HOLIDAY, Fla. — Pasco County officials broke ground on a new trail Wednesday meant to make traveling between Pasco and Pinellas County on foot or on bicycles easier and safer.

  • Coastal Anclote Trail to connect 3 Pasco parks with Pinellas Trail
  • Trail meant to enhance safety, also draw tourism
  • Work expected to be completed by mid-2020
  • More Pasco County stories

The Coastal Anclote Trail, once completed, will connect Anclote River Park, Anclote Gulf Park, and Key Vista Nature Park to the Pinellas Trail in Tarpon Springs.

“It really lends itself to how you build community and how you make this just a better area and, for us, a better state of Florida,” said Becky Afonso, executive director of the Florida Bicycle Association.

The 12-foot wide, 4.5 mile long paved trail will give bicyclists and pedestrians a safer way to visit the parks and also make their way into Pinellas County. Right now, bicyclists have to travel alongside vehicles on Bailies Bluff Road to get to the parks. The situation is precarious for pedestrians, as well.

“Part of the problem in getting down to here from New Port Richey or Port Richey is that there are some stretches where you pretty much take your life into your own hands,” said New Port Richey Mayor Rob Marlowe. “By filling in some of these multi-use trails, we’re eliminating those dangerous areas to make it much safer for somebody to bicycle.”

Good for tourism?

In addition to safety, Pasco County Commissioner Kathryn Starkey said it could be good for tourism, as well.

“When I was on the state Greenways and Trails Council, I recall Visit Florida saying that their number one request on their website was about trails,” Starkey said. “I think a lot of people love trails, whether you’re young or old, whether you walk them, walk your dogs on them, or cycle. So, I expect this trail to be a huge amenity and a tourism draw – especially along the water.”

The trail is being built using $2.8 million in "Penny for Pasco" dollars on land that’s part of the county’s Environmental Lands Acquisition and Management Program (ELAMP). Pasco County Engineering Services Dept. Project Manager Sam Beneck said steps are being taken to protect and enhance the surrounding environment.

“The property does have a lot of invasive, exotic species, which we’ve really tried to target with our design to eliminate as much as possible,” said Beneck.

Work on the trail is expected to wrap up by mid-2020.