New Tampa Neighborhood News, Volume 24, Issue 17, Aug, 22, 2016 by Neighborhood News

Volume 24 Issue 17

Inside:

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Did You Blink & Miss The Summer? Local Schools Are Back In Session! By John C. Cotey That wailing sound you may have heard echoing across New Tampa on Wednesday morning was likely the sound of local elementary, middle and high school students bemoaning the start of the 2016-17 school year in Hillsborough County. Already? Yep, already. Thanks to state lawmakers responding to the Hillsborough County School District’s request for changes to the school schedule a few years ago, kids went back to school this week on Aug. 10, the earliest first day of school in years. And, students in New Tampa are not alone, as 40 of the 67 school districts in Florida returned to school Wednesday as well. Nearby Pasco County returns to school Monday, August 15. While summer vacation is one of this country’s great and most treasured traditions — just ask anyone toting a backpack to the bus stop today — chances are if you blinked this year, you missed it. But, don’t blame the schools; blame Incoming sixth-grade students listen to Benito Middle School principal John Sanders offer some words of advice in the school’s cafeteria last month during an introductory camp. Labor Day. Because so many school districts try to start the school year around the holi- first two quarters, in December — as op- cipal Teresa Evans. “I can see in secondary day — which is Mon., Sept. 5 this year, — it posed to finishing the second quarter some- school how that is important.” can interfere with classroom time, with schools time in January — and schools can start fresh While the early start may be a shock to having to end the second grading period after with the third quarter when school returns the system — in Evans’ case, she said many of winter break. in January (on Tue., Jan. 3, 2017, in Hills- her international students who travel back to With Labor Day taken out of the equa- borough). their countries over the summer had a harder tion and finishing the first two grading peri“Change is always complicated, but the time acclimating — it’s not all bad. ods at a more convenient break in the sched- reality is, it’s nice to have those first two In fact, Evans says she didn’t hear any ule, it led to starting school earlier. quarters finished when we break at winter complaints from students as last year wound Now, there is an even break after the break,’’ said Lawton Chiles Elementary prinSee “School’ on page 6!

Also Inside This Issue: News, Business & Sports Updates Proposed City Budget Has Good News; Cross Creek Blvd. Getting Some Work Done; Local Candidates Ask For Your Vote; Pokemon GO Craze Hits New Tampa, High Schools Sports Enter Fall Season & More Local Business Features!

Pages 3-40

Neighborhood Magazine

New Tampa Piano & Pedagogy Students Ace A Royal Exam, Local Boy Scout Helps Retire Flags, It’s Dining Survey Time Again; Plus Neighborhood Nibbles & Business Bytes!

Pages 41-60

Hillsborough School District 2016-17 Calendar Highlights Mon., Sept. 5: No school, Labor Day Fri., Oct. 7: First grading period ends. Mon., Oct. 10: No school, nonstudent day. Fri., Nov. 11: No school, Veterans Day. Mon.-Fri., Nov. 21-25: No school, Thanksgiving/Fall break. Mon., Nov. 28: Students return from fall break. Wed., Dec. 16: Second grading period ends. Mon.-Fri., Dec. 19-30: No school, Winter break. Tue., Jan. 3, 2017: Students return from Winter break. Mon., Jan. 16: No school, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Mon., Feb. 20: No school, Presidents Day. Fri., March 10: Third grading period ends. Mon.-Fri., Mar. 13-17: No school, Spring break. Mon., March 20: Students return from Spring break. Fri., April 14: No school, nonstudent day. Wed., May 26: Last day of school. Fourth grading period ends. Students are released one hour early every Monday and, on the last day of school, are released 2½ hours early.

NTJWC’s Frankfurth Named National Director Of Jr. Women’s Clubs By John C. Cotey The General Federation of Women’s Clubs (GFWC) announced in June that longtime local Woman’s Club Board member and past president Jolie Frankfurth, is now the 2016-18 GFWC Director of Junior Clubs. Frankfurth was named Director Elect in 2014, and installed the weekend of June 2529 of this year in Baltimore. “I’m ready for this,’’ Frankfurth said. Her first day on the new job was Saturday, Aug. 6. “She was elected by a membership of more than 80,000, has been with the organization a substantial amount of time and her charity work has been outstanding,’’ said Michelle Furman, the GFWC director of communications. Frankfurth has risen through the ranks of the GFWC, which specializes in grassroots charity work with more than 27 various nonprofit organizations such as St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, since starting with the GFWC New Tampa Junior Woman’s Club (NTJWC) 20 years ago.

At the time, she said, the New Tampa area was still just mostly a road to S.R. 54. “There were a lot of young families with children moving to the area,’’ she said, adding that the New Tampa Juniors was a perfect fit for her. Frankfurth is a University of South Florida graduate, with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Education and a Master’s degree in Educational Leadership. Locally, Frankfurth has made an impact on all levels of membership. She has been an Advisor of the GFWC New Tampa Juniorette Club the past five years and has been president of both the GFWC Woman’s Club of New Tampa and the NTJWC. “The richness of our great Federation is in the character, diversity and passion of its membership,’’ Frankfurth said. “Our work these next two years should be about attitude and actions to making good things happen in our local communities.” For more info, visit GFWC.org, GFWCWomansClubNewTampa.com or GFWCNewTampaJuniors.org.

Jolie Frankfurth

Election Season Begins With Primaries On Tuesday, August 30! An editorial by Gary Nager It’s hard for me to imagine a more important presidential election than the one we have coming up in November. The long campaign trail for Republican nominee Donald Trump and Democratic Party nominee Hillary Clinton will come to its final faceoff on Tuesday, November 8. There’s no doubt that presidential elections bump up the voter turnouts across the country, including in New Tampa, where the turnout almost always lags behind the rest of the City of Tampa and Hillsborough County. The turnout is likely to be a whole lot lower on Tuesday, August 29, when the 2016 Primary Election will be held. Those who are registered as Democrats in both the city and county portions of New Tampa will get to vote for U.S. Senator, where five candidates will square off (see below). Also on the Democratic ballot are two candidates for Representative in the U.S. Congress, four candidates for the countywide District six seat being relinquished by Kevin Beckner (who will instead face off on the 29th against fellow former commissioner Pat Frank in the race for Clerk of the Court & Comptroller). In addition, four candidates, including former commissioner (and former Tampa City Council member) Thomas Scott will vie for the Democratic nomination to replace Beckner, who is relinquishing the seat due to term limits. On the Republican side on Aug. 29, four candidates, including incumbent Marco Rubio, vie for the Republican nod for U.S. Senate, while two candidates (including incumbent Vern Buchanan) face off for the District 16 Rep. nomination for U.S. Congress.

Also on the Republican ballot on August 29 are two candidates for the District 6 Hillsborough County Commission seat that Former commissioner Jim Norman will face businessman Tim Schock, who also ran unsuccessfully for the commission in 2014. All registered voters in New Tampa also can vote for three Circuit Judges and three seats on the Hillsborough School Board. The School Board races include incumbent Cindy Stuart facing Alicia Toler for New Tampa’s single-member District 3 seat; five candidates vying for retiring Dorothea Edgecomb’s countywide District 5 seat and a whopping eight candidates to replace retiring Carol Kurdell in the countywide District 7 seat. Among those candidates is former Tampa City Council member and long-time New Tampa resident Joseph Caetano, as well as two unrelated candidates with the last name Gray (Lynn and Stanley) and Randy Toler, the husband of District 3 candidate Alicia Toler. Even if you don’t yet know any of the candidates, the School Board is responsible for building and renovating schools, as well as setting attendance boundaries, school calendars (see story on page 1) and everything from academics to athletics at the public schools most New Tampa residents attend, so these races are very important, indeed. Also, on pgs. 10-12 of this issue, the six candidates for the Nov. 8 special election to replace Lisa Montelione in New Tampa’s Dist. 7 seat on the Tampa City Council sound off.

District 16 (Rep.) Vern Buchanan James Satcher

Hillsb. Bd. of County Commissioners (Dist. 6-Dem.) John Dicks Patricia “Pat” Kemp Thomas Scott Brian Willis

Hillsb. Bd. of County Commissioners (Dist. 6-Rep.) Jim Norman Tim Schock

Hillsb. School Board (Dist. 3) Cindy Stuart Alicia Toler

Hillsb. School Board (Dist. 5) Joe Jordon-Robinson Lynette Tracee Judge Jacqueline Coffie Leeks Tarance “T.D.” LeNoir Tamara Shamburger

Hillsb. School Board (Dist. 7) Joseph Caetano Alan Clendenin Carlos Frontela Lynn Gray Stanley G. Gray Cathy James Norene Copeland Miller Randy Toler

Check Out The Latest Episodes of WCNT-tv! See pg. 40 for details!

U.S. Senator (Dem. Primary) Roque “Rocky” De La Fuente Alan Grayson Pam Keith Reginald Luster Patrick Murphy

New Tampa Neighborhood News U.S. Senator (Rep. Primary) 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 Gary Nager Advertising Sales & Office Manager Mary Dorey Billing Manager Jillian Reilly Assistant Editor / Photographer John C. Cotey Staff Writer Celeste McLaughlin Correspondents Anu Varma Panchal • Brad Stager • Andy Warrener Graphic Designers Blake Beatty • Georgia Carmichael Sales & Production Assistant Gavin Olsen Nothing that appears in New Tampa Neighborhood News may be reproduced, whether wholly or in part, without permission. Opinions expressed by New Tampa Neighborhood News writers are their own and do not reflect the publisher’s opinion. The deadline for outside editorial submissions and advertisements for Volume 24, Issue 19, of New Tampa Neighborhood News is Monday, August 29, 2016. New Tampa Neighborhood News will consider previously non-published outside editorial submissions if they are double spaced, typed and less than 500 words. New Tampa Neighborhood News reserves the right to edit and/or reject all outside editorial submissions and makes no guarantees regarding publication dates. New Tampa Neighborhood News will not return unsolicited editorial materials. New Tampa Neighborhood News reserves the right to edit &/or reject any advertising. New Tampa 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.

Carlos Beruff Ernie Rivera Marco Rubio Dwight Mark Anthony Young

U.S. Representative, District 16 (Dem.) Brent King Jan Schneider

U.S. Representative,

Table of Contents

Local News Updates.....................3-19

Proposed City Budget Includes New Fire Station.........4 Cross Creek Blvd. At Kinnan Gets New Turn Lanes.....6 Raymond James’ Path To Wesley Chapel Cleared.........8 Dist. 7 Candidates Make Case For Your Vote.......10-12 WC Hilton Garden Inn Nears Groundbreaking........13 New Tampa Filled With Pokemon GO Sites........14-15 Indoor Sports Complex Choosing Partner................16 Sagitec Looking To Bring 60 Jobs To New Tampa.....16 New Tampa Community Calendar............................20

Local Business Updates.............22-34

NTDT Produces Well-Rounded Dance Students...22 The Heart Of Cypress Point Community Church.....24 Seven Oaks Pet Depot & Hospital.......................26 SPOTLIGHT ON: Pura Cycling Studio!................27 New Tampa Pediatrics & Adolescent Care.............28 SPOTLIGHT ON: Nutri-Most Of Wesley Chapel.....29 PROtential Sports Programs Teach Life Lessons....30 Carrollwood Day School Offers A+ Curriculum........32

Local Education & Sports..........34-39

Goddard School Looking To Open By January.......34 Arbor Greene Tennis Player Spreading One Love....36 Freedom’s Trainer Is The Best In The State!............37 Wharton, Freedom Athletes Prep For Fall.........38-39

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Local Pianists Excel At Royal Exam...............41-42 Eagle Scout Project Can Retire Your Flag!.........45,58 Enter Our 2016 Dining Survey & Contest!........52 Neighborhood Nibbles & Business Bytes’.........52 New Tampa & Wesley Chapel Classifieds........56 @NTWCNews

For Advertising Information Call 813-910-2575 • Volume 24, Issue 17 • August 12, 2016 • NTNeighborhoodNews.com

Budget Proposal Brings New Fire Station & Playground Equipment To New Tampa New Tampa is starting to grow again, so it’s time to finally deliver the fire house. Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn’s “Growth in New Tampa is starting proposed Fiscal Year 2017 city budget into emerge again,’’ he said. “During the cludes an emphasis on improving parks and recession, it was virtually nothing. We continuing business development, as well recognize now that, with the anticipated as a few nuggets for New Tampa— includentitlements and the demand for housing ing a new fire station, updated playground up in New Tampa, we needed to fulfill that equipment at the New Tampa Recreation obligation.” Center in Tampa Palms Another fire station, and an intelligent transporNo. 24, is planned for the tation systems program for K-Bar Ranch area off Morris part of Cross Creek Blvd. Bridge Rd. in the future. It While warning that won’t be funded and built “we are not out of the next year like No. 23, but it woods yet” regarding the is on the city’s budget radar recent recession, Buckhorn after Montelione brought painted a bright future light to the need for one in while proposing his $905.9 the K-Bar area — despite million city budget to the the location of Station No. Tampa City Council on 22 on Cross Creek Blvd., July 21. The Council will a mile or so west of Morris hold public hearings on Bridge Rd. the proposed budget in “Included for in future September before voting years, there are planning on it. dollars and construction Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn Buckhorn’s budget dollars for Fire Station No. proposal includes $175.3 24,’’ Buckhorn said. “We’ve million in capital improvements, includgot design dollars in there to be done as ing $4.72 million for Fire Station No. the growth continues to occur.” 23, which will be located at 20770 Trout Montelione said she worked with M/I Creek Dr., behind the AutoZone and Homes and the city’s Parks & Recreation Christian Brothers Automotive off Bruce Department to secure the land. She said B. Downs Blvd. in the Trout Creek area. there are long-range plans to build a 54“Something near and dear to council acre park in the K-Bar area, and she called (member Lisa) Montelione’s heart, and the parks department and asked for two this will be her last budget, so this is our acres for the fire house. gift to our friends and neighbors in the “It’s all very preliminary,’’ MonteliNew Tampa area,’’ Buckhorn said. one said. “I would think it would be 2019 Montelione, who has resigned her before it comes out of the ground, but it’s Council seat effective Nov. 8 to run against on the radar so that’s good.” Republican incumbent Shawn Harrison Montelione said she is still combfor his Florida House District 63 seat, has ing over the budget, and while pleased to championed the new fire house in her five see the fire station finally getting built, “I years on the Council. always want to have more for New Tampa. “Fire Station 23 is the one that even There are a couple of things I’ve worked my predecessor had been pestering the on for a long, long, long time and they’re administration about when Pam Iorio was here, and there are things I wish I were in the mayor, so that one has a long history,’’ here (that) are not.” Montelione said. The New Tampa Recreation Center The fire station is part of the city’s (NTRC) will be getting updated play$120.3-million Capital Improvement ground equipment in the proposed Program, which is addressing a significant budget. The Tampa City Council has voted amount of previously deferred infrastructwice in five years to bypass expansion of ture projects. The land had been acquired the NTRC that had previously been budgpreviously by the city, and Buckhorn said eted, including a Feb. 4 vote to spend the By John C. Cotey

Funding for New Tampa’s third Fire Station (No. 23, see rendering above), planned for the Trout Creek area, is included in the new city budget proposed by Mayor Bob Buckhorn.

money budgeted for the Rec Center to fix the Cuscaden Park pool in Ybor City. “Still no expansion, and I’m still upset about that,’’ Montelione said. Also in the proposed budget, Cross Creek Blvd. from W. Cory Lake Blvd. to Morris Bridge Rd. will be outfitted with CCTV traffic monitoring cameras as part of Tampa’s intelligent transportation systems program, which monitors traffic patterns and is designed to improve transportation. Buckhorn sounded an upbeat tone when talking about Tampa’s overall fiscal health. He cited various reports hailing the area as one of the best in the country. Money magazine listed Tampa as the “Best City In The Southeast,” Realtor. com recognized Tampa as a “Top Place To Move”, and Tampa was the only city to make Bloomberg Business Week’s “America’s Best Cities” list, to name just a few. Buckhorn also says that the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) added 42,800 more jobs in March compared with last year, and has seen its unemployment rate drop from 9.9 percent in 2011 to its current 4.6 percent. “If you think back to 2011, when a majority of us came to this Council, it was a very different place,’’ Buckhorn said. “It was a different country, a very different state and definitely a very different city.”

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Buckhorn came into office facing a shortfall of more than $30 million. Thanks to increased property tax revenues and departmental reductions, the City was able to close its projected $9.2-million operating shortfall. “We are not out of the woods yet,’’ Buckhorn admitted. “We are still struggling to find our footing. The resources that we have (now) are not even close to what we had in 2007.” But, things are getting better, he added. And part of the reason for that is a streamlined permitting process that is bringing more development to the area. From Fiscal Year (FY) 2011 to FY2016, the city permitted nearly $10 billion worth of construction. In FY2016 alone, permitted projects were projected at $2.3 billion. And, for FY2017, $7.5 billion is projected. “We said from day one that we can’t cut our way out of the recession,” Buckhorn said. “We have to grow our way out of the recession and that’s why we streamlined the permitting process. Heretofore, we were not competitive. People did not want to come do business with us because the regulatory process was so burdensome. That doesn’t exist today, and we’ve become a model of how to permit.” To view Mayor Buckhorn’s entire proposed FY2017 budget, please visit TampaGov.net/Budget.

Neighborhood News

@NTWCNews

Cross Creek Blvd. & Kinnan St. Getting Better Turn Lanes By John C. Cotey A $5-million, 2-mile long widening project on Cross Creek Blvd. was completed last year, but that’s not the end of the improvements planned for the busy road, as the familiar site of bulldozers and orange barrels are back as you’re reading this issue. Construction, which is expected to be completed by Oct. 31, is ongoing at one of the busier intersections of Cross Creek, which runs east from Bruce B. Downs Blvd. to Morris Bridge Rd., as revamped turn lanes and signage are now being updated at the corners of Cross Creek Blvd. and Kinnan St., between Louis Benito Middle School and the New Tampa Regional Library. The intersection improvement is being done by K-Bar developer M/I Homes, as part of the approved K-Bar rezoning last August. The balance of the required transportation improvements for the K-Bar project are related to road construction of the K- Bar Pkwy., including connections at Kinnan and Morris Bridge and the southern collector roadway. Meanwhile, on eastbound Cross Creek Blvd., two short left turn lanes onto Kinnan St. are being lengthened by approximately 400 feet. Previously, the left turn lanes were roughly half that distance, and often filled by cars, many that spilled back out onto the two eastbound lanes, tangling traffic during high-volume times during the evening rush hour.

These left-hand turn lanes onto Kinnan St. on Cross Creek Blvd. will be extended by 400 or so feet to prevent traffic from backing up at the busy intersection (as you can see in the picture, a common sight for evening commuters). Kinnan (below) also is getting a right turn lane onto Cross Creek. Many of those commuters are return- library side of the road 15 feet or so to the ing to their homes in the K-Bar Ranch de- west, or towards the library. velopment, as Kinnan is the only road in and The existing mast arm traffic signal will out without driving two more miles down be replaced at the southwest corner of the Cross Creek to turn left onto Morris Bridge. intersection, due to the addition of an adNow that the turn lanes are extended ditional signal head for the new right turn from the corner all the way to the library, the lane on Kinnan. flow of traffic is expected to be smoother. On the south side of Cross Creek Blvd., A right turn lane also is being built at the entrance to Benito, a Type F Curb (we on southbound Kinnan, to accommodate suggest Googling it to understand what that morning traffic out of K-Bar Ranch, at the looks like) will be placed from the inside corner of the Cross Creek Center shop- shoulder to the existing sidewalk on both sides of the entrance. ping plaza. In addition, new signage will replace The construction will move the existing walkways that cross over Cross Creek the existing signs at the intersection of Cross Blvd. from the Cross Creek Center to the Creek and Kinnan.

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‘School’

Continued from page 1 down, and she hasn’t heard any moaning about it from the students she has talked to this summer. “By this time, they’re excited,’’ she says, admitting things might be a little different with the younger students at an elementary school, as opposed to say, budding teenagers who have to head back to middle school. “Everyone I’ve talked to is excited about coming back to school.” For the 2016-17 school year, the summer will begin right after Memorial Day. And, at the end of the day, students are going to school the same number of days they always have — usually, right around 180 days. Which solves another problem — in years past, many teachers admit, the 10-12 remaining days after kids come back from Memorial Day are not always purposeful and it’s difficult to keep students focused. But, even if the students aren’t ready to return, the schools certainly are ready for them. Rooms were being dusted and cleaned last week, floors were mopped and teachers spent the final days of summer in planning meetings, while their students tried to soak in every last second of it before hitting the books again this week. “We planned for it,’’ Evans said. “I think that’s the real key. It’s not like it hit us in the middle of the summer. The custodial schedule was the hardest thing to do, to get everything clean before school. That was a real priority for us.”

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Porter/Raymond James Financial Finally Given Permit To Begin Construction By John C. Cotey Following almost five years of discussions and anticipation — mixed in with a nice-sized helping of doubt — the longtalked-about Raymond James Financial campus is one huge step closer to becoming a reality at the corner of S.R. 56 and Mansfield Blvd. Wiregrass Ranch developer JD Porter finally received the news two weeks ago that he has been waiting more than two years for, as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has proffered an environmental permit for the 65 acres of property just east of the Shops at Wiregrass mall. “We were all thrilled, everyone in the family,’’ said Porter, the owner and operator of Wiregrass Ranch Inc. “We worked very, very closely with the Army engineers, and it is nice to finally reach a resolution.” Porter joked in April at a Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce (WCCC) Economic Development meeting that he was tired of hearing about the delays involving Raymond James, but insisted (as he has many times in the past) that the facility was still imminent. He predicted then he would have the Army Corps permit in a few weeks, and though it took just a little bit longer, he is ready to proceed. “Right now, we have all the permits in hand to proceed forward,’’ Porter said. The St. Petersburg-based financial services company has been working for several years on the process with the Porter family and, in early 2011, agreed to purchase the land at an undisclosed price, provided the permitting could be completed. The deal was approved by the Pasco

County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) later that year. In exchange for $15-million in incentives and tax breaks, the county would reap the benefits of what would eventually be planned as six four-story buildings totaling roughly 1-million-sq.-ft., and housing 750 employJD Porter ees by 2024, which will inject millions into the county tax rolls. Although the Raymond James campus was originally scheduled to begin building in 2012, with the first 100 employees arriving by 2014, the project stalled. In 2014, a few months after another financial firm, T. Rowe Price, jettisoned its plans to build on 72 acres near the Suncoast Pkwy., Raymond James postponed its project. But, the financial services giant did say it still had plans for the property. Now, there is renewed optimism that Raymond James will make the impact promised years ago. “I’m glad that’s over and done with,’’ said District 2 commissioner Mike Moore. “The economic impact will be huge for Pasco County as a whole. There will be nothing bigger in the county.” Moore said Raymond James will become the largest non-governmental employer in Pasco. “And, anytime you bring in a large employer like that, things start to

happen around it,’’ he says. Bill Cronin, the new president and CEO of the Pasco Economic Development Council (EDC), said when he started in January, one of his first meetings was with Raymond James, citing the importance of getting the company here. “The investment by Raymond James will be one that, when other companies look to grow here, they will see that someone else has blazed that trail for them,’’ Cronin said. “It will make my job a little easier, to show people there are others that have made this positive decision.” He added, “Success begets success.” The next step for Porter will be to renegotiate the development agreement and

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adjust some of the original timelines with the BOCC, which will likely take place in the next month or so. “That triggers the closing,’’ Porter said. Porter thinks the addition of the financial facility is a major piece of what he hopes the Wiregrass Ranch area will become, as it should drive up home sales and makes the area more attractive to other businesses. “I think whether we’re talking Raymond James, or the mall or Florida Hospital (WC), the state college, you are looking at the kinds of things that define cities and define regions,’’ Porter says. “We’re lucky to land four of them in a short time, when some communities don’t have this after 30 or 40 years.”

@NTWCNews

My Experience As A New Tampa Pioneer Matters Gudes Continuing His History Of Helping By Dr. Jim Davison Why is a doctor of 27 years running for the Tampa City Council? I moved to New Tampa 23 years ago with my wife Diane and 2 children, Ian and Ashley. At that time, there were only about 7,500 people living in the City of Tampa portion of New Tampa. We watched as the area grew and underwent a population explosion to which we contributed, having two more children, Allie and James. Commuting to work, to schools and shopping, we saw the quiet roads become congested and turned into parking lots. We looked for sporting fields for the children to play on. We saw how long it took for ambulances to respond. We also saw how the area was neglected by local government. Many of us decided that the status quo and government inaction was not going to stand. So, we started uniting the various neighborhoods and developments to begin to address the issues. The New Tampa Transportation Task Force focused government attention on transportation and provided solutions. The multiple sporting entities lobbied for parks and fields. Leaders like Joseph Caetano helped bring a much-needed new ambulance and more fire stations. We have made improvements, but still have never received the services we have paid for — nor has the entire District 7 area. New Tampa and North Tampa have continued to grow and pressure the existing infrastructure. Now, our children are having children. Many have chosen to stay here. More and more people continue to move to the area. Although we have made progress,

Dr. Jim Davison there is still more to be done. I have decades of experience knowing the issues and fighting to solve them. I have been innovative and have helped unite the area to resolve various problems. I know how to deal with the local governments. The person you elect will serve a little over two years. The same old politics and a learning curve are not an option. This is why I am running for the District 7 Council seat. This is a great place to live. The world around us is rapidly changing and growing. To keep this area modern and vibrant, we are going to have to find solutions together and unite the people of District 7. To be Your Voice on the City Council and bring the needed infrastructure and services we deserve would be a great honor. I am asking for your support, votejimdavison.com, so we can give District 7 the future it should have.

By Orlando Gudes I’m running for the Tampa City Council because I’ve been fighting for our families my whole life. Many of our community leaders, pastors, and activists have encouraged me to bring my experience and dedication to the City Council. For 26 years, I was honored to serve as an officer in the Tampa Police Department. It was that experience serving our community and building relationships in our neighborhoods that best prepared me to serve on the Council. Seeing the issues our families face on a daily basis has prepared me to bring real solutions to our city. I founded the Unity Youth Football Conference to encourage our kids to stay on the right track and help build character. That same dedication to our youth will be my priority on Council. We need to give our children the tools to succeed and the confidence to pursue their dreams. I’ve been so honored to work with hundreds of our families to give our children a brighter future. I’m running for Tampa City Council because there’s still work to be done — I will increase community policing to keep our families safe and work to bring more jobs to our community.

Orlando Gudes I’ll also fight for more youth opportunities through mentorship programs. We’ve been blessed to have a strong voice in this seat on Council. As a Tampa native and 16-year homeowner and resident of District 7, I want to keep carrying the torch as a community activist who can get things done.

Primary Election Day Is Tuesday, August 29. Get Out & Vote, New Tampa!

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Harrison Eager To Be A Strong Voice Siudut: Passion Equals Effective Leadership By Avis Harrison When my husband John and I settled in New Tampa, we were able to start a family, make it our home and live the American Dream. And now, it’s time to give back. My husband recently passed, having lost his battle with cancer. However, it was my friends and neighbors around District 7 who lifted me up and helped me get through the hardship. District 7 doesn’t need just another Tampa City Council member or aspiring politician, it needs a fighter. I believe our community needs stronger representation to give its residents what they deserve- their fair share and a fair shake. I previously lived in Pensacola, while my husband John served in the United States Navy and was an F-14 pilot. I received my Associate of Science (A.S.) degree in Paralegal studies from Pensacola Junior (now State) College and my Bachelor degree in Elementary Education from the University of West Florida, also in Pensacola. I then taught first grade in the Escambia County School District in Pensacola. We moved to New Tampa when John became a pilot for Southwest Airlines. I have three children — Ted who served in Iraq; Tiera, who is a flight attendant and Reagan, who attends Florida State University. I also take care of my granddaughter Malayah. I am a firm believer in giving back to our community and have been a member of the New Tampa Junior Woman’s Club (NTJWC; see page 1) and a member of the National

Neighborhood News

By Gene Siudut

Avis Harrison Council of Alcohol and Drug Dependency. I believe our District’s public defenders and firefighters need a strong voice, who will fight for them as they fight for us. Our roadways need someone who will fight for common-sense traffic solutions and bring all levels of government together to solve them. And, our tax money, which we send south to downtown, needs to start coming back north. Nothing short of our quality of life is at stake in this election. I hope that as my friends and neighbors get to know me, my story and my passion for service, that they will chose me, Avis Harrison, to be their voice on Tampa’s City Council.

@NTWCNews

My candidacy for Tampa City Council District 7 is about need. The people of New Tampa have been the largest supporters of our city’s budget with their tax dollars but feel they are not getting their money’s worth. We need a voice on City Council who will fight to make sure our needs are met. Whether it is a fair stormwater plan that doesn’t double-tax our residents, a community center for our children, better lit and safer nature walks, incentivizing companies to bring their businesses to New Tampa or something as simple as beautifying Bruce B. Downs to give us an identity and sense of community, we need someone with vision and experience. As an Executive Board member of the Ybor City Development Corporation (YCDC), with nearly a $2 million annual budget, I’ve fought for tax dollars to be used fairly and effectively. As the chairman of the YCDC Retail, Arts & Special Events Committee, I’ve heard the pleas of the business community. As the Ybor Lions Club president, I’ve been a part of serving the neediest in our community. As the Vice Chair of the Hillsborough County Human Relations Board, I’ve been a part of the fight against discrimination. Lastly, as assistant editor at La Gaceta newspaper for the past 17 years, I’ve heard our community’s deepest concerns. People often ask why I am running for office. My answer is simple. I am running because I am passionate about Tampa’s

Gene Siudut future and feel I have the experience to be an effective part of its continued success. I have spent my adult life in Tampa as an advocate for our citizens, but I am capable of much more. I care deeply about our city and on City Council, I will bring common sense, compassion and fairness. With median home values of roughly $250,000 (compared with $170,000 for all of Tampa), New Tampa is seen as the cash cow of the city. New Tampa’s residents don’t ask for much, but they do want a seat at the table — they don’t want to be taken advantage of and they want to see a reasonable return on their investment. To accomplish this, we need someone who understands city government and who will go to bat for us. I believe I am that candidate and I ask for your support this Nov. 8.

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Spiro To Connect Residents To The Process Luis By Cyril Spiro When was the last time that you felt empowered to make a difference in your city? We have nearly all become disconnected from our government and given up on participating in city of Tampa matters. For most of us, we wouldn’t even know where to start. When I am elected, connecting to your government will be easy. That’s because I will bring the same leadership to Tampa that I brought to Cory Lake Isles as the Chairman of the Cory Lakes Isles Community Development District (CDD), which has an annual budget of $1.8 million. At Cory Lake Isles, we survey residents to learn what they want for their community and deliver on their vision. Making it easy for residents to inform their government of their needs is the right way to govern because the government was made by the people for the people. Our city government delivers the services that we need to live in a free and fair society. First and foremost, government protects us by enforcing our laws. It also pools our community resources — our tax dollars — to deliver services with a greater economy of scale; for example, water and fire protection. The problem that can arise with government is that it has no competition, so individuals who provide government services can get lackadaisical and the quality of service can fall. That is why it is so important to have a City Council representative who makes sure that your government is fulfilling its obligations to you and responding to your needs. In addition to normal municipal services, our city grows by adding amenities and

Cyril Spiro structures that improve our lives. The City Council is responsible for approving these improvements. In most cases, Council members will pick one item over another because a few constituents convince them it is the right choice to make. That is the best that they can do because they don’t know what the majority of their constituents want. If you elect me as your representative, that process will be greatly improved because I will use technology to make it easy for you to let me know what improvements you want to see happen in Tampa. I will do this by using surveys and open access communication to get your opinion. It will be easy for you and great for our city. To learn more about me and how I will represent you, visit CyrilSpiro.com.

Viera

Says

‘Experience

By Luis Viera I am proud to offer myself as a candidate for Tampa City Council District 7. My campaign’s theme is respect, resolve, results. I will work to earn the respect North Tampa deserves; I offer the proven work ethic and resolve to get this done; and with your help, together we will see real results. But, respect is most relevant. Respect for North Tampa. I say this as a lifelong resident of the North Tampa and surrounding Temple Terrace areas; a proud University of South Florida graduate; and a proud homeowner and father of a son in our public schools. North Tampa — like every region of Tampa — has its own unique history, heritage and legacy. We are the part of Tampa with the neighborhoods of New Tampa. We also are home to the Moffitt Cancer Center, a wonderful Shriners Hospital for Children and the University Alliance. We have the University of South Florida and its world-class medical research institutes. And, we are home to original local businesses, like Mel’s Hot Dogs and Mr. Dunderbak’s. New Tampa — like all of District 7 — has needs that require our City’s attention. As a Hunter’s Green resident who works in South Tampa, I know well the transportation challenges we face, and support aggressive efforts to invest in not only the methods of transportation we use today, but the modes of transportation future generations will use. Like all of Tampa, we honor the sacrifices of our first responders, firefighters and brave police officers. And, we respect the American value of pluralism and the idea that we are the Family of Tampa.

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Matters’

Luis Viera In this effort, I have the privilege of securing support from pivotal civic leaders. And I am privileged to have earned the early endorsement of the Tampa Firefighters. I have a record of service I want to build on in Council. I am President of Lawyers Autism Awareness — which has raised more than $40,000 for children with Autism. In 2011, I was appointed by the Tampa City Council to the Tampa Civil Service Board and today serve as Chairman. I am a proud stakeholder who sees North Tampa as not only the area I grew up in, but the area my nine year old son calls home. Never before has there been such optimism for growth in Tampa. And I believe North Tampa is an integral part of this future.

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Second-Largest Hotel In Wesley Chapel Breaking Ground Soon By John C. Cotey A Hilton Garden Inn (rendering below) planned for an outparcel on the southeast corner of S.R. 56 and Silver Maple Pkwy. in Wesley Chapel is currently wrapping up the permitting process and could break ground by the end of this month, according to Justin Floyd, the president of R.E. Floyd Construction Corp. The new hotel, which will have 123 rooms, making it the largest in Wesley Chapel other than the 540-room Saddlebrook Resort, will be constructed next to the existing BB&T Bank, which is on the same side of S.R. 56 as Texas Roadhouse. Floyd heads up the construction firm handling the project for a local ownership group based out of New York. He says the ownership group has 27 years of experience in the hotel business and made the decision to expand into the Florida market and the Wesley Chapel area because, “they

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saw the tremendous growth potential.” The Hilton Garden Inn will be six stories, and will feature a full restaurant with outdoor seating, a pool and spa with outdoor patio and fire pit, a conference/ meeting facility as well as business and fitness centers. Floyd says he hopes to complete the project and open the hotel during the summer of 2017. The Hilton Garden Inn is one of three hotels expected to be built along roughly a threemile stretch of S.R. 56. Almost directly across S.R. 56, near what will soon become Florida Hospital Center Ice, a Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites is expected to open at 2775 Cypress Ridge Blvd. in March 2017. Owned by Global Hotel Group and Gillym Investments, the Holiday Inn Express will have 80 rooms. And further down S.R. 56, east of the Shops at Wiregrass mall, the 54,500-sq.ft. Fairfield Inn & Suites Wiregrass — which will have 92 rooms — is going through permitting. We’ll keep you posted.

For Advertising Information Call 813-910-2575 • Volume 24, Issue 17 • August 12, 2016 • NTNeighborhoodNews.com

Pokemon Go — Gotta Catch ‘Em All — Over New Tampa & Wesley Chapel! By John C. Cotey The search for Pokémon is taking people all over New Tampa. There are cars parked at the New Tampa Post Office off Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. in Tampa Palms long after it has closed. There are kids on bikes milling around the gates of local apartment complexes and the nearest library, and hanging out at the local ball field. As an example, on a cloudless and sweltering summer day with temperatures in the 90s and humidity suffocating enough to melt your shirt, the Shops at Wiregrass mall is abuzz. In just a few weeks, the augmented-reality gaming app has players of all ages out hunting for Pokémon in droves. The magical animated creatures, wildly popular since the day they were created by Nintendo 20 years ago, can be found just about anywhere, if you look hard and far enough. You just need the free Pokémon GO app and a cell phone. Using GPS, a map is overlayed on the surrounding area so players can locate the coveted critters on trees, sidewalks or even your kitchen counter. Twistee Treat, the popular ice cream shop on the corner of New Tampa Blvd. and BBD, is a designated “Pokéstop,” where players can reload on the different things they need to catch Pokémon. “Business is definitely up since the game came out,’’ said Jasmine Dodson, Twistee Treat’s general manager. “We love it.”

••• The goal is simple, as they say — “Gotta Catch ‘Em All.” You do that by throwing Pokéballs at the Pokémon — sometimes bribing them with a virtual Razz Berry helps make that task easier — and adding them to your Pokédex, or catalog. Then, you “train” them and help them evolve into newer, stronger characters. Pokéballs, Razz Berries and other goodies used to catch Pikachu and Crew can be found at virtual Pokéstops — designated points on Google Maps chosen by the game developer Niantic Labs. In New Tampa, such places exist at Twistee Treat, the post office on Palm Springs Blvd. (and the Postal Contract Unit on Cross Creek Blvd.), the New Tampa Regional Library, a gazebo on Cross Creek Blvd. between the Arbor Greene entrance and Louis Benito

the game before she went to the mall. One of her children had mentioned downloading it, but she had no idea it had caught on so wildly. The zombie scene gave her pause.

Middle School, the Eber Baseball Park on Kinnan St., and other places. (Note-Niantic, the Google spin-off, also built the popular augmented reality game Ingress. Nintendo, which created Pokémon, owns a stake in Niantic.) You can battle other trainers at the nearest “gym”, which is why you may sometimes see parked cars and kids on bikes roaming the Altavista Dr. entrance off Kinnan into the Andover Place Apartments. Since its release, Pokémon GO has surpassed Snapchat, Instagram and even mighty Twitter when it comes to active users. Despite glitches, bugs and a host of hiccups with its servers, it has been downloaded more than 20 million times and interest in the game initially doubled the value of Nintendo’s stock. ••• The impact of the game can be seen almost anywhere you go in the area these days, with Pokémon available all over, whether it is an Exeggutor caught in front the Muvico 20 on Highwoods Pkwy. or a Vileplume bagged in the parking lot at Wal-Mart. “It has been real crazy,’’ says Gavin Olsen, 19, a student at Pasco Hernando State College. “There’s never been a mobile game

like this, where you go outside to see people playing it. It’s everywhere.” Gavin started a Facebook page — Wesley Chapel Pokémon GO — that has almost 100 members — where players share their experiences and talk about the game. It is one of a handful of new pages devoted to Pokémon GO in New Tampa and Wesley Chapel. Shopping areas, like the local malls and other retail centers, are popular spots for game players because of the Pokéstops and gyms —the Shops at Wiregrass mall is flush with both — and it’s also not uncommon to pass a handful of players while driving around your neighborhood. Wesley Chapel’s Shawn Doscotch, a mother of two teenagers, out shopping for the afternoon, is instantly struck by the sight of so many people staring down at their phones at Wiregrass. “What is going on?,’’ she asks. The scene, she jokes, is like something out of the popular AMC zombie apocalypse series “The Walking Dead.” “Do we really need more teenage zombies?,” she quips, as two teenage boys and a girl walk by, intently focused on their cell phones. Doscotch had fleetingly heard about

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••• And, teenagers aren’t the only ones playing the world’s hottest game. George and Jessica Navarro, a pair of married 25-year-olds, are pushing 1-year-old Alise down the sidewalk as they hold up their phones, looking for Pokémon. George says when he first read about the game on a blog, he thought, “that’s kind of dumb.” He had grown up, like so many his age, playing Pokémon on a Nintendo Game Boy and collected the playing cards as well, but this was something very different. He and Jessica, however, were hooked the moment they downloaded and opened the app. “Like most people, I got addicted,’’ George says. “It’s bad, and I usually don’t get addicted,’’ adds Jessica. The first weekend the game was released, the Navarros went driving with friends to look for Pokémon, with one of them holding both phones and the other serving as the DD, or designated driver. The pull of the game for many adults is simple, says George — it mixes the cell phone, the most popular piece of modern technology, with catching Pokémon, arguably the most popular video game from his childhood — and the childhoods of millions of millennials. “I think it’s a definitely a nostalgia thing,’’ George says. The game, however, has not been without its controversies. ••• Pokémon GO has come under scrutiny for the amount of personal information it collects from players. It also has received a significant amount of bad press for some of the

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dangers that have been found to be affiliated with the game. The first weekend it was released, one player stumbled upon a dead body while searching for Pokémon. A group of teens were robbed in Lake County, IL, according to the Associated Press, by two men who set up a Lure — a module in the game that players can set up within a Pokéstop that attracts Pokémon — thus attracting players who, in this case, were robbed. Despite a warning on the game’s start screen to watch where you are going, a man in New York crashed his car into a tree, admitting he had been distracted playing the game. In San Diego, two men fell off a 150-200-ft.tall cliff after jumping a fence in search of Pokémon. Some locations that the game designates as Pokéstops have asked to be removed from the game, like the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum and Arlington National Cemetery, both in Washington, D.C. Players have come to those locales looking for Pokemon, and spokespersons for both places have called it “inappropriate.” ••• The game’s positives, though, do outweigh the negatives, at least according to Olsen. The game definitely promotes the physical nature of finding Pokémon, as players must walk to find them, and the more kilometers someone walks — yes, it’s gotten millions of Americans to use the metric system — the quicker their eggs will hatch and their Pokémon will evolve. The budding video editor says he has a reclusive friend who has gotten into the game

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and now spends more time outside than he ever has, shedding 10 pounds in the process. Meanwhile, George Navarro says he has lost three pounds his first weekend playing the game. He understands the negatives of the app and how those stories tend to resonate with the casual observer, but what he has seen so far is mostly positive. “I would say there are a lot of negatives,’’ Navarro says, “but not enough to overcome the good.” Both Navarro and Olsen say local businesses might be wise to harness the popularity of the game, and some already have. At the Shops at Wiregrass, one store offers 25-percent off your purchase if you show

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them your Pokédex, while another created Pokéball-themed cookies in order to get people in the door. But again, the most popular method of attracting extra customers is creating Lures, which attract Pokémon, in order to attract Pokémon-hungry gamers. If a business is located in or near a Pokéstop, it can pay (in game coins or real cash via an in-app purchase) to activate a Lure for 30 minutes. A New York Post story recently highlighted a pizza shop in Queens that paid $10 to “Lure” Pokémon to the store, attracting so many players the shop actually increased sales by 75 percent.

“We’ve definitely noticed (an increase in traffic),’’ says mall general manager Greg Lenners. “It’s kind of early to tell, but I have actually heard comments from some of the stores that the game is bringing people inside the businesses. From a marketing aspect, we have not done anything, yet. But, if you can get people to the mall, that’s a good thing for us.” The Barnes & Noble at the Shops has two Pokéstops located inside it, which is paying off for the bookstore. “It’s brought in a lot more traffic,’’ Barnes & Noble assistant store manager Lisa Kuehner says. “You can definitely tell by the way people are walking around staring intently at their cell phones. People usually walk around looking at their phones, but not that intently.” Kuehner says Barnes & Noble is hoping to take advantage of being home to multiple Pokéstops. Ironically, It had already scheduled a Pokémon event on July 16th as part of its month-long celebration of pop culture, to celebrate the Pokémon card game’s 20th anniversary. Originally planned to focus on that original card game, Kuehner said adjustments had to be made after Pokémon Go was released a week prior to the event — which, she says, attracted about 50 people. Expect many local businesses, like Twistee Treat has, to follow suit. Twistee Treat’s employees say they often throw down Lures, which attract players, and on Florida’s hot afternoons and evenings, they joke, what goes better with chasing a Squirtle than a cone topped with real ice cream? Just be safe out there!

For Advertising Information Call 813-910-2575 • Volume 24, Issue 17 • August 12, 2016 • NTNeighborhoodNews.com

Indoor Sports Facility In Wesley Chapel Sprints Towards Finish Line By John C. Cotey

With the $20-million Florida Hospital Center Ice (FHCI) complex nearing completion and Raymond James Financial now cleared for construction in the Wiregrass Ranch area (see story on pg. 8), the S.R. 56 corridor is starting to deliver on much of its promise. The next big project approaching the developmental runway is the long-awaited county athletic complex, which will be located just east of Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel on 126.5 acres of land dedicated by the Porter family. The Pasco County Board of County Commissioners (BCC) recently extended its deadline from July 6 to Aug. 5 for private companies to submit proposals to develop the new multi-purpose indoor facility, and public meetings to evaluate the proposals could take place in as soon as the next two weeks. “It’s getting closer,’’ said Pasco’s District 2 commissioner Mike Moore, who This indoor sports facility in Gatlinburg, TN, is seen as the model for the planned indoor sports comrepresents the Wesley Chapel area. plex that hopefully will begin building soon in the Wiregrass Ranch DRI in Wesley Chapel. After the evaluation committee and public take a look at the bids, the respond- 2001 to build facilities — one for ten- those,’’ Moore said. “The indoor facility ing firms are tentatively scheduled to go nis, one for baseball and another outdoor would be much better for our area. It will through interviews and give presentations multi-purpose facility — have failed, but be a big draw for tournaments year-round, in September, with a potential vote for ap- Johnson Consulting of Chicago said in and that means more people staying in hoa feasibility report last year that the out- tels and shopping and eating in the area.” proval by the BCC sometime in October. Phase 2 of the project (5-15 acres), The county is hoping to finally dip door market was saturated and the county more than just a toe into the booming should instead focus on an indoor facility, according to the Johnson Consulting sports tourism market which, according which was met with support by the BCC. report, would include 3-4 outdoor recAccording to recommendations to an April report by the National Association of Sports Commissions, is a $9.45- made by Johnson Consulting in Oct. of 2015, which the county says it would like billion-per-year industry. Pasco is looking for a private partner to move forward with, the project will inwho would develop, finance, manage, op- volve three phases. The indoor facility will be a multierate and maintain the facility. The county has previously agreed to contribute $8.5 purpose complex between 85,000 and million to the design and construction 100,000 square feet on 5-7 acres of land. of the project in money raised through The facility, or Phase 1 of development of its tourism development tax, and there the property, would have 6-8 basketball would be a revenue-sharing aspect to the courts, which could be converted to 1216 volleyball courts, elevated seating for private-public relationship. The private company chosen will 500-750, concession stands, 4-6 multibe expected to market, solicit, advertise purpose rooms and a sports orthopaedic and conduct public relations activities for and healthcare partnership. “When you think about all the indoor leagues, sporting events, concerts, tournaments and other gatherings to maximize sports travel teams, all those indoor sports use of the complex at no cost to the coun- (like cheerleading, gymnastics, wrestling, basketball and volleyball), there’s really ty, which will help with marketing. Previous attempts dating back to nowhere in this area really focusing on

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tangular multi-purpose grass fields (two with lights), a Championship area for bigger events, an interactive playground and splash pads. Phase 3 (10-15 acres) would incorporate an alternative entertainment zone, with indoor skydiving, zip lines, ropes courses and a driving range. The remaining 25-35 usable acres would be for hotel development, themed retail, a community center, active and passive green space for the community, plus trails for walking, running and biking. Johnson Consulting conservatively estimates that more than 100,000 participants will use the facility annually. While deficits are projected the first four years, the indoor sports complex is projected to bring in more than $200,000 a year in net profit by year six. While initially Johnson Consulting expressed concerns over a lack of local lodging, three new hotels (see story on page 13) totaling more than 250 rooms are slated to open in the next year or two. Moore said the facility that may compare best to what is hoped for in Wesley Chapel is the Rocky Top Sports World in Gatlinburg, TN, an 86,000-sq.-ft. indoor facility with 18 basketball and volleyball courts and seven outdoor synthetic turf fields, including a Championship Stadium Field. “If we do it right, we should be able to draw tournaments from across the nation,’’ Moore said.

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Sagitec Solutions Moving Here By John C. Cotey

A Minnesota software company is hoping to open a new office in New Tampa, which is expected to create up to 60 jobs in (or near) the 33647 zip code. Sagitec Solutions, LLC, a provider of tailor-made software for pension administration and unemployment insurance, has chosen Tampa for its next expansion, and is currently working with commercial real estate firm CBRE Group on options for building a new 10-12,000-sq.ft. building in the New Tampa area, according to a press release from the Tampa Hillsborough Economic Development Corporation (EDC). At our press time, the company had not yet found the location it needed to proceed. Sagitec, which is based out of St. Paul and currently has four U.S. offices — in Kansas, Colorado, Missouri and California — and two in India, plans to create 60 jobs within two years, including positions as software support specialists, software engineers, business analysts and in the company’s human resources department. According to the Tampa Hillsborough EDC, the average annual salaries for these positions is $60,000. “We are excited to establish our newest office in Tampa, a growing market for information technology services that offers us the skilled workforce, business climate, and quality of life we sought for our East Coast presence,” said Sanjay Bhasin, global head of human resources for Sagitec Solutions in the EDC. “Tampa is the perfect location for

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AUGUST 2016 Saturday - August 13 - 7:30 AM

Wednesday - August 17 - 11:30 AM

Keep It Local - This new seat-specific networking group emphasizes small, local businesses. Meets meets every Wed. at Dash of Salt ‘N Pepper, 10353 Cross Creek Blvd. For more info, call Marino Cecchi at 513-9001.

Wednesday - August 17th - Noon New Tampa Tri Club - The New Tampa Tri Club is open to runners, swimmers, cyclists & triathletes across the New Tampa/Wesley Chapel area. The club hosts New Tampa Noon Rotary Club - The New Tampa Noon Rotary Club meets every Wed. for lunch, noon, at Mulligan’s Irish Pub at Pebble Creek Country group bike rides/runs leaving from Flatwoods Wilderness Park (13330 Morris Club. Guests are always welcome. For more info, call Valerie at 317-8886 Bridge Rd.; not from the BBD entrance) every Tues., Thur. & Sat., 7:30 a.m. For more info, join the Facebook group or e-mail NewTampaTriClub@gmail.com. Saturday - August 13 - 9:30 AM

Baychapel Food Pantry - Free food for needy families. Open every Saturday from 9:30 - 11:30 a.m. behind Christian Brothers Automotive at 20300 Trout Creek Dr. (off BBD). For more info, visit BayChapel.com/foodpantry.

Monday - August 15 - 6:30 PM

Wesley Chapel Speaks- The Wesley Chapel Toast Masters meet on the first and third Monday of every month at 6:30pm at Wesley Chapel Hyundai (2700 State Rd 54) to teach the community public speaking and leadership skills. Arrive at 6pm for networking Opportunities. For more info, call Martin at 813-693-0969.

Tuesday - August 16 - 9:30 AM

English As A Second Language (ESL) - The ESL group meets Tuesdays at Tampa Bay Presbyterian Church (19911 BBD Blvd.), 9:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m. Classes are taught by a native English speaker. The cost is $40 each semester for the workbook & class materials. For more info, call Heather at 753-8567.

Tuesday - August 16 - 7:30 PM

Zen Meditation Group - Looking for a new way to relax? Check out the FREE Zen Meditation Group that meets Tuesdays at 7:30 p.m. People of all faiths are welcome. For info, visit MindfulnessSangha.com or contact Parker at 813-382-2216 or mindfulnessmeditation@verizon.net.

Wednesday - August 17 - 7:15 AM

BNI Millionaire Makers - Check The BNI Millionaire Makers chapter meets Weds. at Heritiage Isles Country Club (10630 Plantation Bay Dr.), at 7:15am. $13 to attend includes hot breakfast. Call Lisa Jordan for info.

Wednesday - August 17 - 7:30 AM

Business Networking International (BNI) - BNI, a group of business pros dedicated to helping their member businesses grow through qualified referrals, meets every Wed., 7:30 a.m., at the Cory Lake Isles Beach Club clubhouse (18630 Plantation Bay Dr.). Call Lee Hoffman at 545-2656.

Thursday - August 18 - 3:00 PM

White Pear Grand Opening and Ribbon Cutting - The White Pear (1045 Bruce B. Downs Blvd.) will be opening its doors for the first time on August 18th at 3:00pm At . An assortment of dresses and gowns will be on sale.

Thursday - August 18 - 11:30 AM

Lunch N Learn - Join Dr.Todd Di Leo on August 18th at 11:30am as he discusses advancements in genetic cancer testing and the differences between being “Cancer free” and “tumor free”. Will be held at The Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce (6013 Wesley Grove Blvd.), in the Don Porter Boardroom. For more info, call the Intrinsic Wellness Clinic at 813-549-3551.

Friday - August 19 - 7 AM

Rotary Club of New Tampa - The original New Tampa Rotary Club meets every Friday for breakfast at 7 a.m. at Tampa Palms Golf & Country Club (TPGCC, 5811 Tampa Palms Blvd.). For additional information, contact Kim Payne at 388-6299 or visit NewTampa Rotary.org.

Wednesday - August 24 - 6 PM

Teach N Taste presented by TIme for Wine - In the mood for wine? Join Time for Wine on August 24th to try a selection of Spainish Wine and Appetizers. The event will be held at Dash of Salt and Pepper (10353 Cross Creek Blvd.), $20 per person if RSVP, $25 at the door. To RSVP, email TImeforWIne@tampabay.rr.com or call 813-664-1430

Thursday - August 25 - 7:30 AM

Christian Business Connections (CBC) - The Christian Business Connections (CBC) networking group meets every Thur. at 7:30 a.m. at St. Andrew Presbyterian Church (5338 Primrose Lake Cir., off Commerce Park Blvd. in Tampa Palms). For more info, email Shawn@TPACorp.com.

SEPTEMBER 2016

Friday - September 2 - 11:30 AM

Women-n-Charge - Join the vibrant ladies of Women-n-Charge on the first Friday of every month from 11:30am-1:15pm at Pebble Creek Golf Club (10550 Regents Park Dr.). Includes lunch, a feature speaker, and time to network. We share our talents, build relationships, and share our resources with other women in business. The cost is $15 for members and $18 for all guests. Please register at Womenn-Charge.com. For more information, please contact Judy at 813-600-9848 or admin@women-n-charge.com.

Monday - September 12 - 6:30 PM

GFWC New Tampa Junior Woman’s Club - The GFWC New Tampa Junior Woman’s Club meets the second Monday of every month at the New Tampa YMCA at 16221 Compton Dr. For info, visit GFWCNewTampaJuniors.org or see the story on page 1!

Visit NTNeighborhoodNews.com to add your upcoming events that are open to the public to our online calendar. Once approved, they appear in the “Events” section on our home page. With enough advanced notice (at least 3-4 weeks), events that happen in our readership areas may also appear in print, as space allows. 20

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New Tampa Dance Theater Producing Great Students, Performances By Brad Stager It may be housed in a quiet building on a suburban street, but the New Tampa Dance Theatre (NTDT) offers dancers a world-class, professional experience that is unmatched in the Tampa Bay area, whether you like to dance for fun or dream of a career on stage one day Located on Cross Creek Blvd. (across from Heritage Isles), the 7,500-square-foot NTDT is the largest professional dance training facility in New Tampa. Owner and artistic director Dyane Elkins IronWing is in her 22nd season of creating dance memories and futures for her New Tampa-area students, many of whom have gone on to study and perform dance professionally. This year, 2016 graduates Alexis Brake and Elizabeth Laches are both going to double major in Pre Med and Dance; Megan Peeples will major in Physical Therapy and minor in Dance; and Christina Pittarelli will major in Dance. “I’m so proud of our graduates,” says Elkins IronWing. “Our dancers become excellent college students with their impressive time management skills, perseverance and creative thinking.” Elkins IronWing herself started dancing at age 5 and later studied at the Ballet Metropolitan in New York City. She moved to Tampa in 1995 to be near family and friends and almost immediately opened NTDT in the Pebble Creek Collection on Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. In 2006, she purchased land on Cross Creek Blvd., and designed her spacious new

studio herself. With the bigger location, she was off and running, offering smaller class sizes and larger, more varied schedules. She also has a larger pool of students today with the explosive growth of Wesley Chapel. “NTDT’s New Tampa Dance Theaname might say tre owner Dyane Elkins New Tampa; IronWing (left) & her staff however, our can help young and older location to dancers reach their goals. Wesley Chapel is much closer than one might assume,” says Elkins IronWing. “(We are) conveniently located only 7 miles (10 minutes) from S.R. 54 and Morris Bridge Rd., and 6 miles (12 minutes) from S.R. 56 and Bruce B. Downs. This is extremely convenient to all the exciting growth in Wesley Chapel.”

All Ages & Experience Levels

Elkins IronWing caters to both the casual dance lover as well as the devoted pre-professional, and every level in between. A leveled curriculum offers multiple art forms for students to explore. Through personal attention and professional expertise,

the NTDT faculty provides a positive educational experience based on core principles of respect, responsibility and teamwork. Teen/Adult classes include four 8-week sessions (from Sept.-May) of Cardio Funk, Adult Tap, Ballet and Modern. Children ages 3-4 can participate in the Early Childhood Program, ages 5-8 can participate in the Children’s Program, and ages 9-18 can participate in NTDT’s Youth Program. As well as classical ballet, the studio offers full programs in creative movement, modern dance, jazz, tap and hip hop. Each program has its own directors and specific syllabuses guiding students in a

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structured manner through their studies. Elkins IronWing’s husband, Troy IronWing, is director of tap and Dyane teaches jazz. Both also have toured nationally with the Rhythm Extreme Performance Troupe for 12 years. In addition, NTDT ballet director Cristy Garcia Tanner started her dance lessons at age 3 in Puerto Rico, and at 13, was invited to join the Ballet Concierto Company in San Juan. Jazz director Kristine Morgan has been a professional dancer since age 19, and has a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) degree in Dance from Point Park University in Pittsburgh, PA. Modern dance director Carla Armstrong, who joined the NTDT faculty in 2005, graduated from the prestigious Juilliard School with a BFA degree in Dance. Hip hop director Dreama Davidson, who also has been with the school since 2005, has 18 years of performances to her credit, including Katonga at Busch Gardens. The facilities are as top notch as the instructors, and include maple flooring for the tap classes, 15-20 ft.-tall mirrored walls, student locker rooms and a large studio space that can accommodate up to 200 people. Sprung floors provide shock absorption to protect the dancer’s joints, and an on-site physical therapist ensures the health of the dancers. There also is a café offering light meals, snacks and drinks.

The Training You Need

NTDT has developed a reputation for

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creating strong, professional dancers with alumni placing in highly respected companies, Broadway productions and for the Walt Disney Company. Because NTDT students learn to be proficient in multiple art forms, these students have an edge in the competitive world of dance and many NTDT students have been accepted into prestigious summer intensive programs, including the School of American Ballet and American Ballet Theater in New York City, The Harid Conservatory in Boca Raton, the Joffrey Ballet in Chicago and the Boston Ballet. However, Elkins IronWing also is diligent about providing the same quality of instruction to the roughly 60 percent of students who are enrolled in NTDT’s popular recreational programs. “Even though a student doesn’t choose to pursue a career in dance after high school, they can reach a level of artistry to be accepted into college dance programs,” says Elkins IronWing. “Believing in yourself and having a well-rounded dance education gives them the tools to continue their passions.”

Great Productions, Too!

All students get to perform in the “Spring Production” and — through NTDT’s nonprofit-partner, the Dance Theatre of Tampa (DTT) — in the “Summer Concert Series” held every June at USF. DTT provides more than 300 free tickets to NTDT’s corporate sponsors, local community supporters, alumni members and students. A small costume rental fee for recitals is the only cost over the tuition that

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parents have to pay at any time — there is never a requirement to buy advertising or pay performance fees. New Tampa residents Paula and Ron Nelson say they enrolled their daughter Malia in Creative Movement classes at NTDT when she was only 3. Eight years later, she’s moved up to the youth program, where she’s enrolled in ballet, tap, jazz, modern and hip hop. “As a result of the yearly recitals at the University of South Florida (USF), Malia loves performing on stage and has absolutely no stage fright,” Paula explains. “This has carried over to school, where she’s comfort-

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able making presentations to her classmates and participating in yearly school plays.” Every holiday season, local residents look forward to the studio’s interpretation of Tchaikovsky’s classic ballet “The Nutcracker,” now in its 17th year. This year, it will be held December 16-18 at USF’s College of the Arts Theater 1. You can catch free sneak peeks of NTDT’s “The Nutcracker” at the Shops at Wiregrass mall on Saturday, November 26, and Friday & Saturday, December 2-3 and 9-10, as well as on Sunday, December 11. NTDT’s much-awaited Sugar Plum Fairy Tea fund raiser is now in its 12th season and will be held Dec. 4 at USF’s Gibbons Alumni Center. This popular event features a light lunch, desserts (including a chocolate fountain), giveaways, a sneak preview of “The Nutcracker,” and an opportunity to dance with Clara (the lead role of the young girl who receives the beloved Nutcracker as a Christmas gift) and Clara’s “party friends.” Each year, a portion of the proceeds from the Tea are donated to the Ronald McDonald House Charities in South Tampa. Tickets for both events (which will be held at USF) go on sale on Monday, October 17. “It’s all about the children at NTDT, always has been and always will be,” Dyane says. “We are a company that enables children to succeed. The key is setting high expectations all while having fun and building self-confidence. We have an amazing season ahead of us. We want to thank all of our trusting and loyal families over the years and the organizations that continually support

us. Without their recognition and time, this wouldn’t be possible.” NTDT offers year-round free trial classes for prospective dancers of all ages. Classes begin Monday, August 15. To take a tour of the facility or to rent it for a meeting, party or function, visit NTDT at 10701 Cross Creek Blvd. For more info and to check out the exciting lineup of fall classes, visit NewTampaDanceTheatre.com or call 994-NTDT (6838).

For Advertising Information Call 813-910-2575 • Volume 24, Issue 17 • August 12, 2016 • NTNeighborhoodNews.com

‘Community’ Is At The Heart Of Cypress Point Community Church By Brad Stager

When Cross Creek residents Dean and Heidi Reule began Cypress Point Community Church in 1998, the married couple saw that residents of the burgeoning New Tampa area would need houses of worship as well as places to work, shop and play. As Hetti, who is the church’s children’s pastor, explains it, the insight was more inspired than reasoned. “There was not much in the area at the time and the Lord was very clear about wanting a nondenominational Christian church in the area,” Hetti says. Dean, who is the lead pastor of Cypress Point, agrees that the decision to start a church came from a deep conviction of its righteousness. “It was that mysterious sense of vocation,” he said. “I just had the sense that this was God’s plan for my life.” Cypress Point’s genesis was a small group of spiritually like-hearted families who gathered together in a living room for Bible study and prayer. As the church grew in size, venues such as the Hunter’s Green Model & Visitor Center and the Muvico Starlight 20 movie theater on Highwoods Preserve Pkwy. accommodated the growing congregation. Today, more than 700 worshippers attend services weekly in their own 30,000-sq.-ft. building on Morris Bridge Rd., just north of Cross Creek Blvd. In addition to having a spacious sanctuary of its own in which to hold religious services, Cypress Point also has grown in terms of its impact on the local community,

The Cypress Point Community Church Worship Band is an important part of church activities. Its repertoire ranges from an ecclesiastical-inspired version of the Rolling Stones song “Gimme Shelter” to classic Christian Rock favorites. and beyond. “We’re a church that really tries to be on mission. We try to minister to the whole range of human needs,” says Pastor Dean, who has a Ph.D. in Religious Studies from Florida State University in Tallahassee. “It’s what you do with the message that’s important to us.” Among the services focusing members’ efforts to serve others are a Care Center, which provides groceries to 48 families

each month and outreach ministries serving members of the military and firefighting communities. Pastor Dean says church members deliver food to local fire stations to demonstrate their appreciation to the first responders staffing them. Support for the military community ranges from visiting veterans in hospitals and nursing homes to helping the families of deployed active duty forces when

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daily life presents challenges. “Our military support mission is recognition of how many people in New Tampa that are active duty or retired military persons,” Dean says. “Somebody deploys and, on the home front, there’s a family of somebody who serves, and it’s nice to have a church family to help with practical matters and child care.” The Military Support Outreach ministry also assists homeless veterans and sends care packages to troops stationed overseas. In addition to community outreach, Cypress Point offers classes, workshops and topical Life Groups that provide members with Bible-based life skills and fellowship. Topics range from strengthening marriages to family protection classes that teach how to respond in an active shooter situation. Like many churches, Cypress Point engages with communities outside its local area with missions to other states that refurbish homes and perform other acts of charity. There’s also a global reach to Cypress Point’s missions. Mission teams travel to Thailand and Laos to assist youth at risk of exploitation there. Through construction projects and economic development programs, Cypress Point supports Christians who are a religious minority in those countries and often live and practice their faith on the margins of society, says Dean. “We focus on serving the persecuted, underserved churches in Southeast Asia.”

Helping To Fight Fear

Just as the leadership of Cypress Point Community Church supports Christian

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communities facing persecution overseas, it also is dedicated to fighting religious intolerance in its own neighborhood (as Dean remarked in a recent service) by, “building bridges of love and respect with our Muslim neighbors.” Cypress Point is next door to the Islamic Society of New Tampa’s Daarus-Salaam Mosque and the two groups occasionally get together for picnics and open house events. That neighborly approach appeals to Cypress Point member Leon Jonas. “Pastor Dean, he preaches love,” the Cross Creek resident says. “You’ve got to know your neighbor. Once you get to know people, you’re not so cold toward them.” Leon and his wife Zoey (who volunteers with the worship arts and prayer teams) have been members since 2013. According to Zoey, being a part of Cypress Point’s church family means more than showing up on Sunday mornings. “You have to participate to make things happen,” she says. Another appealing aspect of Cypress Point Community Church, according to some of its members, is its family-friendly atmosphere. Bobbie Benson says discovering the church nine years ago following a divorce helped her and her three children get through a difficult transition in their lives. “I felt accepted right away,” the Tampa Palms resident says. “After my divorce, (the church family) gave me a lot of support and gave my children stability. There’s a place for everybody here.”

Doing More To Serve Families In particular, Cypress Point emphasizes being a place for children. There are age-

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appropriate Bible studies and activities that engage the church’s youth. Tampa Palms resident Jill Barber is the worship arts pastor and sings in the worship band. She says attending Cypress Point has been especially beneficial to her five children. “It’s a great place for my children to grow up in,” Jill says. “It has changed their lives by loving God and serving others.” Involving young people in service to others is one way Cypress Point delivers its educational message, according to Sunday School teacher Rachid Mehdaova, who lives in Live Oak Preserve. “They do a mission once a year,” Rachid says. “This year, the mission was local, working with Habitat for Humanity and going to multiple projects.” Youth Pastor Earl Henning has been a part of Cypress Point for 16 years and has witnessed its growth. He says much of the church’s future expansion will be oriented toward its youngest members. “We are in the process of building a 10,000-sq.-ft. youth center with a gym, basketball court, rec center and café,” Henning says, adding that the church hopes to eventually begin a special-needs youth program. Serving Cypress Point’s youngest members is central to its mission, Pastor Dean says. “We partner with families to help the mom, the dad, the guardian to build spiritually strong children.” Cypress Point Community Church is located at 15820 Morris Bridge Rd. Sunday services are held at 9:30 and 11 a.m. For more information, call 986-9100 or visit CPCConline.com.

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Dr. Reddy’s New Seven Oaks Pet Depot & Hospital Is Now Open On S.R. 56! By Gary Nager

I have known Sree Reddy, DVM (Doctor of Veterinary Medicine) since he first opened his Seven Oaks Pet Hospital on S.R. 56 almost ten years ago (in 2007). Today, Dr. Reddy and his team are proud to call the new Seven Oaks Pet Depot & Hospital, in what is being called the Pet & Fit Center, also on S.R. 56 (next to Buffalo Wild Wings, about 1/2-mile west of the former location), their new home. “It has been a dream of mine to own my own building (he actually owns both buildings in the Pet & Fit Center; more on that below), and have both a full-service pet hospital (exotic pets welcome, too) and a fully-stocked pet store in one location,” Dr. Reddy says. “We designed this much larger new space in order to provide the best possible service and prices at both our pet hospital and our pet supplies retail store.” Dr. Reddy graduated from the College of Veterinary Medicine in Hyderabad, in his native India, before earning his Master’s degree in Veterinary Microbiology from Tuskegee University in Tuskegee, AL. The Lutz resident worked as a veterinarian in Iowa and Clearwater prior to opening his practice in Seven Oaks. In addition to Dr. Reddy, there are two other veterinarians on staff at Seven Oaks Pet Hospital. Lisa Clifford, DVM, earned a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree in Zoology from the University of Hawaii in Manoa in 1998 and her DVM degree from the Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine in Ames in 2005. She’s been on staff at Seven Oaks Pet Hospital since 2009.

Dr. Teresa Kho, DVM, received her Bachelor’s degree in Biology and attended veterinary school at Ross University. in North Brunswick, NJ. She was born in Hawaii, raised in California and moved to Florida in May of 2015. Dr. Kho enjoys all animals, but is particularly interested in seeing exotic pets and focusing on preventive care. The new pet hospital occupies about 5,000 sq. ft., and the retail store occupies another 3,000 sq. ft. in the building closer to S.R. 56 on the 2.4-acre site. Dr. Reddy says the new location also has alDr. Sree Reddy, DVM (with microphone) introduces his staff at Seven Oaks Pet Depot & Hospital on S.R. 56 to the lowed him to expand Seven community at the Grand Opening & Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce ribbon-cutting ceremony on June 25. Oaks Pet Hospital’s on-site their experience is that Dr. Reddy’s practice some facilities offer these services with multiple grooming and boarding for stays ahead of the curve with new technology incisions, his office is the only ones in the state its clients. that uses a single port. And, he performs all of Also located in the front building is the and treatment options. “We are proud that we update our practice with two or three new serthese surgeries on-site himself. Dr. Reddy says 2,400-sq.-ft. Hammerfist Krav Maga, while vices every year,” says Dr. Reddy. For example, he learned to do these surgeries through speCrossFit gym now occupies the 12,500-sq.Seven Oaks Pet Hospital recently added an cialized training in 2005 at the International ft. second building in the plaza. Both busiunderwater treadmill. “This is great for doing Veterinary Acupuncture Society in Ft. Collins, nesses came from the same plaza where the rehab with older dogs to build muscle, while CO. “I’ve done hundreds of these surgeries pet hospital used to be located. taking weight off the joints,” Dr. Reddy says. and it really has helped a lot of pets,” he says. Dr. Reddy also is a partner at North And, for many years now, Dr. Reddy says, The single port laparoscopic spay is just Tampa Pet Depot & Hospital, located at Seven Oaks Pet Hospital has been the only one reason why (as we reported a year or so 16033 Tampa Palms Blvd. in the City Plaza animal hospital in Florida to do single-port ago in these pages) Mary Groezinger, a volunshopping center. (incision) laparoscopic surgeries, such as spays teer with Labrador Retriever Rescue of Florida, A Truly Caring, High-Tech for animals who weigh more than 10 pounds, raves about Seven Oaks Pet Hospital. liver biopsies or gastropexy (to eliminate twistVeterinary Office Mary also said she was grateful for Dr. ing of the stomach). Dr. Reddy says that, while Reddy’s support of the Labrador Rescue. One reason clients are so pleased with

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He provides dozens of discounted laparoscopic spays for the organization every year. On a personal note, although I haven’t had a dog of my own for about five years, Dr. Reddy helped me and my son so much when we had to put our golden retriever Goldie down. You can just tell when someone loves your pet as much as you do. And, Dr. Reddy and his staff all seem to have that quality. Dr. Reddy says he also is one of very few local animal clinics combining traditional and holistic treatments. “Traditional and holistic treatments actually complement each other,” says Dr. Reddy, who also offers laser therapy for pets. For example, if a pet has an issue with one of its knees, the laser is applied right to the knee for a targeted approach, instead of using an oral anti-inflammatory medicine. The laser can be used for hip dysplasia, knee pain and to reduce post-operative pain, as well as for dental extractions. He also says veterinary medicine is changing because clients want to know exactly what’s wrong with their pet, not just how to treat their symptoms. So, Seven Oaks Pet Hospital can do all diagnostics in office, from X-rays to ultrasounds. Also popular are dental cleanings with no anaesthesia. “I enjoy it, because I like helping the pets,” he says. “And, we want to minimize the risks of anaesthesia.” Seven Oaks Pet Hospital also offers wellness plans. Dr. Reddy says the plans are “a success story for us,” because his staff audits the plans and finds that most clients save anywhere from $100 to $2,000 annually by choosing a wellness plan. Wellness plan members get un-

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SPOTLIGHT ON...Pura Cycling & Fitness Studio!

limited free exams, plus vaccines, (an annual) heartworm test and more. The wellness plan also entitles the pet to a reduced co-pay at an after-hours emergency facility. Different plans are available for puppies and kittens and for adult pets. “And, if the plan doesn’t save you money, we’ll tell you not to renew it.”

Your Pet Store...Your Way

Dr. Reddy says the Seven Oaks Pet Depot store absolutely does compete with the pet superstores for selection and price. From the popular Blue Buffalo and Royal Canin foods to Greenies natural treats to the huge selection of pet toys (photo above), Dr. Reddy says the inventory at the store will evolve with the needs of the community. “If a client prefers a certain type of food, we can get it for them,” he says. “We’ve already added many requested items, so if you don’t see what you want when you’re in the store, tell us and we’ll get it for you and start stocking it.” Seven Oaks Pet Hospital is located at 27029 S.R. 56 (look for the big, inflatable dalmation). Or, call 973-4779 or visit SevenOaksPetDepot.com. For North Tampa Pet Depot & Hospital, call 866-7387 or visit NorthTampaPetDepot.com. For some great coupon savings, see the ad on pg. 13.

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Pura Cycling Studio, a locally–owned indoor cycling and fitness center, aims to get clients sweating off those extra pounds with a good workout burn, mixing a small comfortable setting with just the right amount of intensity. “We try to present a welcoming, relaxing environment where it’s not so intense and overwhelming, but where people can still achieve results,” says Stephanie Carroccetto (in blue in photo), who co-founded Pura Cycling Studio with her husband Alfio. Tucked into the Shoppes at New Tampa plaza on the southeast corner of S.R. 56 and Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. (minutes from most of New Tampa) in Wesley Chapel, Pura Cycling offers a host of indoor cycling classes, but unlike similar studios, also offers results-oriented semi-private personal training programs. “We want everyone to know that we are much more just than a cycling studio,” Stephanie says. Those classes consist of smaller groups of roughly five participants, and the focus is on burning fat and building lean muscle through dynamic strength training and cardio classes. Some classes, though, have more than a dozen participants, says Stephanie, who also offers 1–on–1 personal training sessions. Classes are offered daily and each training program comes with fitness assessments, nutritional guidance and planning. Stephanie and Alfio — both of whom are extremely fit themselves — opened Pura Cycling Studio in November of 2012. They say they were inspired after a trip to South America.

“I did some volunteer work in college in Costa Rica and I fell in love with the people there,” Stephanie says. “They know when to play hard and when to work hard, too. I wanted to bring that type of feeling back here to the U.S.” The mantra in Costa Rica is “Pura Vida,” which translates literally from Spanish as “pure life.” However, Pura Vida is more of a concept, a philosophy, an idea. Stephanie and Alfio were so taken by the concept that it made its way into the name of their new business. “After more than three years of training in Wesley Chapel, and helping hundreds of people lose weight and feel better about their lives, I couldn’t be happier with what Pura has become,’’ says Alfio. “It’s truly amazing to be able to do this as a lifestyle.” Looking for a boost to your exercise regimen as well as a little nutritional guidance? Pura Cycling Studio is located at 1822 BBD Blvd., next to Firehouse Subs. For more information, visit PuraCycling.com, call the studio at 501-2124 or see the ad on page 14 of this issue.

For Advertising Information Call 813-910-2575 • Volume 24, Issue 17 • August 12, 2016 • NTNeighborhoodNews.com

New Tampa Pediatric & Adolescent Care’s Dr. Rita Dubey Promises Excellent Care By John C. Cotey For Dr. Rita Dubey (pronounced “Doo-bay”), the best part of being a pediatrician is not just that she gets to care for sick children or advise families about how to help keep their kids healthy — although she says she loves that part of her job. The best part, she says, is watching them metamorphose from newborn infants to toddlers to teens and beyond. “The best part of pediatrics is the evolution that we see,” says Dr. Dubey, who is the owner and sole physician at New Tampa Pediatrics & Adolescent Care, located in the Seven Oaks Professional Park (west of Sam’s Club), off S.R. 56 in Wesley Chapel. “It’s so interesting to see the patients blossom and grow, their development and growth.” Dr. Dubey has practiced medicine for more than three decades. She received her Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS, equivalent to the MD) degree from Mumbai University in Mumbai, India, in 1982. She completed her residency in pediatrics at the Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital in Nashville, TN, in 1991, and practiced at East Tennessee Children’s Hospital in Knoxville until she moved to Tampa in January 1999. After moving here, she worked for the Health Point Pediatric Group in Tampa and the Pediatric Health Care Alliance in Riverview before deciding to set up her own practice. With two young children who were then ages 4 and 7 and attending local

Pediatrician Dr. Rita Dubey (center) and her assistants, Kendra Smith (left) and Jennifer Cabral, pride themselves on putting patients first at Dr. Dubey’s office, located in the Seven Oaks Prof. Park.

schools, Dr. Dubey and her husband Rajiv (who is the chair of the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of South Florida) settled in Tampa Palms. Taking measure of the rapid growth north of where they lived, Dr. Dubey decided to open her own practice in Wesley Chapel in October 2006. Over the past decade, she has seen patients from newborns upwards — “Once they leave home, they leave me!,” she says — and her services run the gamut of traditional pediatric care. Dr. Dubey says she often “meets” a patient when they are still in utero and the parent comes by for a visit to see if this is the office they want for their family. Once the baby becomes a patient, Dr. Dubey

carries out the gamut of periodic well care visits based on the timeline set by the American Association of Pediatrics. She checks growth and development, making sure the children meet their milestones, and offers counseling, behavior, safety and wellcare visits. Patients also can get sports physicals, as well as school and camp physicals. Because Dr. Dubey is the only physician on staff, she sees all of the patients herself and knows all of their families and their concerns personally. She is almost always able to see patients the same day they call because the office keeps half the day open to see sick children and the other half for well care and physicals. Basic lab tests also are performed at the office.

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For Wesley Chapel resident Liz Crew, New Tampa Pediatric & Adolescent Care was worth the drive from Brooksville, where she lived at the time when her older daughter, now 10, was born. That daughter was Dr. Dubey’s third Crew family patient. She says he two younger daughters (now ages 4 and 7) have been Dr. Dubey’s patients all along. Crew also has referred other friends and family members to the practice. “We really love the practice,” says Crew. “We love Dr. Dubey. The staff is always courteous and on top of things. There’s never been a time that I’ve made an after-hour call and not received a call back. Dr. Dubey is very personable and likes to know what’s going on in life, in school and with extra-curricular activities. She recognizes if kids are apprehensive and has a good bedside manner.” Dr. Dubey says she believes medicine was a natural fit for her after she became interested in the sciences as a teen. Once she started medical school, she says she was drawn to pediatrics because of the positive impacts she could have on young lives. She says she also loves the fact that the follow-through is so much better with children than with adults, noting that while grownups will frequently disregard doctors’ advice about health and habits, when it comes to their children, they are so careful and will go the extra mile for their health.

Keeping Up With Trends

Having been in practice so long, Dr. Dubey is ideally positioned to observe

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trends in children’s health. One is the issue of childhood obesity, the rise of which she has certainly noted. “With every other child, we have to talk about weight management,” she says. So many children suffer from being anywhere from mildly overweight to obese that a regular part of Dr. Dubey’s practice has become to find resources to get children back into good health with healthy food and proper exercise. She says that moving away from a sedentary lifestyle and eating so many processed foods are the keys to curbing the increase in early onset diabetes and high cholesterol in so many children. “Another disturbing trend is the practice of questioning immunizations,” says Dr. Dubey. Over the past decade, she has had an increase of parents coming to her concerned about information they have gathered from the internet about the dangers of immunization, Widely publicized — and yet, thoroughly discredited studies — linking vaccinations to autism are one reason for parents refusing vaccinations. Other reasons include a belief that vaccination schedules are the result of drug companies pushing for profits, or fear mongering from the medical community. Dr. Dubey tells parents that the vaccinations prevent illnesses that have caused devastation in the past, and she is worried about pockets of illnesses now breaking out when people refuse to vaccinate their kids. Anxiety amongst teens is another issue commonly in the news, and Dr. Dubey says it has always been there, but parents are acknowledging and addressing it more nowadays. She says parents also are more aware, informed and wary about overmedicating

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children. The overuse of antibiotics and resulting resistance is an issue with which many parents have become familiar. She adds that today’s parents are more amenable to suggestions to observe their children and give nature a chance. If problems persists, they are encouraged to bring the child back. New Tampa Pediatric & Adolescent Care is open Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m., but Dr. Dubey also takes after-hours calls. The office accepts most private insurance plans, as well as Medicaid. “We strive to provide competent and compassionate care,” says Dr. Dubey. “Our staff knows that our patients come first.” New Tampa Pediatric & Adolescent Care is located at 2236 Ashley Oaks Cir. in Wesley Chapel. For more information, see the ad on page 42 of this issue or, to make an appointment, call 973-2500.

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SPOTLIGHT ON...NutriMost Of Wesley Chapel! Mitze Richeson (photo, right) believes that weight loss does not have to be synonymous with counting calories and living in the gym. She’s the health coach and director of the chiropractic physician-supervised weight loss program at NutriMost of Wesley Chapel. In fact, the NutriMost program doesn’t require exercise at all. NutriMost is a unique weight loss program that utilizes state-of-the-art technology to create a customized plan for each patient without using prescription “diet” pills. The program shares its location with Cypress Creek Chiropractic in the Cypress Ridge Professional Park off of S.R. 56, which is the office of Mitze’s husband, Micah Richeson, D.C. (Doctor of Chiropractic). NutriMost uses a computerized scanner (photo below) to obtain “biofeedback” from each client. The procedure evaluates the different frequencies in your body, creating a personalized “road map” of the organs, hormones, neurotransmitters and foods that most affect your weight — and the specific

NutriMost supplements that can help optimize your weight loss, based on that biofeedback. From there, clients come in once a week for weigh-ins, check ups and to learn about optional training and exercises that can keep the body in fat-burning mode. According to Mitze, who received her certification as a Chiropractic Physicians Assistant in 2013 from the Cleveland Chiropractic College in Cleveland, OH, weight gain or fat storage is usually linked to other health issues. By cleansing the body of certain foods that are, in particular, harmful to you, and by using customized natural, homeopathic supplements, and teaching you how to eat and live healthier, Mitze says, “weight loss becomes an automatic result.” For more info or to schedule an appointment, call 241-7098. Or, visit 813thin.com, Facebook.com/NutriMostofWesleyChapel or NutriMost.com, see the ad on pg. 8 of this issue or stop in at Cypress Creek Chiro at 2304 Crestover Ln. — Christen Caporali

For Advertising Information Call 813-910-2575 • Volume 24, Issue 17 • August 12, 2016 • NTNeighborhoodNews.com

PROtential Sports — Outstanding Sports Programs; Great Life Lessons By Brad Stager Tony and Nyree Bland know what it takes to achieve success at the highest levels of athletic competition and they have been sharing that knowledge with young people in communities throughout New Tampa and Wesley Chapel for more than a dozen years. “It’s about being the best you can be and having integrity,” says Nyree. That’s the foundation of the New Tampa couple’s youth sports training company, PROtential Sports, where the stated mission is “Teaching Life Through Sports.” Achieving high standards of performance through hard work and fair play is what the Blands credit for their own personal and professional successes, on and off the fields of play. Nyree was ranked as the number-one junior tennis player in North Carolina before a knee injury curtailed her professional tennis aspirations. Tony was a wide receiver for the Minnesota Vikings for four years, including the team’s historic 16-victory season in 1998. He played behind NFL Hall of Famer Cris Carter and future Hall of Famer Randy Moss. Passing on the insights and lessons from their own experiences is the goal of every after-school program, sports league and summer camp PROtential offers. “We’re trying to teach them how to be a good person, as well as being a good athlete,” says Nyree. Their venture into the business side of athletics came about in 2003 when Tony participated in a youth football camp with then-Super Bowl Champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Brad Johnson (who

developing relationships with activity and lifestyle directors and stopping by when the children are on-site to check on things. According to Garretson, PROtential Sports’ after-school programs for students five to 12 years-old are located at Club Tampa Palms, Arbor Greene, Heritage Isles, Grand Hampton and Cory Lake Isles (the latter is for Cory Lake residents only) in New Tampa and at Seven Oaks and Meadow Pointe IV in Wesley Chapel. “We pick up from all the PROtential Sports founders/owners Nyree (left) & Tony local schools,” says Garretson. Bland were featured on a recent episode of WCNT-tv. “We do a snack time, a quick study hall and then a sports was also a teammate of Tony’s at Minnesota) routine. We do two to three sports a day and and running back Michael Pittman. try to hit each major sport twice a week.” That experience brought home Tony’s Besides getting a chance to learn own football beginning, as a 14-year-old about and play a variety of sports, including playing in a youth football league and then baseball, football, golf, tennis and soccer, catching passes at Pinellas Park High. His kids participating in a PROtential Sports focused dedication to athletic achievement after-school program also learn life skills. became part of his overall lifestyle, includGarretson says that whether it’s after school, ing academics, and he earned a scholarship at one of PROtential’s summer camps or in to Florida A&M University in Tallahassee, the company’s competitive leagues, the prinwhere he majored in political science. ciples of teamwork and sportsmanship apply. PROtential district manager Julie “We want the kids to always put their Garretson is a lifelong athlete who aspired best foot forward,” Garretson says, adding to a career in physical education and now that instilling a solid work ethic and sense oversees many of the day-to-day operations of compassion in young people — whatevof PROtential Sports. Since the youth acer their athletic goals may be — will serve tivities are community-oriented, that means them well in the future. And, she says that’s

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important for kids to understand. “You can’t be an athlete forever, but you’re a human being forever,” she says. There are about 20 coaches work-

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ing directly with children at PROtential. Experience in sports is a requirement, but according to Garretson, their job qualifications are not just derived from their athletic statistics or backgrounds. “(Our instructors) should be teachers,” she says. “They are 50-percent life coaches and 50-percent sports coaches.” One of PROtential’s coaches is Brooks Lovely, who says he has been playing sports since he was 3-years-old. Lovely was an offensive lineman at Maryville College in Maryville, TN, and he also was a football coach at Robinson High in Tampa before signing up with PROtential. Lovely expresses awareness of the responsibility he is entrusted with in working with young people. “We try to make a positive impact on their lives every day,” says Lovely. “We teach them what we learned in our life through sports, like the importance of teamwork and communication.” He adds that part of the job sometimes involves helping kids in the after-school

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program with their homework and instilling a positive attitude about getting good grades. “(We tell the kids that they) need to learn to like school,” he says. Coach Devonn Polk can easily relate to the kids he’s responsible for at PROtential Sports. The Wharton High grad played tight end for the Wildcats. To him, you’re never too young to learn a sense of responsibility and PROtential Sports offers a way to do that. “We teach them not just how to play sports, but how to be good leaders,” the Heritage Isles resident says. The lessons that New Tampa resident Sandra Ferris says her son Alexavier has learned through PROtential Sports makes the program a winner in her view. “It’s gratifying to watch my son learn a variety of sporting techniques while gaining lifelong leadership and sportsmanship skills,” Ferris says. “I firmly believe that Alexavier will learn to exemplify PROtential Sports’ motto, ‘Teaching Life Through Sports,’ by developing an appreciation for teamwork, perseverance and consistency throughout his adolescence into adulthood.”

NFL Flag Football, Too

While the end of summer means PROtential Sports is right now fielding a lot of inquiries about its after-school programs, it’s also the time of year when interest in football is renewed. For kids who want to compete in organized, limited-contact flag football in a professionally-run league, PROtential Sports offers NFL Flag Football.

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The NFL Flag Football program operates under a license granted by the National Football League. It plays a six-on-six style of game, which is known for exciting playmaking on the uncrowded gridiron.

How You Can Get Into The Game With PROtential!

PROtential Sports also gives business-minded adults a way to get in the game through franchise opportunities. The company that Tony and Nyree Bland started more than a decade ago now operates in Riverview and Westchase, as well as New Tampa and Wesley Chapel. Franchising is another area of responsibility for Garretson. “We have franchise opportunities available in Central Florida and we hope to expand into Pinellas County and Orlando,” Garretson says.

As PROtential Sports continues to grow, it sometimes means Nyree and Tony dress for doing business a little more often than they do coaching on the field. But, whether it’s business or sports, Nyree says whatever success they’ve achieved can always be traced back to the core values that have guided her and Tony throughout their lives. “Having integrity and showing good character,” she says. “Because that’s all you have, is your integrity and your word.” More information about NFL Flag Football, after-school programs, sports leagues, camps and franchise opportunities is available at PROtentialSports. com or by calling 843-9460. You also can check out Episode 3 of WCNT-tv for a special segment featuring PROtential Sports at NTNeighborhoodnews.com or Youtube/WCNT-tv.

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Carrollwood Day School Offers Students A World-Class Education By Brad Stager

For New Tampa and Wesley Chapel families who consider the standardized testing and one-size-fits-all curricula that have become synonymous with public schools unsuitable to the educational needs of their children, there is an alternative. Carrollwood Day School (CDS) — located 30 minutes from most of Wesley Chapel on W. Bearss Ave., a few miles west of I-75, distinguishes itself by offering more than academic excellence, says Head of School Ryan Kelly. “The main emphasis (here) is character development,” Kelly says. “That’s the foundation.” He adds that the school promotes that development through its classroom instruction, which is based on the International Baccalaureate (IB) World School Programme. The IB Programme is based on educational principles developed and promoted globally by the Geneva, Switzerland-based foundation called International Baccalaureate (IB). According to the IB website (IBO.org), its mission statement is to, “develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people who help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect.” Schools throughout the world, from Albania to Zimbabwe, offer IB Programmes. CDS became an IB World School in 2005. Kelly says the curriculum provides students what they will need to be effective

Congratulations, Carrollwood Day School Class of 2016! global citizens and healthy risk takers, and and tools that can lead to success, and that that teaching life skills, as well as academics, includes lessons about what to do when is an important part of a CDS education. things go awry. “At the young age it’s anything from Kelly characterizes this as a “wholistic” manners to treating a friend well,” Kelly approach. “We’re looking at the whole says, “and then, as you get into elementary child,” he says. “There’s a lot of pressure school, it’s some of the same but we work on teenagers today and what we work on on public speaking and a variety of other is building resiliency within our students, things. And, in middle and high school, it’s learning how to fail and not let it ruin your (teaching) what you should do in difficult whole life and just understanding that there situations.” are going to be obstacles in your way.” The goal is to provide knowledge CDS director of marketing Shannon

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Gauthier says the school’s curriculum of Primary Years (age 3-grade 5), Middle Years (grades 6-10) and Diploma programmes (grades 11-12) is distinctive. “We are the sixth school in the United States authorized to offer all three levels of the IB Programme,” Gauthier says. About 1,000 students from age two through high school attend the co-educational, private school (unaffiliated with any particular religious group) which began in 1981 as an early childhood learning center in a rented storefront space. Over the years, CDS added grade levels and moved to different locations to accommodate its growth. It became an IB World School in 2005 and moved to its current location on W. Bearss Ave. the following year, which is also when CDS’ high school division opened. Academic programs emphasizing science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) have become popular, as students and their families seek knowledge applicable to the modern workplace. CDS adds another “E” (for Entrepreneurship) in its unique STEEM program. “I want to make sure they are exposed to the STEEM areas because research shows that’s where the jobs are going to be,” says Kelly. “I brought entrepreneurship into the STEM acronym because it’s much more than just building a business, it’s about innovation, it’s about thinking outside the box.” The STEEM emphasis is applied throughout all grade levels at CDS. Kelly says the IB curriculum’s emphasis on

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character development provides students a good academic foundation and personal skills that match up well with the school’s STEEM emphasis. “It’s about social entrepreneurship and that’s about volunteering. A lot of times math, science, engineering and computer technology all sit in their silos and my goal is that there’s much more crosstalk between them all.” Kelly says students learn to apply their knowledge and skills to real-world problems, like developing a social entrepreneurship business to tutor neighborhood kids.

And So Much More!

CDS offers more than just rigorous academics. Athletic opportunities range from equestrian to football. The softball and volleyball teams have made the state final four in recent years, and the football team is always a playoff contender, to name a few athletic successes. Several honor societies are represented at CDS and students can join with others in clubs that explore drama, rocketry, table tennis, music, yoga and more. There’s even a model United Nations and a chapter of Oprah’s Ambassadors. Many activities take place in the new, 25,000-square-foot Hayes Family Gymnasium that cost $3.5 million to build. There also is a performing arts theater located in the main building. Tampa Palms resident Anh Flinter’s three daughters attend CDS and says the school has served her family’s educational needs well since moving to Tampa from New Jersey in 2009.

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“My children are very happy and have flourished at CDS, (thanks) to the rigorous education derived from the IB program,”Flinter says, also noting that the teaching excellence of the CDS faculty and the families who volunteer their time and talents as some of the things that have prompted her to say, “Sending our daughters to CDS was one of the best decisions we’ve made.” Sandy Smith is a CDS teacher who started out as a parent of a student at the school. The second grade teacher has been at CDS for nine years, following 15 years in the Hillsborough County School District. Her professional relationship with CDS began shortly after her daughter transferred there. “When my daughter was transitioning to middle school, I wanted something different for her,” Smith says. “When I came

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to CDS, I just loved the family environment. It’s so warm and inviting.” Families can contact the admissions office for a tour and several Open House events are held throughout the year. The public also will have a chance to visit the campus on Tuesday, August 9, when educator and author Michele Borba presents a program in which she will, “share hands-on tools to help in parenting for success,” and will provide the audience, “immediately usable strategies and an actionable roadmap for transforming cultures and improving relationships,” according to the CDS website. Borba is the author of the book UnSelfie: Why Empathetic Kids Succeed in Our All-About-Me World, which has made the summer reading list of the staff and faculty at CDS. CDS is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, the Florida Council of Independent Schools, the Florida Kindergarten Council, and the National Association for the Education of Young Children. There are two CDS campuses. The main campus, consisting of primary, mid-

dle, and high school facilities, as well as the main administrative offices is located at 1515 W. Bearss Ave. in Carrollwood. The early childhood campus is located at 12606 Casey Rd., in Carrollwood Village. As a private school, CDS charges tuition, although Kelly says scholarship opportunities are available. He notes that there is some capacity to accommodate students with Individual Education Plans (IEP), but “CDS does not have the extensive resources that public schools have in that regard.” The 2016-17 school year begins on Tuesday, Aug. 16. Families interested in learning more about CDS can check out the school’s website at CarrollwoodDaySchool.org or by calling 920-2288 or seeing the ad on page 30.

For Advertising Information Call 813-910-2575 • Volume 24, Issue 17 • August 12, 2016 • NTNeighborhoodNews.com

Goddard School Coming Soon To WC

The Goddard School has begun building on BBD Blvd. in Wesley Chapel, although the almost daily storms recently have slowed down the progress at the site. By John C. Cotey

The Goddard School is extending its franchise into Wesley Chapel (just minutes from New Tampa), with the early childhood education provider hoping to open a new location by the end of the year across Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. from Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel (FHWC). According to local owner Dinesh Patel, the new school could soon be opened, weather permitting. He says the summer rains have slowed down construction of the 10,000-sq.-ft. learning facility, but he is still pushing the company building it. “We have broken ground, and it looks like we should be able to open by the end of this year in the last quarter,’’ says Patel, a businessman who lives in Punta Gorda but is planning to relocate his family to Wesley Chapel. Goddard Systems, Inc. (GSI) is a successful franchisor of The Goddard School, with more than 400 locations in 35 states. It was established in 1986 in Malvern, PA, by AAMCO Transmissions founder Anthony A. Martino. Using its proprietary F.L.EX. (Fun Learning Experience) program, a play-based curriculum, Goddard Schools focus on early education, from 6 weeks to 6 years old. “One of our friends was involved in it, and we liked the concept,’’ Patel says. “We did a little more looking into it and thought it was a really good idea.” Patel feels modern day daycares have their place, but don’t work as well as they could. The Goddard School, he

adds, takes the daycare model and adds a strong developmental education thrust to it, using the most current and academically-endorsed methods of teaching, while collaborating with parents. “Nowadays, daycare doesn’t work,’’ he said. “It’s the 21st century. Young children’s brains are like sponges at that young of an age, and child development should be an important part of it.” The Goddard School, however, isn’t a dreary, regimented academic facility. It stresses learning in a fun environment, for best results, through physical activities like yoga or music or languages. “The children work at their own pace,’’ Patel says, adding that the curriculum is, “very advanced.” In site plans issued to Pasco County, the main learning center will be flanked by two playgrounds – one 7,950-sq.-ft. for toddlers, and another 5,068-sq.ft. playground for infants. Patel says he expects to hire at least 25 teachers – who must hold degrees in early childhood education or related fields and also must complete an exclusive Goddard School training program — and will maintain a low student-toteacher ratio. The Wesley Chapel location will be the fifth in the Tampa Bay market. Other locations are in Lakewood Ranch, Lithia (Fishhawk area), Temple Terrace and Westchase. For more information, call Patel at 603-6100, or visit GoddardSchool. com/tampa/wesley-chapel-bruce-bdowns-boulevard-fl.

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Arbor Greene Tennis Player Hopes To Spread One Love By John C. Cotey

Michael-Ray Pallares knows his days as a professional tennis player are winding down. He can’t help, however, but marvel at what the game has given him. He won prominent United State Tennis Association (USTA) championships as a junior, capturing titles at the same events also won by Jim Courier, John McEnroe and Arthur Ashe in the past. He earned a college scholarship to the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, where the Crimson Tide was one of the top 10 teams in the country. He played Davis Cup tennis for the Dominican Republic, and has had a long career playing American Tennis Professional (ATP) and International Tennis Federation (ITF) events around the world. Tennis also has given him a mission. Pallares, an Arbor Greene resident the past 10 years, is hoping to bring tennis locally to those in Tampa’s inner city who can’t normally afford to play it or have no access to the game. He is currently working on an event in Tampa to do just that. Pallares founded One Love Tennis Inc., a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization designed to reach underprivileged and lowincome youth through affordable tennis, education and fitness, in 2011.

One Love Visits Africa

He has organized a few events for his One Love Tennis, but he says one he brought last month to Africa has inspired him to do even more. While playing in a ITF tournament

Michael-Ray Pallares (middle, blue shirt) recently helped put on a tennis clinic for orphans in Zambia, and hopes to do the same here in the Tampa Bay area. in Zimbabwe, he was asked by fellow tour player Patrick Mufumbila to join him afterwards in Zambia for a charity event. Pallares agreed, and the two players traveled two hours by plane to Livingstone, in the Southern Province of Zambia. Mufumbila, a 21-year-old lefty who is one of Zambia’s Davis Cup hopefuls, and Pallares, the 35-year-old New Tampa resident, played an exhibition match for 20 orphans at the Livingstone Royal Tennis Club in the Mukuni Village, roughly four miles from Victoria Falls, one of the “Seven Wonders of the World.” “To be able to coordinate this event with Patrick was amazing because not only

were the kids able to see what a professional match looks like, they were also able to watch a local (African) player as well, so they can think, ‘Hey, that could be me one day,’” Pallares says. Afterward, Pallares organized a daylong tennis clinic for the children, including games and prizes. “It was basically a whole day to give the kids a chance to get out of their normal routine,’’ he says. “They were really interested. All of the kids picked it up very quickly, and they all really enjoyed it.” The Nomad Sports Academy for orphans helped organize the event. The academy currently takes care of 200 or-

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phans (Zambia has more than one million orphans countrywide) and works, “to give our children a chance to train their bodies and minds in order to become leaders of tomorrow and to break the chains of poverty and shame and tell their story to the world.” Created in 2010 by a Canadian couple, the Nomad Academy works closely with the Butterfly Tree Charity, which supports children in rural villages, by helping to provide improved health and education facilities, safe water and sanitation, feeding programs, and health centers contributing to the fight against diseases such as malaria and HIV/AIDS throughout Zambia. Pallares, who is currently in southeast Asia playing ITF tournaments in Vietnam and Indonesia, says that when he returns to Tampa he will begin organizing something similar to what he did in Zambia for local areas in need. “I would love to do something (similar) in Tampa to help with inner city kids, and hope to get it organized by December,’’ Pallares says. “Just a day for those kids to come out and play tennis, to introduce them to the sport. There are a lot of kids who could be really good at it and enjoy it, but other sports are a lot easier to play — you can just go up to the playground with a ball. But, with the right opportunity, who knows?” To help with the One Love Tennis inner city tennis event or participate as a sponsor, email Michael-Ray Pallares at mrpallares3@gmail.com.

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Freedom High Athletic Trainer Ian Graulich Named State’s Best By John C. Cotey If you’re a high school athlete, you want a team trainer who can work out that cramp, tape up that ankle and adjust that shoulder — anything to get you back in the game as soon as possible. But, being a high school athletic trainer goes well beyond the obvious. There are concussions and heat-related issues that can lead to dire consequences for prep athletes, as well as the risk of major infections like MERSA and even cardiac symptoms that often have to be monitored. The job, at times, can be harrowing. At Freedom High in Tampa Palms, however, that job is done very well. In fact, it’s done as well, if not better than, at any other high school in the state, according to the Athletic Trainers’ Association of Florida. On July 17, the ATAF recognized Freedom head certified athletic trainer (ATC) and Tampa Palms resident Ian Graulich as the state’s High School Athletic Trainer of the Year. “I was very surprised,’’ says Graulich. “I was humbled by that. It was pretty cool.” Graulich is truly deserving after the busy 2015-16 school year he had. The Washington, D.C., native said in the past year, he had five football players with torn anterior cruciate ligaments (ACL) in their knees, four players with concussions and two others who suffered a spine injury and a broken leg. And, that’s just the football team. “Unfortunately, that probably helped (me win the award),’’ Graulich joked.

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One of Graulich’s key attributes which likely contributed to his winning the award is that he also has helped prepare other athletic trainers, many of whom have gone on to become successful themselves. Graulich has had a positive influence on many of those students, who are now “paying it forward,” he says. “Anyone who has worked with Ian will tell you this is a well-deserved honor,’’ says Laurie, Ian’s wife of 17 years. “He is highly regarded in the New Tampa athletics com-

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munity. On many occasions, we’ve been out in the neighborhood, and parents will approach us to say how much Ian helped their son or daughter after an injury.” Ian and Laurie met at the University of Florida in Gainesville, when their college roommates started dating each other. The roommates broke up after only six months; Ian and Laurie have been together the 23 years since. The love bug isn’t the only thing Graulich caught in Gainesville — he also caught the athletic training bug. “I was just very interested in a profession that combined athletics, which I love, with healthcare,’’ he says. “And I find working with young athletes more enjoyable than working with older patients.” Graulich earned his Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree in Exercise & Sports Science from Florida in 1996. In 1998, he earned a Master of Science degree in athletic training from California University of Pennsylvania. The Graulichs have lived in Tampa Palms since 2007, with 11-year-old daughter Kaitlyn, who attends Liberty Middle School, and 5-year-old Kristen, a Tampa Palms Elementary student. He has been Freedom’s head athletic trainer since 2011. He also has worked for 10 years for the SMART (Sports Medicine & Athletic Related Trauma) Institute on the University of South Florida’s Tampa campus, where he is one of 15 certified athletic trainers providing daily, on-site care and coverage to thousands of student athletes at 13 high schools in Hillsborough County.

A typical day for Graulich might involve a few hours in the morning at the USF SMART Institute. Once at Freedom, Graulich will typically keep a close eye on football practice, because it has the most players (thus more chances for injuries), but he is responsible for every sport at the school. Many nights, he will work whatever Patriots games are being played. Practices, he says, are where most of the injuries and, especially, heat-related illnesses here in Florida occur. He cited the recent death of Oklahoma State University basketball player Tyrek Coger, who died after a 40-minute workout on the football stadium stairs in hot weather. “We face those fears on a daily basis,’’ Graulich said. “You always have that worry. Our most important job is to be there for emergency purposes and worst-case scenarios. We want to keep our athletes from being in the newspaper (for the wrong reasons).” Graulich was the first full-time certified athletic trainer for Northwood University in West Palm Beach in 1998. And, while he enjoyed his work at the college, Graulich said he has found his niche at both the SMART Institute, which affords him an opportunity to teach and take part in research, and as a high school trainer at Freedom. It doesn’t get any better, Graulich says, and the athletes he is keeping an eye on at Freedom can probably say the same thing about him. For more info about the USF SMART Institute, visit health.usf.edu/ medicine/orthopaedic/smart/index.htm.

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Fall High School Sports Seasons Ready To Kick Off For Wharton & Freedom By John C. Cotey

School may have just started at Paul R. Wharton and Freedom high schools, but preparation for the fall athletic season began in earnest in July for the New Tampa area’s prep teams. What lies ahead for the locals? Wharton — At Wharton, the only fall team not facing many questions may be the girls cross country team, which should be the best team in our coverage area. The Wildcat girls are coming off their best season since 2004, when it finished as the state runner-up in Class 3A. Behind Alisha Deschenas — who finished 21st overall in the state with a time of 19 minutes, 46 seconds and was the top Wharton finisher at the Class 4A State meet — the Wildcats finished third behind state champion Winter Park in 2015. Deschenas, who will be a junior, returns, along with every other Wharton finisher that scored at state, including seniors Rania Samhouri, Mari James and Bryanna Rivers, and junior Rachel Lettiero. And, all five scoring finishers for Wharton finished in the top 50 at state. The boys also were young last season, with Noah Damjanovic, now a junior, leading the team and returning. The Wharton volleyball team graduated a strong core of players — setter Tyler Sroufe, middle blocker Lindsey Schaible and libero Chanelle Hargreaves all signed to play in college last November — so star outside hitter Kathyrn Attar will be called upon to carry the Wildcats this season. Attar, who has orally committed to Yale

Wharton outside hitter Kathryn Attar will head to Yale after her upcoming senior season. University in New Haven, CT, had 358 kills last year, one of the top totals in the state, and passed the 1,000-kill mark for her career. She’s one of the biggest hitters in the Tampa Bay area, and worth the price of admission. And, the Wildcat football team embarks on a season without a proven signal caller under center, but until a quarterback develops, look for running back Shannen King to carry the ball a lot as Wharton tries to compete with District 7A-8 powers like Plant and Sickles. Feel free to go ahead and circle Sept. 23 on your football calendar — that’s when Wharton hosts arch-rival Freedom this year in football. The Wildcats won last year’s battle 44-20, and haven’t lost to the Patriots since 2009. Freedom — Freedom also has questions at quarterback and a promising rushing attack, as well as a new head coach in Floyd Graham, who was able to build solid programs at Newsome and Steinbrenner from scratch. He’ll have more to work with at

Almost the entire Wharton girls cross country team that won the county championship (above) and finished third at the Class 4A State meet returns this season. Freedom, but the task will be just as tall. Football isn’t the only sport with a new head coach at Freedom, as volleyball coach Damian Goderich takes over for Brittany Castelamare after last year’s 9-9 season. The Patriots showed some improvement last year down the stretch, winning three straight games before a close defeat against Wharton to end the season, and despite a few key losses to graduation, last year’s leader in kills (Cameron Young), digs (Jazmine Boga) and blocks (Lauren Crum) all return.

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The Freedom cross country teams expect to be more competitive, as most of the top runners, like boys Alejandro Michel and Baily Easterling and girls Morgan Kugel, Dana Elkalazani and Schuyler Rutherford, return from last season. On page 39 (right) are the football and volleyball schedules for both high schools. Be sure to check back for more sports coverage in the Neighborhood News and please submit scores, game recaps and pics to NTNeighborhoodNews.com.

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WHARTON HIGH

FREEEDOM HIGH

FOOTBALL August 19 Middleton August 26 at East Bay Sept. 9 at Alonso Sept. 16 Spoto Sept. 23 at Wharton Sept. 30 at Wiregrass Ranch Oct. 7 Gaither Oct. 14 at Leto Oct. 21 Plant Oct. 28 Sickles

VOLLEYBALL August 23 at Bloomingdale August 25 at Robinson August 29 at Alonso Sept. 1 Gaither Sept. 7 Durant Sept. 13 Plant Sept. 15 Steinbrenner Sept. 22 at Wharton Sept. 29 Wiregrass Ranch Oct. 5 at Sickles Oct. 6 Jefferson Oct. 13 Hillsborough

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For Advertising Information Call 813-910-2575 • Volume 24, Issue 17 • August 12, 2016 • NTNeighborhoodNews.com

New Tampa Piano & Pedagogy Academy Students Perform Royally By Brad Stager Achieving a high level of proficiency at playing the piano requires dedication and the right instruction. Students at the New Tampa Piano & Pedagogy Academy (NTPPA) on Cross Creek Blvd. demonstrated that they have both, as all 16 of the academy’s students participating in a recent Royal Conservatory of Music exam scored 90 or higher, earning the highest classification — First Class Honors with Distinction. The Royal Conservatory of Music is the largest and oldest independent arts educator in Canada. The Toronto-based institution’s influence extends internationally through its examination program, which measures a musician’s performance skill and technique. In addition to a grade, participants receive a certificate and written feedback about their performance. Judith Jain, Doctor of Musical Arts (D.M.A.), founder and executive director of NTPPA, says the Royal Conservatory exam results validate the teaching methods she and her instructors use. “It’s not a coincidence that you have 16 students taught by just the three of us (see below) all scoring 90s,” says Dr. Jain, a Pebble Creek resident. “It’s the methodology.” She notes that her students’ high scores indicate flawless execution and a high level of artistic expression in performing the exam’s musical pieces. The name of Dr. Jain’s music instruction studio, one mile west of Morris Bridge Rd. on Cross Creek Blvd., reflects her background and approach to teaching music. She earned her D.M.A. in Piano Performance and Pedagogy (the method and practice of teaching, especially as an academic subject or theoretical concept) from University of Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music in Cincinnati, OH. She has performed as a

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First row, left to right: Abraham Schrader, Pavani Parashar, Tanvi Balan, Vinesh Mesaros, Sofia Gonzalez. Second row, left to right: Jane West, Dr. Judith Jain, Aline Giampietro, Benjamin Scotch, Ashley Viradiya, William Piriou and Bhavya Gudaru. soloist, with chamber groups and orchestras. Speaking Of Those Instructors... Visitors to NTPPA’s website will read NTPPA instructor Jane West is a pianist this quote from Dr. Jain: “I teach children so and music scholar with a Master of Arts that I can learn from them.” It’s a teaching (M.A.) degree in Historical Musicology perspective that Jain says distinguishes her from Tufts University in Medford, MA. academy from others. She has experience as a soloist and chamber “That’s basic to our philosophy,” she music performer. According to West, there says. “We’re looking at music from all angles is no age limit to learning about music and because music is not one dimensional.” playing the piano. Jain opened NTPPA two years ago, “From the moment a child is born up when the number of students she was to the point they can take private lessons, teaching as a private instructor grew beyond which would be roughly 5 or 6 years old,” what she could accommodate herself. After West says, “there’s that period when you finding a space adjacent to the New Tampa can teach a child concepts and musicianship Dance Theatre (see story on page 22), she skills; a sense of rhythm, pitch, being able to outfitted it with a selection of Yamaha grand sing back and clap back. Those are all skills and upright pianos, as well as a Clavinova that then a student can develop in a private digital piano laboratory. Jain also hired (instructional) setting.” faculty to teach, all of whom have Master’s Dr. Jain says that integral to early degrees related to music or education. childhood music education is NTPPA’s “I found the right people to work Musikgarten program, which is under the with,” Jain says. “The degree is a given, but direction of Beth Maberry, who has a Master the mindset is important.” of Education (M.Ed.) from the University of

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South Florida in Tampa at the Academy. Music is appreciated by people of all ages and anyone who wants to learn how to play the piano can do so at NTPPA, no matter what stage they are at in their lives. “We believe music is for everybody and we’re here to facilitate your relationship with music,” says Dr. Jain. For adults who are seeking to expand their skills and horizons, there is the opportunity to combine private lessons and a bit of socializing with occasional group performances and recitals. Dr. Jain says her academy can even create a music education plan for a busy professional or someone with extra time to fill. “We will craft a program with the person in front of us in mind,” she says.

Even For Recreational Pianists

A new program that the Academy is beginning in the fall is called Recreational Music Making. Jain says it is oriented toward older adults and their needs and interests. “It’s about wellness and engaging the mind and improving the quality of life for senior citizens, rather than mastering a piece of music,” she says. As a member of NTPPA’s piano faculty, Aline Giampietro, who has an M.A. degree in Piano Performance from Eastern Washington University in Spokane, sees the commonality of students whatever their age or purpose. “I want them to really love music and get that in their lives,” Giampietro says. “We teach such a range of students that we can gear the lessons to whatever their goal is.” Jain says whatever goals or learning styles her students have, she and her faculty will accommodate them. “We teach to the way you learn,” she says. “Usually it’s the other way around.”

See “Piano” on pg. 42.

For Advertising Information Call 813-910-2575 • Volume 24, Issue 17 • August 12, 2016 • NTNeighborhoodNews.com

“Piano”

Continued from pg. 41 Jain also says she is conducting a search for another faculty member because the demand for instruction at NTPPA is increasing. While a career in music may be the goal for some students, there are plenty of benefits along the way, as parents of some of Jain’s youngest students will attest. Sonia Mesaros of Grand Hampton has two children, ages 6 and 10, enrolled at NTPPA. She appreciates how it has helped them develop their educational skills, as well as being a creative outlet. “I’m seeing that it’s transferring into their academics, especially mathematics and the ability to multitask,” she says. Mandel Pickett also has two children receiving lessons from Dr. Jain and her faculty. He appreciates how the lessons have encouraged his nine-year-old son to become a musical mentor to his seven-year-old brother. “He plays his entire lesson from memory and he helps his brother out, which really impresses me,” Pickett says. Eighth-grade student Ashley Viradiya of Tampa Palms attends Terrace Community Middle School in Thonotosassa and has been playing piano for six years, the last two at NTPPA. She is enthusiastic about how music has enhanced her life. “The piano can help you with creativity and it helps you with many skills,” Ashley says. “It can open up your senses and help you understand things.” Her father, Naresh Viradiya, concurs. “I have observed a great improvement in her skills,” Naresh says.

While Dr. Jain is pleased with the Royal Conservatory of Music test scores, she puts the results in perspective. “Whether or not a student takes the test, we teach the same way,” she says. Of the 16 students taking the Royal Conservatory of Music exam, 12 are from New Tampa and four are from Wesley Chapel. The New Tampa students are: Tanvi Balan, Phu Doan, Niral Gaddi, Bhavya Gudaru, Aeon Johnson, Micah Lawrence, Priya Majethia, Vinesh Mesaros, Pavani Parashar, Abraham Schrader, Ashley Viradiya and William Piriou. The Wesley Chapel students are: Milana Schemkes, Sofia Gonzalez, Lauren Scotch and Benjamin Scotch. The New Tampa Piano and Pedagogy Academy is located at 10701 Cross Creek Blvd. You can learn more by visiting NewTampaPPA.com, or calling 994-2452.

For Advertising Information Call 813-910-2575 • Volume 24, Issue 17 • August 12, 2016 • NTNeighborhoodNews.com

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For Advertising Information Call 813-910-2575 • Volume 24, Issue 17 • August 12, 2016 • NTNeighborhoodNews.com

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New Tampa Eagle Scout Project Gives U.S. Flags Proper Retirement By Brad Stager

All-American holidays honoring veterans, celebrating our independence and remembering those fallen in defense of it are times when citizens, old and new, proudly display the Stars and Stripes. But, what is to be done with Old Glory when it becomes worn and tattered and needs to be replaced and properly retired? Grant Collie, a 17-year-old New Tampa Boy Scout, has an answer. With construction help from family and fellow Scouts, using materials donated by the Lowe’s Home Improvement store in Tampa Palms, Collie built two drop boxes for people to deposit worn flags as his Eagle Scout service project. Flags that are turned in at Tampa Fire Rescue Station No. 21 on Green Pine Ln., off of Cross Creek Blvd. (about one-halfmile east of Bruce B. Downs {BBD} Blvd.), will be respectfully retired in ceremonies conducted by Boy Scout Troop 148, which is chartered by St. Mark the Evangelist Catholic Church in New Tampa, where the troop also meets. Collie undertook the project as part of his quest to become an Eagle Scout. One of the requirements to obtain that status is to complete a service project that benefits the community and demonstrates leadership. Collie says he became aware of the need when he attended a flag retiring ceremony a few years ago. “My Boy Scout troop had a flag

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Troop 148 Boy Scout Grant Collie (left) and Tampa Fire Rescue Capt. John Donnelly, with Collie’s Eagle Scout project, a drop box to retire flags located at TFR Station No. 21 on Cross Creek Blvd.

retirement ceremony at the Lazydays RV Resort campground in Seffner a few years ago, and since then, people have been asking at the office there if they can turn in flags,” the Wharton High grad says. According to the United States Flag Code, organizations such as the Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, the military and some veterans organizations are authorized to conduct flag retirement ceremonies. Collie hopes the boxes, which will be

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placed at Lazydays RV Resort in Seffner and Tampa Fire Rescue Station No. 21 in New Tampa, will make it easier for people to turn in their flags. “My troop will periodically empty the boxes, collect the flags and perform a flag ceremony,” he says. Collie has been involved in Scouting since he was a first-grader at Richard F. Pride Elementary. He credits the Cub Scout and Boy Scout leaders, specifically Bryan Noll and

current Troop 148 Scoutmaster David Thompson, for helping him “Be Prepared” for his future endeavors, starting with attending the University of Florida in Gainesville this fall to study electrical engineering. “Scouting has been a huge part of my life,” Collie says. “It’s taught me about responsibility and independence. ‘Be Prepared’ is the motto, and I live my life by that.” According to Thompson, the leadership Collie is demonstrating with his flag box project is consistent with what he has shown in his Troop 148 activities. “He has been a great mentor, teaching younger Scouts about the flag,” says Thompson, who suggests people fold their flags and put them in plastic bags when they deposit them in the box. Collie’s parents are proud as their son advances toward becoming an Eagle Scout and appreciate the role Scouting has in their son’s life. His father, Phillip Collie, says the flag box project revealed an emerging side of his son’s character to him as he observed the work in progress. “He was very much in charge and showed a lot of leadership skills,” Phillip says. Laura Collie is similarly pleased with the influence Scouting and the service project have had on her son. “I’ve seen him grow in maturity and respect toward others,” she says. See “Flags’ on page 58!

For Advertising Information Call 813-910-2575 • Volume 24, Issue 17 • August 12, 2016 • NTNeighborhoodNews.com

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For Advertising Information Call 813-910-2575 • Volume 24, Issue 17 • August 12, 2016 • NTNeighborhoodNews.com

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Win $200, $100 or $50 In FREE Dining In Our 2016 Survey & Contest! It’s baaaaack! Just in time for the kids to go back to school, our ever-popular annual Reader Survey & Dining Contest returns and the 2016 edition of it is another opportunity for you to help yourself to one of three outstanding FREE dining prizes, as well as help our local restaurants find out where our readers enjoy dining out the most in New Tampa & Wesley Chapel. Just for filling out the entry form on these two pages (47 & 48) and sending it by mail, fax or email (you also can enter at NTNeighborhoodNews.com), you can win $50, $100 or even $200 in absolutely FREE dining at the restaurant of your choice, whether it’s located in New Tampa or Wesley Chapel or not! To be eligible to win our Grand Prize (or either of the other two big dining prizes), you MUST vote for FIVE (5) restaurants in BOTH of the two categories on this page, and at least ONE (1) restaurant in AT LEAST HALF OF THE CATEGORIES ON THE NEXT PAGE! On these pages, we have provided the names of all of the independently-owned and small (fewer than 20 locations) chain restaurants in each category. And yes, you can still write-in the names of the larger chain restaurants in any category, but we only provide the names of the “Mom-&-Pops” because they don’t have the benefit of being able to afford regional and national TV, national magazine and local radio ads that the large chains have running all yearround. Please do not write in or vote for any restaurant more than once in any category, it just disqualifies every one of your votes. Please also do not write in a restaurant located in Wesley Chapel (zip codes 33543, 33544 & 33545) as your favorite in New Tampa (zip code 33647) or vice-versa, as those votes will not count. Entries without enough categories filled in or with the same restaurant voted in every category will be disqualified. Please, only one entry per person will be accepted, although the contest will run until after our October New Tampa & Wesley Chapel issues hit mailboxes. The final entry deadline is Friday, October 28, 2016. And, as always, no purchase of any kind is necessary to win any of our contests. — GN

Your FIVE Favorite Restaurants In New Tampa (NT) Your FIVE Favorite Restaurants In Wesley Chapel (WC)

(Number your 5 favorites #1-#5; You also may write-in your favorites not listed here in the spaces provided) (Number your 5 favorites #1-#5; You also may write-in your favorites not listed here in the spaces provided)

__Acropolis Greek (BBD/Oak Ramble) __Big Papa’s Pit (E. Bearss Ave., off BBD) __Burger 21 (Trout Creek off BBD) __Café Olé (Cross Creek Blvd.) __Cappy’s Pizza (City Plaza, Tampa Palms) __Capri Pizza (formerly Biagio’s; CC Blvd.) __Casa Ramos (Shoppes of Amberly, TP) __China City (City Plaza, TP) __China Wok (County Line Rd. off BBD) __Ciccio’s Cali (The Pointe @ Tampa Palms) __Cross Creek Deli (inside Shell station) __Full Circle Pizza (Pebble Creek Coll.) __Fushia Asian (Shoppes of Amberly, TP) __Hawkeye NYS Pizza (CC Blvd.@BP Gas) __Ho King (BBD/Highwoods) __Hoosiers Grille (in Heritage Isles CC) __Hunter’s Green Country Club __Kobé Japanese (Pebble Creek Collection) __Koizi Hibachi Grill (The Pointe @ TP) __Lanna Thai (Cross Creek Center) __Las Palmas Café (BBD/PC Coll.) __Liang’s Bistro (North Palms Vlg./BBD) __Little Greek (New Tampa Center) __Minerva Indian (New Tampa Center) __Mr. Dunderbak’s (Oak Ramble Plaza) __Mulligan’s Irish (@ Pebble Creek CC) __New China King (CC Blvd. @ MB Rd.) __Oakley’s Grille (North Palms Village)

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__Amici Pizza (Grand Oaks Plaza, SR 54) __Orchid Thai (The Pointe @ TP) __Peabody’s Billiards (Shoppes of Amberly) __Arroy Thai (Pinebrook Plz/54) __Petra Mediterranean (Highwoods Psrv.) __Asian Buffet (BBD/Shoppes @ New Tampa) __Pita’s Republic (County Line Rd. off BBD) __Bagelicious & More (Freedom Plaza/54) __PJ Dolan’s Irish (E. Bearss Ave. off BBD) __Best NY Pizza (Pinebrook Plaza/SR 54) __Saffron Indian Cuisine (Cross Creek Ctr) __Bonsai Sushi (BBD/Shoppes @ New Tampa) __Bosco’s Italian To Go (Freedom Plaza/54) __Seasons Fresh Café (E. Bearss Ave./BBD) __Buttermilk Provisions (BBD/ FHWC) __Señor T’s (BBD; formerly Macaroni Grill) __Burger Monger (BBD/Shoppes @ New Tampa) __Stonewood Grill (The Pointe @ TP) __Chick & Peas Grill (Freedom Plz/54) __Sushi Avenue (E. Bearss Ave./BBD) __China Taste (BBD/Shoppes at New Tampa) __Sushi Café (Highwoods Preserve) __China Wok (Village Market/BBD@54) __Sushi Raw (Shoppes of Amberly, TP) __CineBistro (The Grove/Off Oakley/54) __Sukhothai (Across from Muvico) __Dempsey’s Steak House (Saddlebrook) __Tabla Indian Cuisine (BBD/Live Oak) __Dempsey’s Too Lounge (Saddlebrook) __Takara Sushi & Sake (Oak Ramble Plaza) __Don Pan Int’l Bakery (Shoppes @ NT ) __Tampa Palms Golf & Country Club __Gonna China (Hollybrook Plz, BBD@54) __Tarek’s Café (Shoppes of Amberly, TP) __GrillSmith (Wiregrass Mall) __Taste of NY Pizza (Highwoods Preserve) __Hibachi Express (Village Mkt/BBD@54) __Thai Ruby (Shoppes of Amberly/TP) __Ho Wok (BBD next to Target) __Top Thai (BBD/Live Oak) __Hot Wok 88 (Town Centre/SR 54) __Vallarta’s (City Plaza, Tampa Palms) __Hungry Greek (across BBD from FHWC) __Woodfired Pizza (E. Bearss Ave. off BBD) __Kwan Ming Bistro (SR 56) __Zaytoun Mediterranean (CC Blvd @ MB) __La Prima Pizza (BBD, next to Target) __Write-In (must name)_______________ __Write-In (must name)_______________ __Write-In (must name)_______________ __Write-In (must name)_______________ __Write-In (must name)_______________

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__Latin Twist Café (across BBD from FHWC) __Lexington Oaks Golf Club (off SR 54) __Little Italy’s (SR 54/Lutz) __Meadow Pte Café & Deli (C.L. Rd./MP) __900º Woodfired Pizza (Wiregrass Mall)

__NY NY Pizza (BBD in Seven Oaks) __O’Brien’s Irish (Village Mkt/BBD@54) __OTB Café (Across BBD from FHWC) __PDQ (SR 56) __Pinchers Crab Shack (Wiregrass Mall) __PizzaMania (BBD/Shoppes @ New Tampa) __Poolside Café (Saddlebrook Resort) __PrimeBar (Wiregrass Mall) __Quail Hollow Country Club __Shang Hai Chinese (Eiland Blvd./off 54) __TD’s Sports Bar (Saddlebrook Resort) __365 Caffé Italiano (Wiregrass Mall) __Tokyo Grill/Sushi (Eiland Blvd./off 54) __Vallarta’s (Village Mkt, BBD@54) __Woody’s Pizza/Wings (Village Mkt) __Wolf’s Den (SR 56) __Yamato Japanese Stkhs (Wiregrass Mall) __Write-In (must name)_________________ __Write-In (must name)_________________ __Write-In (must name)_________________ __Write-In (must name)_________________ __Write-In (must name)_________________ Note- Please only put each numeral (#s 1-5) on each of the two lists on this page only once each, including any write-ins. We apologize in advance for any inconvenience to independent restaurants in NT & WC we somehow forgot to include here.

For Advertising Information Call 813-910-2575 • Volume 24, Issue 17 • August 12, 2016 • NTNeighborhoodNews.com

Your Favorite Chinese Restaurant In New Tampa & Wesley Chapel (NT & WC; Pick or write-in one)

__Asian Buffet (Shoppes @ New Tampa, WC) __China City (City Plaza, TP) __China Taste (Shoppes @ New Tampa, WC) __China Wok (County Line Rd., off BBD) __China Wok (Village Mkt/BBD@54, WC) __Fushia Asian Bistro (Shps of Amberly, TP) __Gonna China (Hollybrook Plz, BBD@54) __Ho King (BBD/Highwoods)

__Café Olé (Cross Creek Blvd.) __Cantina (Cross Creek Blvd.) __Casa Ramos (Tampa Palms) __Don Pan Int’l Bakery (Shoppes @ NT ) __Las Palmas Café (BBD/Pebble Creek)

__Write-In (must name)_________________

(Pick or write-in one) __Meadow Pointe Café (County Line Rd.) __Acropolis (BBD/Oak Ramble) __Petra Mediterranean (Highwoods Prsv.) __Chick & Peas Grill (Freedom Plaza/54) __Hungry Greek (across BBD from FHWC) __Pita’s Republic (County Line Rd.) __Zaytoun Mediterranean (CC Blvd.) __Kabob House (BBD/Live Oak) __Little Greek (BBD/New Tampa Center) __Write-In (must name)_________________

(Pick or write-in one)

__Sushi Raw (Shoppes of Amberly, TP) __Sukhothai (Across from Muvico) __Takara Sushi & Sake (BBD/Oak Ramble) __Tokyo Grill/Sushi (Eiland Blvd./Publix) __Yamato Japanese Stkhs (Wiregrass Mall) __Write-In (must name)_________________

Your Favorite Thai/Indian Restaurant In NT & WC (Pick or write-in one)

__Arroy Thai (S.R. 54, WC) __Lanna Thai (CC Blvd.) __Minerva Indian (New Tampa Center) __Saffron Indian Cuisine (CC Blvd.) __Sukhothai (Across from Muvico)

__Tabla Indian Cuisine (BBD/Live Oak) __Thai Ruby (Shoppes of Amberly, TP) __Top Thai (BBD/Live Oak) __Write-In (must name)_________________

Your Favorite Pizza Place In New Tampa & Wesley Chapel (Pick or write-in one)

__Amici Pizza (Grand Oaks Plaza, SR 54) __Best NY Pizza (Pinebrook Plaza/S.R. 54) __Biagio’s II Pizza & Pasta (CC Blvd.) __Bosco’s Italian To Go (Freedom Plaza/54) __Cappy’s Pizza (City Plaza, TP) __Ciccio’s Cali (The Pointe @ Tampa Palms) __Full Circle Pizza (Pebble Creek) __Hawkeye NYS Pizza (CC Blvd./BP) __La Prima Pizza (BBD, next to Target)

__Little Italy’s (SR 54, Lutz) __900º Woodfired Pizza (Wiregrass Mall) __NY NY Pizza (BBD in Seven Oaks) __Peabody’s Billiards & Games (Amberly) __Taste of New York Pizza (Highwoods) __Woodfired Pizza (E. Bearss Ave.) __Woody’s Pizza/Wings (WC Village Mkt) __Write-In (must name)_________________

Your Favorite Hamburger In New Tampa & Wesley Chapel

(Pick or write-in one) __Burger Monger(BBD/Shoppes @ New Tampa) __OTB Café (Across BBD from FHWC) __Burger 21 (Trout Creek/BBD) __Peabody’s Billiards & Games (Amberly) __City Grill (Village Mkt/BBD@54) __PJ Dolan’s Irish Pub (E. Bearss Ave.) __Dempsey’s Too Lounge (Saddlebrook) __Quail Hollow CC (Old Pasco Rd., WC) __GrillSmith (Wiregrass Mall) __Tampa Palms Golf & Country Club __Hoosiers Grille (@ Heritage Isles CC) __Poolside Café (Saddlebrook) __Hunter’s Green Country Club __TD’s Sports Bar (Saddlebrook) __Lexington Oaks Golf Club __Wolf’s Den (S.R. 56) __Mulligan’s Irish Pub (Pebble Creek CC) __Oakley’s Grille (BBD/North Palms Vlg.)

(Pick or write-in one)

__Ho Wok (BBD next to Target) __Hot Wok 88 (Town Centre of WC) __Kwan Ming Bistro (S.R. 56) __Liang’s Bistro (North Palms/BBD) __New China King (CC Blvd. @ MB Rd.) __Shang Hai Chinese (Eiland Blvd./Publix)

Your Favorite Japanese/Sushi Restaurant In NT & WC __Asian Buffet (Shoppes @ New Tampa, WC) __Bonsai Sushi (Shoppes @ New Tampa, WC) __Hibachi Express (Village Mkt/BBD@54) __Kobé Japanese Steakhouse (BBD/PC) __Koizi Hibachi Grill (Tampa Palms) __Sushi Avenue (E. Bearss Ave.) __Sushi Café (BBD/Highwoods)

Your Favorite Latin/Mexican Restaurant In NT & WC

__Write-In (must name)_________________

__Latin Twist Café(across BBD from FHWC) __Señor T’s (BBD; former Macaroni Grill) __Vallarta’s (City Plaza at Tampa Palms) __Vallarta’s (Village Mkt, BBD@54) __Write-In (must name)_________________

Your Favorite Greek/Mediterranean Restaurant In NT & WC

Your Favorite Bar, Tavern or Pub In New Tampa & Wesley Chapel

(Pick or write-in one) __Acropolis (BBD/Oak Ramble) __Peabody’s Billiards & Games (Amberly) __Heritage Isles CC Rest. (off CC Blvd.) __PJ Dolan’s Irish Pub (E. Bearss Ave.) __Ciccio’s Cali (The Pointe @ Tampa Palms) __Poolside Café (Saddlebrook) __PrimeBar (Wiregrass Mall) __CineBistro (The Grove/54 off Oakley) __Quail Hollow Country Club __Dempsey’s Steak House (Saddlebrook) __Skinny’s Sports Bar (SR 54, WC) __Dempsey’s Too Lounge (Saddlebrook) __Stonewood Grill & Tavern (Tampa Palms) __GrillSmith (Wiregrass Mall) __Tampa Palms Golf & Country Club __Halftime Sports Lounge (NT Center) __TD’s Sports Bar (Saddlebrook) __Hunter’s Green Country Club __Toast Wine & Café (BBD/Oak Ramble) __Lexington Oaks Golf Club __The Brass Tap (Wiregrass Mall) __Linkster’s Tap Room (Highwoods) __Mulligan’s Irish Pub (Pebble Creek CC) __Write-In (must name)_________________ __O’Brien’s Irish (Village Mkt/BBD@54)

Your Other Favorites

(Write-in only one in each category below) Your Favorite Bakery In NT & WC Your Favorite Lunch In NT & WC _______________________________________ _______________________________________ Your Favorite Chain Restaurant In Your Favorite Ice Cream/Frozen Yogurt/ Dessert Place In NT & WC New Tampa & Wesley Chapel _______________________________________ _______________________________________ Your Name _______________________________________________________________________ Your Community (Tampa Palms, Meadow Pointe, etc.) _____________________________ Your Mailing Address ____________________________________________________________ Your Daytime Phone #____________________________________________________________ Your Valid Email Address _______________________________________________________ Please submit BOTH pages by mail, email or at NTNeighborhoodNews.com by Friday, October 28, 2016!

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For Advertising Information Call 813-910-2575 • Volume 24, Issue 17 • August 12, 2016 • NTNeighborhoodNews.com

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amora@BHHSflpg.com www.AngelaMoraRealEstate.com

LAND O’ LAKES

Tenants- are you looking for a condo, townhouse or house to rent? Call Sonia at (813) 690-5427 Owners- do you own a property that needs to be rented out and managed by the best management team in New Tampa and Wesley Chapel? Contact Terry Now!

Terry Hill Terence M Hill PA (813) 956-2383

thill@BHHSflpg.com www.RentAhomeWithUs.com

1830 Bruce B Downs Blvd. Wesley Chapel, FL 33544

Sabrina Simpson Title Manager 813-712-8435

ssimpson@capstonetitlellc.com

4 Bedrooms, 3 Bathrooms, Den, Custom Home on Ronnie Preusch 4.55 acres, gated & fenced. Main House has 3845 813-361-9595 sqft, 4Bd, 3.1B, 3+ CG, Office, Pool/Spa,/ Loaded RPM Real Pro with Upgrades. In-Law Suite/office 1000 sqft, 1bd, Move Team 1b, Carport. Great property for Horses or even other outbuildings. Offered at: $845,000 rpreusch@BHHSflpg.com

The Latest & Greatest News About Dining, Shopping, Retail & More In New Tampa & Wesley Chapel!

Toast Is Toast!

I was saddened to learn that Toast Wine & Café, located in the Oak Ramble Plaza (which still has Acropolis Greek Taverna, Mr. Dunderbak’s, Jersey Mike’s and Takara Sushi & Sake Lounge, among others) had closed, and apparently it’s been more than a month since it happened at our press time. Toast started out with a group of owners, all of whom lived in New Tampa or Wesley Chapel. It also began as primarily a wine bar with minimal food, but grew into a pretty good restaurant with reasonably priced food, great retail wines by the bottle or glass, coffee and entertainment, all in a cozy, casual setting, is the latest in, unfortunately, too long a list of my favorite mom-&-pop restaurants in our area that is

no longer in business. And, speaking of those mom-&-pop places, help out as many as you can by entering our 2016 Reader Dining Survey & Contest, where you can win a $50, $100, or even $200 gift card to the restaurant of your choice in the Tampa Bay area! Turn to pages 47 and 48 to enter!

A Special Rose Recovering From BBD Construction

Our good friend Rose O’Berry at A Special Rose Florist is located in the middle of the BBD “Segment A” widening just south of Tampa Palms (at 14546 BBD, next to what has been a Shell gas station but is now being converted to a Chevron). Rose, who always has an awesome selection of fresh-cut flowers, plus plants, gift baskets and other great gifts, wants to remind her customers that she has been open throughout the BBD construction and the changeover of the gas station. “Birthdays, anniversaries...any special occasion, is a good time to call us for all of

your floral and gift needs.” For info, call 979-9453 or visit ASpecialRoseFlorist.com.

WCCC Still Cutting Ribbons!

Just when yours truly thought that the summer was a slower time for the Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce (WCCC), I realized how wrong I was. Since our last issue, there have been eight well-attended WCCC ribbon-cutting and other free events to keep the local businesses hosting these events happy, even in the 100° heat of late June and early July. Here’s a listing of the events you may have missed. We only had room for three of the pics on these pages. Look for more pics at NTNeighborhoodNews.com.

For Advertising Information Call 813-910-2575 • Volume 24, Issue 17 • August 12, 2016 • NTNeighborhoodNews.com

Neighborhood News

Señor T’s (6/24, but we forgot to include it in our last issue; see photo above right and the ad on pg. 52). The Chamber also held a packed Final Friday Happy Hour at Señor T’s on July 29. Mixer at Zaytoun Grill (7/14) Bay Dermatology (7/15) - (see photo, above left) Pasco Education Foundation (7/21) KidsPark (7/29; photo, right). KidsPark is a great new concept in childcare and preschool, located off S.R. 56, near Ashley Furniture. For info, visit KidsPark.com call 803-4972 or see the ad on page 21 of this issue. Mainstream Boutique (8/2) Business Breakfast (8/2) - At the

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at Pinot’s Palette (1718 BBD Blvd., Wesley Chapel). The studio will be set up for Black Lights so Chamber members are encouraged to wear neon.

Try 7 Layers Bakery!

Chamber’s monthly Business Breakfast at Pasco Hernando State College’s Porter Campus at Wiregrass Ranch, Kartik Goyani, VP of Operations with Metro Development Group — which is developing Union Park, the Connected City and the Crystal Lagoons in Wesley Chapel — gave an update on the progress of those developments. Upcoming WCCC events (please note that not all events below are free) include: • Thursday, August 18, 3 p.m.-5 p.m. — Ribbon cutting at the White Pear Consigment Boutique (inside the Fancy Frock, 1045 BBD, in front of the SuperTarget) • Thursday, August 25, 11:30 a.m. Economic Development Briefing — With Hector Mencia of Costco talking about the now-under-construction 150,000-sq.-ft. store next to the Tampa Premium Outlets mall. You must be a Chamber member to attend and the cost for Chamber members is $15, which includes a buffet lunch. •Friday, August 26, 4 p.m.-6 p.m. -Free (to attend) Final Friday Happy Hour

Neighborhood News

If you haven’t yet tried the new 7 Layers Bakery (26306 Wesley Chapel Blvd., or S.R. 54) in the Grand Oaks Plaza in Lutz since we told you about it opening a few months ago, check out the picture below and tell me you don’t want to try this true, New Yorkstyle bakery owned by Evelyn Barreno and William Morello. Pictured below are the new amaretto cupcake, my favorite peanut butter cup cupcake, a hand-piped cannoli, the new chocolate eclair, my new favorite creme brulée cupcake and the bakery’s signature 7-layer cookies. Call 388-2271 for more info. — GN

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For Advertising Information Call 813-910-2575 • Volume 24, Issue 17 • August 12, 2016 • NTNeighborhoodNews.com

Neighborhood News

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For Advertising Information Call 813-910-2575 • Volume 24, Issue 17 • August 12, 2016 • NTNeighborhoodNews.com

New Tampa & Wesley Chapel HOME IMPROVEMENT DAVID BRIDGES PRESSURE CLEANING Complete exterior cleaning of your home or business with a professional & personal touch. - Pool decks and screen enclosures - All fencing/ driveways and walkways/roofs - Gutter and downspouts. Find your happiness in a fresh, bright clean home. Your neighbors will love you for it! All work guaranteed. Licensed and insured. Call 813-215-1177. GREG’S PAPERHANGING. For all of your wallpapering needs. Licensed and insured, clean, quick and reasonable. Call 973-2767 for a free estimate. RAYMOND PAINTING. Exterior & Interior Services. Exterior: Painting, pressure washing, clean & seal pavers, stucco, roofing, leaks & wood rot repair. Interior: Painting, plastering, ceiling & wall repairs & tiles. Licensed & Bonded. References avail. Free estimates. Your Neighborhood Arbor Greene Resident! We work 7 days. Call 994-5124. WEST COAST FLOORING, INC. Carpet & Laminate Flooring. Quality repairs on all floors. Commercial Flooring Install. Licensed and Insured. Free Estimate, Call (813) 215-4817. DRY WALL SPECIALIST. Not a handyman. Affordable Quality Work repairing water damage, ceilings and walls, retexturing, popcorn removal, room additions, cracks, holes, plaster and stucco repair. 26 Years Experience. Wesley Chapel resident. State Certified. Call Ron for free estimate: 813-784-5999. MILLENNIUM HOME REPAIR.Professional Handyman Service. Services include: Cabinet Installation, Dry wall repair, Tile installation & repair, Some plumbing, Laminate flooring, Light fixtures, Interior painting, Appliance installation, Pressure washing, Paneling, Window repair, Awning installation, Carpentry, Garbage Disposal, Fence repair, Crown molding, Window blinds installed, Re-sealing baths & showers, TV mounting & more. Call 813-400-1408 or email TYCOONUNION@YAHOO.COM. CONTRACTOR. Kitchen and bathroom remodeling or any major repairs. Floor, windows & door installation. Licensed, insured & bonded. LICENSE # CRC 1331258 Call Pablo for a free estimate: 813.391.9644. www.innovativeresidentialremodeling.com

PET SERVICES CAT SITTING. Tampa Cat Lady Professional CatSitting Service. Cats are happiest in their own home, surrounded by familiar sights, sounds, & smells. When you are away, we feed, cuddle, & play with your kitties & clean & dispose of litter. Insured, bonded, & Red-Cross certified in pet first aid/CPR. You can call 813-994-9449 or submit a service inquiry at TampaCatLady.com.

Classifieds

HELP WANTED $HOME CLEANERS NEEDED$ Earn $252 weekly part time up to $400+ full time. Work your area and schedule. Car and phone required. Anna’s House Keeping since 1991. Call 813-985-1150. NOW HIRING SERVERS. Call 813-907-1688 for more information. Or apply in person at Ginza Endless Asian Cuisine & Sushi Bar, 6417 E. County Line Rd. #104. AWARD WINNING REAL ESTATE TEAM with an overflow of serious prospects. Seeking professional full-time real estate agents who want to expand their horizons, make more money and have a fulfilling life. Great training available. Keller Williams Tampa Properties. Contact Annette Bohannon - 813-431-2840. TERMITE TECHNICIAN NEEDED. Must have at least one year of experience, a clean driving record, no criminal record and be able to lift 50lbs. Call VIP Pest Control at 813-234-8888 for details.

HELP WANTED PART-TIME HOME HELP-ELDERLY (New Tampa). We need part-time home help (approximately 15 hours per week, 12pm to 5pm Tues. Thurs. and Fri.) forlight housekeeping, making meals, light assistance of ederly person with slight disability. Must have reliable transportation. Backgroud check required. compensation:$10 per hour Contact 216-316-4343 or email resume to: s.mesaros@yahoo.com PHYSICAL THERAPIST (PT). An established New Tampa outpatient clinic is hiring a part-time PT to provide custom, one-on-one care. Fax resume to (813) 994-3080.

CLEANING SERVICES POWER HOUSE CLEANING SERVICES. Residential cleaning weekly, bi-weekly, monthly & occasional. One time, deep cleaning, move in/move outs, real estate, holiday and events. Owner operator with personal care! Licensed and Insured. For free in-home estimate, call 813-356-8287 or e-mail powerclean16@ gmail.com. You will be powerfully pleased!

SPANISH-SPEAKING MEDICAL BILLER wanted for New Tampa med. equip. company. Gathers billing info; checks if complete. Bills insurance carriers. Resolves disputed claims, discrepancies. Data entry skills, Microsoft Office proficiency, time mgmt, organization, professionalism, cust. svc & attn. to detail. Send resume: Richard.Jones@solarusmedical.com.

B CLEANING SERVICES: Over fourteen years experience! Commercial & residential; Weekly, bi-weekly, monthly; New house & post construction clean-up; Window cleaning; Move-in or move-out cleanings; Pressure washing; FREE estimates; References available. Call today: 813-531-0154 or e-mail: bcleanings@hotmail.com

MEDICAL RECEPTIONIST with computer experience in intergy (greenway) practice management system. Knowledge of insurances. Busy phones. M-F 9-6, 35 hours. Also, L.P.N. or M.A. for allergist office. Please fax resume to 813-558-9421

D-ULTRA CLEANING SERVICE. We have our own supplies and more than 300 clients in New Tampa! For more info, Call 758-9710. ANNA’S HOUSEKEEPING. $68 introductory special, Mon-Wed. Cleaning, Laundry, You Name It! Make your list, put us to work! We have private housekeeper rates with agency backup coverage! A BBB-Accredited Business Servicing Florida since 1991. Licensed and all housekeepers are background checked. Call (813) 985-1150.

ROUTE SALES, MEDICAL. Fills customer orders by driving to customer accounts within FL; unloading & shelving product, inventory verification. Increase sales volume by providing cust. service and suggestive selling techniques. Overnight travel 2 nights/month. Send resume to: richard.jones@solarusmedical.com.

HIRING PERSONAL TRAINER. Private Women’s Studio with Boot Camp & Personal Training in Wesley Chapel & Land O’ Lakes owned by Samantha Taylor. Please no phone calls or walk ins.To apply part time: www.lolfitbodybootcamp.com/hire-pt. PIZZAMAKERS & LINE/PREP COOKS WANTED (exp’d. preferred) at New Tampa’s favorite authentic Chicago-style pizza place. Bring Resume during business hours to Full Circle Chicago Pizza at 19651 BBD Blvd. (in the Pebble Creek Collection). ASSESSMENT ADMINISTRATORS NEEDED IN SCHOOLS FOR NATIONAL ASSESSMENT OF ED PROGRESS (NAEP) from 1/23 through 4/17. Apply at www.westat.com/CAREERS (Select Search Field Data Jobs-Florida-AA position-Apply) or call 888-237-8036.

POOL SERVICES TRANQUILITY POOL SERVICE. New Tampa owned & operated. Great Pricing with outstanding customer service! LICENSED, BONDED & INSURED. See why we are New Tampa and Wesley Chapel’s #1 Choice!! Call Chris today @ (813) 857-5400 or visit TranquilityPoolService.com. New customers get ONE MONTH FREE! ALL-STAR POOL SERVICE & REPAIR. Expert repairs and installations of pumps, motors, filters, timers, salt and ozone generators. Marcite for $2,400. Tile repair and acid washes, paver and river rock sealing, pressure washing and deck repair, paver and eurocote decks. Mention this ad and receive $69 pool service. Call or text for details: 813-244-7077. See our display ad. www.allstarpoolsoftampabay.com

For Advertising Information Call 813-910-2575 • Volume 24, Issue 17 • August 12, 2016 • NTNeighborhoodNews.com

Neighborhood News

SPACE AVAILABLE Serenity Salon & Spa Suites, Wesley Chapel. 1 suite available for rent. Call for details: 813-3125247 or 813-997-6302. Great location!

ERRANDS & PERSONAL SERVICES GET A RIDE. Don’t Have a Ride? Don’t Want to Leave Your Car? Shouldn’t Drive? We Drive You & Your Car Home! Night Clubs, Corporate Events, Sporting Events, Concerts, Appointments, Airport or stranded. Call Jay at (813) 966-1530.

MISCELLANEOUS FERNANDEZ FLORIDA LAW OFFICE LIQUIDATION. SALE AUGUST 26TH, 9AM-5PM. EVERYTHING MUST GO! White executive desk, maple wood executive desk, 3 L-shaped desks; 3 office chairs; 2 black Slim conference room table; 2 Filing Cabinets; 2 bookcases and many more. Location: 113 S. Boulevard, 1st Floor, Tampa, Florida 33606. Near Downtown Tampa. Make best offer & its yours!. TURN YOUR CLUTTER INTO CASH! Estate sales, inventory liquidations & appraisal services. We evaluate & appraise your treasures, then get you top dollar! We’ll sell your stuff onsite or online. We do the work & you get the cash. Contact us today @ 813-4285793 to find out how!

LAWN & LANDSCAPING

JASMINE’S LANDSCAPING. Complete lawn maintenance, Tree, palm and hedge trimming, Planting, mulching, stones, Sod replacement, Pressure washing, Gutter cleaning and more. Cited by your HOA for violations? Need to comply for: Pressure washing, Trimming, Mulching, Sod replacement, Sprinkler repair or Mailbox repair or replacements? Ask about our HOA SPECIAL & FREE ESTIMATE! For more info, call (813) 420-4465. AMERICAN PRIDE LAWN CARE SERVICE, LLC. Our services include weekly lawn maintenance with mulching decks on all mowers, precision edging, string trimming, hedge, shrub, palm & tree trimming. We also offer landscaping, pruning & sod replacement. Free estimates. Licensed and Insured. We are an Owner/ Operator Company built on service and trust. References available. For more info, call (813) 458-4778. HOMETEAM LAWNCARE LLC High-Quality Professional Services: Weekly or Bi-Weekly Year-Round FullSvc LawnCare starting at $75/month: mow, edge, trim, blow, mulch-bed maintenance, hedge and low-tree trim. Additional Services: Sod, Mulch, & Rock Placement; Hedge Trimming, & Tree Trimming; Landscape Installation; Fall/Spring Clean-Up. Family Owned & Operated, Licensed & Insured, Background Checked, Call or Text (813) 817-9554.

Call (813) 910-2575 to order your Classified or Display Ad today!

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SUNSHINE CLEANERS Top Quality...Great Prices

$5 Oﬀ Any Size Comforter $2.79 Press Only* $3.49 Drycleaning & Press* $1.59 Men’s Business Shirts * Some garments incur additional charge. Neighborhood News

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For Advertising Information Call 813-910-2575 • Volume 24, Issue 17 • August 12, 2016 • NTNeighborhoodNews.com

‘Flag’

Continued from page 45 Fire Captain John Donnelly is in charge of Tampa Fire Rescue (TFR) Station No. 21 and sought approval to place the box at the station. In the letter to TFR Chief Thomas Forward, Donnelly wrote, “I think this would be a great way to assist Grant in achieving his goal, while allowing the citizens of Tampa a dignified way to retire their American flags.” Forward granted permission and a box was placed at Station 21 on Aug. 2. When Collie delivered the box (far right), Donnelly commented on the project’s alignment with TFR’s purpose.

“Our goal is to aid the community and this goes along with that,” he said. People wanting to drop flags off at Fire Station No. 21 should enter through the main office door and they will be directed to the box, says Donnelly. Collie expressed optimism the boxes at the fire station and at Lazydays RV Resort will get a lot of use. “I know there’s lots of people around here who have (old or tattered) flags, so I’m hoping they’ll bring them here so we can have ceremonies and retire them,” Collie says. Tampa Fire Rescue Station No. 21 is located at 18902 Green Pine Ln., off Cross Creek Blvd. Lazydays RV Resort is located at 6210 C.R. 579 in Seffner.

For Advertising Information Call 813-910-2575 • Volume 24, Issue 17 • August 12, 2016 • NTNeighborhoodNews.com

Neighborhood News

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