NEW PORT RICHEY - Some residents are starting to grumble that a west Pasco well field, one of the county's oldest, hasn't benefited at all as alternative water sources, such as a new seawater desalination plant, have come online.
Blessed with higher-than-normal rivers and desalination, Tampa Bay Water has started to withdraw the straws that have been sucking billions of gallons from under Pasco County and has caused such a rift between neighboring counties.
Not only is the Starkey well field getting no relief from desalination, it's supposed to be five years before officials extend a pipeline so west Pasco residents can drink water from places other than Starkey and the neighboring north Pasco well field.
Pasco itself could be partly to blame for this state of affairs.
Wanting to fence off at least one well field from what it considered water hogs in Pinellas County, Starkey and the north Pasco well field were never linked by pipeline to the greater regional water system.
"They really have to conserve in west Pasco. You're not like the rest of the people. You've only got Starkey," said Octavio Blanco, a veterinarian from Odessa who has been lobbying water officials to speed up pipeline construction. "If this well field goes, you're drinking water out of trucks."
Wastewater might be dumped farther out in gulf
TARPON SPRINGS - Outrage over a plan to dump millions of gallons of wastewater into the Gulf of Mexico is getting the attention of federal and state environmental officials, who now might be considering some changes.
Barges were going to disperse treated wastewater from the Piney Point phosphate plant about 40 miles from the coast, which worried fishing and environmental interests who fear the tainted water could shock sea life.
Now the regulators are considering starting as far out as 125 miles from the coast and working back toward an area 40 miles from shore.
"I have confidence that they are going to go out farther" into the gulf, said U.S. Rep. Mike Bilirakis, R-Tarpon Springs.
"I've told them, "Why don't you start at 100 or 125 miles, then come in in increments?' That way if you run into a problem where the monitoring is showing there's a problem, then you can stop it before it gets close to shore."
The wastewater now is being stored in an unstable earthen mound at Port Manatee.
State officials worry that untreated water could spill from the mound, which is nearly full, and pollute Tampa Bay. The threat mounts as the rainy season approaches.
Officials say they need to reduce the volume of water in the mound by more than 500-million gallons.
City might raise spirits by relaxing alcohol ban
ST. PETERSBURG - The City Council appears ready to allow brunch with a little more punch by relaxing the ban on alcohol sales before 1 p.m. on Sundays.
In a meeting last week, council members said 6 a.m. seemed a little early for a Sunday cocktail, but noon might inconvenience the brunch crowd. So the City Council settled on 10 a.m.
The change isn't law yet: The City Council still has to work out the details and hold a public hearing before a final vote.
Council member John Bryan, who has pushed the idea, said he hopes to boost business at restaurants and hotels, which can't offer brunch customers a mimosa or Bloody Mary before 1 p.m.
A flood of protest from religious leaders was expected over the proposed changes, but that hasn't materialized.
And to add a little garnish to the idea, council member Jay Lasita said allowing the sale of alcohol at 10 a.m. would give St. Petersburg a competitive advantage over other localities.
Hillsborough and Pinellas counties, as well as the city of Tampa, forbid the sale of alcohol before 1 p.m. on Sundays.
Millions separate deal to buy utility giant
BROOKSVILLE - Florida Water Services Corp. cannot seem to get sold.
The company, the state's largest private water and sewer utility, had wanted to reach a deal with a public authority formed by two Panhandle towns. But in March, court decisions sank that plan. And a bill awaiting the governor's signature would prohibit similar acquisitions in the future.
Two weeks ago, a handful of local governments, Hernando and Citrus counties among them, made an offer to the Orlando utility giant for its networks in their respective jurisdictions.
This week, the company responded: No deal. And those offers? Well, they're just a few million short.
In a letter to Hernando County Attorney Garth Coller, the company said it wanted nearly $56-million for its Spring Hill utility, which serves about 33,000 residents. Hernando officials had suggested a price of $35-million.
Despite the size of the counteroffer and Florida Water's firm tone, Coller said he is unfazed and thinks a deal can be struck.
Nudity referendum remains under wraps, for now
TAMPA - An effort to hold a referendum on an ordinance banning nudity in all public places appeared to be defeated Wednesday, but at the last minute, the Hillsborough County Commission voted to hold another meeting on the issue.
The net effect is to keep nudity on the county agenda through next month at least.
But some argued that the commission was just wasting time and money on a nonissue.
Strip club owner Joe Redner said the proposed ordinance would be just one more failed effort to shut down his club and others.
"Just like the 6-foot rule, you can't enforce this," Redner said. "And I promise, you're not going to put me out of business. I've been doing this for 20 years, and I always find a way."
In short . . .
- CLEARWATER - Pinellas County commissioners suspended their month-old decorum rules for the public Tuesday, admitting that they went too far in limiting free speech because they were frustrated at one persistent and vocal critic. The rules barred "irrelevant, impertinent or slanderous" comments and limited each speaker to addressing a topic only once every 30 days. County critic John Schestag was arrested two weeks ago after calling the county attorney a liar. Commissioner Susan Latvala ordered Schestag to stop, then to leave. Schestag was detained when he refused to leave the assembly room foyer.
- TAMPA - Gaither High School's award-winning Pony Express newspaper ceased publication a month early this year after a power struggle over a story critical of the girls' softball coach. The April issue included "New Coach Strikes Out," an unflattering profile of the Gaither girls' softball program and its new part-time coach, 23-year-old Jessica Kowal. Soon after the newspaper came out, Kowal hired an attorney, who called Erin Maloney's article "poorly researched" and possibly libelous, then demanded a retraction. Maloney refused. Principal Ken Adum said someone on his staff would write a rebuttal for the May issue of Pony Express. But that edition never made it to press. "Mr. Adum has started censoring our newspaper now, so we've completely stopped publication for this year," Maloney said.
Coming up this week
- The much-anticipated Keene Road extension from Gulf-to-Bay Boulevard to Drew Street in Clearwater is scheduled to open Thursday. Business in the area suffered as work crews made it tough to reach some shops during 10 months of construction on the $3.8-million project.
- The special session of the divided Florida Legislature is scheduled to come to a close Tuesday. A budget deal that had eluded the feuding legislators for weeks fell into place last week. The current plan will result in higher college tuition, education spending cuts and expanded prescription drug coverage for seniors.
- Compiled by Times staff writer Sharon Kennedy Wynne
