Port Richey Residents To Elect New Mayor; Pasco To Elect New Rep

PORT RICHEY, FL -- Following the ouster of both the city's mayor and acting mayor from office, Port Richey residents are heading to the polls today to elect a new mayor.

Earlier this year, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis suspended both Mayor Dale Massad and acting Mayor Terrance Rowe from their elected duties after they were arrested.

Massad has been in the Land O' Lakes Detention Center since his arrest on Feb. 21 following a Pasco County Sheriff's Office SWAT Team raid on his home. The sheriff's office was attempting to serve a warrant from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement on charges that Massad was practicing medicine without a license.

During the raid, SWAT Team members said Massad shot at them. Massad was subsequently charged with attempted murder.

A former doctor who relinquished his medical license following the death of a patient, Massad is accused of performing medical procedures at his home using illegal drugs and drugs purchased over the Internet.

Charges of conspiracy to obstruct justice were added three weeks later when Massad made a recorded jailhouse call to acting Mayor Terrance Rowe. In the call, Massad discussed retaliating against an undercover Port Richey Police officer who posed as a patient needing Massad's medical services.

Rowe was charged with conspiring to interfere with an active criminal investigation.

Candidates to replace Massad are current Councilman Richard B. Bloom, William M. Colombo, Todd Maklary, Gregory Smithwick and Scott S. Tremblay.

Pasco County residents are also being asked to elect a representative for Florida House District 38. The seat was previously held by Danny Burgess who was appointed by DeSantis to head up the Florida Department of Veterans Affairs.

Vying to replace Burgess in the special election are Dade City Republican Randy Maggard and Wesley Chapel Democrat Kelly Smith.

Smith served as FEMA coordinator for Collier County, zoning administrator for the City of Marco Island, as a land planner for a civil engineering firm and as an operation coordinator for a transportation engineering firm before moving to Wesley Chapel with her husband Patrick and their six adopted children 10 years ago.

Smith volunteers for Guardian ad Litem, Pinellas-Pasco Heart Gallery, the Pasco Children’s Behavioral Health Partnership and serves on the Board of Directors of Messengers of Hope Mission.

Maggard has served as vice president of Sonny’s Discount Appliances for 30 years. Born and raised in Pasco County, he attended Zephyrhills High School and has an associate of arts from Pasco-Hernando Community College.

He's served on the Southwest Water Management Governing Board, the Coastal River Basin Board and is the former chairman of the Republican Part of Pasco.

He and his wife, Colleen, have three children.

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Gov. DeSantis Suspends Port Richey Mayor Following Arrest

Port Richey Mayor Arrested After Shooting At SWAT Team: Sheriff

Both Former Port Richey Mayor, Acting Mayor Facing Charges

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