residents learned of the proposal in July, when the developer mailed letters about a rezoning application in Pasco County.
Westco Properties LLC wants to rezone 63 acres at 18638 Possum Trot near Dade City from AC, an agricultural district, to AR-5, which allows five-acre residential lots. The property would be split into 12 lots north of Bayhead Road, and 11 of them would be reachable only through Hernando County.
Resident Bob Morgan said the developer intends to use Hancock Lake Road as its corridor, and he urged commissioners not to let staff issue a right-of-way special use permit. Residents paid for most of the improvements to Hancock Lake Road, Morgan said, and the developer already has access from Possum Trot but does not want to pay to improve it.
One look at Possum Trot explains why. It is unpaved, and Bayhead Road, which leads to it, is a narrow strip of asphalt.
Jennifer Ward said she and her neighbors bought along Hancock Lake Road for its rural character and because a dead end keeps traffic down.
“Allowing this proposed development will increase our traffic by up to 30 to 35 vehicles per day,” she said. “We are also concerned about the increase in flooding to this area as well as the increase in water usage as we are all dependent on our wells.”
Construction traffic would have to enter Hernando County and travel Hancock Lake Road to reach the site, residents said, and so would Pasco County patrol cars, firetrucks, ambulances and school buses once homes are built. The alternative, one resident said, would be some kind of agreement for Hernando County to provide those services.
Randi Olson said she and her husband built on the road 20 years ago, when it was little more than dirt and limestone. They paid to have it paved so emergency vehicles could get in.
“I’m here to simply ask you to stop Pasco County from trying to turn our county into what they have become,” Olson said.
Others cited the effects on their health and on wildlife in the area.
Dead end
Ramirez said she gave commissioners a petition along with a Hernando County engineering study that recommended against connecting Hancock Lake Road to Pasco County.
When she asked County Engineer Todd Crosby how residents could take part in the process, she said, he told her, “There is none. It’s a public road.” Crosby has since told Pasco County that Hernando would prefer the road stay unconnected, she said.
The developer’s plans show no connection between Hancock Lake Road and Possum Trot, she said.
“This developer is trying to ‘back-door’ a subdivision,” Ramirez said.
She said she and her husband, Scott Toner, researched what the commission could do. Toner told commissioners that even though Hancock Lake Road is public, the board can direct Hernando County agencies not to enter into agreements with Pasco County.
Commission response
Allocco said he has talked with Pasco County commissioners and with several Hernando residents. Some county roads are stub-outs meant to be extended someday, he said, and the board has vacated the ends of several, making a connection impossible.
“This road was clearly designed to be a dead-end road,” he said. “It wasn’t designed to be a benefit for a Pasco developer.”
The developer should build in Pasco, Allocco said, drawing applause from the audience.
Commissioner John Mitten said he was friendly to the idea and saw a consensus on the board. He moved to Hernando County for the same reason many of the residents did, he said: He did not want to live in Hillsborough, Pinellas or Pasco. There is a different rhythm of life in Hernando, he added.
Commissioner Steve Champion and Chairman Jerry Campbell agreed. Campbell congratulated residents on their work and said he favored doing everything legally possible to protect the road.
Outside the chambers, Ramirez said the neighbors would now begin the process of vacating the road and folding it into their property so it can never be tied to Pasco County.
In other action
The commission’s weekly “America 250” presentation covered the proper way to dispose of worn U.S. flags. Instead of throwing them out or burning them at home, residents can take them to a local Scouting America troop or American Legion post for a formal retirement ceremony.
Fire Chief Paul Hasenmeier presented options for fire impact fees. Commissioners reached a consensus and will vote formally on Option 2 at their next regular meeting, Thursday, Sept. 10. Hasenmeier was also congratulated on earning his doctorate.
Commissioner Ryan Amsler was absent.