Published Dec. 26, 2014
Before running for a seat on the New Port Richey City Council two years ago, Jeff Starkey had never considered entering the political fray.
Like his grandfather and father before him, he had built a successful business as a property and casualty insurance agent in New Port Richey. He had a great home life with his wife and two young children.
Things changed for him politically after he bought his dream home in 2010, on Astor Lane just off U.S. 19, in the city where he grew up. He remembered his idyllic childhood, living along the Cotee River - a time when playing safely in the streets and riding a bicycle to the convenience store for candy could be taken for granted.
Starkey, 40, wanted the same for his children. But after moving into his home along the pristine street dotted with posh houses, he realized that the dark underbelly of drugs and prostitution that plague U.S. 19 had encroached on his new neighborhood.
Things got so bad as prostitutes turned tricks and drug were sold openly along U.S. 19 and in his neighborhood that seeking a seat on the City Council became his calling. In April 2012, he won election convincingly, running on an anti-crime platform.
As the second year of his three-year term comes to an end in April, Starkey's battle against crime remains intense. During council meetings, he regularly expresses disgust over his children having to see prostitutes working near his home.
Starkey has also gotten an up-close look at the problem, riding along with New Port Richey police officers as they have conducted several prostitution stings in the area in recent months. He says he was most shocked by a reverse sting he witnessed where police arrested suspects who solicited a police officer posing as a prostitute.
"These men were from all walks of life, from all over the place. It let me know that they were comfortable coming here for this kind of behavior," Starkey said. "It's unacceptable."
Starkey also has engaged his neighbors. He walked his neighborhood recently and knocked on doors, asking residents to voice their concerns to the City Council. Many did, speaking about the toll that crime is taking on their neighborhood.
City Manager Debbie Manns credits Starkey's efforts, including the input from his neighbors, with raising awareness of the problems among city leaders. And the city has responded, crafting tighter prostitution and code enforcement ordinances that are on the verge of being approved by the council.
"People need to realize this is not just a law enforcement issue. We need everyone to do their part to bring change," Manns said during a recent gathering and interview at Starkey's home, also attended by Police Chief Kim Bogart and several of Starkey's neighbors.
Retired Clearwater firefighter Jack Callahan, 67, and his wife, Mary Lynn, 64, bought their four-bedroom/four-bathroom home just down the street from Starkey five years ago. They love their view of the river and the beauty of New Port Richey, and they had hoped it would be a destination for their grandchildren. But the persistent crime has changed that, and now they want to sell.
"No one wants to come visit here," Mary Lynn Callahan said. "I won't even leave the house to get my paper from the front yard until it's light."
Pat Woodard, 61, said she wants out of the neighborhood as well. She tells stories of finding used condoms left in her front yard by prostitutes and being hounded for money by people passing through her neighborhood. Her husband, Bill, 57, echoed the Callahans, saying he would not let children play outside in the neighborhood.
It's not all doom and gloom, however. The residents praised Starkey for serving as a voice for their community. They said the crime problem has improved noticeably in the past two years, because of efforts by Starkey, the city police and the city staff.
"He's done a good job," Woodard said of Starkey.
Starkey fears a future where people like his neighbors choose to leave and said he hopes they will stay. He does not plan on going anywhere and will seek a second term on the council in 2016.
"I'm not willing to give up," he said.
Manns, who has served as city manager for six months, said she weighed the crime problem in the city while considering whether to take the job.
"I took a hard look at whether it was something I felt could be turned around," she said.
Her answer?
"It's yes. Hands down."
