Health
The Kirkland family's Wesley Chapel cattle ranch sold to the State of Florida for $30.8 million in conservation funds, permanently protecting 940 acres surrounded by fast-growing developments, while 4.5 acres were donated to Pasco County Schools for a future campus.
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Health
The Kirkland family's Wesley Chapel cattle ranch sold to the State of Florida for $30.8 million in conservation funds, permanently protecting 940 acres surrounded by fast-growing developments, while 4.5 acres were donated to Pasco County Schools for a future campus.
Health
The free Candy Crawl at The Shops at Wiregrass, originally scheduled for Oct. 10, has been rescheduled to Sunday, Oct. 18, with treat bags for the first 500 kids, Touch-a-Truck, bounce houses and a 1:30 p.m. costume contest benefiting TBMG Cares.
Local Government
Pasco County earned the NACo EDGE Excellence in Strategic Planning Award for its 2025-2030 Strategic Plan, which addresses rapid growth, public safety and economic development across the county's 659,000-plus residents.
Local Government
Pasco County commissioners favor adding a third monthly meeting for land-use cases, giving Wesley Chapel residents more access to zoning decisions, while also scrutinizing sheriff's office spending on school resource officers and a $2.2 million insurance shortfall.
Local Government
Wesley Chapel residents on Pasco County Utilities will pay $96.32 a month starting Oct. 1, up from $91.99, as year two of a four-year rate schedule takes effect to fund infrastructure including a major wastewater plant expansion on Boyette Boulevard.
Local Government
Pasco County commissioners adopted Ordinance 26-37 on Tuesday, Sept. 22, authorizing up to $250,000 in tourist development tax revenue for a film or series rooted in Florida cultural heritage with Pasco County footage, while continuing hotel-tax funding for the Wiregrass Ranch Sports Campus in Wesley Chapel.
Local Government
Pasco County commissioners adopted a $2.53 billion FY2027 budget on Sept. 22, raising the Fire Rescue MSTU millage by nearly 10% above the rolled-back rate, a direct hit to property tax bills in unincorporated Wesley Chapel.
Local Government
Pasco County Supervisor of Elections Brian Corley will mail more than 47,000 vote-by-mail ballots on Thursday, Sept. 24, for the Nov. 3 General Election, with the deadline to request a ballot set for 5 p.m. Oct. 22.
Public Safety
The Florida Department of Transportation is running nightly lane closures on the I-75 southbound Exit 279 off-ramp, SR-56 near Bruce B. Downs Boulevard and SR-52 near I-75 through at least Thursday, Oct. 15.
Public Safety
Tropical Storm Isaias formed Wednesday in the Gulf of Mexico and is forecast to become a hurricane before making landfall along the northern Gulf Coast, bringing up to seven inches of rain to Pasco County's west coast over five days even though Wesley Chapel is outside the storm's direct path.
Community
The VanDercar family's eight-acre art sanctuary in Wesley Chapel's Quail Hollow neighborhood offers $10 guided night tours of illuminated sculptures, dragons and gargoyles every Tuesday and Friday through October.
Community
The $35 million Mary W. Sierra Family YMCA opened Sept. 28 in Wesley Chapel with more than 6,300 members already enrolled, giving the fast-growing community its first YMCA through a land-lease partnership with BayCare Health System.
Community
Avalon Park Wesley Chapel hosts its Fall Fest on Saturday, Oct. 17, featuring a Young Entrepreneur Spotlight, a Youth Talent Show with cash prizes for ages 5–17, food trucks, a pumpkin patch and a kids market.
Community
Marketing materials from Franklin Street show Pomelo Square, a 32.5-acre mixed-use project at Old Pasco Road and Overpass Road in Wesley Chapel, would include 325 apartments, 92 townhomes, 42,800 square feet of retail and a hotel pad, with a brochure target of early 2028 completion.
Sports
Wiregrass Ranch beat Land O' Lakes 16-13 in overtime on Friday, Oct. 9, to take sole possession of first place in Class 5A-District 7 with a 3-0 district record heading into the final two weeks of the regular season.
Sports
Raheem Fashola recorded two interceptions, returning one for a touchdown, as Wiregrass Ranch shut out Sunlake 41-0 in a 5A District 7 game on Sept. 25, keeping the Bulls unbeaten in district play at 2-0.
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Editor
Megan published her first poem in the Sun Sentinel at the age of 11 and has been locked in ever since. She attended UF and FIU and has a degree in Communication Arts. Her professional background includes photography, editing, writing, translation, and graphic design. Megan enjoys learning language, art and vegan foods.
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