PASCO COUNTY, Fla. — Pasco County leaders held a town hall meeting on April 15 to discuss the redesign of Anclote River Park.
This is a story ABC Action News has stayed on top of for the past year.
The redesign has come with some major pushback from residents. The park is home to a Spanish Well and a historic mound built by Indigenous people.
Sasha Bartunek wanted to preserve the park she calls quiet and majestic.
"We don't want this preserve that the community goes to enjoy the sunset and to have some peace and mental health and spiritual health, we don't want this to become another Clearwater beach," she said.
They also want to protect the park's environment. Dorris Carrol leads the group that opposes the plans.
“This is a nice small county park and beach that is not just seeing the sunset at night; it’s also about the marine life and wildlife," Carrol said.
Her group has a petition with 5,600 signatures.
The town hall was an opportunity to share updates on the plans and allow residents to ask questions.
The county entered into a lease agreement to build a restaurant on the waterfront, but local groups did not support that plan.
On Monday night, Pasco County Commissioner Kathryn Starkey said plans to build a 22,000 square foot restaurant are no longer in the works. She said the county and business owner have entered into a mutual, verbal agreement to terminate plans. She said the county still has a 3,000 square foot space available.
"At this point, once that's signed, we won't have a restaurant planned, but we're going to reserve the possibility that a much smaller, more appropriate opportunity for someone to come out to the park and enjoy a meal with friends or whatever is available. We have no plans, no idea what that means, but we'll see what happens," said Starkey.
The county said it has submitted site plans. The next step is to wait to hear back from reviewing agencies.
"This has a lot of real complex pieces. You have a boat ramp, a portion of the project that could take significant time just going through the federal process alone," said Keith Wiley, Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources Director.
The county said the permitting process is expected to take several months.
The meeting started at 6 p.m. at the Pasco County Government Center Boardroom, located at 8731 Citizens Drive, New Port Richey.
