Popular Pasco Co. mudding spot being shut off to off-roaders

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A popular spot for so-called mud-bogging in Pasco County is about to be shut down.

Michael Bowen says he’s tired of seeing Sunnydale Drive, a narrow private road off U.S. 19, turned into a Monster Truck rally.  

Bowen says sounds of revving engines, sometimes late into the night, keep neighbors hunkered down in their homes. Surveillance video from his home shows a parade of trucks passing through, presumably heading to the giant mud pit at the end of the road. 

Neighbor Peter Pfiel thinks it’s kind of cool.

“On the weekends I’m hanging out having a couple beers enjoying myself," he said. "Yeah, it doesn’t bother me."

The times -- good or bad, depending on whom you ask -- are coming to an end. The company that owns the land, Preferred Materials, has been told by Pasco County code enforcement officials to shut the area off to off-roaders. 

“We got with the property owner. He's going to barricade off the Sunnydale Drive entrance and post it with 'no trespassing' signs," said Patrick Phillips with Pasco County Code Enforcement. "He's going to enter an agreement with sheriff’s office for no-trespassing agreement.”

“I’ve been fighting over two years for this and everyone’s been passing the buck,” Bowen said.

The barricades are expected to go up Wednesday.