Government & Politics

Jack Mariano: The Federal Inquiry, SunWest and the Money Behind His Campaign

Businesses supplied 64.8% of Jack Mariano’s 2024 campaign money. The filings name development companies and SunWest-linked donors, years after a reported federal inquiry.

Pasco Water Bills Rise Oct. 1 as Second Year of Four-Year Rate Plan Kicks In

The average Pasco County Utilities household will pay $4.33 more a month starting October 1, part of a four-year schedule approved by county commissioners to pay for aging pipes and two wastewater plant expansions.

Cobalt Apartments Fire Was "Nearly Unpreventable," Fire Chief Tells Pasco Commissioners as Displaced Tenants Hire Lawyers

Fire Chief Ryan Guynn says no code-required safeguard could have stopped the lightning strike that gutted the Wesley Chapel complex, while an Orlando law firm now represents more than two dozen residents who say they still can't retrieve their belongings.

Pasco Reviews $7.44 Million Plan to Merge Its Road-Planning Agency With Hillsborough and Pinellas

County officials met at the Historic Pasco County Courthouse to review a draft plan merging three Tampa Bay transportation planning agencies into one, with a price tag near $7.44 million and no vote yet taken.

New Port Richey Council Votes Tuesday on First Parking Ordinance Overhaul in 30 Years

Fines would triple, unpaid tickets could trigger registration holds, and new rules would target bike lanes and EV spots as downtown crowds strain parking.

Pasco Commissioners Approve $235 Million for Storm Repairs and Hurricane-Proofing Countywide

The Board of County Commissioners signed off on 20 projects, from drainage upgrades to a hardened library and a new east-side shelter, using federal disaster money after Idalia, Helene and Milton.

Bilirakis Brings Affordable Housing Fair to Pasco Tonight at 6, Venue Only by RSVP

The congressman's housing fair connects Pasco residents with help on mortgages, rent and insurance bills. It lands on top of $15.2 million in local housing projects and the county's half-billion-dollar storm recovery program.

Yeager Holds Her Commission Seat, Harding Wins a Third Term, and Two Pasco School Board Races Go to November

Turnout hit 21.5% in Tuesday's primary as incumbents Lisa Yeager and Megan Harding won their races. The two open school board seats, District 1 and District 3, now head to Nov. 3 runoffs.

Polls Close at 7 Tonight: Pasco Votes on Three School Board Seats and a Commission Primary

Voting runs until 7 p.m. Tuesday across Pasco County, with 11 candidates competing for three School Board seats and two Republicans facing off in the District 4 County Commission race. Four precincts moved to new buildings, so check before you drive.

Nine Candidates, Two Open Seats: Pasco's School Board Races Land Five Days After the First Bell

Nine people qualified for the two Pasco County School Board seats being vacated by Al Hernandez and Cynthia Armstrong. Early voting runs Aug. 8 through Aug. 15, the primary is Aug. 18, and every registered Pasco voter can cast a ballot regardless of party.

Analysts Warn Florida’s Property Tax Amendment Could Squeeze Pasco County Services

Florida voters will decide in November whether to dramatically expand the homestead exemption — a change backed by Gov. Ron DeSantis that supporters call overdue tax relief and that state analysts, county groups and local officials warn could pull billions of dollars out of the budgets that pay for fire trucks, deputies and roads. In fast-growing, property-tax-dependent Pasco County, the stakes are unusually high.

How Much Could Pasco Homeowners Save Under DeSantis’s Property Tax Plan? We Ran the Numbers