Year In Review

Aug. 8
Mermaid Park loses its lease but stays open
WEEKI WACHEE Weeki Wachee Springs officials announced that the Southwest Florida Water Management District, which owns the land on which the park sits, has terminated the attraction's lease but has offered to put the park on a month-to-month tenancy.
The park had been six years into a 30-year lease, with an annual rent of $258,000 paid in two installments.
Aug. 9
Massive shopping center approved
BROOKSVILLE A huge retail shopping complex located at the southeast corner of the Suncoast Parkway and Spring Hill Drive moved closer to reality after county commissioners voted 5-0 to approve a master plan on the 53-acre site.
Once built, the 397,000-square-foot shopping center is expected to draw shoppers from as far away as Citrus and Pasco counties. Robert McGarrity, senior manager of investments with Regency Centers in Tampa, said he did not have any signed store leases yet. But he did confirm that Target and Kohl's Department Store have expressed interest in locating there.
Aug. 12
County mourns passing of Cody Grater
SPRING HILL Hundreds of mourners packed inside Spring Hill Baptist Church to honor Private First Class Cody Grater. Grater was killed July 29 when he was struck by a rocket-propelled grenade while standing guard outside of Baghdad, Iraq.
Aug. 15
County cuts salary of low-level employee
BROOKSVILLE In an effort to cut costs and improve efficiency, the county trimmed one hour a day out of Lois McVay's $11-an-hour salary as atrium receptionist at the government center. Total savings: $55 a week.
Aug. 16
Parents plead for magnet schools
BROOKSVILLE More than a dozen parents urged school board members to keep the district's three magnet schools intact and grant automatic admission to the younger siblings of students currently enrolled at those schools.
The issue of magnet admissions re-emerged after board members asked staff to look into ways to better screen students for those schools, particularly Challenger K-8 School of Science and Mathematics.
Aug. 18
Westside gears up for same-gender classes
SPRING HILL Westside Elementary School in Spring Hill started gearing up for same-gender classes to start in the fall.
The pilot program, approved in February by a unanimous school board vote, is the first and only in the school district.
Westside will have one classroom per grade level, including kindergarten, devoted to each gender.
Aug. 22
Council ousts fourth housing board member
BROOKSVILLE The city council removed a fourth member of the Brooksville Housing Authority board of directors, bringing to a close another chapter in the agency's troubled history.
After a contentious two-and-a-half hour meeting, Mayor David Pugh ruled that board member Paul Boston was neglectful in his duties.
Also at the meeting, the council appointed four new board members to replace Boston and three other members - former chairwoman Gertrude Mobley, Carl Pilcher and Donnamaria Lopez - who were ousted Aug. 6.
Aug. 23
County to enforce
waste ordinance
BROOKSVILLE For years, residents have brought couches, unwieldy yard waste and other bulk debris to one of two of the convenience stations run by the county: one on the eastside and the other in Spring Hill.
The county announced that as of Sept. 4 it will no longer accept construction, demolition and land-clearing debris, along with furniture and other large household items, at the East Hernando Convenience Station at 33070 State Road 50 or at the West Hernando station at 2525 Osowaw Blvd.
Instead, people who need to get rid of that kind of trash will have to travel to the county's Northwest Waste Management facility at 14450 Landfill Road in Brooksville where they will have to pay for disposal.
Aug. 24
'Hernando' Bob Hinton succumbs to cancer
SPRING HILL 'Hernando' Bob Hinton, a legend in Hernando County and the Tampa Bay area for his volunteer work covering breaking news for local television stations, fire and police departments, died after a battle with cancer.
Hinton was 78.
Aug. 29
County Administrator Kuhl announces resignation
BROOKSVILLE Seventeen months after taking the county's top post, County Administrator Gary Kuhl announced his intentions to step down and seek employment elsewhere.
He later submitted his contract-required 60 days notice and indicated his last day would be Nov. 10.
"I just feel like things really haven't worked out here as I hoped and I feel its time to finds something a little different," Kuhl told Hernando Today.
Kuhl agreed to stay through the budget process and finish his government streamlining project.