Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Community Partnerships topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Withlacoochee River Electric returns $242,927 to Pasco schools; Buccaneers honor local educators
Summary
Withlacoochee River Electric presented a $242,927.41 capital-credit return to Pasco County Schools and highlighted local scholarship and apprenticeship programs. Separately, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ COO recognized two Pasco staffers through the Bucs Best program.
Withlacoochee River Electric representatives told the Pasco County School Board on Tuesday that the cooperative will return $242,927.41 to Pasco County Schools this year as a capital-credit distribution.
David Lambert, identified by the district as WREC’s general manager, and district managers John McCarty and Ricky Guti said the cooperative returned about $24,500,000 across its service territory in 2025 and described long-running scholarship and local-hiring programs. They said WREC awarded 110 college scholarships in 2025 (each worth $12,000) and that 61 of those went to Pasco County students, representing about $732,000 directed locally. Lambert emphasized the cooperative’s in‑district apprenticeship pathways and said the average lineman position pays about $108,000 annually.
The WREC presenters also described a nearby $40 million factory investment expected to create roughly 130 jobs and said they would explore tax-increment financing with county commissioners to support local schools.
Separately, Superintendent Legg introduced Brian Ford, chief operating officer of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who joined the meeting to present the Buccaneers’ “Bucs Best Crew” recognition. Tina Ray and Logan Gardner were presented with commemorative game balls and public praise for their instructional and student-support work.
The board received the presentations during the meeting’s recognition segment and offered public thanks. No formal board action was required or taken on the WREC or Buccaneers presentations.
