Pasco Connect Magazine

17/11/2025

The Fight for Stability: Pasco’s Homelessness Story https://mailchi.mp/63d1955903f8/the-fight-for-stability
This month, Pasco Connect Magazine shines a compassionate spotlight on homelessness. Our cover features James Walters, Pasco County’s first Homeless Program Manager, working to transform the system from the inside out. Explore lived experiences, prevention strategies, veterans’ pathways to services, and a remarkable personal story of a woman who rebuilt her life after a decade of homelessness.

15/11/2025

https://pascoconnect.blogspot.com/2025/11/video-clips-pasco-county-delegation.html

Pasco County Delegation 2025: Officials, Organizations, and Community Speak Out The 2025 Pasco County Legislative Delegation Meeting brough...

15/11/2025

“I am a conservative, and I would love to see taxes reduced,” he stated. “But when we talk about lowering property taxes, we have to understand the ripple effect it will cause.”

https://mailchi.mp/ae74b3356774/pasco-county-tax-collector-mike-fasano-warns-lawmakers

14/11/2025

https://pascoconnect.blogspot.com/2025/11/pasco-county-tax-collector-mike-fasano.html

Pasco County Tax Collector Mike Fasano Issues Stern Warning to Lawmakers: “Lowering Property Taxes Could Leave Budget Gap of 20 Million” Wat...

14/11/2025

Pasco County Tax Collector Mike Fasano Warns Lawmakers: “Lowering Property Taxes Could Leave Counties in Crisis”
At the Pasco County Annual Legislative Delegation Meeting held on November 10th, community leaders, local officials, and state representatives gathered to discuss issues impacting residents across the county. Among the most impassioned voices was Pasco County Tax Collector Mike Fasano, who delivered a pointed and sobering message about the potential fallout from reducing property taxes, a topic that continues to gain traction in political conversations statewide.
Fasano, a longtime public servant and self-described conservative, began by grounding his remarks in facts. “I am a conservative, and I would love to see taxes reduced,” he stated. “But when we talk about lowering property taxes, we have to understand the ripple effect it will cause.”
He explained that while property taxes often carry a heavy emotional and financial weight for residents, they play a critical role in balancing county budgets and maintaining essential public services. Fasano revealed that Pasco County’s Tax Collector’s Office serves between 50,000 and 60,000 residents each month, assisting with titles, registrations, and other services. Yet, despite that high volume, the office actually loses money on nearly every transaction. Read full article pascoconnect.blogspot.com

14/11/2025

https://pascoconnect.blogspot.com/2025/11/a-mothers-plea.html

A Mother's Plea for Change - Mother of Walter Shoemaker speaks about overdoses happening on River Road. Watch video that includes two clips ...

14/11/2025

https://youtu.be/aVE_KnxZSC8

The 2025 Pasco County Legislative Delegation Meeting brought together local leaders, elected officials, and community organizations for an impactful day of d...

13/11/2025

At the Pasco County Annual Legislative Delegation Meeting held on November 10th, community leaders, local officials, and state representatives gathered to discuss issues impacting residents across the county. Among the most impassioned voices was Pasco County Tax Collector Mike Fasano, who delivered a pointed and sobering message about the potential fallout from reducing property taxes, a topic that continues to gain traction in political conversations statewide.

Fasano, a longtime public servant and self-described conservative, began by grounding his remarks in facts. “I am a conservative, and I would love to see taxes reduced,” he stated. “But when we talk about lowering property taxes, we have to understand the ripple effect it will cause.”

He explained that while property taxes often carry a heavy emotional and financial weight for residents, they play a critical role in balancing county budgets and maintaining essential public services. Fasano revealed that Pasco County’s Tax Collector’s Office serves between 50,000 and 60,000 residents each month, assisting with titles, registrations, and other services. Yet, despite that high volume, the office actually loses money on nearly every transaction.

“For every $80 to $90 it costs someone to get a vehicle title, our office receives only about three dollars,” Fasano said. “That means we lose about $40 million per year, and every county in Florida faces the same issue.”

According to Fasano, those shortfalls are currently covered by property tax revenue. If property taxes were reduced or eliminated, counties would have to find other means to fill that massive financial gap. “Every county in the state subsidizes the Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles Trust Fund,” he warned legislators. “You get to spend that money now, but if property taxes go away, there will be a huge shortfall. Someone’s going to have to fill that void.”

At the Pasco County Annual Legislative Delegation Meeting held on November 10th, community leaders, local officials, and state representatives gathered to di...

13/11/2025

Pasco Connect Magazine brings highlights from the 2025 Pasco County Annual Legislative Delegation, where community leaders and residents gathered to voice concerns and propose solutions for local issues.
In the first clip, Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco addresses legislators about the growing need for funding to respond to critical needs and critical incidents across the county. Sheriff Nocco also referenced an upcoming speaker whose testimony would shed light on one of the most urgent issues facing Pasco today, drug-related overdoses and the limits of current policies.

That speaker, the mother of Walter Shoemaker, took the podium to share her heartbreaking story. Her son, Walter, died from an overdose on October 22, 2023, on River Road. Since his death, she said there have been three more deaths and 27 overdoses in the same location.

Despite repeated incidents, she explained that law enforcement and city officials remain restricted in what they can do. Under current Pasco County procedures, an area can only be declared a nuisance property with proof of drug sales and a formal complaint showing imminent threat. Because overdoses alone don’t meet that definition, officials’ hands are tied.

Pasco Connect Magazine brings highlights from the 2025 Pasco County Annual Legislative Delegation, where community leaders and residents gathered to voice co...

13/11/2025

Pasco Connect Magazine brings highlights from the 2025 Pasco County Annual Legislative Delegation, where community leaders and residents gathered to voice concerns and propose solutions for local issues.

In the first clip, Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco addresses legislators about the growing need for funding to respond to critical needs and critical incidents across the county. Sheriff Nocco also referenced an upcoming speaker whose testimony would shed light on one of the most urgent issues facing Pasco today, drug-related overdoses and the limits of current policies.

That speaker, the mother of Walter Shoemaker, took the podium to share her heartbreaking story. Her son, Walter, died from an overdose on October 22, 2023, on River Road. Since his death, she said there have been three more deaths and 27 overdoses in the same location.
Despite repeated incidents, she explained that law enforcement and city officials remain restricted in what they can do. Under current Pasco County procedures, an area can only be declared a nuisance property with proof of drug sales and a formal complaint showing imminent threat. Because overdoses alone don’t meet that definition, officials’ hands are tied.

The discussion then turned to Florida’s Good Samaritan Law, which protects people who assist in emergencies from civil liability and certain criminal charges. While the law encourages bystanders to help without fear of punishment, it also means witness statements gathered during overdose emergencies can’t be used as evidence, a point the mother hopes lawmakers will reconsider.

Read more on pascoconnect.blogspot.com.

13/11/2025

Pasco Connect Magazine brings highlights from the 2025 Pasco County Annual Legislative Delegation, where community leaders and residents gathered to voice concerns and propose solutions for local issues.
In the first clip, Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco addresses legislators about the growing need for funding to respond to critical needs and critical incidents across the county. Sheriff Nocco also referenced an upcoming speaker whose testimony would shed light on one of the most urgent issues facing Pasco today, drug-related overdoses and the limits of current policies.

That speaker, the mother of Walter Shoemaker, took the podium to share her heartbreaking story. Her son, Walter, died from an overdose on October 22, 2023, on River Road. Since his death, she said there have been three more deaths and 27 overdoses in the same location.

Despite repeated incidents, she explained that law enforcement and city officials remain restricted in what they can do. Under current Pasco County procedures, an area can only be declared a nuisance property with proof of drug sales and a formal complaint showing imminent threat. Because overdoses alone don’t meet that definition, officials’ hands are tied.

The discussion then turned to Florida’s Good Samaritan Law, which protects people who assist in emergencies from civil liability and certain criminal charges. While the law encourages bystanders to help without fear of punishment, it also means witness statements gathered during overdose emergencies can’t be used as evidence, a point the mother hopes lawmakers will reconsider.

Pasco Connect Magazine brings highlights from the 2025 Pasco County Annual Legislative Delegation, where community leaders and residents gathered to voice co...