Wesley Chapel Neighborhood News, Volume 27. Issue 10, May 3, 2019 by Neighborhood News

WESLEY CHAPEL

Inside:

NEWS

Recapping Gary’s 25 years Of Neighborhood News! See pages 8-10

Volume 27 Issue 10 May 3, 2019

Now Celebrating 25 Years As New Tampa & Wesley Chapel’s Primary News Source! The Direct-Mail News Magazines Serving New Tampa & Wesley Chapel Since 1993! For the complete list of neighborhoods that receive this publication by direct mail in Wesley Chapel (zip codes 33543, 33544 & 33545), see page 46!

First Look Inside:

The Lagoon Opens To All!

Epperson’s Crystal Lagoons® amenity is finally open to the public — for a price — and only for a limited time. Page 5

The Instructional Performing Arts Center (artist rendering above) which just broke ground adjacent to Cypress Creek Middle/High School on Old Pasco Rd. (groundbreaking below) will be a joint venture between Pasco Hernando State College and Pasco County Schools.

Performing Arts Center Breaks Ground! When Pasco County deputy superintendent of schools Ray Gadd first came across the sprawling 250 acres or so of property on Old Pasco Rd., he decided he wanted it. However, he couldn’t have it — it was under the control of home builder D.R. Horton, which had portions of it under contract with three different people. Disappointed, Gadd told the home builder that if those contracts fell through, to let him know. And fall through they all did, leaving Gadd and Pasco County planning director Chris Williams with an opportunity to convince three different people to sell their slices of the parcel. Years later, on a perfectly sunny and cloudless day, Gadd stood on that property smiling, with Cypress Creek Middle/High School behind him, a separate Cypress Creek Middle School under construction to the north of him, and the future home of the Instructional Performing Arts Center (IPAC) on the nine acres beneath his feet. The IPAC, a joint $18-million venture between Pasco County Schools and

All The Rage

A craft brewery and restaurant is checking into a possible S.R. 56 location.

Page 13

Pasco-Hernando State College (PHSC), celebrated the IPAC’s official groundbreaking on April 23, with Gadd sharing the story of the land’s acquisition with a crowd of 100 or so. “Chris Williams and I sat in a little block home... with a couple, and we negotiated their part of the land,” Gadd said. “Then, we went out to a trailer in a little ranch and stable up the hill, about where the middle school is going up and negotiated that piece of land. That was easier than the third gentleman we negotiated with...but ultimately we got all 250 acres. So, that was the beginning of this vision.”

The IPAC facility, which will be located at 8701 Old Pasco Rd. in Wesley Chapel, is expected to be the bridge for students interested in performing arts at Cypress Creek Middle/High. The facility is a joint effort between PHSC and the Pasco School District, and will offer programs in dance, theater and music, both vocal and instrumental. It also will offer dual enrollment opportunities for local high school students. “It’s a huge bonus for us,” said Cypress Creek Middle/High principal Carin Hetzler-Nettles. “The dual enrollment See “IPAC” on page 4.

Check Out Omari’s Grill! In case you hadn’t heard, the restaurant at the Lexington Oaks Golf Club has been completely revamped. Here’s our exclusive look at a delicious, local, non-chain eatery.

Pages 38-39

My Mom’s Shoulder Replacement Surgery; Plus, Where You Should Watch The Derby! An editorial by Gary Nager It’s been a super busy year already for yours truly — what, with getting married in March and hosting my “25 Years of Neighborhood News” Celebration in April, plus multiple even-crazierthan-usual deadlines caused by those events. But, one person who attended my wedding (see photo) who wasn’t able to be on hand for the 25-year anniversary party is my mom, Marilyn Nager, who has had a much more difficult 2019 than I have, by far. A little less than a year ago, my mom injured her shoulder so severely that a series of X-rays and MRIs showed she had torn three of the four tendons in the rotator cuff of her right arm and her biceps muscle in that arm was torn away from the bone. After meeting with multiple surgeons in Sarasota (where she lives) and sending her films to my brother-in-law (and orthopaedic surgeon) Dr. Jeffrey Malumed in Pennsylvania, everyone agreed that her arm was “a mess” and that she needed surgery to fix it. No one had to tell my mom for her to know how bad off she was — she had been living with pain so excruciating for several months that she didn’t know if she would be able to attend mine and Jannah’s wedding. Rather than schedule the surgery a few weeks before the wedding, she ended up waiting until a few weeks after it (which was three days after my Neighborhood News anniversary event) for orthopaedic surgeon Dr. Christopher Dillingham to perform what is known as a “reverse shoulder replacement” surgery. I had never heard of reverse shoulder replacement before, but Wikipedia says it is “a type of shoulder replacement in which the normal ball-and-socket relationship of the glenohumeral joint is reversed, creating a more stable joint with a fixed fulcrum.” Well, now less than two weeks after that

Wesley Chapel Neighborhood News

Address: 29157 Chapel Park Dr., Suite B Wesley Chapel, FL 33543 Phone: (813) 910-2575 Advertising E-mail: Ads@NTNeighborhoodNews.com Editorial E-mail: EditorialDept@NTNeighborhoodNews.com Publisher & Editor /Ad Sales Gary Nager Managing Editor / Photographer John C. Cotey Correspondents Libby Baldwin • Jarrett Guthrie Celeste McLaughlin • Andy Warrener Lead Video Producer/Multimedia Specialist Gavin Olsen Photography, Videography & Video Editing Charmaine George • Richard Nasrallah • Matt Tsvetkov Graphic Designers Georgia Carmichael • Gavin Olsen Advertising Sales & Billing Assistants Hana Lee • Janet Levins • Jannah McDonald Nothing that appears in Wesley Chapel Neighborhood News may be reproduced, whether wholly or in part, without permission. Opinions expressed by Wesley Chapel Neighborhood News writers are their own and do not reflect the publisher’s opinion. The deadline for outside editorial submissions and advertisement reservations for Volume 27, Issue 12, of Wesley Chapel Neighborhood News is Monday, May 20, 2019. Wesley Chapel Neighborhood News will consider previously nonpublished outside editorial submissions if they are double spaced, typed and less than 500 words. Wesley Chapel Neighborhood News reserves the right to edit and/or reject all outside editorial submissions and makes no guarantees regarding publication dates. Wesley Chapel Neighborhood News will not return unsolicited editorial materials. Wesley Chapel Neighborhood News reserves the right to edit &/or reject any advertising. Wesley Chapel Neighborhood News is not responsible for errors in advertising beyond the actual cost of the advertising space itself, nor for the validity of any claims made by its advertisers.

ing up this year with the Rotary Club of Dade City to present the second annual “Hats & Horses: A Kentucky Derby Party!” (see ad on pg. 17), which will again be held at the beautiful Waller Ranch in Dade City, 4 p.m. until 9 p.m. Tickets at the door to attend cost $100 per person, but that includes delicious gourmet heavy hors d’oeuvres, an open, premium liquor bar, big screens to watch the Derby, plus gaming, music, photos with the thoroughbreds Our editor’s mother, Marilyn Nager (center), and more. And, best of all, it’s all to benefit with her friend Emme and Eric Johnson of the the selected nonprofit charities supWilliams Automotive Group, who performed the ceremony in March where Gary and Jannah ported by the two Rotary Clubs. For more info, visit HatsandNager were married on St. Pete Beach. Horses2019.eventbrite.com or call surgery and staying only a few days at Doctors Rebecca Smith at (307) 851-4312. Hospital of Sarasota, all I can tell you is that Dr. Dillingham appears to be an outstanding surgeon who has basically performed a miracle with my mom’s shoulder. ACCESSIBLE • COMMITTED Although she was in a lot of pain for more than a week after the surgery, she definitely got a little better each day and ultimately recognized that she was in less pain post-surgery than she had been in the weeks leading up to it. And, because my mom has dealt with some other injuries in recent years, she recognized the need for her to be her own advocate when it comes to her health. She did months of physical therapy to prepare for the surgery, learned how to use her left arm to perform simple daily tasks — like write, text, eat and get dressed — and made all of her arrangements for her post-surgical care herself. The fact that she is now well on the road to recovery and feeling better than she has in • months doesn’t really come as a surprise to me. I’m just extremely proud of the way she’s taken care of herself, even though both Jannah and I spent some time with her in Sarasota — but it turned out to be mostly to keep her company. So, congrats, Mom, and thanks to Dr. Dillingham, everyone at Doctors Hospital and her home health care folks, friends and neighbors who have helped her get to this point.

• EXPERIENCED

Wesley Chapel (813) 991-6161

What Are You Doing For The Derby Tomorrow?

If you don’t already have plans as to where you’re going to watch the Kentucky Derby tomorrow (Saturday, May 4), I have a suggestion for you — but only if you like enjoying great food and beverage, games and entertainment, and hanging out with actual thoroughbred horses to benefit great causes. The Rotary Club of Wesley Chapel Noon (the club that Jannah belongs to that played such an important role in us getting together) is team-

Table of Contents

Local News Updates.....................3-15

Non-Residents Can Experience Epperson’s Lagoon.......5 Roadway Connections Survey Wraps Up...................6 Gary Looks At 25 Years Worth Of Memories...8-10 Business Notes: Glory Days, Aldi & VW Updates....12 Craft Brewery Expanding To Old Sports + Field?....13 A Dozen Tenants Sign Up For New Tampa Project...14 USF To Study New Tampa Business Trends.........15 Wesley Chapel Community Calendar...........................16

Local Business Updates..............20-25

Pelican Water Brings Pure Water To Your Home..........20 Team Gosselin Wants To Be Your Real Estate Agent!....22 The Bowman Institute For Quality Skin Cancer Care.....24

Headaches Happen

Chiropractic Can Help

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Education & Sports News..........28-32 WRH Valedictorian Draws Inspiration From Injury.....28 Cypress Creek To Graduate First Senior Class........30 Check Out Our New Sports Page!.....................32

Neighborhood Magazine

Running The World 13.1 Miles At A Time!.........35-36 Omari’s Grill At Lexington Oaks Gold Club.......38-39 Neighborhood Nibbles & Business Bytes.....42-43 New Tampa & Wesley Chapel Classifieds...........44 @NTWCNews

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IPAC: Locally, the performing arts will get a significant boost from the new center opportunities that our students will have at their fingertips is exceptional.” Dr. Stanley Giannet, the vice president of academic affairs and faculty development at PHSC, said the facility will have an “economic development flavor” to it as well, with a new Associate of Science degree in digital design and multimedia technology. “It’s a high-wage, high-skill industry, and those who finish our (new) program will be immediately employable,” Giannet says. Although the facility will be run by a center director who will be a PHSC employee, Giannet says there will be “significant levels of collaboration” in regard to the programming and the pipelining of students into the center. The state-of-the-art performing arts space also is expected to attract artists from all over the country, as well as those locally, and is expected to generate additional revenue for both the county and PHSC. According to Gadd, the theater’s overhang and lobby area can be used to host banquets and meetings, so the local chambers of commerce and Rotary clubs can hold events there, and the master agreement allows for serving alcohol at the center (but not

The Cypress Creek Conservatory of Music performed at the groundbreaking of the new Instructional Performing Arts Center on campus. (Photo: John C. Cotey)

at the adjacent schools). “It’s going to be a full-blown professional theater,” Gadd said. “There will be student productions, (acting) troupes that can book shows and maybe even some old rock-n’-rollers that want to play music. Hopefully, the community will take advantage of it in that respect. That’s the dream.” The dream of the district, as well as PHSC, to build a performing arts center in has existed in some form for years. Originally, it was expected to be built near PHSC’s Porter Campus at

Wiregrass Ranch. Developer JD Porter, whose family donated the land the college (and Wiregrass Ranch High and Long Middle School) is built on, even talked of a performing arts facility as an attraction for Wiregrass Ranch’s future town center north of S.R. 56, near the forthcoming indoor athletic facility to be called the Wiregrass Sports Complex. But, Porter has withdrawn interest following the decision to move the project to the Cypress Creek campus, which is more than 10 miles away from the PHSC campus.

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Money to build the project — $15.5 million -- was secured with the help of then-Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives Will Weatherford. The school district donated 5.85 acres on the Cypress Creek campus’ southeast corner to the college, which will pay for the remaining construction costs of the $18-million project. The IPAC, as well as the alreadyunder-construction Cypress Creek Middle School, are both scheduled to open in the fall of 2020. The separate middle school also will feature a state-of-the-art 150-seat black box theater, and an orchestra room that also will accommodate dance and chorus programs. The planned performing arts center — the second major PAC at a Wesley Chapel school site (the other is at Wesley Chapel High on Wells Rd.) — also is expected to enhance PHSC’s regional appeal to students at its Dade City campus, 13 miles to the east, and maybe even, Dr. Gianett says, its Brooksville campus 30 miles to the north, especially once the Overpass Rd. interchange at I-75 is built. “Having the Instructional Performing Arts Center here will elevate both schools,” Giannet said.

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The Lagoon Is Open To Everyone, But Not Forever By JOHN COTEY john@ntneighborhoodnews.com

One of the most asked — if not the most asked — questions in Wesley Chapel has an answer, and it is yes. Or more accurately: YES! The Crystal Lagoons® amenity by Metro Lagoons at Epperson (off Curley Rd.) is open, and you can use it, too. At least for now. The first of its kind in the United States, the first shining jewel of Metro Development Group’s Connected City project, is already drawing huge crowds to its crystal clear water, sandy beach and variety of activities. For a limited time, the public is welcome to attend for a promotional price of only $10 per person. The discounted rate will be in effect at least through May, and maybe longer, before the regular price of $25 per person goes into effect. The lagoon has been allowing a limited number of non-Epperson residents in each day since April 8, and tickets are available while they last at LagoonInformation.com. If you don’t pre-order and decide to just show up, you run the risk of being shut out. According to Eric Wahlbeck, the managing director of Metro Lagoons, there have already been sellouts on almost every day with good weather, with more to come as summer rolls in. “It’s been awesome to watch,” he says. The lagoon is letting in 200-300 non-residents a day, and drawing nearly 2,000 visitors (including Epperson residents) on busy days, Wahlbeck added. “It’s limited, so we can control the numbers for our residents,” he said, “but so far, it has been hugely popular. This is only a test market, so we are still trying to see what the facility can handle while affording the residents their space.” In time, the lagoon will be limited to residents only, who pay a $25 a month fee per household to use the facility. Until Epperson is built out, the admission of non-residents will help supplement the

Aquatic activities, sandy beaches and the crystal clear water of the Crystal Lagoons® amenity by Metro Lagoons at Epperson are available (at a discount) to the public for a limited time.

costs of maintaining the lagoon. Epperson currently has 1,200 residents (in 350 homes), with another 165 homes currently under contract or being built, which will bring the resident count to 1,800 within six months. So far, those living in Epperson don’t seem to have a problem sharing their most desirable amenity. Wahlbeck says he hasn’t had to sort out any problems involving non-residents so far. “There was a lot of fear in the beginning,” he says. “But, since we started it, it has gone really well. We have made sure to make sure it’s not a free-for-all. And there will be plenty of resident-only parties.” Please note that the lagoon doesn’t allow any outside food, drink or coolers inside, nor are guests or residents allowed to bring their own chairs. Wahlbeck says the lagoon has more than 600 lounge chairs, a grab-and-go café for food, as well as a rotating schedule of food trucks, a bar that serves beer and liquor, kayaks and paddleboards for rent and, well, the clearest water around, thanks to a patented water-filtration process that uses up to 100 times less chemicals that a conven-

tional swimming pool and 30 times less water than a golf course. While not completely ready to open at our press time, Wahlbeck even hinted that the much-anticipated swim-up bar and tiki hut could be ready to go as this issue hits your mailboxes. “There’s no reason to bring anything, we’ve got you covered,” he says. “Well, you might want to bring a few bucks.”

The lagoon pavilion area also boasts what Wahlbeck says is a “really cool” 18-foot by 12-foot LED screen above its stage, which will be used for viewing sporting events, like the Kentucky Derby, and even television shows like “Jeopardy” — he says some residents are organizing a Tuesday night “Jeopardy” watch party. There also are activities scheduled every weekend. Last Sunday, the lagoon held a cornhole tournament, there is a Kentucky Derby party planned and there’s always plenty of music. There also are aquatic activities planned, and the lagoon has a giant inflatable water slide like the one at the Tradewinds Resort on St. Pete Beach. “It’s the same idea as Disney resorts,” he says. “You come for the water, but there are plenty of activities to take part in as well.” Although it has had a few starts and stops due to permitting and other issues, the lagoon is now pretty much 100-percent functional. Following a few grand openings, as well as its share of controversy, Wahlbeck says the lagoon has evolved into everything Metro said it would be when it first introduced the concept back in 2014. If you want to check it out, hurry over to LagoonInformation.com and get your tickets now!

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New Tampa Tries To Drum Up Answers To Connections Stalemate By JOHN COTEY john@ntneighborhoodnews.com

The Pasco Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) asked county residents last month to complete an online survey involving the Wesley Chapel Roadways Connections study, which took a detailed look at traffic improvements mostly within Meadow Pointe, as well as three potential connections to the City of Tampa’s New Tampa area. The survey, which ran from April 1-30, drew more than 2,700 responses, said Pasco County commissioner Mike Moore, whose District 2 includes most of Wesley Chapel. The online survey asked a handful of simple questions about whether you approved of the following: • A connection at Mansfield Blvd. in Meadow Pointe and Kinnan St. in K-Bar Ranch. • A connection at Meadow Pointe Blvd. and the Meadow Pointe Blvd. Extension, which hooks up with K-Bar Ranch Blvd., also in New Tampa’s K-Bar Ranch development • A connection at Wyndfields Blvd. and the Wyndfields Blvd. Extension, which would connect to both K-Bar Ranch Blvd. and Morris Bridge Rd. • All three connections. The survey also asked after each question if the respondent’s answer would be

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different if all of the improvements identified by Wesley Chapel Roadways Connections are committed to be done prior to, or concurrent with, the connection(s). Along with looking at the connections, the study identified $13.8-million worth of road improvements in and around Meadow Pointe, such as repaving and widening roads, making intersections safer and improving traffic signals. In anticipation of the results and because the Pasco side has dominated the debate over the proposed roadway connections, District 7 Tampa City Council member Luis Viera, who represents those in K-Bar Ranch and the rest of New Tampa, held a forum in April at Cypress Pointe Community Church to discuss the thorniest of the proposed connections: Kinnan-Mansfield, where a 20-foot stretch of dirt and shrubs is all that stands in the way of linking the two roads. Roughly 40 people attended the meeting, along with the city of Tampa’s administrator of economic opportunity Bob McDonaugh, who has negotiated on the city’s behalf with Pasco’s MPO regarding the Kinnan-Mansfield connection. McDonaugh lamented that despite negotiating with Pasco County for years, a deal has never been struck, even though he says promises were made by Pasco officials to connect the roads years ago. “I wanted to get some ideas from you

“People on the other side like the idea of living on a dead-end street,” says the City of Tampa’s Bob McDonaugh. (Photo: John C. Cotey)

and would like to hear what’s important,” McDonaugh said at the meeting at Cypress Point. “I’m certainly willing to go back to the table and bring our legal staff and transportation people.” However, McDonaugh admitted that the Wesley Chapel side has been very well entrenched, and has the support of Moore and other county commissioners as well. “People on the other side like the idea of living on a dead-end street,” he said.

“Not in my backyard, they say, and they are very vocal.” Their were few new ideas put forth, as the smattering of New Tampa residents took turns expressing their frustration. One resident likened the debate with Wesley Chapel to negotiating with a hostage taker; others suggested taking their concerns to the state legislature. And, K-Bar Ranch resident Cindy Gustavel even echoed what Wesley Chapel residents have argued — stop building homes in K-Bar Ranch if the needed connections aren’t made. Last summer, M/I Homes received City of Tampa approval to build 700 more homes in K-Bar Ranch, where residents are already complaining about having only way out of their community and the difficulty in receiving timely police and fire assistance, or what an evacuation in the case of a major emergency might look like. “It is irresponsible to keep building houses if we only have one point of egress,” Gustavel said. “It is irresponsible to let M/I Homes keep building homes without proper infrastructure.” Many in attendance seemed to agree that the hopes of connecting Kinnan and Mansfield are as dim as they have ever been. “We’re beating our heads against the wall,” said one New Tampa resident, which may have summed up the feelings of the people in the room perfectly.

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My ‘25 Years Of Neighborhood News’ Celebration Rocked Bayscape Bistro! Story by Gary Nager Photos by Charmaine George When I purchased Neighborhood News on February 26, 1994, with a former partner, I had no idea I’d still be doing the same job 25 years later. At that time, this was a once-a-month, quarter-folded direct mail newspaper with only “spot” color (not full color) on four pages,that was delivered to 6,500 households in what wasn’t even yet referred to as “New Tampa.” Our only Wesley Chapel distribution back then were the few hundred copies that were being dropped off each month at the Meadow Pointe I clubhouse. I quickly added mailing to the first few hundred homes in the original portion of Meadow Pointe, as well as to the few hundred homes in the community surrounding Saddlebrook Resort. All I knew then was that, in addition to homes, roads with no traffic signals and thousands of heads of cattle, the areas that would one day be called New Tampa and Wesley Chapel had a lot of vacant land, most of which already had development plans in place. I started calling the phone numbers on every sign along both Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. in New Tampa (at that time, the portion in Pasco County was only known as County Road 581) and Cross Creek Blvd. And even though the Neighborhood News I purchased already had a reasonable number of advertisers, I knew that the key to getting people to actually read the publication was to tell them about the plans for the new developments coming to their community. As you can see from the first few of the 50 covers on pages 9 & 10, I and my “staff” of one part-time writer/editor made sure that we told the residents in my two distribution areas everything we could about the plans for the homes, apartments, businesses, roads, libraries, churches and recreational opportunities that were coming “in the future.” Well, 25 years later, I and my still-small staff of one outstanding full-time managing editor, a few great freelance writers and a few in-house support staffers continue to give you more news and information about everything that is still coming to our now-separate distribution areas. The 50 Neighborhood News front pages on the following two pages include an average of two covers per year for every year we’ve been in business, although there are a few years along the way that didn’t make it to these pages — not because nothing “important” happened those years, but because most of these front pages are about “firsts,” meaning the first story we published (and believe me, especially in the beginning, no other local news media covered most of the stories we did) about a particular subject affecting our readers. In order to give you that true historical perspective in a small amount of available space, there aren’t nearly as many covers from the era of 2015 until the present, even though managing editor John Cotey has probably broken as many big news stories in those 3+ years as I did between 19942000, but most of you have been here for most of John’s biggest stories, whereas the vast majority of our readers weren’t living here from the start.

But, What About The Party?

So, even though my anniversary of buying the paper was actually in February of ‘94, my first issue as the publisher and editor was April of that year. In addition, as we told you on last issue’s cover, I got married

(Left) Office & sales assistant Janet Levins checks in readers at our “25 Years of Neighborhood News” Celebration at Bayscape Bistro. (Above) A certain publisher plays to the crowd. (Below) Celebration attendees got to enjoy delicious appetizers.

in late March, so I didn’t really want to host the party until after that event. I was thrilled that Eddie Bujarski and his wife Lourdes, the owners of the Bayscape Bistro in the Heritage Isles Golf Club on Cross Creek Blvd. in New Tampa, agreed to not only host the party on April 12, but also to put out a beautiful spread of both hot and cold munchies for what turned out to be more than 100 guests. I, of course, provided a karaoke DJ for the event, just as I had done at our first “Meet the Publisher” karaoke party way back in May of ‘94. But, most of the folks who attended the 25th anniversary event weren’t there to sing (even though Jannah and I and some of our friends may have been) — almost every reader who attended said they just wanted to be there to thank me for being an important part of their lives here in New Tampa and Wesley Chapel. We had folks from Epperson to the north and Tampa Palms to the south, and from Lexington Oaks to the west to K-Bar Ranch to the east attend and many came in groups of people who all had at least one thing in common — they all love the Neighborhood News! I also was thrilled that several of our wonderful advertisers also found time to check out the celebration — and find out more about our new Video & Online Subscriptions. Among the attendees were Realtors Karen Tillman-Gosselin and her husband Renynold Gosselin (see story on pgs. 22-23), James and Alexis Staten of Olympus Pools (see ad on pg. 10), Pam Edmonson of Creative Permanent Makeup by Pam (see ad on pg. 43), Derek Usman of Usman Law Firm (see ad on pg. 26) and Ramses Garcia of Las Palmas Latin Grill (see story on

WATCH

pg. 42 and ad on pg. 48) all showed up to party with me, Jannah, John, office and sales assistant Janet Levins, senior video producer Gavin Olsen and his assistant Charmaine George. Charmaine has a great highlights video from the event that should be live on our “Neighborhood News” Facebook page and our WCNT-tv YouTube channel (see ad below) by the time this issue reaches your mailbox. Thanks for 25 years of love. Enjoy the front pages!

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Gary Picks The Top Stories From 25 Years Of Neighborhood News Front Pages!

More NN Covers! - From Page 9!

As you can see, there are a lot of front pages we’ve had to leave out to keep the number of our historic covers (almost all of these are Wesley Chapel issues, for you Wesley Chapel residents) at only 50, especially from 2017-present. Even so, pictured here are (left-right and top-bottom) our historic win as Small Business of the Year from what was then known as the Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce; Wesley Chapel resident Mike Moore’s first election to the Pasco County Board of Commissioners; the Grand Opening of the Tampa Premium Outlets; our first story about the indoor sports complex which is finally beginning construction in Wiregrass; our first cover story about the “Connected City”; our story about the definitive history of Wesley Chapel being published by a local author; our WCNT-tv Preview Party; the opening of what was then known as Florida Hospital Center Ice; the first Taste of New Tampa & Wesley Chapel hosted at the skating complex; our first explanation of the Diverging Diamond Intersection; a visit with the first families that moved into Epperson, prior to the opening of the Crystal Lagoons® amenity that is now open to the public (pg. 5); John’s great story about all of the new pizza places (almost all of which are now open) coming to Wesley Chapel; our nominee for our best New Tampa cover headline ever (“Bruce B. Done”) and a certain publisher’s nuptials from last issue. Impressive, right? — GN Volume 25 Issue 7

Inside:

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For the complete list of the neighborhoods that receive this publication by direct mail in New Tampa (zip code 33647), see page 54!

Florida Hospital Center Ice Provides The Perfect Venue For The Triumphant Return Of The ‘Taste of New Tampa & Wesley Chapel!’

Congrats to all of my friends in the Rotary Club of New Tampa (which meets Friday mornings at Tampa Palms Golf & Country Cub) for successfully bringing back “The Taste of New Tampa & Wesley Chapel,” in partnership with the Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce (WCCC). An estimated crowd of about 2,000 people came to sample the wares from the 49 restaurants and beverage providers my restaurant committee assembled for the event, which was held on March 18, inside surprisingly not cold Florida Hospital Center Ice off S.R. 56. The food and beverages were awesome — my favorites being the seared ahi tuna from the People’s Choice 1st place-winning Bonefish Grill, the fresh sushi from Olde Heights Bistro, Little Italy’s meatballs, the angus burgers from OTB Café, the short rib sliders from Twisted Sprocket Café, Wok Chi’s spring rolls and pot stickers, gnocchi ricotta from Noble Crust (the 2ndplace People’s Choice), chocolate bundt cake from Nothing Bundt Cakes (3rd place) and The Cake Girl’s double chocolate brownies. For more Taste photos, visit NTNeighborhood News.com! — GN

Issue 12

Don’t Forget To View, Like & Share Every Episode Of The Award-Winning WCNT-tv!

By JOHN C. COTEY

john@ntneighborhoodnews.com

RADDSPORTS Tells Chamber They Are Ready To Build; PCSO Still Looking For Quail Hollow Shooter; Commisioners Can’t Decide On Golf Course’s Fate; Neo-Nazi Bomb Plot In New Tampa; Audi Dealership Breaks Ground; U.S. Women’s Hockey Makes Wesley Chapel Its Home; Spring Football Wraps Up; Plus, Local Business Features!

Pages 3-34

Neighborhood Magazine

Also Inside This Issue!

Neighborhood Magazine

St. Paddy’s Day Draws Revelers, YMCA Honors Its Top Volunteer & More Neighborhood Nibbles & Business Bytes!

The Direct-Mail News Magazines Serving New Tampa & Wesley Chapel Since 1993! For the complete list of neighborhoods that receive this publication by direct mail in Wesley Chapel (zip codes 33543, 33544 & 33545), see page 50!

Florida Hospital Center Ice Opens & Wesley Chapel Will Never Be The Same!

By John C. Cotey After three years, all the hype, all the build-up, all the delays and the excruciating final weeks of twists and tweaks to get the latest jewel of the Wesley Chapel community opened, there was still just one thing was missing. Ice, ice, baby. But finally, with a thick layer of the cold stuff beneath their feet, managing partner Gordie Zimmermann of developer ZMitch, LLC, led a parade of local dignitaries across the Florida Hospital Center Ice rink for the ceremonial puck drop on Jan. 25, swinging open the doors to a whole new audience. “The fulfillment of a dream,’’ Zimmermann called it. “This has just been a fabulous experience. The community has embraced this project, and we’re really proud to have it here in Pasco County.” Zimmermann and his ZMitch partner George Mitchell, Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce (WCCC) CEO Hope Allen, Florida Hospital CEO Denyse Bales-Chubb, District 2 Pasco County Commissioner Mike Moore, former Tampa Bay Lightning captain and current Vice President of Corporate & Community Affairs Dave Andreychuk and Father Len Plazewski of Christ the King Church in south Tampa — who blessed the ice with holy water — each said a few words to the 200-plus people in attendance and then dropped pucks to signal the official opening of FHCI. With his stick, Zimmermann slid his puck across the ice. Allen, who emceed the

Also Inside This Issue: News, Business & Sports Updates Metro Development Unveils Its First Crystal Lagoon; Quail Hollow Golf Course On Borrowed Time; Pasco’s Teacher Of The Year Is From Veterans Elementary; Great Things Ahead For Schuyler Arakawa; Noble Crust Coming & Macy’s Staying; Softball Previews & Lots Of Local Business Features!

Pages 3-36

Neighborhood Magazine

‘The Good Cemetarian’ Honors The Memory Of Veterans; Fushia’s Hot Pot Hits The Spot; Gary’s 2016 Dining Favorites & More Neighborhood Nibbles & Business Bytes!

Pages 37-52

Volume 25

WC Rotary’s Derby Just Ducky; Bosco’s Is A Love Story With Great Italian Food; Boy Scout STEM Fair At FHCI & More Neighborhood Nibbles & Business Bytes!

Pages 35-48

Issue 26

Inside: ‘Please Keep Puerto Rico On Your Radar’

December 15, 2017

See Page 10!

Please View, Like & Share Every Episode Of WCNT-tv On YouTube & Facebook!

Will The Diverging Diamond Fix The I-75/S.R. 56 Interchange? A diamond could be a commuter’s best friend, according to the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT). A diverging diamond, that is. That was the message delivered by Ryan Forrestel, PE of American Consulting Professionals, LLC, as he presented what he feels will be the solution to the snarled mess that is the S.R. 56 interchange of I-75 to the Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce (WCCC) on May 23, during a meeting at the Mercedes-Benz of Wesley Chapel dealership located just a few hundred feet from where the construction of the diverging diamond interchange (DDI) will begin. Forrestel, the consultant design project manager for the $24.1-million Diverging Diamond Interchange project, told a group of roughly 20 representatives from affected businesses like Havertys, Tampa Premium Outlets, Chick-Fil-A, Florida Hospital Center Ice and others that it will be a good news, bad news proposition. The good: engineers say the DDI is going to make traffic smoother and more efficient and in the long run yield improved results for local businesses. The bad: during the long-awaited construction beginning in fall of 2018, the already-congested interchange is likely to become even more clogged. No one, however, was surprised.

News, Business & Sports Updates

School Rezoning Coming In 2018, Reeves Will Go To Trial & Benito Runner Makes Gasparilla History; Plus, Business Features!

June 2, 2017

Inside:

NEWS

See Page 6!

Pizza Party

Wesley Chapel Already Has Plenty Of Great Pizza Places. So, Why Are So ManyNew Ones Still Popping Up? Pizza may not be the world’s most-perfect food — although some who feel otherwise might fight you over that statement — but it probably is the most popular. So, as Wesley Chapel grows, and more and more families move in, so do more businesses that sell pizza. There’s locally-owned traditional pizzerias like 900 Degrees Woodfired, La Prima, Best New York, New York, Bosco’s and Amici Pizza, that sell more traditional NY-style pizzas, to name a few. Mellow Mushroom and Noble Crust (which have both opened in the last year) sell more eclectic pizzas. And, the mega-chains like Domino’s, Little Caesars, Papa John’s and Pizza Hut deal in mostly speedy, high-volume delivery. “I would say there’s a lot more pizza available in Wesley Chapel than normal on average in other cities (of its size),” says Steve Falabella, the owner of the popular 900 Degrees Woodfired Pizza, which has been at the Shops at Wiregrass mall since 2011. “I think the growth in Wesley Chapel was so fast, the rise of families happened so fast, that there was a rush to capture that. And, one of the most common type of restaurants that go up in new neighborhoods sell pizza.” Soon, you will be able to add a quickly expanding niche in pizza making to the list of local options: “Fast-Casual.” On each side of S.R. 56, near the Tampa Premium Outlets, the two fastest growing fast-casual restaurants in the country will be planting their flags in Wesley Chapel, as MOD Pizza and Blaze Pizza are both entering the market.

ing the area because of the traffic. The project, moved up twice from its original 2024 and then 2020 start dates, is expected to expedite traffic through the muchmaligned interchange, which handles roughly 100,000 vehicles a day and connects many of the residents of Wesley Chapel, Lutz and Land O’Lakes to Tampa.

Forrestel said he will have the DDI plans drawn up by January, and then in June of 2018, bidding will begin to find the company to build it. Construction should start by the fall of 2018, and Forrestel said it could tentatively take anywhere from 18-36 months to build. See “DDI” on page 4.

WCH Softball Caps Huge Turnaround With First Playoff Appearance! By JOHN C. COTEY

john@ntneighborhoodnews.com

The Wesley Chapel High (WCH) girls basketball team won eight more games this season than it did last season. The WCH football team, just two years removed from an 0-10 season, went 7-2. The Wiregrass Ranch High (WRH) football team made the playoffs for the first time since 2010. However, when it came to the 2016-17 school year, there weren’t any high school teams in Wesley Chapel that turned things around quite like the WCH softball team did. Buoyed by a bevy of youngsters and first-year coach Steve Mumaw, the Wildcats did the improbable this spring — they beat softball powerhouses Pasco, River Ridge and Land O’Lakes in one of Tampa Bay’s toughest districts, won 19 games and made it to the Class 6A Regional semifinals before losing 4-2 to the eventual State champion Gators. “Now that it’s over and the tears are gone, we can reflect,’’ said Mumaw. “Land O’Lakes won the State championship, and we were pretty close to (beating) them. It could have been us.” Depending upon how many players return — the new Cypress Creek MIddle/High School zones are expected to claim at least a few players — the

Wildcats have the makings of what could be a state contender the next few years. That was hardly imaginable before 2017. Although they showed signs of promise last year, winning seven games in their best season ever to that point, the previous eight years had yielded records like 2-22, 2-21, 2-20, 1-22, 1-15 and 0-24. At one point, WCH lost 27 straight games and 43 of 44 over a three-span. Things changed this spring with the infu- The Wesley Chapel softball team won almost as many games this season (19) as it had in 10 previous seasons (22), setting a school record. sion of some key freshmen, who meshed instantly with a talented crop of sophomores. “We had high expectations,’’ said Mumaw, who has had two stints as the baseball coach and one as the athletic director at WCH. “I wouldn’t

See “WCH Softball” on page 33.

Her realtor, however, suggested they take one more drive, this time to Wesley Chapel, to a large stretch of land off Curley Rd. with nothing to see but trees, grass, dirt and tractors. Rose, a hair stylist at Salon Loft, was sold a vision that day, of a development with affordable homes that were cheaper than they ones she had previously looked at, that would be built from the ground up with gigabit internet, roads that would one day handle autonomous vehicles, a community that would be vibrant and active, and year-round parties and events. Oh, and this new community also promised to be home to a Crystal Lagoon — which boasts a specially- formulated system for keeping its water crystal clear and clean. The lagoon, the first of its kind in North America, will be surrounded by white sandy beaches, have a swim up-bar, an adventure cove, cabanas and multiple party areas. “There was nothing there at the time,’’ Rose says. “Even the model home was only in framing. But, I could just see the outline of the lagoon.” The pictures of what that Crystal Lagoon will become sealed the deal. “I absolutely loved the whole concept,’’ said Rose, who bought a fivebedroom, 2,500-sq.ft. home. “I saw all the pictures of what it was going to be. It was swimming in bottled water that piqued my interest.” Rose is one of the first handful of residents to move into Epperson, a new community being constructed by the Metro Development Group north of S.R. 54 off Curley Rd. Epperson is the first part of the “connected city,” a project created by a senate bill that called for a private-public partnership between Metro Development and Pasco County. The project will turn 7,800 acres of mostly undeveloped land in Wesley Chapel into a mini-city of its own within 50 years, with 37,000 homes, more than 60,000 jobs and almost 100,000 projected new residents. “The connected city thing is hard to imagine,” says Diane Bissett, who became the first-ever resident in Epperson. “It will be neat to see it come together, and to say we were a part of that.”

See “First” on page 6.

INSIDE

Epperson resident Jennifer Rose (top) is excited to be one of the first residents of the community where the first Crystal Lagoon (above) in the U.S. is expected to open in February or March of 2018.

Business: Are Noble Crust’s Unique Tastes The Best In Town?

Magazine: Wiregrass Wobble Draws A Record 2,200 Runners.

Page 3

Pages 24-25

Page 37

On a typical muggy Wednesday afternoon, sitting at an aluminium table shaded by an umbrella, Mike Lightsey is finishing off a slice of pepperoni pizza from 900 Degrees Woodfired. He is passing through on business, and says he eats a lot pizza. He thinks Falabella makes the best around. Lightsey says he has tried Blaze, once in Atlanta, and enjoyed that as well. He has never heard of MOD, but is familiar with the trendy fast-casual model, having also eaten at Pieology in Seminole. “It’s a good change of pace, and definitely something that seems to be taking off,” he says. “I’m surprised Wesley Chapel or even Tampa doesn’t have one yet.” MOD Pizza, which will be located just west of the Starbucks on the south side of S.R. 56 in front of Costco, is scheduled to open in early-to-midSeptember. Blaze Pizza will be located on the other (north) side of 56, but has just started construction. Both specialize in smaller, personal pizzas, where customers choose the toppings and don’t have to wait long for them to cook. At MOD Pizza, there are more than 30 non-GMO toppings to choose from when constructing your own 11-inch pizza. MOD has its own dough See “Pizza” on pg. 8

INSIDE Also INSIDE

News: News:

Business: Sports: News,Former Business & CrowdsBruce Turned Away From Sports & Life Are The Lessons Surprise! B. Downs (BBD) Wharton High Football Inside Build-A-Bear Promotion TaughtUpdates At PROtential Blvd. Is Our Area’s Worst Road Players Declare for NFLSports DraftEducation

Page3-17 9 This Issue:Pages

For Advertising Information Call 813-910-2575 • Volume 27, Issue 10 • May 3, 2019 • WCNeighborhoodNews.com

Pages 22-23 34-37 Pages 3-32

December 1, 2018

Remember To View, Like & Share Every Episode Of WCNT-tv On YouTube & Facebook!

Neighborhood Magazine: Neighborhood Magazine: Check Out The NewSpoken! Bahama The Readers Have Breeze IslandFavorites! Grille! Here Are Their Pages Page39-52 36

(L.-r.); Gordie Zimmermann, Hope Allen, George Mitchell, Mike Moore, Denyse Bales-Chubb, Dave Andreychuk & Fr. Len Plazewski at the Florida Hospital Center Ice puck drop on Jan. 26 event, tried to the do the same, but her puck northeast of the interchange of S.R. 56 and slid backwards as she tried to contain her I-75, is billed as the largest skating complex laughter. It seemed a fitting moment, how- south of New York and is expected to be a ever, as the new facility will cater not only to big-time game changer in the quickly growthe best and most experienced skaters and ing Wesley Chapel area. shooters, but also to those holding a hockey “This is a huge opportunity to continstick for the first time and wanting to learn. ue to grow the game and make sure kids in “It’s such a great facility,’’ Allen said. this area have the opportunity so that they “It has so much to offer the community. It’s may learn the great game that we all love,’’ definitely going to be something that sets said Andreychuk, who was the captain of the Wesley Chapel apart.” Lightning when the team won its only StanThe $28-million, 150,500-sq.-ft. fa- ley Cup in 2005. “On behalf of Jeff Vinik cility, located on Cypress Ridge Blvd. just and the Tampa Bay Lightning, this is a great

Inside:

A Recap Of The 2019 Taste Of New Tampa!

See Neighborhood Magazine

day and were looking for more great things to happen.” The economic impact of FHCI, according to a study the developers commissioned, will be $20-$30 million a year, and maybe more. Zimmermann has said he expects FHCI to draw roughly two million visitors annually. Many of those visitors wasted little time hitting the new sheets of ice. On the evening on the Jan. 25, the complex’s first open skate was held and it drew 308 people. The following night, according to an FHCI spokesperson there were more than 200 skaters, and the youth hockey and Learn to Skate classes had 375 registrants for the first day of classes on Saturday, January 28. On Sunday, Zimmermann says, the two two-hour open skate sessions attracted more than 600 skaters combined. FHCI features three NHL-sized hockey rinks, one Olympic-size rink (which is See “Center Ice” on page 4.

Seeking Sponsors For The 2017 Taste Of New Tampa & Wesley Chapel!

If you turn to page 3 of this issue, you’ll see an update on the 35 restaurants and beverage suppliers who already have at least verbally committed to participating in the 2017 Taste of New Tampa & Wesley Chapel, which will be held on the special “sport court” floor (photo) which is laid over one of the NHL-size rinks at the new Florida Hospital Center Ice (FHCI; see story above) on Saturday, March 18, noon-4 p.m. My restaurant committee has made me proud and — as someone who’s been the restaurant coordinator or event chair for most of the 20 previous Tastes of New Tampa — FHCI quite honestly has been the easiest venue to “sell” to prospective restaurants for any Taste, but we’re still seeking more major sponsors for the event. Although I’m not the one seeking the sponsorship donations (the event is being hosted by the Rotary Club of New Tampa, which meets Fridays at 7 a.m. at Tampa Palms Golf & Country Club), FHCI already is a “Prime Rib” ($5,000) sponsor, and Neighborhood News & WCNT-tv are the event’s major media sponsors. Other sponsors include Gunter & Gunter Insurance, TSYS Merchant Services, Smith &

Associates/Karen TillmanGosselin & Pilot Bank. And, with at least 3,000-5,000 people likely to attend this year’s Taste and all of the other benefits of having your business as a $500-$10,000 sponsor of the event, I believe that a Taste sponsorship will reap rewards for your business. Our top level ($10,000 & $5,000) sponsors will be invited to an amazing VIP event the night before the Taste and will have their logos on the full-page Taste ads and in every mention of the event in our Feb. 24 New Tampa and Mar. 10 Wesley Chapel issues, as well as logos & mentions on our Feb. 17, Mar. 3 and Mar. 17 episodes of WCNT-tv. There’s still time to get all of these benefits and more, but the time to act is now! For sponsorship and other information about the 2017 Taste of New Tampa & Wes-

ley Chapel, including how to pre-buy Taste tickets at a discount, visit TasteofNewTampa. org or call event chair Karen Frashier at 3752663. — Gary Nager

Volume 27

WESLEY CHAPEL

NEWS

Issue 8 April 5, 2019

Now Celebrating 25 Years As New Tampa & Wesley Chapel’s Primary News Source!

The Direct-Mail News Magazines Serving New Tampa & Wesley Chapel Since 1993!

For the complete list of the neighborhoods that receive this publication by direct mail in New Tampa (zip code 33647), see page 50!

For the complete list of neighborhoods that receive this publication by direct mail in Wesley Chapel (zip codes 33543, 33544 & 33545), see page 46!

BRUCE B. DONE

First Look Inside:

Openings Galore

Burlington and 5 Below are open, and Wawa and Chick Fil-A aren’t far behind. Cue the applause.

Pages 10-11

ONE HEART

See “BBD” on page 6.

The Allure Of New...

News: Date Set For The 2018 ‘Taste Of New Tampa’

Issue 25

Inside:

For Great

Imagine being a traffic engineer for the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) and director of public works in Hillsborough County for 29 years, going to work, designing traffic layouts and signals to help traffic flows in 14 Florida counties. Imagine doing your highly stressful job so well and acquiring so many admirers along the way, that when you suddenly pass away, it is so heartbreaking that they re-name a road in your honor. Now, imagine your name is Bruce Barkley Downs. ••• In New Tampa, you won’t have Bruce B. Downs to kick around much longer, as the widening of the much-maligned, oft-criticized and breathlessly-besmirched boulevard that bears the late Mr. Downs’ name is — finally — complete. Not complete complete, mind you.

By JOHN C. COTEY

john@ntneighborhoodnews.com

By JOHN C. COTEY john@ntneighborhoodnews.com

Issue 16 July 27, 2018

Please View, Like & Share Every Episode Of WCNT-tv On YouTube & Facebook!

In Wesley Chapel!

ennifer Rose was in the market for a home, and narrowed her choices down to two communities.

Volume 26

WESLEY CHAPEL

The Crystal Lagoons® Amenity Is Now Open!

First Families

The Crystal Lagoon is spurring big sales in Epperson & excitement among the community’s first residents.

“I think this is a good opportunity for us,’’ said Stacey Nance, the general manager of TPO, located just west of the DDI. “Is it going to be cumbersome? Absolutely it is.” Forrestel’s presentation seemed to assuage some of the concerns of representatives from those local businesses, many of whom are concerned that shoppers already are avoid-

Issue 4 February 10, 2017

Co-Creator Of The Wesley Chapel Chamber Of Commerce’s Chairman’s Award-Winning WCNT-tv!

Volume 25 Inside: New Owners/New Menu At Bosco’s Italian To Go! In Neighborhood Magazine!

Also Inside This Issue:

Local News, Business & Sports Updates

Volume 25 Inside: Our Editor’s 2016 Restaurant Favorites! See Neighborhood Magazine!

News: News: Longtime Local Politicians Voted

Business: Sports:

News,Looking Business For That& Unique ChristINSIDE Surprise! Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Former Wharton High Football Also Inside INSIDE Blue Wave. mas Gift?Updates Try Creativity Unpinned. Blvd. IsOut OurInArea’s Worst Road Players Declare for NFL DraftEducation Page3-17 10 This Issue:Pages

Neighborhood News

Pages 28-29

Pages 34-37 Pages 3-32

Neighborhood Magazine: Neighborhood Magazine: First New Tampa Brew Fest A

Story by Gary Nager Photo by Jillian Joseph Photograhy

The Readers Have Spoken! Smashing Success. Here Are Their Favorites! Pages Pages 39-40 39-52

@NTWCNews

the Neighborhood News, we first got To me, the story of my relatogether when I walked into the tionship with the former Jannah now-defunct Stage Left (the music Johnson McDonald is so much venue on S.R. 54 in Lutz), the night more than just your usual case of of my birthday in 2015. boy-meets-girl, boy and girl fall in The place was packed. Jannah love and live happily ever after. Ours is the story of two people and I were both members of the Rotary Cub of Wesley Chapel, so who have been through a lot in their lives — although not nearly as when I heard and then saw a group much as some people we know and of women, all of whom also were members of that same Rotary Club, love — but who somehow figured invite me, rather loudly, to join out how to be there for each other them at their table, I didn’t refuse. and became two stronger, better So yes, ours is a match made in people because of our mutual respect for and support of each other. Rotary heaven, and we know a few other couples who also met through the This marriage may not be the world’s largest service organization. first rodeo for either of us — and, But, enough of that mushy quite honestly, neither one of us thought we’d ever get married again stuff. Because we decided to put on our wedding ourselves, I knew I — but after knowing each other for would have to pull together a lot of as many as eight years and being tothe contacts I’ve made through the gether for more than four, we both just knew it was the right time for us Neighborhood News in order to put on the kind of wedding we wanted. to make this thing official. I owe these businesses and busiAlthough we actually met ness owners a lot because only with all when Jannah was working for the of their help, could we have the wedAmerican Cancer Society and was ding of our dreams. So, the story that putting on the Wesley Chapel Relay follows is my way of thanking them. for Life and I was covering it for See “The Business Side Of Jannah & Gary’s Wedding” on page 4.

Vroooom!

The Man Cave will give your hair a professional and relaxing tune-up in a cool, guy-oriented setting.

Pages 22-23

Newcomer Tops At Taste

The Taste of New Tampa & Wesley Chapel attracted roughly 1,000 patrons, who sampled the wares of neary 40 local eateries, and two Taste-y newcomers made this year’s top three.

Pages 40-41

Neighborhood News

@NTWCNews

For Advertising Information Call 813-910-2575 • Volume 27, Issue 10 • May 3, 2019 • WCNeighborhoodNews.com

Business Beat: Updates On Glory Days Grill, Volkswagen & Aldi By JOHN C. COTEY john@ntneighborhoodnews.com

As development continues at a breakneck pace in Wesley Chapel, more and more businesses are rushing to fill a need or desire. For a while, one of those business segments that had been needed and desired was sports bars. It may soon be time to consider that need filled. Glory Days Grill, which opened its first location in New Tampa in 2014 and has opened more than 30 restaurants since — including 10 in Florida — is coming to Wesley Chapel in the strip currently under construction on S.R. 54 being developed by Wiregrass Ranch’s JD Porter. The business strip also will be home to a Domino’s Pizza and Max’s Natural Pet Market & Salon (see ad below), is located just west of Saddlebrook Resort on S.R. 54. Glory Days is a sports-themed restaurant and bar, with dozens of large screen televisions. Its menu consists of traditional sports restaurant fare and does it pretty well with tasty burgers and steaks. It also offers a wide selection of craft beers and other drinks. Although it can be classified as a chain, the Glory Days Grill in New Tampa, which occupies the space at one time occupied by Lee Roy Selmon’s, has been an active participant in the local community, sponsoring many events at the local high

green light to put shovels in the ground. On April 22, Aldi received final approval from Pasco County to begin construction on the new 22,335-sq.-ft. store, which will be located on the southeast corner of S.R. 56 and Wesley Chapel Blvd., in front of the Costco Warehouse. CYPRESS CREEK TOWN CENTER IS A’ BLOOMIN’: For hot news on three new restaurants looking to join the Cypress Creek Town Center, make sure you check out Nibbles & Bytes on pages 42-43, and our Facebook page at Facebook.com/ NeighborhoodNews.

This under-construction strip plaza on S.R. 54 will be home to Glory Days Grill, Domino’s Pizza and Max’s Natural Pet Market & Salon within a few months.

schools and at community sporting events. It is one of New Tampa’s more popular food and drink destinations. Max’s Natural Pet Market and Salon will set up shop in a 2,800-sq.-ft. space in the strip and owner Paul Spalveri says it should open sometime this summer. And, although it is not expected to open until this summer, MaxsPetMarket.com is live now. VW IN THE WC?: Volkswagen has renewed its interest in a Wesley Chapel location, filing site plans for a 27,845-sq.-ft. automotive dealership on S.R. 56. Volkswagen of Wesley Chapel is eye-

Have a Ball! (or, get down to business)

ing a location on Silver Maple Pkwy., on the south side of S.R. 56, across the bust roadway from the MINI of Wesley Chapel dealership. Plans were originally filed for a dealership in 2014, but Volkswagen’s auto emissions scandal that year put the project on hold at that time. ALDI IS STILL COMING... HONEST!: More than three years and two different locations since it was first reported that Aldi was coming to Wesley Chapel, the super-popular, no-frills discount supermarket chain finally has the

For Advertising Information Call 813-910-2575 • Volume 27, Issue 10 • May 3, 2019 • WCNeighborhoodNews.com

Neighborhood News

Tampa-Wesley Chapel

26640 Silver Maple Pkwy Wesley Chapel, FL 33544 TampaWesleyChapel.HGI.com

@NTWCNews

Craft Brewery Sets Sights On Old Sports + Field Location On S.R. 56! By JOHN C. COTEY john@ntneighborhoodnews.com

A one-time multi-million dollar sports and fitness facility could be reborn as home to one of the Tampa Bay area’s most popular craft breweries if Anthony Derby has his way. The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Brew Bus Brewing and Florida Avenue Brewing Co. in Tampa says he is eyeing the former Sports + Field Family Athletic & Fitness Club complex on S.R. 56 to expand his current operations, and hopes to close on the property by the end of June. “We love the property, we love that area of town, but there are some things we need to work out and plan for,” said Derby, who co-founded his brewing companies with his mother Toni Derby, who serves as the company’s chief financial officer (CFO). Anthony says he, architect Ken Cowart — who also is the project architect for the St. Petersburg Pier — and land-use attorney Anne Pollack met with Pasco County planning officials on April 17, and Derby says the meeting went well. Derby says he plans to spend $8-9 million on the initial phase/renova-

The former Sports + Field Family Athletic & Fitness Club could be transformed into a hip, new craft brewery and restaurant. (Photo: Gavin Olsen)

tions of the project, if it continues to move forward, developing a full-service restaurant and bar while utilizing what was once an outdoor field for training athletes as a beer garden. “The property has a great L-shape and that is going to help us create a nice little customer experience,” Derby says. “Right now, this property is a really big deal for us.” The outdoor area also will serve as a family-friendly activities area with games and events, and that was one of

Cataracts?

the things that made the property even more attractive, along with its location on a busy stretch of S.R. 56 and its proximity to AdventHealth Center Ice, one of Wesley Chapel’s busiest spots. The “bones” of the building itself remain in great shape, Derby adds, and he expects an extensive but fairly quick indoor renovation that could see the new craft brewery and restaurant open by this time next year. It’s the next piece of the puzzle out here,” Derby says.

While Wesley Chapel has its fair share of bars, it is not yet home to a craft brewery and restaurant like Brew Bus Brewing and Florida Avenue Brewing Co., which is located in Seminole Heights, at 4101 N. Florida Ave. The company produces Florida Avenue and Brew Bus-branded beers at that location, also serving food and offering tours of other local breweries in Tampa. The two-story building the Derbys are hoping to renovate as part of their expansion was originally developed by Strong-S Corporation and opened in 2005 as a $10.5-million fitness center that had multiple purposes. It held local basketball leagues on its NBA-sized court, and hosted a number of professional athletes who came there to train, like tennis player Jennifer Capriati and some of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. It also offered a number of fitness and massage options for community members. Sports + Field promoted itself as the only local facility offering elite strength training for professionals and amateurs. However, it closed in 2015, and while there was talk of a charter school or car dealership moving into the space, neither of those two plans materialized and the building has remained unused.

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New Tampa Development Hunter's Lake Taking Shape! By JOHN C. COTEY john@ntneighborhoodnews.com

New Tampa’s first green grocer, Sprouts Farmers Market, is prepping construction on Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd., across from the main entrance to the community known as Hunter’s Green, and according to the developer’s listing on its website, it already has some neighboring businesses waiting to move in as well. Regency Centers, which is developing The Village at Hunter’s Lake project along with Harrison Bennett Properties, shows the 29,257-sq.-ft. Sprouts as the anchor of the much-anticipated mixed-use project, although there also are 12 other tenants ready to fill the retail shopping strip. And, six of the retail spaces are still available. A map on the Regency Centers website lists a row of businesses that have apparently already signed leases, ranging from health and beauty businesses to a few places to grab a bite to eat or have a coffee. The Village at Hunter’s Lake, which in total will have 71,397 sq. ft. of commercial space, will have — not surprisingly — a Starbucks, according to the website. Three other places in the development will offer food and drink and Poke Island Plus, featuring traditional Hawaiian dishes made from cubed, raw, marinated fish and other fresh ingredients, is among them. Poke is one of the hot, trendy food items in the country at the moment, and another similar restaurant, Poke Point, recently opened on the west side of BBD, a couple of miles north of AdventHealth Wesley Chapel (in the same plaza as NY NY Pizza. Poke Island Plus won’t be the only eatery offering healthy bowls of food in The Village at Hunter's Lake. Grain & Berry, a quickly growing lo-

cal chain that hopes to have 100 stores statewide by the end of the year, also is scheduled to lease a location in the commercial project. Founded in 2017, Grain & Berry currently has seven locations in the Tampa Bay area (the nearest being on E. Fowler Ave.) and specializes in acai bowls. Dubbing itself a superfoods cafe, Grain & Berry offers fresh pressed juices, hearty avocado toasts and international coffees, in addition to bowls filled with acai — the now-famous purple berry rich in antioxidants — and varieties of different fruits and grains.

But Wait, There's More!

Above is an aerial view of The Village at Hunter’s Lake project on Bruce B. Downs Blvd. in New Tampa, which will be home to the New Tampa Cultural Center, as well as several restaurants, a dog park and an apartment complex. (Photo: Charmaine George)

And, if you’re going to be looking for something delicious that may not be quite as healthy, Double Zero Pizza also is listed on the Regency Centers website as headed to New Tampa. Other spaces are leased by chains like Pure Beauty Salon, T-Mobile, Heartland Dental, Hair Cuttery, Pink & White Nails and Nationwide Vision Center. The Coder School, a franchise founded in 2014 and headquartered in Silicon Valley that teaches computer coding to children year-round, also is slated to be located in the The Village at Hunter’s Lake. Permit requests also have been submitted to Hillsborough County to build two monument signs and a screen wall, as well as a 3,200-sq.-ft. Banfield Pet Hospital. The Village at Hunter’s Lake project, originally approved by the Hillsborough County Board of County

Commissioners by a 7-0 vote in 2014, will be built on an 80-acre parcel that also will include a 30,000-sq.-ft. New Tampa Cultural Center, a dog park and a four-story, 241-unit multi-family project to be called The Haven at

Hunter’s Lake. The project, located in the heart of New Tampa, has long been referred to as a potential “downtown,” as well as the area’s version of the popular and trendy Hyde Park development in South Tampa.

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USF School Of Public Affairs To Study New Tampa Business By JOHN C. COTEY

john@ntneightborhoodnews.com In campaign meetings with New Tampa community leaders and residents, former City of Tampa Police (TPD) Chief and new Mayor-elect Jane Castor said the usual concerns were raised by those groups. But, along with traffic congestion, the conditions of roads and the affordability of homes, the topic of New Tampa businesses came up often. “One of the main issues was concern over a lack of sustained retail along Bruce B. Downs,” Castor sad. Castor’s thought was that while no single reason was given for what might be causing what some see as an exodus of restaurants and retailers — although congested local roads, access and the growth of Wesley Chapel were mentioned — she also said that New Tampa’s business climate was worth looking at. “I’m excited about the study,” Castor said. In a chance meeting shortly thereafter with Karen Kress, the director of Transportation and Planning for the Tampa Downtown Partnership, wheels were put in motion for a study that is now being organized by the University of South Florida’s School of Public Affairs and director Ron Sanders, says Sam Becker, an intern for Kress, who attended one of Castor’s meetings with local groups.

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Afterwards, Becker had a discussion with Castor and Kress, and brought up the idea of a study to Sanders, who conducted a poll of graduate students working towards their Master’s degrees in Urban and Regional Planning. Four students volunteered to conduct the study, which also will Recent business closings may be much ado about nothing, include input from local but some New Tampa residents remain concerned. business leaders, District 7 Tampa City Councilman Too Much Ado About It? Luis Viera and the North Tampa Bay While there are some who feel the Chamber of Commerce. issue is overblown and that the current According to Sanders, the study, which is still being defined, will take place outmigration is simply part of a national trend that’s the result of the cyclical this summer and in two phases — one will be a “listening tour” that will be con- nature of business combined with the ducted through meetings held with focus ever-changing effect of e-commerce, Viera hopes the study will root out any groups of citizens and business owners, potential underlying issues. and two, there also will be a field study. As we’ve reported in previous issues, “We’re still trying to find the paramthe Market Square at Tampa Palms plaza eters of the study, but the basic premise has seen HH Gregg, Staples and Bed Bath is to try to look at what is happening in New Tampa, the outmigration of some of & Beyond close; restaurants like Casa the stores, and see if there’s anything that Ramos in Tampa Palms and Ruby Tuesday on Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd just north can be done about it,” Sanders said. of I-75, also have been shuttered. Viera has been pushing for some The old Romano’s Macaroni Grill kind of study for some time, and he says site has twice been reborn as a Mexican he was pleased to learn that USF would restaurant that failed both times, and even be involved.

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non-chain restaurants like the once-super-popular Spanish restaurant Café Olé have shut down. There are signs of life, however. The old Dairy Queen on BBD is now the Hummingbird Jerk House, the Beef O’Brady’s on Cross Creek Blvd. is expected to reopen soon as an Italian eatery, and Las Palmas has re-opened in a different New Tampa location after the original location closed in 2018. Also, The Village at Hunter’s Lake project will bring more than a dozen new businesses to New Tampa when it is completed (see story, Page 14) “I think it is not clear how much (of the business closings) are consistent with national trends, or if it’s cyclical, or part of it is technology,” Sanders said. “If it’s part of a macro trend, or national, it’s not clear how much can be done about it. But, we’ll also look for local circumstances and conditions that may be driving it. Those are more addressable.” Sanders also said the study will be ideal for his students, and that USF wants to be a good neighbor and lend a hand. If the study does produce something concrete, it could lead to the city conducting something “more extensive and sophisticated.” The study is still being developed, so how long it will take and when the results will be published are unclear.

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Pelican Water Systems Brings A Mobile Showroom To Your Front Door! By CELESTE MCLAUGHLIN

As we become more concerned with contaminants and toxins in the water coming from the taps in our homes, Pelican Water Systems can help you understand what’s in your water and how to improve it. Clean, safe water is the key to keeping us healthier, improving the appearance of our hair and skin and keeping our home’s appliances functioning longer. It even helps to protect our environment. While some people throw money away purchasing an endless supply of bottled water that only addresses the purity of the drinking water they consume, Pelican Water Systems can install a wholehome filtration system that has earned Pelican the country’s only dual certification, which verifies that its systems reduce chlorine by 97 percent and hard water scale by 99.6 percent. Chlorine levels are reduced through the system’s carbon filter, which is tested and certified by the International Association of Plumbing & Mechanical Officials (IAPMO), in accordance with National Standards Strategy (NSS) standards. The salt-free water softener is certified by the German Technical & Scientific Association for Gas & Water. Pelican Water Sys-

Pelican Water Systems can bring a mobile retail showroom and a filtration specialist right to your front door, test your home’s tap water for free and offer solutions that will provide healthier, cleaner water throughout your entire home.

tems uses the German standards because there currently are none in the U.S. for that type of technology. And, Pelican’s salt-free water softener naturally softens water without salt, brine discharge, or the use of electricity. It works by taking minerals from solution through precipitation as well as reducing the water’s surface tension. More important is that this is done without the use of chemicals to produce a certified 99.6% success rate in scale prevention. Without water filtration, municipal

water can give off a noticeable chlorine smell. Well water often smells like rotten eggs. You may see an orange color from rust or buildup from hard water. But, even if you can’t smell or see anything in your water, you may want to know for sure exactly what’s in it and whether or not it’s safe for your family. In any of these cases, you can call Pelican Water Systems for a free in-home water test. A professional, uniformed water filtration specialist will drive a Pelican Water Systems mobile retail showroom to your

home. These customized vans display many of the filters and systems offered by the company, carry many of Pelican’s products and offer many of the benefits of a traditional retail storefront — such as being able to see and compare products — with the comfort and convenience of not having to leave your home. “With our mobile showrooms, our representatives drive right up to your door, test your water, and tell you what it’s going to take to correct any problems,” explains Vickie Oglesby, Pelican

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Water Systems’ Marketing Director. “You don’t have to guess. We’ll tell you exactly what’s in your water.” She says the employees who come to your home are experienced professionals who aren’t interested in hard sales tactics. “They’re there to help you,” Vickie explains. “Our employees are extremely educated in their field.” After your in-home consultation, the experts at Pelican Water Systems will recommend the proper size and type of system to meet your exact needs. A popular option is the company’s “Smart Combo,” a whole house water filtration system offering the most comprehensive filtration option, which provides clean, filtered water from every single water source in a home. By filtering water as it enters the home’s property line, it ensures contaminants like chlorine and lead are removed as soon as they enter a home’s plumbing system. This type of system not only provides filtered water for drinking and cooking, but also clean water for bathing. Water softener and filter combo systems offer a complete package, with the filter component working to remove contaminants and impurities from your water, and the water softener component preventing scale from building up on your appliances and pipes. The filtration component removes sediment, silt, pollutants, chlorine and other impurities. The softener component prevents hard scale from forming, which means you’ll enjoy cleaner, scale-free shower heads and faucets. The softener also improves the efficiency and lifespan of your appliances and plumbing due to prevention of scale buildup.

If you are interested in filtering the chlorine and contaminants in your water, along with eliminating the negative effects of hard water without the use of salt, then a Pelican Water combo system is the perfect system for you. Best of all, Pelican Water’s combo system doesn’t consume electricity and is also salt-free, which means there are no heavy bags of salt to lug around. They also don’t waste any water through the filtration process, which is important if your home uses municipal water. In that case, homeowners pay for both the water they consume, as well as the water that’s disposed of through sewer lines. With its mobile retail centers, Pelican Water Systems has streamlined the process of sales and installation, too. When you purchase a system, the system itself is usually carried in the mobile retail center. It’s then left at your home right then, allowing the installation team to follow shortly behind the retail van — often within just two days— to install your new system. “We offer white glove, professional installation,” explains Vickie. “Our employees arrive in professional attire, in our Pelican Water vans, and are extremely neat and tidy. After installation, they will leave your home pristine.” Once installed, Pelican Water Systems stands by its work with a Limited Lifetime Guarantee. Financing is available, with monthly payments as low as $59, with approval. Pelican Water Systems’ Florida headquarters is located in Deland (northeast of Orlando). The company was formed in 2007 and broke into the Florida market in Ocala and Orlando in 2016, moved

into Jacksonville and The Villages in 2017, and opened up in the Tampa Bay market in 2018.

Perfect For DIYers, Too!

Despite being fairly new to offering installation in Wesley Chapel and New Tampa, Pelican Water Systems has been selling directly to consumers in Central Florida for about three years. For those who prefer a “do-it-yourself” approach, Pelican Water Systems also offers direct-to-consumer products through its website, with professional support. But, for those who don’t want the hassle of installing their own water purification system, Vickie says the process of purchasing a complete system with installation from Pelican Water Systems is both easy and convenient. “We take care of it from start to finish,” she says. Once your system has been installed, you’ll have clean, safe, odorless water that tastes great running from every tap in your home. “If you live in Florida, you need this system,” says Andrew in an online Google review. “Since installation, the water finally tastes better, there are no more spots on my dishes or hard stains on my shower glass. No salt to add or flush. “The installer who came out to put in our system was very professional, worked quickly and didn’t leave a big mess behind.”

Pelican Water Systems also prides itself on giving back to the community. The company has partnered with organizations like the American Cancer Society, Our Home Transitional, the International Bird Rescue and Operation First Response. Pelican also sponsors Sustainability Scholarships every year to students who are U.S. residents and are enrolled full-time in an accredited university.

Pelican Water Systems Pelican Water Systems offers $250 off installation to Neighborhood News readers who mention the ad on page 47 of this issue, or this story. Be sure to see the ad for more details. To schedule a free, in-home consultation with a Pelican Water Systems Mobile Retail Showroom filtration specialist, call (813) 699-3588. For more information, visit PelicanTampa.com

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Team Gosselin — Local Realtors Who Are Also Community Leaders about the low price-per-square-foot he paid, and then lists the ways the Gosselins have shown outstanding kindness to his family — from helping him hire a top-notch roofer at a lowest-bid cost, to giving him and his son tickets to a USF football game. And yes, they also helped him pick paint colors and furniture. Karen says she first got into real estate when she was working as an interior designer, often staging homes for sale for real estate agents. She’s happy to help her clients make their homes look their best, whether it’s a home they just purchased, or one they want to stage to sell.

By CELESTE McLAUGHLIN

Proverbially, Realtor Karen Tillman-Gosselin wears a lot of hats, including serving as the current chair of the North Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce, the membership director of the Rotary Club of New Tampa, and on the board of several other local organizations. And, she and her husband and real estate partner Renynold Gosselin also have been sponsors of the Taste of New Tampa & Wesley Chapel since their Rotary Club took over hosting the event in 2017. But Karen, who joined Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Florida Properties Group in 2018, is still not too busy to help her real estate clients with the tiniest of details, even if it’s picking out paint colors and furniture for their new homes. “She’s absolutely remarkable,” says Karen’s client Ken Merrill, who says that’s exactly what she helped him do, as the single dad set up his home in Wesley Chapel. “She set a new standard for me.” Ken says he relocated to the area when he bought a local Allstate insurance agency about a year and a half ago, then says he was referred to Karen and Renynold Gosselin, through their mutual Rotary Club. He describes Karen and Renynold as “tireless,” as they took him and his kids, ages 16 and 13, out to see houses. Ken changed his mind a few times about exactly what he was looking for, and each time Kar-

Award-Winning Service!

After joining Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Florida Properties Group a year ago, Karen and Renynold (pictured here with company CEO/Chair Gino Blefari), became members of the Chairman’s Gold Circle, awarded to the top 2% of Berkshire Hathaway’s 50,000 sales executives worldwide. en and Renynold would simply find more “Now, I absolutely love my house,” homes for them to visit. he says. “When I walk in, a feeling of “Renynold is a virtual encyclopedia of warmth comes over me because of how information about the Tampa Bay area,” much I love it.” says Ken. “He knew every corner, every But, he also says visiting those 55 housdrug store, every market, and knew all the es was just the tip of the iceberg of what the school districts.” Gosselins did for him. Ken says it was 55 homes later before “They negotiated an exceptionally he finally found the perfect one. favorable deal for me,” says Ken, who raves

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As real estate agents, Karen and Renynold represent buyers and sellers who want to purchase or sell a home. While Karen sells many luxury homes all over the Tampa Bay area, the New Tampa and Wesley Chapel area is her long-time home, and she works with people whose budgets are at any price point, even first-time home buyers and sellers. The pair joined Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices in July of 2018, which Otis Bass, who is the president and managing Broker of the Florida Properties Group, says recently became the largest real estate company in the United States. “Thanks to (chairman and CEO) Warren Buffett, there’s a lot of name recognition with Berkshire Hathaway, and it has prestige,” explains Renynold.

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This beautiful 5BR, 4BA home in Saddlebrook in Wesley Chapel is one of many gorgeous luxury listings by Karen Tillman-Gosselin and her husband, Renynold Gosselin. They use the same impactful photography, marketing techniques and attentive customer service for buyers

However, Karen says there’s much more to why they chose to join the agency. “Berkshire Hathaway is a great company with a lot of tools for agents, including a network for referrals from agents around the world,” she says. More referrals to the Gosselins means more buyers looking at the homes they currently have listed for sale, which is helpful to local sellers. “Berkshire Hathaway has more resources than other brokers,” says Karen, “and they’re always looking out for the best for their agents. They have created a very positive culture here.” Recently, the Gosselins were awarded membership to the distinguished Chairman’s Gold Circle, representing that they are in the top 2 percent of the nearly 50,000 Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices real estate sales executives worldwide. Prior to joining Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Florida Properties Group, Karen worked for many years for local offices of Florida Executive Realty, Keller Williams, Casa Fina Realty and most recently, Smith & Associates. Karen and Renynold both got their real estate licenses in 2000. Reynold worked “behind the scenes” for many years, until he recently retired from a 30-year career with Verizon and became Karen’s full-time partner in real estate. During her decades-long career in the business, Karen has sold more than $200 million of real estate. She says she continues to be successful because she is a trusted advisor to clients who refer their friends and family to her and Renynold. “Having a real estate agent who will listen to your wants and needs and help you find that one house you will make your home is crucial,” Karen says. “That agent needs to put you first, then properly coordinate all aspects — from negotiations and inspections to ensuring that the transaction becomes a reality.”

Marketing Your Home

Karen and Renynold say that marNeighborhood News

keting also is a big part of their success, and that having great photographs online is key to marketing a home for sale these days. “Most buyers start on the internet,” says Renynold, “that’s why photography is so important.” So, Karen and Renynold provide a 3D tour of each home they list. The tour is so comprehensive, it can even be viewed in virtual reality to feel like you’re actually walking through the home. The 3D tour often is accompanied by a separate video walk-through of the home, plus drone photography, and photos and video of the community, too. “We’re selling a lifestyle,” Karen says. “If you live in a community with a pool with slides, we’ll have photos of that or incorporate that into the video, to show people who want to move here the kind of lifestyle they can have.” Karen says she and Renynold are by their clients’ side throughout the entire process, paying attention to every detail. “It can be very overwhelming to sell a house,” she says. “We try to take some of the load off, because we know you’re not only selling, you’re also moving.” Karen and Renynold’s expertise can make the entire process much easier on buyers and sellers. Ken Merrill seconds that. “I would refer (them) to anybody,” he says. “It goes way beyond the transaction of real estate. It’s been an incredible experience, and they’re now family, as far as I’m concerned.” KAREN TILLMAN-GOSSELIN

To Schedule a free, no-obligation consultation in your home, visit FineHomesOfTampa.com or call (813) 629-1502. You also can email Karen at KTillmanGosselin@BHHSFLPG.com. @NTWCNews

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Informed Patients, Attention To Detail Are Hallmarks Of The Bowman Institute By CELESTE MCLUAGHLIN

The staff at The Bowman Institute, located just off Commerce Park Blvd. in Tampa Palms, wants to make every patient’s experience as informative and easy as possible. Just waiting in the posh lobby, complete with two, large saltwater fish tanks, can be a soothing experience. Dermatologist Paul Bowman, M.D., and his staff strive to give their patients everything they need to make informed decisions with regards to their skin cancer care. “Our main goals are to attain the highest cure rate, create the most imperceptible result and make it an easy process for the patient,” says Dr. Bowman, who earned his Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Medical School and had nine years of residencies and fellowships at the University of Florida in Gainesville, Louisiana State University in Shreveport and New Orleans, the University of California at San Francisco, Saint Louis University in St. Louis, MO, and the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta. Dr. Bowman spent two years at Saint Louis University completing an official Fellowship in Mohs Micrographic Surgery and is now a Fellow of the American College of Mohs Surgery (ACMS). In order to attain and maintain a high cure rate for his skin cancer patients, Dr. Bowman specializes in Mohs Micrographic Surgery.

Dermatologist Dr. Paul Bowman (left) and Physician’s Assistant Avni Koschmeder provide outstanding care for skin cancer patients at The Bowman Institute in Tampa Palms near I-75. “Instead of cutting a big area out all at Decades Of Surgical Success Mohs surgery is a technique first devel- once, we start where the biopsy was done oped by Dr. Frederic Mohs in the 1930s. Dr. and only remove the cancerous tissue,” Dr. Bowman says. “The goal is to remove all of Mohs recognized that the part of any skin cancer that is visible to the naked eye is often the cancer cells but take as little (healthy) tissue as possible.” just the “tip of the iceberg,” with more tuDr. Bowman says that Mohs surgermor cells growing downward and outward, ies have the highest success rate, up to 99 like the roots of a tree.

percent. That’s because 100 percent of the excision margins are examined. With standard excisions, less than one percent of the margins are examined. Mohs excisions take a “bowl” of tissue, removing one layer at a time. This allows Dr. Bowman to trace and remove the microscopic “roots” of the cancer while preserving the surrounding normal tissue. The high cure rates are dependent upon all aspects of the Mohs procedure being performed very meticulously, Dr. Bowman says. That’s why he spent two years completing a Mohs surgery fellowship with the American College of Mohs Surgery, after he had completed his dermatology residency. “(Mohs surgery) is a very technical and labor-intensive procedure that requires a team of people with special training,” Dr. Bowman says. That team includes the Mohs surgeon, surgical assistants and laboratory personnel, including histotechnologists, that the surgeon directly oversees throughout the process. He adds that this meticulous approach to examining all of the surgical margins leads to more successful surgeries. “A patient could have some excised skin cancer and been considered ‘all clear’ but the next year, the cancer comes back,” Dr. Bowman says. “The margins that were looked at might very well have been clear, but that doesn’t mean all margins are clear.” As you can see in the diagram on the next page, in a standard excision, it is possible for the surgeon to miss part of the cancer and not even know it. In contrast, in Mohs

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surgery, 100 percent of the actual surgical margins are examined by the surgeon himself. Dr. Bowman uses Mohs surgery according to established indications for skin cancer — although he says the highest cure rate is possible when it is used as an initial treatment, especially if a cancer is large, aggressive or in “high risk” areas, like the face. In other situations, Mohs surgery is indicated when cancers recur after treatment by other methods. “Cancers behave differently in different anatomic parts of the body, since there are different tissue planes,” Dr. Bowman says. “For instance, the back has a thick dermis and fat layer that the cancer has to travel through. On the nose, there’s almost no fat and the cancer can quickly extend into the underlying muscle, cartilage and bone.” He adds that he has had patients come to him after trying other procedures first, only to wish they had tried Mohs first, had they known about it. “I had [a] Mohs procedure performed in New Jersey years ago,” wrote one of his patients. “Very little was explained to me. But, Dr. Bowman’s explanation was thorough, easy to understand, and he’s very personable, too.” Although Mohs surgery has higher cure rates than any other treatment for skin cancer, Dr. Bowman says there are other “quick and easy,” but less successful, surgical treatments such as standard excisions, or destructive treatments like electrodesiccation and curettage (commonly known as “scraping and burning”). He adds that many patients who had undergone the aforementioned types of surgery had never heard of Mohs surgery, which was originally met with resistance by the medical community. In fact, Dr. Bowman says that when he came to Tampa in 2004, there was only one other fellowship-trained Mohs surgeon in town. Dr. Bowman advises patients to seek out “fellowship-trained” Mohs surgeons (meaning, trained in the American College of Mohs Surgery). Most doctors who perform Mohs surgery in Florida have not completed a fellowship, he says. “It’s what we try to educate patients about,” Dr. Bowman says.

Complete Care

The Bowman Institute specializes in Mohs surgery, but also performs meticulous skin examinations, skin biopsies, and high-risk tumor follow-up. Dr. Bowman also performs surgical revisions for patients who have had skin cancer surgery elsewhere but did not have good results. For example, Dr. Bowman recalls a patient who had to make multiple visits to another practice for recurrences of a skin cancer on their nose. After repair, the patient had difficulty breathing through the nostril where the surgery was performed. When the cancer appeared yet again, the patient came to Dr. Bowman, who successfully removed the cancer with Mohs surgery, and conducted reconstructive surgery, using staged flaps and cartilage grafts Neighborhood News

taken from the patient’s ear, to rebuild the nostril rim. “We were able to replace a lot of the volume (of the nostril) and now the patient can breathe again,” Dr. Bowman says. “It’s still healing, but the patient now has a right side of their nose.” In Mohs surgery, Dr. Bowman is both the surgeon and the pathologist — one of the key definitions of the procedure. He is the one who looks at the tissue under the microscope to determine if, or where, any cancer cells remain, and if they do, he knows exactly where to go back to follow them. “Everything is processed on site, in our own lab,” Dr. Bowman says. “It’s a different standard of processing.” Even if a patient’s needs somehow extend beyond the services The Bowman Institute provides, the practice maintains a network and good relationships with other specialists. In fact, Dr. Bowman gave a lecture at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology in Washington, D.C., on Multidisciplinary Collaboration in the treatment of skin cancer, and how dermatologic surgeons can collaborate with other specialists (plastic surgeons, surgical oncologists, medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, etc.) to provide the best possible outcome for patients with very complicated and difficult skin cancers. The practice opened its doors in 2004, and in 2008, Physician’s Assistant Avni Koschmeder came on board. Dr. Bowman performs all of the surgical procedures, but Koschmeder helps evaluate patients prior to surgery and is very much an extension of Dr. Bowman’s approach to customer care. “She (Koschmeder) follows my philosophy of how to treat patients,” Dr. Bowman says. “We want patients to feel like they are a person and not just a number. Avni does a great job with that.” No referral is required to make an appointment. THE BOWMAN INSTITUTE

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Wiregrass Ranch’s Neil Rupani Didn’t Let Injuries Derail His Dreams By LIBBY BALDWIN

The path to success for Neil Rupani was always baseball. He played at such a high level during his freshman and sophomore years that getting drafted by a Major League baseball team wasn’t unrealistic. Just in case, he aimed for grades high enough to land an athletic scholarship at a demanding college known for baseball, like USC or Vanderbilt. “My parents wanted me to have time during my upperclassmen years to focus on baseball, so I started early by taking high school Honors biology in eighth grade and lots of advanced classes in ninth and tenth,” said Rupani, 18, who finished high school with a weighted GPA of 4.78, making him the Wiregrass Ranch High (WRH) Class of 2019 Valedictorian. Every high school athlete is told not to base all their future hopes on sports success, due to a number of uncontrollable variables, and Rupani was smart to heed that advice. His future on the diamond was bright — until it all fell apart. A stress fracture from overuse, preventing him from rotational moves like throwing a ball or swinging a bat, ended Rupani’s baseball playing days for good after his sophomore year. The 18-year-old could have been forgiven for letting such a devastating injury derail his academic progress; instead, Rupani decided to find a positive new path that would change not only his life, but the lives of others, for the better. Rupani, who frequently traveled to poor areas of the U.S. while playing, says he was moved by the conditions he saw some of his fellow athletes living in, and decided to open his own nonprofit, called Restoration Respiration, during his junior year. The mission, according to its website, is that “Restoration Respiration is dedicated to assisting underprivileged communities around the

school does not offer meritbased scholarships, he will rely on student loans. Excellence in math and science runs in Rupani’s family. His father, Bhavesh, is a software engineer at Citigroup, and his mother, Kalpana, works as a data architect at the University of South Florida in Tampa. Eldest sister Rea, Rupani’s biggest inspiration, is on the pre-med track at USF. “She dug the way for me through high school, giving me advice on what classes to take and pushed me to do better on standardized tests,” says Rupani, who was a Mu Alpha Theta Mathematics Honor Society captain at Congratulations go out to Wiregrass Ranch High valedicto- Wiregrass. “My mom and dad rian Neil Rupani, who plans to attend Brown University. always pushed me, too, and were supportive of whatever world that suffer from an inability to I did.” provide their citizens with adequate Rupani is enjoying the last days of respiratory health care.” his senior year by spending time with Donated funds are used to purfriends and running track. He currentchase and distribute inhalers, nebuliz- ly tutors privately, but plans to find a ers and medication to underprivileged regular job during the summer to get communities. India, the country a head start on his student loans. where Rupani’s parents emigrated “What I’ve tried to do this past from before he was born, was chosen as a starting point, due to its high concentration of respiratory illness. A trip to India made Rupani realize just how bad public health is on a global scale. Even before he decided on a public health focus, Rupani always knew he wanted to be a doctor. “I had a lot of injuries from a young age, so being exposed to the medical setting, that’s always been where I saw myself,” he says. Rupani, a National Merit Scholarship Finalist, was accepted to the undergraduate public health program at Brown University in Providence, RI, and plans to work as a doctor in developing countries; since the Ivy League

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WRH salutatorian Nalin Mehra, who finished close behind Rupani with a 4.72 GPA, has a similar outlook on being at the top of her class. “I’m proud of my accomplishments, but I know that high school is only a stepping stone for the rest of my life,” said Mehra, 17, who will study engineering at the University of Florida in Gainesville this fall. “There’s still a lot of work that I need to put in to achieve success.” Mehra says she spends her free time watching YouTube videos on physics and business or playing video games with her friends. She is considering a career in software development and says she hopes to open her own business eventually. The Wiregrass Ranch High School 2019 graduation ceremony will be held Thursday, June 6, at 4 p.m., at the USF Sun Dome in Tampa.

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year is make an impact on my classmates and my school through who I am, not just my GPA,” he said. “Being valedictorian is really just a number that shows you can pick the right classes; it doesn’t define how smart or hard-working you are.”

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Congrats To Cypress Creek Middle/High’s First Graduating Class! By JOHN C. COTEY

john@ntneightborhoodnews.com

It opened following a contentious, drawn-out debate about new school attendance boundary zones. Its first classrooms were filled with students, many of them reluctant, from nearby Wesley Chapel (WCH) and Wiregrass Ranch (WRH) high schools. It was a mix of new and familiar faces, but mostly new. And no, it probably wasn’t easy for many of them in the beginning. However, in the end, that original group of students at Cypress Creek Middle/High School (CCH) will graduate as one, making a little history, as 227 Coyotes will cross the stage on Wednesday, June 5, at the Yuengling Center on the University of South Florida campus in Tampa. “It’s a small class, and we all know each other,” says senior Jasmine Jackson, who previously attended Wesley Chapel. “It’s really special to be friends with everyone and make history together.” The seniors will wear green gowns with yellow cuffs on the sleeves, and an embroidered school logo on left chest. Each graduate also will receive a medallion, signifying that they are part

of CCH’s inaugural class of seniors. They will be handed diplomas by Pasco County’s Principal of the Year, Carin HetzlerNettles, who opened the school in 2017 after previously serving as WCH’s principal from 2009-16. She established a school motto — “The Coyote Way” — that was intended to inspire students to do things Above left: The medallion that will be given to each graduating Cypress Creek Middle/High School senior. the right way. It also Right: At the last pep rally of the year at, the school’s first graduating seniors got to wrap up CCH assisspoke to the resiliency tant principal Timothy Light and principal Carin Hetzler-Nettles in paper ribbons. (Photo: Gavin Olsen) of CCH’s students, who mores for something completely new. She that on and ran with it. Kids always had to adapt to a host of changes. attended the school boundary meetings amaze me with their resiliency.” “It’s incredibly special,” HetzlerClass valedictorian Lucas Budd and saw the angry reactions of parents Nettles says. “They came together in (we will have a feature on him next iswho did not want their children being a tough situation, coming together sue) was eager to attend Cypress Creek uprooted, and many who feared that a (for the first time) their junior years, when the new boundaries were drawn, and were asked to help create a culture new school would be inferior to the one and made the most of the new school, their child was already attending. at our school, and be the leaders for finishing with a weighted grade-point “The first year (at any new school) two years in a row. They did that, and average of 4.577. for everyone involved is the toughest,” established numerous traditions that Others in the first top 10 for Cyshe says. “There were challenges makwill last forever.” press Creek were Caitlin Scates (saluing those changes. They would be difHetzler-Nettles sympathizes with tatorian), Oliwia Przychodzka, Jenny ficult for grown adults, and these were the students who had to leave the schools Stinfil, Hailey Winters, Sierrah Rivera, 16-17-year-old kids. But, they took they attended as freshmen and sopho-

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Hayley McManus, Anamaria Diaz, Lydia Austin and Jacob Blauvelt. “I thought it would be cool to start fresh at a new school and get some new experiences,” says Budd. That was one of the primary advantages to attending a new school — it was new. Every student was starting with a blank slate, Hetzler-Nettles said, at a time when high schoolers are often trying to find out who they were. Senior Matthew McGovern was one of those students who took advantage of that clean slate. He attended WRH his first two years of high school, but after transferring to CCH, he found himself getting more involved in things he hadn’t thought about previously. He ran and was elected as senior class treasurer, and got involved in journalism, writing for the school newspaper. the Cypress Creek Howler, and becoming the paper’s assistant editor. “There were mixed feelings at first, but I used a new school as a window of opportunity,” McGovern says. “It was new, and I just felt more inclined to try some new things. And, even though there wasn’t any culture at our school, I really felt in my own way I could help create it.” Because the senior class is so small (and next year’s will be even smaller), the classes at CCH were smaller. That’s

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one of the perks McGovern says helped bring the Class of 2019 together. “It felt almost easier to be engaged,” he says. “I don’t think I’ve had a class with more than 20 students since I’ve been here. It felt like more of a community because of the smaller class sizes, which is really cool.” Also cool were some of the traditions established by the senior class, like MORP (prom spelled backwards, a prom-like dance for all classes before the actual prom), Spring Howl Week (homecoming) and even now, the class is trying to organize an end-of-year kickball tournament. “I love it here,” says Ashley Nickisher, previously a WCH student and softball player. “I love everything. The teachers are so nice, they really get involved with the students and they wanted to make this a good school.” Nickisher also says she hopes the seniors have set standards for what the school will be like in 50 years. Hetzler-Nettles thinks they have. “They are so open-minded and so willing to try anything for the good of the group, or a team they were on, or the school,” she says. “That’s what I’ll remember them for. It was definitely a group with tenacity and grit. They stepped into something that was blank and made something amazing.”

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SPRING FOOTBALL Spring football is in full swing across the area, as Wesley Chapel (WCH), Wiregrass Ranch (WRH) and Cypress Creek Middle/High (CCH) all start looking towards next season. All three schools have their spring games on Friday, May 17. Wiregrass Ranch, which plays at 7:30 p.m. at East Lake, is led by LB Dylan Ridolph (pictured), who had 22 sacks last season. WCH and Jelani Vassell (1,138 yards and 14 TDs from scrimmage in 2018) will host Land O’Lakes at 7:30, the same day coach Tony Egan and his wife are scheduled to have a baby! And at CCH, the third-year Coyotes and twin standouts Jehlani and Jalen Warren will head to Dade City to play Pasco.

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Wesley Chapel Holds Off Cypress Creek The young, but budding rivalry between two Wesley Chapel high schools that are located less than five miles from each other added another exciting chapter on April 24. In a game that featured high-powered offenses, it was a defensive gem that punctuated the win. After three home runs and 15 hits between Wesley Chapel (WCH) and Cypress Creek Middle/High (CCH), a diving stop by Wildcats second baseman Breana Delgado in the bottom of the seventh snuffed out a Coyotes rally to secure a thrilling 5-4 victory. The non-district win improved WCH’s record to 12-5 heading into the Class 6A, District 7 playoffs, which were held this week (after we went to press). Cypress Creek dropped to 10-8 before heading into their District 5A-7 tournament. Cypress Creek trailed 5-1 before Miranda Schwartz doubled in a run and then scored on a single to make it 5-3. In the bottom of the seventh inning, senior infielder Jasmine Jackson blasted her second homer of the game off Wesley Chapel junior pitcher Jordan Almasy to pull the Coyotes within 5-4. “I caught (Almasy) for 10 years in travel ball,” Jackson said. “I was very confident and relaxed in the box. She threw me a high fast ball the first time and the second one was a little lower and inside, so I turned on it.” Cypress Creek put runners on first and second before Almasy got a strikeout for the second out. Coyotes senior Jillian Hudson then ripped a screamer towards Delgado. “The call was a curveball outside, and I trust my pitcher to

Wesley Chapel High second baseman Breana Delgado lets out a scream as her teammates hug her following Delgado’s gameending defensive gem against Cypress Creek Middle/High.

hit her spots, so I cheated over a little (toward first base),” Delgado said. Delgado dove to make the stop and flipped the ball to first base for the final out. Almasy improved to 12-4 on the season, one win away from her career high of 13, which she set as a freshman. “I could not have done this without my team,” Almasy said. “I only had a few strikeouts. The girls made the plays tonight that they make in practice every day.” Jackson’s first homer of the night gave Cypress Creek a 1-0 lead in the first inning, but Wesley Chapel scored the next five runs to lead 5-1 after four innings, thanks to freshman Kadence Means’ homer, a two-run single by sophomore Ashley Garrison and RBI hits by senior Logan Coward and freshman Madelyn Golka. Means’ home run was her fourth of the season, breaking the WCH school record. -- Story and photo/Andy Warrener

GAME, STATE...ERR, SET AND MATCH The Wiregrass Ranch boys tennis team’s 125-match winning streak may have ended earlier this season, but the streak that really matters is still alive — eight straight trips to the State championships. The Bulls beat Lakeland 4-1 in the Region 4A-3 final April 25 to secure their spot in the State tourney, which conCypress Creek Middle/High freshman third baseman Ethan Petry didn’t just hit the first home run in Coyotes history on April 15, when he parked one over the fence against Gulf, he also added a second one a few innings later. It may have lacked the drama of a bottom-of-the-seventh inning bomb, but Petry’s second homer was still a walk-off considering it triggered the 10-run rule and ended the game in the bottom of the sixth in the Coyotes favor, 15-5. Petry finished the game just a triple shy of hitting for the cycle, adding a single and a double to finish 4-for-5 with four runs scored and five driven in. For the year, Petry is batting .338, second on the team behind brother Peyton, who leads the team at .375. 32

cluded May 1 (after we went to press). The Bulls won State titles in 2014 and 2015. In the Region championship, No. 1 singles player Kanishkh Ramesh won his match 6-0, 6-1; at No. 2, Destiny Okungbowa (pictured) was a 6-0, 6-0 winner; at No. 3, Adam Mansour won 6-0, 6-2; and No. 4 Josh Abrams picked up a 6-1, 6-2 victory.

BY THE NUMBERS

home runs by Cypress Creek senior Neely Peterson. 16 Career Peterson hit four at Wesley

Chapel, and 12 since transferring to Cypress Creek.

Home runs this season by Wesley Chapel freshman Kadence Means (pictured), a school record.

Home runs by previous record holders Neely Peterson (2017), Anna Margetis (2017) and Gabi Brown (2011).

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HOOPS, HERE HE IS

CCH has hired Matt Grossenbach to be their next boys basketball coach, replacing Anthony Mitchell, who went 2-22 and 9-17 in his two seasons. Grossenbach has experience turning around programs. He was previously the head coach at Keystone Prep in Odessa, going 4-19 his first season in 2016-17 before guiding the Knights to a 20-10 record in 2017-18, including a Class 2A-4 District title and spot in the Regional championship game. “I truly believe that there is great potential at this place, and I have confidence in my abilities to bring it out,” Grossenbach says. “It won’t happen overnight, and we have a long way to go to compete with some county opponents like Nature Cost, Land O’Lakes, Anclote, and Wesley Chapel, but given some time I think we’ll get things figured out.” @NTWCNews

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New Tampa Resident Runs ‘Around The World,’ 13.1 Miles At A Time! By JOHN C. COTEY

john@ntneightborhoodnews.com

In her late-40s at the time and looking for a way to relieve stress and find some solace, Donna Holas bought a pair of running shoes and started with a few steps here, and a few steps there. She has hasn’t stopped running since. Last month, in a journey that has taken five years and took her around the world, the 55-year-old resident of The Hammocks, just south of County Line Rd., ran the last leg of a personal challenge in which she completed seven half-marathons on seven different continents. “It was absolutely wonderful,” Holas says, holding a flowery canvas bag filled with the medals she collected on her trips. “I’ve seen so many beautiful things.” Holas completed her five-year, seven-continent journey on March 18, running in the Antarctica Half-Marathon on King George’s Island. It was a long way away, and under totally different conditions, when she took up running in the sweltering Florida heat almost a decade earlier, in 2012. Looking back, she says it’s nothing she could have ever expected. While she was a high school basketball player in Olney, MD, for Sherwood High and enjoyed working out as an adult, running never really appealed to her.

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“I always hated running,” she says. “Why get all tired and sweaty? I didn’t get it. But, I started with walking and running, just around the block, and eventually found myself running all the time.” She joined a running organization, Black Girls RUN!, which has clubs all across the United States, including Tampa, and met other runners. Eventually, she started to experience the “runner’s high” and decided to sign up for a 5K race in

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2012, even hiring a running coach to help hone her form and make sure she bought running shoes that fit correctly. She doesn’t remember her time that first race, but she says it wasn’t that great. “But, I was so competitive, every race I ran after that I tried to make it better than the last one,” Holas says. “I just kind of took off from there.” Holas also ran in several 5K and 10K races, not with the goal of winning but

always trying to improve on her previous time. She worked her way up to running half-marathons, which are 13.1 miles, and has even run two full marathons, which are 26.2 miles. “Just to prove I could do it,” she says. But, she says she found the 13.1mile distance of the half-marathon to be her sweet spot. She traveled for work as a healthcare consultant and would run in races wherever she happened to be. Often, she would travel to other states just for a weekend race. Once she had logged races in more than a dozen state — including Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, New York, North and South Carolina, and Pennsylvania — she thought she might try to run a half-marathon in all 50 states. However, since she had only started running in her late-40s, time wasn’t on her side for such a project. Instead, she heard about a company, Marathon Tours & Travel (MTT), that arranges racing trips all over the world, and they were offering an opportunity to join more than 600 runners who had already joined the so-called Seven Continents Club (SCC). “I thought, I could do that,” Holas says. She signed up in 2014 for the Rock n’ Roll Madrid half-marathon and remembers being struck by the beautiful See “Half-Marathoner” on pg. 36!

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‘Half Marathoner Shares Her Seven-Continent Running Story Spanish architecture — “Out of this world,” she says — along the route, like the Royal Palace of Madrid. Because it was her first half-marathon of the seven, she says she was focused on the running and not enough on the scenery, a lesson she learned when one of the runners excitedly asked if she had seen various landmarks at certain mile markers along the route and Holas had to admit that she hadn’t. “Some people try to set personal records, some walk, but after that, I began running and stopping to take pictures,” she says. “I didn’t want to miss anything. I needed to stop and pay attention.” She ran the New York City half-marathon in 2015, and later that same year ran along the Great Wall of China for a Donna Holas' seven-continent adventure has included a run along the Great Wall of China (above), half-marathon there. across muddy and penguin-filled terrain in Antarctica and a humbling visit to Kenya where she ran In 2016, she says she was humbled across desserts and through small villages. by the experience of running in Kenya, self-respect and healthy lifestyles through — and concluded her seven-continent Africa, in the Amazing Maasai race, as challenge last month in Antarctica, which interactive lessons and running games, she was able to visit small villages with no culminating in a celebratory 5K run. electricity, eating meals cooked over a fire. was its own little 15-day journey. Holas is back to running around She flew from Tampa to Atlanta to “So so beautiful,” she says. “Beautiful Argentina, spending three days in Buenos her New Tampa neighborhood and at mountains, beautiful people.” Saint Leo a few times a week, but she is Aires. From there she flew to Ushuaia, a Holas says she was ready for any terrain she faced. She trained for many of her resort town at the southernmost tip of Ar- already looking for a new challenge. She gentina, where she and the other runners will pick and choose her next running races in nearby San Antonio, FL, and at boarded an expedition ship — “definitely expeditions — she’s considering Dubai Saint Leo University in Dade City, taking in December — and is contemplating advantage of the hills and sand to prepare. not a cruise ship,” she says, laughing — trying a half-Ironman Triathfor the three-day trip to Antarctica. “It helped,” she says, “but oh my lon, which would be a 1.2-mile Holas said the seas were choppy, gosh, some of the terrain we encountered but the really bad weather passed the day swim, a 56-mile bike ride and, (was difficult).” fittingly, a half-marathon run. before the race, which she ran in mostly In 2017 Holas traveled to South She says she is already workmud and snow and 30-degree weather. America to run in the Rapa Nui Island She found time to take in the beauti- ing on her swimming, which (better known as Easter Island) half-marful blue ice and snow-covered mountains is her weakest leg, and the one athon. The medal from that race is as she galloped past signs alerting runners that concerns her the most. The modeled after famous moai (sculptures of challenge, though, makes her to possible penguin crossings. She also oversized heads) that many people assotook the Polar Plunge — a quick dip into feel the same way she did when ciate with Easter Island, which is 2,200 she first started running. freezing waters — and came face-to-face miles west of Chile, and Holas said if she “As I’ve gotten older, with a whale on the ship ride over. ever needed to escape from the modern I realize how fear has held “It was all just so amazing,” Holas world, that is where she would return. me back,” she says. “Now I says. “Everywhere I went was different, Holas ran amongst some of the most know if I can run a marathon, and there were so many terrific things beautiful scenery she says she has enthere’s nothing I can’t do. If about each one.” countered on her journey in the 2018 Air In her last run, Holas raised $350 for I’m afraid or don’t want to New Zealand Queenstown half marathon the Girls on the Run charity, a non-profit do it, I do it. That’s how I — she says that ziplining over some of it that encourages pre-teen girls to develop continue to grow.” during an excursion was “breathtaking”

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Omari’s Grill At Lexington Oaks — Delicious Food, Great People! By Gary Nager Oh Yeah, The Food! The lunch and dinner menus at Omari’s When I first met Anass El-Omari and his Grill may be somewhat limited, but there’s no wife Susana Herrera (top photo on this page) doubt that all of the dishes Jannah and I have several months ago, I was hopeful that their sampled together so far have been outstandplan to completely revamp not just the look of ing — and Anass is always coming up with the clubhouse at Lexington Oaks Golf Club, daily specials, one of which is pictured on the but also the food served there would work out next page. for them. After all, we have plenty of chain resMy favorite items on the dinner menu are taurants in Wesley Chapel (and more popping the flounder almendrine, which I thought I had up seemingly every day; see story page 42), but shown in my Nibbles & Bytes column before, we have so few non-chain, sit-down, mom-&and the Chef filet (bottom pic on this page). pop restaurants in our area with great food. For only $14.99, the flounder is sautéed Well, if you haven’t tried Omari’s Grill & in a Mediterranean-style butter sauce, with Bar at Lexington Oaks yet, I hope the pictures large chunks of fresh tomatoes. The 6-oz. filet on this page and this short writeup will con($20.99) is super tender and served with a vince you to go check it out. fresh basil and white wine cream sauce. It was Anass, who is originally from Morocco, served with two fresh asparagus spears and we was trained at the world-renowned Cordon also enjoyed a side of cheesy baked broccoli. Bleu Institute in Paris, France, and just from I also love the fresh pear and brie cheese the sauces he has been serving alone, his exand the calamari appetizers and the Cajun tensive training and experience is obvious. chicken pasta with onions, peppers and salami Anass met Susana in her native Colombia, in a semi-spicy Cajun cream sauce. where she was working as a TV network news Although I can’t indulge in any of the anchor for RCN Television (Radio Cadena Namultiple shrimp and lobster options on the cional) in the Colombian capital city of Bogota. menu because of my accursed shellfish allergy, About two years ago, his varied business interests (including banking software) brought Susana says her favorite dish on the menu is the lobster pasta (center photo on next page), their family (they have two children together) which is linguine served with generous chunks from Colombia to Florida, first to the Grand of lobster in a ginger cream sauce, with a Hampton community in New Tampa and touch of garlic and white wine. eventually, to Wesley Chapel, where he ended The special on our most recent visit was up buying the Lexington Oaks golf course and a super-thick cut of amazingly fresh mahirestaurant, a change of ownership that took mahi, served with a mango salsa that added a place about a year ago. delicious touch of fruit without being overly “We were planning to just buy a small sweet (far left photo on the next page). vacation home in Epperson, because of the laAlthough dinner currently is only served goon (see story on page 5), but the kids loved at Omari’s Grill Wednesday-Friday, it is open it here, so this is now home.”

for lunch every day except Monday and the lunch menu features plenty of your favorite sandwiches, including Anass’ take on the classic Cuban, a Cajun chicken sandwich with bacon and cheese (of course), a Philly cheesesteak, classic BLT, as well as burgers, wings, a Buffalo chicken wrap and even shrimp tacos. I’ve only sampled Omari’s catering-style food for lunch when I’ve visited the Rotary Club of Wesley Chapel, which meets for lunch at Omari’s every Wednesday at noon. Anass and Susana don’t only host the club, they’re also members and say they look forward to getting more involved with the Rotary’s service projects, especially since the Lexington Oaks golf course is getting ready to close for renovations for three months shortly after this issue reaches you. “While the greens are being resurfaced,” says Anass, “we will be really focusing on the restaurant side. We’ll do a lot more menu specials and host more special events.” Speaking of special

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events, Susana says that the Easter brunch held last month “completely sold out.” But, despite lots of requests, Anass says he will not repeat the brunch special for Mother’s Day, so he and Susana can spend her special day together. “I haven’t had a day off in 243 days,” he says. “But, I’ll be thinking about new specials.”

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Oh, and before I forget to mention it, you should always save room for dessert at Omari’s Grill. All of the desserts are homemade, including an authentically French creme brulee and the totally decadent New York-style cheese cake shown in the far right photo on this page, which is served with fresh strawberries and a chocolate

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sauce that has other ingredients Anass wouldn’t share with me. “The sauce is a secret,” he says with a smile. Omari’s also caters to families with an affordable kids menu (nothing more than $5) and there is a beautiful covered patio that can seat about as many people as the inside dining area,

which features a premium, full-liquor bar with very reasonable prices. For more information about Omari’s Grill & Bar (26133 Lexington Oaks Blvd.), see the ad on pg. 42 of this issue, call (813) 907-7270 or visit LexingtonOaksGolf.com and please tell Anass and Susana I sent you!

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Nibbles & Business Bytes The Latest & Greatest News In Dining, Shopping & Business In New Tampa & Wesley Chapel! More Restaurants Coming To 56!

Bloomin’ Brands, which is well-known locally for opening the first Outback Steakhouse in Tampa in 1988, is looking to bring three of its other restaurant brands to the Cypress Creek Town Center on the north side of S.R. 56. The Tampa-based company met on April 23 with Pasco County officials and submitted preliminary plans for building a Bonefish Grill, Carrabba’s Italian Grill and an Aussie Grill by Outback on the northeast corner of the S.R. 56 and Wesley Chapel Blvd. intersection., east of where Walk-On’s Bistreaux & Bar (see below) is expected to open in less than two months. The Cypress Creek Bonefish Grill (which has a location on Bruce B. Downs Blvd. just south of S.R. 56) will be 5,585 sq. ft. and will seat 195 customers, while the Carrabba’s Italian Grill is proposed for 6,438 sq. ft. and 229 seats for customers. The two restaurants will be next to each other facing S.R. 56. The Aussie Grill by Outback, the company’s first fast-casual take on the Outback Steakhouse model, was developed for international growth — it has locations in Hong Kong and Saudi Arabia — and is opening a location at the International Plaza food court this month. At the Cypress Creek Town Center, it will have seating for 72 customers in a 2,800-sq.ft. space. — John C. Cotey

Check Out Al-Sham Palace!

In my Nibbles & Bytes column last issue, I told you about a new Jamaican restaurant with authentic cuisine. This time around, I’m going to let you in on one of New Tampa’s best-kept secrets if you love truly authentic Middle Eastern food. It’s called Al-Sham Palace, located at 19651 Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd., in the Pebble Creek Collection, the plaza behind Kobe Japanese Steakhouse. Al-Sham Palace, which has been open for around a year or more, is owned and operated by Hadil Simreen, who says that her restaurant’s cuisine features authentic Lebanese, Syrian and Palestinianstyle versions of classic Middle Eastern dishes that are usually “Americanized” (my word, not hers) at most other places. So, whether you like authentically spicy beef or chicken shawarma sandwiches (left photo above) with tahine or tzatziki sauce, or delicious steak kababs with nicely grilled onions, falafel, fried kebbie, hummus or tabouleh, Al-Sham Palace is your place! And, with the coupon in the ad on the

next page, you can get $5 off any purchase of $30 or more (restrictions do apply)! For more info, see the ad on page 43, search “Al-ShamPalace” on Facebook, stop in or call (813) 907-8233 and please tell Hadil that I sent you!

Las Palmas Goes Back-To-Back!

Even though I personally still prefer their amazing merluza a la Russe (crispy fish with an egg-based “Russian” sauce) and lechon asado (roasted pork), if you’re looking for the Best Cuban Sandwich in Tampa, it’s hard to argue against the still-new Las Palmas Latin Grill,

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located next to Five Guys at 6431 E. County Line Rd. (across from LA Fitness and WinnDixie) in New Tampa. Co-owner/chef Ramses Garcia and his wife Ana (photo above) were thrilled to have been awarded the title of “World’s Best Historic Cuban Sandwich” — for the second year in a row — at the 8th annual International Cuban Sandwich Festival, again held in historic Ybor City. “For two straight years, we’ve beaten out the places located in Ybor City and West Tampa to win,” Ramses says proudly. “That doesn’t happen by accident!”

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In other words, no matter what type of Cuban fare you prefer, you can’t go wrong at the new Las Palmas Latin Grill! For more info, see the ad on this issue’s back cover, stop in or call (813) 803-3903 and please tell Ana and Ramses I sent you!

has already sampled many of the regular and special Smallcakes flavors and the Dewdneys also provided two dozen cupcakes (that were gone in less than a half-hour) for our “Gary’s 25 Years of Neighborhood News” Celebration held April 12 (see story on page 8). Marissa and Justin also say that anyone who thinks that “print is dead” doesn’t realize the power of the Neighborhood News, as they have had “dozens of people” telling them that they heard about Smallcakes from my recent small writeups in this column. Justin and Marissa also were thrilled that our short video about the opening of Smallcakes on our “Neighborhood News” Facebook page had more than 10,000 views and a reach of nearly 20,000 people! For more info, call (813) 442-4938 or visit SmallcakesCupcakery.com!

Smallcakes Is Open!

Rice n’ Beans? Not Yet!

Are you looking for a new and delicious dessert place? Smallcakes has opened in the Shoppes at The Pointe in Tampa Palms. Located at 17010 Palm Pointe Dr., between Ciccio Cali and our friends at the Palms Pharmacy, Smallcakes features 12 signature flavors (photo above) of full-sized cupcakes, special flavors daily, plus homemade ice cream, and the brother-and-sister co-owners Justin and Marissa Dewdney are Freedom High grads. And, although they both live about an hour away, they say they chose the Tampa Palms location because they had sampled Smallcakes in a couple of other places and felt that our area would love it. Established in Kansas City, MO, in 2008, Smallcakes now has more than 200 stores (many in Texas and Georgia), including the closest ones to us, in Oldsmar and Lakeland. As of this writing, our entire office

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Sadly, while I thought that the new Rice n’ Beans was set to open in the former Cody’s Roadhouse space on WC Blvd. sometime after our last issue came out, it still wasn’t open as we went to press with this issue. And of course, the super-popular Lutz Rice n’ Beans closed about three months ago. Posted on the Rice n’ Beans Facebook page last week was the following message: “We are completely grateful for all your questions and concerns. Please accept our apologies for not updating as soon as possible. We are working hard to solve some problems with the architecture and permissions plan we need to get our occupation certificate in order to open our doors for the enjoyment of all. Although the journey has been long, difficult and frustrating in some moments, we are strong and believing that Rice n’ Beans will soon open its doors! Let’s hope so!— Gary Nager

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For Advertising Information Call 813-910-2575 • Volume 27, Issue 10 • May 3, 2019

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A.T.B. Landscaping & Lawn Service. Licensed and insured serving the Tampa Bay area over 20 years. Family owned and operated. Quality work at affordable prices. We provide services in gutter clean-out, screen repair, pressure washing and sprinkler repair. Landscaping and property maintenance including: sodding, trimming trees and hedges, and clean ups. Other services are available. CALL 813-907-LAWN (5296)

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