PASCO COUNTY — Like so many people in the Tampa Bay area, skyrocketing insurance rates are a big issue for Pasco County professionals, including financial planner Barry Horvath.
“The insurance carriers, we need to get more back in the state of Florida to write. I know we are all afraid because we had a couple of storms. But let them write the auto policies, and if they write the auto policies, then they can write the homeowners, force them to do both,” said Horvath.
ABC Action News gathered a group of Pasco residents to find out what they’re thinking as Election Day approaches.
Horvath ran for office himself once upon a time.
“It was pretty painful,” he said with a chuckle.
He said he wanted to help his community as a part of the Pasco County Commission.
“When I ran for office, I was just trying to set up and make a difference. And try to help people in the county because, you know, people become political and not engaged in the community,” Horvath said.
In the years since, Horvath has focused on growing his business and helping others do the same. He started the West Pasco Pinellas Business Association and said keeping up with growth in the area is an ongoing issue.
“I’m always optimistic because I love where I live but I think we need better controls, planning for development. I know now we are trying to acquire frontage roads for all these new businesses but we didn’t do that soon enough. You can’t just keep adding people on the roads and more traffic lights. It’s taking longer to commute now than it ever has,” he said.
Nicole Farmer is a newcomer to Pasco County. She is a mortgage broker with Edge Home Finance who moved here from Hawaii. Farmer also served in the Marines and wants to see our elected officials do better taking care of veterans.
“Often times they are often overlooked. But I’ve been dealing with a few situations lately of veterans getting certain benefits taken away from them. More so our senior citizen veterans,” Farmer said.
She said homeowners insurance rates are affecting so many people, especially seniors.
“If we have a fixed income population here and we continuously raise that homeowners insurance every year we are forcing them out of their homes that they’ve had for years,” said Farmer.
DeLynn Gaston is also a mortgage broker with The Mortgage Firm. She’s lived in Pasco County for ten years and worries about people’s financial well-being.
“The economy is really hurting all of us. Families can’t…between how the insurance in Florida is going through the roof, people are losing their homes, or getting close to losing their homes. Or debating between that and food on the table. The American dream of working hard your whole life and retiring seems to be slipping away,” Gaston said.
Candy Bracken is a mother of two and a manager at Dynamic Title Services. For her, issue number one is the cost of going to the grocery store.
“There’s a of people out there who are struggling to even be able to feed their families which is something I don’t think people should have to go through,” Bracken said.
She also wants to see more focus on improving our schools.
“It’s what our kids need and it’s what they need to grow. I think they need to put more into the schools because in the last ten years, I think it’s drastically changed,” Bracken said.
Pasco County has been one of the fastest-growing counties in the country in recent years, with thousands of new homes on the way. Keeping up with the growing population will be a challenge for leaders here for years to come.
“With the elections in general, I’m curious to see where we are going to go. It’s been a rollercoaster we’ll say that,” Bracken said.
“I feel that if you lose hope then it’s not going to turn out well. So, I feel hopefully because there is always the possibility for things to get better,” said Farmer.
A state report says hundreds of frail elderly nursing home residents were stacked side by side, head to toe in a small church with no working air conditioning or refrigerator during Hurricane Helene.
