PASCO COUNTY, FL — Jim Stanley, one of the parents who brought the lawsuit against Pasco County Schools that got its original west side rezoning plan thrown out, has brought a new legal challenge against the district.
- Petition challenges validity of new zoning boundaries
- District declined comment on litigation
- Board will vote on rezoning proposal May 1
Stanley filed a petition on April 20 with the State of Florida Division of Administrative Hearings that challenges the validity of the new proposed boundaries the school board is expected to vote on next week.
“We’re all fatigued by it,” Stanley said. “We can’t understand why this has gone on so long, and why the district wants to make this so difficult when there are obvious, simpler solutions that would not be so impactful to the families here in Longleaf.”
The petition alleges, in part, that a March 12 workshop was held before Superintendent Kurt Browning issued a final recommendation on rezoning, and that the district didn’t give speakers enough time to voice their concerns at an April 10 public hearing.
“They haven’t given us a meaningful opportunity to ask questions of the people that came up with this plan," Stanley explained. "They haven’t provided valid answers to our questions that we have asked."
A spokesperson for the district declined to comment on pending litigation.
Stanley said the complaint will be withdrawn if the board does not approve the current rezoning proposal at its May 1 meeting. He said otherwise, a hearing on his legal challenge has been scheduled for May 16.