Zephyrhills is a small city in Pasco County, about 30 miles northeast of downtown Tampa.

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In Pasco County, north of Tampa, authorities issued a mandatory evacuation order Tuesday for 2, 000 homes along the Cotee River.

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"They're not going to have a constituency in every instance that is champing for that bill, " said Pasco, whose group has backed the drive for expanded background checks.

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James Pasco, executive director of the Fraternal Order of Police, the nation's largest law-enforcement labor organization, said that while he holds Mr. Kerlikowske in high regard, police officers are wary.

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Thanks to Hanford's sustained ability to soak up federal dollars, the great recession skipped over Richland, Kennewick and Pasco, fast-growing towns on the Columbia river that call themselves the Tri-Cities.

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Even so, the fight will be difficult in both chambers, especially the House, where increasing numbers of district lines are drawn to protect incumbents, said James Pasco, executive director of the Fraternal Order of Police.

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While debate continues over whether and how stimulus dollars should be used, the Tri-Cities area that surrounds the Hanford site -- which includes Richland, Kennewick and Pasco -- is reaping the benefits of the clean-up boom.

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