Local Government

Latest reporting from the Local Government desk.

Local Government

Latest reporting from the Local Government desk.

Local Government

Latest reporting from the Local Government desk.

Father and daughter ride together in a golf cart on a scenic course

Pasco golf cart trail ordinance advances with $550 fee

Pasco County published its official Business Impact Estimate for a proposed golf cart ordinance that would let HOAs and CDDs in unincorporated Land O' Lakes, Lutz and Odessa apply to open multiuse paved trails to golf carts, setting the application fee at $550, lower than the $1,000 previously reported.

Paving machine and truck resurfacing a residential street intersection.

Pasco crews repaving 24 roads in Lutz's Turtle Lakes

Pasco County Public Works crews are milling and repaving 24 roads in Lutz's Turtle Lakes subdivision under the county's Better Way to Pay for Paving program, which replaced the old system that billed homeowners directly for road rehabilitation.

Flag showing a domed building with palm trees and the words Hillsborough County.

Hillsborough hearing officer weighs wetland, school and group-home cases

Hillsborough County's Land Use Hearing Officer heard nine variance and special-use applications on Aug. 10 affecting unincorporated properties near Land O' Lakes, Odessa and Lutz, including three wetland-setback requests and a proposed community residential home. Decisions are expected within 21 days, and six more cases were pushed to Sept. 14.

Official flag of Pasco County, Florida, with county seal.

Pasco County launches free permitting help for small businesses

Pasco County launched its free Work Local Small Business Support Program on Aug. 12, offering a one-on-one concierge service to help locally owned businesses with 25 or fewer employees navigate permitting and development.

85-acre prescribed burn active at Starkey Preserve near Land O' Lakes

The Southwest Florida Water Management District is conducting an 85-acre prescribed burn at Starkey Wilderness Preserve in Pasco County that began Tuesday and continued into Wednesday, with the burn unit located near the Suncoast Parkway west of Land O' Lakes.

Colorized electron microscope image of a single green rod-shaped bacterium with flagella.

Flesh-eating bacteria case confirmed in Hillsborough County

Hillsborough County has one confirmed Vibrio vulnificus case in 2026 as Florida reports 14 infections and two deaths statewide, prompting safety warnings for residents who swim or eat shellfish during peak summer months.

Tall cylindrical government office tower at dusk with trees in the foreground.

Hearing officer weighs school, group home and wetland requests near Lutz

The Hillsborough County Land Use Hearing Officer heard nine variance and special-use applications on Aug. 10 affecting properties in unincorporated Land O' Lakes, Odessa and Lutz, including wetland-setback encroachments, a proposed school and a community residential home, with decisions due Aug. 31 and seven more cases continued to Sept. 14.

A Flock Safety license plate reader camera with solar panel mounted on a black pole outdoors.

Pasco Sheriff replacing plate cameras at Collier Parkway, SR-54

The Pasco County Sheriff's Office is replacing its Flock license plate reader cameras with Axon technology along the SR-54 corridor, including at Collier Parkway in Land O' Lakes, saving about $50,000 while raising ongoing privacy questions about plate data retention and sharing.

Heritage Harbor budget hearing highlights $420K golf course closure cost

Heritage Harbor CDD's full agenda packet reveals $420,000 in estimated golf course closure costs during a five-month greens replacement shutdown starting April 2027, with no assessment increase proposed and $35,547 in capital spending also on the table at Tuesday's public hearing in Lutz.

©2026 Land O' Lakes-Lutz Courier

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©2026 Land O' Lakes-Lutz Courier

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©2026 Land O' Lakes-Lutz Courier

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