Pasco News
Window on Pasco, June 6
TBO.com
Published: June 6, 2012
Boy, 4, dies from accidental drowningPublished: June 6, 2012
A 4-year-old boy, Aidan Bower, has died after being pulled from a neighbor's swimming pool by deputies once the boy was reported missing.
According to the Pasco County Sheriff's Office, CPR was performed on the child at about 9:09 p.m. He was then flown to St. Joseph's Hospital in Tampa, where he was pronounced dead.
Authorities were called at 8:54 p.m. Sunday about the boy missing from his 4219 Pinefield Ave. home. One street over, at 4216 Sail Drive, deputies spotted the child in the pool.
Officials say this appears to be an accidental drowning.
Most Pasco agencies keep budgets flat
Most of Pasco County's constitutional officers turned in budgets Friday that maintain or reduce spending for fiscal 2013.
Clerk and Controller Paula O'Neil saw her state funding cut by $825,000 for the budget year beginning Oct. 1, which could mean the loss of 25 positions. "We were able to avoid more layoffs on the court side by transferring some of those employees into vacant positions on the county records side," she said.
Property Appraiser Mike Wells eliminated four of the 10 vacant positions on his staff, lowering his budget by $183,000, or 4.3 percent.
Supervisor of Elections Brian Corley's proposed $2.8 million budget reflects a nearly 5 percent decrease from the current year.
Recent rainfall above average for this time of year
A June 1 downpour brought 2.33 inches of much-needed rain, county officials report.
The single day of precipitation is about half of the average total rainfall for the entire month of June, according to statistics from Richard A. Ziegler with the Pasco County Public Works Department.
The May total was 3.5 inches, slightly above the norm for the month.
The West Pasco area so far has received a bit less than 15 inches of rain this year. The average annual rainfall is about 45 inches.
Fashion show tickets on sale
The Alzheimer's Family Organization will present its 2012 Alberta's Fashion Show at noon Tuesday at Heritage Springs Country Club, 11345 Robert Trent Jones Parkway.
Proceeds benefit the nonprofit group, which aids about 100,000 sufferers locally.
Patchington will provide fashions for the show. Heritage Springs will serve lunch. There will be prize drawings and auctions.
Tickets are $30, with a discount for reserving a table.
For more information call the Alzheimer's Family Organization office at (727) 848-8888 or toll-free at (888) 496-8004.
Landfill builder's lawsuit dismissed
Pasco County won a major victory in court this month when Circuit Judge Linda Babb dismissed a lawsuit by Angelo's Aggregate Materials over its plans to build a landfill in the county's rural northeast.
County Attorney Jeff Steinsnyder said this is the second lawsuit against the county that has been dismissed. "It is fairly certain, however, that they will appeal the decision to the 2nd District," he said.
The Iafrates family, which owns the 1,000-acre site, argued that the county changed its comprehensive plan specifically to deny the landfill.
The proposal is opposed by those who fear the landfill could contaminate the nearby Withlacoochee River and Green Swamp.
A spokesperson for Largo-based Angelo's called the ruling nothing more than a procedural matter.
Angelo's is asking an administrative law judge to reverse the decision by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to deny a permit. A hearing is set for late September.