Pasco County, FL - Urban Land Institute

The Pasco County Courthouse
in Dade City is the
county’s iconic structure.
which is east of San Antonio, has a population of
1,250. It is home to Lake Jovita as well as Saint
Leo University and the Saint Leo Benedictine
Monastery. The city of Zephyrhills, the source of
Zephyrhills Spring Water Company, is located in
the southeast portion of the county and has a population
of 12,579.
New Port Richey has a population of 16,645, making
it the largest city in the county. It is located on
the Gulf of Mexico and was founded in 1915. Port
Richey, just to the north of New Port Richey, is
also located on the Gulf of Mexico and has a population
of 3,205.
Current Development Issues
Like other jurisdictions in the Tampa area, Pasco
is experiencing growing pains as it converts
from a rural county known for ranches and orange
groves into a county that will be competitive in
the new global economy. In 1980, the population
of Pasco was approximately 190,000. In 2000, the
population had grown to some 345,000 residents
and by 2006, that number soared to 450,000. Part
of this increase was fueled by the relatively inexpensive
housing in Pasco. Another reason was the
2001 opening of the Suncoast Parkway. This highway
provides an easy linkage from Tampa International
Airport into Pasco County, thereby cutting
the commuting time from Tampa from over
60 minutes to less than 30. Building permits followed
the sharp increase in residents, moving
from 3,210 permits in 2000 to an all time high of
8,544 permits in 2005. Even with the general malaise
in the economy, Pasco still had 5,573 permits
in 2006. Since 2007, however, permits have virtually
stalled.
According to the Tampa Bay Partnership, a large
problem facing Pasco is the fact that approximately
46 percent of its workforce commutes out
of Pasco to go to work. This puts Pasco at a competitive
disadvantage. There is an overburden on
their roads, and Pasco is losing out on all of the
secondary business that the employers throw off.
In identifying the problem, Pasco has determined
that it wants to place itself in a position to attract
new business that will create high paying jobs in
desirable fields. By doing this, Pasco will be able
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An Advisory Services Panel Report