If you own a truck, you’re in luck. If you have a car and haul waste on a trailer to the West Hernando Convenience Center on Osowaw Boulevard in Spring Hill, starting Aug. 8 you’ll be turned away and advised to make the nearly 50-mile roundtrip to the main landfill on U.S. 98 at the Citrus County line.

While pickup trucks can continue to dump, cars with trailers — even trailers smaller than a pickup bed — will be denied access. Cars and other vehicles will be permitted as long as the trash is carried inside them.

A recent press release from the county attributes the trailer ban to scheduled construction work at the Convenience Center:

“Beginning August 8, 2022, Hernando County Solid Waste will be reducing services at the West Convenience Center on Osowaw Blvd. and no longer permitting trailers at this location. This is due to construction and maintenance including: repairing the metal chutes, pouring concrete, and replacing a retaining wall,” the release begins.

But the next paragraph notes that when those “upgrades are complete, trailers will no longer be permitted at this location.” No explanation is given.

It was a “little confusing” to Charles Greenwell, a Hernando Beach resident who uses a small trailer to take yard waste to the Osowaw Center. He asked County Commissioner Jeff Holcomb what he knew about the new policy. Holcomb, he said, believed the ban was temporary due to the construction project but made a phone call to county officials to be sure. Greenwell said Holcomb reported back to that he had confirmed the trailer ban would be temporary during the construction work.

That was a “miscommunication,” according to Dominique Holmes, Hernando County public information coordinator. The ban will be ongoing and was always intended to extend beyond the construction project, she said. Holcomb did not reply to phone messages seeking a comment.

After hearing concerns from residents, county commissioners on July 26 agreed to place the trailer ban on an upcoming agenda in order to make a decision.

Holmes said the trailer ban is needed to reduce the amount of waste being taken to the Convenience Center due to escalating costs to the county. Hernando trucks transfer waste from the Convenience Center to the main landfill as it piles up, and transportation costs and the volume of waste have gotten become too much, she said.

Asked if the county had considered that permitting trucks to unload but not trailers carrying the same or even smaller loads might be seen as unfair or punitive to those who don’t own pickups, Gordon Onderdonk, Hernando County Utilities director, was sympathetic.

He said a number of solutions were considered when coming up with a policy, and ultimately while “there is no perfect solution, we do feel this is the best way to move forward (after) looking at all the options for something that’s easy to understand for residents and easy to enforce.”

Onderdonk said the trailer ban also takes care of the problem of commercial dump trailers entering the West Convenience Center. They are not permitted, but he said it can be difficult to tell them apart from residents dumping their personal waste.

Onderdonk reminds residents that trailers are permitted at the main landfill, and while it is a longer drive for many, he said residents with small trailers may want to buy larger ones so they can take bigger loads so they can make fewer trips.

Greenwell said he intended to ask the board of county commissioners about the new policy.

“There isn’t any rational basis for a total trailer ban and I’m sure it wouldn’t stand up to a legal challenge,” said Greenwell, who believes the policy discriminates against car owners. Without a pickup truck, a trailer is the “only viable option” for hauling loads of yard waste, he said. He also isn’t keen on a county service being eliminated even as his taxes go up. Most Hernando County residents pay an annual solid waste assessment fee on their taxes.

The new policy is “punitive,” “discriminatory” and “stupid,” said Hernando Beach resident Sherilyn Smith. She suspects it might be an example of county staff deciding policy via email consensus without thinking through the impact on residents.

“All these little things are done without considering how they impact people,” Smith said. “A lot of elderly people have cars and trailers; they’re not going to buy a truck.

“It’s an inconvenience to go to the other landfill, especially with the cost of gas; Hernando County is not using common sense.”

Hernando resident Wally Carnley uses a 5- by-8-foot trailer with 2-foot-high sides to carry trash to the Convenience Center. Those are the dimensions of a full-sized pickup truck bed.

“It (the trailer) will hold about the same as a full-sized pickup,” Carnley said. “With big yard cleanups it’s pretty helpful.”

Carnley said the trailer ban “certainly bothers me for future needs because of the distance to the (main) county landfill.”

Resident Valarie Shelter doesn’t understand why the policy wasn’t simply changed to allow trailers no larger than pickup truck beds to ensure “everyone is being treated the same.”

“Me, my friends and my husband think it’s unfair,” Shelter said. She doesn’t have garbage pickup service and often uses a small trailer to carry her garbage cans to the Osowaw Convenience Center. Even if she could get the cans into her vehicle, “nobody wants that smelly stuff inside a car or SUV; that’s horrible.”

Shelter said she’s lucky because her husband owns a pickup truck, but she worries about people who don’t and will face “long and expensive” drives to the main landfill starting Aug. 8.

“That’s a long drive if you are a single woman on a budget and you only have a car and a trailer to haul things,” she said.

Smith and Greenwell worry the trailer ban will increase illegal dumping.

Smith said she has long lamented that the West Convenience Center isn’t open 24 hours a day, which she thinks would cut down on illegal dumping.

Greenwell is confident that once county commissioners hear more concerns from the public, they will see “this type of regulation has problems,” and “unless they can pull a rabbit out of their hats and explain the unfairness, they’ll have to address the discrimination factor.”

The main county landfill weighs trailers and a log is kept to allow residents to dump up to 2,000 pounds per year at no charge. Dumpers are charged for certain types of waste, like tires, land clearing debris, roofing and other items. Visit www.hernandocounty.us and use the link to Solid Waste and Recycling under the Departments menu for more.

On Saturday, Rose Roberts and her grandson, Robert Iverson, were first in line for the annual Christmas outreach for people who are homeless and those just need a little help getting by.

“We’re here to get some groceries and something to eat,” Roberts said. “Pastor Doug always has something good to eat.”

Under the food tent, tables of food were set up for people to get a hot meal: turkey, ham, beans and rice, dirty rice, green beans, cupcakes and peanut butter pie.

The Rev. Doug Alexander, whom everyone calls Pastor or Bishop, or just Doug, started this annual outreach in 2007 as a ministry of his church, New Church Without Walls, which was located in Hernando near Hernando Lake.

Originally, it was for the homeless people who lived in the woods near the church, a day where they could get a hot meal, some warm clothing, camping gear and other things they might need.

Over the years, with the partnership of other churches, businesses, individuals and ministries, the event has grown as the needs of families and individuals have increased and changed.

At Saturday’s event in the field by Brannen Bank in Hernando across from the lake, several hundred people, many of them children, received clothing and shoes, tents, blankets, fresh greens picked that morning from The Path of Citrus County’s farm, frozen turkeys and nonperishable food, also toys for kids, including bicycles.

“This is our day to show God’s love, grace and mercy,” Alexander said. “Whatever they need, that’s what we want to make sure they get. Be generous. Give it all away. We don’t want to bring anything back to the warehouse.”

Robert Iverson, a student at CREST school, said he hoped he could get a bicycle.

“If I had a bike, when I get a job I could use it to get to and from work,” he said. “Plus, it’s good exercise.”

Later in the afternoon, 18-year-old Iverson wheeled a brand-new Huffy mountain bike across the field to meet up with his grandmother.

“I think it’s going to get me from point A to point B,” he said, smiling.

One of this year’s partnering ministries was God’s Shed of Love, an outreach to homeless people with care packages with snacks and personal care items – and more.

“It’s awesome to see what God is doing,” said God’s Shed founder, Carmon Forbus. “We were out at the flea market in Floral City and one of the vendors donated tons of clothes, brand new with tags still on. So, we’ve got lots of stuff to give away today, and after we’re done here we’re doing the same thing at an outreach in Crystal River with Real Life Church.”

Forbus said this past year she had partnered with B.A.S.I.C.S. United homeless outreach and the cold weather shelter, and has also learned from Mid Florida Homeless Coalition how to fill out intake forms for homeless people she meets who want housing.

“In February, we did an outreach and only five people showed up, but of the five, two of them reached out to me,” she said. “One is housed now, has a full-time job and has been able to save enough money to buy herself a car.

“She emailed me to tell me the work boots that I gave her that day she now wears every day to work. And the second one, a young man who was newly homeless and living in his truck, now has a good full-time job and an apartment,” Forbus added, “and he brings donations to me every month.

“To see people trying to give back, if we change just one person’s life, that’s a success story.”

“I was homeless once, and I want you to have this,” he said.

A woman, Waynetta Evans, said this was her third or fourth year coming to the outreach.

“One year I got a really nice comforter that I still have,” she said. “What I’d really like is a tent. I have a small one, but it would be nice to have a bigger one.

“But I’m grateful for anything,” she said. “Every morning when I wake up, I thank God that I’m alive.”

Nancy Kennedy can be reached at 352-564-2927 or by email at nkennedy@chronicleonline.com.

HERNANDO BEACH, Fla. - A 74-year-old from Canada, who went missing sometime early Wednesday morning, leaving his wife asleep in their parked van, was found dead, according to Hernando County authorities.

Hernando Sheriff Al Nienhuis said cadaver dogs tracked deputies to Richard Paquet's body under a dock at a canal in Hernando Beach. There is currently no evidence of foul play.

Paquet and his wife drove here to Florida from Nova Scotia, but on Tuesday, he was involved in a minor crash in Brooksville. Neither were injured and Paquet was able to drive his vehicle away from the scene. Later that night, officers were called to a restaurant in Hernando Beach. Patrons were concerned about the pair, but deputies determined Richard was okay.

"Again, he was evaluated, and the deputy didn’t see anything that really jumped out at them that caused major concern," Sheriff Nienhuis explained. "He seemed fine at that point. Unfortunately, through some investigation, we do have witnesses who do see Mr. Paquet later on that evening, several hours later…and he was acting more irrational at that time, But we were not notified. That precipitated him parking his vehicle in this neighborhood."

By midnight, Hernando County investigators said he reversed his vehicle into a driveway at Hernando Beach.

They said the husband and wife do not know the people who reside at that home. The residents didn't know the van was parked in their driveway until Wednesday morning. The homeowner called authorities around 7:30 a.m. The van’s door was open and Richard was nowhere to be found.

Sheriff Nienhuis said they called upon other agencies, such as the Florida Fish and Wildlife and Pasco County Sheriff's Office to use their bloodhounds.

"Bloodhounds did track to a seawall, fairly close to the vehicle," he told FOX 13. "Our working theory was that Paquet made his way down to the water and had fallen in."

The Hernando County Sheriff’s Office along with multiple other agencies searched the area for about 11 hours Wednesday. Thursday, the exhaustive search continued with drive teams, aviation units, underwater sonar, drones, and K9s. Deputies also went door to door in the area looking for any sign of Paquet.

By Thursday, the sheriff said the search teams believed it was going to be a recovery rather than a rescue.

"This morning at first light, we had Pasco Sheriff’s Office bring their cadaver dogs, as well as their dive team, and the cadaver teams alerted in the same area that the bloodhounds had responded to and shortly thereafter, within a couple of minutes, we were able to find Mr. Paquet at the surface under a dock. And he was deceased."

"When he was found he still had his glasses on," he added. "We are relatively confident…we don’t see any evidence of foul play, whatsoever."

Paquet's stepson, Kenyan Shoebridge, told FOX 13 on Thursday that his mother is wheelchair-bound, and he said she is in a state of shock.

"This is extremely uncharacteristic, Richard doesn't leave her side," Shoebridge said. "So the fact that he's missing is very concerning for us all, obviously. And the fact that it's in an area that's unfamiliar to him, unfamiliar to her, that makes it even that much worse."

Paquet had no medical or cognitive issues, but he left his cellphone and wallet in the van, and the last two days had been extremely hot.

"He does have military training. He was in the Canadian Forces for 30 years. He was a medic in the forces as well. So he does have some skills, but he is aged. He's a little bit more on the frail side. And of course, with all the water around here, that makes it a little bit more challenging," Shoebridge said before Paquet's body had been found.

The exact cause of death is under investigation.

ST. PETE BEACH – Featuring thousands of handmade, creative items from more than 100 craft artists available at affordable prices, the 29th annual St. Pete Beach Corey Area Craft Festival will take place Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 7-8, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., on Corey Avenue and Gulf Boulevard in downtown St. Pete Beach.

Presented by American Craft Endeavors, the event is free and open to the public.

Benefitting the Corey Avenue Merchants Association, the outdoor craft festival offers attendees an opportunity to peruse and shop for practical and whimsical works of quality, handmade art while enjoying the beautiful Florida weather. The event is pet friendly for leashed animals, and includes a full green market of live plants, handmade soaps, delicious edibles and more. Each artisan is on-site during the entire festival, allowing patrons to meet and discover the techniques and inspirations behind each piece.

This juried outdoor craft showcase boasts a wide selection of original crafts handmade in America along with unique and affordable gift items. More than 100 crafters will display and offer their wares for sale with prices set to suit all budgets — ranging from as little as $10 to $3,000. The participating crafters have been hand-selected from hundreds of applicants and all crafters remain on site for duration of the festival. Festivalgoers can expect to find a vast array of artistic media, including folk art, pottery, personalized gifts, handmade clothing, basket weaving, beaded utensils, candles, cork assemblage, fabric design, fiber quilts, fused wax and glass, hair accessories, handbags and accessories, handmade cards, leather, mosaic, wood, painted wood, plaster craft and stained glass.

A portion of the proceeds from the festival will benefit the St. Pete Beach Corey Area Merchants Association.

Among the Florida artists taking part in this year’s festival is Corrina Leidy of Sorrento.

Leidy is an abstract realist painter. Originally from upstate New York, her parents encouraged her artistic skill at a young age. She studied painting at the Kansas City Art Institute where she met her husband David, a sculptor from Pennsylvania. For their first 17 years of marriage, they created art together, starting with a line of unique furniture for cats and then moving on to fused glass wall vessels.

Leidy always felt the desire to return to her love of painting. Once their sons grew old enough, she dove right into exploring and trying to find herself again as a painter. After a few years of experimentation, her distinctive personal style began to be revealed.

She uses the natural beauty of pour painting to give energy and life to her figurative and nature inspired work.

“It is exciting to see how each person, animal or object has interesting surprises created by the lines, splashes and dots full of color that were once only naturally flowing paint,” Leidy said.

Leidy’s artwork has been shown in exhibits throughout Florida and the Northeastern United States. She has won awards throughout the years and is featured in Studio Visit Magazine.

Bradenton's JoAnn and Michael Manusco craft hand-made soaps incorporating skin-rewarding ingredients in their "made from scratch" personal care products. JoAnn has taught soap making at the Folk School for nearly a decade.

Chandler Adams makes her St. Pete Beach debut bringing macrame bracelets and necklaces. Using the ancient weaving technique for the past nine years in Hernando, she finishes the pieces of high-quality fiber with a resin coating. The jewelry is then set with authentic crystals and semi-precious stones.

Seminole resident Barrie West is a regular at American Craft Endeavors shows who has more than 30 years of experience as a professional artist. She has participated in art shows for more than 20 years, specializing in underwater, beach and Harley Davidson motorcycle scenes as well as light switches and murals. She works mainly with acrylic paint to create intense personal moments masterfully created on murals, canvas and other media.

According to West’s profile from American Craft Endeavors, she is “in her studio literally from sunrise to sunset.” Her dedication to her work is shown through every piece of her art.

“My philosophy of life and art are the same to create and enjoy,” West says in the press release. “It’s important to me that my art bring joy and happiness to all.”

About American Craft Endeavors

American Craft Endeavors produces some of the nation’s finest high-end juried craft shows in many of Florida’s vibrant downtown areas and popular tourist destinations including the Downtown Dunedin Art and Craft Festivals, the Siesta Fiesta Craft Festival and the Downtown Stuart Craft Festivals, among others. For information on the St. Pete Beach Corey Area Craft Festival and other American Craft Endeavors craft shows, visit www.artfestival.com or call 561-746-6615.

When folks visit Hernando Beach, they’ll now be greeted by a new welcome sign that is both beautiful and functional! This is a work of art that represents a labor of love between area organizations and a proud local artist. The welcome sign is the masterwork of Artist, Art Teacher, and Construction Professional Linda Tartaglione. The sign is meticulously hand cut and hand-painted, intended to illustrate a welcome message inviting all to enjoy boating, fishing, hiking, snorkeling, kayaking, diving, and more. The sign’s back side sends a thanks to those who have visited Hernando Beach. “We wanted a sign to identify the beach, to welcome people,” said Bill Roberts, president of the Hernando Beach Property Owners Association.

The 66X44 sign was made possible through the partnership between the Hernando County Fine Arts Council and the Hernando Beach Property Owners Association. In 2021, the HBPOA applied for a HCFAC community arts grant to design, craft, and erect a new sign for their community. The grant, awarded in the amount of $1,000, was awarded in November 2021, and then the new sign was unveiled on Oct. 7 at 4545 Shoal Line Blvd. The project’s mission is reflected in the HBPOA’s arts grant application.

“The project will be an original work to display an artistic expression of appreciation for visitors and residents of Hernando Beach,” the application read. “The project will provide a means for our local artists to showcase a piece that fits our community’s sense of joy for where we live.”

Bill Roberts stated, “The sign was handmade by the association’s resident artist. It is 64 pounds, and has been pressure tested and sealed to withstand the elements. This is going to last a while.” In fact, Tartaglione has created signs for neighbors to use at their homes and businesses, as well as artworks of wood, copper, and brass. For this project, she chose wood and paints in rich coastal colors as her media. “I love this idea, and being able to do this for the people of this area,” Tartaglione said. “I’m truly blessed.”

On hand at the Oct. 7 dedication was Beth Putnam, chairperson of the Hernando County Fine Arts Council. “We are so pleased to help make this project possible,” she told the crowd gathered for the unveiling. “It benefits a great community and involves a local artist.”

Putnam also is pleased to support the creation of art on the west side of Hernando County.”We love to see more art projects on this side of the county,” she said. “Art is important to a community.”

Tartaglione expressed great appreciation for the arts council grant. “The $1,000 covered my labor and supplies to create the sign, which has symbols of all of the elements of Hernando Beach, things people can do,” she said. “And I included the logo for the Hernando County Fine Arts Council.”

Also present was Hernando Beach Artist and Arts Council Vice Chair Diane Ziemski, she stated, “As she was creating the sign, she would ask me to check her work. I assured her she was doing just fine and her sign turned out beautifully.”

Putnam does indeed see a bright future for this very welcoming and wonder-filled artwork. “Thousands of people who drive through Hernando Beach will see this sign.”

Hernando Beach’s very own artist designed and crafted the sign. HCFAC would like to take this opportunity to thank HBPOA for their Community Grant application and other applicants from 2021. We are proud to showcase Artist Linda Tartaglione for her skilled design and workmanship and believe her artwork will be seen by thousands passing through Hernando Beach. 2023 Community Grant applicants will be notified in December of 2022.