Pasco County staff outlined a proposal for an East Pasco multiuse facility that would function daily as a recreation center and, during emergencies, as a hardened special-needs shelter similar to the Fasano Regional shelter.

Why it matters: County and state leaders said the facility would reduce evacuation distance for eastern residents, provide specialized capacity for people with medical and access needs, and support longer sheltering periods without requiring every shelter to be a school gymnasium.

Andrew Baxter, facilities management director, and Keith Wiley, Parks and Recreation director, described the concept and said the county already owns property on the former Jackson Memorial Hospital block in Dade City that could host the center. Baxter said the facility would be built to higher standards than a typical school shelter, with features such as on-site oxygen generation and other medical-support infrastructure that allow it to serve as a special-needs shelter.

Commissioners and representative members of the delegation said lessons from recent storms informed the need. Joanna Cheshire and other staff described the East-side experience in recent hurricanes: many evacuees refused to travel long distances west for shelter and were more comfortable staying closer to home. "People were apprehensive to take advantage because of the distance they were away from their home," a staff member said. County officials emphasized the dual-use mission to ensure the facility is used year-round — for recreation programs, veteran services and other community needs — rather than sit idle until the next storm.

Ending: Staff said design work and interagency coordination will continue and that they will return with cost estimates and a funding plan. Commissioners signaled support and asked staff to study revenue and operational models for weekday programming and emergency response roles.