No Wal-Mart Along County Line Road

SPRING HILL - There will be no new Wal-Marts in Hernando County for a while.

That is the word from a regional spokeswoman for the retail giant.

"There's nothing active in that area right now," said Quenta Vettel.

She admitted Wal-Mart has been looking hard at areas to the southeast of Spring Hill - in Pasco County.

A new store will open soon at Land O'Lakes, and Wesley Chapel remains a viable location, Vettel said.

"We've had a long-term interest in Pasco County, period," she continued. "There are a lot of homes going up in there."

Rumors have swirled that Wal-Mart was looking at the area along the south side of County Line Road, across from Spring Hill Regional Hospital in Seven Hills.

Vettel would not specify exactly where in Pasco developers were considering, but confirmed there were no plans for County Line Road.

Representatives from the Hernando County Office of Business Management also said they knew of no plans for a fourth Wal-Mart in the area.

The retail chain announced a year ago it would "reassess" its growth strategy, partially due to the slowing economy.

Vettel also said Hernando County remains on the radar screen, even though a previous attempt to build a supercenter in Spring Hill was voted down by county commissioners.

"Certainly we have our eye on sites down the road," she said. "We made announcements then that we still wanted to continue to work with Hernando County moving forward."