The Southwest Florida Water Management District has tightened watering restrictions in the Tampa Bay area, including Pasco County, effective April 3rd.

The District continues to be impacted by the three-year drought. Over the past three years, the District’s rainfall deficit is about 30 inches. We must continue to save water during this critical time. Calculate your water usage. You can find out more at WaterMatters.org

The St. Petersburg Times published an excellent article "What You Need to Know About Rain Barrels" on Saturday, April 18th. Included in this article is information about rain barrel workshops and the Earth Day Celebration at Crews Lake Park on Saturday April 25th from 9:30-2:00pm. Bring the whole family and enjoy a variety of activities including lady bug release, native plant sale, Crocodile Encounters and more.

Relief funds from the Stimulus package are beginning to appear in Pasco County!

Career Central (Workforce Florida One Stop Center for Pasco and Hernando Counties) report that they have received funding to expand their hours, provide jobs for young people, as well as other programs.

United Way of Pasco County received funding for local food pantries and shelters. Organizations that received help include: Elderly Nutrition (Meals on Wheels & Dining Centers), Volunteer Way Food Bank, Daystar, Suncoast Harvest, and others.

To see how stimulus money is being spent in Florida, check out flarecovery.com.

The deadline to file your 2008 income tax return is midnight on April 15th.
If you haven't file yet, there is still time to file for an extension.

You may be able to file your taxes electronically using Free File.
You can file electronically until midnight on April 15th with no penalty.

If you can't pay, don't panic! The IRS Offers Tax Payment Options

You already filed and now want to know "Where is my refund?

Remember the Pasco County Library System has laptop computers at every branch dedicated for online government forms including filing income tax returns. Click here to view the hours at Pasco County library branches.

The Pasco County Health Department and community partners involved in PATH (Pasco Alliance for Treatment and Health) are assessing Pasco’s themes and strengths related to healthcare access. Attached you will find a link to the survey for residents of Pasco County.

Please consider completing this survey and forwarding it with others who live in Pasco County. The more surveys we have completed the more accurate our picture of healthcare access will be.

Thank you for your consideration.

Obtaining health care coverage is a concern of many Americans, especially for those who recently lost their job resulting in loss of health insurance as well. There are some programs out there that may help you.

COBRA Coverage:
If your employer continues to operate and offer a group plan, COBRA continuation coverage may be available. It may cost you more than when you were employed, but still likely to be cheaper than private insurance. Through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 certain individuals will be eligible for COBRA cover at a discounted rate. Click here to learn more.

Government Health Care Programs:
Medicaid or Medicare or call 1-800-MEDICARE; Florida State Children's Health Insurance Program and Cover Florida (an affordable health coverage available to uninsured Floridians through a comprehensive market-based strategy).

Public Health Departments:
While Public Health Departments do not replace primary care providers, they do provide some health services for free such as immunizations, smoking cessations programs and more. Click here to learn more about services provided at your local health department.


To help Pasco County residents explore health care options and services, the Pasco County Library System will be holding workshops at the library branches. Watch for more information in the library's Calendar of Events or call (727) 861-3040.

While none of these options are ideal, it least there is some assistance out there.