At the end of the September 25, 2018 Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) meeting, the board voted unanimously to approve Boating in Florida’s license agreement, allowing the company to continue kayak retrieval at Roger’s Park. The vote was held at the end of the eight-hour meeting, to allow for county staff to modify sections of the contract.
Brooksville City Council held its final public hearing to present the FY 2019 budget on September 12, 2018. Without citizen comments, and little discussion at the dais, Resolution 2018-14, the balancing of the budget at the 6.2000 millage rate was approved unanimously. The new millage rate is an 11.14% decrease from the prior year’s rollback rate of 6.9775 mills.
Family, friends and regulars of Becky Jack’s Seafood Shack gathered on Sunday, Sept. 9, 2018 to celebrate the life of owner Joe Foster, who passed away earlier in the week. Joe ran the restaurant with his wife Kim Curtis, who died in 2015.
Inside the restaurant, Doug Swan told the story of a photo of Joe smiling and holding a large grouper. A longtime friend, Swan reminisced of fishing and boating with Joe and Kim, whom he’d met at Newk’s Cafe in Tampa over a decade ago. Joe and Kim became regulars of Newk’s, and formed many friendships there.
Pizza Villa, the well-known restaurant with two locations celebrated its 30th year in business in Hernando County. Chamber of Commerce members Danny and Angela Leporino with their family posed for photos during a ribbon-cutting ceremony while a steady stream of customers quickly filled the restaurant during the early dinner hour.
Danny said, “Hernando County’s been very good to us, and we appreciate our customers.” As he gestured to regard his customers who were occupying most of the seats at the tables, he said with a grateful smile, “Thirty years, what more can I say!?”
Spring Center, the 440-acre planned development project in Spring Hill will undergo rezoning to accommodate the town center, with surrounding multi-family and single-family homes. In a 5-0 vote, the Board of County Commissioners voted on September 11, 2018 to approve the rezoning petition with modified conditions and clarifications of language in some portions of the development’s plan.
In a special meeting held on August 27, 2018, the Brooksville City Council met to discuss items stemming from the previous budget meeting on August 13, 2018. Included in this meeting were results of a water and sewer rate study performed by the Florida Rural Water Association, the usage of enterprise fund reserves, and employee salary increases. Water and sewer rate increases were passed as well as 5% salary increases for non-management city staff.
Water and Sewer Rates
Acceptance of Strategic Marine Area Plan for Hernando County was tabled at the August 28, 2018 Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) meeting. Due to unclear language and omitted definitions, the board will again consider the plan at the regular meeting on September 25, 2018, after necessary changes are made.
Acceptance of the Strategic Marine Area Plan for Hernando County was tabled at the August 28, 2018 Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) meeting. Due to unclear language and omitted definitions, the board will again consider the plan at the regular meeting on September 25, 2018, after necessary changes are made.
Aquatics Manager Keith Kolasa presented the science-based Strategic Marine Area Plan, that is described as a product of the RESTORE act, as well as a grass-roots effort that has been in development by members of the Port Authority.
SWFWMD (Southwest Florida Water Management District) Senior Professional Engineer Mark Fulkerson, Ph.D., P.E presented to the Board of County Commissioners at the regular meeting on August 28, 2018 the current condition of the Withlacoochee River, and gave some insight on its history, impacts of seasonal rainfall, and flooding considerations for the future.
At the School Board workshop held August 14, 2018, Supervisor of School Choice Angela Kennedy presented new Magnet School Procedures Plan for the 2019-2020 school year. According to Kennedy, there are changes to some of the language in the application packet, and dates have been adjusted for the coming school year. The board also discussed school capacity in the future, as future development in Spring Hill is expected to increase the number of students attending schools in the area.
