said he “won’t be bullied.”   New Port Richey Police Department vehicles take part in the Chasco parade March 29 The City Council on April 1 voted 4-1 to adopt an agreement that allows the department to become part of a U.S Department of Immigration and Customs Enforcement program [ FRED BELLET | Tampa Bay Newspapers ]By Pat MorrisTampa Bay NewspapersPublished April 13Bertell Butler IV was the lone member of the New Port Richey City Council to vote against entering into an agreement with the U.S Department of Immigration and Customs Enforcement The agreement would have city police officers trained by ICE acting on that agency’s behalf and reporting to ICE when it conducts “operations” within the city limits the council voted 4-1 to adopt the 287(g) agreement which extends federal authority over local law enforcement operations all law enforcement officers already have the authority to detain anyone convicted of they are required to inform federal authorities Florida law has prohibited cities from having “sanctuary” policies which include law enforcement failing to determine an individual’s immigration status refusing to hold them based on their immigration status limiting the time they detain individuals they hold for ICE and refusing to share an individual’s immigration status with federal authorities With those considerations in mind, at the April 1 meeting, New Port Richey Police Chief Robert Kochen asked the council to approve entering into the 287(g) agreement. City Attorney Timothy Driscoll recommended the council approve, citing, among other arguments, the consequences that could face the city government if it failed to comply. At the meeting, Butler disputed the state’s authority to compel municipal compliance. “There is no state basis that compels us to enter into this agreement,” he said. “What has happened is that the state attorney general has made some comments because of Fort Myers that suggests that if we do not enter this agreement, we could face penalties. The one that they continue to cite is removal of the city officials who voted against the agreement.” He cited the New Port Richey Police Department’s work in maintaining relationships with other law enforcement at all levels. “In my mind, this is a slap in the face … that the state cannot trust us to do what we think is necessary to protect our communities, and that they have to threaten our local officials.” Subscribe to our free DayStarter newsletter You’re all signed up!Want more of our free, weekly newsletters in your inbox? Let’s get started. He characterized the council as likely to approve the agreement, which it did 4-1, while under undue stress and compunction. He said the agreement compels local police to do the work of the federal government with no additional compensation. “It’s our overtime, it’s our resources, it’s our personnel doing what they already do,” he said. “If someone in our community commits a violent crime and they are undocumented, we already communicate with ICE. It has nothing to do with proper immigration. It compels political agreement. I won’t be bullied.” During the discussion, council member Peter Altman noted the irony of an administration that touts decentralizing power demanding municipal council members vote the way it wants, but he did vote in favor of the agreement. Council member Matt Murphy expressed the belief that the measure, as played out, would not be as harsh as it can appear on paper. “I think it’s more just to ensure that everybody is on the same page,” he said of the agreement, which Mayor Chopper Davis characterized as protecting citizens and registered voters. “We really have no choice,” said council member Kelly Mothershead. Kochen told Tampa Bay Newspapers that being party to the agreement does not mean the police department will be seeking out immigrants who are in the country illegally. He said officers are already able to, if they have probable cause, detain someone who is violating a law and whom they have reason to believe is in the country illegally. And, he said, previous Florida law already prohibits sanctuary policies. “Now,” he continued, “We can’t do this on our own. We can’t just say, ‘OK, now that we’re ICE-certified, we’re going to start doing illegal-immigrant raids. … We can’t just take this agreement and these trained officers and become our own mini-ICE agency.” That said, he wrote in a directive to his department, “I am once again directing all officers to enforce Florida Law as it pertains to illegal immigrants in our jurisdiction and to fully cooperate with ICE officials if they request assistance from us.” As required by Florida law, all county sheriff departments also entered into the 287(g) agreement, most of them because those departments are mostly in charge of correctional facilities in their counties. This is not the case in Pasco County, where jurisdiction over those facilities has passed to the county and not the sheriff’s office. Nevertheless, the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office is still compliant with the 287(g) agreement. Chase Daniels, undersheriff for community outreach, told Tampa Bay Newspapers that compliance with the agreement just simplifies what the sheriff’s office is already doing. “We are anticipating putting in approximately 20 deputies through the training program, through ICE and the Department of Homeland Security,” he said. “They will essentially be able to enforce immigration laws as local law enforcement. Right now, that is reserved to the federal government.” Daniels also said the agreement allows the sheriff’s office to take immigrants lacking permanent legal status to the county jail instead of the nearest federal holding facility. Aside from that, and access to a database that lists people the Department of Homeland Security already has on its radar, nothing much will change, he said. Kochen told Tampa Bay Newspapers that to his knowledge, ICE has not been active in the city. “I don’t know of any major operations since I’ve been here in the last 2½ years,” he said. But, he added, “We had a change in administrations federally, so the philosophy’s changed. It seems apparent under the new administration that enforcement efforts under ICE are going to be ramped up. But I don’t know what that looks like for our city.” That uncertainty is causing concern in the nonprofit community, as they fear their clients could be targeted by ICE. Many, especially those that are faith-based, serve clients without asking about their immigration status. Some also serve refugees from countries such as Ukraine, Cuba, Venezuela, Nicaragua and Haiti, who entered the county “the right way” but whose legal status is now in question under guidelines from the new administration, a fact they may not even realize. New guidelines that criminalize what used to be protected behavior by people with valid visas, such as attending political protests and criticizing U.S. policy on social media, contribute to the fear. So do news reports of legal residents being held in inhumane conditions while their cases snake through the courts, denial of due process and extrajudicial deportations. Staffers at local nonprofits who asked not to be identified told Tampa Bay Newspapers that they will no longer refer anyone not born in the U.S. — a question they never used to ask — to law enforcement outreach programs such as the sheriff’s office’s Community Response Unit and the police department’s L.I.F.T. team. At the meeting, Butler brought up some of those concerns. “My chief concern, other than the waste of local resources on what is a federal issue, is the data-sharing component,” he said. “Our chief and his department have done a phenomenal job of building trust within our community with the L.I.F.T. program and victim advocacy. People do outreach to our police officers; they do seek help.” “Let’s do this right,” he said. “Let’s be the first city in the state that passes this but that works with our agencies to make sure the accountability and transparency components are also attached to this memorandum of agreement.” City Attorney Timothy Driscoll, however, recommended approval without any additional conditions. He warned the council that the governor does have the power to remove them from office, and it could also face hefty fines and other penalties if it did not toe the line. “The very vote against this agreement would be evidence of not using best efforts,” he said. He told council members voting against the measure was their own peril and that of the city. Approval passed 4-1. The city of Port Richey does not currently have a 287(g) agreement with ICE. NEW PORT RICHEY — Downtown New Port Richey has undergone a transformation and longtime residents like Angel Cook say they have loved watching it unfold “I’ve lived here all my life but I’ve lived in the city the last five years an insurance broker with Leaders Insurance Agency Amy Tull heads up Pasco’s planning department and says the county is looking to expand that boom by making improvements to one of main thoroughfares into downtown She says they are looking at establishing what’s called a form-based code “The building footprints need to look the same walkability within these uses so you can activate all different types of experiences within the Grand Boulevard study area The county is hosting public workshops to gather community feedback on how to enhance Grand Boulevard “Probably landscaping would be the number one You gotta a lot of different businesses around here so they all have to co-exist,” said Carl Mowry whose Mowry Group businesses is involved in hospitality and real estate It’s one lane each way,” said Andrew Hewitt who owns Caliper Wellness in downtown New Port Richey “Being able to clean up the businesses along Grand Boulevard and some grant money would be fantastic for them to use to be able to bring up the landscaping you don’t even realize that there is an end and a beginning,” said Cook The county says they’ve looked at similar areas in Tarpon Springs They say studies show these kinds of changes can also increase property value and I feel like that's part of where the system failed" Henry Betsey Jr. is facing charges for marrying three Florida women in three different counties at the same time. Now saying the system that handles marriage licenses kept them in the dark Latest Pasco County News from ABC Action News Report a typo Get the best experience and stay connected to your community with our Spectrum News app. Learn More — The New Port Richey City Council has voted to enter into an agreement between the U.S Department of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the city police department The police department's agreement was approved by the city council in a 4-1 vote. It adopted 287G – which requires cities to allow their law enforcement to work under ICE supervision New Port Richey Police Chief Robert Kochen said the agreement is in the early stages “What that means is that we agree to train officers – selective officers with ICE – I believe it’s a 40-hour online training course that ICE oversees they’ll be working under the direction of ICE," Kochen said The city council approved the measure earlier this month “The police are ready to go to work in support of ICE – not do ICE's job Council member Bertell Butler voted against the measure “When I saw the agreement come for up for a vote I thought we already do what’s described in here so why are we giving the power to supervise our officers so I was just shocked as a word that comes to mind – it's just so unnecessary,” Butler said Florida law prohibits cities from having sanctuary policies If a city refuses to adopt the 287G program with penalties that include contempt or lawmakers being removed from office The New Port Richey Police Department is still waiting to hear from ICE on its next steps If you are the site owner (or you manage this site), please whitelist your IP or if you think this block is an error please open a support ticket and make sure to include the block details (displayed in the box below) so we can assist you in troubleshooting the issue This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page When you feel the excitement from someone who truly loves something it’s tough not to be enveloped by their attitude look no further than Jimmy Michaud and the vinyl records in his little red box He hosts a vinyl night at a local spot in New Port Richey every week and has a collection of 500 to 600 records — that’s after weeding most of them out anywhere at any time could get involved with and they could find that feeling within themselves,” Michaud said but Michaud really met an equal in the love of vinyl with Eric Mullins “He just so happened to bring his album in one day,” Michaud recalled Eric runs Mullins Music in New Port Richey where he teaches kids and adults how to play music while sharing his love of the craft Mullins wanted to start an educational tour of sorts that centered around vinyl He came up with the idea for a record store crawl around the Bay Area and asked Michaud to co-host it with him “I've always loved to listen to music,” Mullins said But I hope everybody has had that problem in their life.” That seems to be the case when you see the latest sales numbers According to the Recording Industry Association of America vinyl record sales have grown for the 18th consecutive year resulting in more than $1 billion in sales Mullins and Michaud are teaching people about the history of vinyl and how they’re made, and will then tour five different shops this Saturday for National Record Store Day “For them to set up an event where they're going to all the different going to several different stores in the Tampa Bay region embodies a spirit of Record Store Day,” said Manny Kool of Kool Daddy Records in St Kool didn’t hesitate when Mullins and Michaud asked to have the crawl come to his shop it’s a chance to share their passion in a spot that’s embraces and celebrates that excitement Chris Maher, whose candidacy was supported by Mayor John Eric Hoover, was sworn into his first City Council term prior to the council’s regular meeting April 22. Port Richey currently has a city manager form of government. This means that the City Council, which includes the mayor as an equal member, sets policy and passes legislation. It also hires the city manager, who functions basically as does a CEO of a private organization, executing policy and overseeing the day-to-day operations of the city. Department heads report to the city manager. Under a strong-mayor system, the elected mayor acts as the city’s CEO and has the authority to oversee day-to-day operations, and they usually have the authority to overrule City Council actions, and to control the city’s budget and personnel. That is the system Maher, who was elected to the council on April 8, asked the governing body to consider. Coppler resigned April 17, with his resignation effective 45 days from that date. At its April 22 regular meeting, the council discussed the potential costs of hiring a search firm to find both an interim and a permanent replacement for him. They also expressed concerns about the length of time required for hiring a permanent replacement, which would take much longer than the 45 days that Port Richey would need a new city manager. The position had not been advertised at the time of the meeting, but at the meeting, Hoover said interested people — including a police chief and a former mayor — had reached out to him personally about the position. At the meeting, he proposed advertising for an interim city manager who could take the position while Coppler was still around, making for a smooth transition. The city could then take more time looking for a permanent city manager. Or maybe not, Maher suggested, asking, “Have we thought about a different form of government for our city?” He said that while he thought Coppler had done a good job, that would not necessarily be the case with another city manager, and the city could consider a strong-mayor government. That, he read, “‘is a municipal government structure where the mayor holds significant executive power. So that person would be somebody who has the ability to conduct business and includes the authority to appoint and remove department heads, draft proposals for the budget and exercise veto power over council actions.’” The City Council would be a defense against a rogue mayor, he said. It would eliminate the city manager position completely. Port Richey, he said, “is a real small city. I think we should look at alternative ways to manage our city versus just the way we’ve been doing it forever.” Hoover noted there are other forms of city government such as by commission (with each commissioner in charge of a certain area) and even within the strong-mayor model there are different systems such as having or not having a city administrator but the city right now needs to get an interim city manager Council member Dave Mueller said that given a mayor would have to live in the city Port Richey would be drawing from a smaller pool to find someone to run it; Maher countered that a city resident would be more committed to the city than someone who would “hightail it to California” for another position Coppler pointed out that the city could have a new mayor every three years I want a new operations director.’ … So potentially there could be a total change in departments every election cycle Obviously I’m very biased about this,” he said “when you’re a growing community that has a lot of dreams and desires to be bigger The reason he is moving (back to his former position in Enfield Connecticut) is because that city is consistent and that plan is coming to fruition right now.” He also noted that city managers typically have experience and expertise in government that an elected official may not they hire their friends.” Avoiding that type of patronage was the idea behind the creation of city managers in the first place If the council did decide it wants to switch to a strong-mayor form of government it would need to approve a charter amendment that would then be voted upon in a public referendum Port Richey City Council meetings are available on YouTube. To see the April 22 meeting, visit tinyurl.com/PRCityCouncil. there are two priorities: getting help to you as quickly as possible and making sure they’re fully prepared to help The city of New Port Richey says its new fire station will more than meet those goals and help keep more firefighters on the job.  “The New Port Richey Fire Department is busier than probably what people think,” said Chief Chris Fitch of the New Port Richey Fire Department will be elevated and improved once construction is completed next month on the new fire station This new station is twice as large and designed to put the health safety and wellbeing of emergency responders first “Cancer's the number one leading cause of death among firefighters now which surpassed heart disease many years ago a lot of the codes and standards are focusing on the health and safety of our firefighters,” Fitch said targeting any toxic materials on the firefighter and their gear But the process of removing contaminants starts as soon as the fire truck pulls in A device attached directly to the fire truck’s apparatus will capture all the exhaust from it There’s also a back-up system to help remove some of those particles along with a bunker gear storage room for additional separation natural lighting throughout the building to reduce stress and anxiety and soundproof windows to limit sleep interruptions “The building’s also designed to be a Cat 5-resistant structure so the entire building will withstand a Category 5 hurricane,” said Bekesh “The site’s been placed high up here on this side of (US-19) so that they’ll be able to respond after a storm very promptly.” It’s more than double the size of the old station that was built back in 1974 with a better location for a faster response and we’re able to reconfigure our response zones to maintain and improve our response times at that four minutes per call,” Fitch said Fitch says he hopes this new site will be a symbol for safety The project’s price tag is about $4.5 million The land was donated to the city of New Port Richey in 1987 and designated to be used for a public purpose The fire station is scheduled to open in April.  — A new unit of the New Port Richey Police Department that works to assist with homelessness is growing In the summer of 2023, Sgt. Matt Patche helped launch the LIFT unit which stands for Life Improvement Facilitation Team Patche has worked to get to know the homeless community in downtown New Port Richey and connect them with resources to get back on track “We explain to them we will be your support system if you allow us to through this journey and it will be a journey… there will be ups and there will be downs,” he said has now grown into a small team of officers The group is now joined daily by BayCare case worker Sandy Smith Serrano Patche said it was overwhelming at the beginning as he was getting to know everyone living in the nearby parks Now he and his team work closely with Serrano as she helps execute plans and follow up with residents who are seeking assistance or treatment.  'Let me take you off the streets and place you in a hotel room,'” Patche said “But that’s where Sandy comes in and helps make those connections.” is the relationship between the officers on his unit and those who live in the area He says they have built trust and now when they park their cruisers on Main Street people walk up to them instead of walking away who is known by many in Sims Park as ‘Guitar Bob’ says the LIFT unit has helped prepare him with what he needs to hold a job “I trust these officers when I don’t trust other police officers very much To be honest if I don’t know them I don’t trust them,” he said speaking to residents and asking if they need things like clothes and food they start working on finding solutions to whatever it is that is holding that person back from finding permanent housing they come and talk and feel comfortable telling us what they need,” he said Last year, New Port Richey Police Chief Robert Kochen asked the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office to take over school resource officer (SRO) duties at the city’s middle and high schools in order to free up salaries to create the department’s LIFT unit The new BayCare case worker position is being paid for through National Opiods Settlement funds — Hurricanes Helene and Milton did their fair share of damage across the Tampa Bay area this hurricane season but one local landmark managed to make it out to the other side untouched The old schoolhouse building that is now home to the West Pasco Historical Society is more than one hundred years old The building is acting as a sign of resilience for the community “All of this has some neat backstories to it,” says Bob Langford President of the West Pasco Historical Society Sitting near Sims Park is the old schoolhouse From its earliest beginnings to its more modern times “Our mission is to maintain the history and to help people learn about their own history,” said Langford These items are now part of history that West Pasco Historical Society Bob Langford happily shares Forever enshrined inside the old Seven Springs schoolhouse “There’s so much interesting history that needs to be remembered,” says Mario Caruso Vice President of West Pasco Historical Society all of this history would be gone and would He said the building’s longevity is a testament to the expertise of the builders who crafted the schoolhouse Considering it has been through countless weather events like back-to-back hurricanes in Helene and Milton “The skill of the craftsmen at that time and their commitment to quality really shows because this building is still here,” said Caruso these historians say they are hopeful of continuing to preserve the past I’d like to see preserved or turned into something better than it was,” says Langford The West Pasco Historical Society is open Friday — Homeowners in Edgewater Gardens say they are concerned about red stickers that have popped up on their front doors after the recent hurricanes The stickers — placed by the city of New Port Richey — tell homeowners their homes are no longer habitable But city officials say they are looking to work with residents to help them get back on their feet Standing on the edge of the seawall behind their home Steven and Irene Schindler take in the view “I just want to be able to fix my trailer and live here,” Steven said Their home has seen a few hurricanes in its more than 30-year lifetime Only this time around with Helene and Milton they received a message from the city of New Port Richey “They came on our properties and put red tags on them calling them unlivable," said Schindler we got confused because they said we weren’t allowed to do any repairs.” Red stickers placed on several doors in the neighborhood indicate the homes are uninhabitable due to water damage from the storms But Schindler said he doesn't think that’s entirely true They’re totally dried out and not moldy," he said "Yet they won’t let us proceed with producing minimal repairs inside.” The city recently held a special meeting with residents to address their concerns city official say an inspection needs to take place first The city is offering to perform the inspection for homeowners or they can hire someone to do it themselves “Everybody’s experience was different with the water," said New Port Richey City Manager Debbie Manns "We were really careful not to specify a specific course of action city officials said they hope the next steps for homeowners are a little clearer Schindler said he hopes he and his wife are one step closer to a resolution and getting their home fixed ‘life shouldn’t be this hard,’" he said As they look to get their lives back on track Residents can set-up a home inspection by appointment through the city. More information can be found on the city's website — The old schoolhouse building that is now home to the West Pasco Historical Society is more than a hundred years old – and it just survived two hurricanes without a scratch “It was touch and go for a while,” Bob Langford said Langford is the president of the historical society and said even after the storms caused so much destruction he never lost faith that the centennial plans for the city of New Port Richey would go on as planned and people working on it that if there were any way to pull it off A wall-size picture inside the Historical Society museum shows the view looking east on Main Street in 1927 “It was a very different time then," Langford said "People were farming and the orange grove industry was big here." Main Street is now full of new shops and restaurants All of it will be part of the100-year celebration on Saturday, Oct. 26 “Our community has suffered so much with the losses of Helene and then with the damage from Milton," New Port Richey Public Information Officer Judy Myers said "We think this is a great event the community really needs." Many people have spent time in New Port Richey But the everyday faces from the past and present have kept the city going for 100 years NEW PORT RICHEY — Josephine Antonello can handle a lot but she was so upset after going inside her condo in New Port Richey “I got dizzy and I threw up looking at everything," Antonello said was there as Antonello found papers and pictures thrown everywhere on the floor inside her condo Antonello was heartbroken knowing that her condo was burglarized Antonello is one of hundreds of people in The Gardens at Beacon Square who have been forced to leave as the condo complex handled flooding repairs She had stopped by to check on her place and quickly realized someone had broken in and stolen those precious heirlooms “You are supposed to have security," Rios said You take a lot of money out of these people that live here every month.” The repair work at the condo complex could take six to 12 months to complete people living at the complex still have to pay condo fees and their electric bill “It’s hard for me to find a room," Antonello said Even though Antonello has people like Rios looking after her The Pasco Sheriff’s Office said they are investigating the burglary — A Tampa Bay area non-profit dedicated to helping those recover from drug addiction is expanding.  For years, the Recovery Epicenter Foundation has helped with its peer-led recovery center— ‘The Catcher’s Mitt’— in Clearwater They want to provide that same service in Pasco County Inside an office is a pathway toward drug recovery And helping lead the way is peer support specialist Ashley Eberts with ‘The Outfield.’ The newest branch of the Recovery Epicenter Foundation “Now- my goal is to help other people get clean because life is wonderful without drugs,” said Eberts It led to Eberts losing her children for a period of time to either get clean and get my children back or lose my children and continue down that road,” said Eberts Help from the non-profit aided Eberts and others on the road to recovery “We provide them with all the recovery resources," says Teresa Mancuso program director of The Catcher’s Mitt and The Outfield "We really want to get them submerged in recovery so when they leave here Which is going to decrease their chance of relapse.” ‘The Outfield’ is now the second recovery center operated by the Recovery Epicenter Foundation With a high demand for help in Pasco County playing a role “What we’re really striving to do is fill that gap," Mancuso said if somebody does relapse and they’re at a sober home instead of them returning to the streets or returning to a motel they’re going to have somewhere safe to go where they have that little bit of time to recover in order to get back into their sober home and embark on their recovery journey.” It’s also finding new meaning for people like Eberts Being reunited with her children and going 8 years strong in sobriety “That was the happiest moment of my life," she says The grand opening of ‘The Outfield’ will be taking place Friday Mancuso says they hope to expand in Hernando Hillsborough and Manatee counties in the future — Kevin Beverly has been living on the streets for 17 years “I'm just out here homeless and trying to get by trying to make it work,” he said while sitting on a bicycle on Main Street in New Port Richey He spends most days looking for a safe place to sleep whether if it's the sidewalk or other concrete platforms He is also among dozens of homeless people in New Port Richey on the LIFT Unit's radar is a program run by the New Port Richey Police Department to assist with homelessness Matthew Patsch said the unit makes face-to-face contact with as many people as possible “Whether that person is suffering from homelessness a case manager from BayCare who can work with people in ways the police often can’t “It’s been put in my heart to help people," Serrano said Serrano guides troubled people to identify what is preventing them from getting on their feet and then connects them with treatment centers “It feels really awesome to see someone succeed," she said "There’s a lot of people that still struggle He is now certified in mental health first aid and can teach it to others “That really allows the officers to notice the difference between someone who is in crisis and somebody who is having a mental health episode,” Patsch said BayCare also has two caseworkers who go out with detectives at the Pasco Sheriff’s Office The American Psychological Association estimates about 20% of police calls involve a mental health crisis or substance abuse One goal is to keep people out of jail when what they really need is treatment “When I see those people that are succeeding I really take that in because it makes it all worth it,” Serrano said NEW PORT RICHEY — Residents in the Park Lake Estates neighborhood have been trapped in their homes for four days Almost everyone's home was perfectly fine after Hurricane Milton — they never even lost power But floodwaters from the Anclote River rose to deadly heights — at least three feet deep in some places — leaving numerous roads impassable for anyone without a taller car was driving a Toyota Corolla around 1:35 a.m along Black Fox Drive — one of the neighborhood streets that saw the most flooding — with an 88-year-old woman "the vehicle traveled into a pond and became submerged," FHP said Neighbors said they were shocked to hear the news and it convinced many to wait out the flooding instead of trying to wade or drive through it Water rose into people's yards but didn't reach their houses allowing residents to still enjoy the comforts of home including electricity thanks to the neighborhood's underground powerlines "We're all getting a little stir crazy," Emily Archer said Archer said the waters only began to recede Saturday morning but not before numerous people's cars had to be towed after stalling out in the water ready to rush outside and warn drivers about the water's depth hoping to spare them from the same fate as other residents "We had to push this 16-year-old girl out of the water in like a Nissan Versa," she said Archer said her mother has a lifted Jeep able to brave the floodwaters The pair has been offering to bring supplies to neighbors that may be trapped and unable to make trips to the grocery store Chuck Zimmermaker just returned to his home in the neighborhood Thursday night after a 7 ½ hour drive back from Miami where he and his wife evacuated to He said he was shocked to see all the flooding "I wasn't sure how high this was going to come," Zimmermaker said and last night when I took my mother-in-law home you could see the current coming from the river." Zimmermaker's house never lost power so thankfully most of the groceries in their fridge are still good to use But regardless of his supplies and the water levels he said he's going to have to make a trip out of the neighborhood again to help his daughter who is out of gas I don't have any gas in my car,' " Zimmermaker said "I've got a five gallon can in there filled." Christina Pilot and their neighbor Sharon Fey were passing time removing the boards they nailed to protect their windows Having been restricted to their Park Lake Estates homes the last several days the trio was ready to get out and see the rest of their town — but not at the cost of their car or life explaining they weren't going to run out of supplies anytime soon "We did everything that you're supposed to do Fey said even though the water levels are going down there are predictions that the water will rise again Elena Barrera is the breaking & trending news reporter for the Tallahassee Democrat, a member of the USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida. She can be reached at ebarrera@tallahassee.com. Follow her on X: @elenabarreraaa The Collective at Escape, at 11495 Trinity Blvd., faced hurricane delays but has opened with six food vendors in its new 18,000-square-foot space next door to the brewery. Escape Brewing Company's highly anticipated food hall, The Collective at Escape has opened in Trinity in Pasco County [ Escape Brewing Company ]The brewery has earned multiple gold and silver medals from the World Beer Cup, Great American Beer Festival and Best Florida Beer Competition. Diners at the food hall can sip Escape beers and choose dishes from: 3 Corners Pizza is among the food options that have opened at the Collective at Escape Brewery in Trinity in Pasco County. [ Escape Brewing Company ]“We’re excited to keep pushing boundaries and offering more variety while still serving the beers our fans love,” Escape Brewing co-founder John McGregor said in a news release. The food hall opens at 11 a.m. daily, and closes at 10 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 11 p.m. Friday-Saturday, and 9 p.m. Sunday. Sharon Kennedy Wynne is a reporter covering events, things to do and family experiences through the region. Reach her at swynne@tampabay.com. WFLA Two people were arrested on Saturday after a shooting at a Chevron gas station that left one person injured TampaHoy.com es la división en español de WFLA - News Channel 8 On Your Side ofreciendo las noticias más importantes de la Bahía de Tampa Encuentra información actualizada sobre sucesos además de ser la casa oficial de los Tampa Bay Buccaneers Mantente informado con lo que sucede en tu comunidad cars were lining a portion of Harbor Drive S Indian Rocks Beach heard a loud boom followed by a pink plume of smoke Lee Hughes was arrested Thursday and has since been fired from Pinellas Preparatory Academy Tampa Fire Rescue said crews were battling a fire at a mechanic shop and scrap yard facility on West Osborne Avenue Monday evening 'We've got to get this right': Attorney representing ferry crash survivors weighs in on case The News Channel 8 Team presents the latest information on the events of the day and timely updates on local sports Rebecca's forecast for Monday night- increasing chances for rain this week 'People want answers': Attorney for family in Clearwater ferry crash voices concern A non-profit started by a small group right here in Tampa Bay are now making a big impact in providing resources for neglected children Chairperson for Joshua's House Annual Child Abuse Awareness Benefit the host of the nationally syndicated health and wellness show Bloom to share more details about the work they do in the community and how they create awareness Mayor Chopper Davis and council members Kelly Mothershead and Matthew Murphy voted in favor, and Bertell Butler IV and Peter Altman voted against. Butler has objections to many aspects of the system and its billing; Altman advocates for adding it to the water bill. Although at the meeting some council members emphasized the resolution merely signaled an intent and did not write the tax bill in stone, at the same meeting, the council also voted to enter into interlocal agreements with the Pasco County property appraiser and tax collector. The county will receive a payment for its role as garbage bill collector. How to pay J.D. Parker has been a subject of controversy since the city last year made it the sole collector of solid waste, excluding construction debris, within the city limits. That became more intense in recent months as the current system — billing property owners with a separate bill — wound up leaving almost one-third of bills unpaid. The situation is complicated by the fact that 45% of the city’s population are renters, who some council members believe — but according to Altman have provided no supporting evidence — are inherently transitory and more likely to run up bills and skip out on them than property owners. Additionally, a large percentage of the city is populated by snowbirds who don’t want to pay for waste collection during the months they don’t live here and don’t generate waste. Other residents who have objected at City Council meetings include some who own more than one lot but dispose of waste at only one of them; they don’t want each of their lots to be assessed for twice-weekly solid waste collection. Others have included, for example, senior citizens who generate almost no waste and, most recently, those who are unable to live in homes that were damaged by hurricanes Helene and Milton. One of them is Butler, whose home was destroyed in the storms and who recently discovered he was considered in arrears on his garbage bill. Under the current system, that is simply an overdue bill. Once the service goes on the tax bill, however, the city will be able to put a lien on the property when the owner doesn’t pay their bill. Butler, who has been opposed to the city being responsible for the bill collection under any circumstances since the program’s inception, cried foul at the Feb. 27 meeting. He hasn’t lived in his home since September, he said. Why should he be paying for services he never used? Why should anybody? At this and previous meetings, council members, most notably Mayor Davis, have stated that people with issues could approach city government and plead their case for a dispensation, and cases would be decided individually. Butler and Altman, however, want the same rules to apply to everyone. In fact, Butler was offered an exemption based on the damage to his home, but he said he would not accept one unless it were granted to every other city resident in the same position. The council indicated it does plan to offer exemptions to people who vacate their homes for at least three months. Altman also opposed that limit, citing people who go on shorter vacations but still are absent for some time or who, for example, may return to their summer homes for what they think will be at least three months, but have to return here for some reason. The New Port Richey City Council holds regular meetings on the first and third Tuesdays of the month at 6 p.m. in City Hall, 5919 Main St. Changes to meeting dates and special meetings are posted on the city’s Facebook page.